SAINT PETER, Minn. — In their second battle in as many weeks, the Gustavus women's hockey team battled Wisconsin rival UW-River Falls, and fell to the Falcons in an epic 3-2 battle. The Gusties got both goals from
Hailey Holland, but a third period Falcon goal delivered Gustavus its second loss of the season, and second to River Falls. The Gusties drop to 9-2 overall, while the Falcons, who rank No. 1 in this week's USCHO.com national poll, remain undefeated with a record of 12-0.
The Gusties dominated the first period of play, outshooting the Falcons 8-2.
Hailey Holland netted her first of the night 6:38 into the period. Holland took a loose puck off the boards in the neutral zone and walked into Falcons territory, sending a low shot that trickled past River Falls goaltender Jordan O'Connor. Holland's lead held through the remainder of the period, giving the Gusties the 1-0 advantage at the first intermission.
The Falcons certainly emerged with momentum to start the second period, as a perfectly run faceoff resulted in a goal from River Falls' Megan Goodreau just eight seconds after the opening faceoff. River Falls maintained pressure on the Gusties, drawing a penalty four minutes into the period. However, it was Gustavus who struck first on the Falcon power play, as a clear from
Brooke Remington ended up on the stick of Holland once more, who sent a perfectly placed shot past the blocker of O'Connor for the short-handed goal. Maddie McCollins, the Falcons' leading scorer, responded in the next shift, getting the power play tally to even the score at 2-2.
Despite considerable Gustie pressure in the third period, and a number of chances loose in front of the net for the taking, the Falcons added the game winner midway through the final stanza. Ellie Brice walked past multiple Gusties and dished a perfect pass to Madison Lavergne on a 2-on-1 play, who tapped the puck in behind McCoy for the final 3-2 score.
The Gusties outshout River Falls 24-16, including a mark of 8-2 in the first period and 12-2 in the third.
Lily Mortenson,
Hailey Holland, and
Kaitlyn Holland each led the way with four shots on goal a piece. McCoy saved 13 of the 16 shots she saw between the pipes, including 10 shots in the second period.
The Gusties are off for the holidays, and will face Marian for a non-conference game on January 9.
