St. Peter, Minn. –

Representing the men’s golf on the Men’s At-Large All-District Six Team was junior Andrew Oakes (Hermantown, Minn.) who receives the honor for the first time in his career.  On the women’s side, a trio of Gusties made up the Women’s At-Large District Six Team.  Receiving the honor was senior golfer Kayleigh Dittes (Eden Prairie, Minn.), senior hockey player Lindsey Hjelm (North Oaks, Minn.), and junior swimmer Alissa TInklenberg (Willmar, Minn.).  Hjelm takes home CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors for the second time in her career, while both Dittes and Tinklenberg are first time recipients.

Andrew Oakes

The Academic All-District teams include the student-athletes listed on the following pages and are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. This is the second year of the expanded Academic All-America program as CoSIDA moved from recognizing a University Division (Division I) and a College Division (all non Division I) and has doubled the number of scholar-athletes honored. The expanded teams include NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools.

Andrew Oakes has been Gustavus’s consistent No. 2 from the start of the 2012 season.  The junior kicked off the 2012 fall season with a first place performance with a 73-74-147 (+3) at the Augsburg College Invite on Sept. 8-9.  He followed that up with a third place showing at the Saint John’s Fall Invite on Sept. 15-16 after posting a 72-73-145 (+1).  Oakes went on to place fourth at the MIAC Championships, earning All-Conference accolades for the second time in his career following a three-day 224 (+8).  He finished on the podium a total of three times and was second on the team in stroke average (75.2) heading into the NCAA Championships.  A Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-American Scholar this year, Andrew also made his first appearance on the GCAA All-Central Region Team.

Kayleigh Dittes

Oakes is majoring in economics and has a cumulative grade point average of 3.79.

The lone senior on the Gustavus women’s golf team, Kayleigh Dittes was Head Coach Scott Moe’s steady and solid No. 1 throughout the 2012-13 campaign.  Dittes was the top finishing Gustavus player in seven of the team’s 12 outings this, posting three top five finishes and leading the Black and Gold at the 2012 MIAC Championships with a sixth place finish after shooting a 241 (+25).  She paced the Gusties with an 18-hole stroke average of 80.5 (+8) through 21 rounds, ranking her seventh all-time in Gustavus women’s golf history.  The two-time All-Conference performer was also recently named to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-Region Team for the first time in her career.

Dittes will graduate from Gustavus this June with a degree in biology.  She carries a GPA of 3.83.

A staple member of the Gustavus women’s hockey team’s top line (both offense and defense) the past four years, Lindsey Hjelm was a force to be reckoned with whenever she touched the ice.  Hjelm concluded her senior season with a team-high 30 points on 14 goals and 16 assists.  She captained the Gusties to a fourth straight MIAC Regular Season Championship, MIAC Playoff Championship, and trip to the NCAA Championship Semifinals.  Gustavus finished the year with an NCAA record 27 wins, going 27-2-1 overall and 18-0-0 in the MIAC.  Hjelm was decorated as the MIAC Player-of-the-Year, D3hockey.com West Region Player-of-the-Year, an AHCA First Team All-American, a D3hockey.com First Team All-American, and the MIAC’s Shelia Brown Award winner.  The four-time All-Conference performer set program records for games played (120) and penalty minutes (224) while scoring a total of 110 career points on 48 goals and 62 assists.

Lindsey Hjelm

Alissa Tinkllenberg

Hjelm will also graduate in June with a degree in biology.  She holds a GPA of 3.79.

Already the most decorated women’s swimmer in Gustavus history, Alissa Tinklenberg added to her legacy with another standout season.  Tinklenberg led the Gustavus women’s swimming and diving team to its fourth consecutive MIAC Championship in 2013 after accounting for a school record 137 points at the meet.  Over the three-day meet, the junior captured gold in six events including the 400 individual medley, 100 and 200 backstroke, 200-free relay, 400-free relay, and 400-medley relay.  Following the meet, “Tink” was named the 2013 MIAC Women’s Swimmer-of-the-Year.  The Willmar, Minn. product didn’t stop there.  At the NCAA Championships in late-March, she turned in All-American performances in the 200 back (6th), 200-free relay (7th), and 400-medley relay (8th) to become a career seven-time All-American.  Tink was bestowed Gustavus Female Athlete-of-the-Month honors back-to-back months in February and March.

Tinklenberg is majoring in accounting and has a GPA of 3.75.

First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.

CoSIDA Release

Displaying the successes of the 2012-13 season.

St. Peter, Minn. - The Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey team put the finishing touches on what was another successful season Friday night when it held its annual postseason banquet in the Heritage Room of the Jackson Student Center.  The team voted on four awards, which were headlined by Lindsey Hjelm (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.).  Hjelm capped off her long list of senior season accolades by being voted the Andrea Peterson Most Valuable Player by her teammates.

The Most Valuable Player award is named after four-time AHCA All-American and four-time MIAC MVP Andrea Peterson `07.  Peterson played a total of 114 games, setting program records for career points (185) and assists (107), while also scoring a school record 32 goals during the 2004-05 season.

Lindsey Hjelm, already decorated with AHCA First Team All-America honors, D3hockey.com First Team All-America honors, the D3hockey.com West Region Player-of-the-Year, the MIAC Player-of-the-Year, the MIAC Shelia Brown Award, and her fourth straight All-MIAC selection, proved just how versatile and “valuable” she was on the ice in her final season wearing a Black and Gold sweater.  After scoring six points (2 G, 4 A) as a defender through the first 10 games of the year, Hjelm made the switch to forward in what proved to be a stroke of genius by head coach Mike Carroll.  She went on to score 24 points (12 G, 12 A) over the final 20 games of the season to finish with 30 points (14 G, 16 A) in her senior campaign.

A two-year captain, Hjelm leaves her mark in the Gustavus women’s hockey record books following her storied tenure in St. Peter.  Lindsey leaves as the all-time leader in games played (120) and penalty minutes (224), and is the 11th player to score 100 points in her career.  Hjelm finished with 48 goals and 62 assists for a total of 110 points, which ranks 10th on the all-time points list, just one behind Katie Deschneau `04.

The Molly Doyle Most Outstanding First-Year Player award is named after 2008 Gustavus graduate Molly Doyle, who turned in one of the best rookie seasons in the history of Gustavus women’s hockey.  Doyle scored 46 points on 19 goals and 27 assists during her debut year, ranking 10th all-time in season scoring.  She was named MIAC All-Conference and was a member of the MIAC All-Rookie team.  With a solid season of her own, Allison Eder-Zdechlik (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.) was honored with the award after being named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention team, as well as the MIAC All-Rookie team.

Eder-Zdechlik bolted on to the scene from the opening faceoff this season, recording a point in each of her first two collegiate games.  From there, the first-year went on to amass 13 more goals and nine more assists on her way to a 14-goal, 10-assist rookie season for a total of 24 points.  Eder-Zdechlik’s 24 points ranked eighth in the NCAA amongst rookies and second of all first-year players in the MIAC.

After scoring a total of 39 points through her freshman and sophomore seasons, Laura Stypulkowski `05 exploded for 36 points (13G, 23A) her junior year and 48 points (17G, 31A) her senior year.  An All-American in 2005 and a two-time All-MIAC performer, she ranks third in all-time scoring at Gustavus with 135 points (53G, 82A), thus stamping her mark on the Laura Stypulkowski Most Improved Player award.  This year’s recipient, Courtney Boucher (So., Hastings, Minn.), is a repeat award winner from a season ago when she earned the award as a first-year.

The 2012-13 seniors.

Boucher played in all 30 games in the 2012-13 campaign, scoring five goals to go along with four assists for a total of nine points.  The sophomore also registered a plus-minus rating of +8 on the year.  Her improvement throughout the season was displayed on the biggest stage of all at the end of the season in Superior, Wis. when the team competed in NCAA Championship weekend.  Although she did not register a point in either game, Boucher was a force on the ice against the best competition the Gusties had faced all year.

The last of the awards that were voted on by the team was the Laura Vannelli Most Inspirational Player award.  A key defender for the Gusties from 2004-to-2008, Laura Vannelli `08 exemplified a team player in the Gustavus women’s hockey program. A two-time captain during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns, Vannelli played selfless hockey on the Gustie blue line for four seasons, suiting up in a total of 111 games and scoring 42 career points (21G, 21A).

A pair of skaters received this year’s Most Inspirational Player award.  Kayla Ingbretson (Sr., Mound, Minn.) and Carolyn Draayer (So., Deephaven, Minn.) split the votes, causing a tie for the honor.  Ingbretson, who played in all 30 games in her senior season, was Gustavus’ representative on the women’s hockey All-MIAC Sportsmanship team this season after tallying two goals and three assists for a total five points and only served two minutes in the penalty box.

Draayer was named to the MIAC All-Conference Honorable Mention team following her 13 goal, seven assist effort this season.  To go along with her 20 points on the ice, Draayer also excelled off of it.  Given to the player with the highest grade point average who is competing at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships, the Elite 89 award for Division III women’s hockey landed in Draayer’s hands for her excellence as a communication studies major.

In addition to the team awards handed out at the banquet, Maddie Bergh (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.), Carolyn Draayer, Lindsey Hjelm, Leah Johnson (So., Chanhassen, Minn.), Kelsey Kennedy (Sr., Eagan, Minn.), and Heidi Korin (So., Corcoran, Minn.) were named National Scholar Athletes by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA).  National Scholar Athletes are recognized for their outstanding academic achievement while participating in collegiate women’s ice hockey.  To be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or above.

After cruising through the regular season to a 24-0-1 record, the first unbeaten season in the history of Gustavus women’s hockey, the Gusties finished the 2012-13 season with a record of 27-2-1 overall and 18-0-0 in the MIAC.  Gustavus captured its ninth consecutive MIAC regular season title before claiming its 10th straight MIAC Playoff championship.  Along the way, head coach Mike Carroll became just the second coach in NCAA Division III women’s hockey history to win 300 games and was named the MIAC Coach-of-the-Year for the sixth time in his decorated career.

In their 10th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Gusties advanced to the national semifinals for the fourth year in a row after defeating UW-River Falls 2-1 in the opening round.  From there, Gustavus went on to drop consecutive games in Superior, Wis. on championship weekend, the first of which was a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to the eventual national champion Elmira Eagles.  Gustavus then went on to fall at the hands of Plattsburgh State by the final score of 4-0 in the third place game and finish fourth in the country for the fourth consecutive time.

St. Peter, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey senior Lindsey Hjelm (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) added even more recognition to her already storied career on Tuesday when D3hockey.com released its All-America and All-Region awards.  Hjelm was named to the All-America First Team and was also crowned the West Region Player-of-the-Year following a senior season that saw the Gusties to their fourth straight trip to the NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Tournament semifinals.  Hjelm adds the distinctions to a list of awards already earned in her senior season, which includes AHCA First Team All-America, MIAC Player-of-the-Year, the MIAC Shelia Brown Award, and MIAC All-Conference.

A model of versatility and tenaciousness, Hjelm made the switch from defender to forward midway through the season, scoring 11 points in her first seven games following the switch.  On the season, Hjelm scored 14 goals (4th, MIAC) to go along with 16 assists (1st, MIAC) for a total of 30 points (2nd, MIAC) in her senior campaign.

The 30 points this season helped Hjelm become just the 11th player in Gustavus women’s hockey history to reach the 100-point mark in a career.  In her four-year tenure, the she has posted 48 goals and 62 assists for a total of 110 points.  A two-year captain, Hjelm also played in every game in her career, tallying an NCAA-record 120 games on the ice.

A two-time AHCA All-American and four-time MIAC All-Conference honoree, Hjelm garners her first D3hockey.com All-America award as well as becoming the first Gustavus player to ever win the West Region Player-of-the-Year crown.  The All-American teams are comprised of those individuals that receive the most votes of Sports Information Directors at Division III institutions that sponsor women’s ice hockey while the West All-Region teams and West Player-of-the-Year are determined by Sports Information Directors of West Region institutions that sponsor women’s hockey.

D3hockey.com Release

The Gustavus women's hockey team finished its season in fourth place (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14 - Gustavus Sports Information)

The Gustavus women's hockey team finished its season in fourth place (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14 - Gustavus Sports Information)

Superior, Wis. – The Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey concluded its season with a 4-0 loss to the State University of New York, Plattsburgh Saturday afternoon at Wessman Arena.  After the Gusties controlled possession for the entire first period, it was the Cardinals who were able to get on the scoreboard with a goal late in the frame.  Plattsburgh would not look back following the goal.  Gustavus finishes its season fourth in the nation with a record of 27-2-1, tied for the most wins in a season in NCAA history since the donning of the NCAA Championship era, which began in the 2001-02 season.  Likewise, Plattsburgh finishes with 27 wins and an overall record of 27-1-2.

After suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 loss in overtime less than 24 hours before, the Gusties came out and dominated a majority of the opening frame.  Gustavus outshot Plattsburgh 12-1 in the period, but the Cardinals made the most of their one opportunity by scoring to take a 1-0 lead.

Courtney Boucher (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14)

After Gustavus took back-to-back penalties that gave Plattsburgh a five-on-three advantage, Allison Era sniped a rocket into the top right corner of the net at the 15:45 mark.  Heavy traffic in front of the net screened Gustavus goaltender Lindsey Hibbard (Fy., Princeton, Minn.), marring her vision and aiding the puck into the back of the net.  From there, the two teams headed to the first intermission with the Cardinals leading 1-0.

“We knew we had a short turnaround and that we were going to need to recover quickly,” said Head Coach Mike Carroll of the minimal recovery time after last night’s contest.  “Our plan was to come out fast and try to get a couple right away – feed off that energy and let it carry us through.  Although the scoreboard didn’t indicate it, we did that.”

Plattsburgh added to their lead late in the second period when a defensive breakdown for Gustavus led to a two-on-one opportunity for the Cardinals.  Shannon Stewart took the first shot, which was stopped by Hibbard, but the rebound came out on the other post to Teal Gove with nobody near her.  The 2013 AHCA Player-of-the-Year made good on the open net and put Plattsburgh on top 2-0 with just 2:09 to play in the second period.

Carolyn Draayer (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14)

Plattsburgh went on to score two more goals in the third and final period to cap off the 4-0 win.  On the power play at the 9:03 mark, Jenny Kistner picked the puck out of the air and fired a strike from the left dot into the top right corner of the net to score Plattsburgh’s second power play goal of the game and take a 3-0 lead.  Seven minutes later, a rebound came off the pipe to a waiting Gove, who made good on her second goal of the game to put the Cardinals on top 4-0, which is where the score would stay until the final buzzer sounded.

“Plattsburgh has a great power play and today they took advantage,” mentioned Carroll.  “They capitalized on their opportunities and were the better team today.  I thought we did a lot of really good things.  Turnovers hurt us once again, but that’s all apart of hockey.  I feel bad for the seniors because they don’t have another opportunity, but our team will be just fine and this will give us incentive next year.”

For the game, the Gusties held the advantage in shots on goal with a tally of 25-11, but could not get the bounce they needed to find the back of the net.  Lindsey Hibbard suffered the loss in net for Gustavus after making seven saves and giving up four goals.  Sydney Aveson was the winning goalie following a 25-save shutout.

Maddie Bergh (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14)

As has become a custom in the last game of the season for any team at Gustavus, the Gusties were shown support throughout the entirety of the game, which came to a culmination in the last minute of the game.  With the outcome all but decided, the Gustavus student body present began chants of “Thank you seniors,” and the Gustie rouser, a class act that is indeed warranted for this year’s senior class of Jenna Christensen (Albert Lea, Minn.), Lindsey Hjelm (North Oaks, Minn.), Kayla Ingbretson (Mound, Minn.), Kelsey Kennedy (Eagan, Minn.), and Meagan Wanecke (Delafield, Wis.).

Following the game, captain Jenna Christensen had this to say about her fellow senior teammates, “I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to spend these four years with.  I think we did more than what was expected of us this season and although last night’s loss was disappointing, I couldn’t have shared this journey with a better group of teammates.”

Captains Lindsey Hjelm and Jenna Christensen (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14)

Fellow captain Lindsey Hjelm and Coach Carroll echoed Christensen’s thoughts of the team as a whole.  “This is the most memorable experience of my four years in this tournament,” said Hjelm.  “The progression that our team has continued to make at this level demonstrates the direction our program is headed.  This weekend was a great example of the type of hockey the west is capable of.  I have complete confidence in Gustavus moving forward and am proud to have played four years here.”

“For its chemistry and coachability, this team is number one,” said Carroll about where this team ranks during his tenure at Gustavus.  “I told the girls in the locker room that if someone would have told me at the beginning of the season that we were going to lose just two games, I would have told them they were nuts.  Once the dust settles, were are going to have an awful lot to be proud of.  Our leadership this season was incredible and that made my job really easy and really fun.  I can’t say enough about this group.”

The NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Committee selected the following players to the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship All-Tournament Team following Saturday’s Championship.

Goaltender: Lauren Sullivan, Elmira
Defense: Lindsey Hjelm, Gustavus Adolphus
Defense: Heather Marrison, Middlebury
Forwawrd: Jenny Kistner, Plattsburgh
Forward: Ashley Ryan, Elmira
Forward: Taylor Steadman, Elmira

Box Score

Post-Game Presser

Gustavus student's cheering on the Gusties in last night's semifinal game against Elmira.

Gustavus student's cheering on the Gusties in last night's semifinal game against Elmira.

Superior, Wis. - The Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey team will face Plattsburgh State in the NCAA Third Place game on Saturday, March 16 at 3:30 p.m.  Plattsburgh State and Gustavus, being the top two seeds in the NCAA Tournament, lost in their respective semifinal contests yesterday.  The Cardinals fell to Middlebury 4-1 in the first semifinal, and Gustavus fell to Elmira 4-3 in overtime in the nightcap.

Both Gustavus and Plattsburgh enter today’s game with just one loss on the year.  Gustavus is 27-1-1 and Plattsburgh is 26-1-2.  Today’s contest is a rematch of last year’s third place game in which the Cardinals skated to a 4-3 overtime victory in Rochester, N.Y.

Live video and live stats will be available for today’s game.

12:33 a.m. – It is at this point that I can finally bring myself to write about what transpired at Wessman Arena tonight.  Heartbreaking is the only way to describe it.

Tyler met me near the press box during the Middlebury versus Plattsburgh game.  I was taking notes on the game for a colleague from USCHO.com.  Middlebury’s upset win over unbeaten Plattsburgh proved that anything is possible in this tournament.

Following the opening game of the day, the anticipation began to build for the Gustavus versus Elmira matchup.  Gustie fans began pouring into the arena and before long, everywhere you looked there was black and gold.  I was able to chat briefly with Tom and Shirley Doyle, the grandparents of junior forward Melissa Doyle.  Tom and Shirley are two of the Gustavus women’s hockey team’s most devoted fans.  They tune into each and every one of Tyler and I’s broadcasts.  The pair made the trip to Rochester last year so it was great to see them at the finals once more.

Tyler and I posted up in the stands beside the press box for the game.  From there we took notes, updated our social media pages, and acted calm and collected while in reality we were a pair of nervous wrecks.

The puck dropped and we were locked in the moment.  For Tyler’s complete recap of the game, follow the link below.

 http://athletics.blog.gustavus.edu/2013/03/16/heartbreak-in-superior-womens-hockey-falls-in-overtime-4-3-to-elmira-in-ncaa-semifinals/

I won’t comment a whole lot about the game aside from a few quick things.  First off, hats off to Elmira.  Whenever it looked like the Soaring Eagles were dead in the water, they found a way to claw back.  The game-tying goal while shorthanded may go down as the greatest play in program history.  Second, although this one hurts, Gustavus has to be proud of its effort tonight.  The gals left it on the ice and that’s something to take pride in.

Gustavus can also be proud of the support shown by the students and fans who made the trek to Superior for the weekend.  “Lets go Gusties” chants were heard throughout the game, fueling the energy in the arena for everyone in attendance.

Following the game, I escorted Coach Carroll and Lindsey Hjelm to the post-game press conference room.  Both  fielded a few questions and that was it – short and sweet.  Tyler said to me after the presser, “Lindsey Hjelm still finds ways to impress me.”  I agree completely with him. Hjelm’s focus in the press conference was on tomorrow’s game.  She said that although the loss stung, it is back to work tomorrow one more time for her and her fellow seniors.  Lindsey, like Gustavus student-athletes tend to do, handled herself with class even in the face of the most gut-wrenching loss of her career.

Tyler, Dan, and I drove back to hotel in the snow where we got to work writing, editing, and now, blogging.

The team is scheduled for breakfast at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow once again.  We head over to the rink after that for the third place game against Plattsburgh State set to take place at 3:30 p.m.  Both teams went into this tournament unbeaten with visions of the perfect season in their dreams.  Those dreams came to an end today but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to play for.  Both teams have a chance to end their season with a win and finish the year with only one loss.

Gustavus Sports Information Director Ethan Armstrong will be with the Gustavus women’s hockey team at the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Championship finals this weekend in Superior, Wisconsin.  He will be blogging periodically throughout Gustavus’ stay in Superior.

Senior Jenna Christensen scored Gustavus' first goal of the night. (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14 - Gustavus Sports Information)

Senior Jenna Christensen scored Gustavus' first goal of the night. (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14 - Gustavus Sports Information)

Superior, Wis. – Heartbreak does not begin to describe the scene for the Gustavus women’s hockey team at Wessman Arena following a 4-3 overtime loss to Elmira in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Tournament on Friday night.  The Gusties held a 3-2 lead deep into the third period, but could not hold on as the Soaring Eagles came back to score two unanswered goals in the third period and overtime to capture the 4-3 victory and advance to the championship game tomorrow night.  Gustavus suffers its first loss of the season and drops to 27-1-1, while Elmira improves to 23-5-1.

An evenly contested first period gave way to an Elmira goal with just 1:47 left in the opening frame.  Ashton Hogan forced a Gustavus turnover at the right circle, brought the puck in front of the net, and made a move to beat Gustavus goaltender Lindsey Hibbard (Fy., Princeton, Minn.) through the five-hole to take the early 1-0 lead.

Junior Melissa Doyle (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14)

The Gusties came out firing in the second period, creating a number of opportunities within the opening minutes.  The pinnacle of those opportunities came just prior to the two minute mark when Emily Reibert (Fy., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) found herself alone on the doorstep with an open net in front of her.  The pass intended for Reibert came through the crease where Elmira goaltender Lauren Sullivan was able to get just enough of her stick on the puck to send it barely over the top of Reibert’s stick and divert the Gustavus chance.

The Gusties kept the pressure on throughout the remainder of the second period, scoring two goals.  The Gustie women got their first when senior captain Jenna Christensen (Sr., Albert Lea, Minn.) picked off a pass at her own blue line, giving herself a breakaway opportunity.  Christensen’s shot deflected off the pad of Sullivan and trickled into the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1 just 2:44 into the second.

The Gusties celebrate their first goal (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14)

Gustavus’s second goal came on a blue-collar play in front of the goal.  Melissa Doyle (Jr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) brought the puck from the corner along the goal line towards the net and fired a shot from point blank range that was saved by Sullivan.  Kelsey Kennedy (Sr., Eagan, Minn.) came up with the rebound and let one fly, but her shot was also saved.  Finally, Lindsey Hjelm (Sr., North Oaks, Minn.) scooped up the rebound and saw an open net in front of her.  Hjelm didn’t let the opportunity go to waste, burying the puck in the back of the net to give Gustavus a 2-1 lead.

However, Elmira had the answer at the 14:01 mark.  A breakdown on the blue line for the Gusties resulted in a turnover in their own zone, which in turn led to a one-on-one opportunity for Ashley Ryan on Hibbard.  Ryan deked Hibbard into the butterfly to create the space she needed to put the puck in the back of the net.  The goal tied the game at two apiece, which is where it would stay headed to the second intermission.

Gustavus cranked up the heat again in the third period.  The Gusties peppered Sullivan with more quality looks at the net, including a chance from the slot for Courtney Boucher (So., Hastings, Minn.).  With Sullivan extended in the butterfly on the left post, the puck deflected out to Boucher in the slot with a clean look at an open net.  An outstanding defensive play from an Elmira defender deflected Boucher’s shot up into the netting and the go-ahead goal was averted.

Amanda Cartony celebrates her go ahead goal (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14)

Just one minute after Boucher’s chance, the Gusties got the go ahead goal they were looking for from Amanda Cartony (Jr., Stillwater, Minn.).  Cartony’s former high school teammate Allison Eder-Zdechlik (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.) started the play by taking the puck into the corner, drawing three defenders, and then leaving it off for Hjelm behind the net.  Hjelm then lost her footing, but was able to make a centering pass from her knees to a wide open Cartony who one-timed a slap shot into the top right corner of the goal to give Gustavus the go ahead score with 8:20 to play.

With 3:23 left in the game, Elmira was called for a holding penalty, giving Gustavus the two-minute skater advantage.  However, the tides turned on the Gusties when a turnover in the neutral zone led to an advantage for the Eagles.  Ashley Ryan came up with the puck and chipped it off the glass to herself to create a two-on-one advantage.  Ryan centered the pass in front to Tanis Lamoureux who put it away to tie the game 3-3 with just 2:51 remaining.

Neither team was able to score for the remainder of regulation, which sent the game into overtime.  Gustavus again came out and controlled the opening minutes of the overtime period.  However, it was another turnover in the neutral zone that led to the game-winning goal for the Eagles.  Cassidy Delainey was on the receiving end of the turnover that created a two player breakaway for Elmira.  Delainey gave the puck ahead to her teammate Sam Curk, who had only Hibbard to beat.  Curk deked once and netted the puck to give the Eagles the victory with only :38 seconds left in the first overtime.

Sophomore Carolyn Draayer (Photo courtesy of Dan Coquyt `14)

“It was a heck of a hockey game,” stated Head Coach Mike Carroll.  “You have to hand it to Elmira for staying the course and finding a way to win.  I’m proud of our kids – I thought they played their hearts out tonight.  It’s a bitter pill to swallow but we have a great group here and I’m proud of the way they competed and battled to the very end.”

For the game, Gustavus outshot Elmira 41-26, including the advantage in all four periods.  Between the pipes for the Gusties, Lindsey Hibbard recorded 22 saves while giving up four goals in the loss.  Her counterpart, Lauren Sullivan notched 38 saves and gave up three goals in the win.

The Gusties will be back in action tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in the third place game at Wessman Arena.  Gustavus will take on Plattsburgh State, who lost 4-1 to Middlebury in the first semifinal earlier on Friday afternoon.

“It was amazing to have the support from so many fans tonight,” Hjelm acknowledged of the large Gustavus following.  She finished, “It’s an honor to be here and certainly nobody wants their run to end like that in a game like that, but the beauty is that we have another game tomorrow.  Like I reminded my teammates, this should sting and it does, but it’s not done.  There is an opportunity tomorrow and we’re going to come out and play hard.”

Box Score

5:28 p.m. - Good afternoon everybody, Tyler here.  Ethan handed the blog over to me for the pregame post.  It’s comparable to the boss handing you the keys to his sports car, pretty exciting stuff.  After bowling this morning and enjoying some downtime at the hotel, we headed to the VIP (Vintage Italian Pizza) for the pregame meal of pasta and breadsticks at 3:30 p.m.

If there is anything to be learned from the pregame meal, it’s the way to the women’s hockey team’s hearts: bread.  This was made evident following a comment from senior Meagan Wanecke.  One bite into her breadstick, Meags put it simply by saying, “If anybody doesn’t want their breadstick, I’m your girl!”  For the record, I had two of them because they were so good.  Job well done VIP, the meal was much appreciated.

It was back to the bus for a short ride over to the rink following the pregame meal.  What once was a giddy group of college girls quickly became a team of intense, determined hockey players.  Headphones and straight faces came on as the Gusties began preparing for this afternoon’s semifinal matchup with Elmira.  I couldn’t help but feel a chill run up my spine as the excitement and emotion of game day started to come over me.

We arrived at the Wessman Arena a few minutes after 4:00 p.m. where Middlebury is holding a 2-0 lead over Plattsburgh State at the end of the second period.  We were greeted by our host, Michelle, for the weekend and the team entered to begin their warm-up rituals.  By the way, Michelle has been an outstanding host during our time here.  Now is the time that each player undergoes their own unique pregame routines to get themselves ready.

I made my way up to the press box where I was greeted by Ethan with his famous phrase, “C’mon!  Let’s get it going!”  He has been here for the duration of the first game this afternoon, which has him in the mood for some Gustie hockey.

We are about two hours from puck drop here in Superior, and emotions are beginning to run high.  Parents wearing the Black and Gold are beginning to fill the seats, it sure is nice to be close to home.  If you’re not able to make it up to Superior for tonight’s 7:00 p.m. opening faceoff, you can still follow all of the action by watching the live video or live stats links below.

Live Video  |  Live Stats

The clock is winding down on the first semifinal with Middlebury now holding a 2-1 lead after a third period goal for Plattsburgh.  Time to go prep for tonight’s game.  Go Gusties!

1:03 p.m. – Hey everyone, welcome back to the women’s hockey travel blog – day two edition.  The team was up and having breakfast by 9:50 a.m. this morning.  The hotel catered a terrific spread just a short walk from our rooms.  An interesting note from breakfast relates to morning attire.  Beth Olson is probably going to be mad at me for mentioning this but it’s still a funny story.  As Tyler and I were eating with Beth and Meagan Wanecke, Tyler noticed that everyone on the team was dressed in some sort of Gustavus garb (hoodie, crew, sweatpants, shirt, etc.).  Everyone aside from Beth that is.  Being a Warroad, Minn. native, Beth instead chose to represent…wait for it…a deer.  Yep, she donned a crew sweatshirt with a ten-point buck on it.  You probably had to be there to find this funny but it was a pretty comical observation from this morning.  To her credit, the sweatshirt perfectly matches her blaze orange and camouflage iPhone case.

After breakfast the team loaded the bus and headed to the bowling alley.  Yes indeed, the Gusties channeled their inner Kelly Kulick this morning.  The squad divided into teams of four separated by their positions.  The left wings, centers, right wings, defenders, and goalies broke up into equal teams and battled it out for two games.  I bowled on the same lane as Tyler, Dan, and Kirstin Peterson, while coach Carroll, his wife, Terri, Steve Carroll, and Mitch Bockenstedt bowled beside us.

Bowling styles ranged from the two-handed shovel of Keri Pickel to the smooth delivery of Maddie Bergh.  From what I could see, and I’ll probably find out from someone if I’m wrong, the centers took the title.  Courtney Boucher turned in the high score amongst the players, while Steve garnered the Big Lebowski MVP award with a score of 194 in his final game.

The team is now back at the hotel for a little down time before heading to lunch at 3:20. After lunch it is over to the rink.  Plattsburgh State takes on Middlebury at 3:30 p.m. in the first semifinal game.  This team is all about routine and sticking to what has got them to this point so far.  To stick with their routine, it sounds like pasta is on the menu this afternoon.

On a side note, I received a very cool email from Gustavus men’s and women’s golf head coach Scott Moe this afternoon.  The picture you see below is of Scott’s wife, Sarah, and Allison Cubberley.  Sarah is a former Gustavus women’s hockey player and is one of the all-time greats in the history of the program.  She still ranks second in scoring at Gustavus with 144 career points.  Allison Cubberley is her current roommate in Brampton, Ontario.  Brampton is where Sarah and Allison are currently playing on a professional women’s hockey team as a part of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL).  What’s interesting about the picture, and the pairing for that matter, is that Allison is a 2009 graduate of Elmira.  The Gustie and Soaring Eagle will be watching tonight’s semifinal game together in Brampton – Sarah in her black and gold and Allison in her purple and gold.

Gustavus grad Sarah Moe and Elmira grad Allison Cubberley will be tuning into tonight’s semifinal game tonight from Brampton, Ontario.

As it happens, Afton Goebel of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference just released a terrific article on Sarah’s experience playing professional hockey. Check it out via the link below.

http://www.miac-online.org/news/2013/3/14/WHOCKEY_0314131031.aspx

That’s it for right now.  I will be checking back in at the rink.  For more information on tonight’s game, below is the link to Tyler’s game notes and UW-Superior’s game day release.

Gustavus Game Notes

UW-Superior NCAA Championship Release

Gustavus Sports Information Director Ethan Armstrong will be with the Gustavus women’s hockey team at the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Championship finals this weekend in Superior, Wisconsin.  He will be blogging periodically throughout Gustavus’ stay in Superior.  To signify when Ethan installs a new post, a chronological number (i.e. I, II, III) will be placed at the end of each headline.

Check out the photo gallery that Dan Coquyt will keep adding to as the weekend continues.

Photo Gallery

10:14 p.m. – Tyler, Dan, and I are back in our hotel room working on piecing together the happenings of tonight’s NCAA Championship Banquet held on the campus of UW-Superior in the Yellowjacket Union.

At 6:10 p.m., the members of the team strolled into the hotel lobby dressed to the nines and ready to walk the red carpet.  After a short ride to campus, the Gusties were directed to the pre-banquet social where they took a team picture (featured below) and were on their own to mingle amongst the other competing players, coaches, family, and friends in attendance.  Mingling to the girls meant picture time.  Much like the red carpet, flashes were popping and the ladies got a small taste of what Jennifer Lawrence’s life is now like.

After the picture taking concluded, everyone was moved into the dining hall and the banquet began.  Tonight’s master of ceremonies was Tom Hansen, the sports director at the Northland News Center in Duluth.

I was seated at a table along with Tyler, Dan, our Athletic Director Tom Brown, Tom’s wife Dawn, the parents of Lindsey Hjelm, Rick and Melanie, and also Lindsey’s grandmother, Shirley.  We couldn’t have picked a better table to be seated at – you’ll find out why a little later.

After dinner, a member from each of the four participating schools introduced their team and addressed the audience.  Lindsey Hjelm was Gustavus’s representative.  Lindsey being Lindsey, she knocked it out of the park.  Hjelm congratulated the competing teams and spoke a great deal about taking advantage of the moment.  Staying true to her Minnesota roots, Hjelm quoted the legendary coach Herb Brooks, stating, “You can’t be common, the common man goes nowhere; you have to be uncommon.”

After introductions, it was time for the awards portion of the night.  William Kronschnabel, the commissioner of the NCHA, announced the AHCA All-America Team, the Laura Hurd Award, and the Coach-of-the-Year Award.  Highlighting this segment for the Gusties was Lindsey Hjelm and Kelsey Kennedy.  Hjelm was named a First Team All-American for the second straight year, and Kennedy was named to the Second Team for the first time in her career.  The versatile Hjelm adds yet another accolade to her trophy case, while her smooth-skating teammate is rewarded for her efforts as Gustavus’s rock on the blue line.  Plattsburgh State’s Teal Gove, the nation’s leading scorer, was named the Laura Hurd Player-of-the-Year, and her coach, Kevin Houle was named the Coach-of-the-Year.

For more details on the AHCA All-America Team, check out Tyler’s release via the link below.  You should also now know why it was so fun to sit next the Hjelm family.

http://athletics.blog.gustavus.edu/2013/03/15/womens-hockey-players-lindsey-hjelm-kelsey-kennedy-named-to-ahca-all-america-teams/

To cap off the night, Gustavus’s Carolyn Draayer was named the recipient of the 2013 NCAA Elite 89 award for the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Championship.  The Elite 89 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.  Draayer carries a 3.972 GPA in communication studies…not too bad.  Gustavus has laid claim to this award since its inception at the 2010 NCAA Championship.  Draayer joins Nara Higano (2010), Sarah Yungner (2011), and Marah Sobczak (2012) in the club of Elite 89 winners from Gustavus

To read more about Draayer’s award and to hear from her academic advisor, check out the link below.

http://athletics.blog.gustavus.edu/2013/03/15/carolyn-draayer-earns-elite-89-award-at-ncaa-womens-hockey-championship-banquet/

Following NCAA protocol, Tom Brown, Mike Carroll, Mitch Bockenstedt, and myself attended the pre-tournament meeting after the banquet.  Each school is represented by its head coach, athletic director, athletic trainer, and sports information director at the meeting.  The ins and outs of the weekend spanning topics from skate sharpening to media protocol is gone through at the meeting.  After 30 minutes, it’s back to the hotel for the rest of the night.

When I meet up with Tyler at the hotel he is busy getting quotes from our award winners.  After that, it’s back to the room and back to work.

Here are a couple more notes from tonight.  Props to the staff at UW-Superior for putting together such an amazing banquet and dinner.  Everyone from Gustavus was so truly impressed and appreciative of such an outstanding effort.  Congrats once again to tonight’s award winners, Lindsey, Kelsey, and Carolyn.

It is to bed for us.  Tyler informed me that the tattoos are back and that they have been supplied to the team from former goaltender Danielle Justice, who apparently shipped them to Superior from New Zealand, where she is currently traveling.  Temporary tattoos have been tradition of Gustauvs’s at the finals the past several seasons and this year is no different.  Look for a big dragon/flower/cartoon/etc. on the necks of the players tomorrow.

Gustavus Sports Information Director Ethan Armstrong will be with the Gustavus women’s hockey team at the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Championship finals this weekend in Superior, Wisconsin.  He will be blogging periodically throughout Gustavus’ stay in Superior.  To signify when Ethan installs a new post, a chronological number (i.e. I, II, III) will be placed at the end of each headline.

The below photos are courtesy of Dave Harwig of viewthroughmylens.net and Dan Coquyt of Gustavus.