Performance Office Papers scores three late goals to stun MNHockeyTv

A pair of teams caught in the Dangle League standings logjam met Tuesday night at Braemar Arena with an opportunity to take control of the race for the top playoff seed.

Fortis entered the night in first place but was idle, leaving MNHockeyTv and Performance Office Papers to battle for valuable ground in the standings. MNHockeyTv had two games in hand on Fortis and some room to work, but a regulation win would have placed it in pole position entering the final stretch.

Instead, Performance Office Papers used every bit of the 60-minute game to climb to the top. Performance scored three times over the final 5:15, erasing a 3-1 deficit and stunning MNHockeyTv 4-3.

The night started just as well as it ended for Performance.

Mia Sutch delivered a perfectly placed feed to Gwynn Skoogman, who moved in and connected on a beautiful backhand with 25:13 remaining in the first half. Allie DeFauw also earned an assist on Skoogman’s opening goal.

MNHockeyTv needed only 2:43 to respond. Lilly Peck tied the game at 22:30, finishing a play created by Nora Ptak and Stella Kramer. Just 52 seconds later, MNHockeyTv struck again. Grace Campbell scored from Ptak and Peck with 21:38 on the clock, quickly turning a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 lead.

The score remained that way through the end of the first half as the teams settled into a tightly contested grind. MNHockeyTv appeared to gain control early in the second half. Ella Fugazzi converted a feed from Campbell and Kennedy Keepman with 25:01 remaining, extending the lead to 3-1.

Performance Office Papers refused to go away and stayed with their possession game. With the game slipping into its final minutes, Bonnie Zhao gave Performance life. Zhao finished a setup from Grace Gerebi and Audrey Nichols with 5:15 showing on the clock, cutting the deficit to 3-2 and the comeback only accelerated from there.

52 seconds later, Sutch pulled Performance even. Lydia Joseph and Taylin Engelhardt assisted on the goal at 4:23, setting up a frantic finish with first place hanging in the balance.

Performance completed the rally at 2:34 when Angie Cody created the opportunity and Julia Gerdes delivered the go-ahead goal, capping a three-goal burst over a span of just 2:41.

MNHoceyTv made one final push, but Gianna Marchese and the Performance defense protected the lead through the closing seconds.

The final numbers reflected how evenly the game was played. Performance held a narrow 24-23 advantage in shots after outshooting MNHockeyTv 14-10 in the second half. Marchese made 20 saves to earn the victory.

Performance Office Papers improved to 4-2 and collected three points for the regulation win, moving past Fortis and into first place with one regular-season game remaining.

It took nearly the entire night to get there, but Performance saved its best hockey for the moment it mattered most.