The Hastings girls hockey team entered the week sitting at 2-2, feeling good about the strides they had made in the opening stretch of the season. Three games in five days followed, starting with an overtime thriller at home and ending with a demanding back-to-back on the road. The Raiders skated hard in every outing, created opportunities, and leaned on a few reliable scoring hands, but the results did not fall their way. Hastings closed the week with three defeats, showing plenty of competitiveness and grit even as the final scores slipped in the other direction.
The week began Tuesday with a visit from Hudson, a battle that brought fans to their feet repeatedly as the Raiders rallied from a slow start, tied the game late, then pushed it to overtime before falling 4-3. Hudson scored once in the first and twice early in the second to build a 2-0 edge, putting Hastings in a hole. The Raiders steadied things when Haley Siebenaler finished a power play chance at 12:12 of the second, set up by a clean puck movement sequence from Josie Hamann and Bentley Stoffel. Hudson answered late in the period, but Hastings carried momentum into the third and Siebenaler took over. She pulled Hastings within one with another power play goal at 7:35, again assisted by Hamann, then tied the game 3-3 less than three minutes later with an even strength marker that jolted the building.
Hastings pressured throughout the closing minutes and generated ten shots in the third period alone. Goaltender Addison Lanning kept the Raiders steady, facing 31 shots in the game and turning away 27 of them. Overtime started with promise for Hastings, but Hudson capitalized at 1:28 when Aubrey Flattum scored the winner. Even with the sting of a 4-3 loss, the Raiders were buoyed by Siebenaler’s hat trick, Hamann’s two assists, and a pair of power play conversions that showed the team’s growing confidence with the extra skater.
The final: Hudson 4, Hastings 3, OT. Hastings goals: Siebenaler 3. Assists: Hamann 2, Stoffel. Saves: Lanning 27.
Hastings carried that strong push into Friday’s trip to Eastview, but the Lightning used steady pressure and a significant shot advantage to secure a 5-1 win. Eastview scored once in the first and twice in the second before Siebenaler broke through again on the power play at 7:58 of the second period, continuing her hot streak and giving the Raiders life. The assist column stayed empty for Hastings in this one, but the goal cut the deficit to 2-1 and briefly slowed Eastview’s pace. The Lightning added another before intermission, then scored twice more in the third, including an empty net tally.
Hastings was outshot 43-29, but Lanning delivered one of her sharpest performances of the season, stopping 38 shots in 49 minutes of work and keeping the Raiders competitive deep into the game. Hastings generated 15 shots in the third and pushed hard on the forecheck, showing no signs of fatigue even as Eastview’s depth leaned on them. The Raiders finished one for two on the power play and stayed disciplined in a physical matchup. Eastview 5, Hastings 1. Hastings goals: Siebenaler. Saves: Lanning 38.
Saturday brought another tough matchup at the Apple Valley Sports Arena, where Hastings wrapped the week with a 4-1 loss to the Eagles. Apple Valley scored once in the first and twice in the second to build a three-goal advantage. Hastings found its spark early in the third when Mackenzie Krauth buried a feed from Sophie Thorkelson and Siebenaler at 4:30, giving the Raiders renewed jump. Krauth’s goal capped a shift of sustained pressure and showed how well the Raiders moved the puck when they found their rhythm.
Apple Valley answered later in the period to restore a three-goal cushion, and that held to the finish. Hastings finished with 13 shots on goal and did not convert either of its two power play chances, but the Raiders continued to get important minutes from young skaters who are carving out steady roles. Lanning faced another heavy workload with 30 shots against, stopping 26.
The Raiders now sit at 2-5 after the demanding stretch. The week featured strong special teams work, a hat trick performance from Siebenaler, and continued resilience from a lineup that refuses to quit.
Hastings has a more relaxed two weeks after the Thanksgiving break. They will travel to Simley on Dec. 5 for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop, then have five days to practice before hosing Farmington on Dec. 11 at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 they travel to River Falls to take on the St. Croix Valley co-op team at 7:00 p.m.