MOORHEAD, Minn. – No. 6/7 Gustavus women's hockey shook off a Friday night loss and used two power-play goals on Saturday to take a 3-2 win over Concordia back home with them.
The first period for the Gusties looked like much of the same from the night before for the first 19 minutes, with plenty of shots and opportunities, but the Cobbers finding a way to keep the puck out of the net. The best chance in that section was at the 9:20 mark, when three Gusties found themselves in front of the net with multiple opportunities, but an unfortunate bounce and a timely save by the Cobber goalie kept the game deadlocked. With 2:24 left in the period, first-year
Makaela Reinke (Hayward, Wis.) drew her second penalty of the game to give Gustavus their third power-play opportunity. After a blocked pass was redirected to
Lily Mortenson (Sr., Champlin, Minn.), she regained control from the left faceoff dot and fired a shot that hit the top left corner, catching the Cobber goalie off guard, thanks to a screen by Reinke. Shots across the first frame were 11-1 and the Gusties made good use of their third powerplay opportunity of the period after sustained pressure throughout.
The intermission did not slow the Gusties down at all, who scored their second goal just 1:30 into the second period. Reinke forced a turnover on the end boards and sent a pass to
Taylor Insley (Fy., Leamington, Ont.), who snuck the puck under the left pad of the Concordia goalie to double the lead. Just before the halfway point in the period, the Cobbers found an answer, shielding the puck away from a Gustie defender and cleaning up the mess, directing a pass to the crease where a Cobber was waiting to tap it in. Just three minutes later, Concordia erased the deficit, scoring on a shorthanded breakaway while the Gusties were on the power-play. With 6:51, down a player, the Cobbers took another penalty to set up a crucial 50 seconds of 5-on-3 hockey. Gustavus capitalized, as Mortenson grabbed her second goal of the night with a one-time slapshot from the left faceoff dot that stayed on the ground and under the goalie from
Kylie Ligday (Lake Elmo, Minn.) and Insley. The Gusties outshot the Cobbers 19-6 in the second period and, once again, went 1-3 on the power-play.
The final frame was a slight change from the first two. While there were a combined 16 penalty minutes in the first two periods, both teams played penalty-free in the third period. The Gusties continued to apply pressure, adding 12 more shots to bring their total to 42 for the game, but couldn't add an insurance goal after Concordia pulled their goalie with 1:51 remaining. Neither team scored as
Ava Jovan (Fy., Buffalo, Minn.) only faced two shots in the period to set up a 3-2 final score.
Mortenson finished the game with two goals, including what proved to be the game-winner. Insley added two points herself, with her goal to push the lead to two early in the second period and an assist on Mortenson's second.
Eva Nelson (So., Buffalo, Minn.) continued to be an offensive force from the blue-line, taking seven shots on goal, and goalie Jovan got her second win as a Gustie in net.
The Gusties are back in action on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. when they travel to UW-Eau Claire for a non-conference matchup before the Thanksgiving break.
