1st period goal gave Tigers 1-0 lead
Sometimes hockey can be a frustrating game. Take Farmington's 2-1 loss to Owatonna Thursday night, December 9, at Schmitz-Maki Arena, for example.
In a sluggish first period that saw the puck almost exclusively in the Tiger end of the rink, the home team managed to forge a 1-0 lead thanks to a back-hander by Quinn Eden on an assist from Quinn Malcolm just 62 seconds into the game.
"It was by far our worst period of the night," coach Keith Revels said. "We were running around losing most of the races to the puck. Some good goaltending and luck gave us the lead."
Over the final two periods the Tigers got the better of the play, outshooting Owatonna by a 19-14 margin, but couldn't find the net.
The Huskies tied the count in the second period on Jesse Ebeling's goal and then won it with just 2:22 remaining in regulation when a blind pass bounced off a skate and just beyond the reach of Tiger netminder Victor Simones.
The Tigers pulled Simones who lost for the the first time in three starts, for a late offensive rush but couldn't find the tying formula.
"That's a hard one for our boys to take," Revels said. "We played great over the last two periods. We kept our composure and played hard. It was just not going our way. Hockey is a strange game sometimes."
The Tigers played the game short-handed with Jack Buss (shoulder) and Blake Weinand (stitches in forehead) joining Trevor Hockert (ankle sprain) and Jake Eldred (collarbone) on the shelf.
Revels is hoping to have Buss and Weinand back on the ice next Tuesday, Dec. 14, when the Tigers entertain Dodge County.
