歪歪漫画

WARROAD, Minnesota 鈥� Six-plus hours from home, on an outdoor rink with hints of sun peeking through on a chilly morning in Hockeytown USA, the Lakeville North Panthers were having a great time, playing the hosts for Hockey Day Minnesota. Their coach finally put a stop to all of that nonsense.

鈥淚 said to them, 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e not up here to have fun anymore, let鈥檚 win this thing,鈥欌�� Panthers coach Buck Kochevar said, after Lakeville North had done just that, rallying from an early deficit and holding off a late push by Warroad to win 4-3.

It was the eighth consecutive win by the Panthers (18-2-1), who got a goal and two assists from senior Gracie Hanson.

Warroad (15-7-0) got a hat trick from sophomore Taylor Reese, including the opener just a minute into the game.

After the Warriors fell behind 3-1 in the second, Reese scored in the final minute of the middle frame to pull them back within a goal.

鈥淎nother one-goal loss,鈥� said David Marvin, coach of the two-time defending state champion Warriors. 鈥淲e were right there though, like usual. I thought we competed well. We鈥檒l keep working on it and see what happens.鈥�

All seven of Warroad鈥檚 losses have been by two goals or less. But the Warriors were not lacking chances to tie it in the third, with Panthers freshman goalie Kaia Weiland holding firm in the face of several Warriors attacking the crease.

鈥淚n the third period, Kaia was struggling with the sun, and I said, 鈥楯ust squint,鈥欌�� Kochevar joked. The game was played with temperatures in the high 20s and a hazy sun shining.

鈥淚n the beginning it was a little weird to get used to, but after the first 10 minutes it felt like it was just a hockey game,鈥� said Panthers forward Addie Bowlby, who scored to tie the game late in the first. 鈥淲hen you went out for faceoffs and looked around, it was like, 鈥極h my god, this is a little weird.鈥� But it was super fun.鈥�

Hanson was actually a well-known name in Warroad 鈥� her father John played senior hockey in the community for the Warroad Lakers in the 1990s. Marvin pulled goalie Payton Rolli with two minutes to play and Warroad on a power play, and Reese completed the hat trick with 33.1 seconds to play, making it a one-goal game again, but the Panthers ran out the clock for the victory.

鈥淭he first one was awesome, first shift, to get out there and bang it home, that got everyone going,鈥� said Reese, who had her first three-goal game as a high schooler. 鈥淎fter the second goal I looked up in the stands. Everyone was cheering and it was quite a sight to see. Our town has worked so hard for what we were able to skate on today, and we were playing for our whole community.鈥�

It was the first Hockey Day Minnesota appearance for the Warroad girls. They wore special white sweaters with "Kaabekanong Ogichidaag" (Ojibwa for "Warroad Warriors") on the front in gold script lettering.

The game was preceded by a traditional drum ceremony at center ice in honor of the native heritage in Warroad and the surrounding region.