Mari Gunderson battles Elise Hedlund along the boards.
Claire Opsahl scored the first goal of the game.
Four power plays goals helped the Gustavus women’s hockey team pick up its 17th straight win of the season in a 6-0 decision over Augsburg on Saturday afternoon in St. Peter. Stefanie Ubl and Melissa Mackley posted two goals each in the win to keep the Gusties at the top of the MIAC at 12-0-0. Gustavus improved to 17-1-0 overall, while Augsburg fell to 3-13-1 overall and 3-8-1 in league play.
Gustavus converted its first power-play chance of the game as the skater advantage was winding down when Claire Opsahl (So., Eagan, Minn.) scored her second goal of the season at 6:27 in the first period on a rebound. The Gusties committed two penalties towards the end of the period to give the Auggies a two-skater advantage for 1:48 at the end of the first period and the start of the second period.
Augsburg was unable to convert either power-play, but battled for puck possession throughout the second period until Stefanie Ubl (Sr., Blaine, Minn.) scored her 10th goal of the season with 16:11 on the clock. Molly Doyle (Sr., Richfield, Minn.) received a pass at center ice and moved up the left side of the ice before finding Allie Harwood (Fy., Rochester, Minn.) with a pass. Harwood hit Ubl, who was skating up the right side, for the one-timer past Auggie goaltender Toni Menth. Gustavus headed to the locker room with a 2-0 lead.
The Gustavus power-play units came alive in the third period as the Gusties scored three power-play goals in the third period. Ubl got the scoring started early in the period with a shot that was deflected in front of Menth at 2:29. The Gusties grabbed control from that point. Melissa Mackley (So, Burnsville, Minn.) scored her first goal of the game on a slapshot from the far right circle that hit the left post and banked in the back of the net with 8:52 on the clock. The second Gustie power-play goal of the period came from Lisa Sablak (Fy., South St. Paul, Minn.) as time expired on an Auggie penalty. Mackley scored the last Gustavus goal with 00:14 left in the game with a wrist shot from the center of the blue line that found its way past a heavily screened Menth.
Breanna Scavo (So., Blaine, Minn.) earned her 16th win of the season as she stopped all seven shots she faced. Sarah Windhorst (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.) went into the game midway through the third period and maintained the shutout with one save. Menth recorded 43 saves on 49 shots as she suffered the loss.
Gustavus will travel to Stevens Point, Wis. for a rematch against #3-UW-Stevens Point on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Pointers handed the #4-Gusties their only loss in a 5-1 season-opener in St. Peter.