2005 Gustavus women’s hockey team
Gusties Will Face Middlebury in National Semifinals
The Gustavus women’s hockey team will face familiar foe Middlebury College in the NCAA Division III Championship semifinals on Friday, March 18 at 3:30 pm (Eastern Standard Time) at the Murray Athletic Center in Elmira, New York. The two teams matched up earlier this season in River Falls, Wisconsin and Middlebury defeated the Gusties 4-3 in overtime. Gustavus advanced to the Frozen Four with a 3-0 win over UW-Stevens Point in Stevens Point this past Saturday, while Middlebury advanced by knocking off Manhattanville 3-2 in overtime at home last Friday night. Gustavus enters the weekend with an overall record of 24-3-1, while Middlebury brings an indentical 24-3-1 mark into the semifinal matchup. The winner of the Gustavus/Middlebury game on Friday will play the winner of the Elmira/Plattsburgh State winner on Saturday at 7:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time) in the national championship game.
Broadcast:
The game will be broadcast over the internet through Teamline Audio. The link to the broadcast is http://www.teamline.cc/teampages.php?teamcode=3943. You can also listen to the broadcast over the telephone by calling 1-800-846-4700. There is no cost to listen to the broadcast.
Head Coach Mike Carroll:
Gustavus Adolphus coach Mike Carroll has a 124-39-9 career record in his sixth season with the Gusties. Carroll was this season’s MIAC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He guided Gustavus to its second consecutive MIAC Playoff title and its third MIAC regular season championship this season.
Gustavus in the NCAA Tournament:
This will be the Gusties third appearance in the four-year history of the NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Tournament. Gustavus has compiled a record of 3-2-0 in those three appearances. The game-by-game results are: 2002 – Quarterfinals – Gustavus 2 St. Mary’s 0, Semifinals – Elmira 8 Gustavus 5, Consolation – Gustavus 2 Bowdoin – 1; 2004 – Quarterfinals – UW-Stevens Point 3 Gustavus 2 (2 ot); 2005 – Quarterfinals – Gustavus 3 UW-Stevens Point 0.
Gustie Update:
Gustavus will be making its second appearance in the NCAA Division III Final Four. The Gusties finished third in 2002 in the first ever NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship which was also held in Elmira, New York. Gustavus lost to host Elmira 8-5 in the semifinals that year and then defeated Bowdoin 2-1 in the third place game. The Gusties hold an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 3-2-0 after defeating UW-Stevens Point 3-0 last Saturday.
Coach Mike Carroll’s squad has won 16 of its last 18 games since losing to Middlebury 4-3 in overtime on January 7 in River Falls, Wisconsin. During that stretch, the Gusties have outscored their opponents 105-27.
Tournament Notes:
The 3-0 win by Gustavus at Stevens Point last Saturday is only the second win by a road team in NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Tournament history. Home teams are 15-2 in the four-year history of the event.
There are no newcomers in this year’s final four group. Elmira will be making its third appearance(2002, 2003, 2005), while Gustavus (2002, 2005), Plattsburgh State (2004, 2005), and Middlebury (2004, 2005) will all be making their second appearance.
Elmira will be hosting the championship finals for the third time in the four-year history of the tournament. The Soaring Eagles won the title in 2002 and 2003, before Middlebury stepped in and won the title last year.
Team Notes:
The Gusties set a school record for wins in a season when they picked up their 24th victory against the Pointers last Saturday. The 2000-01 and 2001-02 squads had each finished with 23 wins.
Gustavus has trailed a total of 141:46 this season with 73:48 of that coming in losses to UW-Stevens Point and Middlebury. The Gusties trailed for 22:23 of the 4-3 overtime loss to the Panthers and for 51:25 of the 5-1 loss to the Pointers.
Coach Mike Carroll’s squad leads the country in penalty killing, having allowed just three power play goals in 121 shorthanded situations this season. The Gusties have allowed only one power play goal in their last 17 games.
Gustavus ranks second in the nation in team scoring with an average of 5.29 goals per game (148 goals in 28 games). The 148 goals is the third highest single season team total in school history.
Four Gusties are ranked in the top 10 in Division III in scoring including Andrea Peterson in second at 2.11 points per game, Kelly Crandall in sixth at 1.68 ppg, Laura Stypulkowski in seventh at 1.64 ppg, and Molly Doyle in 10th at 1.57 ppg.
Gustavus ranks fourth in Division III in scoring defense allowing 1.21 goals per game (34 goals in 28 games). The Gusties have set a school record for shutouts in a season with 13.
The Gusties have tied a school record for power play goals in a season with 30. The team has scored at least one power play goal in in 19 of its 28 games. Kelly Crandall leads the team in power play goals with nine.
Gustavus has compiled a record of 159-58-10 (.722) in the eight-year history of its women’s hockey program.
Scouting the Panthers
Middlebury, the defending national champions, won the NESCAC regular season title with a mark of 14-1-1 and then earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the NESCAC Post-Season Tournament. The Panthers defeated Williams 4-1 in the semifinals and Bowdoin 5-1 in the championship. Middlebury then slipped past Manhattanville 3-2 in overtime at home in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament last Friday night.
Middlebury is led by junior forward Emily Quizon who has compiled 16 goals and 36 assists for 52 points. Senior forward Lorna Gifis is the team’s leading goal scorer with 25. Gifis has also picked up 18 assists for a total of 43 points. Junior Kate Kogut has been strong in the nets for the Panthers as she has posted a mark of 17-3-1 with a 1.45 GAA and a .931 save percentage.
The Series
Middlebury leads the all-time series with Gustavus with a record of 6-0-0. The Panthers beat the Gusties 4-3 in overtime on January 9 in River Falls, Wisconsin. Middlebury has outscored Gustavus 34-5 in the previous six meetings. Five of the six meetings have taken place during the regular season. This will be the second meeting between the two teams in the post-season, as Middlebury defeated Gustavus 6-0 in the Women’s Collegiate Hockey Alliance Division III Championship game in Rochester, New York in March of 2001.
Individual Notes:
Senior forward Laura Stypulkowski (White Bear Lake, Minn.) enters the weekend as the second leading scorer in school history with 133 points (52g, 81a). Her 81 career assists rank first all-time for the Gusties.
Sophomore defender Andrea Peterson (Vadnais Heights, Minn.) leads Division III in scoring with 30 goals and 29 assists for 59 points. She scored two goals and recorded one assist against UW-Stevens Point last Saturday which allowed her to break the school record for points in a season with 59. Peterson has been named the MIAC Player of the Year each of the last two seasons.
Sophomore Kelly Crandall (Plymouth, Minn.) is the Gusties second leading scorer with 21 goals and 29 assists for 50 points. Crandall had scored at least one point in 24 consecutive games until she was held without a point last Saturday.
Forward Molly Doyle (Eagan, Minn.) ranks first in Division III in scoring by a freshman with 17 goals and 26 assists for 43 points. Doyle tallied the gamewinner against UW-Stevens Point last Saturday.
Sophomore forward Ingrid Neve (St. Paul, Minn.) ranks fifth on the team in scoring with 18 goals and 17 assists for 35 points. A two-time all-conference honoree, Neve has tallied 76 points (39g, 37a) in the past two seasons.
Junior defender Abby Randall (Tonka Bay, Minn.) is a three-time all-conference selection. She ranks second on the team in plus/minus rating with a +33.
Sophomore goaltender Kara Meyer (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) has posted a record of 6-1-0 in the team’s last seven games with a goals against average of 1.30 and a save percentage of .897. On the season, Meyer is 12-2-1 with a goals against average of 1.56 and a save percentage of .891.