Facing a two-goal deficit early in the second period of its game against Stillwater in the Sports Authority Holiday Hockey Classic, Holy Family Catholic found itself in a familiar position.

Eleven days ago, the Fire trailed Wayzata after the Trojans scored the first four goals of the game. Holy Family Catholic reacted by rattling off four straight goals to tie the score with a few minutes left, but the Fire conceded two in the final two minutes to lose.

There wouldn't be a repeat performance Monday night at the St. Louis Park Rec Center.

Holy Family Catholic scored four straight goals — again — to rally for a 5-3 victory over Stillwater and hand the Ponies their first defeat of the season.

“The team knows that when we get down, we’ve got some firepower to get back in games,” Fire coach Noel Rahn said. “But it’s not something we want to get too used to.”

Losing that Wayzata game was tough, especially going into the holiday break, Holy Family Catholic junior forward Ethan Mesler said. However, there was a silver lining as the team learned what it took to forge a comeback.

“It says a lot about this team,” Rahn said. “It was similar today. We go down 2-0 and come back and score four straight goals.”

After falling behind 2-0 just 28 seconds into the second period, the Fire responded with a power-play goal from Mesler. Patrick Reddan tipped a puck in front of the net and Mesler found it right on his tape. He didn’t hesitate, flicking the puck into a wide-open net and cutting the deficit in half.

Holy Family Catholic sophomore goalie Jared Moe, who has split time this year with junior Jaxson Stauber, got the nod against Stillwater (8-1-0), ranked No. 3 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, and made a number of huge stops to deny the Ponies the rest of their second-period chances.

“I’d say it’s pretty nerve-racking,” Moe said. “You’ve got to just stay calm.”

By the third period and with the game tied, it came time for the Fire’s best player to make the play of the game. At 6:04 of the final stanza, Will Garin flew down the ice on a 2-on-1 break and caught a pass from Mesler. He fired a wrister that went top-shelf, giving No. 10-2A Holy Family Catholic (8-3-0) a lead it wouldn't relinquish. 

“Mack Byers made a nice play to get the puck to Ethan (Mesler),” Garin said. “Our coaches were telling us to shoot high on this goalie because he goes down a lot. I found a corner up top and, thankfully, put it away.”

Garin is no newcomer to big plays in big games. He’s been on the Fire's varsity roster since eighth grade, playing with former Holy Family Catholic greats Shane Gersich and John Peterson. Now it’s Garin’s time to lead the program and he’s taken that role seriously, using those leadership traits he learned from his former teammates.

He’s not an intimidating guy. He jokes with younger teammates such as Byers, who yelled at Garin to give him some recognition during a post-game interview.

“I already gave you a shout-out, man,” the senior responded with a laugh.

Peterson, who led the Fire in scoring for two straight years, was like a big brother to Garin. The two played on the same line for four years and now, as the team’s leading scorer (12-9-21) and senior captain, Garin knows how to conduct himself as a role model.

“I learned so much from those guys, not just about hockey, but about how to act off the ice and be a leader,” Garin said. “Playing under those guys for four years has helped me a lot. It’s cool because I saw how those guys acted when I was young, and now I can be that guy and treat the younger guys as nicely as I was treated on this team.”

It says something about a leader that younger guys can mess with him. Garin is approachable and easily joked with, something that was obvious during the post-game meal in the players’ banquet room.

A couple teammates told Garin that all the hot dogs were gone and the hungry goal scorer would have to ride the bus home hungry.

“Are they serious?” Garin asked with a wide grin, pacing quickly around the room. 

“You’re out of hot dogs? They said you’re out of hot dogs,” he questioned the woman serving food.

She laughed. “No, we’ve got plenty,” she said before giving Garin a hot dog and bun.

He deserved it.

After falling behind early in the second period, Holy Family Catholic scored four straight goals to upend undefeated Stillwater 5-3 in their opening game of the Sports Authority Holiday Hockey Classic at the St. Louis Park Rec Center on Monday.

Will Garin scored the game-winner for the Fire (8-3-0), ranked No. 10 in the Class 2A coaches' poll, going top-shelf with a wrister on a 2-on-1 break with 10:56 left in the third period.

The No. 3-2A Ponies' Matthew Stanton scored the game's initial goal at 5:47 of the first period. The junior forward cut to the center of the high slot and fired a whistling wrist shot over the extended glove of Holy Family Catholic goalie Jared Moe.

Stillwater's Josh Benson made eight saves in the first period, including a number of key stops during two Fire power plays.

The Ponies (8-1-0) jumped out to a 2-0 lead just 28 seconds into the second period. Gavin Holland fired a puck on net from the sideboards and the rebound popped onto the stick of Jackson Cates, who buried it up high.

It looked as if Stillwater was in full control until Ethan Mesler found the puck on his stick in the slot and flipped it into an open net, cutting Holy Family’s deficit in half.

Just two minutes later, the Fire tied the game with a nifty wrist shot from John Pearson on a 2-on-1 chance.

Benson and Moe made a number of timely saves in the second as each killed off two penalties, but no save was better than a glove robbery by Moe, who extended his right arm and caught a Stillwater shot destined for twine.

Garin scored the tiebreaker 6:04 into the third period, and Mesler added an insurance goal on a quick tip in front of the net for his second score of the night.

Holy Family faces Lakeville North Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., and the Ponies play Maple Grove at noon, with both games at the Rec Center.

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