The Apple Valley girls’ hockey team lost 4-0 to the Lakeville North Panthers Tuesday night.

The Panthers took an early lead with a goal coming 4:27 into the first period.  Exactly ten minutes later, Lakeville North increased their lead with two quick goals to make the game 3-0.

With 26 seconds left in the first period, captain Amy Breckner took a roughing penalty, which the Panthers capitalized on.

Desperate to regain the momentum, head coach Don Erdall took a timeout late in the second period.  “Our effort was at a low, and we were able to step it up,” Breckner said.

Despite the loss, Breckner was optimistic:  “Our team chemistry got along a lot better throughout the game, and we were able to get more shots off.  We definitely need to improve on winning more races to the puck.”

Tuesday’s loss means Apple Valley is 3-8 on the year, moving them to 9th in the South Suburban Conference.  The Eagles’ next game is Saturday, December 19th, at 6:00 pm at the Apple Valley Sports Arena against Burnsville.