JANESVILLE, Wis. – Despite a stellar 32-save performance from goaltender Janelle Quast (Litchfield, Minn.)t and a dominant showing in the faceoff circle, the Beloit College women's ice hockey team fell 3-0 to the visiting UW-Superior Yellowjackets on Friday evening at the Woodman's Center.
While the loss drops the Buccaneers to 1-6-0 (0-2-0 WIAC) on the season, the game remained a tight defensive battle for the majority of the contest, highlighted by the Buccaneers' ability to suppress the Yellowjackets' scoring attack through the first 22 minutes of play.
Freshman goaltender Quast was the standout performer for the Buccaneers. Facing a heavy workload, Quast turned aside 32 of the 35 shots she faced. Her efforts were particularly crucial in the first period, where she stopped all 12 shots from UW-Superior, keeping the game scoreless heading into the first intermission.
Offensive opportunities were at a premium for Beloit, who managed 11 shots on goal against UW-Superior goaltender Maddie Wostrel. However, the Buccaneers did generate several quality looks. In the first period, Addison Gruhlke (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Julia Fussy (Mahtomedi, Minn.) both tested the Superior netminder within the opening minutes, trying to set an early tone. During a second-period power play, Natalie Gurr (Okotoks, Alberta, Canada) fired a shot on goal at the 5:15 mark, but the equalizer remained elusive. Trying to claw back into the game in the third period, Rachel Fussy (Mahtomedi, Minn.), Julia Fussy and Makenzee Kostiuk (Thunder Bay, Ontario) generated back-to-back-to-back shots midway through the frame, forcing saves from Wostrel.
One of the brightest spots for Beloit was their command of the faceoff circle. The Buccaneers won 60% of the draws (30 of 50), consistently gaining possession.
Rachel Fussy was nearly unbeatable on the draw, winning a staggering 15 of 18 faceoffs (83.3%). Kylie Schryer (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario) and Kennedy Gruhlke (Eau Claire, Wis.) also contributed to the possession game, each securing six wins at the dot.
The game remained 0-0 until the 2:02 mark of the second period when UW-Superior's Emma Kligora finally broke the deadlock. The Buccaneers kept the deficit at 1-0 for the remainder of the period but could not find the tying goal. UW-Superior pulled away in the third period, scoring an insurance goal at 5:57 and adding a power-play tally at 9:09 to finalize the 3-0 scoreline.
Beloit finished the night 0-for-3 on the power play, while UW-Superior went 1-for-2.
The Buccaneers head to the University of Dubuque for the Mississippi Matchup November 28th and 29th. They will face the Aurora University Spartans at 2 pm on Friday. Friday's outcome determines time and opponent of Saturday's game.
