As the heavyweight bout between Edina and Andover spiraled into the emotional stratosphere, Huskies’ goaltender Cassidy Stumo had already outraced everyone to the maximum level of excitement.

The tattoo on her left forearm provides a clue as to how. 

“Four-and-a-half years ago, I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes,” Stumo explained when asked about her ink.  

“My blood sugar can get really high, so I get excited (during games) because of adrenaline,” Stumo said.

The senior goaltender’s blood sugar had no chance of dropping on Thursday night, as her Huskies scored three times in the third period and held off a late Edina charge to upset the preseason No. 1 team 4-3 on home ice. 

Freshman Sara Kaiser scored her first varsity goal during the win, putting No. 3-2A Huskies ahead 3-2 in the third, and said that the team’s spirited play helped ignite the come-from-behind effort. 

“We’re just trying to be aggressive, come out fast and hard and strong, so we can prove who’s the more dominant person on the ice,” Kaiser said

Early on, it appeared the dominance title would go to Edina, as the Hornets routinely cycled the puck around the Andover zone and took a 2-1 lead into the third period. 

Junior Katie Davis scored first for the Hornets (0-1), tapping in a loose puck in the crease on the power play. Andover’s Peyton Hemp knotted the game at 1-1, but Edina’s C.C. Bowlby erased any momentum the Huskies may have had after tying the game with a goal 37 seconds after Hemp’s. 

The Huskies (1-0) scored three times in the first four minutes of the third period, as Jamie Nelson scored twice with Kaiser’s tally sandwiched between Nelson’s scores. 

Kaiser said that defeating the two-time defending state champion at home was a matter of pride for the Huskies. 

“This is our home. Our ice,” Kaiser said emphatically. 

A late goal by Edina’s Davis, a beautiful backhanded tip on a shot from the point that snuck through Stumo’s five-hole pared the Andover lead to 4-3, but Stumo’s resilience won the day as she and the Huskies’ defense withstood a barrage of Hornet shot attempts for the last 2:26 of regulation. 

“She played phenomenally,” Andover coach Melissa Volk said of Stumo’s 37-save performance. “She played like a senior captain and five-year starter.”

In addition to captaining the Huskies, Stumo has learned to take charge of her Type I diabetes, refusing to let the disease dictate how she lives. 

“It hasn’t stopped me from playing or being who I am,” Stumo said. “(I) don’t let Type I diabetes define me, and I try my best to prove the disease wrong.”

After making thirty-seven saves to upset the No. 1 ranked team in the state, it’s safe to say Stumo defines herself.