ST. PETER, MINN. – Following a disappointing 1-0 loss to No. 7 Adrian College on Friday evening, the Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey team was able to bounce back with a 2-1 victory over Lake Forest College on Saturday afternoon at Don Roberts Ice Rink. With the win, the Gusties improve to 9-2-2 on the season, while Lake Forest drops to 7-4-2.
“Today was another one of those games where it was a dogfight,” said head coach Mike Carroll. “The game has really changed since I started coaching in that no matter who you’re playing or how you think it’s going to go, it’s not going to go that way unless you give 100-percent effort for 60 minutes which is tough to do. There were some improvements today, but I’m still disappointed in the consistency of the want and desire that I know our team can give on a more consistent basis. I think fatigue played a factor which is normal after a long break, but we need to be in better shape for conference play that starts Friday.”
Similar to Friday evening’s game, Gustavus looked rocky out of the gates and was forced back into their own zone for much of the first period. However, as the period unwound, the Gusties seemed to build some momentum and with 4:53 remaining in the opening frame, Keri Pickel (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) took a slap shot from the right attack circle that flew past the bottom of Forester goaltender Allie Carter’s left leg pad and into the bottom lefthand corner of the net. Allison Eder-Zdechlik (Jr., Stillwater, Minn.) assisted on the goal, which was Pickel’s second of the season.
“Keri has been doing a great job for us this season, especially as of late,” said Carroll. “She’s been around the block, has played every role for us imaginable and knows the system. She loves the game, knows her skill set and what she needs to do to maximize what she’s got to offer. She plays as though she’s 6’5 even though she’s not very tall. I’m really happy for her and am proud of her effort and leadership that she’s provided. Even though our freshman have gotten a lot of in-game experience, they’re still young and Keri leads by example on how to do things the right way.”
Gustavus was able to keep the momentum on its side when Eder-Zdechlik collected a rebound in the left attack circle and put the Gusties ahead 2-0 with her seventh goal of the season at the 2:51 mark of the second period. Pickel and Erica Power (Fy., Lakeville, Minn) were credited with assists on the goal.
Momentum shifted back and forth for the remainder of the period and with 4:28 remaining, the Foresters were able to get on the scoreboard on a power play due to a Katy Fuller (Fy., Minneapolis, Minn.) cross check. Lake Forest’s Marissa Weber collected a pass that crossed directly in front of the Gustavus goal and shot it from about three feet from the goal past Gustie goaltender Amanda Koep (Jr., St. Michael, Minn.) whose momentum was leaning in the opposite direction to make the score 2-1 in favor of the home team. Michelle Greeneway and Holly Lesperance each were credited with assists on the play.
As was the case in the second period, neither team was able to put together a string of quality possessions in the final period and momentum continued to switch back and forth. With 2:08 remaining in the game, the Foresters pulled Carter from net and were able to fire off some quality shots, but Koep and the Gustavus zone held strong and were able to secure the 2-1 victory.
With the victory, Koep was credited with her second win of the season and is now 2-0-0. She made 19 saves, while allowing just the one goal. Carter suffered the loss for Lake Forest and is now 3-3-2 on the year after allowing two goals and making 18 saves.
Shots were even in the game at 20-20 and it was only the third time this season Gustavus has not outshot its opponent.
Today’s game served as the final non-conference game for the Gusties, as the team will face only MIAC opponents from this point forward. Augsburg College will come to town as the Gusties’ next opponent on Friday, Jan. 16 for a 7 p.m. game at Don Roberts Ice Rink.
“One thing that hasn’t changed since I started coaching is that it goes straight through the conference until the end of the season,” said Mike Carroll. “We learned some tough lessons about that last year and learned another tough one from St. Olaf before the holiday about how to go about MIAC games. We know every team is going to be tough and in general, each team has improved a lot. Augsburg in particular has improved quite a bit and we’re going to be ready for them.”