By Rocky Hulne

Huskies Knock Off Packers

Published 10:11pm Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Austin girls hockey team opened strong, but it couldn’t get over a speed bump in a 4-2 loss to Owatonna (3-3 overall, 3-1 Big Nine) in Riverside Arena Thursday.

Austin (5-3 overall, 3-2 Big Nine) committed three penalties early in the second period and its first line began to wear out on the penalty kill. The Huskies scored three goals in an eight-minute span to take a 3-1 lead with 4:25 left in the second.

Austin goalie Allison Hoban recovers after a deflection as Owatonna's Abby Sawyer looks for a rebound During the second period Thursday night at Riverside Arena. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

“We had no penalties in the first period and I told the girls they would start calling them in the second period,” Austin head coach Denny Bray said. “The refs did a good job, but we weren’t disciplined and it wore us out.”

Owatonna’s first score came when Abby Sawyer’s shot hung in the air over Austin goalie Allison Hoban’s head. Abby Gallaher tried to knock the puck away with her stick but it floated past her to make it 1-1. Sawyer, who had three goals on the night, skated around the net and put one through to make it 2-1 and Payton Noble rebounded her own miss to make it 3-1.

Austin had taken a 1-0 lead in the first period on a put-back goal by Carley Grunewald. Austin out-shot Owatonna 11-8 in the first and 17-9 in the third, but the Huskies held a 23-9 shot advantage in the second period.

“That was the best first period we’ve played all season,” Bray said. “We haven’t beaten Owatonna since 2007 and this is the toughest we’ve played them in years.”

Austin's Carley Grunewald gets tangled with Owatonna's Ashley Kniefel in front of the Huskies' net during the first period Thursday night at Riverside Arena. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Austin eighth grader Chloe Summerfield scored on a put-back during a powerplay to make it 4-2 eight minutes.

SCORING SUMMARY

Owatonna 0 3 1 — 4

Austin 1 0 1 — 2

First period

(A) Carley Grunewald (Abby Gallaher) 7:26

Second period

(O) Abby Sawyer (powerplay) (Emily Cochran, Kelsey Rohring) 3:48

(O) Sawyer (Payton Noble) 5:44

(O) Payton Noble 12:35

Third period

(O) Sawyer (Rohring, Payton Noble) 5:12

(A) Chloe Summerfield (powerplay) (Kennedy Thompson, Grunewald) 9:00

Powerplays: Austin — 1-for-4; Owatonna — 1-for-4

Shots: Austin — 37; Owatonna — 40