WEST BEND — It can be tough to pinpoint the biggest win in the history of a program, but the Lakeshore Lightning girls hockey coop certainly has a candidate following Saturday’s 3-1 victory against the Bay Area Ice Bears at the Kettle Moraine Ice Center.

“I think it was,” Lakeshore senior goaltender Erin Connolly responded when asked if Saturday’s triumph stands as the third-year program’s biggest win to date.

Head coach Scott Matczak agreed.

“The win against Bay Area does stand as the biggest win to date for the program. This particular win shows the determination and drive that each player continues to display on a daily basis,” said Matczak, the only coach in program history. “We have continued to progress forward each season, and with a win like this, the team and our fans see the positive outcomes that take place with hard work each and every day, whether it be practice or a game.”

The Ice Bears won the state championship in 2014, played eventual state champion University School of Milwaukee tough last year, winning two of five meetings, and entered Saturday with a 12-3-1 record in the current campaign. The Lightning respect that history, but refused to be intimidated by what the Bay Area co-op has accomplished.

“Honestly, I think that we all believed that we could do it,” Connolly said. “Being able to go out there and actually finish what we had started was definitely a reason to call it the biggest win in our history.”

Connolly, like her coach, has been with the program since its inception and explained that Saturday’s victory is the latest proof of how far the Lightning has come in a short period of time.

“It’s absolutely a reflection of how far we’ve come, how much the girls have grown and how much we’ve been working these past couple years,” Connolly said. “Everybody on the team wants to succeed, as badly as any other team, and I think that we showed that we can compete with these high-level teams.”

The team had confidence going into the game, then got plenty of reason to believe a victory was possible by scoring first.

“It was really important for us to get the momentum early and get on the board first,” Connolly said. “That was kind of our goal going into the game.”

Junior forward Riley Schmitter made that goal a reality by putting the biscuit in the basket less than seven minutes into the game on a score assisted by Emily Gabel.

“The first goal, I thought, was a great play. What we’ve been working on this week is a lot of forechecking, really hard, and crashing the net. That really showed when Riley Schmitter went hard to the net,” Connolly said. “She was crashing hard, got a rebound and managed to put it past the goalie.”

Oddly enough, the next good thing to happen to the Lighting was allowing a game-tying power play goal in the second period.

“Actually, I think when they scored it was a pretty pivotal moment for us. We realized that while we got the early goal, that is not enough to win a game,” Connolly explained. “I think that really kind of woke us up that we couldn’t give up any more penalties because that’s how they scored their goal.

“It was a little wakeup for us, and it really helped us stay grounded and not get too carried away and focus on the moment,” she added. “Focusing on grinding away and getting that next goal.”

Gabel played a part in all three of Lakeshore’s goals, nearly knocking in the game-winner, but settling for an insurance goal.

Lakeshore’s second tally was set up when Gabel collected a breakout pass from sophomore defenseman Alexandra Buchanan, skated end-to-end and fired off a low shot that rebounded hard off the leg pad of the Bay Area goalie. The puck pinballed back into the net off the skate of junior forward Katie Gebhardt, who was streaking to the far post, as the Lightning took a 2-1 lead with 5 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Gabel lit the lamp with 67 seconds left, scoring an empty-net goal.

“She played a great game. She kept her feet moving, and has a great awareness on the ice,” Matczak said about Gabel, who finished with a goal and two assists. “Her love of the game can be seen on the ice and in the locker room. In between periods she is always talking about what is working and what we can try the next period to be even more successful. She is very positive, and all of the girls look up to her and listen to her great ideas.”

Connolly took care of things at the defensive end, recording 52 saves for Lakeshore’s eighth victory of the season (8-7 overall).

The Lightning will continue their home stand this week with a pair of games. Lakeshore hosts Appleton United at the Ozaukee Ice Center on Thursday before taking on the Badger Thunder from Baraboo at the OIC Saturday. Both games start at 7 p.m.