Owatonna Hockey Teams Win Tight Games
The Owatonna boys' hockey team won 3-1 at East Ridge Tuesday. Tyler Wencl scored twice and Nate Smith notched an empty-net goal for the final difference. The OHS girls rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat Mankato East 5-4 on Margo Achterkirch's goal in the closing minute.
The boys game at Cottage Grove Ice Arena was scoreless after the first period. The Huskies broke through midway through the second period. Andrew Munns came out of the penalty box and immediately found himself on a two-on-oh with Tyler Wencl, who scored his seventh goal of the season. Wencl added his eighth in the closing seconds of the second on a rebound of a Mitch Wiese shot on the power play.
Ryan Johnson got the win in goal by stopping 16 shots. The Raptors out shot the Huskies 18-13. Owatonna (7-6, 4-1 Big Nine) plays at Rochester Mayo Thursday at 7PM. Tuesday's game is believed to have been the first-ever boys' hockey meeting between the schools.
The girls found themselves down 3-0 to the Cougars after six-and-a-half minutes of play at the Four Seasons Centre, according to the Hockey Hub website score sheet. Syndey Hunst started the comeback late in the first. Achterkirch scored in the opening minute of the second period and Grace Wolfe scored later to tie the game at 3-3 by second intermission.
Mankato East edged back ahead 4-3 early in the third. Hunst's second goal tied the game again at 12:26. Achterkirch's tally with :49 left gave OHS the 5-4 win and a season split with the Cougars. Owatonna hosts Rochester Mayo Thursday at 7PM.