One of the best forums for youth hockey games, the Farmington Ice Arena, hosted a District 8 game between Farmington A and Eagan AA last night.  Two YHH top ranked teams played each other.  The NOW ranked #14 peewee A team in the state, Farmington, played the NOW ranked #7 peewee AA team in the state, Eagan.  Eagan won 5-1.

A Farmington (2-2 D8 record, 6-5-1 overall) win would have knotted them with Eagan in the D8 standings.  A loss would have set back the Wildcats’ (3-2-1 D8 record, 10-2-1 overall) hopes of a D8 title.

Farmington is at the start of a string of D8 games.  Over the next month, they will play most of their D8 regular season schedule.  The Tigers are led by the play of three girls.  Last night, the girls continued to demonstrate their speed and puck control against a larger Wildcat team.

Over the next month, the Tigers will play 13 district games and will have played 16 of their 18 regular season games by mid-January.  Last night’s lost to Eagan was the Tigers first since mid-November.  They have gone 4-1-1 since losing to Lakeville South 5-2.

Eagan won the Mounds View Super Rink Spectacular over the Thanksgiving weekend beating Mounds View 6-2 in Sunday’s Championship game.  Tuesday, the Wildcats beat a tough Lakeville North team 2-1 and Thursday they lost a nail biter to Sibley 1-0.  The Farmington game was Eagan’s seventh game in two weeks.  They have posted a 6-1 record in those seven games.

The First Period

An Eagan penalty in the first minute of play in the opening period put Farmington on the power play.  The Tigers set up in the Wildcats’ zone and put the puck on the net from the left side boards.  The puck bounced through the Eagan goalie and crossed the goal line but was pulled out quickly by an Eagan defenseman before the ref on the left could position for a view.  No goal.  It would happen again later in the game.

Eagan won the opening period and won the game.  The lost goal last night didn’t matter much.  Eagan was too physically strong and large for the Tigers.  But 11-12 year old kids grow differently over the year.  That could change in February.

Eagan gradually built pressure on the Tiger defense as the first period play moved on.  They gained the Tigers’ zone more often and held the puck longer in the corners.  Five minutes into the perod, Theo Hoppe scored for the Wildcats to put Eagan up 1-0.  Keegan Johnson got the assist.  At the 4 minute mark, the Wildcats’ Drew Wilson bodied his way out of the right corner of the Tiger’s zone, skated into the slot area, and shot the puck high over the Tiger’s goalie’s shoulder to score Eagan’s second goal.  Johnson and Axel Anderson got the assists.  The Wildcats led 2-0 as the first period ended.

The Second Period

The Tigers had the initial pressure in the second period.  The team, led by sometimes forwards or sometimes defense Megan Bernu, Marissa Agerter, and Kenzie Hauswirth, beat the Wildcats to the puck on races.  All three girls never stopped skating to watch the play and often drove the puck in the Eagan zone.  But the smaller Tigers could not get the good scoring position in front of the Eagan goal.

Four minutes into the second period, the Wildcat’s Johnson scored to put Eagan ahead 3-0 with Louie Reichenbach getting the assist.  A minute later, the Wildcats’ Jonah Miklya fired a high hard shot from the top of the slot.  The shot caromed off players in front of the net and beat Farmington’s goalie’s blocker save attempt to give Eagan a 4-0 lead.

Eagan playes a tough forechecking game and it got tougher.  Trapping the Tigers in the Farmington zone late in the second period, the Wildcats drew two Tiger penalties 30 seconds apart.  Farmington had to survive a 5-on-3 for nearly 2 minutes as the end of the second period ended.  They did.  Eagan led 4-0 going into the third period.

The Third Period

Farmington opened the third period on the attack.  They pressured the Wildcat defense low in the Eagan zone and it resulted in a goal not called.  Kenzie Hauswirth came off the left end boards and caught the goalie slow to cover the corner.  She jammed the puck just inside the left corner, again out of view of the ref and held her position till the whistle blew.  The ref failed to check the net and called a faceoff.

Less than two minutes into the period, a hard shot from the right side climbed Eagan’s goalie chest and fell wobbling in the crease.  It slowly wobbled across the goal line shepherded by Luke Westfield.  Josh Ask scored the goal, Westfield got the assist.  Eagan led 4-1.

Eagan came back after that score and as all good teams do, put the puck in the net two minutes later to reclaim a four goal lead 5-1.  This time Will Heutmaker scored; Nick Sherek got the assist.  Wildcats won 5-1.     

The Teams

Farmington returned 6 players from their peewee AA team that struggled last season.  They have added three girls, all outstanding players, and have a young line that has improved over the past month.  That line proved they were capable of breaking down the Eagan defense at times.  Only four D8 teams (Apple Valley, Cottage Grove, and Hastings) besides Farmington are playing peewee A this year.  With three D8 teams being seeded into the East Regional to be played at Rochester, the Tigers’ are likely to be playing in Graham Arena in early March.

Eagan has two shots at making the regionals.  They are one of 7 D8 AA teams.  The Wildcats are playing as well as any team in the district at this time.  They are a big, physical, team that can skate.  They should improve over the next two months by moving the puck with better and sharper passing.  Their nemesis this year is Sibley who they have lost to twice in league play.  Most likely, D8’s playoff winner will get seeded into a South or East Regional.  The remaining six will have to await a selection committee decision to determine their fate.  Eagan, if they continue to play well, should get a regional bid even if they lose to Sibley again in the playoffs.  The Wildcats could end up playing in the East AA Regional held at Lakeville next March.