SAINT PETER, Minn. — In a thrilling overtime victory, the Gustavus women's hockey team overcame a 1-0 deficit to punch a ticket back to the MIAC Championship game, which will be played in Saint Peter next Saturday. Bethel scored at the end of the first period, but a game-tying goal from
Kylie Scott and the eventual overtime winner off the stick of
Hailey Holland got the job done for the Gusties, who return to the title game for the fourth consecutive season.
The Gusties opened the game all systems go – tallying seven shots on goal in the first five minutes of play. Following a Gustavus power play, Bethel's Brynn Swenson caught the Gusties off-guard, skating past the defenders to send a backhanded shot to the post and in behind
Katie McCoy to give the Royals the 1-0 advantage with three minutes left in the first.
Swenson's goal held for the next 40 minutes, thanks large in part to the efforts of Bethel goalie Anna Hanson, who finished with 40 saves on the night, including 15 in the third period.
Kylie Scott played hero for the Gusties, ending Hanson's shutout with three minutes to play in the game. Scott recovered the puck in the neutral zone, walked past the blue line, and in the midst of the Bethel defenders, scored with a low shot into the left corner to send the game to OT.
Gustavus dominated overtime, using the momentum from Scott's goal to drive the offense and control the play. Despite a number of loose pucks out front, including an attempt from
Brooke Power on an empty Bethel net that just barely grazed Hanson to stay out of the goal,
Hailey Holland called the game, scoring with three minutes remaining in the extra period. Through a chaos of players in front, Holland tapped a
Kylie Scott rebound into the Bethel goal to seal the victory.
The Gusties totaled 42 shots on goal to the Royals' 12. Holland posted 10 of those 42 shots, followed by
Molly McHugh with seven and Power with six. Gustavus dominated the faceoff circle, winning 49 of 65 draws (71 percent). McCoy finished with 11 saves between the pipes, making four in both the first and second periods, one in the third, and two in overtime.
The Gusties will now face Saint Mary's in the MIAC Championship game next Saturday, as the Cardinals advanced with a 2-1 win over Augsburg on the road. The game will be the ninth in the playoffs between the two teams, and the first trip to the championship for SMU since 2002. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the postseason championship plaque and the conference's automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament.
