Kayla Vrieze fires a shot on goal. (photo courtesy of Saint Mary's sports information)
WINONA, Minn. – In a battle of the MIAC’s top two teams in the league standings, No. 6 Gustavus women’s hockey and Saint Mary’s skated to a 1-1 overtime tie. The Gusties move to 13-2-1 overall and 8-0-1 in the MIAC, while the Cardinals move to 9-6-1 overall and 6-2-1 in the league.
Jordyn Peterson (Sr., Brookings, S.D.) lit the lamp first on a power play one-timer at the 5:49 mark of the first period. Clara Billings (Jr., Rochester) and Emily Olson (Jr., Delano) assisted on the goal and the Gusties carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, outshooting the Cardinals 17-2. But the home team answered in the second period with a power play goal and the score remained tied after 40 minutes, despite the Gusties leading in shots 32-6.
Gustavus controlled the pace of play for the majority of the third period but neither team was able to find the back of the net, sending the game to overtime. In the five-minute, three-on-three overtime period, the score remained tied 1-1, ending the game in a draw. Saint Mary’s was able to win the shootout 1-0 for the extra point in the league standings.
Maria Widen (Fy., Burnsville) started in net for the second consecutive game and made nine saves. The Gusties finished the game with a 56-10 advantage in shots. Both teams went 1-for-1 on the power play.
Gustavus and Saint Mary’s conclude the series at 2 p.m. Saturday in Saint Peter.