Duluth, MN - The Saint Scholastica Saints women's hockey team competed today at the Mars Lakeview Arena against the Gusties of the Gustavus Adolphus College. Despite a goal at the end of the first period by Jenna Horvat (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS), the Saints would ultimately fall in a 3-1 loss to the Gusties.

How it Happened 

1st Period

Bailey Coole (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) wasted no time getting the Saints on the attack, firing a shot on goal just a minute into the game. Paige Blattner (Avon, Minn./River Lakes HS) followed up with a powerful strike, but the Gusties' goalkeeper made the stop.

The Saints soon found themselves under heavy offensive pressure, as the Gusties ripped a flurry of shots. Goalie Makenzie Cole (Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids HS) came up big, making six crucial saves in under a minute to keep the game level. Despite the pressure, the Saints pushed back, with Lyndi Schubert (Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville HS) and Sara Parent (Otsego, Minn./Rogers HS) both testing the Gusties' defense, but were denied.

Hannah Martin (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) took a chance midway through the period but couldn't find the back of the net, and Grace Chapman (Blaine, MN/Blaine HS) faced a similar fate on a power play just minutes later. The Gusties had a power play opportunity at 15:26 to break the deadlock, but Cole denied them a lead.

With just a minute and a half remaining, the Saints finally broke through. Jenna Horvat (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) capitalized on an assist from Cole to put her team ahead. Despite being out-shot 17-9 in the period, the Saints entered intermission with a hard-earned one-goal lead.

2nd Period

The Gusties came out strong to start the second period, pressing hard for an equalizer. They controlled the early minutes with several shots, but Cole stood tall in net, turning them all away.

The Saints registered their first attack at 4:11 when Gabby Gamst (Moose Lake, Minn./Moose Lake HS) fired a shot on goal, but the Gusties' goalie made the stop. Grace Chapman (Blaine, MN/Blaine HS) had a chance to extend the lead at 6:43, followed by another attempt from Gamst at 7:30, but both efforts were denied.

Gustavus ramped up the pressure over the next five minutes, firing 11 shots on goal, but Cole continued her stellar performance, keeping the Saints ahead.

With about five minutes remaining, the Gusties earned a power play and looked to capitalize, but Cole shut down all four shots while being a player down.

However, Gustavus finally broke through at 19:13, leveling the game at 1-1. The period ended in a tie, with Cole making an impressive 26 saves in the second period alone. It would all come down to the final period of this matchup to determine the winner.
 

3rd Period

In the final period of this tightly contested matchup, Schubert set the tone with the first shot on goal. The Gusties responded with several attacking attempts in search of their first lead, but they couldn't break through.

The Saints earned a power play early in the period, with Martin and Coole both testing the Gusties' goalie around the three-minute mark, but the score remained level. Gustavus had a power play chance of their own at 4:13 but managed only two shots, failing to capitalize. Victoria Nelson (Mahtomedi, MN/Mahtomedi HS) had a crack at the net at 8:09 during another Saints power play, but she also couldn't convert.

At 10:16, the Gusties finally broke the deadlock, taking a 2-1 lead and leaving the Saints with 10 minutes to find an equalizer. Cole came up big again at 11:39, stopping a dangerous 1-on-1 counterattack to prevent the deficit from growing.

With five minutes remaining, the Gusties had another power play opportunity to extend their lead, but Cole made six consecutive saves to keep the Saints within striking distance as time wound down. However, the Gusties would get one more on the board with only a minute and a half left on the clock to complete the game with a score of 3-1. The Gusties took home the 3-1 win, and Cole completed the game with a phenomenal 74 saves.

Up Next - The Saints (4-19-0, 2-14-0 MIAC) will compete against St. Catherine's University here at the Mars Lakeview Arena in Duluth, MN on Friday, February 21. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m.