After winning two overtime games in its section tournament, Andover looked prepared starting the state tournament.
The No. 2 seed in Class 2A scored four goals in the first period en route to a 7-1 victory over Farmington in the first quarterfinal Thursday at Xcel Energy Center.
"We started off fast and then we just started pressuring the puck," Huskies forward Gabby Krause said. "We just had a good vibe on the bench."
Andover (24-4) got the scoring started against Farmington (15-12-2) on forward Jamie Nelson's back-door goal from Peyton Hemp just under six minutes into the game. Krause scored the next two goals, and freshman Madison Kaiser scored with 13 seconds left in the first to make it 4-0. Meanwhile, the Huskies held the Tigers to three shots on goal in the period.
"We hear a lot about our forwards, because obviously we have some very elite forwards," said Andover coach Melissa Volk. "But our 'D' do a wonderful job, and a lot of times our offense starts on the backside there with forcing turnovers and getting pucks moving up ice."
Andover converted on both of its power plays in the second period, and added another goal from Hemp to make it 7-0 at the close of the second.
Jenna Gerold scored in the third period for the Tigers' only goal. Farmington goaltender Ryleigh Furlong made 31 saves.
"Their shots weren't anything that I haven't seen before because we faced Blake and we faced Maple Grove," Furlong said. "So it wasn't out of the ordinary, but I think it was more of a frustration for the whole team."
JACK WARRICK
