MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – The Gustavus women’s hockey team, making its ninth Frozen Four appearance, is set to take on Plattsburgh State today at 3 p.m. EST at Middlebury College. The Gusties enter the national semifinal with a 24-3-2 overall record after defeating UW-River Falls 5-3 in the quarterfinals, while the defending national champion Cardinals are 25-2-1 overall after beating Colby College 3-2 in overtime.
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NCAA TEAM RANKINGS… Gustavus ranks in the NCAA’s top 10 in numerous statistical categories. The Gusties rank first in team shutouts (16), which is also a program record, and power play goals (37). They rank third in team faceoff win percentage (.603), and power play percentage (.311), fourth in goals against average (1.07), seventh in scoring margin (+2.97), total goals (117), scoring offense (4.03), and team points (266), are tied for ninth in short-handed goals (4)
NCAA INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS… Katie McCoy leads Division III with 10 shutouts in goal this season and ranks sixth with a 1.10 goals against average
• Molly McHugh ranks second in Division III with 367 faceoff wins this season
• Brooke Power is tied for fifth in the country with eight power play goals. She leads the team with 21 total goals
POINTS LEADERS… The Gusties have four players with over 30 points each for the first time since the 2005-06 season: Hailey Holland (12g, 24a, 36p), Brooke Power (21g, 13a, 34p), Tina Press (15g, 18a, 33p), and Emily Olson (15g, 16a, 31p)
POSTSEASON SCORING… In five postseason games this year, the Gusties have outscored their opponents 24-5
ON THE ROAD… Gustavus is 10-2-2 on the road this season, most recently beating UW-River Falls 5-3 in the quarterfinals
ALL-CONFERENCE… MIAC All-Conference honors went to Hailey Holland, Molly McHugh, Emily Olson, Brooke Power, Tina Press, and Kayla Vrieze. Mike Carroll earned his eighth MIAC Coach of the Year award in his 23rd season on the Gustie bench. Maria Widen was selected to the All-Rookie Team, while Sophia Coltvet and Katie McCoy earned honorable mention
ELITE… Senior defender Kayla Vrieze was named the MIAC Elite 22 Award winner and the NCAA Elite 90 Award winner. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships. Vrieze becomes the 12th Gustavus student-athlete to receive the Elite 90 Award and is the seventh from the women’s hockey program, joining Sarah Moe (2002), Nara Higano (2009), Melissa Mackley (2010), Sara Yungner (2011), Marah Sobczak (2012), and Carolyn Draayer (2013)
ALL-AMERICAN… Kayla Vrieze on Thursday earned West First Team honors on the CCM/AHCA Women’s Division III All-America Hockey Team. Vrieze earns the program’s 26th All-America honor and first since the 2017-18 season. Vrieze, a team captain, has started in all 29 games this season on the blue line, leading all defenders in scoring with 18 points on five goals and 13 assists. Vrieze owns a +21 rating with four power play goals and two-game winning goals
GUSTAVUS IN THE NCAA TOURNEY… Gustavus has made the NCAA tourney 15 times, including this year, with an all-time record of 12-19. The Gusties have taken fourth place five times and third place three times (this is the ninth Frozen Four appearance). They have never made it to the NCAA championship game
GUSTAVUS vs. PLATTSBURGH… Today’s game marks the sixth meeting between Gustavus and Plattsburgh State with the Cardinals leading the all-time series 3-1-1. The most recent meeting between the two programs was during the 2015-16 season, which ended in a 5-3 win for the Cardinals at a game hosted by Middlebury College. This is the third meeting between the two programs in the NCAA tournament and first since the 2012-13 season, where Plattsburgh won 4-0 in the fourth place game. Plattsburgh also defeated Gustavus 4-3 in the 2012 fourth place game. The Gusties defeated the Cardinals 3-1 in the 2005 fourth place game.