Knocking off the defending Class 2A champion in the first game of the season is a heck of a way to begin the year.
Northfield defeated Gentry Academy Thursday 4-2 at Northfield Ice Arena behind two goals from senior forward Ayla Puppe and goals from senior forward Emerson Garlie and a goal from junior forward Olivia Rasmussen.
Garlie scored 49 seconds into the game on a rebound goal with assists from junior forward Emily Beaham and senior defender Grace McCoshen.
The Stars responded at 2:35 of the first period with a Naomi Winge goal. Then Northfield started to pull away.
Rasmussen’s goal at 13:30 with an assist from ninth-grader Emma Peroutka put the Raiders up 2-1, then Puppe heated up in the second period. Puppe scored just 22 seconds into the period on a beautiful goal that went five-hole to put Northfield up 3-1. Garlie picked up an assist on the goal.
At the 11:51 mark Puppe struck again on the power play to make it 4-1 with assists from senior defender Isabelle Stephes and sophomore defender Mia Miller.
Gentry Academy, which graduated 11 seniors from last year’s team, including a 34-goal scorer in Grace Delmonico and a 35-goal scorer in Cara Sajevic, got a power-play goal from Ana Myers at 10:52 of the third period to make it 4-2.
The two teams each had nine penalties in the game, but each went 1-for-7 on the power play. Northfield and Gentry Academy received coincidental minors at the end of the second period for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Raiders junior goalie Macy Mueller stopped 24 of the 26 shots she faced. Northfield tallied 43 shots on goal.
The Raiders move on to face Mound Westonka Saturday in Mound.
