SAINT PETER, Minn. – After enjoying a bye for the first two weeks of the season, the Gustavus women's hockey team, winner of the last four MIAC Regular Season and Playoff Championships, is ready to take the ice for its 2024-25 campaign Tuesday night, Nov. 12.

The Gusties, ranked No. 2 in the nation according to both the USCHO.com and DIII Hockey News national polls, waste no time in competing with the very best, facing the returning national champions No. 1 UW-River Falls on the road to open the season. Fans attending Tuesday's game are encouraged to purchase tickets online.

"We were in the same situation last year as the reigning champions, and we had to welcome people into our rink after that, and we have a lot of players on our team who already have that experience," said Head Coach Mike Carroll about the early test. "It's exciting. It's going to be a great environment, and you won't be able to find any game or rink that will duplicate what we're going to experience on Tuesday. We're very excited for the opportunity."

Carroll's team will have a new look this season, missing the likes of last year's graduating All-Americans Katie McCoy, Hailey Holland, and Sophia Coltvet. McCoy was a mainstay in net for the Gusties for five years, setting the record for most career wins and shutouts in NCAA Division III history. While the team will miss her expertise between the pipes, Carroll and his coaching staff are looking forward to a different approach this season.

"We're in a development stage now," said the reigning MIAC Coach of the Year, who enters his 26th season leading the women's hockey program. "Virtually our whole crew of goalies don't have a lot of experience in game situations at the college level, so we have to have a different mindset on how we're going to handle that to start the season. So far, they have all looked really good in practice and played well in exhibition games."

Of the team's three goalies, Maya Marston (So., Dellwood, Minn.) is the only returner of the bunch, having played in three games for 89 minutes behind McCoy last season. In her only start, Marston picked up a 13-save shutout against Aurora. Joining Marston are first-year netminders Lily Timmons (Stillwater, Minn.) and Claire Bronson (Lakeville, Minn.). Timmons collected eight shutouts in her senior season for Stillwater with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage, while Bronson was an All-State selection for Lakeville South and a top-five finalist for the Let's Play Hockey Senior Goalie of the Year Award, which now carries the name of Gustie goalie Jori Jones.

The team graduated its point leader of the last three years in the elder Holland sister, but returns a balanced offense led by forwards Brooke Power (5th, Lakeville, Minn.), Lily Mortenson (Jr., Champlin, Minn.), and Kaitlyn Holland (Sr., Aberdeen, S.D.), who will play her first season of collegiate hockey without her sister by her side.

Power was second in point production for the Gusties last season as Holland's linemate, earning her third MIAC All-Conference honor with 13 goals and 12 assists in 26 games. She scored four with the extra player advantage, becoming the MIAC's all-time leader in power play goals with 19 in her career. The younger Holland posted eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points in her junior season.

Carroll is hopeful that a healthy Mortenson will resume her early scoring success, totaling 13 goals and 13 assists in her freshman season in 2022-23, including three points in the team's NCAA semifinal and championship games. After returning from injury last season, Mortenson collected a goal and 13 assists in 24 games.

"Right now, we're looking for how we can reload and get others to embrace our systems. We have some very talented players, and a few who were injured last season and didn't get to play up to their abilities. We've never really been a big scoring team, but I think it will evolve as the season goes on."

Losing Holland's point production will certainly be felt, but the Gusties have consistently maintained one of the best defensive cores in the country. Returning on the blue line is the sophomore duo of Kylie Scott (Dayton, Minn.) and Kylie Ligday (Lake Elmo, Minn.), who both played major roles in the team's success last season, posting the best defensive numbers in NCAA Division III. Scott added five goals and seven assists to lead all first-years in scoring, earning MIAC All-Playoff honors, while Ligday was a MIAC Honorable Mention selection. Both contributed to a Gustie defense that finished the season with 12 shutouts and a 0.92 goals-against average.

The roster also features seven first-year players and a pair of junior transfers in Macey Merdinian (Brighton, Mich.) and Grace Schuck (Bloomington, Minn.), who both competed at Division I institutions last season. Captains Hannah Gray (Sr., Stillwater, Minn.), Power, and Holland have been instrumental in helping the Gusties' young core of 14 underclassmen adjust to the world of collegiate hockey.

"The players have come in with a refreshed attitude this season, knowing that we graduated quite a few experienced players and there are opportunities for everyone. Our captains and leaders have done a really great job welcoming our new players and keeping our practices upbeat."

After Tuesday's game against UWRF, the Gusties jump right into the conference season, hosting St. Olaf Friday, Nov. 15 for the team's home opener and Parents' Day. The remainder of the team's non-conference schedule features two games against UW-Eau Claire, another pair of contests with the Falcons, and a trip to Aurora for a road series on Dec. 13 and 14.

Puck drop in the first of three games against River Falls is slated for 7:05 at Hunt Arena. 

RECORD WATCH

Here's a preview of a few records to follow during the 2024-25 Gustavus women's hockey campaign:

POWER UP

Brooke Power, who set the MIAC's record for career power play goals (19) last season on Dec. 8 against Aurora, is two short-handed goals away from the all-time conference record, currently with five. An additional six game-winning goals would give her that record as well – she had five last season. Power is a three-time All-Conference honoree, and could become the 25th player in MIAC history to earn the distinction in all four of her eligible seasons, joining the likes of Holland, her sister Erica '18, and assistant coaches Kirstin Peterson '11 and Andrea Peterson '07 HOF '22.

KEEPIN' IT 100

Power is 10 points away from the 100th in her career, and has averaged 29.3 through three full seasons. She is set to reach her 100th career game Dec. 6 against MIAC rival Augsburg. Holland and Gray have each played in 88 career games, and could also reach the 100-game milestone this season.

FAMILIAR FOE

Including the 2024-25 season opener, the Gusties face UW-River Falls three times in the regular season, and own a 28-21-4 all-time record against the reigning national champions. The Falcons have compiled an unbeaten streak that dates back to March 11, a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Gusties in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The Gusties are 6-1 in their last seven season openers.

TITLE TOWN

The Gusties own a record 19 MIAC regular season titles, 13 more than the next institution (St. Thomas) and 17 more than the next current school (Augsburg), as well as 15 playoff titles in the 24 years of the tournament's existence. Winners of the last four playoff championships, a fifth would set the MIAC record for consecutive titles, as the Gusties (2020-24) and St. Thomas (2014-17) are tied for the record, each with four in a row.