Gustavus vs. Hamline
Date: Friday, February 17
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: St. Peter, Minn. | Don Roberts Ice Rink
Live Coverage: Stats | Video
Gustavus at Hamline
Date: Saturday, February 18
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: St. Paul, Minn. | Oscar Johnson Arena
Live Coverage: Stats/Video
ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 9-ranked Gustavus women’s hockey team closes out the regular season this weekend with a series against Hamline University, with MIAC regular season championship hopes on the line. The Gusties (15-5-3, 11-2-3 MIAC) hosts the Pipers (12-10-1, 10-6 MIAC) on Friday for senior night and travels to St. Paul Saturday afternoon.
GUSTAVUS WOMEN’S HOCKEY PAGE | HAMLINE WOMEN’S HOCKEY PAGE
Senior Night: Seniors Courtney Bethune (Fort Frances, Ontario), Emily Gustafson (Elko, Minn.), and Allie Lewis (Kearney, Neb.) will each be honored Friday evening at Don Roberts Ice Rink. Bethune has appeared in 14 games this season, posting a goal and two assists, while Gustafson and Lewis have played in all 23 games this season. Gustafson and Lewis have also both accumulated career-high scoring totals this season.
Last Time Out: A weekend ago, Gustavus swept Bethel University, winning by scores of 4-2 and 3-0 to move into sole possession of first place in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings and locked a spot in the MIAC playoffs. Kaitlyn Klein (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) posted three points (1g-2a) on the weekend as she notched a career-high two assists on Friday, then scored the game-winner and her team-leading 10th goal of the season on Saturday to earn MIAC Athlete of the Week honors.
Series Snapshot: Friday’s game marks the 35th all-time meeting between the Gustavus and Hamline women’s hockey programs with the Gusties owning a 33-0-1 record over the Pipers. A season ago, Hamline snapped the series 33-straight wins by Gustavus as the two teams skated to a 1-1 tie at Don Roberts Ice Rink.
About the Pipers: Last weekend, Hamline split a series with St. Catherine, winning 3-2 at St. Kate’s before falling 2-1 in overtime on Saturday at Oscar Johnson Arena. As a team, the Pipers are strong offensively, averaging a MIAC second-best 2.65 goals per game. Hamline is led by first-year forward Bre Simon and junior forward Darby Dodds. Simon and Dodds rank as top two goal-scorers in the MIAC, Simon leading with 16 goals and Dodds with 15.
In the polls: Gustavus cracked the USCHO.com NCAA Division III Women’s Poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 9. The last time the Gusties were ranked was during the week of Nov. 13, 2015, a season ago – also ranking at No. 9.
400 Milestone: On December 3rd at the College of Saint Benedict, a 3-2 win marked the 400th all-time victory in Gustavus women’s hockey program history. The Gusties are the fastest team in the MIAC to reach the 400 mark.
Gustavus Notables:
– The Gusties earned their second consecutive sweep last weekend, defeating Bethel University 4-2 and 3-0.
– Kaitlyn Klein posted a career-high two assists on Friday vs. Bethel and tallied the game-winning goal on Saturday, earning MIAC Athlete of the Week. Klein leads Gustavus with 10 goals on the season and leads the MIAC with six game-winning goals. She also ranks tied for second best with five power-play goals.
– Goaltender Amanda DiNella (So., Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.) is tied for the nation’s best in goals against average (0.98) and the most shutouts with seven. She is the MIAC leader in goals against average, shutouts, win percentage (.786), and ranks second in save percentage (.942).
– The Gusties are undefeated during Friday games, with a record of 6-0-2. They are also unbeaten when given a first period lead, going 8-0-1.
– Since its last lost, coming in December against UW-River Falls, Gustavus is unbeaten with a record of 9-0-2.