ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s hockey team scored three unanswered goals after allowing the first tally, led by two goals from Diana Draayer (Jr., Deephaven, Minn.) to defeat Bethel University 4-2 Friday evening at Don Roberts Ice Rink.
With the win Gustavus improves its record to 14-5-3 overall and 10-2-3 in conference play to qualify for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs.
3:16 into the first frame, the Royals got on the board with a goal from Sarah Goos. The Gusties then posted three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 lead heading into the third period.
“We got off to a little bit of a slow start, Bethel had some good pace,” said Head Coach Mike Carroll. “It was good to see the girls adjust to that and come back to finish the period off well. That really helped us continue to play well throughout the game.”
Gustavus got on the board at the 12:14 minute mark when Kaitlyn Klein (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) brought the puck to the slot from the half wall and sent a shot in that was saved and then went off of Emily Gustafson (Sr., Esko, Minn.) to tie the game at one a piece. A few minutes later the Gusties grabbed a 2-1 lead when Courtney Bethune (Sr., Fort Frances, Ontario) sent a breakout pass to Allie Lewis (Sr., Kearney, Neb.) who streaked by Bethel defenders to score her sixth goal of the season.
The lone goal in the second period came just 1:19 in when Draayer took a pass from Klein to record her third goal of the season, giving Gustavus a two-goal lead. The goal would go down as the game-winner as both teams notched goals in the final frame.
After the Royals attempted to claw back into the game quickly into the third period, the Gusties answered to retain their two-goal lead. Bethel scored its second of the game 52 seconds in with a slapshot goal from Wendy Roberts, her team-leading 12th of the season. Soon after, Draayer scored again as Bethune picked up her second assist, tying a career-high to seal the 4-2 win.
Gustavus outshot Bethel by a margin of 38-16 and goaltender Amanda DiNella (So., Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.) recorded 14 saves to notch her ninth win of the season.
“Bethel has some speed, we are going to have to pick up where we left off of tonight. If we can control our attitude and effort, I think that is our best chance to win,” Carroll spoke about the outlook of tomorrow’s matchup.
The Black and Gold seek the series sweep tomorrow afternoon at Bethel. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. in Blaine, Minn. at Bethel Arena in the National Sports Center.