Dickinson attempted 11 less shots than the Aberdeen Cougars on Friday afternoon, but scored on the one that mattered most.

The Midgets erased a one-goal deficit and scored the game-winning goal with less than a minute remaining in overtime in a 2-1 victory at the Odde Ice Center.

“We created some good opportunities at times, but we just didn’t put the puck in the back of the net,” Weinmeister said. “At the end there it was a matter of us again making a mistake and not clearing it right away. It was a good goal on their part. That’s what we preach too, go to the net, go to the net, get the rebounds, and they did a good job of that, and we weren’t necessarily doing that today.”

While the Cougars’ offense struggled to score a goal until late in the first period, they kept the Dickinson defense on its heels, keeping the puck on the Midgets end and seemingly cutting the rink in half for much of the period. Weinmeister said the lack of goals was a result of a combination of things.

“I think it’s just somebody you don’t normally play, which is good, but also, there’s always the adjustment period,” Weinmeister said. “Sometimes, what we’re trying to learn is let’s take some shots and go for rebounds. I thought at times we were just kind of banging it around. We were holding the zone, but we weren’t doing anything to create any opportunities.”

Aberdeen finally hit pay dirt with just over two minutes left in the period when Kaylee Dixon scored the opening goal on an assist by Addyson Keller, giving the Cougars the early advantage.

“I was just trying to keep the puck on my stick and just trying as hard as I could to get it into the net,” Dixon said of the goal. “But, I couldn’t have done it without my line.”

Dickinson knotted up the score in the second period, while the Cougars continued to struggle to put the puck in the back of the net.

“I think the biggest thing is that we needed to start making quicker decisions,” Dixon said. “So, when we saw something, we needed to do it, like immediately. That’s something that we’ll definitely have to work on in practice, but we’ll get there.”

From there, the score stayed tied at one, forcing an overtime period. In overtime, the Cougars had good looks at the net, but failed to capitalize, as Dickinson scored the winning goal with 53 seconds left.

“We had some good looks, we just didn’t bury it,” Weinmeister said. “Their goalie played good because some of those looks we had were on that backside and she came across and we put it right into her.”

The Cougars (4-2) will continue their weekend on Saturday when they travel to Pierre to take on Oahe at 5 p.m., before returning home to face Sioux Falls on Sunday at Noon. Weinmeister said the loss will help the team moving forward.

“I think it will definitely help us because it pushed us, and I just told all the girls I saw good things happening with each group,” Weinmeister said. “Hopefully we can build on those times when we’re maintaining that offensive pressure and become bigger, instead of just little moment glimpses.”

Dickinson Midgets 0 1 0 1 – 2

Aberdeen Cougars 1 0 0 0 – 1

First Period: 1, AC, Kaylee Dixon (Addyson Keller), 2:08.

Second Period: 2, D, Kyndall Peterson (unassisted), 10:43.

Overtime: 3, D, Gabi Sobolik (KeAna Hendrickson, Kyndall Peterson), :53.

Shots on Goal: Dickinson Midgets 21; Aberdeen Cougars 32.

Goalies: Dickinson Midgets, Olivia Vaagen (31 saves); Aberdeen Cougars, Chloe Vikander (19 saves).