DULUTH, Minn. – Victoria Nelson (Mahtomedi, MN/) scored twice on the power play as the St. Scholastica women's hockey team completed a season-opening sweep of Lawrence with a 6-1 victory Saturday afternoon.
The Saints scored four times in the first period and finished with a 48-12 advantage in shots on goal to improve to 2-0-0. Five different players scored for St. Scholastica, while Grace Kemp (Woodbury, MN/) made 11 saves to earn the win.
Nelson opened the scoring at 5:18 of the first period, converting on the power play off assists from Haylee Melquist (Moorhead, MN/) and Alaina Hedberg (St. Paul, MN/). Lawrence answered just over a minute later when Emmerson Berger scored at 6:23 to tie the game.
St. Scholastica responded with three unanswered goals before the first intermission. Megan Berg (Bemidji, MN/) put the Saints ahead for good at 9:51, with Lillian Renslow (Blaine, MN/) and Isabella Brama (Minneapolis, MN/) earning the assists.
Grace Chapman (Blaine, MN/) extended the lead to 3-1 at 12:36 off a feed from Sophie Parendo (Proctor, MN/). Morgan Mitchell (Farmington, MN/) then added her second goal of the weekend with 1:03 remaining in the period, assisted by Eloise DeBus (Northfield, MN/), to give the Saints a 4-1 advantage.
St. Scholastica outshot Lawrence 20-7 in the opening period and continued to control play in a scoreless second. Kemp stopped all four shots she faced in the middle frame, while the Saints put 12 shots on Lawrence goalkeeper Ella Sciborski.
Ashlyn Paukert (Northfield, MN/) pushed the lead to 5-1 just 2:11 into the third period, scoring off assists from Hannah Von Haden (Green Bay, WI/) and Berg. Nelson completed the scoring at 10:45 with her second power-play goal, this time assisted by Hedberg and Von Haden.
The Saints limited Lawrence to one shot on goal over the final 20 minutes and held the Vikings scoreless after their first-period tally.
Berg finished with a goal and an assist, while Hedberg and Von Haden each recorded two assists. Nelson, Greta Culshaw-Klein (Maplewood, MN/), Kylie DeBay (Grand Rapids, MN/) and Brama shared the team lead with five shots on goal apiece.
St. Scholastica went 2-for-3 on the power play and killed all three Lawrence opportunities. The Saints also won 42 of 64 faceoffs, led by Mitchell's 15 wins and Melquist's 12.
Sciborski made 42 saves for Lawrence, which dropped to 0-2-0.
