Wagner Sparks Second-Half Surge as MNHockey.Tv Rallies Past Tradition Mortgage

The Dangle League returned to the ice Tuesday night for a pair of games before the Fourth of July break, and the standings continue to tighten as balanced rosters and depth have made for an entertaining start to the season.

MNHockey.Tv entered the night looking to build on a 4-1 victory over Fortis Academy and improve on its 1-1 record. Tradition Mortgage also sat at 1-1 after earning a 4-1 win over Twin Cities Orthopedics in its previous outing.

Tradition struck first with 20:05 remaining in the opening half. The play started with an excellent regroup before Stella Strothman found Peyton DeMuth flying up the right side. DeMuth carried the puck into the zone with speed before threading a perfect pass to Emma Peroutka, who drove the net and snapped a lightning-quick release past MNHockey.Tv goaltender Emma Mattack for the 1-0 lead.

MNHockey.Tv answered behind Avery Wagner. Ella Fugazzi started the breakout with a crisp pass that found Wagner high in the defensive zone. Wagner accelerated through the neutral zone, cut toward the net on her forehand and beat Finley Engfer against the grain to even the score at 1-1.

Tradition Mortgage spent much of the night creating traffic around the crease, and that hard work paid off late in the first half. With just 1:45 remaining, Lauren Albrecht found open ice in the slot, took a pass in stride and ripped a mid-range shot past Mattack to restore the lead at 2-1 heading into the break.

The second half belonged to MNHockey.Tv.

Wagner struck again for her second goal of the night to tie the contest before Annika Eggert delivered what proved to be the game-winner with 8:42 remaining. Nora Ptak added an empty-net goal in the closing moments to put the finishing touches on a 4-2 MNHockey.Tv victory.

MNHockey.Tv controlled much of the play, outshooting Tradition Mortgage 35-17. Although Engfer was tagged with the loss, she turned aside 32 shots and kept Tradition within striking distance throughout the evening. Mattack earned the victory between the pipes for MNHockey.Tv.

Tradition Mortgage returns to action on July 7 against Fortis Academy, while MNHockey.Tv enjoys the bye before the two clubs meet again in a rematch on July 9.

The action resumes Tuesday, July 7, with two Dangle League games and two Celly League matchups. Also on the schedule is a Wave Game featuring many of the state's top 2030-born players. If last year's edition was any indication, fans can expect another fast-paced, high-energy showcase loaded with skill and excitement.