SAINT PETER, Minn. — The No. 2 Golden Gusties (21-4-0 overall, 17-1-0 MIAC) are set for a nationally-ranked matchup in the MIAC Women's Hockey Championship game on Saturday, hosting the No. 14 Saint Mary's Cardinals (19-5-2 overall, 12-3-2 MIAC) at 2 p.m. at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The Gusties defeated Bethel 2-1 in a semifinal overtime thriller, while the Cardinals won 2-1 at Augsburg to earn a spot in Saturday's title game. 

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 37-9-2, collecting a conference leading 14 championships, including three in the last three years of the tournament. The Gusties owned the No. 1 seed this season after rolling to their record 19th Regular Season Championship. Last year, the Gusties hosted Augsburg in the championship, winning 4-2 before advancing to the NCAA Tournament and claiming the program's first national championship. 

THE SERIES

Today's game marks the 67th between the Gusties and the Cardinals on the ice, with the Gusties holding a 53-6-7 all-time record in the series. The two teams have met eight times in the playoffs, with the Gusties winning five of the matchups to the Cardinals three. Gustavus swept SMU in this year's series, winning 3-1 and 3-0.

In game one of the series, the Gusties scored three unanswered goals to erase an early deficit against Saint Mary's, taking advantage of power play opportunities to defeat the Cardinals 3-1 on the road. The Gusties got goals from both Holland sisters and Brooke Power, and 14 saves between the pipes from Katie McCoy for the MIAC win. 

Gustavus completed the sweep of Saint Mary's the following day at home, defeating the Cardinals 3-0. Sophia Coltvet, Hailey Holland, and Brooke Power scored the three Gustie goals, while Katie McCoy posted a 10-save shutout between the pipes. The win was McCoy's 68th of her career, effectively passing the MIAC record held by Kenzie Torpy (St. Thomas, 2015-19) for career goaltender wins.

The Gusties ended the Cardinals' season in both the 2019 and 2020 playoffs, winning 5-0 and 4-1 in the last two postseason meetings. The two programs have met in the championship game twice, with the Cardinals winning in 2002 and the Gusties taking both games of the conference's previous mini-game format in 2001. 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 title game after narrowly defeating Bethel 2-1 in overtime last Saturday. GAC has won its last seven games, and is looking for its fourth straight MIAC Championship. As a team, the Gusties average 3.4 goals and 34.2 shots per game, while allowing just 0.90 goals against and an average of 16.5 shots from the opposition per game this season. 

The Gusties boast 10 NCAA top-15 statistics, including the second most team shutouts (10), the third-best faceoff winning percentage (63.2 percent), and the third-best scoring defense (0.92 goals against). McCoy is the nation's leader in shutouts (eight), while Sophia Coltvet is second in the country with seven power play goals. 

The Gusties have scored five goals or more in three of their last five games, and are currently on a seven-game win streak. Prior to Saturday's 2-1 victory, Katie McCoy and Maya Marston hadn't allowed a goal in the Gustie net in their last 213 minutes of play. Hailey Holland and Brooke Power have handled much of the point production this season, with Holland posting 29 on 18 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 0.90 goals against through 25 games. The team is also second 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 (0.926) and eighth for winning percentage (0.833). 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 81-13-3, with a 0.988 goals against average, 1,489 saves, and a 0.939 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. 

RECORD WATCH

After last Saturday's overtime game-winner, Hailey Holland now has 140 points to her name in a Gustie sweater. Holland has eclipsed the 30-point mark twice in her career, and is one goal or assist away from making it three consecutive seasons. Her 140 points rank third in program history, five ahead of 2023 Hall of Famer Laura Stypulkowski (2001-05) and four behind Sarah Garrison Moe (1998-99, 2000-02) in second. Holland would need an additional season to overtake now Assistant Coach Andrea Peterson's (2003-07) record of 185 career points. Holland has a point in all four of her last games, scoring four goals and three helpers in that time. Holland scored four points against Saint Mary's in the teams' two games this year, and has 13 all-time against the Cardinals. In the MIAC Playoffs, Holland has nine goals and four assists in eight games played.

STAR POWER

Brooke Power has been second in point production for the Gusties as Holland's linemate. Power has 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points in 25 games, with four power play tallies, one on the PK, and five game-winners. The senior has five points in her last four games, and has dominated in the faceoff circle this season, posting 308 wins (11th/NCAA) on 441 draws for a mark of 69.8 percent. With a power play goal against Aurora on Dec. 8, Power became the MIAC's all-time leader in career power play goals with 19, passing St. Thomas/Hamline's Leah Schwartzman (2015-19). Power has added one more since then for 20 in her four seasons, and has one more year of athletic eligibility left in her career. Power and Holland are each one short-handed goal away from tying the MIAC's record for that statistic as well, each with five on the PK apiece.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

Saint Mary's entered MIAC postseason play as the No. 3 seed overall, earning a bye through the quarterfinals. The Cardinals return to the championship game for the first time in 22 years, having last played in the 2002 title game, defeating Gustavus 2-1. Saint Mary's beat No. 2 seed Augsburg last Saturday, winning 2-1 on goals from Allie Urlaub and Jenna Kurkowski. The Cardinals have won seven of the last eight games against the AUggies, including five-straight on the road.

First-Year Sophia Paduano leads the Cardinal squad with 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points, tied with Hailey Holland for the most in the conference. Celeste Rimstad is the team's go-to netminder, playing in 26 games with a goals against average of 1.44 and a 0.938 save percentage. The Cardinals have dropped just five games in their 26-game schedule – falling twice to the No. 2 Gusties, as well as solo losses to No. 1 UW-River Falls, Hamline, and Saint Benedict. 

Saint Mary's ranks in the top-20 of nine different team statistics and eight individual. SMU has the ninth-best power play in the country, converting at a mark of 25 percent with 21 goals on the player-advantage (10th/NCAA). The team's 0.769 winning percentage is ninth in Division III, while their scoring offense ranks 14th (3.31 goals per game). Reese Heitzman's six game-winners are second only to Adrian's Une Bjelland's seven, while Celia Mitdbo is tied with the Gusties' Sophia Coltvet for seven power play tallies. 

REWRITING HISTORY IN WINONA

The Cardinals have had their best season in two decades this year. Their 18 wins in the regular season, including a nine game win streak, are the most since 2001-02. The Cardinals are ranked No. 14 in this week's USCHO.com national coaches' poll, marking the fourth time this season SMU has been in the poll. Prior to this season, the Cardinals had never been featured in the official national coaches' poll. Fueled by a three-game winning streak, Saint Mary's earned its first national ranking on Jan. 15, coming in at No. 15. Since then, the Cardinals have been ranked as high as 13 in the poll (week of Jan. 22).

This is the 14th MIAC Playoff appearance for Saint Mary's, and first since the 2021-22 season, when the Cardinals opened with a 5-3 win over Saint Benedict, before falling to Hamline 4-2.

FIRST-YEAR FRENZY

First-year Saint Mary's Head Coach Chad Davis has led the team to its first MIAC Championship since 2002 on the back of incredible offensive performance from first-year players. The trio of Reese Heitzman, Sophia Paduano, and Celia Midtbo all own more than 10 goals this season, marking the first time since the 2001-02 season that three Cardinals have achieved this feat. The team has 12 freshmen on its roster, with first-years Heitzman, Paduano, Midtbo, and Kenzie Meland often listed as four of the team's starters. 

Reese Heitzman, a forward out of Hermantown, leads the team's goal scoring with 17 this season. Heitzman also has nine assists for a total of 26 points. Heitzman has recorded at least a point in 16 of SMU's 26 games this season, and had a nine-game point streak snapped by the Gusties' on Dec. 1. Heitzman has three multiple-goal games this year as well. 

Paduano has certainly made her campaign for MIAC Rookie of the Year, scoring 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points total. Paduano has 10 points on the power play (five goals, five assists), and leads the team in plus/minus with a rating of +32. Paduano, who boasted a season-high six-game goal-scoring streak this season, has scored a goal in 11 of the team's last 15 games. 

Defender Celia Midtbo has 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points this year. Her seven power play goals are most on the team and second-most in NCAA Division III this year. Midtbo owns a two-goal game against Bethel on Jan. 27 and a three-goal game against Saint Benedict on Feb. 2, and has been named MIAC Player of the Week twice this season.