Owatonna’s Payton Noble, right, battles for the puck with Faribault’s Maddie Moore in Tuesday night’s Big Nine game at the Four Seasons Centre. Owatonna beat Faribault 4-3. Derek Sullivan/People's Press

OWATONNA — After Owatonna junior Emily Cochran scored an overtime goal, Cailyn McCauley stayed perfect against the Faribault Falcons and, more importantly, good friend Megan Bergland.

Owatonna rallied from a two-goal deficit and defeated the Falcons 4-3 in overtime on Tuesday at the Four Seasons Centre. McCauley scored two goals in the Big Nine Conference victory, as did Bergland.

“We’ve played hockey together forever,” McCauley said about her friendship with Faribault’s captain. “We played summers together and we’ve always been friends.

“I don’t think I’ve ever lost to her. We’ve come close the last couple of years. I’m not letting her beat me.”

It looked like Bergland, who just returned from a pair of leg injuries, and her teammates were finally going to take down the Huskies after she and teammate Shelby Salmonsen scored first-period goals.

“Faribault came to play,” said Owatonna coach Tim Hunst, who has never lost to the Falcons. “They took it to us in that first period. They absolutely dominated play, and our girls were playing very tentative. We’ll take a win any way we can get it.”

With both teams playing with four players, McCauley scored to pull Owatonna within 2-1 with   6 minutes, 43 seconds left in the second period.  

With 16 minutes left in the game, it looked like McCauley was going to tie the game before Faribault’s Cady Walker pulled her down and McCauley prepared to shoot a couple of feet in front of Falcons goalie Hannah Sietz. Walker was called for holding and McCauley took and converted a penalty shot, the first in her five-year high school career.

“I was really nervous,” McCauley admitted. “I have done it a couple of times in tournaments. I have a move I always use.”

The Huskies took the lead when Payton Noble scored a goal with 10:09 left in the game. But Bergland quickly answered with her second goal of the game. Bergland didn’t play in Faribault’s first 10 games as the Falcons started the season 4-5-1. The Falcons have now lost three of four games since her return, but all of the losses have come to Class AA teams.

“They are a completely different team with Bergland in the lineup,” Hunst said.

In overtime, Owatonna’s defense kept the Falcons on the outside. The Huskies had only three shots on goal in the extra session, two by senior Aimee Goodew.

Her second shot came off of a steal at center ice. She skated past a couple of Faribault defenders and put the shot right on Sietz, who blocked the shot, but didn’t secure it. With the puck lying on the ice, Cochran beat everyone to it and slapped it in.

“When I saw Emily get to that puck and knock it in, I jumped off the bench and gave her a hug,” McCauley said.

Owatonna (5-0 Big Nine, 8-4 overall) will play host to Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Four Seasons Centre.

Owatonna goals: Second period: 1, Cailyn McCauley (Paige Lysne, Payton Noble) 10:17. Third period: 2, McCauley (unassisted) 2:09 penalty shot. 3, Noble (McCauley, Lysne) 6:51. OT: 4, Emily Cochran (Aimee Goodew) 3:16. Owatonna goalie: Keshia Reuvers (27 saves).