Andover head coach Melissa Volk bluntly summarized her team’s uncharacteristic offensive woes through nearly two periods against Minnetonka on Tuesday night.  

“We didn’t execute.”

The Huskies (8-3) had outscored their opponents by an impressive 40-16 margin entering the game against the Skippers, but found themselves down 2-0 late in the second period thanks to goals by Minnetonka sophomore defender Maggie Nicholson and junior forward Kate Hoelscher. 

“We weren’t passing the puck very well at all,” Volk added.

Sophomore forward Jamie Nelson finally cracked Minnetonka goaltender Abby Manlove with a power-play goal with 3:30 left in the second frame, and freshman forward Peyton Hemp knotted the score at 2-2 by banging in a rebound less than two minutes later. 

Senior forward and captain Claire Butorac scored the eventual game-winner early in the third stanza, and the Huskies held off a late charge by the Skippers (6-3-3) late in regulation to secure their fifth straight win after dropping three consecutive games. 

“We’d lost a few, but had still been playing well, so it was just time to go ahead and execute and play our style of hockey,” Volk said. 

The Huskies’ style of hockey is highly dependent on the play of underclassmen such as Hemp, who recently committed to the University of Minnesota, and a batch of talented players who experienced a great deal of success at the youth level. 

Hemp and her mates won the 15UA state championship last season, and the Huskies claimed the 12UA title in 2016 and finished as runner-up in 2017.

As for her commitment to the Golden Gophers, Hemp said she’s wanted to wear the maroon and gold for years.

“That’s always been my dream as a kid,” Hemp said. “I watched a game when I was like seven or eight, and I wanted to go there.” 

Despite the undeniable individual talent lining the Huskies’ roster, including Butorac (committed to Minnesota State) and senior Grace Halvorson (committed to Bethel), Volk said that the players have never shown a predilection toward selfish play. 

“We’re very lucky,” Volk said. “Everyone has a good team-first attitude, and I can say that honestly.”