OHS was level with Red Wing at 2-2 heading into the third period before the Wingers left the Huskies in the dust with three unanswered goals in the third to ice the nonconference victory Tuesday at the Four Seasons Centre.
“It was one of those games where we walked off the ice and I was very proud of the effort and the way my girls played tonight,” Hunst said. “We fought hard. Red Wing is a high-powered offense whose power plays have been running over a 50-percent clip.”
Led by the three Division-I recruits on its first line in Nicole Schammel, Regan Haley and Emily Stegora. The trio played a hand in four of Red Wings’ five goals, led by Schammal in Stegora with two goals apiece.
Owatonna kept up with the Wingers through two periods thanks to stout defensive play, anchored by goalie Jess Cole who finished with 29 saves. The Huskies also managed to kill off two penalties.
“Our whole team defense, everybody working together, did a nice job and Jess Cole made some great saves,” said Hunst, whose team was outshot 34-15. “We played good disciplined hockey against a high-powered offense.”
Owatonna’s Margo Achterkirch scored on a breakaway in the first period to level the count at 1-1 through one period. After Red Wing regained the lead in the second, Payton Noble slapped in the equalizer on a one-timer off assists from Paige Radue and Meghan Rethemeier.
But the Wingers still had three goals left in their tank and OHS was out of responses.
Prior to the varsity game, the Owatonna U14 girls hockey team defeated the Red Wing JV 4-3.
Owatonna (13-8, 11-4) hosts Rochester John Marshall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Red Wing 5, Owatonna 2
First period
RW – Nicole Schammel (Reagan Haley, Emily Stegora), 9:32
O – Margo Achterkirch, 16:14
Second period
RW – Stegora (Haley, Schammel), 11:12
O – Payton Noble (Paige Radue, Meghan Rethemeier)
Third period
RW – Stegora (Schammel), 1:44
RW – Hailee Johnson, 6:07
RW – Schammel (Haley), 13:54