A strong closing flurry put the finishing touches on another Aberdeen Cougars girls’ hockey win Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars used a three-goal third period to finish off a 5-0 victory over the Watertown Lakers, their second win against the squad this past weekend. Aberdeen was able to capitalize on opportunities they missed in Friday night’s game.

“I mentioned it (Friday), some of those pucks that were sitting there that we should have been able to bury, we did today,” said Cougars coach David Sandvig. “It was good improvements. It’s nice to see things get better and not degrade, so that was good.”

Although there weren’t any goals scored in the first period, the Cougars won the possession game as they spent a large amount of time in front of the Lakers net.

“First period, oftentimes you get a little bit panicky. You’re just trying to get that first goal and you get in your heads,” Sandvig said. “At period break, we talked about where to move around a little bit, different areas that they were leaving open. The girls moved into the spaces and we got some better looks and came away with some more goals.”

The adjustments paid off as the Cougars found the net with 7:31 left in the second period on a power play goal from Kylie Herman, assisted by Rachel Siefken. Only 41 seconds after the Herman goal, Kaylee Dixon put her first goal in the net assisted by Siefken and Addyson Keller.

“Right before my line went in on the ice, we were just talking about cycling and making sure we’re passing the puck around,” said Dixon. “Rachel made a really good pass to me, and I shot it high.”

The Cougars closed out the second period outshooting the Lakers 22-13 and up 2-0. The Cougars extended their lead with 11:50 remaining on a goal from Alyssa Roehrich, whose second-chance effort went past the Laker goalie.

“The first shot I took, she got it, and I was like ‘Dang it,’” said Roerich. “And then it came back out and it was just a great opportunity and just hit it in.”

The Lakers had committed a tripping penalty while the Cougars were already on a power play, so the Cougars goalie skated off the ice, giving the Cougars a 6 to 4 advantage awaiting a whistle.

“Once we got the sixth skater out there, they didn’t waste any passes. They made passes to people, they didn’t panic,” said Sandvig. “So, it’s nice to see that patience pay off.”

The Cougars were rewarded for their patience as Roehrich hit the back of the net once again for her second goal of the game, this time assisted by Keller and Raniesa Mattke.

“It’s definitely a great opportunity. … You just gotta make good passes and keep your head up,” said Roehrich. “That one was definitely my teammates’. Addyson gave Rainey (Raniesa) a beautiful pass and Rainey gave me a beautiful pass and just an open net, and it worked out great.”

Dixon capped the scoring with her second goal of the day as she punched in Roehrich’s rebound with 5:28 remaining.

“Alyssa got the first shot,” Dixon said, “and then I just pushed in a rebound.”

The energy that the Cougars displayed throughout all three periods played a key role in the victory on Saturday.

“It was pretty good. We knew we needed to show more energy than (Friday) and a lot more speed,” said Dixon. “We were able to execute that really well, and it resulted in a win, a good one.”

The Cougars improved to 12-8 in league play and will now gear up to face the unbeaten Sioux Falls Flyers next Saturday at the Odde Ice Arena.

Watertown Lakers 0 0 0 – 0

Aberdeen Cougars 0 2 3 – 5

First Period: no scoring.

Second Period: 1, AC, Kylie Herman (Rachel Siefken), 7:31; 2, AC, Kayle Dixon (Siefken, Addyson Keller), 6:50.

Third Period: 3, AC, Alyssa Roehrich (unassisted), 11:50; 4, AC, Alyssa Roehrich (Keller, Raniesa Mattke) 9:06; 5, AC, Dixon (Roehrich), 5:28.

Shots on Goal: Watertown Lakers 21; Aberdeen Cougars 44

Goalies: Watertown Lakers, Nylah Vanelli (39 saves); Aberdeen Cougars, Chloe Vikander (21 saves).