Piper women earn win, series split, with Royals

Bethel got on the board first at 18:24 in the first period, with Bethany Murphy-Aultman (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.) scoring an assist that made her the new all-time scoring leader (she set the mark at 67 points, but now has 69 career points after tonight’s game) for the Royals. Sandra Felten (Jr., Cashton, Wis.) scored the goal, with an additional assist credited to Kassie Sullivan (Fy., Roseville, Minn.).

Hamline struck back quickly, with Raasch scoring her first goal of the night less than a minute later at 19:17, with an assist credited to Emily Dusold (Sr., Shoreview, Minn.). Raasch needed nearly another period’s worth of playing time to score her second goal, scoring at 17:13 in the second to give the Pipers a 2-1 lead. Melanie Leveille (So., Appleton, Wis.) was credited with the assist.

The Pipers took the 2-1 lead into the locker room after two, and then scored again as Alli Miller (Fy., Fairbault, Minn.) put a pass from Amanda Finstad (So., Waupun, Wis.) into the net at 6:54 in the third.

Bethel pulled their goalie for the first time with just over six and a half minutes remaining, and tried to score with the skater advantage. Sara Mickelson (Sr., West St. Paul, Minn.) took advantage of the empty net to gain a 4-1 lead, slapping a shot into the goal at 16:07, with an assist credited to Sophie Davidson (So., St. Paul, Minn.).

The Royals replaced their goalie after the score, but after two Pipers made their way to the penalty box, left the net open again and scored two goals before the clock expired to bring the final score to 4-3. Muphy-Aultman scored an extra-skater power play goal at 19:03 on assists from Sullivan and Felten, and Jenna Bullock (So., Buffalo, Minn.) scored at 19:53 from Felten and Murphy-Sullivan.

Bethel left the net open for a total of two minutes and 16 seconds at the end of the game.

Hamline improved to 9-8-2, 4-6-2 MIAC with the win, while the Royals fell to 7-10-1, 4-8-0 MIAC. The Pipers next play against St. Thomas at home on Friday, February 8 at 7:15 p.m.

Hamline University belongs to the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. Hamline supports 19 intercollegiate athletic teams for men and women. Find out more about Hamline athletics at www.hamline.edu/hamline_info/athletics.

Creative and innovative teaching and learning attract a diverse student body of nearly 4,600 undergraduate and graduate students to Hamline University. Challenged to create and apply knowledge in local and global contexts, Hamline students develop an individual and community ethic of social justice, civic responsibility, and inclusive leadership and service.

Ranked first in Minnesota among comprehensive master’s universities by U.S.News & World Report, Hamline is also Minnesota’s first university, founded in 1854, and among the first co-educational institutions in the nation.