[The 2015 Section 6A girls hockey tournament began Tuesday night for our No. 1-seeded Cardinals. We beat the No. 4 seed, Northern Lakes (Pequot Lakes, Crosby-Ironton, Aitkin, et al), and this Friday we’ll encounter Detroit Lakes in Fergus Falls for the section championship and a trip to state.]
[An older guy in a funny hat attended with an obviously younger woman, as captured by “Scoop” Grundei. The very next day they were sighted braving 54 mph gusts (the highest in the state) for the Wednesday senior matinee movie. After a 3-week run of “Selma,” “The Imitation Game,” and “The Theory of Everything,” they decided to go really serious this time with . . . Paddington?]
***
Meet the 2014-15 Alexandria Cardinals:
***
Meet the first five minutes of the game:
***
[Meet Kaila DeWanz (7) and Sam Klimek (37) storming the Lightning net with Kaitlin Leary (26) in reserve.]
[OK, enough “Meets.” GOOOOAAAALLL, Lauren Niska (21), from Kristin Trosvig (15) and Karina Carlsen (31).]
[Niska and Trosvig again, centered by McKenzie Revering (29).]
[Mari Wosepka (18) on a dash.]
[Hanah Hansen (11) circles the net, trying hard to impress her great grandma, Pat Perkins, sitting just across the aisle from us.]
[Is that Kaila in front?]
[Rev on the draw . . .]
[Then looking to feed the point.]
[Allison O’Kane (36) on the left point.]
[Rev looking to mix it up.]
[Trosvig and . . . Rev?]
[And in on goal.]
[Player of unknown identity backchecking.]
[Nicole Bartels (23), in our end with Leary, and Amy Jost (33) in goal.]
[Trosvig and Bartels on the attack.]
[Identification blocked by a “glass stabilizer.”]
[McKenna Ellingson (24) shooting.]
[Ellingson with her mates, Trosvig and Bartels.]
[DeWanz had a couple good runs at it.]
[Rev with a good rush.]
[The Hansen, Wosepka, and Niska line taking a draw in the offensive zone.]
[The first period ends with good control – if not enough goals? – by the Cards, as expected.]
[In the 2nd period, Ellingson scored first at the 3-minute mark . . . ]
[Her friends came to help celebrate . . . ]
[The Cards continued to score three more goals in the period, at about 4-minute intervals . . .]
[Niska from Revering and Bartels . . .]
[Micaela Swenson (34), good, a senior in her last RCC game, from DeWanz . . .]
[Revering from Trosvig . . . ]
[So, based on the goals it would seem we were in total control . . . ]
[A great lead going into the final period. The team apparently thought so as well. The Cards seemed indifferent in the 3rd period (hence, no photos) and the Lightning were able to score a couple of goals. Coach Hovel also mentioned at the end of the game that the 3rd period “let down” was something her was going to have to address before the next game. We’re in a one-and-done situation now, so the team has to maintain a sense of urgency through the whole game. We beat Detroit Lakes twice during the regular season – but both were close games and as they say, it’s hard to beat a team three times in one year!]
When grace combines with wrinkles, it is admirable. There is an indescribable light of dawn about intensely happy old age. The young man is handsome but the old, superb. ~ Victor Hugo
Up next: Something.
alexandriacardinals 