NU grabs third straight title

By DAVE CLARK

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Three things were recognized during the New Ulm Eagles girls hockey team's 5-1 victory over the Waseca Bluejays Friday night.

First, the victory gives the Eagles the South Central Conference championship for the third straight year and fourth in five years.

Second, being Parents Night, the Eagles moms and dads were brought out to center ice for introduction after the first period.

Third, if they want to go anywhere in the upcoming playoffs, New Ulm needs to score more often when they have a 47-10 margin in shots-on-goal over the opponent.

"We came out expecting to beat them," Eagles coach Todd Nelson said. "As the game went on, we continued to say 'you've got to focus, step up and play our game.' We need to create opportunities, not expect them to come to us.

"I know we outshot them by a ton. One team earlier in the season, we outshot a team 60-8 and won 1-0. As we go into the playoffs, there are no more weak teams, and we have to play at the top of our game," Nelson said.

The only weak thing by the end of the first period may have been Bluejay goalie Crystal Johnson, who was barraged by the Eagles for at least 14 of the period's 17 minutes. The Bluejays didn't help themselves with weak passing and poor stick handling, but they did only allow one New Ulm goal, a shot by Tiffany Hoffmann with an assist from Amber Reinhart and Dani Budahn at 3:27.

It appeared that Waseca came out in the second period determined to at least slow down the Eagles attack, but at 4:45, Angie Siefert tapped her stick on the ice to get the attention of Reinhart, who promptly passed the puck to Siefert. Standing about five feet in front of the blue line and directly in front of Johnson, Siefert hammered a slapshot past the goalie for a 2-0 New Ulm lead.

It became 3-0 at 13:59 when Tiffany Hoffmann lifted a lazy shot over Johnson's left shoulder, with an assist compliments of Siefert. Goal four didn't come until 2:12 of the final period, when Emily Drexler pushed it in the net from close range with help from Kyla Hoffmann and Sam Richter.

Reinhart finished New Ulm's offensive output with a twenty-foot shot from the right side that went past Johnson's right shin, with assists given to Tiffany Hoffmann and Liz Bode. The Bluejays only goal came from an unassisted shot by Emily Arnfelt at 12:07.

The win puts the Eagles record at 10-6-2, with their next game at home on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

NEW ULM -- 1 2 2 -- 5

WASECA -- 0 0 1 -- 1