SAINT PETER, Minn. – After an all-too dramatic 5-4 win the night before, No. 2 women's hockey wasted no time in taking control of their second game against Concordia, as the offense thrived in a 6-2 victory at Don Roberts Ice Rink Saturday afternoon.
Brooke Power (5th, Lakeville, Minn.) scored twice, while four other players added a tally to lead the Gusties (4-1-0, 4-0-0 MIAC) to the conference sweep of Concordia (0-4-0, 0-4-0 MIAC). The Gusties scored a goal of every type in Saturday's game, with a pair scored on the power play, a short-handed empty netter, and four unassisted goals.
Gustavus was determined to ensure that Saturday would not be a repeat of the game before, where Concordia took an early 3-0 lead in the first period. All of the scoring chances were in favor of the Gusties to start the game, with a pair of 2-on-1 rushes and a 5-on-3 penalty, but Cobber netminder Ashlea Arvidson held strong between the pipes. Power broke her shutout 15 minutes into the period, collecting a bouncing puck through the neutral zone. And, while it seemed that the Cobber defender was going to gain possession, Power was able to maneuver through two opposing players, kicking the puck to her own stick. With heavy pressure on either side, she sent a quick shot toward the net, which found its way through the legs of the Cobber goaltender.
Concordia didn't wait long to net the equalizer, though, as Memphis Mertens made a quick rush through the neutral zone on the power play and sent a shot under the arm of
Lily Timmons (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.). Timmons made the initial save, but the puck dribbled behind her and the Gusties were unable to recover the rebound, allowing Abbey Hardwick and the Cobbers to tie the score at 1-1 heading into the second period.
And, just as as it had the night before, the Gustavus offense found its groove in the second period, scoring a trio of goals to put the game out of reach.
Lily Mortenson (Jr., Champlin, Minn.) added the next, capitalizing off a Cobber turnover. Mortenson collected the puck in the slot and sent a shot crossbar and in for her fourth of the year, extending her point streak with at least one in all of the Gusties' games so far this season. Power scored her second of the game on the power play, taking a feed down low from
Macy Janssen (So., Blaine, Minn.) across the ice. An acrobatic Arvidson made the first save, but Power sent the rebound home for the eventual game-winner.
Four minutes later,
Grace Schuck (Jr., Bloomington, Minn.) scored her first of the season and her first as a Gustie. Schuck, a junior transfer from Division I Franklin Pierce University, collected a pass along the wall from linemate
Kayla Woytcke (Jr., Waconia, Minn.). From a tough angle Schuck walked across the goal line and sent the fourth goal of the game, and the third of the period over the shoulder of Arvidson.
Hannah Gray (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.) extended the lead to four midway through the final period, killing off 1:30 on a Gustie penalty before sending a long puck through the neutral zone and into the empty Cobber net for her first of the season. Less than three minutes later,
Eva Nelson (Fy., Buffalo, Minn.) added her own highlight reel-worthy goal, as the first-year defender picked the puck up in the Gustie zone, walked down the ice end-to-end, speeding past every Cobber in her way, before making a move on Arvidson and tapping the puck behind her on her backhand for her first collegiate goal.
Concordia scored one more in the game's final minutes, as a long pass to Hardwick gave her a breakaway on Timmons. Hardwick buried her second of the game, but it wasn't nearly enough, as the Gusties skated away with the 6-2 win to complete their second consecutive MIAC sweep with a total of 11 goals scored over the weekend.
The Gusties once again out-shot Concordia, this time by a mark of 22-8, limiting the Cobbers to single digits in every period, including just one shot on goal in the second. The Gusties were 2-for-6 on the power play, while Concordia went 1-for-6 with the player advantage. Gustavus won the battle in the circle once more, going 60.6 percent on draws as a team, including 19 faceoff wins for Mortenson.
Of the Gusties' 22 shots, six of them came off the stick of Mortenson, while Power and Gray each chipped in three. Nine different Gusties collected a point in the win, led by Power with two on her pair of goals.
Kylie Scott (So., Dayton, Minn.) also extended her point streak alongside Mortenson, now with an assist in all of the Gusties' games.
Gustavus has a quick turnaround for its last game before the brief holiday break, making the trip to Eau Claire to face the Blugolds (4-3-0, 2-1-0 WIAC), ranked No. 9 according to the DIII Hockey News poll and No. 10 according to the USCHO.
