ST. CLOUD, Minn. - After battling through the MIAC Quarterfinals and semifinals, the Gusties' run in the MIAC Playoffs was halted in the championship game, losing to Saint Benedict, 2-1. Gustavus forced the Bennie goaltender to make 33 saves, but after a rally in the third period, the Gusties could not find a tying goal.
Both teams started off fiery, matching the energy in the sold out Ritsche Arena, each forcing a save and a block in the first 1:30 of game time. Midway through the period, Gustavus provided a strong push of pressure, firing six shots at Bennie goaltender Lexi Badali from 7:18 to 9:48 of the frame. Saint Benedict scored their first goal of the game a bit against the grain of play, taking a shot that went wide and turning it into a goal, thanks to a friendly home bounce off the end wall. Gustavus came back with more pressure after the goal, taking seven shots in the last five minutes of the period and forcing three saves. The Gusties had 26 shot attempts in the first period, nine of which found Badali, taking a 9-6 shot advantage into the locker room.
Six minutes into the second period, Gustavus had their first and only power play of the game. The team was able to fire four shots on goal against Badali and seemed to be primed to score the equalizer, but just 20 seconds after the penalty expired, the Bennies scored their second goal, the eventual game-winner. On paper, the period seemed all Gustavus, having a 14-5 shot lead and 9-5 faceoff lead, but could not find the tying goal.
Just 1:57 into the final frame, junior captain
Kylie Scott (Dayton, Minn.) found one of the more improbable goals of the season to bring the game back within one goal. Looking to dump the puck into the zone, Scott found the top left corner over the shoulder of Badali, marking the second goal of the season from beyond the blue line. After the goal, the Bennies flipped a switch, forcing four saves from sophomore goaltender
Lily Timmons (Lake Elmo, Minn.) in just a 40 second span. Play was back and forth until head coach
Mike Carroll took his timeout, which seemed to motivate Gustavus. The team had some of their best chances after Timmons was pulled for an empty net, with multiple scrums and Badali scrambling, but could not find the game-tying goal.
The Gusties had 34 shots on goal in the contest and used a goal from Scott to get back into the game in the third period. Timmons had 17 saves in the contest and offensively the team was led by sophomore
Noelle Hemr (Blaine, Minn.) with five shots, senior
Grace Schuck (Bloomington, Minn.) with four, and five more with three shots.
The senior group of
Lily Mortenson (Champlin, Minn.),
Lindsay Berggren (Shoreview, Minn.),
Gianna Gasparini (Lakeville, Minn.) and
Margot Bettman (Chicago, Ill.) were able to help bring the first women's hockey national championship to Gustavus in 2023. As a class, the seniors compiled a record of 85-26-2.
