FARMINGTON, Minn. – The No. 1 seeded Farmington Tigers punched their ticket to the Section 1 Class AA Boys Hockey championship game for the first time since 2016 with a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 4 seeded New Prague on Saturday night at Schmitz-Maki Arena in front of a sellout crowd.
RECAP
New Prague struck first midway through the opening period. At 15:44, Cade Borwege sent a shot toward the net that created a short rebound in front, and Jaxen Woitas capitalized to give the Trojans a 1-0 lead.
Farmington answered in the final minute of the first period. With under 60 seconds remaining, Will Harris found the back of the net off an assist from Mason Rodgers to even the score at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
The Tigers gained their first lead of the night in the second period. At 15:13, AJ Vinar took the puck hard to the net and finished the play to put Farmington ahead 2-1. Drake Anderson and Jacob Whirley were credited with assists as the Tigers carried the one-goal advantage into the third period.
New Prague responded in the third. At 10:45, Tyler Applen scored to tie the game at 2-2, with Owen Dorzinski earning the assist. Both teams generated chances late in regulation, but the score remained even at the end of the third period.
In overtime, Mason Rodgers delivered the decisive moment. The senior defenseman sent a shot from the point toward the net that resulted in the game-winning goal, lifting the Tigers to the 3-2 victory and sending the home crowd into celebration.
TOP TIGERS
Will Harris and AJ Vinar each scored in regulation, while Mason Rodgers factored into two goals, assisting on the first-period equalizer and netting the overtime winner. Drake Anderson and Jacob Whirley added assists in the semifinal win.
UP NEXT
Farmington will face No. 2 seeded Lakeville South in the Section 1AA championship game. The Tigers and Cougars split their regular-season meetings. Farmington earned a 3-2 overtime win on Jan. 10 after Teagan Gylling scored the game-winner, while Lakeville South responded with a 4-2 victory at Schmitz-Maki Arena on Feb. 12.
The Section 1AA championship will be played on Thursday, February 26 at the Rochester Rec Center.
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