In only her second game back from off-season knee surgery, junior forward Molly Doyle (Eagan, Minn.) scored a hat trick to lead the Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey team to a 5-2 victory over Lake Forest College Saturday afternoon in Lake Forest, Ill.
Gustavus took the lead just 52 seconds into the game as Stefanie Ubl (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) beat Forester goalie Ryann McCarthy for her fifth goal of the season. Mari Gunderson (So., Shoreview, Minn.) was credited with an assist on the play. Lake Forest tied the score at the 5:20 mark of the period on a power-play goal by Courtney Bean.
Doyle gave Gustavus the lead for good midway through the first off an assist by Jenna Bullock (Fy., Buffalo, Minn.) and then extended it to 3-1 with the game-winner at the 5:07 mark of the second period with Margaret Dorer (Jr., St. Paul, Minn.) getting credit for the assist. Dorer lit the lamp herself with a power-play goal ten minutes later off assists from Andrea Peterson (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) and Melissa Mackley (Fy., Burnsville, Minn.) to give the Gusties a 4-1 advantage heading into the second intermission.
Lake Forest’s Katie Snowden made the score 4-2 just 14 seconds into the final period with an unassisted even-strength goal. Doyle completed her hat trick just over two minutes later, assisted by Jenna Johnson (Fy., Shoreview, Minn.) and Dorer, to give Gustavus the 5-2 lead and eventually the victory.
Sarah Windhorst (Fy., Eden Prairie, Minn.) made 16 saves to move to 5-0-0 in net for Gustavus. Windhorst played until just past the midway point of the third period, when she was relieved by fellow first-year Breanna Scavo (Blaine, Minn.). Scavo made three saves. McCarthy made 33 saves for the Foresters, but suffered her first loss of the season (4-1-1).
With her hat trick, Doyle moved into 12th place on both the career goals and career points lists at Gustavus. Doyle now has 42 career goals, one behind teammate Kelly Crandall, and 84 career points, one shy of Ann Katz in 11th place.
The third-ranked Gusties (10-1) host sixth-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Tuesday evening in St. Peter before jumping back into MIAC play Jan. 19-20 against St. Olaf.