By Nick Gerhardt
A good start for Northfield faded fast Thursday in a 13-2 loss to Lakeville North at the Dundas Dome in Dundas.
The Raiders’ season-opening losing streak stretched to three games despite holding the Panthers (2-0) goalless in the first quarter and taking a 1-0 lead 17 seconds into the second quarter.
Northfield freshman George Peterson put his team up 1-0 but the lead proved short lived. The Panthers scored the next three goals to grab a 3-1 lead they never relinquished.
Peterson’s second goal came with 6:02 left in the second quarter to make it 3-2 but Lakeville North scored once more before the half to make it 4-2 and scored the final 10 goals of the game.
The Panthers scored three times on the man advantage as senior attacker Austin Winship, junior midfielder Quinn Power and sophomore attacker Blake Piscitello all registered hat tricks. Senior midfielder Leo Piscitiello notched two goals while sophomore midfielder Andrew Slattery and junior midfielder Josh Scheibel also scored.
Lakeville North took control of the game with a seven-goal outburst in the third quarter, including two goals on the man advantage. Four goals came in a span of 1:01 as the Panthers showed their prowess in the faceoff circle to begin offensive rushes to take an 11-2 lead after scoring with 8 seconds left in the quarter.
Winship added his third goal of the game with 7:20 left in the fourth quarter and Scheibel scored his goal a little more than a minute later for the 13-2 final.
Northfield started last season with five straight wins and didn’t lose its third game of the season until its 12th contest of the season.
The Raiders (0-3, 0-1 Big 9) will face Mankato (1-0) Friday in Mankato as they continue to seek their first win of the season.