Luverne goalie Alyssa Wieneke stops a shot by a Marshall player during Thursday’s home game against the Tigers. Wieneke made 22 saves in a 5-4 overtime loss to Marshall.
By John Rittenhouse
Luverne girls’ hockey team experienced a first when they entertained Marshall at the Blue Mound Ice Arena Thursday.
After winning a pair of Southwest Conference championships without losing a game in two years of competition, the Cardinals found out how it feels to lose a league game.
With 6:55 remaining in overtime, Marshall’s Ashley Verdeck netted her second goal of the game to clinch a 5-4 victory for the Tigers.
Luverne, which lost two games prior to Thursday’s league opener, looked on in shock as the Tigers celebrated in a pile near the net they scored in to win the game.
Although the Cards lost in overtime, the game did not lack in entertainment value.
Luverne sported 1-0 and 3-2 advantages during the contest that featured a wild second period of seven combined scores by the two teams. Five of the seven goals in the period came in a span of 2:13.
The Cardinals received goals from four different players and took a 1-0 edge into the second period.
Marshall moved in front 2-1 with counters from Kayla Kaas and Sasha Sook at the 14:14 and 9:38 marks of the stanza, but Luverne’s Stephanie Morgan knotted the score at two after being set up by Jenny Braa with 6:05 remaining in the period.
It was Morgan’s goal that ignited the second-period scoring surge.
Suzanne Gluf put the Cards in front with an unassisted goal with 5:24 remaining in the stanza, but the Tigers countered with goals 12 seconds apart by Verdeck (4:40) and Sook (4:28) to regain a 4-3 advantage.
Luverne’s Taylor Nelson scored 30 seconds later at 3:58 to tie the game at four.
The teams were unable to produce a goal while registering a combined 17 shots in the third period, setting up a 10-minute overtime session.
Luverne directed two shots on net in the early stages of the overtime period. Marshall’s first shot on goal in overtime, an unassisted goal by Verdeck, settled the issue.
Luverne’s first-period goal came off the stick of Natalie Domagala. Maggie Vanden Hoek received an assist for the counter, which came at the 10:18 mark of the stanza.
The Cardinals outshot the Tigers 39-27 in the game.
Alyssa Wieneke stopped 22 of 27 shots in net for LHS.
The 0-3 Cardinals played in Fairmont last night. Luverne hosts Albert Lea Tuesday.