MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. – Despite a late push and forward Hannah Bird’s goal that cut the deficit to three in the third period, the St. Thomas women’s hockey team lost 5-2 to MIAC-leading Gustavus Friday night at the St. Thomas Ice Arena.

The Tommies (14-5-4 overall, 8-2-3 MIAC) allowed three first-period goals to the No. 5-ranked Gusties and dropped their first game in regulation since Jan. 28. Carolyn Draayer, Lydia Wagner and Keri Pickel all scored in the first period for Gustavus, but St. Thomas forward Tara Baago said that didn’t hurt the team’s morale.

“The first two (Gustavus) goals didn’t even bring us down at all,” Baago said. “They just pumped us up to get another ourselves. Then when I got mine on the short hand it got everyone excited. We were really in it for a second there.”

Gustavus opened the scoring when Draayer scored at the 12:23 mark of the first period. Baago responded with a short-handed goal – assisted by forward Courtney Umland – just over three minutes later to tie the score at 1-1 before Wagner and Pickel pushed the Gusties’ lead to two goals.

Coach Tom Palkowski said the first period lead was a definite key to Gustavus’ victory.

“Tonight was just a matter of (Gustavus) putting a couple of goals in early,” Palkowski said. “Our goaltending wasn’t quite what it should have been, and their goalie made some big saves in the first period, hence they were up 3-1.”

Five goals from five different Gustavus players brought the score to 5-1 at the end of the second period. Defenseman Megan Juricko said most teams St. Thomas faces only have one or two key scorers, making Gustavus’ depth tough to handle.

“We have to be more aware,” Juricko said. “Every one of their players has the ability to score, so we have to keep track of everyone on the ice.”

Aside from defensive struggles, the Tommies also struggled to stay out of the penalty box. St. Thomas committed five minor penalties, compared to Gustavus’ one. Baago said the Gusties made the most of their power plays, putting the Tommies at a large disadvantage.

“They scored three goals during power play, so that’s something we need to think about,” Baago said.

Despite five goals in the first two periods, St. Thomas held the Gusties scoreless in the third. Bird’s goal with two minutes left in the third increased momentum, but it was too late for the Tommies to mount a serious comeback. Juricko said the key for Saturday’s rematch against Gustavus will be taking advantage of each scoring opportunity, which is something St. Thomas failed to do Friday night.

“We need to keep the momentum. We had them in the third period, so we need to capitalize on every opportunity and try to get a win,” Juricko said.

Palkowski agreed the outcome of the game would have been different had the Tommies played throughout the game like they did in the last 20 minutes.

“I think we just need to play tomorrow like we did in the third period tonight,” Palkowski said. “With a little confidence and a little jump in our step.”

The Tommies will travel to St. Peter, Minnesota, Saturday to take on the Gusties again.

Lauren Andrego can be reached at andr0090@stthomas.edu.