SAINT PETER, Minn. – A quick start led to No. 4 Gustavus women’s hockey defeating Saint Mary’s 5-1 Saturday afternoon at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The Gusties improve to 8-0-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the MIAC, while the Cardinals drop to 2-6-1 overall and 2-3-1 in the league.
“The team meant business today,” Head Coach Mike Carroll said. “They showed as a team they learned from last night in a positive way and sometimes you learn through adversity as much as you do success. We did a lot of good things and the score could have been even more different. All-in-all it was a really good team effort. It was a great response.”
The first period was all Gustavus as it tallied four goals. Hailey Holland (Fy., Aberdeen, S.D.) scored the first goal 3:11 into the game with the help of Serena Monson (Fy., Willmar). Five minutes later, Kristina Press (So., Cottage Grove) scored her first of two goals in the game, unassisted. At the 13:11 mark, Press added her second goal of the game, and team-leading seventh of the season, on a power play.
“Today was her best game ever,” Carroll said of Press. “From start to finish she did everything that we possibly could ask. That’s really good to see because we had to lean on her a lot last night for ice time. Two games in less than 24 hours it was good to see she had the energy. It was fun to see her line have success, too, because it resonated down to the rest of the team.”
Jamie Byrne (So., Delano) finished the first period with her third goal of the season, short-handed, with just 20 seconds left in the frame. Heather Olinger (Fy., Prior Lake) was in on the assist.
The second frame went scoreless before Saint Mary’s was able to end the shutout 3:23 into the third on a redirected shot. But the Gusties answered at the 7:52 mark as Molly McHugh (Fy., Minnetonka) redirected a shot from Kristen Cash (Sr., Roseville).
The Gusties controlled the puck for the majority of the game, outshooting the Cardinals 38-4. Emilia Helms-Leslie (So., Fairbanks, Alaska) picked up the win, making three saves. Gustavus also continued its perfect run on the penalty kill, stopping two Saint Mary’s power plays and is now 16-for-16 on the kill.
Gustavus now prepares for a top-10 matchup with No. 7 UW-River Falls on Wednesday and Friday. Wednesday night’s game in River Falls, Wis. starts at 7 p.m.
“I just want to see us attack the hockey game like we did today,” Carroll said. “We need to challenge ourselves against one of the best teams in the country and that’s a good measuring stick for how we may be able to do as the year goes on. However it goes, if we can play with the same attitude and effort as today I’ll be really pleased.”