Packer boys hockey team falls to Cougars in OT
Published 10:10 pm Thursday, January 30, 2014
Austin goalie Connor Poczos makes a stop on Mankato East’s Judd Schulz (16) during the second period Thursday night at Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Packers were close to winning back-to-back games, but not close enough.
The Austin boys hockey team controlled the puck for much of the night, but it ended up with a 4-3 overtime loss to Mankato East in Riverside Arena Thursday.
Austin’s Dan Larson carries the puck towards the net during the first period against Mankato East Thursday night at Riverside Arena. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Austin’s Dan Larson had a point blank attempt stopped with seven minutes left in the game and Daniel Bollingberg nearly snuck one past East’s goalie with six minutes left, but the Cougars (7-13 overall, 3-6 Big Nine) won the game when Judd Schulz scored on a put-back with 3:27 left in the extra session.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Austin forward Alec Pepper, who scored a first period goal, said. “You can’t really say much more.”
Austin head coach Erik LaRock liked the way his team started overtime, but they couldn’t finish the job.
“We had three really good shifts to start overtime, then we had one shift where we were lackadaisical,” LaRock said.
Austin (3-14-1 overall, 1-8 Big Nine) tied the game at 3-3 when Blake Halsey went top shelf with a slap-shot with 6:03 left in the game. The Packers out-shot East 38-27 and they held an 18-4 advantage after the first period.
Despite their early domination, the Packers trailed 1-0 going into the second as Austin was stopped on three power plays and the Brandon Adams scored for the Cougars with 30 seconds left in the period.
“We go into the locker room down one to nothing and we know that we dominated the game,” Pepper said. “We came out flying in the second period.”
Austin took a 2-1 lead on an Adam Maxfield goal in the second period, but the Cougars scored two early third period goals to back up 3-2.
Austin won two of its last seven games and four of the losses have been by two goals or less.
“We’re getting so much better,” LaRock said. “We have to learn how to win and that’s one of our growing pains.”
Connor Poczos had 24 saves in the loss for Austin.
SCORING SUMMARY
East 1 0 2 1 — 4
Austin 0 2 1 0 — 3
First period
(M) Brandon Adams (Judd Schulz) 16:30
Second period
(A) Alec Pepper (Kenny Ree) 6:15
(A) Adam Maxfield 8:47
Third period
(M) Jalmari Kattilakoksi (Schulz, Brad Johnson) 3:54
(M) Sean Allan (power play) (Schulz) 8:33
(A) Blake Halsey (Alec Bawek) 9:57
OT
(M) Schulz (Adams) 3:33
Shots: Austin — 38; East — 27
Power plays: Austin — 0-for-3; East — 1-for-3
