LAKE FOREST, Ill. (Blugolds.com) – Despite a late comeback attempt, the UW-Eau Claire women's hockey team couldn't overcome Lake Forest College (Ill.) and fell 3-2 this evening.
The Blugolds struck first, as Casey McMullen (Jr.- Minneapolis, Minn./South) took advantage of a power play at 16:56 in the first to give Eau Claire the one-goal advantage. But Lake Forest scored two power play goals of its own – one in the second and one in the third – and tacked on another score with five minutes remaining in the third to go up 3-1.
With the clock winding down, Nikki Kothenbeutel (So.-Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice), assisted by Toni Simones (Sr.- Rosemount, Minn./South St. Paul), pulled the Blugolds within one score of Lake Forest with less than two minutes remaining. Eau Claire couldn't find the tying score, however, and fell 3-2.
Lake Forest outshot the Blugolds, making 24 attempts to Eau Claire's 22.
Morgan Pieper (Sr.- Williams, Minn./Warroad) made saves on 21 shots and played all but 47 seconds of the game, when the Blugolds went to empty net in a last-ditch effort to tie the game.
The Blugolds drop to 1-5-1 on the season and 1-4 in the NCHA.
Eau Claire will take on Lake Forest again at 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.
-AH-
