HURON -- The Aberdeen Cougars made a statement in Friday's opening round of the girls' state hockey tournament and the defending state champions heard them loud and clear.
Coming in as the eighth-seed, the Cougars received strong goalkeeping from Hailee Huff and just enough offense to post a 2-1 win over the tournament's top seed.
"The girls played hard and played together just liked we talked about," said Aberdeen coach Rob Weinmeister. "We put pressure on them all night, and Hailee played an outstanding game. There were quite a few times where Brookings had opportunities and she shut them down."
A third-period goal from Madyson Ogdahl proved to be the difference. The Rangers, who outshot Aberdeen 36-25, tallied the game-tying goal in the second period as Hallie Theodosopoulos found the net with assists by Sierra Winter and Jade Chasing Hawk.
Aberdeen's opening goal came with 9:30 to go in the first period, when Hailey Gould scored. The Cougars had a 13-7 advantage in shots during the first period, but the Rangers held a 29-12 edge the rest of the game. Weinmeister said the Cougars defense did an excellent job of keeping the puck clear of the net.
"The forwards were clearing the puck and didn't give them a lot of second opportunities," Weinmeister said.
The Cougars advance to face Sioux Falls tonight at 8 p.m. Sioux Falls defeated Watertown in its first-round game. Other first-round victories went to Mitchell over Oahe and Huron over Rushmore. Weinmeister is hopeful that the Cougars can put together another solid effort against the Flyers.
"If the girls continue to play like they played (Friday), they can beat anyone in this tournament," Weinmeister said. "I was just happy for the girls. They played their hearts out and did everything that I asked. I was proud of them."
Aberdeen Cougars| 1 0 1--2
Brooking Rangers| 0 1 0--1
First Period: 1, Aberdeen, Hailey Gould, unassisted, 9:30.
Second Period: 2, Brookings, Hallie Theodosopoulos (Sierra Winter, Jade Chasing Hawk), 13:56.
Third Period: 3, Aberdeen, Madyson Ogdahl, unassisted, 14:19.
Goalies: Aberdeen, Hailey Huff (36 shots, 35 saves); Brookings, Devyn Prodoehl (25 shots, 23 saves).
|HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS' HOCKEY|
|State Tourney at Huron|
|Today's games|
Consolation semifinal, Brookings vs. Watertown, 12:30 p.m.
Consolation semifinal, Oahe vs. Rushmore, 3 p.m.
Semifinal, Mitchell vs. Huron, 5:30 p.m.
Semifinal, Aberdeen vs. Sioux Falls, 8 p.m.