Games late in the regular season often offer all the interest of a ’90s starfield screen saver or reception-less TV. Talk about boring. Such is not the case in Mankato East’s showdown with Rochester Century on Thursday, the final game of regular season for both teams.
The game most likely will determine the Big 9 Conference champion, as both teams currently share the league lead with 8-1-0 conference records and 24 points. No. 9-2A Mankato East (11-2-1) is in the midst of a seven-game winning streak that includes six shutouts. Goaltender Isabelle Schott made just two saves in Saturday’s 5-0 rout of New Ulm.
Rochester Century (9-3-2) shut out its last three opponents and lost just once since Sept. 2, a stretch of 11 games. Addison Clarey is tied for fourth in the state with 24 goals. She has 10 in her last three games.