BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey players Allison Eder-Zdechlik (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.) and Erica Power (So., Lakeville, Minn.) were honored by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in its postseason awards that were released Thursday. In addition, first-year Erin Moes (Hastings, Minn.) garnered MIAC All-Rookie honors.
Eder-Zdechlik concluded her career as one of the top offensive players in the program. Known especially for her ability on the power play and penalty kill, the Stillwater product finished her senior year ranked No. 5 in program history with 58 goals and No. 12 with 95 points. Fourteen of those goals came on the player advantage, while nine were shorthanded. “EZ” was also a talented distributor, and tallied 37 assists over the course of her Gustavus tenure. This marks the third consecutive season Eder-Zdechlik has been named to the All-Conference squad.
“Allison has had a great four-year career,” said Coach Mike Carroll. “She brought consistency, a great work ethic, a team-first attitude, and is a good student. We didn’t have a great season by our standards, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that she should be an All-American in my book.”
Power picked up this season where she left off from her impressive rookie campaign, continuing to dazzle opponents with slick stick handling, finesse, and creativity with the puck. After leading the team in scoring during her first-year with 27 points off nine goals and 18 assists, the Lakeville native suffered little from “the sophomore slump”, as she put up 20 points on 11 goals and nine assists. The All-Conference nod is the second in two seasons for Power.
“We’ve been very excited about Erica since she decided to come to Gustavus and I believe she had a better year this year than her first,” said Carroll. “We had a tough time juggling lines and getting some consistency for our kids to play with, but she succeeded no matter who we put her out there with. She’s a natural goal-scorer and playmaker, and I’m really excited we’ll have her for another two years.”
Joining Eder-Zdechlik and Power in the postseason awards is Moes, who was named to the All-Rookie squad. Playing in 23-0f-25 games, the defender who became known for her rifles from the blue line, ranked second on the team in defender scoring with 10 points off five goals and five assists. She held a rating of +2 and finished sixth in the MIAC in defender scoring.
“I thought Erin and Laine Fischer were actually neck and neck when it came to being named to the All-Rookie team,” said Carroll. “That being said, Erin had a great few games and won some for us with her goal-scoring. This is a great honor for Erin, and hopefully will give her some additional confidence moving forward.”
As part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the ninth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for women’s hockey. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team are selected by coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the ice. Gustavus’s representative on the All-MIAC Sportsmanship team is senior Emily Reibert (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.).