SAINT PETER, Minn. — After winning 11-straight games and defeating No. 2 UW-River Falls on Wednesday, the No. 1 nationally-ranked Gusties suffered their first loss of the season in Saturday’s rematch against the Falcons, 3-0.
The first period of play was a goaltender marathon, with both net-minders taking center stage. Clara Billings (Sr., Rochester) and Lily Mortenson (Fy., Champlin) each had a chance of their own on two different 2-on-1 opportunities, but UW-River Falls goaltender Sami Miller stayed steady between the pipes, turning aside all 10 Gustie shots she faced in the first period. Her counterpart Katie McCoy (Sr., Grafton, Wis.) extended her shutout streak one more period, saving all eight Falcon shots in the first frame.
The second period put an end to McCoy’s shutout heroics, as the Falcons would net two within two minutes of each other at the beginning of the second. Two Gustie penalties would help the Falcons maintain momentum, outshooting the Gusties 10-7 in the second 20. This time around, it would be the Falcons to add a goal in the final 30 seconds of play, netting an empty net goal on the penalty kill as the Gusties looked to make a final push with a 6-on-4 player advantage.
Sami Miller was the Falcons’ hero, saving all 29 Gustie shots, including seven off the stick of Emily Olson (Sr., Delano). McCoy finished with 26 saves in the game, including 10 in the third period.
Both teams will await the results of this week in Monday’s USCHO poll, and will face each other again on Jan. 31 in River Falls. For now, the Gusties are off of NCAA play until Jan. 13 when they will host Saint Benedict for a MIAC matchup. In the meantime, the team will take a trip abroad, heading to Europe for the winter break.