SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women's hockey team opens the NCAA Division III Tournament against St. Norbert (Wis.) at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The Gusties, who received one of four at-large bids to the tournament, are hosting their 12th NCAA game in their 18th tournament appearance. 

Gustavus (21-6-0, 15-3-0 MIAC) fell to Augsburg in the MIAC Playoff Championship last Saturday, March 8, in a 3-2 overtime decision in Minneapolis. The Auggies (23-3-1, 16-2-0 MIAC) are the No. 1 seed in the national tourney. St. Norbert (24-4-1, 16-1-1 NCHA), meanwhile, earned a spot in the national postseason via the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) automatic bid, defeating No. 7 Adrian (Mich.) in a similar 3-2 overtime result. The winners of Saturday's game will face the top-seeded Auggies in Minneapolis on March 22 for a chance to advance to the Frozen Four. 

FREE ADMISSION FOR FIRST 165 STUDENTS

The Gustavus Athletic Department, in partnership with SAAC, will cover the cost of admission for the first 165 Gustie students on Saturday (March 15). Students will also receive free rally towels, and are encouraged to wear white to the game. 

TICKET AND CAMPUS INFORMATION

Saturday's game will be played at Don Roberts Ice Rink. Tickets will be cash-only and sold at the main entryway doors to the rink. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and $3 for children ages three to 17. No dogs or alcoholic beverages are permitted inside the facility. 

GUSTIES IN THE NCAA POSTSEASON

Saturday's game will mark the 19th national tournament appearance, and 18th in the NCAA, for the Gustavus women's hockey team. It's the team's fifth consecutive dating back to the 2019-20 season (no tournament was held in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Since the NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament debuted in 2002, and, since then, only three women's hockey teams have made more NCAA playoff appearances, as both Middlebury (Vt.) and SUNY-Plattsburgh are making their 20th this season, and Elmira (N.Y.) its 19th at the NCAA level. The first tournament featured a six-team bracket. It was expanded to seven teams in 2003-04, eight in 2011-12, nine in 2017-18, 10 in 2019-20, 11 in 2022-23, and 12 ahead of this season. 

The Gusties are 16-22 in NCAA competition, advancing to the quarterfinal 12 times (8-2 record), semifinal 10 times (2-8), and the championship twice (1-1). The NCAA sponsored a third place game until the 2022-23 season, with the Gusties going 3-5 since 2002. The Gusties are one of eight teams to have won a national championship, and the first from the West Region. A west team has won each of the last two championships, following UW-River Falls' undefeated season last year. Plattsburgh owns the most championships with seven, followed by four for Middlebury and three for Elmira. The national championship run began with a win at home over River Falls in the quarterfinals, followed by a 3-2 double overtime victory over Plattsburgh in the semis, and a 2-1 win over Amherst (Mass.) in triple overtime, the longest NCAA Championship game ever played at the Division III level. 

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday's game marks the fifth meeting between Gustavus and St. Norbert on the ice, with the Gusties leading the all-time series 4-0. The game will be the first postseason competition between the two teams, and third at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The Gusties and Green Knights played a non-conference series in 2017-18, with Gustavus sweeping both games, 3-0. Both games were played in De Pere, Wis., and are the last meetings between the programs. 

The Gusties and Green Knights first met in 2011-12, an 8-1 win at Don Roberts Ice Rink. The teams played once more in Saint Peter, a 1-0 shutout victory on Jan. 7, 2017. Gustavus is 2-3 all-time in NCAA First Round games and 2-2 at home.

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

The Gusties enter the national postseason with a 21-6-0 record and finished 15-3-0 in MIAC regular season play. The team is averaging 3.7 goals per game and allowing just 1.9 against this season. The Gusties average 34.7 shots per game and concede 18.5. Gustavus has collected 144 assists this season alongside 101 goals for 245 team points. The Gustavus power play has converted at one of the best marks all season, scoring 34 goals on 113 attempts (.301), but has gone scoreless with the player advantage in the playoffs. The Gustie penalty kill has allowed just 10 goals on 73 opportunities (.137). The team averages 2.9 penalties per game, but draws 4.4 on the opposition, and has dominated the faceoff circle, winning 58.7 percent of draws.

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. Gustavus has already topped its goal scoring from the season before, tallying 14 more already in the same number of games played. In four of their five losses, Gustavus has taken three or more penalties in five of six losses, 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 four of their wins this season, and have scored first in 16 of their 21 victories this year. The Gusties have out-shot opponents in all but one loss, as well, a 4-3 decision against UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 26. 

Individually, Lily Mortenson (Jr., Champlin, Minn.) is the team and one of the nation's leading scorers, totaling 45 points off 21 goals and 24 assists. Mortenson has tallied 135 shots this season, resulting in six power play goals, five first goals, two game-winners, and two hat tricks. Kaitlyn Holland (Sr., Aberdeen, S.D.) is next, scoring 31 points on 13 goals and 18 assists, while Noelle Hemr (Fy., Blaine, Minn.) has completed the top Gustie line with 27 points on 13 goals and 14 assists. 

Defensively, Abby Elliott (Sr., Lino Lakes, Minn.) is the team's top-scoring defender, tallying nine goals and seven assists for 16 points. She and Kylie Ligday (So., Lake Elmo, Minn.) have helped hold opponents to 18.5 shots on goal for just 1.9 goals per game. Between the pipes, first-year Lily Timmons (Stillwater, Minn.) has seen the most time in the crease, playing in 23 games and starting in 24. Timmons has posted a 1.46 goals-against-average with 390 saves for a .922 save percentage. Seven of her 33 goals allowed have been on the power play, and she's earned five solo shutouts for an 18-5-0 record.

MIAC ACCOLADES

Gustavus junior forward Lily Mortenson was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Year and four other Gusties earned All-MIAC honors when the 2024-25 MIAC Women's Hockey Awards were announced on Monday, March 10. 

In addition to Mortenson's awards, Hemr, Holland, Elliott, and Brooke Power (5th, Lakeville, Minn.) were selected as All-Conference. Ligday earned All-Conference Honorable Mention honors, while Ellie Groebner (Fy., Apple Valley, Minn.) and Timmons were named to the All-Playoff Team. 

Mortenson became the eighth Gustie to be named a MIAC Player of the Year, collecting the program's 13th honor. She's the third consecutive Offensive Player of the Year for the Gusties, following two-time award winner Hailey Holland '24. Gustavus has won every offensive award since the Player of the Year award was split into offensive and defensive categories prior to the 2022-23 season.

The honors for Mortenson, Hemr, Elliott were their firsts, while Holland collected her second All-Conference award. Power became one of an exclusive group of 25 in MIAC history to receive All-Conference recognition in four seasons.

TOURNEY TIME

Power and the graduating Gustie seniors have three years of national tournament experience already under their belt, going 6-2 in that span with a national championship and national runner-up finish. In tournament play, Holland has netted the post points of any active player, scoring a pair of goals alongside three assists for five points. Power has a goal and a trio of assists in her NCAA games, while Mortenson scored a pair of goals and an assist en route to 2023 NCAA All-Tournament Team honors in the national championship season. 

IN THE POLLS

Following last weekend's loss to Augsburg in the MIAC Championship, the Gusties dropped to No. 5 in the nation in the USCHO.com polling. Gustavus is also ranked No. 2 in the nation according to the final Division III Hockey News Poll released on Tuesday, March 4. The team finished ranked No. 7 in the final NCAA National Power Index (NPI) for Division III women's hockey.

St. Norbert, meanwhile, has been in the national polls all season as well, finishing the regular season at No. 7 according to the USCHO and No. 11 in the DIII Hockey News Poll. The Green Knights finished ranked No. 10 in the NPI as the fourth-highest ranked team from the West Region. 

With automatic bids considered, the cut to get an at-large bid into the tournament was No. 8, with Middlebury (Vt.) (No. 3), UW-River Falls (No. 4), Gustavus (No. 7), and Colby (Maine) (No. 8) taking the four at-large bids. Three-loss SUNY-Oswego was the first team out of the tournament at No. 9 in the rankings

NATIONAL NOTABLES

Through games of March 9, the Gusties rank first among 78 NCAA Division III women's ice hockey programs in power play goals (34), fourth in power play conversion (.301), sixth in faceoff percentage (.587), ninth in scoring offense (3.74 gpg) and team points (245), and 10th in winning percentage (.778), assists (144), and goals (101). 

Individually, Mortenson boasts five different top-10 marks in DIII this season. She is second in points per game (1.67), third in faceoff wins (352), fifth in goals per game (0.78) and power play goals (six), and seventh in assists per game (0.89). Holland ranks first in the nation in power play scoring with eight goals to her name, and is fourth in game-winners (five). Timmons also ranks ninth in individual shutouts (five).

Power is one of the nation's statistically most accomplished active players, ranking in the top-10 of a number of statistics in all of college hockey. Among active Division III women's hockey players, she ranks first in career game-winning goals (20), second in goals (67) and power play goals (21), third in short-handed goals (five), eighth in points (114) and goals per game (0.56), and 11th in games played (120). Her 20 game-winners are good for third in all levels of women's hockey, while her 21 power play tallies are fifth. She became the 15th member of the Gustie 100 point club earlier this season, and she and her sister Erica '18 are the only sisters in the history of Gustavus and MIAC women's hockey to both eclipse 100 points. 

THE FIELD

The 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament features 12 teams for the first time in DIII collegiate women's hockey history. The 12 team bracket includes the following teams (preceded by NPI rank): No. 1 Augsburg, No. 2 Amherst (Mass.), No. 3 Middlebury (Vt.), No. 4 UW-River Falls, No. 5 SUNY-Plattsburgh, No. 6 Endicott (Mass.), No. 7 Gustavus, No. 8 Colby (Maine), No. 10 St. Norbert (Wis.), No. 11 Wilkes (Pa.), No. 16 Nazareth (N.Y.), and No. 17 Elmira (N.Y.).

The other first round match-ups feature Plattsburgh and Elmira, Endicott and Nazareth, and Colby and Wilkes. The winner of Plattsburgh and Elmira will fly to River Falls, Wis. to face the Falcons. The winner of Endicott/Nazareth will advance to Middlebury, Vt., while either Colby or Wilkes will face Amherst. The top four seeds received a bye through the first round into the quarterfinals. River Falls is already the predetermined host site for the Frozen Four, with the semifinal game to take place on March 28 at Hunt Arena. 

Both Wilkes and Augsburg are making their first NCAA tournament appearances in program history. St. Norbert has advanced to the NCAA tourney just once in program history, finishing as a quarterfinalist after falling to Plattsburgh as one of eight final teams. 

SCOUTING THE GREEN KNIGHTS

St. Norbert College finished the regular season 24-4-1 overall and 16-1-1 in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA), dropping all four of its losses to teams competing in the national tournament. The Green Knights fell to then-No. 6 Plattsburgh, Endicott College (Mass.), No. 8 Augsburg, and No. 4 Adrian. Two of the team's wins have come in overtime, while its losses to Plattsburgh and Adrian were both played to extra periods. The Green Knights have played six games against teams nationally-ranked, going 2-3-1 overall. SNC has won its last eight games, and is 11-2-0 on the road. 

St. Norbert averages 4.0 goals on 37.1 shots per game, allowing 1.4 goals on 19.6 shots per contest by opponents. The Green Knights have scored 23 power play goals on 106 attempts (.217), but allowed just six on the kill. St. Norbert averages 3.3 penalties per game while drawing 4.1 against opponents, and has won 60.9 percent of faceoffs this season. 

Individually, senior forward Courtnie Hogan leads the team in scoring with 34 points on 19 goals and 15 assists. She's netted eight on the power play and three short-handed, leading an offense that boasts two other players with 30 points or more, including twin sister Natalie Hogan (32) and Kelsey Ross (32). Three other Green Knights have at least 20 points, while 12 total are in double figures. In the crease, first-year Keira Markell has seen the most time, playing in 20 games and starting in 18. She owns a 1.57 goals-against-average, allowing four on the power play. She's made 350 saves for a .928 save percentage and earned three solo shutouts en route to a 13-3-1 record. 

St. Norbert has been shutout just once this season, a 3-0 decision against Endicott on Dec. 1. In all of its losses, SNC has put 26 or less shots on net, 10 below the team's season-average. St. Norbert has played in 12 games this year with four or more penalties, but only one team ahs scored more than one power play goal on the Green Knights when the Auggies tallied two in a 4-2 Augsburg win on Jan. 11. 

SNC IN THE NCAA

Through games of March 9, St. Norbert ranks second in NCAA Division III in short-handed goals (six) and team faceoff percentage (.609), third in assists (183), goals (115), and points (298), fourth in winning percentage (.845), fifth in scoring offense (3.97 gpg), sixth in scoring margin (+2.55 gpg), and eighth in power play goals (23), and team shutouts (nine). SNC ranks in the top-20 of every major tracked NCAA Division III statistic. 

Individually, Courtney Hogan shares the national lead in power play scoring with Holland with eight goals with the player advantage this season. She's also second in the nation in short-handed tallies (three), fourth in game-winners (five), and 14th in both goals (0.66) and points (1.17) per game. Kelsey Ross ranks second in the nation in faceoff wins (383) and 11th in assists per game (0.83).