SAINT PETER, Minn. – No. 2 Gustavus women's hockey returned to Don Roberts Ice Rink for its home and MIAC opener against St. Olaf on Friday, and treated fans to a 3-0 shutout, picking up their first victory of the season. The Gusties (1-1-0, 1-0-0 MIAC) earned their first win of the season, scoring a goal in each period and getting a shutout from first-year
Lily Timmons (Stillwater, Minn.) in her collegiate debut.
The Gusties came out swinging, avenging a heartbreaking loss to No. 1 UW-River Falls on Tuesday, compiling a number of scoring chances against the Oles (2-3-0, 0-1-0 MIAC) early in the first period.
Lily Mortenson (Jr., Champlin, Minn.) and
Grace Schuck (Jr., Bloomington, Minn.) each had an opportunity off a tip out front, as well as a pair of
Hannah Gray (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.) opportunities in the slot, but all came up empty, as Devon Cole stood strong between the pipes in the game's opening minutes.
An Ole penalty was called 15 minutes into the period for the first power play at the Don all season, but fans barely got a glimpse, as
Kaitlyn Holland (Sr., Aberdeen, S.D.) scored just six seconds into the player advantage. A Mortenson faceoff win put the puck on the stick of
Kylie Scott (So., Dayton, Minn.), who sent a pass across to her defensive partner
Ellie Groebner (Fy., Apple Valley, Minn.). And, while the Gusties earlier attempts at the tip were unsuccessful, Holland was able to place Groebner's shot under the Ole crossbar for a 1-0 lead that held to the end of the period.
Lindsay Berggren (Jr., Shoreview, Minn.) added the second tally of the game five minutes into the second frame. A diving play by
Hannah Thompson (So., Lino Lakes, Minn.) to keep the puck in at the blue line allowed Gray to maintain possession at the top of the circle. Gray, who lost the puck in transition, was able to recover and kick it to Berggren, who walked the outside of the zone and sent her first of the season, and the second of her career, into the lower left corner. The Oles mustered their best attack in the second period, putting seven shots on the goal of Timmons, but the first-year netminder kicked out every attempt that came her way to help the Gustie lead hold at 2-0 heading into the third.
Mortenson put the game out of reach early in the third, scoring just a minute into play, taking advantage of another power play opportunity. The junior forward carried the puck into the zone and maintained possession until working herself into shooting position. Her shot was saved by Cole, but linemate Gray found the rebound and sent another attempt right back at the Ole goaltender. Holland got a piece of the action, sending in her own shot, which was once more saved, but Mortenson cleaned up on the fourth opportunity, scoring her second in as many games as she rifled the rebound into the top corner.
Berggren had two more notable chances to increase the lead, one on a near breakaway and another down low through the crease, but Mortenson's tally was the last of the game. Timmons made her biggest save of the night in the third period, denying a pair of 2024 All-Conference selections on a 2-on-1 to maintain the shutout in the game's final minutes.
The Gusties doubled the Oles' attempts on goal in the game, out-shooting their opponent 30-15. Five of those came off the stick of Mortenson, while four other Gusties had three shots on goal. Gustavus went 59.2 percent in the faceoff circle, led by
Brooke Power (5th, Lakeville, Minn.) and Mortenson with 10 wins apiece. Timmons finished the night with 15 saves for the first collegiate start, win, and shutout of her career.
The Gusties will head to Northfield tomorrow afternoon to wrap up their conference series against the Oles, with puck drop set for 4 p.m. at St. Olaf.
