MINNEAPOLIS -- In a dominating performance from start to finish, the Augsburg College women's hockey team held onto a share of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference lead with a 4-1 win over defending conference regular-season co-champion Bethel University on Friday evening.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 4, Bethel 1
LOCATION: Ed Saugestad Rink, Minneapolis
RECORDS: Augsburg 10-4-0 overall (6-1-0 MIAC), Bethel 6-6-2 overall (3-2-2 MIAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• Augsburg put together one of its most complete team performances of the season in the dominating win, outshooting Bethel by a 33-14 margin.
• Danielle Heitkamp (Sr, Bismarck, N.D./Grand Rapids (Minn.) HS) opened the scoring for the Auggies with a goal from Emily Ach (FY, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Park Center HS) and Megan Robertson (JR, Boissevain, Manitoba) at the 10:46 mark of the first period.
• Bridget Walter (SO, Princeton, Minn.) gave the Auggies a 2-0 lead, tipping home a blast from Hollywood Hermanson (FY, Dover, Minn./Dover-Eyota HS) with eight seconds left in the second period. Ach was also credited with an assist.
• Bethel got on the scoreboard with a power-play goal at the 5:05 mark of the third period, but Augsburg responded 89 seconds later, as Callen Naasz (SR, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS) scored from Darby Lindgren (SR, Lakeville, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's HS), and Mackenzie Molnar (FY, Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall HS) capped the scoring with a power-play goal from Valerie Whichello (SO, Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge HS) and Ashley Kloncz (SR, Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North HS) at the 12:11 mark.
• Rebecca Sonnek (JR, Edina, Minn.) stopped 13 of the 14 shots she faced in goal to improve to 7-3-0 on the season for the Auggies.
• Megan Johnson (SO, Madison, Wis./Memorial HS) had seven shots on-goal in the game, while Molnar had five shots and Taral Clayton (JR, Anchorage, Alaska/Dimond HS) had four shots.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE
• Augsburg has allowed just 16 goals in 14 games this season. Its 1.14 goals allowed per-game is tops among MIAC teams in overall statistics and fourth-best among NCAA Division III teams nationally.
• Sonnek has allowed only seven goals in her 11 games in goal. Her 0.70 goals against-average and .968 save percentage are both tops among MIAC goalies in overall statistics and second-best among NCAA Division III goalies nationally.
• Augsburg has allowed just four power-play goals in 60 opponent power-play opportunities this season. The Auggies' .933 penalty-kill percentage is tops among MIAC teams and seventh-best among NCAA Division III teams nationally.
• Heitkamp and Molnar have five points each this season, both tied for fourth-best among MIAC defenders in total points. Heitkamp's four goals are second-most among MIAC defenders.

FOR THE FOES
• Kaitlyn VanTassel scored a power-play goal from Lauren Kolak at the 5:05 mark of the third period for Bethel's lone goal.
• Michelle Klimstra had 29 saves in goal for the Royals.

UP NEXT
• The teams complete the MIAC series on Saturday (1/14) at 3 p.m. at the Schwan SuperRink in Blaine, Minn.