This year marks the first year since 2003 that the Gustavus women’s hockey team will not appear in the NCAA Tournament. Despite not being able to clinch either the MIAC title or the MIAC Playoff title, the women feel they had a successful season.

“The season went well overall. We definitely were hoping for a different outcome at the end of the season but we faced a lot of adversity this year. We came in with a lot new players that had had to make the adjustment to college hockey and it was great to see them and the team continue to improve everyday,” Junior Captain Courtney Boucher said.

Although the end to the season came sooner than the Gusties would have liked, the women are a close-knit team that became even closer through dealing with the struggles of the season.

“We did not get to where we wanted to go in the end (the NCAA final four tournament), but it was a fun season and one thing that I really admire about this team is our ability to keep going even when we faced adversity throughout the year.  We had a great group of girls and we were truly a family,” Sophomore Allison Eder-Zdechlik said.

The close bonds the team formed this year were partly due to the team’s ability to face adversity together, but were also strengthened by off-the-ice bonding activities.

“It’s so great that every year you really become a family with the rest of the girls— I think that’s one of the things I’ll miss the most now that we’re done. We planned a lot of team activities in January to help us better our team chemistry,” Junior Captain Carolyn Draayer said.

Another contributing factor to the team’s success this season were the performances of the four All-Conference honorees.

Carolyn Draayer, Courtney Boucher, Allison Eder-Zdechlik, and Melissa Doyle were all named to the MIAC All-Conference team.

“I am honored and very blessed to have achieved this award. I think for the four of us, we can all attribute this honor back to the team. We could not have been in a place to be chosen for this if it weren’t for great teammates. They are the ones that maybe don’t get recognized, but are there demanding the very best out of each of us and allowing us as a team to be successful,” Senior Captain Melissa Doyle said.

The other three All-Conference honorees also credited their team for helping them to earn the honor.

This year’s hockey season is barely in the books, but the women are already looking forward to what’s next. The women will take a break from trianing before jumping back into off-season preparations after they return from spring break.

The team isn’t just preparing for next season, they already have their sights set on next year’s NCAA Tournament.

“Next year there is a strong chance to see us back in the Final Four [of the NCAA Tournament]. I think the entire team has a chip on our shoulder and the up-and-coming senior class will present solid leadership to guide them in a successful journey,” Doyle said.

Throughout the offseason the women will work out off the ice—lifting weights and working on conditioning.

“In and out of season we put a lot of time into preparing ourselves. We train pretty hard in the off season. Our trainer Mitch Bockenstedt definitely ramped up our off-season workouts a lot last spring and this summer. We came into the season better conditioned than we ever have before,” Draayer said.

The team is hoping that their offseason preparations will help them achieve the goals they have set for next season, especially since they ended this season with a note of disappointment. The women are hungry for a return to the NCAA Tournament, but Doyle said that for now they are proud of what they accomplished this season.

“Each year the sense of urgency grows exponentially and the most important thing to reflect on after the season is that you gave your best, regardless of the outcome at the end of the season. That’s all we can give and that’s all we can control. I am proud of our team and how we have overcome a lot of adversity this season,” Doyle said.