Mike Kraft/MDN Minot United’s Brielle Brentrup protects the puck against SE Goldwings’ Samara Seghers (13) and Lexi Bauman (18) during the second period at Maysa Arena on Friday, Nov. 28.

Mother Nature made the Minot United girls hockey team wait a couple days longer to open its season, postponing Tuesday’s game against Williston due to snow.

The SE Goldwings weren’t going to keep Minot United from waiting any longer to get its first win of the season as well as its first win under the new name and logo.

Held scoreless through the first two periods, Minot United’s offense sprung to life in the third, netting four unanswered goals for a 4-1 comeback victory over the SE Goldwings at Maysa Arena on Friday, Nov. 28.

Minot United goaltender Faith Seekings kept her team in a game where the squad north of the border dominated in the shots on goal category through the first 34 minutes. Seekings stopped 26 of 27 shots she faced through the first two periods and finished with 36 saves.

“She was stellar and absolutely fantastic,” Minot United coach Chris Stokke said. “She played unbelievable from start to finish. She slowed the game down for us. She was calm and poised all night.”

A puck off the stick of Avryelle Molnar was the only shot that the SE Goldwings could manage to get past Seekings. It was still enough to take a 1-0 into the second intermission, as Minot United had just five shots on goal to that point.

Senior captain Brynn Hanson had a hand in all four of Minot United’s four-goal third period in which they outshot SE Goldwings 14-10, nearly tripling their shot production from the first two periods combined. In the process, Hanson eclipsed the 100-point mark for her career. She netted two goals and assisted on the other two goals, both scored by Julia Stoner.

“We lean on each other,” Hanson said. “We lean on each other for support and that’s going to be huge for us this year. We’re going to come together and win because of that.”

Stoner tied the game at 1:53 of the third period after Hanson had a breakaway attempt stopped by SE Goldwings goaltender Kiera Barker. Stoner crashed the net behind Hanson and knocked home the rebound.

Minot United had just one power play attempt all game, but they made the most of it, cashing in on an interference penalty assessed to Lexi Bauman. They needed just five seconds to take a 2-1 lead, scoring on the ensuing faceoff with a shot from the blue line from Hanson.

“She really stepped up in the third,” Stokke said of Hanson. “They shut her down pretty good in the first and second, but she found a way to get loose and her teammates really helped support her and moved the puck well.”

Hanson netted another to give Minot United a two-goal cushion with 4:32 remaining with a wrist shot bar down over Barker’s glove-side shoulder, and Stoner added an empty-netter with eight seconds left to punctuate the first win of the season.

“I think they backed down a little bit,” Hanson said. “I think they underestimated us and didn’t think we still had anything in the tank and we capitalized and made the most of it and showed them what we’re made of. Got our first win as the Minot United group.”

Minot United hosts Devils Lake on Friday, Dec. 5, at Maysa Arena at 7 p.m.