The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team will face Saint Mary’s in the MIAC semifinal game Thursday night at 7 p.m. in St. Peter. The Gusties, who are currently ranked #6 in the USCHO.com national poll as of February 28, have an overall record 21-3-1 and 17-1-0 in the league. MIAC Coach of the Year Mike Carroll’s squad is led in scoring by MIAC Player of the Year Andrea Peterson with 51 points (25g, 26a). Kelly Crandall (19g, 27a — 46 points), Laura Stypulkowski (16g, 29a — 45 points), and Molly Doyle (16g, 26a — 42 points) have all eclipsed the 40-point plateau this season for Gustavus. Goaltender Kara Meyer has started 12 games for the Gusties while tallying an overall record of 10-2-1 and an 88.9 save percentage.
Saint Mary’s beat Augsburg on the road in the quarterfinals of the MIAC tournament Tuesday 3-1. Saint Mary’s enters Thursday night with an overall record of 11-12-3 and a league mark of 7-8-3. The Cardinals are led in scoring by Melissa Mondo with 15 points (9g, 6a), while Rachel Harrison (6g, 8a — 14 points) and Jenn Shire (4g, 8a — 12 points) also lead Saint Mary’s offensively. Goaltender Nikki Jung has started 19 of 22 games for the Cardinals and garnered a 93.1 save percentage.
Gustavus leads the all-time series against Saint Mary’s with a 14-5-3 record. The Gusties swept the Cardinals during the regular season, winning 4-0 in Winona and 6-0 in St. Peter. The last time Gustavus lost to Saint Mary’s was a 2-1 loss in the 2002 MIAC Championship game. Since their 2002 defeat, the Gusties have put together a record of 5-0-1 against Saint Mary’s including four shutouts while outscoring the Cardinals 21-4 during this six-game span.
The winner of Gustavus versus Saint Mary’s will play the winner of Saint Olaf against Saint Thomas in the MIAC championship game on Saturday. The game Saturday will be played at the site of the highest remaining seed.
Gustavus Game Notes
^ The Gustavus women’s hockey team won its fourth MIAC regular season title with a record of 17-1-0. The Gusties have won three MIAC titles in the past five years.
^ Gustavus sophomore defender Andrea Peterson was named MIAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and Mike Carroll was named MIAC Coach of the Year. Peterson led the MIAC in scoring with 20 goals and 21 assists for 41 points. She ranks second in scoring in Division III with 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points.
^ The Gusties had their 33-game MIAC winning streak snapped in a 2-1 loss at St. Thomas last Saturday night.
^ This will be the Gusties sixth consecutive appearance in the MIAC Playoffs. They have compiled a record of 8-4-2 overall including a mark of 5-0-1 on their home ice. Gustavus won the MIAC Playoff Championship last season with a 3-2 win over St. Thomas in St. Paul.
^ Gustavus has been ranked in the USCHO.com Division III top ten the entire season. Coach Mike Carroll’s squad is currently ranked #6. They have been ranked as high as #2.
^ The Gusties, who are averaging 5.5 goals per game, have outscored their opponents 137-31 this season.
^ Gustavus has been quite stingy on the power play allowing only two power play goals in 109 opportunities this season.
^ All three of the Gusties losses this season have come against teams ranked in the USCHO.com top ten. They suffered a 4-3 overtime loss to #3 Middlebury, a 5-1 loss to #5 UW-Stevens Point, and a 2-1 loss to #8 St. Thomas.
^ The Gusties, who are currently 21-3-1, have posted four 20-win seasons in the past five years. Over the past five years, Gustavus has compiled an overall record of 103-29-14 for a winning percentage of .753. The Gusties have posted a record of 78-9-5 in the MIAC during that same stretch for a winning percentage of .875.