Owatonna seniors Taylor Disher (7) and Aimee Goodew (10) congratulate classmate Genny Caswell after her first-period goal Monday against Faribault. FDN

FARIBAULT — Owatonna stayed perfect in the Big Nine with some help from senior Genny Caswell.

The forward scored a goal and handed out an assist as the short-handed Owatonna Huskies defeated Faribault 3-2 on Monday night in a Big Nine Conference girls hockey game.

Owatonna played the Falcons without Lauren Spatentka, Emily Cochran and Payton Noble, who started the game and left the game after the first period. With so many missing players, OHS coach Tim Hunst asked Caswell to play a lot more than normal on Monday night.

“Genny took advantage of the opportunity,” Hunst said. “It was nice to see her step in and get a goal and an assist. We knew she could do it.”

Fellow senior Cailyn McCauley scored Owatonna’s other two goals. The second goal gave the Huskies a little breathing room after Faribault’s Katie Walker scored 22 seconds into the second period to pull the Falcons within 2-1.

“We were shuffling lines quite a bit out there,” Hunst said. “We controlled the game, but didn’t really take advantage of all the opportunities we had.”

Owatonna will go for a perfect Big Nine season on Thursday when the Huskies play host to Winona on Senior Night. Before the game, the Huskies will honor their six seniors: Caswell, Taylor Disher, Aimee Goodew, Paige Lysne, McCauley and Keshia Reuvers. Not only is Thursday’s game a chance for a 13-0 Big Nine record, it’s also a key section game. The Huskies are in the running for a top-four seed and a home section quarterfinal game.

“We definitely have to take care of business on Thursday (to secure home playoff game),” Hunst said. “We can’t not show up. A loss on Thursday would really hurt us.”

Owatonna scoring: First period: 1, Cailyn McCauley (Payton Noble) 8:12. 2, Genny Caswell (Taylor Disher) 15:41 pp. Second period: 3, McCauley (Caswell, Paige Lysne) 6:47. Owatonna goalie: Keshia Reuvers (17 saves).