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Holy Angels 4, Chisago Lakes 1

The Wildcats scored first in their Section 4A semifinal matchup against the fourth-ranked Holy Angels Stars and trailed just 2-1 late in the third period.  But the Stars added an insurance goal with just over five minutes remaining and went on to beat the Wildcats 4-1, ending the Wildcats’ season.  The game was played Tuesday, February 11 at Richfield Ice Arena.

The Wildcats were outshot 13-3  in the first period, but Lexi Smothers turned one of those shots into a goal at 8:29, assisted by Lauren Schmidt, to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.  The Stars responded with two goals in the last five minutes of the period to take a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.  Play was more even in the second period, with the teams tying 9-9 in shots.  But none of those shots found the back of the net, and the score remained 2-1 after two periods.  The Wildcats were on the defensive for most of the third period as the Stars outshot them 14-2.  Taylor Lesnar scored for Holy Angels at 11:54 to stretch their lead to two goals.  The Wildcats pulled goalie Evi Reedy late in the period, and Lesnar scored an empty-netter with 15 seconds remaining to make the final score 4-1.

Hockey Hullaballoo

The youthful Wildcats have a bright future ahead of them.  While they will lose three of their top five scorers to graduation – Lauren Schmidt, Nora DeVries, and Kali Hanson – as well as starting goalie Evi Reddy, they will return their top scorer, sophomore Lext Smothers, and their number four scorer, seventh-grader Aven Lyckholm, in addition to junior Allie Smothers and seventh-grader Brynn Secor, who were just a point behind Lyckholm.

DeVries will skate for Division 1 St. Thomas University next season, and Schmidt will play at St. Catherine’s University.

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