BLAINE, Minn. - The No. 14 ranked Gusties registered 63 shots on goal, tied for the third-highest total in a game since 2017 but used overtime to top Bethel, 3-2. The Gusties earn five of six points over the weekend, led by senior Lily Mortenson (Champlin, Minn.) with three points and sophomore goaltender Lily Timmons (Lake Elmo, Minn.), who only allowed two goals in 125 minutes of action. 

The first period was widely dominated by the Gusties, taking 14 shots on goal compared to eight for the Royals. Gustavus took three shots on goal in the first three minutes and another three that did not reach the net. Bethel responded once they got their footing, forcing three saves by sophomore goaltender Lily Timmons (Lake Elmo, Minn.) in the next four minutes. Timmons, coming into the game, had two shutouts in a row after a 20-save performance last night, but that stat would only hold true until six seconds left in the period, when Bethel got one past the Lake Elmo, Minn. native. The Gusties had one power play opportunity in the first period and continued their dry streak on the weekend, registering three shots on goal but not being able to score. 

Down 1-0 after the first, the Gusties had their first two shots of the period blocked and Timmons withheld early pressure from the Royals out of the break, when first-year Bauer Ackerman (Bismark, N.D.) took a penalty for tripping to set up the first power play opportunity of the game for Bethel. The Royals would get one shot on goal, but were gifted a short 5-on-3 stint when junior Avery Braunshausen (Lake Elmo, Minn.) took a tripping penalty. The Gusties would kill off the four minutes of penalties and continue to flip the script with a goal of their own. 

Junior Hannah Thompson stole the puck away in the neutral zone and found classmate Kylie Scott (Dayton, Minn.), who skated down the left wall, cut back inside, and wrapped the puck around the outstretched left pad of the Bethel netminder. Gustavus would go on a 5-on-3 of their own, with 1:48 of the two-player advantage, but it showed no avail, besides five shots on goal. The Gusties had 20 shots on goal in the second frame and found the back of the net once to tie the game at 1-1 going into the third period. 

Just 43 seconds into the third period, senior Lily Mortenson (Champlin, Minn.) forced a tripping penalty, setting up the Gustavus power play. The Gusties were able to convert for the first time this series, with sophomore Eva Nelson (Buffalo, Minn.) passing the puck over to first-year McKenzie Perry (Rockford, Minn.), who sent a stretch pass up to Mortenson, earning the goal on the power play she set up.  After a long stretch of offensive pressure, Bethel got a goal against the grain of play at the 9:32 mark, tying the game up with just over 10 to play. Gustavus reset after the goal and forced a timeout by Bethel, which did not slow down the Gusties. The period ended with shots on goal in favor of the Gusties, 23-6, but no game-winning goal came. 

In overtime, the Gusties outshot the Royals 6-1, including what would be the game winner. Junior Kylie Ligday (Lake Elmo, Minn.) picked up the puck in the zone and passed it over to sophomore Noelle Hemr (Blaine, Minn.) who walked in near the right faceoff dot, picked her spot, and earned the overtime point for the Gusties. 

In a game dominated by the Gusties offense, Mortenson registered 13 shots on goal, the most by any player since November 12th, 2021, when Kayla Vrieze '22 also registered 13. As a team, 63 shots is tied for the third-most since the 2016-17 and the Gusties attempted 102 shots. 

Next weekend for the Gusties (10-7-2, 7-3-2 MIAC) holds Saint Benedict (11-4-4, 6-3-3 MIAC), who tied and lost to No. 5 Hamline this weekend. Gustavus will travel to St. Cloud for game one, starting at 6 p.m. at Ritsche Arena.