The Gustavus’ Women’s Hockey team won the MIAC Championship outright and now shifts its sights to capturing a National title

The Gustavus Women’s Hockey team is known as the “best in the west,” but with this year’s team being more successful than ever, the Gusties have set their sights on a National Championship.

After a 1-0 win on Wednesday night the Women’s Hockey team has solidified their title as the best team in the west. The Gusties faced St. Thomas, the number two MIAC seed, to see who would gain the automatic bid to the national tournament. Continuing the standard set by their previous two matches this season, Gustavus came out on top.

Senior Molly Doyle scored the lone goal of the game during a power play on a rebound with less than three minutes left in the game. As the red light went off, the crowd went crazy, along with the team. The intense matchup drew, what was quite possibly, the largest crowd that has been at a women’s game all season. Although the Gusties were forced to battle the majority of the second period with only four skaters, they managed to hold off the Tommies as Sophomore Bre Scavo earned yet another shutout.

At the end of the regular season, Gustavus became the first ever women’s hockey team to finish undefeated the MIAC. The Gusties are the only team in Minnesota to generate a national ranking, currently holding the number three position. They own the best overall record of any Division III team with 26 wins and only two losses.

The Gustavus Women’s Hockey program has become a midwestern dynasty. They have won the last four consecutive MIAC playoff titles and this season the players are determined to take their success further, with a national championship. Sophomore Alyssa Saunders said, “The veterans know that they only have one or two years left. The thought on their minds is, `What do you do after college hockey?’ As of right now there is no option, for them it is all or nothing.”

Saunders credited a large part of this year’s success to an amazing first-year class, which contains three MIAC All-Rookie team members. “Women’s hockey keeps getting better and better each year,” she said.

First-year Kirsten Peterson, recently named to the All-MIAC and All-Rookie teams, said, “It’s not all about the talent. Coach gets the talent in here each year but after that it’s up to us. We play as a team. We are together on and off the ice. This is like my family.”

The close relationships definitely factor in to on-ice play for the Gusties; of their 117 goals, this year only 17 have been unassisted. Junior All-MIAC honorable mention defender Jenny Pusch is in full agreement with Peterson. When asked what the most important part of the team was, she responded: “Depth. Not only in our talent level but in our chemistry. Officially, our regular season lasts from the first of October to the end of February, but it is really a year round sport. In order to be a part of this team you have to have an exceptional commitment level.”

The Gusties skate together all summer and start team training immediately in the fall.

They practice on ice for two hours a day and lift weights several times a week. In addition to required workouts many players arrive early at practice or come in during off-days either to bike or run.

Team time extends beyond working out. The Gusties eat together as a team before each game and many players eat together on non-game days as well. They even get together for some much deserved relaxation as a group outside of practices. Despite the fact that there are a number of standout players on the women’s hockey team, including Senior Stefanie Ubl, the MIAC Player of the Year, each player credits their success to the team as a whole.

As athletes, the players are forced to fight through illness and injuries. Only nine of the team’s 23 skaters have played in every game. Pulled muscles are a common occurrence, along with injuries to just about every body part imaginable.

The women have learned that sacrificing your body is part of the price of success. Junior All-MIAC forward Mari Gunderson said, “We devote so much of ourselves into this game, and it pays off.” Junior Jessie Doig described this compelling force as a “target on our back every time we play a game.”

Peterson said, “With a team as talented as ours, you are constantly being pushed to play your best. That’s something that doesn’t happen at all other MIAC schools.”

Each team that the Gusties face knows of their success and is constantly seeking to be the team that stops them.This constant pressure has not been enough to deter the Gusties. First-year Lisa Sablak said, “We are all trying to reach the ultimate goal of a National Championship, and now it is within our reach. We know that we have the ability to achieve this goal when everyone is working their hardest.”

The team’s diligent work has created a significant gap between the average shots per game by the Gusties (38.1) and their opponents (8.5). The Gusties have the second largest average number of goals scored per game (4.48) in the division, and the goaltenders have managed to set a Division III best with 0.92 average goals allowed per game.

The small number of shots per game creates a difficult task for the Gustie goalies. They oftentimes go without puck contact for several minutes, which can make staying focused and loose a difficult task. Goalies on this team act less as net minders and more as sixth skaters. There is a close shot percentage between the Gusties (.118) and their opponents (.104), but only one team has managed to score more than two goals against Gustavus this year.

Scavo attributes her record number of goaltender wins this season not to herself, but to “the 23 girls in front of me.”

“This team is different [from past teams] in that there is more depth than ever. We are the only team in the MIAC who roles four lines and I am guessing that counts for the country as well,” Pusch said.

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that it will require the effort of every player to extend the team’s success to the national level. The Gusties, however, are prepared and eager. Regardless of their final placement, one thing stands as fact: each of these players has earned the crowns that cling to her chest.

Photo by: Anna Ahlbrecht