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Chisago Lakes 3

St. Francis 0

Make no mistake, the Chisago Lakes girls hockey team wanted to beat St. Francis badly. The last time the two teams met, the Saints defeated the ‘Cats, handing them their fourth loss of the season over the first nine games. It was a game that Al Magnuson and his team remembered VERY well.

“That was the first time we had ever lost to St. Francis. At that time, we had Lukas just coming back and Parenteau was out,” said Al Magnuson, Chisago Lakes head girls hockey coach. “Now Parenteau is back and we have nine wins in a row. We’re finally getting to where we think we can be.”

Nine wins after re-paying St. Francis 3-0, then adding a 6-1 win over Spring Lake Park last Saturday.

Nicole Grossmann played a huge role in both wins. Versus St. Francis, Grossmann started the scoring midway through the first, scoring her 30th goal of the year. It was an unassisted goal that put the Wildcats in front 1-0 after one.

Although they continued to dominate, the Wildcats didn’t get to the Saints again until the second when Cassie Lukas struck gold on assists from Grossmann and Lexy Parenteau. Grossmann then completed the scoring in the third with her second goal of the game and her 31st of the season, completing the scoring on a 3-0 Wildcat win. Chisago got their revenge, and in the process, picked up their 14th win of the season and their eighth straight.

“They’re back playing Chisago Lakes hockey like we were playing last year,” remarked Magnuson. “The forecheck, the backcheck, always moving their feet. The girls are really playing well right now in all aspects of the game.”

Grossmann led the ‘Cats with two goals and one assist, giving her nine goals and five assists over her last four games.

“Over the last seven, eight, nine games, she’s just been on a tear,” replied Magnuson. “Her confidence is sky-high right now. She’s the one I want shooting the puck that’s for sure.”

In addition, with the win, the Wildcats basically locked up the number two seed in the upcoming section playoffs. Both St. Francis and Grand Rapids were in the running for the seed with Chisago. With their win over the Saints, paired with their victory over Grand Rapids on January 15, the ‘Cats are now in the driver’s seat which is exactly where they want to be.

“Grand Rapids would be in the running too, but now I have to think that we’re in good shape,” commented Magnuson. “I think that number two spot should be ours and I think most of the teams in our section will agree.”

Chisago Lakes 3

St. Francis 0

1 2 3 F

Chisago Lakes 1 1 1 3

St. Francis --- --- --- 0

Scoring:

First Period-

1) CL- Grossmann (unassisted) 10:07.

Second Period-

2) CL- Lukas (Grossmann, Parenteau) 1:23. Third Period-

3) CL- Grossmann (pp) (Fredrickson) :54.

Saves-

Weiden-21

Chisago Lakes 6

Spring Lake Park 1

Make it 13 goals over the last five games for Grossmann. Make it nine wins in a row. Make it 15 wins on the season- all coming on the heels of a 6-1 win over Spring Lake Park last Saturday.

Grossmann was the story as the senior struck for four goals for the second time in four games. Grossmann scored the first four goals of the game to get the ‘Cats started. Lexy Parenteau and company then closed the deal, destroying the Panthers, adding even more momentum to a team that is chalked full of it heading into the playoffs.

Grossmann started the scoring more than seven minutes into the game with a shorthanded goal. Three minutes later, she scored again, this time on the power play. Finally, Grossmann completed the period, and her hat-trick, with an even strength goal at the 12:53 mark, giving Chisago a 3-0 lead after one.

“The thing I talked to them before the game about was that we’ve been playing really well in the second period but our first periods have been slow,” said Magnuson. “The girls really attacked them right away, they really had Spring Lake Park bottled up in their own end.”

Thirty seconds into the second period, Grossmann and the Wildcats added to their lead, scoring the only goal of the period by either team, making the score 4-0 after two.

In the third, after Spring Lake Park scored their first goal of the game, Parenteau struck for two goals in the span of 40 seconds, putting the finishing touches on the Wildcats 6-1 win. Anne Fredrickson assisted on the first Parenteau goal, giving her three assists for the game. Parenteau also added an assist, giving her three points in the game.

Chisago is hitting on all cylinders. Well, mostly.

“Keep Grossmann going and hopefully Parenteau can get back into the mix,” remarked Magnuson. “Our second line has really been snake-bitten, so hopefully their shots start finding their way in the back of the net. They’re playing well they just can’t score right now. Once we get them going, I think things will really be going our way.”

Winners of nine straight, the ‘Cats skate into the final week of the regular season this week with Wright County and Totino-Grace on the schedule. As for the section playoffs, depending on what seed Chisago gets, the section quarterfinals are slated for February 3rd.

Chisago Lakes 6

Spring Lake Park 1

1 2 3 F

Spring Lake Park --- --- 1 1

Chisago Lakes 3 1 2 6

Scoring:

First Period-

1) CL- Grossmann (sh) (Fredrickson) 3:26; 2) CL- Grossmann (pp) (Parenteau, Lukas) 10:26; 3) CL- Grossmann (unassisted) 12:53.

Second Period-

4) CL- Grossmann (Fredrickson) :34.

Third Period-

5) SLP- #10 (#11) 11:14; 6) CL- Parenteau (Boynton, Fredrickson) 13:06; 7) CL- Parenteau (unassisted) 13:38.

Saves-

Weiden 9

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