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Without its top scorer, Lakeville North holds off Warroad

By Trevor Squire, SportsEngine, 11/17/17, 8:15AM CST

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Kylie Nelson notched two first period goals, giving the Panthers an early lead.


Lakeville North players McKenna Butler (L) and Kallie Schneider (R) watch as a Warroad shot skips past the net. Schneider had 35 saves in the Panthers' 4-3 victory over the Warriors. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

Lakeville North played Warroad in a preseason exhibition at the Eveleth Hippodrome in early November. Facing several gritty northern teams on a smaller-sized sheet of ice than most conventional arenas taught the Panthers how to handle pressure in a high-tempered environment.

“I try to instill a little bit of the Iron Range in our girls,” coach Buck Kochevar said. “We knew Warroad would come hard, because they do. They dig, they grind — chomp on the bit — it’s never over for them.”

Those thrilling matchups haven’t ceased since the beginning of the regular season. Lakeville North picked up its third single-goal victory of the season after withstanding a late Warriors comeback Friday night in a 4-3 decision at Ames Arena.

Jayden Neameyer scored the Panthers’ final goal on the power play midway through the second period for her third point, which gave her team what seemed to be a comfortable three-goal lead. 

Kochevar said he knew the game wasn’t over, and it took a stellar goaltending performance from Kallie Schneider — who saved 35 of 38 shots — to clinch the victory. 

“Kallie Schneider played on her head which was awesome. We did enough to win . Hats off to Warroad, it was a crowd-pleaser for sure,” Kochevar said, as the junior goaltender weathered a 29-shot barrage in the final two periods.

For Warroad, ranked second in the Class 1A coaches’ poll, it may have seemed like Lakeville North forgot something up north. Maggie Flaherty, a Minnesota-Duluth commit and Lakeville North’s top-playmaker, was visiting her future school on Friday.

This left room for Minnesota State commit Madison Oelkers to have her way with the Panthers (3-0, 2-0) as she relished the extra room and shooting lanes on Ames Arena’s Olympic-sized sheet.

Oelkers rifled a shot and rang the right pipe for a goal in the first period and added another goal with two minutes, 18 seconds left in the game to bring the Warriors (1-1, 0-0) within one.

“When you have an Olympic-sized rink and you have someone like #13 (Oelkers) buzzing around, she can really put on a show and she did today,” Kovechar said.

Warroad couldn’t find the equalizer after pulling goaltender Jenelle Manitowabi with a minute and 21 seconds left in the game.

“We were on them pretty good. We made some mistakes and didn’t get the saves they did — tough game to take when we had some good momentum in the third,” Warriors coach David Marvin said.

With the win, Lakeville North remains unbeaten after winning 2-1 in overtime in its season opener against Shakopee and 3-2 on the road at Farmington where Neamayer netted the team's third power play goal for the game-winner with 58 seconds left in the game.

Friday’s battle with Warroad added to what Kovechar called character builders as his team had to fight off a five-minute misconduct in the final period as younger players had to fill holes in the lineup.

Neameyer commended her teammates as these high-energy games they’ve played early in the season have helped them grow.

“We had a lot of positivity on the bench and persevered,” she added. “That that’s basically how we won the game — positivity.”


Lakeville North senior Jayden Neameyer celebrates her second period goal against Warroad. The Panthers defeated the Warriors 4-3 Friday night in Lakeville. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

First Report

Jayden Neameyer tallied a goal and two assists to power the Panthers past Warroad in a 4-3 affair Friday night at Ames Arena in Lakeville.

Lakeville North took a 4-1 lead early, but Warroad, ranked second in the Class 1A coaches’ poll, outshot the Panthers 29-13 in the final two periods to crawl back into the game. Panthers goaltender Kallie Schneider stopped 15 shots in the final period to protect her team’s lead.

Kylie Nelson netted the game’s first two goals off assists from Neameyer for the Panthers (3-0, 2-0) before Minnesota State commit Madison Oelkers rang a shot in off the right pipe to bring Warroad within one at the end of the first period.

Sydney Antonakis scored her first varsity goal to open the middle period, giving Lakeville North a two-goal cushion. Neameyer found the net on the power play to push the Panthers ahead by three.

The Warriors' Hannah Corneliusen cut the lead to two with a wrap-around backhand goal on the penalty kill.

Oelkers found the net again with two minutes, 18 seconds left in the game, but the Warriors (1-1, 0-0) couldn’t find a tying goal.

Schneider finished the game with 35 saves, while Warroad goalie Jenelle Manitowabi stopped 18 shots.


Warroad senior Madison Oelkers skates the puck through the neutral zone against Lakeville North. The Warriors fell to the Panthers 4-3 Friday night in Lakeville. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

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