SAINT PETER, Minn. – It had been 31 days since the Gustavus women's hockey team laced up its skates. The Gusties ended 2024 on a high note, defeating No. 2 and regional rival UW-River Falls 7-2 before a series sweep of Aurora on Dec. 13 and 14. And the Gusties kept things rolling in 2025, opening the year with a 4-3 nationally-ranked win over UW-Eau Claire, which appeared at No. 12 and No. 13 in the national polls.
Gustavus avenged a heartbreaker to UWEC (11-6-0, 4-1-0 WIAC) from earlier in the year, scoring a goal in every period, and two in the second, to improve to 9-3-0 overall with just one non-conference game remaining on the schedule, an away contest at UW-River Falls on Jan. 28.
The first period was bookended with a goal from each team, as Eau Claire scored on the opening possession, just 48 seconds into play. Ava Johansson took a long feed down the ice, walked around a pair of Gustie defenders, and wrapped the puck low around the net on a turn-and-shoot play for an early 1-0 lead for the visitors.
Noelle Hemr (Fy., Blaine, Minn.) evened the score with just 53 seconds remaining in the peiriod, as the first-year broke the puck out of the Gustie zone, sped down the ice, and beat UWEC goaltender Alexa Backman in the top corner for her first of two in the game to tie things up heading into the first intermission.
Macy Janssen (So., Blaine, Minn.) set the tone for a Gustie-dominated second period, netting her second of the year 1:46 after the break. The sophomore, who took a long pass from
Lindsay Berggren (Jr., Shoreview, Minn.), broke through the Eau Claire defense and shoved one past Backman for the first Gustie lead of the game.
Abby Elliott (Sr., Lino Lakes, Minn.), who entered the season looking for her first career goal, scored her third in five games, capitalizing on a power play opportunity midway through the period. After Berggren maintained possession into the UWEC zone, she cycled a puck down to
Lily Mortenson (Jr., Champlin, Minn.), who dished the puck out to a wide-open Elliott to extend the lead. Eau Claire got one back before the break two minutes later, scoring off a failed clear on a
Lily Timmons (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.) rebound.
Hemr turned out to be the hero for the Gusties Tuesday night, as the first-year posted the first multi-goal game of her career, cleaning up a rebound off a blocked shot from
Kylie Ligday (So., Lake Elmo, Minn.) for the eventual game-winner. Eau Claire scored on a give-and-go on the power play with less than five to play in the game, and drew a penalty in the final minute, but Timmons and the Gustie defense held strong to claim the nationally-ranked victory.
Both teams produced shots well below their season average, as the Gusties totaled only 11 on target and Eau Claire 15. Each went 1-for-3 with the player advantage, while Gustavus narrowly claimed the battle in the faceoff circle, with 25 wins to 24 losses.
Timmons finished with 12 saves between the pipes for the first-year's ninth victory, while her counterpart collected seven, all of which came in the second and third periods. Hemr led the squad with two goals on three shots, while all eight of the other attempts on net came from different players. Berggren finished with a pair of assists for two points alongside Hemr, while Mortenson extended her team-lead to 17 points, with at least one in all but two games this year.
The Gusties (9-3-0, 5-1-0 MIAC) have two more games this week, hosting Saint Mary's (8-4-0, 3-3-0 MIAC) on Friday at
5 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. puck drop in Winona to complete the MIAC series.
