Staff Photo by Jake Olson: Fairmont girls hockey goaltender Alexis Sundeen makes a glove-side save during Thursday night's practice at Martin County Arena. Sundeen and the Cardinal defense have allowed 2.6 goals per game through 17 games this season.

FAIRMONT – Alexis Sundeen knew she was close.

Heading into Monday’s game against Albert Lea, the Fairmont girls hockey goaltender realized she was just 15 saves shy of reaching the 1,000 career mark midway through her sophomore season, a feat not many can accomplish in just two years at the varsity level.

Sundeen’s teammates made sure to remind the netminder every chance they got, skating by to whisper how many more saves she needed to reach the milestone. They took just as much pride in this as Sundeen did.

“Some of the players kept saying, ‘This many more…,'” Sundeen said. “I kind of knew how many I needed, but still had to be locked in so we could do good this game against a tough team.”

She surpassed the mark in the opening period of the night. An Albert Lea forward passed the puck from behind the net towards the Tigers’ incoming backline, who fired a shot towards Sundeen that ricocheted off her facemask before landing in her glove.

“I was pretty happy, but knew my team had to do a lot as well to get me to where I am,” Sundeen said. “They supported me through it to, so it just felt nice to have them behind me to get this.”

Sundeen’s achievements have resulted from hard work and the development of her talent throughout her long career as a goalie. She started the position after her youth association coaches asked the team if anyone was interested in becoming a netkeeper. Sundeen took the offer, sometimes against her parents’ will, and hasn’t looked back.

“My mom would say, ‘You better not put her in that goalie gear,'” Sundeen said jokingly. “She would get me dressed in my other gear. I would disappear, and she would try to find me, but I would come downstairs with my goalie gear.”

The transition to goalie was heavily influenced by Sundeen’s already impressive skating skills. Current Fairmont head coach Aaron Haycraft recalls seeing Sundeen skate at a young age, thinking her abilities on the ice were as impressive as anyone else’s in 8U hockey.

“When she was an 8U hockey player, she was one of the best skaters out there; boys and girls,” Haycraft said. “She would skate circles around them and compete and battle. That athleticism, when she put the goalie pads on, was just fun to watch.”

Sundeen got her first shot at the varsity level last year as a freshman, splitting time with senior goalie IIana Moeller throughout the winter. She saw the jump in talent through nearly every aspect of the game that season. The shots were quicker, skaters were faster, and everyone on the ice seemed more skilled than in previous competition.

This year gave Sundeen a shot of confidence going forward. Not only did it prove that she belonged at this stage, but that she was good to play this position the rest of her career with the Cardinals.

“The support of my teammates also helped [my confidence],” Sundeen said. “If I was feeling down, they just knew how to build me back up to keep my confidence high.”

Haycraft’s net has belonged to Sundeen since then. With the support of her teammates, the Cardinal defense has allowed 2.6 goals per game through 17 games this season. Sundeen and the rest of her back line take great pride in being a stern defensive unit. The chemistry between the two has been one of the many reasons Fairmont started the year with an 8-7-2 record.

“For the 1,000th save that she had, her teammates were equally as excited for her,” Haycraft said. “They were so happy to see that achievement, and they were pulling for her as hard as anybody. …They were really cheering for her because she is such a strong teammate and leader for this squad.”