Girls hockey: Packers overcome slow start to beat Waseca
Published 3:32 pm Saturday, December 2, 2017
- Austin’s Lily Holtz primes a shot against Waseca in the first period Saturday afternoon at Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin girls hockey team had a little Saturday afternoon wakeup call as they had to bounce back from a slow start to pull off a dramatic win over Waseca (1-3 overall) in Riverside Arena.
The Packers (3-1 overall) dominated possession as they racked up 63 shots, but they trailed for much of the game and it was tied up at 4-4 when Lily Holtz drove in a slap shot for her second goal of the game to give Austin the lead for good with 54 seconds left in the game.
Austin’s Kate Holtz attacks the Waseca zone in the first period Saturday afternoon at Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“It was a little scary headed down the stretch and we knew we could give more. We came back,” Holtz said. “I know we came out slow in the first. We were trying to get everything figured out and I know a lot of the talk in the locker room was who [Waseca] had lost to. We weren’t really focusing on our own game and we weren’t really focused on our own potential. We’ve got to show up.”
After trailing for most of the second and third periods, Austin tied the game at 3-3 when Hannah McMasters found the net on a slap shot and the Packers took a 4-3 lead one-minute later when Jaiden Schuster scored with 5:33 left in the game, but the Bluejays tied the game up at 4-4 when Riley Brown scored her third goal of the game with 1:16 left.
Austin’s Alexis Stich tries to wrangle the puck out of the air against Waseca in the first period Saturday afternoon at Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“We weren’t ready. Then we picked it up a little bit. Moving the lines helped and I like playing with Kate [Holtz] and Lexi [Stitch],” McMasters said. “Positivity was the key to everything.”
Austin head coach Carley Grunwald wasn’t thrilled with how the game went for much of the day, but she was happy with how her team took care of business after a timeout before the final goal.
“It wasn’t really the outcome we wanted, but it’s a win,” Grunewald said. “I think the girls really have to work in playing three periods out there. The girls didn’t quit and that’s great. They listened and executed at the end and that was awesome to get that last goal to win it.”
Faith Sayles had 24 saves in the win for Austin.
Austin’s Jaiden Schuster is hit in front of the net as teammate Myia Hoium’s shot shoots past during the first period Saturday afternoon against Waseca at Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
SCORING SUMMARY
Waseca 2 1 1 — 4
Austin 1 1 3 — 5
First period
(W) Riley Brown (Jayde Peterson) 13:38
(A) Myia Hoium (Jaiden Schuster) 15:54
(W) Brown (Hailie Tegmeier) 16:34
Second period
(A) Lily Holtz (short handed) 5:08
(W) Peterson (Brown) 7:13
Third period
(A) Hannah McMasters 10:30
(A) Schuster (Erin Bickler) 11:27
(W) Brown 15:44
(A) Hoium (Lily Holtz) 16:05
Shots: Austin — 63; Waseca — 28
Power plays: Austin — 0-for-5; Waseca — 0-for-5
