Rebels shut out Lumberjacks

The Moose Lake Area girls hockey team held a one-goal lead over Cloquet-Esko-Carlton entering the third period on Dec. 20. The Rebels were able to fight through penalties and CEC's push to tie the game by scoring two late empty-net goals for a 3-0 victory over the Lumberjacks.

MLA grabbed a 1-0 lead at the 8:07 mark of the first period on a goal by Hallie Klavu with assists going to Sandra Ribich and Lily Ludwig.

"The last time we played CEC, they got three goals in the first seven minutes of the game. For us to get that first goal was a big confidence builder," said Rebels coach Reilly Fawcett.

MLA goaltender Mallory Hartl, along with her team's defense, held the Lumberjacks at bay throughout the remainder of both the first and second periods.

"We lost two of our top players to knee injuries in the Proctor game and then we had the sickness bug hit us, so that didn't help," said CEC head coach Kennedy Weets. "It was hard trying to put lines together, and asking young players to step up who've never been in a larger role before."

Hartl needed to be sharp because her team ended up taking five minor penalties - for a total of 10 minutes penalty time - while CEC did not get a single penalty in the game.

"There's a reason she's going on to play Division I hockey," Weets said of Hartl. "We needed to get traffic in front of her and get her moving, but we weren't able to do that."

Hartl was able to shut the door and give her team a chance to win entering the final period.

"Mallory has been so good for so long for us," Fawcett said. The goaltender will attend the University of Providence next season. "She always shows up, she always gives us a chance, and there is a comfort factor for our defense when they know she is back there to stop just about everything."

With the game at 1-0, the 'Jacks pulled goalie Avery Moore late in the third period. The Rebels jumped on the opportunity, scoring back-to-back goals by Ribich and Klavu with 1:29 and then 10 seconds remaining in the game. Ribich's goal was unassisted while Klavu's goal was assisted by Ribich and Lillian Genereau.

"Getting the first empty net goal was huge because it gave us a little breathing room," Fawcett said.

For the game, Hartl made 27 saves on 27 shots for a shutout, while Moore made 19 saves on 20 shots with two goals being scored with an empty net.

The loss drops the Lumberjacks to 4-10 while the win improved the Rebels to 5-10.