SAINT PETER, Minn. – Wednesday night features a top-10 matchup in NCAA Division III women’s hockey as No. 4 Gustavus travels to No. 7 UW-River Falls for a non-conference rivalry game. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. tonight and game two of the series is 7 p.m. Friday in Saint Peter. The Gusties enter the series 8-0-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the MIAC, while the Falcons are 6-2-1 overall and 2-1-0 in the WIAC.
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The Series: Wednesday’s game marks the 40th meeting between Gustavus and UW-River Falls with the Gusties leading the all-time series 24-11-4. The Falcons had the upper hand last season, winning the two-game series with scores of 2-1 and 4-0. For the past decade, Gustavus and UW-River Falls have played each other in the second week of December before taking off for the holiday break. They have met six times in the NCAA tournament with the Gusties holding a 5-1 advantage in those games, most recently facing off in the opening round of the 2017 national tournament – a 3-2 Gustavus win in River Falls, Wis.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus is coming off a tie and a win against Saint Mary’s last weekend. Through nine games this year, the Gusties average 3.0 goal and allow 0.8 goals per game. They take 34.4 shots on average and are perfect on the penalty kill, not allowing a power play goal in 16 opportunities. On the skater advantage, the Gusties are 6-for-28. The goaltending trio of Katie McCoy, Francesca Gerardi, and Emelia Helms-Leslie has combined for a .949 save percentage and four shutouts. The offense is led by Kristina Press’ nine points on seven goals and two assists. Molly McHugh is next in line with one goal and six assists for seven points. Both Press and McHugh have a +7 rating.
Scouting the Falcons: After winning its first five games, UW-River Falls is 1-2-1 in its last four games, most recently winning 4-1 over No. 6 Adrian on Dec. 1 in Middlebury, Vt. The Falcons average 3.7 goals and 37.4 shots per game, while allowing 1.2 goals. They are 5-for-33 on the power play and have allowed four goals in 31 penalty kills. Abigail Stow leads the offense with 13 points on 10 goals and three assists. Callie Hoff is next with 10 points on four goals and six assists. Sami Miller has spent the most time in net with a 1.31 goals against average, .933 save percentage, and a 4-1-1 record.