The Packers showed that they are in prime hockey shape just two games into the season as they killed six of seven Rochester Century power plays in a 6-4 win over the Panthers in a girls hockey game at Riverside Arena Tuesday.

Trailing 5-4, the Panthers (1-1 overall, 0-1 Big Nine) pulled their goalie with 33 seconds left in the game to gain a six-on-four advantage, but Austin senior Abby Gallaher made up for the two extra skaters. Gallaher jumped Century’s first pass off of the face off, stole the puck from Anna Grinde and put the puck into the empty net while being taken down by Grinde from behind to make it 6-4 with 23 seconds left in the game.

Gallaher was able to read the first pass thanks to a little help from assistant coach Tony Klapperick.

“TJ told me to go to the other side at a diagonal if they won the face off, because they’d be going to that girl,” Gallaher, who scored two third period goals on breakaways and now has five goals on the season, said.

Austin’s eighth grade goalie Allison Hobahn made some big time saves down the stretch as she came up with a stop on a one-on-one with Jessica Aney with 7:14 left in the game and she finished with 31 saves.

“My heart was beating so fast,” Hobahn said. “It got better when Abby got the breakaway.”

Austin (2-0 overall, 1-0 Big Nine) never trailed in the contest, but Century did tie the game at two early in the second period when Katherine Aney knocked in a slap-shot for one of her three goals.

Austin’s Chloe Summerfield fired home a slapshot off a pass from Overby 16 seconds later to make it 3-2 and Carley Grunewald knocked in a one-timer slapshot on an assist from Leslie Fuerstenberg with 10:36 left in the second period to make it 4-2.

Summerfield and Overby, who are both eighth graders, each had a goal and an assist in the win, but Austin head coach Denny Bray said the youngsters still have some lessons to learn.

“They do too much stick handling and you can’t do that at the varsity level,” Bray said. “They bunch up their positions sometimes, but Summerfield played her position better than she did against Waseca and Overby’s covering out front well. They’re moving in the right direction.”

Austin scored the first two goals of the game as Grunewald knocked in a wide open rebound just one minute into the contest, but the Panthers showed some resolve as eighth grader Jessica Aney, who had three assists, created some penetration.

“They definitely surprised us. Normally they’re not like that, but they’ve been rebuilding just like we have,” Gallaher said. “(Aney) drives us nuts, because if you even touch her, it’s a penalty. She’s a pretty good player, but it’s frustrating.”

SCORING SUMMARY

Century 1 2 1 — 4

Austin 2 2 2 — 6

First period

(A) Carley Grunewald (Abby Gallaher, Kennedy Thompson) 1:06

(A) Madison Overby (Chloe Summerfield) 6:25

(C) Katherine Aney (Ashley Adams, Jessica Aney) 16:55

Second period

(C) Katherine Aney (powerplay) (Jessica Aney, Grace Becker) 2:44

(A) Chloe Summerfield (Overby) 3:00

(A) Grunewald (Leslie Fuerstenberg, Gallaher) 6:24

(C) Becker (McKenna Bridges) 15:10

Third period

(A) Gallaher (Vanessa Talamantes) 6:37

(C) Katherine Aney (Jessica Aney) 8:16

(A) Gallaher (shorthanded) 16:37

Powerplays: Austin — 0-for-2; Century — 1-for-7

Shots: Austin — 34; Century — 35