With their first win in hand, the Otters next faced off with the Rams of Roseau, the #2 seed from District 16.  Starting out, it appeared the matchup might become a goalie duel, with neither team able to light the lamp in the entirety of the first period.  Then, with just over one minute off the clock in the second, Tonneson fought her way through the defense to bury the biscuit.  This proved to be the spark the Pemberton girls needed, as they went on to score two more unanswered in the second:  First, Tonneson again found the back of the net with Brimhall & Greenagel earning the helpers.  Then, Brimhall took a turn of her own with Lydia Johnson setting the stage.  Returning in the third, Greenagel made it 4-0 with Tonneson earning the apple.  With a comfortable lead, the spotlight turned to Olson, who worked hard to protect her shutout opportunity.  Despite quite a few nerve-wracking moments and a game total of 23 shots by the Rams, Olson would ultimately hold tight for her 9th shutout of the season.

As predicted by many sources, the #1 seed from District 16 advanced easily to the Championship, the Bemidji Lumberjacks.  Returning to the Runestone Community Center for an 8 AM puck drop, the Otters knew they had to leave it all on the ice.  The Jacks jumped to an early 3-goal lead in the first period, with hard shooting and lots of offensive pressure early.  In the final minute of the first, a penalty on the Otters looked to further endanger the good guys.  Instead, a shorthanded goal by Brimhall & Johnson put some wind back in the sails before the period break.  Five minutes into the second, Tonneson buried her fifth goal of the tournament, a great rebound opportunity from Greenagel.  After 10 minutes down by just one, Bemidji snuck one in during the final minute before the Zamboni break, putting the Otters down 2 to 4.  In the first five minutes of the third, Fergus Falls had great control of the offensive zone, and forced the Jacks to ice the puck several different times.  Of the many Otter shots on goal, only Johnson was able to score, with Ella Dirkman earning the apple.  A fifth and final Bemidji goal proved to end the Otters’ chances at the Championship.  Fergus Falls proved they are not a team to be taken lightly, outshooting the #1-ranked Lumberjacks 36 to 23 in the 5-3 loss.

With the Otters’ championship aspirations foiled, their attention turned to the backdoor opportunity, a true second place game against Alexandria.  With a decisive defeat of the Cards not far in the rear view, it was clear that the home team would fight hard to redeem themselves.  Just 30 seconds into the game, Alexandria capitalized on a slight misstep to jump to an early lead.  It would prove to be their only lead of the matchup, with Brimhall evening the scales 5 minutes later (assisted by Johnson & Tonneson.)  In the second, Brimhall sprinted past the defense for the unassisted go-ahead goal.  Then, Kynzie Zender fed Tonneson for some insurance.  Power Play opportunities were hard to come by, but Tonneson made good on one, assisted by Brimhall & Claire Duffy.  Then, Brimhall earned the Hat Trick to close the period.  Cruising to a comfortable 5-1 lead, Fergus Falls had to fend off a very physical Cardinals team for the rights to compete at the State tournament.  Alex earned one goal back early in the third, but the Otter defense & Olson locked down for nearly the full remainder of the game, including killing a 3-on-6 opportunity when the Cards pulled their goalie.  In the final minute, one final goal was tallied, but it was not enough to overcome the second period scoring.  Fergus Falls secured their spot in the 12UA State Tournament and hoisted the second place trophy.  District 15 had a very strong showing at the Region tournament, with all 3 teams among the final 4 standing.

Coach Johnson had the following to say about his team’s performance:  “This group has put in a lot of years of hard practice.  A lot of sacrifices have been made along the way by each and every player, parent & coach.  This group has now made it to the final eight of all teams in the State of Minnesota for 12UA.  This is quite an achievement for a small group of 15 players competing against much larger programs like Andover, Edina, etc.  There is much to be proud of, but we’re not done yet!”

With a season-to-date record of 31-8-2, the Pemberton Law 12UA Hockey team will travel to Stillwater on March 18th, facing Andover at 9:15 AM in double elimination format.  Also competing for top honors are Minnetonka, Stillwater, Osseo-Maple Grove, Edina & Coon Rapids-Champlin Park.