Boys Hockey: Tigers beat clock, Northfield

Justin Novak netted the game-winner with 3.3 seconds left in OT (photo by Jim Lindquist)

It took 57 and minutes and 56.7 seconds but the Tigers still managed to win their 13th consecutive game Saturday night with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over Northfield at Northfield Arena.

Justin (Time) Novak provided the game-winner with 3.3 seconds left in the eight-minute extra session.

The Missota Conference triumph boosted Farmington's league-leading record to 10-0-1 and its overall mark to a lofty 18-3-1.

"We got down again despite carrying the play," Tiger coach Keith Revels said. "We threw up 50 shots and were still deadlocked in a 2-2 tie, but we just kept coming. With 12 seconds left we found a way to get it up the rink and on to the stick of our leading scorer with 3.3 seconds to spare."

As has been the case since their last loss on Dec. 17, a span of 46 days, the Tigers peppered the opponent's net with shots. Farmington finished the night with an incredible 57-19 shots on goal advantage.

Grady Hauswirth assisted on the deciding goal (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The scoreboard only pays off on goals, however, and the only shots the visitors could get by red-hot Raider goalie Matt Foss came midway through the second period after Northfield had taken a 1-0 lead.

Tanner Grubb (from Jack Erickson and Dallas Tucker) and Chris Fitzgibbons (from Grady Hauswirth and Jake Trippel) provided the goals but Northfield tied it up late in the second to set the stage for Novak's overtime dramatics.

Farmington outshot the Raiders 17-3 over the final 17 minutes of regulation but had only missed opportunities to show for its effort.

The teams seemed headed for a tie with the clock ticking down in overtime when Austin Martinsen sent the puck up the right boards to Hauswirth who re-directed it to Tyler Jette. Jette then fed it to Novak who flipped it over the outstretched leg pad of Foss and into the net.

Nick Schoening drew his second straight start in goal for the Tigers and won for the seventh time in eight starts with a 17-save effort.

The win capped a rare three games-in-in-five-nights stretch for the winners who earlier in the week beat second place New Prague and Holy Angels.

Tyler Jette put the puck on Novak's stick for the game-winner (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Revels said continuing to play good hockey and win Farmington's first Missota Conference title in 39 years remains his team's focus. The win streak, one of the longest in school history, is of little concern.

"To be honest, no mention of it has been uttered in my presence in the locker room or on the practice ice," he said.

Three games remain on the conference schedule, starting with Thursday's home encounter with Chanhassen. Next Tuesday the Tigers travel to Shakopee before returning home two days later (Feb. 13) for the season finale against Chaska.