Performance Office Papers Rallies for 5-3 win over Tradition Mortgage

Performance Office Papers 5, Tradition Mortgage 3

Dangle League Season Opener

Performance Office Papers opened the 2026 Dangle League season with an impressive 5-3 victory over Tradition Mortgage, overcoming an early deficit behind relentless offensive pressure and a dominant territorial game.

From the opening faceoff, Performance Office Papers controlled possession and spent much of the first period in the offensive zone. The pressure translated into a staggering 19 first-period shots on goal, but Tradition Mortgage netminder Finley Engfer stood tall, turning aside 18 shots and keeping her team within striking distance.

Despite being outshot, Tradition capitalized on its transition game. Kennedy Hochbaum (Minnetonka) opened the scoring off the rush at 29:08, finishing a feed from Alleah La Fleur (Breck) to give Tradition a 1-0 lead. Later in the period, Lexi Giller (Farmington) doubled the advantage, converting another transition opportunity from Lucy Rauk (Orono).

Performance Office Papers responded midway through the opening frame when Makenna Miller (Woodbury) buried a slick pass from Mia Sutch (Centennial/Spring Lake Park) to cut the deficit to 2-1. While Performance controlled the shot clock 19-11 after one period, Tradition began to find its footing late in the frame and generated some sustained offensive-zone pressure of its own.

The second period opened with Performance Office Papers continuing to push the pace. At the 8:29 mark, Julia Gerdes (Andover) knotted the game at 2-2, finishing a setup from Brinley Gretz (Apple Valley) and Miller.

The tie lasted less than a minute.

Just 51 seconds later, Tradition Mortgage regained the lead when Lauren Albrecht (Orono) found the back of the net off assists from Alexa Schumm (North Wright County) and Hazel Schenkelberg (Edina), putting Tradition back in front 3-2.

From that point on, however, Performance Office Papers took over.

Sticking to its game plan and relentlessly attacking with a fierce forecheck, Performance gradually wore down the Tradition defense. The equalizer came at 10:40 when Allie DeFauw (Holy Family Catholic) finished a play created by Sutch  and with high school teammate Jozie Kelzenberg (Centennial/Spring Lake Park), making it 3-3.

Performance grabbed its first lead of the game at 8:41 as Brinley Gretz (Apple Valley) scored from Julia Gerdes (Andover), capping off another sustained offensive-zone shift. The insurance marker followed at 5:55 when Taylor Miller (Hill-Murray) converted a setup from Grace Gerebi (Holy Family Catholic) and Audrey Nichols (Holy Family Catholic), extending the lead to 5-3.

Performance finished with a 35-26 advantage in shots on goal and showcased the depth of its attack with five different goal scorers. Sutch led the way offensively with two assists, while Gerdes and Gretz each recorded a goal and an assist. Engfer's strong performance in goal kept Tradition within reach throughout the contest, but Performance's sustained pressure eventually proved too much to overcome.

Final Score: Performance Office Papers 5, Tradition Mortgage 3
Shots on Goal: Performance Office Papers 35, Tradition Mortgage 26