Feel any rust in the first game of the season?

"It took about five minutes to click."

So no, not much, really. It takes most teams a whole game or two to find their form.

And when freshman forward Josephine Vance and her teammates found chemistry, Lake Superior State rolled to a 5-1 win over Minnesota on Saturday at Taffy Abel Arena. It was the regular season debut for LSSU's ACHA Division I women's hockey team.

Making her collegiate debut, Vance was all smiles after the final horn. "It was a really awesome game," she said. "We've been practicing really hard. We've been working out and hitting the conditioning lately."

The Lakers rolled in the second period, hammering four goals past the Golden Gophers, while senior netminder Asia Kachuk starred in the Lakers zone. She made a save in the second period that had many fans audibly questioning, "How did she stop that?" Head Coach Matt Parker had the answer.

"She's one of the best in the nation," he stated, "and we're so happy to have her."

He pointed out Kachuk's career save percentage of .915 and said she's remained one of the team's great leaders through ups and downs over the past several seasons.

Senior Sophie Gibbs bookended the second with the game's opening goal, putting the Lakers up 1-0. Her final goal of the period, at 19:18, effectively put the game out of reach. The senior posted 14 points last season for the Lakers. Lindsey Tonello scored what would stand as the game-winner at 8:49, and Sarah Lamb notched a tremendous goal. The Lakers swarmed the Golden Gophers during the second and outshout them 14-11.

Parker said, "One of the biggest points I've tried to push as a coach is communication. It's such a cliché to say but if you communicate, things go well. It's something we've been pushing really hard with this team, on and off the ice."

Vance echoed her coaches comments. "I think we were just moving the puck faster and communicating with each other really well," she said. "It helped us out to get a bunch of shots and crash the net."

Gibbs scored her first at 3:32 of the second period, but the Lakers didn't hol that lead for long. Minnesota struck through Halle Hollenback at 4:26. But Tonello's goal at 8:49 launched the Lakers offense, while Kachuk's goaltending secured the game in the defensive zone. By the time Chloe Boyko scored at 1:01 of the third, the Lakers had firm control of the contest. Parker credited his team's commitment to training for their performance as the curtain rose for the new season.

"We put a big emphasis this summer on working on our fitness," he said. "It's been a plan for us to work a ton off-ice to begin the school year. We put a really big effort into that and that really showed today. They were ready to play and that's a tribute to all their off-ice work."

Lake Superior State plays against Minnesota in game two of their weekend series Sunday at 11:00 AM at Taffy Abel Arena. Fans get in free of charge. Saturday's game saw two teams quickly rounding into midseason form with their skill, tempo and energy. And that was just opening night. Sunday's contest promises to be high-level entertainment as well.

Parker's message for fans was a simple, direct one. Get to the rink, see great hockey.

"Watch women's sports."