Huskies take fourth at state adapted floor hockey

The Owatonna adapted floor hockey team took fourth place at state after losing a close 10-9 game against the South Suburban Jets last Saturday to finish its run at the MSHSL State Tournament.
Owatonna came into the game on Saturday to attempt a run in the consolation bracket after losing 15-1 the day before to Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville.
“Everyone was happy for a good season, and to have the opportunity to make it to the tournament. We were all proud of how we went out and performed, and to have the moments with the team outside of just playing the game was special as well,” said Owatonna head coach John Scheil.
Owatonna’s game against South Suburban was a nail-biter that came down to the last 50 seconds.
After South Suburban scored the game’s first goal in the opening minutes of the first period, the two sides battled back and forth to gain an edge.
The Jets managed to keep their early lead for the entirety of the game; however, Owatonna fought through all three periods to level the score and complete the comeback.
Down 9-4 halfway through the third period, Owatonna strung together four late goals in a quick fashion to make the score 9-8.
With the comeback in sight, Owatonna was unable to find its game-tying goal as South Suburban netted its last goal of the game to make the score 10-8 with two minutes remaining.
Owatonna managed to score one more goal with 50 seconds remaining, but the Jets maintained possession after the goal and kept Owatonna from being able to tie the game.
Scoring for Owatonna were Javelle Higgs with five goals and Chloe Talley with four goals.
The day before, Owatonna suffered a loss in the opening round of the state tournament, losing to Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville (BFL) 15-1.
Owatonna found itself down early as BFL managed to own possession and use its high-power offense to create a big lead.
“BFL is a very good team with a lot of depth and speed. The end result was 15-1, but I think our kids worked super hard and never gave up. Overall it was a good game,” said Scheil.
Scoring for the Huskies in the contest was Higgs, who netted the Huskies’ lone goal in the second period on an unassisted play.
The Huskies’ losses at the state tournament officially bring the team’s 2021-2022 season to a close.
“For the seniors to come in this season after not really having a junior season and just step up and be the leaders that they were was awesome. They’re a group that I’m going to hold in my heart and really miss because there was a lot of talent, but there was also a lot of personality and heart that made our team what it was this year.”