POKE CHECK — Fairmont Area defender Corene Moeller (12) poke checks the puck away from Albert Lea forward Morgan Goskeson during nonconference hockey action Monday night at Martin County Arena in Fairmont. (Photo by Charlie Sorrells)

FAIRMONT — Hanna Austinson and Morgan Goskeson each generated game-best hat tricks and doled out one assist apiece for good measure to power the Albert Lea Tigers to an 11-1 non-league hockey win over the Fairmont Area Cardinals on Monday night.

“We just faced them two days ago, so we knew what to expect tonight,” said Fairmont Area head coach Eric Householder, whose lineup proved to be on the short end of a 61-11 shots-on-goal statistic in Game 2 of the regular season. “They are fast skaters, know right where the puck is going to be passed, hit their shots with authority and the scariest part for their opponents — there’s not a senior on their roster.”

In fact, Goskeson, who entered the game with 13 goals and nine assists, is only an eighth-grader, while Hanna Austinson is a ninth-grader. Austinson had tallied eight goals and 10 helpers prior to her four-point performance on Monday night at Martin County Arena.

Ironically, both players etched their names in the 2022 Class A state tournament’s boxscores as the Tigers went 0-2 during the program’s first-ever state appearance.

“We just couldn’t slow them down tonight, but Hadley (Artz) turned in another great effort between the pipes during the final home game of her high school career,” Householder said in reference to the Cardinal senior netminder’s incredible 50-save performance.

Hanna Austinson and Goskeson put Artz’s stick, pads and glove to the test early and often as the high-octane duo combined for a 2-0 first-period lead over Fairmont Area.

Hanna Austinson drilled home a left-circle liner after deftly weaving through defenders along the left wing for an unassisted twine-finder at the 10:08 juncture.

Hanna Austinson then demonstrated her passing skills by finding Goskeson on the doorstep to cash in a power-play opportunity with only 23 seconds remaining before the first intermission.

Artz batted down a Goskeson point-blank blast at the 15:50 mark of the second segment, snagged Hanna Austinson’s right-circle stinger a minute later before not getting faked out of position by Shelby Evans’ left-to-right breakaway juke move at the 14-minute mark.

Goskeson, however, finally wristed a slot shot past Artz with 8:41 left in the middle frame before Mika Cichosz converted a left-to-right breakaway rush into a left-pipe lamp-lighter to double the Tigers’ margin to 4-0 at the 6:09 juncture.

Keara Flanagan needed only 44 seconds to answer the challenge for Fairmont Area, sliding home the first goal of her varsity hockey career at the 5:25 mark. Corene Moeller and Joslyn Meyer — who’s worn at least four different jersey numbers this season — combined for the double-assist on Flanagan’s web-finding shot.

Two and a half minutes later, Hanna Austinson converted a double-assist from Goskeson and Cichosz into her second goal of the game via the power-play with 3:06 remaining in the second period.

Olivia Ellsworth then transformed her neutral ice steal into a top-shelf one-timer to cap the Tigers’ four-goal second period for a 6-1 lead.

Haley Austinson, a seventh-grader, joined the scoring column to open the third period and create running time at the 11:40 mark.

Even the quick-elapsing minutes could not slow Albert Lea’s offensive pelting of the puck as Shelby Evans delivered two goals, while Goskeson and Hanna Austinson completed their hat tricks with each third goal of the night.

Tigers’ goalie Jayda Moyer made 10 saves to earn the victory between the pipes.

Fairmont Area (4-13-3) travels to Le Sueur tonight for a 7:15 p.m. Big South Conference game against Minnesota River.

Albert Lea (14-7-1) plays host to Winona on Thursday night in Big Nine Conference action.

Albert Lea    2-4-5–11

Fairmont      0-1-0– 1

Scoring Plays

1st Period

AL–Hanna Austinson (unassisted), 10:08.

AL–Morgan Goskeson (Hanna Austinson), PP., 0:31.

2nd Period

AL–Morgan Goskeson (unassisted), 8:41.

AL–Mika Cichosz (unassisted), 6:09.

FMT–Keara Flanagan (Joslyn Meyer, Corene Moeller), 5:25.

AL–Hanna Austinson (Morgan Goskeson, Mika Cichosz), PP., 3:06.

AL–Olivia Ellsworth (unassisted), 2:11.

3rd Period

AL–Haley Austinson (Keira Erickson, 11:40.

AL–Shelby Evans (Olivia Ellsworth), 9:00.

AL–Morgan Goskeson (Sydney Kolker), 7:15.

AL–Shelby Evans (unassisted), 6:07.

AL–Hanna Austinson (Keira Erickson), 3:40.

Shots on goal: Albert Lea 16-25-20–61; Fairmont Area 5-3-3–11.

Saves: Hadley Artz (FMT) 50; Jayda Moyer (AL) 10.

Penalties: Albert Lea 4 for 8 minutes; Fairmont Area 3 for 6 minutes.

Power-play chances: Albert Lea 2-for-3; Fairmont Area 0-for-4.