The Farmington coaching staff knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it. 

Andover raced out to a 4-0 lead after the first period en route to a 7-1 win over the Tigers in the quarterfinals of the Class 2A State Tournament, earning the program’s first birth in the semifinal round. 

“They did exactly what we thought they were going to do,” Farmington coach Jon Holmes said after the game. “We had seen them play and knew the style of play they had. Unfortunately, we hush didn’t really have our best stuff (today).”

Sophomore forward and Minnesota-Duluth commit Gabby Krause scored twice in the first period for the No. 2 seed Huskies, with goals from Jamie Nelson and Maddie Kaiser bookending Krause’s tallies. Nelson and Krause’s linemate, Peyton Hemp, assisted on three of the period’s four goals. 

“They move the puck so well (and) unselfishly,” Andover coach Melissa Volk said, adding that the focus on puck-distribution filters down the team’s second and third lines.

Farmington sophomore goaltender Ryleigh Furlong said that the big-game environment could have disrupted the focus of the young Tigers. 

“It was more of a frustration thing, where their shots weren’t anything I haven’t seen before,” Furlong said. “I think it was the surroundings (that threw us off).” 

Elisabeth Tammi, Sara Kaiser, and Hemp all added goals in the second period for the Huskies (24-4), sending the game into running time for the third period. Farmington’s Jenna Gerold, who tore her ACL in June and wasn’t sure if she would play this season, scored the lone goal for the Tigers (15-12-2) in the third period.

Lost in the barrage of scoring was the Andover defense, which forced Farmington shooters to the outside in the offensive zone routinely and sparked most of the Huskies’ offense with their transition play.

In a testament to the defense’s strong offensive play, sophomore defender Madison Clough handed out three assists in the win. 

“We hear a lot about our forwards,” Volk said. “Our (defense), they do a wonderful job. A lot of times our offense comes from the backside thee with them forcing turnovers and getting pucks up ice.