LAKE FOREST, Ill. – A changing of the guard occurred for the Yellowjacket women's hockey program Friday, with the Bre Simon era of Yellowjacket hockey officially getting underway.
 
Simon, who was hired in April following the retirement of Dan Laughlin after 21 seasons, coached her first game with the Yellowjackets Friday, the season opener on the road at Lake Forest College.
 
The Yellowjackets and Foresters, who at one time were conference foes in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA), have been estranged of late, with the last meeting prior to Friday happening in January 2012. The most recent meetings between the teams were close games, and Friday's game followed that pattern.
 
Lake Forest scored twice in the second period and added an insurance goal in the third on the way to a 3-1 win at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on the Lake Forest campus.
 
Down 2-0 after two periods, the Yellowjackets cut the lead in half when senior Brynn MacLean (Wilcox, Saskatchewan/Athol Murray College of Notre Dame) converted on a power play 3:45 into the third period. MacLean got the puck in the right circle and wristed a shot past Lake Forest goaltender Donna Fowler for her first of the season.
 
Molly Black (Devils Lake, N.D./Devils Lake) got the start in goal for the Yellowjackets and turned aside 23 Lake Forest shots. She's 0-1-0 on the year.
 
Game Notes

• The Yellowjackets outshot Lake Forest 32-26 for the game.
• Kailey Swerhun (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Ignatius) assisted on MacLean's third-period goal for the Yellowjackets.
• The Yellowjackets came out flying in the opening period, attempting 27 shots to just nine for Lake Forest and holding a 15-5 edge in shots on goal, but the game was scoreless after 20 minutes.
• Nearing the game's midpoint, Lake Forest broke the deadlock when Lauren Wensel scored an 9:33 to make it 1-0.
• Late in the second, with 1:11 left, Anna McCluskey scored to increase the Lake Forest lead to 2-0. For McCluskey, it was her second point of the night.
• Just over five minutes after MacLean's goal made it a 2-1 game, Lake Forest scored a backbreaking goal, as Tallulah Bryant scored to push the lead back up to two goals.
• Friday was a penalty-filled affair, with the Yellowjackets taking six minor penalties and the Foresters seven.
• The Yellowjackets had a strong game on special teams, going 1-for-6 on the power play and going a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
• Despite the loss Friday, the Yellowjackets have won 30 of the 46 all-time meetings between the two teams.

The Yellowjackets and Foresters will close out their weekend series Saturday afternoon at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. The opening faceoff is set for 2 p.m.
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