SAINT PETER, Minn. – No. 4 Gustavus women’s hockey is set to host Saint Mary’s at 2 p.m. Saturday for a MIAC semifinal at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The Gusties, who earned the No. 1 seed in playoffs with a 15-1-2 conference record, enter the game 20-3-2 overall, while the No. 5 seed Cardinals are 10-13-3 overall.
The Series: Saturday’s game marks the 60th meeting between Gustavus and Saint Mary’s with the Gusties leading the all-time series 47-6-6. The two teams met during the regular season for a series Dec. 6-7 with Friday night’s game ending in a 2-2 tie in Winona and Saturday’s rematch going to Gustavus in a 5-1 decision in Saint Peter. The Gusties and Cardinals have faced each other 10 times in the postseason with the Gusties holding a 7-1-2 record in those matchups. Last season the Gusties defeated the Cardinals 5-0 in a MIAC quarterfinal in Saint Peter.
Gusties in the Playoffs: Last season in the MIAC playoffs, the Gusties defeated Saint Mary’s 5-0 in the quarterfinals before losing to St. Thomas 4-0 in the semifinals. In the 20-year history of the playoff field, Gustavus has posted a record of 29-9-2, while going 25-3-1 at home. Gustavus has won the MIAC playoff championship 11 times with its most recent title in 2013.
Scouting the Gusties: Gustavus earned the No. 1 seed after sweeping Bethel last weekend with a couple sweeps. The Gusties are riding a seven-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 26-4 in that span with four shutouts. Special teams and defense are strengths as the Gusties lead the league in power play goals (18), power play percentage (90.0), power play goals against (2), penalty kill percentage (94.6), goals against (24), goals against average (0.95), and save percentage (.947). The Gusties are no slouches on offense either, averaging 3.32 goals and 38.1 shots per game, which both rank second in the league. After scoring a hat trick in the final game of the regular season, Molly McHugh leads the league with 16 goals and is fourth with 29 points. Kristina Press also has 29 points on 11 goals and a team-leading 18 assists, which ranks fourth in the conference. Hailey Holland is over the 20-point mark as well with 23 points on 14 goals and nine assists. Katie McCoy has seen the most time in net with a 1.07 goals against average and .950 save percentage.
Scouting the Cardinals: Saint Mary’s advanced to the semifinals with a 4-1 win at St. Thomas on Thursday. Through 26 games, the Cardinals average 2.35 goals (5th/MIAC) and 25.0 shots (7th/MIAC). On the power play, the Cardinals are 11-for-74 (14.9%) and they kill at an 81.0 percent clip. Courtney Moser paces the offense with 21 points on eight goals and 13 assists. Anya Hafiz leads the team with 13 goals and has six assists for 19 points. Ary Ziakas has spent the most time in the crease with a 2.47 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.