SUPERIOR, Wis. – Emily Cronkhite scored a hat trick, including the game winner, as Ausgburg defeated the UW-Superior women's hockey team, 4-2, in non-conference action at Wessman Arena on Tuesday.
 
The Auggies opened a 3-0 lead late in the second period -- on all three Cronkhite goals -- and held off the Yellowjackets in the third period. Freshman defender Cora Coz (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) scored her second career goal at 19:13 after Cronkhite finished off  herhat trick as UWS went into the second intermission down, 3-1.
 
Senior defender Jenna Byfuglien (Roseau, Minn./Roseau) sniped the top corner from the near faceoff circle 1:25 into the third to pull her team within 3-2, but the Auggies' Jenna Gerold restored the two-goal lead 1:12 later with an unassisted marker for the final margin.
 
Byfuglien's first goal of the season was assisted by Tessa Jorde (Thief River Falls, Minn./Lincoln) and Brynn MacLean (Wilcox, Saskatchewan/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame).
 
Senior McKenzie Whalen (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks) made 21 saves in the UWS net, falling to 2-4-0 on the season. Mara McClain earned the victory in the Augsburg goal with 23 saves, improving to 2-4-0 in the win.
 
Augsburg (3-5-1) was 1-for-6 on the power play with nine shots while Superior (4-5-0) was 0-for-2 with two shots.
 
The Yellowjackets is back in action at St. Catherine Friday at 7 p.m., in the front end of a home-and-home weekend series. Saturday's home contest at Wessman Arena is slated for 2 p.m.