Hamline 3, Yellowjackets 2
On Friday night, it took the Yellowjacket women's hockey team a little while to get going, but in the third period they were able to blow the game open and cruise to a victory. On Saturday, it looked like it was going to be more of the same.
The Yellowjackets peppered the Hamline goal with shot, but Pipers goaltender Nicole Jones was the story, turning aside 43 shots and leading Hamline to a 3-2 win and a non-conference weekend split.
It was a game where coaches walk in the locker room after and tell their team not to change a thing. That's how well the Yellowjackets played, but it wasn't enough to pick up the win.
The Yellowjackets opened the scoring midway through the first period. Freshman sensation Dani Schultz (Morris, Minn./Morris Area) (Morris, Minn.) scored her third goal of the weekend and third of the season at 11:31 to make it a 1-0 game. Jenn Paul (Paynesville, Minn./Paynnesville) (Paynesville, Minn.) and Kerry Mayhew (Littleton,Colo./Heritage) (Littleton, Colo.) assisted on the goal, as the trio continues their strong play in the offensive zone. The score would stay that way until the Pipers knotted the game in the final minute of the period. Haley Johnson scored the unassisted marker with just 26 seconds remaining in the period to make it 1-1.
Hamline would take the lead early in the second, as Jessica Kraus scored an unassisted goal 45 seconds into the period, making it 2-1. The Yellowjackets would come back to tie it up late in the second. With 2:11 to play, Kiara De Kezel (Deloraine, Manitoba/Deloraine) (Deloraine, Manitoba) scored her first of the year, locking the game at 2-2. Bailey Lane (Armada, Mich./Armada) (Armada, Mich.) and Kelsey Firkus (Chilliwack, British Columbia/Chilliwack Senior Secondary) (Chilliwack, British Columbia) got the assists.
In the third, the score would remained tied until the midpoint, when the Pipers would put the final goal of the game on the board. Johnson, who scored the first goal of the game for Hamline, set up the final tally, feeding Erin Kastner, who put it home at 9:02 to make the final 3-2 for the Pipers.
Shanley Peters (Gnadenthal, Manitoba/Garden Valley Collegiate) (Gnadenthal, Manitoba) got the start in goal and took the loss for the Yellowjackets, making ten saves. The Yellowjackets outshot Hamline 45-13. The Yellowjackets were whistled for two penalties totaling four minutes in the game, while Hamline took three penalties for six minutes. The Yellowjackets 0-3 on the power play, while Hamline was 0-1.
The Yellowjackets (1-1-0, 0-0-0 NCHA) host the University of St. Thomas at Wessman Arena on Tuesday, November 1. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m.
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