SAINT PETER, Minn. – Call it a dynasty. Call it a tradition of excellence. Call it a national powerhouse.

Andrea Peterson, Kirstin Peterson, and Allie Stanger just call it home. 

For nearly all of the program's 27 seasons, the Gustavus women's hockey team has featured an alumni coach behind the bench, and now has three, as Andrea Peterson '07 HOF '22, Kirstin Peterson '11, and Allie Stanger '19 have become staples of the Gustavus and MIAC women's hockey community. Each brings their own skillset to the table, but put all three in a room and you'll find them finishing each other's sentences as they toss out ideas, from the best way to sustain power play success to next week's practice plan, and everything in between.

All three coaches saw successful playing careers while wearing the Three Crowns, a combined 17 MIAC titles, 10 NCAA appearances, and a 249-62-29 record. 

Andrea Peterson, perhaps one of the greatest players in NCAA Division III women's hockey history, graduated first of the three in 2007, and returned immediately to help lead her alma mater from 2007-11. She coached Kirstin Peterson (no relation) as a player for four years, helping Kirstin follow in her own footsteps as one of Division III's best defenders. She returned to the coaching staff in 2022.

Andrea, who was inducted into the Gustavus Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022, is still the only player in MIAC history to be selected as the Player of the Year all four seasons, earning All-America laurels in each year as well. She finished her collegiate career as the 2006-07 Laura Hurd Award winner, presented to the Division III Player of the Year. 

Kirstin was a force on the blueline from 2007-11, helping the Gusties win all four MIAC regular season and playoff titles during her tenure. She was a four-time All-MIAC performer and three-time All-American and broke the program's "Iron Woman" award in 2011, setting a new games-played mark by skating in all 116 contests over her career. She returned to the Gustie bench as an assistant from 2011-13, before obtaining her Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) in 2017. She rejoined the staff in 2018-19, just in time to coach Allie Stanger for a season.  

Stanger, the most recent graduate of the bunch, is the only forward of the group, playing in 107 games and serving as a two-year captain for the program. She was a part of the 2016-17 team that finished third in the NCAA Tournament and was named MIAC All-Conference in 2018-19. During her four-year playing career, the Gusties claimed a pair of regular season championships and made two NCAA appearances. 

Their careers are expansive, and their favorite memories as players vary, from scoring a game-winning goal against St. Thomas in 2006, team trips to Europe, or upsetting a pair of teams on the road in the 2017 NCAA tournament, but all three can agree on one thing – nothing will beat coaching the 2023 National Championship team. 

"Do we wish we could have done it as players? Of course," commented Stanger. "But to be a coach and experience the pure joy of our players, watching their hard work pay off, you just couldn't be more proud of their efforts, especially in back-to-back overtime games."

Kirstin echoed her thoughts, while Andrea added that, while they all aimed for the goal as athletes at Gustavus, coming up just short a number of times, the experience has more meaning from behind the bench.

"It almost meant more as a coach than a player," said Andrea. "You have so much more perspective as an adult, and to look at it through their eyes, you see their joy and excitement in the moment, but I don't think they'll understand how cool it was until they get to where we are."

The value of having alumni on the bench is not lost on Head Coach Mike Carroll, who coached all three as players and is now in his 26th season leading the women's hockey program.

"I talk to every recruit that comes to this campus with their families about how lucky we are to have three former players who have been through the program coaching," said Carroll. "They wouldn't be doing this if they weren't passionate about their experiences at Gustavus and giving back to the team. It certainly means a lot to our players, and it's something that separates our program from others, and I'm very lucky to have that."

All three have learned a variety of lessons from Carroll, both as coaches and players, but can agree that his style has impacted their lives far beyond the ice.

"The way we coach together now is very complementary," Kirstin said. "We were all coached the same way, and while we had different experiences, having that as our foundation helps us provide a really consistent and meaningful experience for our players. Coach held us to a higher standard as players, and we are able to pass that on in a way that resonates with our teams now. Being coached by him and being coached in this program shapes you as a person, and being a part of that from the other side is really special."

"He taught me everything I needed to know about the game – the systems, the X's and O's – but he also taught me how to handle adversity and that pressure is a privilege," added Andrea. "But, by far the most important lesson I learned was that once you're a Gustie, you're a Gustie for life."

The program, which is one of the winningest in Division III history, is built on a rich tradition of alumni, despite its shorter tenure as an official NCAA sport. 

"I had a great college experience. The education and athletics community – you won't find much better anywhere else," Stanger added. "You come here knowing that you're going to play on one of the best hockey teams in the country, and after you graduate, that pride and tradition doesn't go away. We're very fortunate to have such a great alumni base that supports us, at home, on the road, and in everything we do. Saying you're a part of this program holds great weight in the hockey community, in the Gustavus community, and all around the country."

Many Gustie women's hockey alumni have echoed Stanger's sentiment in a series of question and answer features, including former players such as Kelsey Kennedy '13, Courtney Boucher '15, and Laine Fischer '19. Read more about their testimonies here. 

The Gustavus women's hockey team has just one regular season series remaining on its schedule – a pair of games against Hamline on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 and Feb. 22. Gustavus sits atop of the conference standings, tied with Augsburg with a 14-2-0 MIAC record. Conference playoffs are set to begin the following week.