The Austin girls hockey team hung around with a one of the top teams for much of the night in the Big Nine as it lost 6-2 to Rochester Mayo in its final home game of the season in Riverside Arena Thursday.

Jordyn McCormack brought the Packers within 3-2 when she slapped in a power play goal early in the third period, but the Spartans (18-5 overall, 12-4 Big Nine) scored three goals in a 10-minute stretch to ice the game.

Austin, which has now lost four in a row, had lost to Mayo 10-3 in the teams’ first meeting on Nov. 28.

“I think when we played them the first time we were in a slump for a couple of games,” McCormack said. “Now we’re finally coming back into how we can play and we’re getting along as a team. We’re playing well together.”

Faith Sayles kept the Packers (6-14 overall, 4-11 Big Nine) in the game by making 51 saves and Myia Hoium scored a second period goal to tie the game at 1-1. It was likely the final game in Riverside for Hoium and senior Isabelle Reuter.

“It’s pretty sad knowing that they’re never going to play here again because we probably won’t get a home section game,” McCormack said. “It’s hard to get a loss, but I don’t think that shows how we played the game.”

Austin will wrap has three road games remaining in the regular season with the finale coming at Rochester Century Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. The Section 1A girls hockey tournament will begin Feb. 7.

“If we keep our heads in the game and we keep practicing hard we can finish the season strong,” McCormack said.

SCORING SUMMARY

Mayo 1  2  3  —  6

Austin 0  1  1  —  2

First period

(M) Brooke Leone (short handed) (Maddi Lutz) 9:32

Second period

(A) Myia Hoium (power play) 9:07

(M) Megan Adair 13:39

(M) Lutz (Adair, Leone) 15:02

Third period

(A) Jordyn McCormack (power play) (Lily Holtz) 1:16

(M) Adair (Maggie Augeson) 3:54

(M) Adair (Devynn Priest) 5:57

(M) Maeve Cameron (Leone, Eryn Fjelsted) 13:59

Shots: Austin — 19; Mayo —57

Power play: Austin — 2-for-4; Mayo — 0-for-2