Senior defenseman Alex Stensland was one of five Foresters with three points in the team's 9-0 triumph over visiting Finlandia University on Friday and she finished the game with a +5 plus/minus rating.
Stensland assisted on the second of five goals in the opening period and the second of four in the second. She now ranks eight in program history with 43 career assists. Stensland closed out the scoring on Friday with her second shorthanded goal of the season at the 17:25 mark of the second period. It was also her second score overall this year.
While Stensland was climbing the team's career assists list, senior forward Melissa Paluch put her name at the top of it. She helped set up a power play goal by junior forward Allie Girard at 8:53 in the second period and now has a school record 52 assists over the last four seasons. It was Girard's first goal of the season.
In addition to Stensland, Forester freshman forward Amy Budde, sophomore forwards Amanda Brunges and Olivia Spellmire, and senior forward Michelle Greeneway also had three points apiece. Brunges scored the first goal of the game after just 26 seconds of play and assisted Spellmire just 37 seconds into the second period. She also added her third goal of the season at 11:52 in the second. Greeneway lit the lamp at 2:55 and 16:02 in the first and assisted on a score by Budde with 1:15 to play in the same period. She leads the team with eight goals on the season. Spellmire converted a power play opportunity five minutes into the game, scored for the fourth time this year early in the second, and assisted Brunges later in the period. Budde helped set up both of Greeneway's scores and added one of her own, her third of the season.
Senior forward Holly Lesperance and sophomore defenseman Kayla Griffith were credited with assists on Spellmire's power play goal in the opening period and sophomore forward Leah Ebdon assisted on Spellmire's score early in the second.
Lake Forest freshman goaltender Abby Cooper needed just five saves to post her first career shutout. She is now 2-0-1 on the season.
The victory raises the Foresters' overall record to 5-0-1 and Northern Collegiate Hockey Association mark to 3-0-0. Finlandia fell to 0-4-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the league.
Lake Forest will host Adrian College, the second-ranked team in the nation, Saturday night at 7:00.
