The Stars traveled to the MAC in St. Cloud for some intense hockey against St. Cloud Tech. It took the Stars a while to get going and to get into the flow of the game, but the first period ended with no scoring.
After several good chances for the Stars, Kari Turkowski scored an unassisted goal halfway through the second period. This is what needed to be done to uplift the Stars. After Turkowski's goal, the Stars clicked and had good passes and some good scoring chances by setting each other up.
In the third period, both teams wanted the puck so there was strong competition out on the ice. Tech got the best of it, as they scored their first goal. Tech's goal with four minutes left in the period ended the regulation scoring at 1-1, so the Stars faced their second overtime in two weeks.
In overtime, Tech received a tripping penalty and that was a chance for the Stars to put one in, but their effort didn't pay off. The fight for the puck ended and so did the game with a tie of 1-1.
The Stars goalie, Shari Vogt, had another great game with 46 saves.
"We had a slow start and that was really crucial," said coach Tom Petroski.
| River Lakes-- | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - 1 |
| St. Cloud Tech-- | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - 1 |
First Period: no scoring;
Second Period: RL-Kari Turkowski (unassisted);
Third Period: SC-Kenzie Koerner (Amy Winter).
Penalties: River Lakes, 2 for 4 minutes;
St. Cloud Tech, 5 for 10 minutes.
Shots on goal: River Lakes, 26; Tech, 47.
Saves: RL- Shari Vogt, 46.
River Lakes 2
Princeton 0
The Stars turned around in one day to play at Princeton on Saturday. Arriving a couple hours early seemed to help the Stars, who were more fired up skating out onto the ice. That great effort led the Stars to defeat the Tigers 2-0.
Right from the first drop of the puck, the Stars had the game in their favor. They skated up the puck, had great passes, and were putting forth a total effort. Turkowski scored the Stars' first goal on a length of the ice rush.
As the second period progressed, so did the Stars' playing. They continued to have a great game. The defense skated with the puck and defended the net very well, and the offense had some great passes and plays as well.
Everything seemed to be clicking when Melissa Jungels scored another goal for the Stars to make the score 2-0.
In the third period, the Stars coaches altered the lineup to give everyone a chance to play. Although there wasn't any scoring in the period, everyone from the Stars played a great game and it was fun as well. "It's more fun when we are up and the puck is in our zone, right?" asked coach Petroski after the game.
The Stars travel to Brainerd tomorrow for their last regular season game. The Stars will host their first playoff game on Tuesday, Feb. 8, in Richmond.
| River Lakes-- | 1 | 1 | 0 | - 2 |
| Princeton-- | 0 | 0 | 0 | - 0 |
First Period: RL-Kari Turkowski (unassisted);
Second Period: RL-Melissa Jungels (Anne Bohlman);
Third Period: no scoring.