SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women's hockey team is set to face Hamline in the second round of the MIAC postseason at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 1. The Gusties, who earned the No. 2 seed after finishing second in the conference, will take on No. 3-seeded Hamline at Don Roberts Ice Rink for one of two semifinal games to be played on Saturday. 

The Gusties (20-5-0, 15-3-0 MIAC) will host the Pipers (16-0-0, 11-7-0 MIAC) for their third consecutive game after finishing the regular season against Hamline last weekend, Feb. 21-22. The other semifinal features top-seeded Augsburg (21-2-1, 16-2-0 MIAC) and Saint Mary's (16-10-0, 10-8-0), both teams of which dealt the Gusties one of their three conference losses. The Auggies swept Saint Mary's by scores of 3-1 and 3-2 in their regular season finale last weekend. Saint Mary's reached the semifinals after defeating St. Olaf (12-13-1, 9-8-1 MIAC) 3-2 on Wednesday. The highest remaining seed following both semifinal games will host the championship the following Saturday, March 7.

FREE ADMISSION FOR GUSTAVUS STUDENTS

The Gustavus Athletic Department, in partnership with SAAC, will cover the cost of all Gustie students for all playoff competitions on campus on Saturday (March 1). All students that arrive in the first 30 minutes of the game will be admitted for free. Campus dorms will also remain open until Saturday outside of spring break regulations, and SAAC will provide in-game fan incentives to students. 

TICKET INFORMATION

All tickets for the 2025 MIAC Playoffs will be sold and purchased online via HomeTown Ticketing. There will not be cash sales at any venue; however, spectators can purchase tickets using a mobile device, including while at the venue. Tickets are available for purchase immediately. General admission adult tickets are $12 (plus HTT service charge). Student (with ID) tickets are $3 (plus HTT service charge), and children ages five and under are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased here.

GUSTIES IN THE MIAC PLAYOFFS

The MIAC Women's Hockey Playoff Championship was established in the 1999-2000 season, and since then, no women's hockey team has made more appearances or won more championships than Gustavus. The Gusties have missed just one playoff tournament (2015-16), and have won each of the last four titles. Gustavus owns a total of 15 championships from 2001 to 2024, followed by six for St. Thomas, and one each for Hamline (2018), Saint Mary's (2002), and Augsburg (2000). Last season, the Gusties defeated Bethel in the semifinals, 2-1 in overtime, before shutting out Saint Mary's – who upset Augsburg in the semifinals – in the championship, 2-0. The Gusties are 38-8-2 all-time in the MIAC postseason tournament, with a 20-5-0 record in semifinal games.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday's game marks the 55th meeting between Gustavus and Hamline on the ice, and third in the last eight days, with the Gusties leading the all-time series, 46-6-2. The game will be the sixth postseason competition between the two teams. Gustavus has won all three semifinal games against Hamline, claiming victories in the 2007, 2008, and 2023 tournaments, all three games played in Saint Peter. The Gusties and Pipers have met twice in the title game, splitting the series, with Hamline winning in Saint Peter in 2018 and the Gusties claiming the championship at home in 2022. The 2017-18 Hamline team took third in the NCAA tournament. The Gusties are 25-4-1 against Hamline when playing at home, and had a seven-game win streak against the Pipers snapped last Friday, Feb. 21. 

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

The Gusties enter the postseason with a 20-5-0 record and 15-3-0 mark in regular season conference play. The team is averaging 3.8 goals on an even 35.0 shots per game. The Gustie power play has converted at one of the best marks all season, now at 32.1 percent, while the penalty kill has allowed just nine goals on 66 attempts. The team averages 2.8 penalties per game but draws 4.4 on the opposition, and has dominated the faceoff circle, winning 58.8 percent of draws. 

Gustavus started the season averaging nearly eight minutes of penalties per game through its first 13, but cut that mark in half for the back half of the season, averaging just 3.1 minutes in the final 10 games of the regular season. The Gusties, traditionally a low-scoring, high-defense team, have been shutout just once this season, a 2-0 loss at Saint Mary's on Jan. 18. In four of their five losses, Gustavus has taken three or more penalties, and has allowed a goal in the last minute of play in all but one defeat (Dec. 7 vs. Augsburg). On the flip side, the Gusties have scored a power play goal in all but three of their wins this season, and have scored first in 15 of their 20 victories this year. 

Individually, Lily Mortenson (Jr., Champlin, Minn.) is far and away the team's point leader, scoring 43 on 20 goals and 23 assists. Mortenson averages 5.16 shots per game, owns six power play tallies, four first goals, one game-winner, and two hat tricks this season. Kaitlyn Holland (Sr., Aberdeen, S.D.) is next with 29 points (13 G, 16 A), collecting eight of her goals with the player advantage, while five have been game-winners. First-year Noelle Hemr (Blaine, Minn.) rounds out the top Gustie line with 25 points on 11 goals and 14 assists, as well as four power play goals and two game-winners. Abby Elliott (Sr., Lino Lakes, Minn.) has emerged as the Gusties' top defender, contributing both offensively and defensively, with nine goals and seven assists for 16 points while holding opponents to 18.1 shots per game, nearly half that of the Gusties' average. Between the pipes, Lily Timmons (Fy., Stillwater, Minn.) has seen the most time in net, playing in 22 games and starting in 21 with a record of 17-4-0, a 1.47 goals against average, and a .920 save percentage. 

IN THE POLLS

Following a loss and overtime win against Hamline in its final regular season series of the year, Gustavus dropped one spot in the USCHO.com Division III Coaches Poll released on Monday (Feb. 24) to No. 4 in the nation, but held at No. 3 in the DIII Hockey News weekly rankings. The Gusties dropped five spots in the NCAA National Power Index (NPI) for Division III women's hockey, which now updates daily, to No. 7 in the country. The NPI is used to select the at-large bids to the Division III championship, which will include 12 teams in the 2025 bracket (eight automatic bids, four at-large). 

In the USCHO.com polling, four other teams in the West Region appeared in the rankings: UW-River Falls (No. 1), Augsburg (No. 2), Adrian (Mich.) (No. 7), and St. Norbert (Wis.) (No. 11). Hamline received 10 votes in the polling. DIII Hockey News featured the same five teams from the region: UW-River Falls (No. 1), Gustavus (No. 3), Augsburg (No. 4), Adrian (No. 6), and St. Norbert (No. 11). Hamline received 16 votes. Augsburg sits second in NPI, followed by UWRF (No. 4), the Gusties (No. 7), St. Norbert (No. 10), and Adrian (No. 13). 

NATIONAL NOTABLES

The No. 3 Gusties are currently (through games of Feb. 27), first in NCAA Division III in power play goals (34), second in power play conversion (.321), seventh in faceoff percentage (.588), ninth in winning percentage (.800) and points (230), and 10th in goals (95) and scoring offense (3.8 gpg).

Individually, Mortenson leads the Gustie offense with five different top five marks in Division III this season. Mortenson is second in points per game (1.72), fourth in faceoff wins (317) and goals per game (0.80), fifth in power play goals (six), and sixth in assists per game (0.92). Holland is the NCAA leader in power play scoring this season, totaling eight goals, the most of any DIII women's hockey player in the country. Holland also ranks second in total game-winning goals (five). Brooke Power (5th, Lakeville, Minn.) is seventh in game-winners (four), while Timmons is ninth in goalie winning percentage (.810). 

MAKING POWER PLAYS

The Gustavus power play has been one of the most productive in NCAA hockey this season. The Gusties' 34 power play goals are the most of any team in Division III women's hockey and second most in NCAA women's hockey this season, behind only Division I Wisconsin. The 34 rank fourth in all of college hockey so far this season (through games of Feb. 27) behind men's DIII Aurora (Ill.) with 37, men's DI Quinnipiac (Conn.) with 37, Wisconsin, and tied with DI men's Denver (Colo.). The power play conversion rate of .321 ranks second in the nation behind fellow MIAC competitor Saint Benedict (.333), which did not make the MIAC postseason tournament after finishing sixth in conference. The Gusties are 34-for-106 with the player advantage this season, scoring a power play goal in all but five games this season, including nine games with more than one. The last time the Gusties had 34 or more power play goals in a season was the national championship year, when the team totaled 38 in 2022-23. 

ON POINT

Lily Mortenson has enjoyed a breakout junior year, totaling a career-high 43 points, nearly doubling that of her standout rookie season, where she scored 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points. She has at least a point in all but four games this season, and has tallied more than one on 13 different occasions. She has two hat tricks on the season, becoming the first player since Hailey Holland '24 in 2019-20 to score more than one in a season. Her 43 points are the most by a single player since Allie Schwab '12 tallied 46 off 25 goals and 21 assists in 30 games in 2011-12. Mortenson has three times been named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week this season, and trails only UW-River Falls' Bailey Olson in scoring. Olson averages 1.72 points per game for the Falcons, who have scored nine or more goals in seven different games this season. 

STAR POWER

Brooke Power became the 41st player in MIAC history and 15th in Gustavus program history to eclipse 100 career points, a mark she surpassed on Jan. 17 in a 6-0 win over Saint Mary's – a four point performance, nonetheless. Power now has 111 points in her career, and she and her sister Erica '18 are now the only pair of sisters in the conference to ever both score 100 points in their careers – Erica had 101 from 2014-18. They are the third-highest scoring sister duo in conference history, behind Hailey '24 and Kaitlyn Holland (227 points), and Saint Mary's twins Mindy and Missy Westergren '02 (216 points). 

Power is one game-winner away from sharing the MIAC all-time record for the stat, and she ranks first in career game-winners amongst all active Division III women's hockey players with 20 since her first season. She is third across all divisions, and the only DIII player in the top five. She also ranks second amongst active Division III women's hockey players in career goals (64) and power play goals (21), third in short-handed goals (five), and ninth in goals per game (0.54).

SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST

Senior defender Abby Elliott has enjoyed her best season in her senior year, leading the Gusties from the blue line with nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 24 games played. Elliott, who entered the season having not scored her first career goal, has a point in 13 games this season, and posted a seven-game point streak from Jan. 24-Feb. 7, where she totaled five goals and two assists, later earning MIAC Defensive Player of the Week for her performance.  

LAST WEEKEND

The Gusties and Pipers ended both of their regular and MIAC seasons against each other last weekend. Hamline claimed a 2-1 win over the Gusties on their home ice Friday, Feb. 21, scoring a pair of late third period goals to seal the victory, while Gustavus returned the favor the following night with two goals in the game's final two minutes and an Avery Braunshausen (So., Lake Elmo, Minn.) overtime winner for a 4-3 comeback victory in St. Paul. 

On Friday, both teams played 47:48 of scoreless hockey until Holland broke the silence in the third period, scoring her eighth power play goal of the year. Three minutes later, Hamline's Cailey McLaughlin evened the score on a 2-on-1. Nikki Olund netted the eventual game-winner, which dashed the Gusties' hopes of sharing the conference regular season title, with just 33 seconds to play in the game. The Gusties out-shot Hamline 32-17, but struggled to get shots past Kendra Nordick, who made 12 saves in each of the first two periods. 

Despite another 0-0 first period, once the scoring opened Saturday, it didn't stop, with a combined seven goals in the back half of the evening rematch. Emme Nelson scored first for the Pipers, 4:46 into the second period on a takeaway and partial breakaway to beat Claire Bronson (Fy., Lakeville, Minn.), who made her first career start at TRIA Saturday evening. Kylie Scott (So., Dayton, Minn.) evened the score at one apiece with a power play goal three minutes later, but two more for HU before the end of the period put the game seemingly out of reach with a 3-1 lead for the home team. 

The Gusties waited until the last minute to turn on the offense, as Elliott picked a top corner with 1:14 to play in the game to cut the deficit to one. With Bronson on the bench for an extra skater, Hemr capitalized on a loose puck in front to tie things up in the final seconds of regulation. And, 2:12 into the extra period, Braunshausen netted the first of her season to deliver the victory to her team. Gustavus once again out-shot Hamline, 40-26, but was met with Nordick between the pipes, who made 11 or more saves in each of the three regulation periods. Bronson saved 23 for her first solo collegiate win, including an overtime breakaway and eight shots in each of the second and third periods. 

SCOUTING THE PIPERS

Hamline finished third in the conference with a record of 16-9-0 and 11-7-0 in MIAC play. The Pipers started the first half of the season in the national rankings, going 9-2-0 to start the year, ranked as high as No. 13 in the USCHO.com national poll following wins over then-No. 15 Saint Mary's and then-No. 9 UW-Eau Claire. Following their 6-0 shutout of Eau Claire and highest national ranking of the year, the Pipers went 1-5-0 in their next six games, getting swept by both St. Olaf and then-No. 8 Augsburg. Hamline closed out its regular season with wins in six of its last eight, including the 2-1 victory over the No. 3 Gusties. 

Hamline averages 3.8 goals on 37.1 shots per game, and has scored at least a goal in all of their games this season. The Piper power play has converted 11-of-61 attempts (.180) and held opponents to 11 goals on 71 power play opportunities (.155). The Pipers average 3.0 penalties per game, while drawing 2.6 from opponents, and have won 59.2 percent of their faceoffs this season. Nationally, Hamline ranks (through games of Feb. 27), sixth in NCAA Division III in faceoff percentage (.592), eighth in assists (145) and team points (239), and 11th in scoring offense (3.76 gpg). 

Individually, Haley Eder-Zdechlik, sister of Allison Eder-Zdechlik '16, ranks third in NCAA Division III with a pair of short-handed goals, while goaltender Kendra Nordick's five shutouts are seventh in the country and the top mark in the MIAC, and Cailey McLaughlin's four game-winning goals are seventh in DIII. 

Eder-Zdechlik is the team point leader, scoring 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points in 25 games played. Ashlyn Abrahamson is next with 24 on an even 12 goals and 12 assists, while Abigail Chamernick has 21 points on 10 goals and 11 points to round out the top three Piper scores, all above the 20-point mark. Hamline has an additional nine players scoring in double digit points this season. Nordick has been the team's go-to netminder, starting in 19 games and playing in 21 with a record of 11-8-0, a 1.90 goals against average, and a .909 save percentage.