Top seeds win openers in state girls’ hockey tourney

Posted

HURON — The South Dakota Amateur Hockey Association’s 2018 Girls Varsity State Tournament began Friday morning at Bergman Arena in Huron.
The eight-team tournament will continue through Sunday.
Here is a breakdown of Friday’s four first-round games.
Mitchell 6, Watertown 4
Ashley Jones lit the lamp five times for the Mitchell Marlins hockey team Friday morning, including a hat trick in the first period, leading the Marlins to a 6-4 win over the Watertown Lakers.
Jones got Mitchell on the board at the 6:52 mark on a goal assited by Kelsey Amick and Ashley Zimmer. Seconds later, Jones scored again, with the assist going to Amick, and she closed the period with a goal at the 8:40 mark, assited by Maggie Dailey.
Watertown scored in the first period as well, as Tiffany Hamann scored an unassisted goal. The Lakers tied the score in the second period, on goals by Kendra Kranz. The second was unassisted and Jaclyn Lloyd was credited with an assist in the first.
Jones scored goals four and five within seconds of each other in the third period, giving the Marlins the margin they would need. Isabel Bathke assisted on the first goal and Jenna Grosdidier helped Jones on the second.
Jaclyn Lloyd scored at the 15:26 mark for Watertown, but Zimmer closed the door moments later with the capper for the Marlins.
Mitchell goal tender Katelyn Uithoven stopped 27 Laker shots to earn the win and a ticket to the championship semifinals at 7 p.m. tonight, while Watertown goal tender Sydnie Young stopped 18 shots in the game.
The Lakers will move into the consolation semifinal game at 3 p.m. this afternoon.
Brookings 3, Rushmore 2 OT
The Brookings Rangers came back from a two-goal deficit Friday afternoon to force overtime, then took the win with an overtime score to defeat the Rushmore Thunder at Bergman Arena.

Rushmore, which was outshot in the game 45-13, broke into the scoring column near the end of the first period, as Ella Aase scored off an assist by Georgianna Rowland.
In the second period, Rowland gave the Thunder a 2-0 lead, unassisted.
But Brookings kept firing away and at the 10:15 mark, Bethany Rennich broke the shutout with an unassisted goal. Approximately four minutes later, Jadyn Peterson got the evener with an assist from Bethany Rennich.
No goals were scored the remainder of the third period and it wasn’t until the 8:12 mark in OT when Montana Myer scored what would be the game-winning goal with an assist from Elli Hegdahl.
Jadyn Runge stopped 11 of the 13 shots she faced in goal to pick up the win for Brookings, while Madyson Herman faced a tremendous 45 shots in goal for Rushmore, surrendering only three scores, for a .933 save percentage.
Brookings will play Sioux Falls in the championship round today at 5 p.m., while Rushmore will tangle with Oahe in the consolation round.
Sioux Falls 9, Oahe 1
The Sioux Falls Flyers scored early and often and in each period Friday afternoon, defeating the Oahe Capitals 9-1 in the first round of the Girls Varsity State Hockey Tournament. Sioux Falls scored three times in the first period, added two more in the second and tallied four more times in the third.
Taylor Dawley and Chloe Harbaugh each scored two goals for Sioux Falls, while Ashley Anderson, Berit Hefti, Faith Halvorson, Grace Halvorson and Kaija Mork each found the back of the net for the Flyers, who move into the championship round and will play Brookings today at 5 p.m.
Assists went to Mork, Dawley, Anderson, Grace Halvorson, Kaitlyn Vockler, Alexa Christie and Harbaugh.
Oahe’s lone goal came from Amy Gilkerson, unassisted in the second period.
Oahe goal tender Mariah Nelson made 61 saves on 70 Sioux Falls shots in the game, while Flyers’ goalie Ava Krabbenhoft faced only four shots in the game, making three saves.
Oahe will face Rushmore in a consolation semifinal at 1 p.m.
Aberdeen 8, Omaha 0
HURON — The top seeded Aberdeen Cougars swept the Omaha Lady Jr Lancers 8-0 in the girls’ varsity State Hockey Tournament, Friday night at the Bergman Arena.
Aberdeen, now 20-1 on the season, took complete control of the game, starting with Kamryn Hayhurst in the first period, with a goal assisted by Estelle Harrison.
Reece Ermer came in for a goal assisted by Haider Stoltenberg and Rhainnon Abel, before Madyson Ogdahl got her goal assisted by Hayhurts and Harrison.
Aberdeen took their fifth goal at 11:45 in the first period by Eckoff and was assisted by Kaitlyn Holland.
In the second period Abel scored a goal assisted by Danielle Podoll and Shelby Nash, before the last period earned Aberdeen two more goals, both by Morgan Dean. The first shot was assisted by Eckhoff and the second assist was by Ahlberg and Eckhoff.
Aberdeen will face the fourth seeded Mitchell Marlins, at 7 p.m., tonight at the Bergman Arena. Omaha fell to 0-19-2 on the season and will play against Watertown at 3 p.m., today.
The Championship games will take place on Sunday afternoon.

MIKE CARROLL/PLAINSMAN
Watertown’s Kelsey Beebe controls the puck as she is pressured by Mitchell’s Shannon Koch during their game in the opening round of the 2018 South Dakota Girls’ Varsity State Hockey Tournament on Friday at Bergman Arena. Watertown’s Kendra Kranz shoots the puck as Mitchell’s Maggie Dailey trails on the play during their game in the opening round of the 2018 South Dakota Girls’ Varsity State Hockey Tournament on Friday at Bergman Arena.