(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Krystal Baumann 3 goals 2 assists
(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Hnnah Alexander 2 goals (including game-winner), 2 assists
(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Third-seeded Farmington outlasted No. 2 Lakeville North 5-4 in a marathon three-overtime thriller Tuesday night, Feb. 15, in the semifinal round of the Section 1AA tournament at Ames Arena.
Hannah Alexander's wrist shot from the point capped the gritty, come-from-behind win for the Tigers who were outshot 65-36 in the contest.
"It is great to get out of there with a 'W', Tiger coach Jon Holmes said shaking his head, "but collectively I would say we played our worst game of the season. We didn't execute in our offensive zone and defensively we were out of position all night. We got outshot 2-to-1.
"But that says a lot about our team. We never quit and we found a way to win when we weren't playing at our best. I'm really proud of our effort."
If Holmes were to have awarded a game puck, it would have been a difficult choice. Krystal Baumann (3 goals) and Alexander (2), Farmington's version of Batman and Robin, combined to score all five goals and keyed the third period comeback. But in the end, it would be hard to top the effort of goalie Jessica Erchul who finished the night with a career-high 61 saves.
"Krystal and Hannah did what they always do," Holmes said, "They never stop. They keep coming at you. But Erch kept us in the game when some other things weren't going so well. She put us in a place where we had an opportunity to win.
"She has been playing very well lately. It seems when the game is bigger and the team needs her more, she always rises to the challenge."
The Tigers seemed to get the better of the play early in the opening period and they took a 1-0 lead on Baumann's power play laser from outside the right circle before the Panthers countered later in the period to tie the count.
Baumann scored again in the second period, this time on a rebound on the power play, to give the lead back to the visitors but once again North came right back, this time with two goals to take a 3-2 edge after two periods.
Even worse for the Missota Conference champions, Baumann suffered a knee injury in the closing seconds of the period, and left the ice with a noticeable limp.
"The trainer said it was a mild sprain but Krystal is a gamer," Holmes said. "She was determined to play."
And play she did. After North went up 4-2, Baumann put the puck on net and Alexander slammed it home with 4:27 left in regulation to give the Farmington faithful some hope. Two minutes later she scored on the power play to forge an unlikely tie.
"When we got two goals down we changed our defensive strategy and decided to concentrate on getting the puck back down the ice as quickly as possible," Holmes said. "We became more aggressive and things started to open up."
From the opening face-off of overtime until Alexander's clutch game-winner, the spotlight belonged to Erchul. She stopped four shots in the first eight-minute extra session and then a miraculous 18 in the full 17-minute second overtime, including s couple from point-blank range.
Alexander's deciding goal came 81 minutes and 33 seconds after the opening face-off on just the second Farmington shot of the period.
Baumann finished the night with a pair of assists to go with her hat trick for five points and Alexander tallied two goals and two assists for four points. Linemate Chloe Batta and defender Betsy Anderson each contributed a pair of assists.
Farmington's win was its 20th of the season against six losses and vaulted the locals into Friday's championship game against top-seeded Lakeville South in Owatonna. Face-off is scheduled for 7:30 at Four Seasons Arena on the Steele County Fairgrounds.
