Scarlets rally past Packers
Published 9:50 pm Thursday, November 18, 2010
Austin's Rebecca Bartlett turns on the puck in front of Mankato West's Melissa Austad during the first period Thursday night at Riverside Arena. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Packers looked a lot better in their second game of the season, but they still suffered a third period letdown in a 5-3 loss to Mankato West in a girls hockey game in Riverside Arena Thursday.
The Scarlets (2-0 overall, 1-0 Big Nine) scored twice in the last nine minutes of the game as Justine Scheller scored off a long rebound to make it 4-3 and Katy Kvasnicka scored her third goal of the night off goalie Sam LeBarron’s pad to make it 5-3 with 5:36 left in the game.
There were five total goals scored in the third as Austin (0-2 overall, 0-2 Big Nine) tied the game up at three when Kirsten Stanek slapped in a power play goal and the Packers tied it up at two when Abby Gallaher scored on a rebound.
“We showed improvement and our conditioning was a little better,” Austin head coach Denny Bray said. “Our breakouts were fantastic and our forechecking was pretty good.”
Kvasnicka scored to make it 3-2 when she was stuffed on a breakaway by LeBarron, but had time to recover the puck behind the net and come back around and score.
Austin's Carley Grunewald takes control of the puck during the second period against Mankato West at Riverside Arena. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“She got two shots at it,” Bray said. “Sam made the first save and our center didn’t go down, she was watching. We were acting like spectators.”
Jana Christensen knocked in a slapshot to put the Scarlets up 1-0 with a little under a minute left in the first and Stanek tied the game at one early in the second. Stanek, a senior, scored two goals and had an assist, despite walking with a heavy limp due to a foot injury.
“It’s very tough and it hurts, but I just played through the pain,” said Stanek, who wasn’t even sure she was going to play Thursday. “I was very surprised to score and I wasn’t expecting it.”
LeBarron, a sophomore, had 33 saves for Austin.
SCORING SUMMARY
Mankato West 1 1 3 — 5
Austin 0 1 2 — 3
First period
(M) Jana Christensen (Katy Kvasnicka) 16:03
Second period
(A) Kirsten Stanek (Vanessa Talamantes) 1:38
(M) Kvasnicka (Melissa Austad, Callie Looft) 10:10
Third period
(A) Abby Gallaher (Carley Grunewald, Stanek) (powerplay) 2:08
(M) Kvasnicka (Looft, Christensen) (shorthanded) 7:21
(A) Stanek (powerplay) 7:36
(M) Justine Scheller (Hanna Rehome) 8:23
(M) Kvasnicka (Melissa Austad) 12:24
Power plays: Austin — 2-for-4; Mankato West — 0-for-1
Shots: Austin — 30; Mankato West — 38
