The Gustavus Adolphus women’s hockey team enters the 2007-08 season with 13 letterwinners return from a squad that claimed its third consecutive MIAC Regular Season title and fourth consecutive MIAC Playoff Championship title last season. Coach Mike Carroll will look to All-Americans Margaret Dorer and Molly Doyle as well as all-conference forward Jenny Pusch to lead a squad that is looking to move up to the next level of national competition.
First-team All-American and two-time captain Margaret Dorer helped anchor a defense that ranked second in Division III allowing only 38 goals in 28 games last season. She is a defender who can create match-up problems for defenses as she scored 32 points (9 goals, 23 assists) a year ago. Dorer will be joined on the blue line by two-time senior captain Laura Vannelli, who had a +20 rating last season. Breanna Scavo emerged last season as a solid goaltender after making the adjustment to the college-level and will start the season between the pipes for Gustavus.
Senior Molly Doyle, a 2006 All-American and three-time All-MIAC performer, will lead a veteran group of forwards that includes junior Jenny Pusch, sophomore Melissa Mackley, junior Mari Gunderson, and junior Jessie Doig. Coach Carroll feels one of the keys of success for the season will be fueled by the improvement of the sophomore class including Laura Hillman, Claire Opsahl, Alyssa Saunders, Lynn Hillen, and Jenna Johnson.
A major question mark for this year’s squad is who will step up to fill the holes created by the graduation of four-time MIAC Player of the Year Andrea Peterson (11 goals, 26 assists) and All-USCHO West Region performer Kelly Crandall (17 goals, 17 assists). However, Coach Carroll is confident that the abilities of the returning players and the influx of new players will help provide the Golden Gusties with the scoring needed to stay at the top of the MIAC.
Gustavus will be tested early in the season, as the squad will face UW-Stevens Point in its opener on November 3 in St. Peter. The Pointers knocked the Gusties out of the NCAA Tournament with a first round win in St. Peter last March. The rest of the early season schedule will include challenging non-conference games against UW-River Falls, UW-Superior, and Lake Forest. The Gusties will also play conference rivals Hamline, Saint Mary’s and St. Olaf before Christmas.