Brady Boie – Staff Writer

The Gustavus Women’s Hockey team continued their Cinderella run in the NCAA tournament. After knocking off the 2nd-ranked River Falls Falcons, the Gusties found themselves facing the Plattsburg State Cardinals, who were the defending National Champions and touted as the third-best team in the NCAA throughout the regular season. This Frozen Four matchup would determine who would advance to the championship game and served as an opportunity for history to be made for the women’s hockey program.
“We talk a lot about what it means to wear the three crowns and what it takes to be successful,” Senior Tina Press said.
The Gusties did not disappoint and represented the crowns in the best way possible. After allowing an early goal, the Gusties showed their resilience and ability to overcome difficult situations. A goal from Junior Molly McHugh tied the game less than a minute later and was the catalyst for the offensive eruption that was about to occur.
“We talked about how important the first five minutes are. It (the early goal) happened last week and it happened again today. But our kids are battle-tested and here we are,” Coach Mike Carroll said.
After McHugh netted the tying goal, the Gusties never looked back. Junior Hailey Holland found the back of the net towards the end of the first period. Two different Gusties notched goals in the second period, and First-year Hannah Gray put the game away for good with a goal that gave the Gusties a 4-goal lead with five minutes to go in the game. And just like that, the Gusties were headed to their first national championship game in program history.
“I’m so proud of our ladies and how hard they battled… this is a special team… a really close-knit, hard-working group… I couldn’t be happier for our school,” Carroll said.
The Gusties faced the Middlebury Panthers in the NCAA national championship. Like their two previous matchups, the Gusties were huge underdogs; Middlebury is a perennial championship contender, was undefeated, and was ranked top in the nation for women’s hockey. And like their previous matchups, the Gusties fell behind early. Despite outshooting the Panthers 17-13 in the first period, the women found themselves in a 1-0 hole as they surrendered a shorthanded breakaway goal halfway through the opening frame.
“The start just wasn’t quite Gustavus hockey like we know… we had to focus and play our game,” Press said.
Once again, the Gusties answered the call. Junior Clara Billings slapped a shot past the Panthers’ goalie halfway through the second period, knotting the score at one goal apiece. The score would remain 1-1 for the rest of the second period, as the Gusties made a strong defensive stand against the relentless Panther offense. This strong stand held true through the first half of the final period, as Junior goaltender Katie McCoy made save after save.
After almost twenty-five minutes of an intense deadlock, the Panthers broke through. Senior Madie Leidt snuck the puck past McCoy with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. This goal left many thinking that the clock had finally struck twelve on Gustavus’s Cinderella run. But like all fairy tales, a final twist in the game saved the Gusties’ season. After pulling their goalie in a desperate attempt to score, the Gusties found themselves in a scrum around the Panther net, and all hope seemed to be lost as the seconds dwindled away.
As the final buzzer sounded, McHugh fired a shot that found the back of the net. However, everyone did not know if McHugh had in fact tied the game or if time had expired. The play was put under official review. The verdict? Goal! Tie game! The championship game was headed to overtime.
In the dramatic sudden-death overtime period, both the Gusties and the Panthers showed signs of wearing down. The play was sloppy, and neither team could establish a steady rhythm. The Panthers gained a slight advantage, outshooting the Gusties in the early goings of the period, but McCoy made numerous clutch saves.
After twelve shots on goal for the Panthers shot 13 proved to be the unlucky number for the Gusties; Ellie Barney scored the deciding goal, bringing a national championship to Middlebury and leaving the Gusties as national runner-ups. Despite the disappointing outcome of the final game, the Gusties were proud of their performance and are hungry to return to the tournament next year.
“I think it is going to make a huge impact on how we prepare, how we practice, and how we play our games next year because we are going to be hungry for number one next year,” Billings said.