Hastings finished the regular season with a win over East Ridge to finish 13-12 overall, ending a four-game losing streak heading into the Section 3AA tournament where they will face Rosemount. The bad news of the section bracket is that whoever wins that game will likely face the number one-seeded Lakeville North. Lakeville North has an overall record of 20-3-1 and will be a very tough out for the section tournament.
The Raiders faced Farmington for their first game of the week where they lost a tough battle 4-2. The Tigers took the early lead just 1:05 into the first period but the Raiders answered quickly. Haley Siebenaler scored at 2:58 with the assistance of Madyn Hanson and Jade Schauer. Farmington regained the lead one minute and twenty seconds later and carried that lead into the first intermission.
In the second period, Farmington had a tripping penalty called and at 4:26 into the second, just 14 seconds after the penalty was called, Addie Seleski shot a snipe from the blue line to tie the game at two. Autumn Burt and Grace Petrich assisted on that goal. Farmington regained the lead later in the second on their own powerplay and Hastings had an uphill battle in the third.
The third period was the best offensively for Hastings, but they were held at bay by the Tigers. Despite their best efforts, Hastings was unable to score, and Farmington added an empty net goal with under two minutes to play to secure the win.
The Tigers outshot Hastings 34-24, primarily because their defense was in the right place at the right time, blocking many of the Raider’s attempts. Both teams had one successful power play and Farmington killed the only other penalty of the game. All three penalties were two-minute minors. Victoria Steinke continued her bid for All-Conference Goalie, stopping 31 of the 33 shots she faced for a .909 save percentage.
Friday’s game against East Ridge was another hard-fought battle for the Raiders. Maddy Schuster gave the Raiders the early lead when Petrich and Brooke Townsend set her up for the game’s first goal at 1:25 into the first period. The Raptors clawed their way back to a tie at 10:39 in the first and that was where the period ended.
In the second period, the scoring was reversed. East Ridge took the lead with an early goal, and four minutes later at 8:55, Petrich found white lace with the help of Schauer and Hanson. The regulation time expired with no additional goals in the second or third period to bring on bonus hockey where Hastings won the game in overtime from the stick of Olyvia Erickson. Erickson scored at 1:53 with the help of Seleski and Lauren Muhl to give the Raiders some positive momentum heading into the section tournament.
East Ridge outshot Hastings 33-24, but Steinke kept the Raptors at bay stopping 31 shots for a .939 save percentage. There were five penalties called in the game, all minors, four on Hastings and one on East Ridge. All but one of the skater advantages were shut down, with the one going the way of the Raptors.
With the regular season over, the Raiders finished fifth in section seeding and will travel to Rosemount to take on the fourth-seeded Irish on Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m. A win against a very tough Rosemount team will likely place them against Lakeville North on February 10th and a win there would put them at the Veterans Memorial Community Center in Inver Grove Heights on Valentine’s Day. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for the timing of the Feb. 10 game if that were to happen.