Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall's Peyton DeMuth chases down a loose puck during the Tigers' home opener against Delano/Rockford at Red Baron Arena on Saturday afternoon. Marshall defeated Delano/Rockford 5-3 behind a DeMuth hat trick

MARSHALL — Peyton DeMuth netted a first-period hat trick in the Marshall girls hockey team’s home opener against Delano/Rockford on Saturday afternoon to get Red Baron Arena rocking in its first varsity action of the season. Marshall rode the momentum of the early scoring barrage to a 5-3 win to remain undefeated through three games.

“I think just the experience that [DeMuth] got last year of playing varsity and kind of figuring out how to use your body, figuring out how to shoot the puck and hit the net, and then just her speed too,” Marshall head coach Cassi Weiss said of DeMuth’s early-season scoring. “Those are three things that she worked really hard on over the summer and it’s paid off.”

Holding a 3-1 lead, Demuth capped off the hat trick with four minutes remaining in the first period when she took a feed from Abbey Foley down the right side of the ice. DeMuth had just one defender to beat and changed direction to get 1-on-1 with the goalie. She again deked out the last player to beat and found the back of the net for her fifth goal of the year.

The third DeMuth goal gave the freshman forward her first varsity hat trick. While she earned playing time on a talented Marshall team as an eighth grader, she’s found a new level this year and already sits just two goals shy of her season total from last year.

“I think as a team we did amazing today. We let down a little bit, but then we got back up to our best,” DeMuth said when asked about her hat trick. “I put in a lot of work over the summer and as a team we also put in a lot of work. I just think we’re going to have an amazing season.”

To start the game, it took DeMuth just 44 seconds to score the first goal for the Tigers on their home ice. With the puck moving in transition, DeMuth received a pass just before the blue line on a 2-on-2 break. DeMuth then beat the defense and sent the puck into the back of the net for a lead Marshall retained for the remainder of the game.

Delano/Rockford had no time to collect itself before Brooklyn Mauch doubled the Tigers’ lead just 11 seconds later. The sophomore forward weaved through the defense before netting shot for her third goal of the young season.

The Tigers showed no signs of letting their foot off the gas when DeMuth slid parallel to the goal and knocked in a shot as she fell to the ground, securing her second multi-goal performance in the Tigers’ first three games of the season and giving Marshall its third goal in the game’s first five minutes.

“I think the girls just feed off of [the arena’s energy], the good passes and the good shots,” Weiss said of Marshall’s hot start. “I can’t think back to a time where we have scored three goals in the first period, let alone in the first five minutes, so this team is just a little different and they really know how to shoot the puck. It’s really fun to watch.”

Through the game’s first four minutes, Delano/Rockford wasn’t able to get solid possession in the attacking zone at all. Yet, when they finally got it in, they capitalized. Kayleigh Olson received a pass just above the crease and selflessly kept it moving to McKenzie Perry by the post for a wide-open look. Perry converted the shot to cut the deficit to 3-1 with 12:11 to play in the first period.

The visiting Tigers got another good look at the goal just moments later when they got a one-on-none fastbreak. Despite no defenders to help, Lily Stelter positioned herself to make the upper-body save to retain Marshall’s two-goal lead.

Stelter finished the match with 14 saves on 17 shots faced, while Delano/Rockford’s Savannah Geyen recovered after a slow start to finish with 19 saves on 24 shots faced.

Two minutes into the second period, Denalo/Rockford was assessed a tripping penalty to put Marshall on the power play. Aubree Metheny capitalized when she recovered a rebound from Mia Wichmann in the slot and skipped it past the netminder’s stick side for a 5-1 Marshall lead. Kendal Beernaert was also credited with an assist on the play.

Avery Thompson gathered a rebound from a Kendall McDonald shot and scored on the opportunity from the slot to cut Marshall’s lead to 5-2. Two minutes, later, Kayleigh Olson sniped a shot from the faceoff circle into the upper opposite corner of the goal to make it a two-goal game with 3:42 left in the second period.

For the first time since at least 2009, the Marshall hockey team is 3-0 on the season after Saturday’s win. The Tigers will look to keep the momentum going when they go on the road to face Windom (1-1) on Monday at 7 p.m.

“It feels really good. We’ve really hard to have a tougher schedule and play some really solid teams, so to be three-and-oh against the three teams that we’ve played, I’d say we’re ecstatic but also understand that we still have a long way to go too,” Weiss said.