The Gustavus Women’s Hockey team’s season concluded last week in the first round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
After being defeated in the MIAC Playoff Championship game, the Gusties were granted an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Gusties, who finished their season with a record of 20-4-4, were upset in the opening round of the tournament by UW-Eau Claire by a score of 3-2 at the Don Roberts Ice Rink here at Gustavus.
The game was unable to be settled in regulation, so the Gusties and Blugolds headed to overtime deadlocked at a score of 2-2.
The score remained the same after two full periods of overtime.
Unfortunately for the Gusties, the game was over shortly after the third overtime period began when UW-Eau Claire netted the game winning goal over four hours after the game began, making it the longest game ever played in tournament history.
“It was definitely a game I will never forget. It was such a long game, and in between the overtimes, we would just come into our locker room and try to drink lots of water and stretch out so we were ready to keep going,” Junior Amanda Di Nella said. “It wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but we fought hard and we can’t hang our heads on it.”
The game with UW-Eau Claire was the second time the Gusties met the Blugolds this season.
“Earlier in the season, we played Eau Claire and tied in overtime, so going into the game, we knew it would be a battle, but little did we know it would last for almost two whole games,” Senior Captain Diana Draayer said. “I think games like Eau Claire really show how deep a team can dig for one another and how players are willing to sell out for each other. Waking up on Saturday morning, everything hurt. Although still upset from the night before, I felt satisfied knowing we left it all out there.”
The Gusties definitely left everything on the rink, as they fought for a chance to meet up with Hamline, the same team that defeated the Gusties in the MIAC Playoff Championship game, in the next round of the NCAA tournament.
“Postseason hockey is what you play for. It’s what you think about when skating on Monday in November till Monday in March, and it’s the most exciting hockey. I know we were all gunning for another shot against Hamline, so we were very focused on beating Eau Claire,” Senior Captain Erica Power said. “Ultimately, it was not the outcome any of us wanted, but we fought until the very end and left it all on the ice.”
Despite an early exit from the NCAA tournament, the Gusties had a highly successful season on the ice, including a MIAC regular season title.
“Our season, overall, was very successful. We were MIAC regular season champs. We only lost two regular season games and had an overall record of 20-4-4. We played hard day in and day out and we were all on board,” Di Nella said.
Many key players, including Di Nella, Draayer, and Power, returned from last year’s team.
“We had a lot of returning players that helped us settle in right away and find our groove early. Like every team we had our ups and downs, but this year was a lot of fun with a great group of hard-working teammates,” Power said.
Through the successful regular season and hard-fought postseason, the women who were a part of the team had a wonderful experience this winter.
“Being a senior, you hope your last year is your best one yet. Of course I would have loved to make it farther than we did, but I couldn’t be more proud of our team and everything we accomplished this year,” Draayer said.
The Gustavus women’s hockey team hopes to build on the special season that was had this winter and learn from the playoff experiences in this past month for seasons to come.