SAINT PETER, Minn. — The No. 2 Gusties had no shortage of offense Friday night, scoring a total of seven goals, four on the power play, to deal Lake Forest their first loss of the year, 7-0.
After scoring only one goal in their season opener, the Gusties got their offense off to a quick start, taking advantage of their first power play opportunity, as Brooke Power (Jr., Lakeville) netted a feed from Hailey Holland (Sr., Aberdeen, S.D.) for her first goal of the year. It would take only five minutes for the Gusties to get on the board again, thanks to the efforts of Lily Mortenson (Fy., Champlin). Mortenson walked through the offensive zone, past two Lake Forest defenders, and across the crease of Forester goaltender Hannah Turnage, putting the puck past the goal line for her first collegiate goal in her second collegiate game.
Hailey Holland would add another goal for the Gusties before the end of the period, as a perfect Gustie breakout led to a back-door-pass from Power that Holland tapped into the back of the net halfway through the first.
Clara Billings (Sr., Rochester) wasted no time adding to the Gustie lead in the second period — just 1:43 to be exact — intercepting a Lake Forest giveaway and netting her first of two goals for the night. The Gustie special teams proved to be lethal on their second power play attempt, as a faceoff win and pass across the blue line from Hailey Holland would lead to Kayla Vrieze’s (Sr., Eagan) first goal of the year and a 5-0 Gustie lead. Billings would add her team-leading third goal and second of the night before the end of the second period, converting on the power play and sending a backhand shot over the head of Turnage and into the back of the net.
Power would seal the deal for the Gusties, tallying her second power play goal of the night from behind the goal line, closing out the Gustie scoring at 7-0. Hailey Holland would finish with the team lead in points, one goal and three assists, while Vrieze would add two assists to her power play tally and Emily Olson (Sr., Delano) would add two helpers on the night.
The Gusties finished the game outshooting the Foresters 40-6, limiting Lake Forest to just two shots in each period. Katie McCoy (Sr., Grafton, Wis.) posted another shutout for the Gusties, her second in as many games, after turning aside all six shots she faced. The Gusties are back in action tomorrow, hosting Lake Forest for a 2 p.m. rematch in Saint Peter.