SAINT PETER, Minn. — After a week off, the Gustavus women's hockey team (20-4-0 overall, 17-1-0 MIAC) is set to host Bethel (15-10-1 overall, 8-9-1 MIAC) at 2 p.m. Saturday for a MIAC semifinal playoff matchup at Don Roberts Ice Rink. As the league's No. 1 seed, the Gusties earned a first round bye, while the fifth-ranked Royals captured a 1-0 upset victory over No. 4 Hamline Wednesday night. 

PANDEMONIUM IN SAINT PETER

Saturday's semifinal will be one of three MIAC playoff games on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus Saturday afternoon. The Gustie women's and men's basketball teams will both host the conference title game at 3 and 7 p.m. following the women's hockey semifinal. This marks the first time that all three events will be hosted on one day for the Gusties, and the first time in the MIAC since the 2007-08 season, when St. Thomas accomplished the same winter sport feat. 

GUSTIES IN THE MIAC PLAYOFFS

The MIAC Women's Hockey Playoffs began in 2000, and since then, Gustavus has made 22 playoff appearances, missing the tournament only once in the 2015-16 season. The Gusties boast an all-time playoff record of 36-9-2, collecting a conference leading 14 championships, including three in the last three years of the tournament. The Gusties own the No. 1 seed after rolling to their record 19th Regular Season Championship. Last year, the Gusties hosted Hamline in the semifinal game and Augsburg in the championship, winning 5-1 and 4-2 before advancing to the NCAA Tournament and claiming the program's first national championship.

THE SERIES

Today's game marks the 57th between the Gusties and the Royals on the ice, with the Gusties holding a 49-6-1 all-time record in the series. The two teams have met five times in the playoffs, with the Gusties winning all five games. The most recent playoff win over the Royals came in 2018, once again meeting in the semifinals, where the Gusties won 4-0. Gustavus shutout Bethel in this year's MIAC series, winning 4-0 and 7-0 in the two games. 

The two semifinal winners will meet in the MIAC Women's Hockey Playoff Championship Game, which is tentatively set for Saturday, March 2 on the home ice of the highest remaining seed. The MIAC Playoff champion will receive the postseason championship plaque and the conference's automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament.

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

The Gusties, ranked No. 2 in this weeks USCHO.com poll, enter today's game after a week off, having defeated St. Olaf 3-0 last Saturday. As a team, the Gusties average 3.4 goals and 33.9 shots per game, while allowing just 0.92 goals against and an average of 16.7 shots from the opposition per game this season. 

The Gusties have scored five goals or more in three of their last four games, and are currently on a six-game win streak and three-game shutout streak. Katie McCoy and Maya Marston haven't allowed a goal in the Gustie net in their last 196 minutes of play. Hailey Holland and Brooke Power have handled much of the point production this season, with Holland posting 28 on 17 goals and 11 assists and Power adding 25 on 13 goals and 12 assists. McCoy has cemented herself as the NCAA's best goaltender, averaging 0.93 goals against with eight shutouts in her final Gustie season. 

DEFENDING THE (THREE) CROWNS

The Gusties have won the last three consecutive MIAC Playoff Championships, defeating Augsburg 4-2 in last season's title game, Hamline 6-1 in 2022's championship, and Augsburg 3-0 in 2020. No conference playoff tournament was held in the 2020-21 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. No team has won more playoff championships than the Gusties, who have 14 in their storied history. St. Thomas is the next closet with six, while Saint Mary's, Augsburg, and Hamline all have one title. A 2024 championship would tie the record for most consecutive playoff titles, set by the Tommies from 2014 to 2017. 

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Gustavus has produced one of the top defenses in the country in recent years, currently ranking third in the nation for scoring defense – allowing only 0.92 goals against through 24 games. The team is also first in shutouts with a combined 10, while Katie McCoy is first in the nation individually with eight to her name. McCoy is fourth in the NCAA for goals against average (0.934) and ninth for winning percentage (0.826). Last season, the Gustie defense finished as the second-best in the nation with a mark of 0.87 and 13 team shutouts. 

ONE OF ONE

One season removed from her first All-America honor, Katie McCoy has continued to impress during her fifth season, setting multiple program, MIAC, and NCAA all-time records. After a 1-0 win against St. Catherine on Jan. 27, McCoy became the all-time leader in career shutouts at the NCAA Division III level with 32 to her name. She has added two more since then, and is the active career leader in the stat in all levels and genders of NCAA hockey. A couple weeks later, McCoy and the Gusties claimed their 19th MIAC Regular Season Championship with a 6-0 win over Concordia, marking the Grafton, Wis. native's 78th career win, now the most in NCAA Division III women's hockey history. McCoy owns an impressive career record of 80-13-3, with a 0.991 goals against average, 1,478 saves, and a 0.940 save percentage. More shutouts for the Gustie defense and McCoy could help her clinch two remaining MIAC records – career save percentage – 0.943 set by Saint Mary's Nitara Frost from 1999-2003 – and career goals against average, a mark of 0.76 once again set by Frost. 

SOPHIA GOAL-VET

Sophia Coltvet led the Gusties to their second and third consecutive shutout victories from the blue line last weekend, totaling three points and holding St. Olaf to just 19 shots. Coltvet picked up her second consecutive two-goal game last Friday, scoring the first and third Gustie goals, and adding an assist on the fourth. The senior ended the weekend with 10 shots on goal and a +2 rating. For her performance, Coltvet was named MIAC Women's Hockey Defensive Player of the Week. The weekly honor is the second for the senior captain this season, who was named Defensive Player of the Week following a two-goal performance in the Bethel series. 

LAST TIME OUT – GUSTIES vs. ROYALS

The Golden Gustie offense was firing on all cylinders, rolling to a convincing 7-0 win at Bethel to pick up the MIAC sweep. Neither team scored in the first period, but the Gusties still maintained strong offensive pressure, totaling 12 shots on Bethel's Anna Hanson, compared to two the Royals sent in on Katie McCoy.

Hailey Holland opened the scoring early in the second period, opening up the floodgates for the Gusties, who added three more in that period alone. Avery Braunshausen scored the next Gustie goal four minutes after Holland, sending her own rebound between the legs of Hanson for her collegiate first. Macy Janssen, who scored her first career goal the night before, added her second of the weekend, picking up a rebound from Emily Olson behind the net and wrapping it around just in time to beat Hanson on her post. Holland sent the team's back to the locker room with a 4-0 Gustie lead, tipping a Brooke Remington shot from the point into the net for her second of the game.

And the fifth-year senior picked up right where she left off in the third, scoring her third of the game 40 seconds into the final period for her fourth career hat trick. The three-goal performance moves Holland up the program record book, as she is now tied for third among all Gustavus women's hockey players with four career hat tricks. Sophia Coltvet kept her point streak alive, scoring the game's sixth goal on the power play, followed by another power play tally from Brooke Power just a minute later for the 7-0 final.

Holland, Power, and Janssen all finished with a multi-point game. Holland led the way with nine shots on goal, followed by five from Coltvet and Power to contribute to the team's 42 overall. Katie McCoy made four saves between the pipes to pick up the win, while first-year Maya Marston made one save in her Golden Gustie debut in the third period. 

SCOUTING THE ROYALS

The Royals return to the semifinals for the first time since 2018 after a 1-0 win over Hamline on Wednesday. Emily Wiltse scored off a faceoff with 10 seconds left in the third period to earn the win for her team, while goalie Anna Hanson collected a 30-save shutout. Lindsey Muntifering leads the team in points with 22 on the season, scoring seven goals and 15 assists. Hanson has led the goalie squad, averaging 1.83 goals against with a 0.941 save percentage.

Bethel is 8-11-0 in all-time playoff games, making its 13th appearance in the MIAC postseason tournament this year. The Royals got revenge on Hamline in a big way Wednesday, as their previous two games were 1-3 and 1-4 losses to the Pipers. Bethel won when it counted, and has now won five of its last seven games. 15 of the Royals' 26 games have been decided by one goal, 10 of which the Royals have emerged victorious in. Bethel is averaging an even 2.0 goals per game, as well as 24.2 shots on goal per contest. The Royals have converted on 14-of-70 power plays on the season (20.0 percent), and have allowed 11 power play goals against for a penalty-killing percentage of 0.836.

STAYING BUSY BETWEEN THE PIPES

Ava Hanson has led the Royals to 12 of their 15 wins, making 640 saves this season, good for first in the conference. Hanson has maintained a 1.83 GAA (5th/MIAC), and has the second-best save percentage in the league (0.941), only to Katie McCoy.

LINDSEY LEADING THE WAY

Lindsey Muntifering is the Royals' point leader this season, with seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points. The senior defender has put together the best season in her four-year career, doubling her point total from last year and leading the Royals back to the MIAC semifinals for the first time in six years. Her 15 assists are tied for second in the league, while her 39 blocked shots are sixth in the conference.