CROOKSTON GIRL’S HOCKEY ALLOWS FOUR UNANSWERED GOALS IN LOSS TO BEMIDJI LUMBERJACKS

The Crookston Pirates Girl’s Hockey team gave up four straight goals in a 6-1 loss against the Bemidji Lumberjacks in a non-section game played at the Crookston Sports Center. 
A slow start in the first period saw the Bemidji register 9 shots on goal, but Crookston’s Grace Koshney made all nine saves preserving a clean sheet through the first seventeen minutes while Bemidji’s Brooklyn Delap made saved all four shots she faced to preserve a scoreless first period. “(Grace Koshney) is playing solid for us,” said Crookston head coach Tim Moe. “She’s doing what we need out of the back side which allows us to do some other things. She’s keeping us in games and doing all we could ask from her in net. She was able to stand up to a barrage of shots all night.”
In the second period, Bemidji’s Maggie Marcotte finished off a pass from Alexis Leitner giving the Lumberjacks a 1-0 lead just 27-seconds into the second period. Crookston tied the score with 12:37 left in the second period when Nora Peterson sent in a pass from the corner setting up a Catherine Tiedemann one-timer on the power play tying the game at 1-1. “It was just a great play by Nora,” she skated into the corner winning a battle for the puck, Catherine found a spot right in front of the net and Nora was able to find her and Catherine hammered it home. It was what we need from those two. They’re both extremely dynamic players and we need them to play off of each other and complement each other and they did a really nice job on that play.” Bemidji answered 51-seconds later when Austyn Tobey scored off an assist by Olivia Johnson giving the Lumberjacks a 2-1 lead. Bemidji added to their lead with 4:49 left in the second period with a pass from Austyn Tobey to Olivia Johnson setting up Bemidji’s third goal giving the visitors a 3-1 lead. With 1:34 left in the period, Maggie Marcotte scored the Lumberjack’s third goal with an assist from Gracie Fisher giving the visitors’ a 4-1 lead after two periods of play. “They got a lot of zone time,” Moe explained for Bemidji’s goal in the second period. “They’re big and strong, where we just weren’t strong enough physically to get the puck out so they were able to maintain pressure on us and we finally broke down.”
Crookston generated its most shots in the third period with six, but Bemidji tallied seventeen shots on goal in the final period with Olivia Johnson beating Koshney for the game’s final goal with 7:36 remaining to close out the 5-1 win got the Lumberjacks. “In the first period we competed really well, I thought,” summarized Moe. “In the second period, things got a little bit away from us and that has a lot to do with the fact that we’re young. We’re figuring it out and I think we took another step forward tonight. We just haven’t been able to put a complete game’s worth of focus together yet. We lose focus for a little bit and it leads to opposing teams putting the puck into the back of the net as a result of a missed defensive assignment. I think we’re getting better every time. We’re learning how to compete. The physicality may not be there yet, we’re not strong enough yet, but we’re working hard and we’re getting better. Tonight, we were able to put some different kids in different places and they responded well. We’re facing some adversity right now but the kids are adapting and doing what’s needed to get better.”
The Pirates fall to 2-4-1 this season and return to the ice on Thursday when Crookston travels to Detroit Lakes to take on the Lakers with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. on KROX. Bemidji improves 2-7. 

1st Period
No Scoring

2nd Period
16:33 – Bemidji – Maggie Marcotte (Alexis Leitner)
12:37 – Crookston – Catherine Tiedemann (Nora Peterson)
11:46 – Bemidji – Austyn Tobey (Olivia Johnson)
4:49 – Bemidji –  Olivia Johnson (Austyn Tobey)
1:34 – Bemidji – Maggie Marcotte (Gracie Fisher)

3rd Period
7:36 – Bemidji – Olivia Johnson (Austyn Tobey, Maddie Hanson)