Edina Patience Pays Off in 2-1 Win

LAKEVILLE, Minn - The Edina Hornets played solid defensively and wore down the Lakeville South Cougars in the third period winning 2-1 Thursday night. Senior Lizzy Otten scored on a blistering shot from the right point as Edina worked their power play to perfection.

”I didn’t do it alone,” said Otten. “We were on the power play, and my teammates helped me.”

The Hornets out shot the Cougars 34-14 in the game and found some frustration with not being able to put the puck in the back of the net. As all good teams do, the Hornets stuck with it and capitalized late in the third period.

”I was proud of our kids tonight,” said Edina head coach Laura Slominski. “The third period was definitely our strongest period. For us the biggest thing was after we got that goal, was the way we responded.”

Edina picked up a goal in the second period when junior Liz Trautz pounced on a rebound that went off of Lakeville South goaltender Taylor Gustafson’s pads. At that point in the hockey game, it appeared as though that goal might have stuck as the Hornets continued to play solid defense and allowed only five shots in each of the first two periods.

The Cougars answered right back as junior KK Naasz controlled the puck at center ice, with Ari Reed to her right, they hit their offensive zone with a two-on-one break. Naasz slid a pass to Reed who slid the puck in to tie the game at a goal a piece. It seemed to give the Cougars the boost they were looking for as they once again went to the dressing room tied with the Hornets.

The two squads continued to play solid defense in the third and what could have turned into an Edina rout was held in check by a spectacular night in net by senior goalie Taylor Gustafson. Last season Gustafson started only two games for the Cougars as she backed up Chelsea Laden one of the top goaltenders in the state last year. The senior faced pressure from the Hornets and steered away 32 of 34 shots in the loss.

Otten played the hero scoring on the power play, propelling the Hornets to the 2-1 win.

Lakeville South will battle Lakeville North on Tuesday night.

Edina is off until next Friday night when they host their annual Cake Eater tournament. My FOX Hockey will provide live streaming coverage for all four games played on Friday and Saturday.

Scoring Summary:

Second Period
Edina- Liz Trautz
Lakeville South- Ari Reed

Third Period
Edina- Lizzy Otten PP

W: Maddie Dahl – 13 Saves

Shots on Goal:
Edina: 12-12-10
Lakeville South: 5-5-4