Last weekend the Gustavus Women’s Hockey team defeated Saint Catherine’s University 5-1 in the MIAC Championship. The Gusties will now advance to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive year. This Saturday, the Gusties will host the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in a quarterfinal game. The winner of the quarterfinal game will not only advance further in the tournament but will also be the host school for the tournament.
The Gusties are on a 12-game winning streak and have had a strong season after a somewhat rough beginning. “Our season started off a little slow and we hit a few bumps in the road with some losses at the beginning, but I think we’ve grown a lot as a team from them. We have had a lot of really close games that have taught us how to play with adversity. We seem to be on a roll now, and we have been working really well together as a team,” Junior defender Sarah Yungner said.
The UWRF Falcons are on a winning streak of their own, winning their last 18 games. The Falcons’ last loss was to Gustavus on Jan. 12, 2010. In that game the Gusties were able to defeat the Falcons by a score of 2-1. The Gusties also opened their season to the Falcons on Nov. 13, 2009, where the teams battled to an overtime tie.
“Nothing is for certain, and we can’t get too overwhelmed and look too far ahead. One game at a time, one period at a time is our mentality as of right now,” Junior defender Kelsey Johnson said.
With impressive records and two close matches between the two teams, it is sure to be an exciting game. Not to mention that the Gusties and the Falcons also faced each other in last year’s quarterfinal game, in which the Falcons defeated the Gusties 2-1, ending their season.
“We have the talent and the drive to go all the way to the Final Four and even win it. We are unstoppable when we all play our best, which is when we are having fun. If we stay focused and dedicated I think we can win it all,” Yungner said.
The Falcons average 3.62 goals per game this season, while the Gusties average 3.48. However the Falcons allow 1.68 goals per game, while the Gusties allow only 1.22. Although both teams have 30 power play goals, the Gustavus power play is stronger with a .25 success rate compared to the Falcons’ .195. The Gusties also have a stronger penalty kill with a .89 rate compared to the Falcons’ .844.
“Our biggest challenge going into the tournament is our determination and desire. We have made it to Nationals for seven years in a row and seem to always be cut short of the Final Four. We need to dig down deep within ourselves and come out on top. We need to stay focused and play our game and have a short memory. We will never succeed if we count our failures. We need to keep battling, no matter the score or time in our game. We need to be ready to fight for what is ours,” Johnson said.
While the Gusties face the Falcons in the quarterfinals, Trinity College will play at Elmira College and Norwich University will play at Plattsburgh State University.
“We haven’t played any of the teams coming from out East during the regular season, so we’re not as familiar with them as we would be with other teams we play against during the regular season,” First-year Julie Hammond said.
“Nationals is a completely new season in itself. This season is a marathon, and right now it’s a sprint for every team. Every team is hungry. We all share that one common goal, and that is winning Nationals. We have to come ready to play against every team no matter the name on their jersey,” Johnson said.
In addition to hosting the tournament, the winner of Saturday’s game between the Gusties and the Falcons will advance to the Semifinals and face Amherst on March 19. Amherst is the defending National Champion.
“Hockey is the longest season, so we need to stay focused and realize that we can’t hold anything back—we lose and we’re done for the season, so we have to give it all we have,” Yungner said.
The Gusties have had a lot of success this season; however, their season is not over yet. They have a chance to make school history in hosting the National Tournament and will need everyone to show their support and cheer them on in the process. The first chance to do this will be this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the Don Roberts Ice Rink.