(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Grant Hauswirth's third period goal broke a 2-2 tie and gave the streaking Tigers a 3-2 win over Red Wing Thursday night, Feb. 17, at Prairie Island Arena.
The victory in the regular season finale was the fourth straight for the Tigers who raised their record to 13-12 overall and 7-7 in the conference. The locals finished in a third place tie with the Wingers in the final league standings.
"We haven't been able to find out for sure the last time we won in Red Wing," Tiger coach Keith Revels said, "But never in the new arena and that means the year began with 19 and not 20. They are tough at home."
The Wingers drew first blood in the opening period but as has been the case in recent games, Farmington fired right back with Jake Sorenson notching his fourth goal in the last three games.
"The Sorenson, Grubb (Tyler), Handberg (Dan) line is getting more and more comfortable each outing," Revels said.
Handberg's second period goal (from Grubb) gave the visitors a one-goal lead heading into the final stanza.
Red Wing re-tied the game at 4:16 of third but Hauswirth countered with the game-winner less than a minute later, scoring on assists from Zak Payne and Andrew Peterson.
Red Wing pulled its goalie late but for the third straight outing the Tigers withstood the last minute pressure.
Tiger goaltender Victor Simones finished the night with either 52 or 26 saves depending on whose shot chart you believe.
"We had them outshooting us 28-25 and they had it 54-29," Revels quipped. "It was Parent's Night. Maybe the distraction affected the count."
Seeding for the Section 1AA tournament occurs Sunday and Revels is hoping his team's strong finish translates into a higher ranking.
"It's hard to tell," he said. "I'd say we should be fourth, fifth or sixth (out of nine)," he said, "but you never know how other people will vote."
A fourth through sixth seed would mean a quarterfinal game next Thursday, Feb. 24, at the higher seed. A fourth seed would bring about a home game; fifth or sixth would mean a road contest.
