ST. CLOUD, Minn. - The Gustavus women's hockey team could not find the back of the net on Friday night, dropping a 3-0 decision to Saint Benedict in St. Cloud. The Gusties took 30 shots on net on 54 shot attempts, but were held back by 10 blocked shots.
In the first of six periods this weekend, Gustavus dominated much of the period, attempting nine shots in the first seven minutes of the game, including four which forced saves. Saint Benedict was able to take a bit of momentum for just over a minute in the middle of the period, but after two saves by sophomore goalie
Lily Timmons (Lake Elmo, Minn.), the Gusties were able to force four more saves in a row. With three minutes left in the period, senior captain
Lily Mortenson (Champlin, Minn.) was saved on an acrobatic, sprawling save to keep the score tied at zero and Timmons, the reigning MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week, matched wits just a minute later with an outstretched pad to send the teams into the locker room tied at zero. After 20 minutes of play, Gustavus held a slight advantage with 11 shots on goal compared to the Bennies' five and won nine of 14 faceoffs, but could not find the back of the net.
Just three minutes into the period, the Gusties had their best chance of the period, with junior
Avery Braunshausen (Lake Elmo, Minn.) setting up a point-blank shot in the slot, but it was saved by the Bennie netminder. The 7:23 mark of the period sensed a shift, being the start of four saves by Timmons in 45 seconds, including two saves all alone, one of which was a full breakaway. Timmons would not be able to hold on to the continued pressure, though, as Saint Benedict found their first goal of the game at the 11:20 mark. After the goal, Gustavus was able to get four shots on a goal in a row, but could not find an equalizer and Saint Benedict was able to double their lead with 26 seconds left in the second frame. The Gusties still led with 11 shots on goal, but Saint Benedict was able to manage the pace by winning 13 of 18 faceoffs in the period.
After a clean first two periods, each team took a penalty in the last 10 minutes of the period, setting up a 4-on-4 opportunity, but neither team capitalized on the extra ice space and it proved to be the best chance of the period for the Gusties. Pulling Timmons with just under three minutes left, Gustavus was not able to find a goal with the extra attacker and Saint Benedict scored a third, giving them three points at home.
The teams turn around quickly, with Gustavus (10-8-2, 7-4-2 MIAC) playing host at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, once again facing Saint Benedict (12-4-4, 7-3-3 MIAC) at Don Roberts Ice Rink.
