MOORHEAD, Minn. – The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team won its fourth straight game on Friday evening, holding off a strong comeback effort from Concordia College in a 4-3 victory at Moorhead Sports Center. With the win, the Gusties jump to 7-7-4 overall, 6-2-3 in the MIAC, and are now within two points of first place in the conference standings, as the current first-place team, the University of St. Thomas, fell to the College of Saint Benedict 3-2 on Friday. Concordia drops to 9-8-1 overall and 7-4-0 in the MIAC with the loss.
“Overall, it was a battle tonight,” said Gustie forward Erica Power (So., Lakeville, Minn.). “We started a little slow, but we got our legs and battled hard against a very physical Concordia team. They were tough, and there were lots of penalties on both sides, which caused several swings of momentum. Fortunately, we were able to pull it out in the end.”
Gustavus looked to be in control going into the third and final period, as it had notched a goal in both the first and second periods. In the first, Diana Draayer (So., Deephaven, Minn.) scored on a power play opportunity from Laine Fischer (Fy., Northfield, Minn.) and Marina Chapman (Fy., South Haven, Minn.), and in the second, Georgia Eger (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.) extended her point streak to three with a goal assisted by Power.
Just 1:18 into the third, Erin Moes (Fy., Hastings, Minn.) extended the Gustie lead to 3-0 off an assist from Chapman. Moes’ goal also pushed her point streak to five games. However, Concordia battled back and brought the score to 3-2 at the 12:46 mark on goals from Tori Davis and Hannah Johnston. Thirty seconds after Johnston’s goal though, Power broke the tie with a shorthanded goal at 13:16 to put the Gusties back up two at 4-2.
“I was out on penalty kill, the puck got to the neutral zone, and I was able to poke check their defender to get a breakaway. At the end, I got lucky with my move and was able to put it through,” said Power of her goal.
At the 14:44 mark, the Cobbers’ Amber Schaack brought the home team back within one, but Concordia could do no more damage and Gustavus came away with the 4-3 win.
Lindsey Hibbard (Sr., Princeton, Minn.) earned her third straight win between the pipes after allowing three goals and making 19 saves in 59:01. Gustavus outshot Concordia 26-22 and also won the faceoff count 34-27. Penalties were an issue for both teams, as Gustavus committed eight for a total of 16 minutes in the sin bin, while Concordia tallied five for a total of 10.
“We had some inconsistencies tonight, so I think if we play a tighter defensive zone and win battles along the wall, we will be in a good place [in tomorrow’s series finale],” said Power. “Minimizing our penalties will also let us be more aggressive, so that’s also something to improve on for tomorrow.
The Gusties and Cobbers faceoff again Saturday at 2 p.m. in the series finale at the Moorhead Sports Center.