ST. PETER, Minn. – The No. 5-ranked Gustavus women’s hockey team is set to play in its first MIAC playoff championship game since the 2013-14 season and is looking for its first playoff title since the 2012-13 campaign. The Gusties (20-2-4) host Hamline (19-4-3) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Don Roberts Ice Rink. Gustavus advanced to the title game with a 4-0 win over Bethel, while the Pipers defeated Augsburg 4-1.
Last time out: Four second period goals and a strong special teams performance by the Gustavus women’s hockey team resulted in a 4-0 win over Bethel Saturday afternoon in a MIAC semifinal playoff game at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The No. 5-ranked Gusties scored twice on the power play and killed off five Bethel skater advantages to advance to the MIAC championship game for the first time since 2014.
After a scoreless first period that saw the Gusties win the shot-count 16-5, Kaitlyn Klein scored her team-leading 23rd goal of the season 2:19 into the second frame on a power play. Nearly 12 minutes passed before Diana Draayer tallied her first of two goals in the game. Three minutes later, Amelia Vosen recorded her ninth score of the season, and with 1:19 remaining in the period, Draayer notched her 17th goal of the season on another power play.
Klein and Draayer both finished with three points apiece – Klein with a goal and two assists, and Draayer with two goals and an assist. Klein now has a team-leading 41 points and Draayer has 33.
The Gusties out-shot the Royals 41-15 and went 2-for-3 on the power play. Amanda DiNella posted the 15th shutout of her career after making 15 saves.
Racking up the points: Kaitlyn Klein enters Saturday’s game with 23 goals and 41 points, which rank second and fourth, respectively, in the MIAC. Klein is having the greatest offensive season by a Gustavus women’s hockey player since Allie Schwab tallied 25 goals and 46 points in the 2011-12 season.
Climbing the ranks: Amanda DiNella is one of three Gustavus goalies to post at least 1,000 career saves. DiNella currently has 1,148 saves, sitting behind Lindsey Hibbard (1,193) and record holder Danielle Justice (1,316).
Last time they met: The Gusties and Pipers met each other in the regular season on Nov. 17-18 with the series ending in a split. The Pipers won Friday night’s game 5-2 in St. Paul and the Gusties won Saturday afternoon’s game 4-2 in St. Peter.
On Friday, Hamline scored 6:38 into the game and never trailed, holding a 1-0 lead after the first period. The Pipers went on a scoring spree in the second period with four goals for a commanding 5-0 lead after two periods.
The Gusties ended the shutout at the 5:58 mark of the third period on a power play goal by Kristen Cash, assisted by Kaitlyn Klein and Erica Power. Erin Moes scored another power play goal, assisted by Katy Fuller and Diana Draayer, with three minutes remaining in the game, but the Pipers had already done the damage to secure the win.
Amada DiNella suffered the loss in net after allowing all five goals in 40 minutes of action with 26 saves. Paige Press completed the final 20 minutes of the game and made five saves without surrendering a goal. The outcome marks the first Gustavus loss to Hamline in the all-time series.
On Saturday, the Gusties scored three goals in the first period and held off a late rally by the Pipers. Gustavus got on the board at the 4:17 mark of the first period as Erica Power took advantage of a turnover at center ice during a Hamline power play and scored a shorthanded breakaway goal for her fourth score of the season. At the 9:00 mark and the Gusties on the power play, Erin Moes buried a loose puck in the crease for a two-goal lead. And with 7:28 remaining in the opening frame, Diana Draayer put home a dump pass from Katy Fuller to give the Gusties a 3-0 advantage heading into the first intermission.
Amelia Vosen gave the Black and Gold a four-goal cushion midway through the second period, but the Pipers charged back and had the Gusties on their heels for a healthy chunk of the time remaining in the second. Hamline ended the shutout at the 16:43 mark and carried a sense of momentum into the locker room at the second intermission.
The Pipers started the third frame on the power play and scored 1:16 after the opening faceoff. The visitors continued to apply pressure, but the Gustie defense and goalie Amanda DiNella stood up to the challenge to secure the victory. DiNella made 24 saves in the complete game effort. The Gusties ended the game 1-for-3 on the power play and killed off 4-of-5 Piper power plays.
MIAC playoff history: Last season, the Gusties won the MIAC regular season title, but were upset in the semifinal round by St. Thomas. In the 18-year history of the playoff field, Gustavus has posted a record of 28-7-2, while going 24-2-1 at home and 11-5-1 in championship games. St. Thomas has won the past four MIAC Playoff titles, with the Gusties last title coming during the 2012-13 season as they won their 10th straight playoff championship.