SAINT PETER, Minn. – No. 6 Gustavus women’s hockey completed the series sweep over Augsburg with a 1-0 win Saturday afternoon at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The Gusties remain undefeated at 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the MIAC, while the Auggies fall to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in the league.
After a scoreless first period the Gusties came out flying in the second and were rewarded with a goal 2:06 into the frame. Clara Billings (Fy., Rochester) scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season unassisted, which stood as the only goal of the game. The Gusties also outshot the Auggies 17-6 in the middle period.
“I was really happy with how we played in the second period because we did not start fast in the first,” Head Coach Mike Carroll said. “The effort, attitude, and grit were awesome in the second. We’re a little inconsistent but I guess that’s to be expected with all the younger players that are playing major minutes. And our goaltender played well today, too.”
Augsburg pulled its goalie in the waning minutes but the Gustie defense and goaltender Emilia Helms-Leslie (So., Fairbanks, Alaska) stood up to the challenge and made every stop.
“We got it done at the end, it wasn’t pretty, but you could see that even if we weren’t making the right decisions we were flying all over the place trying to block shots and get the sweep,” Carroll said. “It’s a good experience to have and come out on the positive side of it.”
Helms-Leslie made 20 saves in goal to pick up her third win of the season and second in shutout fashion.
The Gusties outshot the Auggies 27-20 and killed off both Auggie power plays.
Gustavus travels to UW-Superior on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. non-conference matchup.