DULUTH, Minn. – The third-ranked Gustavus women's hockey team totaled a season-high 77 shots on goal but didn't score until late in the second period in a 3-1 win at St. Scholastica Saturday, Feb. 15.
St. Scholastica goaltender Makenzie Cole held the Gusties scoreless for the first 39:13 of play, and finished the night with 74 saves against the Gusties (19-4-0, 14-2-0), who overcame a first period deficit with three unanswered goals, two of which came in the third period.
The Saints (4-19-0, 2-14-0) got on the board first, as Jenna Horvat broke free for a breakaway off a bouncing puck in the neutral zone to beat
Lily Timmons (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.) for a 1-0 CSS lead after the first period.
Cole and the Scholastica defense managed to keep the Gustie offense at bay until
Lily Mortenson (Jr., Champlin, Minn.) evened the score at one apiece with just 47 seconds to play in the second period. After a pair of shot attempts from both
Eva Nelson (Fy., Buffalo, Minn.) and
Noelle Hemr (Fy., Blaine, Minn.), Mortenson tapped in the rebound for her first of the night heading into the second intermission.
Brooke Power (5th, Lakeville, Minn.) scored her 10th of the year and fourth game winner halfway through the third period, slamming home a feed from
Avery Braunshausen (So., Lake Elmo, Minn.) in the slot for the 2-1 lead. The goal was Power's 20th game-winner, a stat that puts her at the top of all active Division III women's hockey players.
Mortenson sealed the game with her team- and league-leading 20th of the year, powering through the Saint defense for her third goal of the weekend and the 3-1 final.
The Gusties, who had scored eight power play goals between their prior two games, went 0-for-6 with the player advantage, but also held the St. Scholastica power play scoreless, defending all three penalty kills successfully. The team's 77 shots were the most in recorded program history since a 14-0 win against St. Olaf on Feb. 18, 2001, when the Gusteis recorded 80 on target. The 2000-01 season featured three games with more than 70 shots, and the last time the Gusties put 70 or more on net was a 75-shot performance in an 8-0 win over Augsburg on Feb. 27, 2010.
Abby Elliott (Sr., Lino Lakes, Minn.) led the Gusties with nine shots on goal, followed by eight for
Kaitlyn Holland (Sr., Aberdeen, S.D.), and seven for
Kylie Ligday (So., Lake Elmo, Minn.). Hemr posted a pair of assists on the night, the 11th multipoint game of her season, while the two-goal game was Mortenson's fifth of the year. Timmons finished with 17 saves between the pipes for the victory.
The Gusties sit atop the conference standings, tied with No. 4 Augsburg (19-3-1, 14-2-0), with just one series left in the regular season, facing Hamline (15-8-0, 10-6-2 MIAC) on Feb. 22 and 23.
