Staff Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont's Joslyn Meyer shoots the puck towards Marshall goalkeeper Lily Stelter during the opening moments of the third period. The Tigers walked away from Tuesday night's game at Martin County Arena with a 7-1 victory over Fairmont.

FAIRMONT – A save from Fairmont goalkeeper Alexis Sundeen in the opening 15 seconds of Tuesday night’s contest against Marshall proved to be a sign of things to come for head coach Aaron Haycraft’s team.

Despite drawing first blood with a goal from Alexis Haycraft in the opening period, it was the Tigers who ultimately prevailed. Marshall finished the game scoring seven consecutive goals on the Cardinal defense, outshooting their opponent 60-15 to earn its eighth win of the early season. Sundeen recorded a season-high 53 saves.

“I am very proud of how we played,” Aaron Haycraft said. “I thought we played a really good game, but I thought we had four minutes in each period where we had some minor breakdowns. With a good team like Marshall, they are going to make you pay.”

Marshall’s Brooklyn Mauch led the way for the Tigers with three goals and three assists. Abigail Foley had two scores of her own in the second period, along with one assist. Tiger goalkeeper Lily Stelter finished her quiet night notching 14 saves.

Both teams felt each other on the ice during the early stages of the first period. Fairmont’s Lauren Bettin got an early breakaway at the net following a loose puck at mid-ice. Bettin’s shot on goal fell wide after Stelter’s challenge for the puck, putting the possession into Alexis Haycraft’s stick on the right side of the ice.

After weaving her way through a handful of black jerseys, the sophomore struck gold, putting one past the net and giving her team an immediate advantage with 14 minutes left in the first period.

However, this lead didn’t last long. The Marshall offensive attack continued to press their foot to the floor, collecting more and more shots on goal while applying pressure to Sundeen and her defensive line.

Mauch eventually broke through the barrier with 6:10 left in the first period, gliding from right to left before flicking the puck effortlessly past the outstretched hands of Sundeen. The stellar junior tacked on one more score off a deflected shot by Ava Kolander to give her team the lead less than three minutes later.

“When you play them, I’m not going to say you have to play perfect, but you have to play very solid,” Aaron Haycraft said. “Especially very solid defensively, and we talked about that.”

The Tigers continued their aggressive offensive trend in the early moments of period two. Taking advantage of a half-strength Fairmont lineup, Mauch completed her hat trick on the advantage with an upper-deck score four minutes into the period.

Foley put on the early finishing touches with two quick scores with 10:22 and 10:04 left to play in the second period, using swift passes from Mauch to ultimately pull away from the Cardinals.

“They are a really fast team,” Aaron Haycraft said. “They have a lot of players who can possess and protect the puck. With their speed, they also play really physical, and that’s something we have to improve on.”

Elsie Deutz and Ava Kolander punched in the final two scores for Marshall with 13:04 and 11:47 minutes remaining in the final period of play. The Tigers (8-1) continue their season on Thursday with a home match against Luverne starting at 7 p.m.

Fairmont (3-2-1) will look to get back to its winning ways this Thursday at South Central. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 p.m.