Sawyer’s hat trick lifts OHS

AUSTIN — It wasn’t a game for all the marbles, but it was for four of them. The Austin girls hockey team and the Owatonna Huskies will meet just this once this season, a decision made by the Austin coaching staff that put double the amount of points on Thursday’s game.

The decision allowed the Huskies to pick up another nonconference game (a loss to Blake), but a win would sweep the season “series” from the Packers. And that’s just what the Huskies did behind stellar goaltending from Mallorie Dietz and a three-goal effort from Abby Sawyer.

Dietz stopped 35 of 37 shots in the 4-2 Owatonna victory, while Sawyer netted her second hat trick of the young season.

“The first period was the important one,” said Owatonna coach Tim Hunst. “We were flat-footed, and Austin came out flying. To say we were terrible might be an understatement. Mallorie made some huge saves in that first period off of a lot of tips and redirections.”

While it was Dietz that kept the Huskies in the game, it was the finishing of Sawyer that got Owatonna out in front to stay.

“It was fun,” Hunst said of Sawyer’s night. “This time it was working together. She got the hat trick, but it was a team effort. We were attacking together, but any other night it could be any other girl.”

Sawyer and Payton Noble erased Austin’s 1-0 lead in the second period. Sawyer scored twice in less that two minutes, and Noble banged one home 12 minutes and 35 seconds into the period.

“The girls came out flying in the second period,” Hunst said. “We went on the power play almost immediately in the second period and it allowed us to take some heat off of Mallorie. We had 22 shots in the second. We really dominated that period.”

Though Sawyer’s goals got the team in the lead, it was the appearance of the ugly, stick-with-it goal that told Hunst his team was getting back to Owatonna hockey.

“Payton’s goal was the Payton we know and love,” Hunst said. “It was scrappy, fighting through sticks and skates. She got a shot, the rebound, another shot, fell on the goalie and it went in. It’s that stuff that makes us successful. Those hardworking goals.”

The Huskies are off until next Thursday when they will play a 7:30 p.m. game at Albert Lea. Next Saturday the Huskies are at home against Century.

Owatonna 0 3 1 — 4
Austin 1 0 1 — 2
OHS scoring: Sawyer (Chochran, Rohrig) 3:48, Sawyer (Payton Noble) 5:44, P. Noble (unassisted) 12:35, Sawyer (Rohrig, P. Noble) 5:12. Shots on goal: Owatonna 40, Austin 37. OHS goalie: Mallorie Dietz 35 saves.