A pair of backhand feeds prevented the Austin boys’ hockey team from being backhanded out of Four Seasons Arena by the host Owatonna Huskies on Tuesday.

Wednesday, February 02, 2000

A pair of backhand feeds prevented the Austin boys’ hockey team from being backhanded out of Four Seasons Arena by the host Owatonna Huskies on Tuesday.

The Packers scored with 51 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game, then got an overtime goal to duck out of town with a 4-3 victory.

The loss was the Huskies’ seventh one-goal defeat of the season.

"It was a good exciting game," Austin coach Denny Laumeyer said. "It was one of those games in which we didn’t play well, but kept battling."

Owatonna out-shot Austin, 35-23, leading Laumeyer to conclude the Huskies set the tempo of the game.

The teams traded goals in the first, before the Packers bookended two goals around Owatonna’s two third-period tallies.

Austin (12-4-1, 10-2-1 in the Big Nine) needed some fine passing to escape from being upset.

Late in the third, Packer goalie Kyle Olson was pulled late in favor of the extra attacker. The oft-used – but seldomly successful – tactic came up roses for the Packers, who lit the lamp when Joe Huffman, in traffic, wheeled a backhand pass to David Lorenzen who punched a top-shelf goal over Owatonna goaltender Mike Plante.

The goal tied the game at 3-3.

"It was a real exciting goal that came at a great time," Laumeyer said.

Five minutes, 8 seconds into overtime, Brandon Schaefer turned a 2-on-2 into a 2-on-1 by stickhandling his way around a defender. Schaefer and Andy Klapperick – both sophomores – then bored down on Plate, scoring when Klapperick redirected Schaefer’s backhanded feed.

The goal was Klapperick’s second of the game. Asham Bell, off an assist from Lorenzen, scored the Packers’ first goal.

Olson got the win with 32 saves.