Byron Center, Mich. — The Aquinas women's hockey team will start its 2022-23 campaign with back-to-back, hard-to-swallow 3-2 losses. The Saints lost by the same scoreline of their first game, held last weekend against Concordia, when Utah freshman forward Ava Kistner buried her hat trick goal playing 4-on-3 in overtime Saturday evening (Oct. 15) at the Southside Ice Arena.
Utah heads home from its Michigan weekend trip — where the Utes faced Michigan, Davenport and Aquinas — with a 3-4 overall record. The Saints and new head coach
Chris Brassard are still searching for their first win at 0-2 overall.
Both teams scored power-play goals halfway through the first period. Senior
Madison Morgrette got the Saints on the board first with 11:41 left in the period.
Olivia Menard was credited with an assist. One minute later, Utah scored a power-play tally with Gracie Capps and Halle Hansen setting up Kistner's first goal of the contest.
A scoreless second period set up an intense third period. Out of the locker room, Kistner needed 51 seconds to pull the Utes ahead 2-1, as she worked a 2-on-1 breakaway perfectly with Capps, who picked up her second assist.
AQ fought back and tied the game at 2-2 with another power-play goal halfway through the period. Senior
Natalie Vaitas knocked the puck in with
Julia DeHondt and Morgrette picking up the assists with 12:37 remaining.
Aquinas junior goalkeeper
Ashley Suske made a couple of big saves to get the contest in overtime. After regulation, Utah had outshot AQ 38-24. The Utes didn't let up in the 3-on-3 overtime period, outshooting the Saints 7-0 in the extra frame.
Utah took the first six shots without a skater advantage. The seventh and final shot of the game came off Kistner's stick with 1:50 remaining after AQ had been called for a penalty at the 3:02 mark. Aquinas finished with five penalties for 10 minutes; Utah had four penalties for eight minutes.
The Saints look to regroup next weekend with a home-and-away series against in-city rival Davenport. AQ will be home first at 7:30 p.m. Friday (Oct. 21) at the Southside Ice Arena before traveling to the Patterson Ice Center to play the Panthers at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 22).
