The Lake Forest College women's hockey team won 1-0 at the University of Wisconsin-Superior on Saturday to even their NCHA quarterfinal series at one game apiece. Superior took the series by winning the 20-minute mini-game 1-0. Senior Lynn Switaj scored the Foresters' only goal of the day, her team-high 10th of the season.
Switaj's goal came on the power play at the 8:02 mark of the opening period and was assisted by senior Melissa Kravich and sophomore Angie Chronis. Switaj finished her career ranked third in team history in career points (82), second in assists (48), and fifth in goals (34). Kravich's assist on Saturday raised her school record career total to 51. She led the 2010-11 Foresters with 22 points and her 76 points in three years on the team ranks sixth.
Lake Forest out-shot the Yellowjackets 13-6 in the game's first 20 minutes but Superior had a 12-5 advantage in the second period and a 17-11 edge in the third. Forester freshman goaltender Stacey Dierking stopped each of the home team's 35 shots on goal in the contest for her second career shutout. She finished her rookie season with a 4-1-1 record, 1.40 goals against average, and .949 save percentage in seven appearances.
Since Superior won Friday's series opener, a 20-minute mini-game was then played to decide which team would advance to next weekend's semifinals and final of the 2011 NCHA O'Brien Cup Tournament. The Yellowjackets finally scored their first goal of the day five minutes and seven seconds into the contest. The power play goal turned out to be the only score in the first mini-game in Forester women's hockey history.
Dierking stopped five of six shots on goal before giving way to an extra attacker with a minute to play in the mini-game.
The Foresters finished the season 14-9-3 while the Yellowjackets, the nation's 10th-ranked team, fell to 13-7-7. The mini-game is not included on either team's record, nor do the statistics from the game count toward season or career totals.
Switaj and Kravich will be joined by fellow seniors Sam Herron, Alyssa Wintermute, and Brittany Lemke at graduation this May. Switaj, Kravich, and Herron combined for 209 career points on 85 goals and 124 assists while Wintermute and Lemke posted a combined record of 49-31-7 with 2,171 saves, a dozen shutouts, and a .913 save percentage.
