2007-08 MIAC Women’s Hockey Player of the Year
Molly Doyle is a four-time all-conference selection.
2007-08 Sheila Brown Award Recipient Laura Vannelli.
Kirstin Peterson was one of two first-year players in the league to be named to the All-MIAC team.
Four Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey players have been named All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference by a vote of the league’s coaches. Seniors Stefanie Ubl (Blaine, Minn.) and Molly Doyle (Eagan, Minn.) were recognized, as was junior Mari Gunderson (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) and first-year Kirstin Peterson (St. Paul, Minn./Hill-Murray). Ubl was also named MIAC Player of the Year. In addition, senior Laura Vannelli (Apple Valley, Minn./Eagan), junior Jenny Pusch (Minneapolis, Minn./Holy Angels) and sophomores Melissa Mackley (Burnsville, Minn.) and Breanna Scavo (Blaine, Minn./North St. Paul) were Honorable Mention All-MIAC selections. First year players Allie Harwood (Rochester, Minn./Mayo), Kelsey Johnson (Stillwater, Minn.), and Peterson were named to the MIAC All-Rookie Team.
Ubl, a first-time all-league selection in 2008 and two-time honorable mention selection, is the team’s top-scorer with 30 points on 14 goals and 16 assists. Ubl leads the Gusties with five power-play goals and leads Division III in points by a defender at 1.30 per game. She was named MIAC Player of the Week on February 4 after compiling three goals and two assists in a sweep of Augsburg. Ubl has compiled 34 goals and 40 assists during her three-year career after transferring from the University of North Dakota, and is the third Gustavus player to earn the award.
Doyle, a four-time All-MIAC selection and 2006 All-American, is tied for second on the team with 21 points on nine goals and 12 assists. Doyle recorded two goals and two assists in a series sweep of St. Catherine. She is one of 12 players to play in 100 career games at Gustavus. Her 130 career points rank fifth all-time at Gustavus, while she also ranks third in goals (67) and fourth in assists (63). Doyle is one of three Gustavus women’s hockey players to earn all-conference honors in each year of her career.
Gunderson, a first-teamer in 2006 and 2008 and honorable mention selection in 2007, is tied with Doyle at 21 points on 15 goals and six assists. Gunderson’s 14 conference goals rank second in the MIAC. She garnered MIAC Player of the Week honors on November 19 after posting four goals and an assist in a sweep over Hamline. She scored the only hat trick of the season with three goals, including a power-play and a short-handed goal, in a 10-1 road win against the Pipers.
Peterson, one of two first-year players to be named to the All-MIAC and All-Rookie team, finished the regular season fifth on the team in scoring at 17 points on two goals and 15 assists. She was tied for second in the MIAC in defense scoring at one goal and ten assists and seventh among first-year players. Her defensive play helped Gustavus hold conference opponents to 0.67 goals per game.
Two-year captain Laura Vannelli was selected as an honorable mention pick this season, anchoring a defense that is first in Division III allowing 0.92 goals per game. Vannelli tallied four goals and seven assists during the regular season. She earned MIAC Player of the Week on December 17 as she scored the game-tying goal against UW-Superior in a 2-1 decision. Vannelli’s 108 career games rank eighth in Gustavus history, despite missing four games this season due to a concussion. She had played in 87 consecutive games prior to the injury.
Vannelli was also selected as the 2007-08 Sheila Brown Award recipient. The award is given to a senior who has made a long-term contribution to her team’s success and who has consistently competed with good sportsmanship. Vannelli was selected as the recipient based on four main criteria 1) Team Leadership; 2) Sportsmanship and volunteer work; 3) Academic Excellence; 4) Hockey skills and production. She was also named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team.
Pusch, a two-time honorable mention selection in 2006 and 2008, was an All-MIAC selection in 2007. Pusch is ninth on the team in scoring with 15 points on six goals and nine assists. She has four power-play goals and two game-winners on the season. Pusch recorded a power-play and a short-handed goal in a 6-1 win over St. Olaf on December 7. She also scored the game-winning goal in a 4-2 decision against St. Thomas in January.
Mackley is an honorable mention selection after being named to the All-Rookie team last season. Mackley enters the MIAC Tournament sixth in points with 16 on four goals and 12 assists. Fifteen of her 16 points have come in league action. She tied for first in the conference with eight power-play points on two goals and six assists.
Scavo, an honorable mention pick in 2008, led all MIAC goaltenders with a 0.71 goals against average and ranked third in save percentage at 92.8 percent. Scavo set a new MIAC single-season wins record of 15, breaking the record of 11 wins held by Missie Meemken. She also set the record for goaltender wins in a season at 20 wins.
Harwood begins the MIAC tournament fourth on the team at 18 points with nine goals and nine assists and is tied for third in the league in rookie scoring. Harwood tallied a season high three points (1 goal, two assists) against Saint Mary’s on December 1 in a 6-0 victory.
Johnson appeared in all 25 games this season for Gustavus and has recorded a goal and six assists.
Gustavus, which is 23-2 overall, captured its fourth consecutive MIAC women’s hockey regular season title with the first 18-0-0 season in league history and will host the winner of Hamline/Bethel on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Don Roberts Ice Rink in St. Peter in a MIAC Semifinal game. The winner will advance to the MIAC Championship, where the conference champion receives an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.