Wyatt Jensen scored and the massive Farmington cheering section went bonkers.

Then, less than a minute later, Tyler Jette scored and those same Tigers fans went ballistic.

Two more Farmington goals came in rapid succession, and by the end of the second-period flurry, you half expected to see the Rochester Recreation Center’s steel-girder ceiling blow skyward.

“We definitely fed off the crowd at that time,” Jette, a senior defenseman and Mr. Hockey finalist said after the Tigers knocked off defending Class 2A state champion Lakeville North 6-2 on Thursday night in the Section 1 final. “They were loud, they were here all day. We just needed to repay them.”

Consider the debt paid. With interest.

Farmington’s massive student section can now, depending on the Tigers’ draw in the bracket, potentially miss at least part of a school day during next Thursday’s quarterfinals of the Class 2A state tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Farmington, which had lost to the Panthers in each of the previous two Section 1 title games, last reached the state tournament in 2000 when it was in Class 1A. This marks the Tigers' third state tournament appearance and first in the big-school tourney.

That huge Farmington student section – and the tension in the building -- only grew during a scoreless, penalty-free first period in which the teams combined for seven shots. Rochester Mayo athletic director and Section 1 tournament director Jeff Whitney said tickets were still being sold throughout the opening period. He said the Rec Center crowd was the biggest he had seen in 10 years, estimating it at 2,500 to 2,700.

Jette said all that energy helped fuel the Tigers’ flurry. He jumped in on the rush to score the goal that put Farmington ahead 2-0 and stoked the crowd to a new level of mania.

Jette said that Jensen’s opening goal boosted the adrenaline of a Tigers team that was warned by coach Greg May between the first and second periods of being too emotionally charged.

“Our biggest message after the first period to our guys was that they had to control their emotions,” May said. “They were way too high, and not necessarily in a positive way.”

It was all good in the second period, however, as the goals and crowd eruptions came in rapid-fire succession.

“Definitely the adrenaline gets pumping,” Jette said. “The ice was shaking. This was great.”

It’s doubtful that Thursday’s game registered on the Richter scale. What the Tigers had just accomplished didn’t even fully register during their postgame celebration with family and fans on the Rec Center ice.

“It’s unbelievable, losing two years in a row and then finally getting the win, you just get the chills,” Jette said. “(Reaching the state tournament) hasn’t really sunk in yet, but once it does, I’m going to get excited all over again.”

No. 2-seeded Farmington had the enviable position of being the underdog against a team it had defeated twice during the regular season. No. 1-seeded Lakeville North was ranked No. 7 and Farmington No. 20 in the final Class 2A state coaches’ poll.

“The pressure wasn’t on us, it was on them,” May said. “They were 31-0 last year, the defending champs, top-10 in the state. Right from the get-go it felt good for us.”

The Tigers play a suffocating defensive style that seemed well-suited to thwart the Panthers' run-and-gun attack. Farmington blocked 12 first-period shots as Lakeville North carried the play.

“By and large, I think they were the better team tonight,” Panthers coach Trent Eigner said. “They played hard, and, you know, having 12 seniors who watched us two years in a row grab the blue medal and go off to St. Paul stings.

“You could tell that was a mature group, and they were hungry.”

First Report

Farmington scored four unanswered goals in a span of 4 minutes, 55 seconds in the second period to break open a scoreless game as it upended defending Class 2A state champion Lakeville North 6-2 on Thursday in the Section 1 championship in front of a near-capacity crowd of about 2,700 at the Rochester Recreation Center.

Wyatt Jensen, Tyler Jette, Grady Hauswirth and John Siebenaler scored in succession in the second period for the No. 2-seeded Tigers (18-8-1), who secured their third victory over the Panthers (21-6-1) this season and earned their first trip to the state tournament since 2000 (and first in Class 2A).

Lakeville North was ranked No. 7 and Farmington No. 20 in Class 2A in the final state coaches’ poll.

Jensen, a senior forward, ignited the second-period flurry after taking a pinpoint centering feed from Siebenaler in the high slot and unloading a wrist shot high over Lakeville North goaltender Buzz Eigner’s blocking glove. Jette, a senior defenseman and Mr. Hockey finalist, scored just 22 seconds later after sneaking in the slot on a rush.

A goal by Taylor Schneider late in the second period and another from Reed Smith early in the third pulled the Panthers to within 4-2. Two empty-net goals in the closing minutes by Andy Meyer clinched the win for Farmington, which had lost to the Lakeville North in each of the previous two Class 2A, Section 1 title games.

Eigner, a junior and the son of Lakeville North coach Trent Eigner, made 15 saves on 19 shots.

Farmington goaltender Gavin Enright, a sophomore, stopped 20 of 22 shots, and he made several clutch saves in the third period as the Panthers applied heavy pressure.

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