Gustavus at Wisconsin-River Falls
Date: Friday, March 10
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: River Falls, Wis. | Hunt Arena
Live Coverage: Stats | Video | Audio (UW-River Falls provides a video only broadcast; please click the audio link to listen to the Gustavus play-by-play)
ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women’s hockey team is set to make its 12th appearance in the national tournament, facing the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. The Gusties earned an at-large bid to the tournament after falling in the MIAC Playoff Semifinals as the No. 1 seeded MIAC regular season champions. The winner will move on to a semifinal matchup versus Adrian College or Elmira College March 17.
NCAA DIVISION III WOMEN’S HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS BRACKET
Last Time Out: Gustavus fell in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs semifinal round to the University of St. Thomas, who went on to win its fourth straight MIAC Playoff title. The Gusties lost 3-2 in overtime at Don Roberts Ice Rink, snapping their 13-game unbeaten streak.
Gusties Collect Postseason Awards: The Gusties had a strong showing in the 2017 MIAC Women’s Hockey Awards, released Thursday. Head Coach Mike Carroll was selected as the Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his 18-year career, highlighting the announcement. Three Gusties earned spots on the All-Conference Team in Amanda DiNella (So., Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.), Kaitlyn Klein (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.), and Erica Power (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.). In addition,Emily Gustafson (Sr., Esko, Minn.), Laura Johnson (Jr., Chanhassen, Minn.) and Allie Lewis (Sr., Kearney, Neb.) were honorable mention honorees while Diana Draayer (Jr., Deephaven, Minn.) was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.
Series Snapshot: Friday’s contest marks the 35th all-time meeting between the Gustavus and UW-River Falls women’s hockey programs. The Gusties hold a 21-9-4 record despite being on a four-game losing skid against the Falcons. The two teams previously met this season, UW-River Falls coming away with the series sweep with 3-0 and 4-1 wins. Gustavus and UWRiver Falls have met four times in the NCAA Tournament, all coming in the first round with the Gusties holding a 3-1 record.
Gustavus NCAA Tournament History: The Gusties will be making their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in the program’s 20-year history, earning an at-large bid as the MIAC regular season champions. In 11 total NCAA Tournament appearances, Gustavus owns an 8-15 overall record, one second place finish and two third place titles along with seven semifinal appearances. This year’s postseason appearance marks the first time the Black and Gold has made a NCAA tournament berth since the 2012-13 season, in which the Gusties earned a quarterfinal victory before falling in the semifinals and the third place game to post a fourth place finish.
About the Gusties: After missing the MIAC postseason for the first time in program history a season ago, the Gusties bounced back to win their 14th MIAC title this season and earn an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. A most recent loss in the MIAC Playoff Semifinals to the University of St. Thomas moved the Gusties record to 17-6-3 overall.
The Black and Gold are led by Kaitlyn Klein and Erica Power, each leading the team with 18 points on the season. Klein ranks sixth in the country and first in the MIAC with six game-winning goals on the season. The Gusties are backstopped by one of the nation’s top goaltenders in Amanda DiNella. DiNella ranks tied for the most shutouts in the nation with eight, and is one away from tying the Gustavus record with nine in a season. She also ranks second in the nation with a 1.03 goals against average.
About the Falcons: The No. 3-ranked University of Wisconsin-River Falls is making its ninth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Champions. The Falcons boast a 26-2 overall record this season, both losses coming against WIAC foe UW-Eau Claire. In nine all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, UW-River Falls has went 7-11 while making four semifinal appearances along with two third place crowns and a runner-up finish coming last season. A year ago, the Falcons defeated St. Thomas and Elmira before falling to Plattsburgh State 5-1 in the championship game.
Senior forward Dani Sibley leads the Falcons as the nation’s leading scorer with 63 points (27g-36a) on the season while also leading the nation with four shorthanded goals. Junior forward Carly Moran ranks fifth among the national scoring leaders with 51 points (22g-29a). Junior goaltender Angie Hall ranks near or at the top in several national categories. Hall’s eight shutouts is tied for the best in the nation, while her 1.07 goals against average and .929 winning percentage both as fourth-best.
As a team, the Falcons rank among the best in the country statistically. They own the second- best winning percentage (.929), rank second with a 1.14 scoring defense and a 31.0 power play percentage, and are tied for fourth with an average of 4.36 goals a game. They also lead the nation with nine shorthanded goals.