SAINT PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus women's hockey team is set to face Augsburg in the MIAC Championship at 6 p.m., Saturday, March 8. The Gusties, who earned the No. 2 seed after finishing second in the conference, will travel to Minneapolis to the No. 1-seeded Auggies at Ed Saugestad Rink. 

The Gusties (21-5-0, 15-3-0 MIAC) earned a spot in their fifth consecutive title game via a 4-0 shutout of Hamline in the semifinals last Saturday, March 1. Augsburg (22-3-1, 16-2-0 MIAC), meanwhile, made history in its semifinal game against Saint Mary's, playing in the longest women's hockey game in recorded NCAA Division III history, winning 3-2 in quadruple overtime. The winner of Saturday's game will receive the MIAC's automatic bid to the national tournament. 

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 39-8-2 all-time in the MIAC postseason tournament, with a 15-3-1 record in championship games. The first two iterations of the MIAC tournament featured a two-game series in every round between competing teams.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday's game marks the 64th meeting between Gustavus and Augsburg on the ice, with the Gusties leading the all-time series, 46-13-4. The game will be the fifth postseason competition between the two teams, and fifth meeting in the championship series, with each owning a pair of victories over the other.

The Gusties and Auggies first met in the inaugural women's hockey championship, facing each other in a two-game championship series in 2000. Augsburg swept the series, 4-1 and 2-1, to claim the title, also the program's most recent championship. Gustavus, meanwhile, defeated the Auggies in the 2020 title game 3-0 and 2023 championship 4-2. The 2000 Auggies and the 2020 Gusties both fell in the first round of national tournament play, while the 2023 Gustavus team went on to claim the program's first national championship. 

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

The Gusties enter the championship game with a 21-5-0 record and finished 15-3-0 in MIAC regular season play. The team is averaging 3.8 goals on 34.5 shots per game. The Gustie power play has converted at one of the best marks all season, now at 31.5 percent, while the penalty kill has allowed just nine goals on 69 attempts. The team averages 2.8 penalties per game but draws 4.3 on the opposition, and has dominated the faceoff circle, winning 58.7 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 four of their wins this season, and have scored first in 16 of their 21 victories this year. 

Individually, Lily Mortenson (Jr., Champlin, Minn.) is far and away the team's point leader, scoring 44 on 21 goals and 23 assists. Mortenson averages 5.04 shots per game, owns six power play tallies, five first goals, two game-winners, and two hat tricks this season. Kaitlyn Holland (Sr., Aberdeen, S.D.) is next with 31 points (13 G, 18 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 26 points on 12 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 18.0 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 23 games and starting in 22 with a record of 18-4-0, a 1.40 goals against average, and a .923 save percentage. 

IN THE POLLS

Following last weekend's shutout over Hamline, which received votes in the national polling, Gustavus moved up one spot in the DIII Hockey News Poll released on Tuesday, March 4 to No. 2 in the nation. The Gusties held at No. 4 in the USCHO.com Division III Coaches Poll released on Monday (March 3), and jumped up to No. 5 in the NCAA National Power Index (NPI) for Division III women's hockey to No. 5 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). 

Augsburg, meanwhile, is the mirror of Gustavus, ranked No. 4 in the DIII Hockey News Poll and No. 2 in the USCHO.com rankings. The Auggies are the second-highest team in the NPI, behind only Middlebury (Vt.) heading into the final weekend leading up to the NCAA tournament. 

Three other teams in the West Region appeared in the top-15 in the NPI: UW-River Falls (No. 4), St. Norbert (Wis.) (No. 10), and Adrian (Mich.) (No. 11). All five of the top West Region teams, in addition to UW-Eau Claire, appear in either the DIII Hockey News and USCHO.com polls.

NATIONAL NOTABLES

Through action of March 2, the No. 2 Gusties rank first among 78 NCAA Division III women's ice hockey programs in power play goals (34), third in power play conversion (.315), sixth in faceoff percentage (.587), ninth in scoring offense (3.81 ppg), team points (241), and winning percentage (.808), and 10th in assists (142) and goals (99).

Individually, Mortenson leads the Gustie offense with six top-10 marks in DIII this season. Mortenson is second in points per game (1.69), third in faceoff wins (336), fourth in goals per game (0.81), fifth in power play goals (6), and ninth in assists per game (0.88). Holland is the NCAA's leader in power play scoring this season, totaling eight goals, the most of any DIII women's hockey player in the country. She also ranks third in game-winning goals (five). Brooke Power (5th, Lakeville, Minn.) is ninth in game-winners (four), while Timmons is ninth in goalie winning percentage (.818) and solo shutouts (five).

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 third most in NCAA women's hockey this season, behind only Division I Wisconsin and Clarkson. The power play conversion rate of .321 ranks third in the nation behind fellow MIAC competitor Saint Benedict (.333), which did not make the MIAC postseason tournament after finishing sixth in conference, and UW-River Falls (.330). The Gusties are 34-for-108 with the player advantage this season, scoring a power play goal in all but six 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. 

CASE IN POINT(S)

Lily Mortenson's career-high 44 points this season are the most by a single player in Gustavus women's hockey history since Allie Schwab '12 tallied 46 off 25 goals and 21 assists in 30 games in the 2011-12 season. She is also the first player since All-American teammate Hailey Holland '24 to score more than one hat trick in a season, as Holland netted two in 2019-20. Mortenson has nearly doubled the point total of her standout rookie season, where she scored 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points. In MIAC playoff games, Mortenson has scored two goals and an assist through five games in her career. She was a MIAC Honorable Mention selection in her first season, and was three times named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week this season.  

POWER UP

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 113 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 (229 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 (66) and power play goals (21), third in short-handed goals (five), and eighth in goals per game (0.55).

NOT TOO (SH)ABBY

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.  

SEMIFINAL SHUTOUT

The No. 3 Gustavus women's hockey team met Hamline for the third time in as many games, this time in the MIAC Playoff Semifinals, and dealt the Pipers their first shutout of the season, a 4-0 decision at Don Roberts Ice Rink Saturday, March 1. 

The Gusties took a 1-0 lead five minutes into the first period, as Mortenson netted her team- and conference-leading 21st goal of the season. After an Eva Nelson (Fy., Buffalo, Minn.) keep at the blue line, a quick turn-and-shoot play off the stick of Holland found Mortenson out front, who roofed the puck over the shoulder of Piper goaltender Kendra Nordick. 

Nelson once again started the next Gustie scoring play, jumping to glove a high clear from the Pipers out of the air to maintain possession for the Gusties. The first-year dished the puck into the corner for Holland, who delivered a perfect pass to the stick of Hemr out front, who buried her 12th of the season just past the toe of Nordick to double the lead. 

The Gustie defense smothered Hamline in the third period, holding the Pipers to just five shots on target through the final 20 minutes. The Pipers failed to convert on a pair of power plays, and allowed two empty netters with the 6-on-5 advantage, both off which came off the stick of Power. Timmons locked things down for her fifth solo shutout, making a pair of big saves in the game's final minutes. 

Kylie Scott (So, Dayton, Minn.), Power, Nelson, and Holland each finished with a pair of points to lead the Gustie offense, while Holland contributed a team-leading five shots to a total of 24 for Gustavus. Timmons stopped all 17 shots between the pipes, including three on the power play and eight in the first period. 

SCOUTING THE AUGGIES

Augsburg claimed its first outright MIAC regular season crown with a 16-2-0 record in conference play. The Auggies have been in the national rankings all season, as high as No. 2 in the USCHO.com polling and No. 4 according to DIII Hockey News. Augsburg has dropped just three games this season, a 2-0 loss to the Gusties, a 4-2 loss to UW-Eau Claire, and a 4-3 overtime setback against Saint Benedict. The Auggies started their season with a 4-4 tie against reigning national champion UW-River Falls, going without a loss until the Dec. 6 game against Gustavus. 

Augsburg averages 3.7 goals on 34.7 shots per game, the second-best mark in the conference behind only the Gusties. The Auggie power play has converted 26-of-87 attempts (.299) and held opponents to 12 goals on 81 power play opportunities (.148). The Auggies average 3.3 penalties per game, while drawing 3.6 from opponents, and have won 48.1 percent of their faceoffs this season. 

Nora Stepan is the Auggie point leader for the season, totaling 26 on 15 goals and 11 assists as a defender. She also leads the team with five power play goals and four game-winners. Emily Cronkhite is second in scoring with 21 points  on nine goals and 12 assists, while Emma Abrahamson has 10 points on 11 goals and eight helpers. A total of 13 different Auggies have 10 or more points this season. First-year Kayla Simonson has seen the most time between the pipes, playing and starting in 16 of the Auggies' 26 games this season. Simonson has a goals against average of 1.40 and a .945 save percentage for a 13-3-0 record with five solo shutouts. 

NCAA STATS

The No. 4 Auggies are currently (through games of March 5), second in NCAA Division III in winning percentage (0.865), fourth in power play goals (26), sixth in power play percentage (.229) and short-handed goals (three), eighth in scoring margin (+2.35 gpg), and 10th in both scoring offense (3.73 gpg) and team shutouts (eight).

Individually, Marissa Paaske ranks first in the nation with a goalie winning percentage of .950. Paaske's 1.092 goals against average is also eighth in the nation. Aunna Schulte and Nora Stepan each rank ninth with four game-winning goals this season. 

4OT THRILLER

Augsburg played in what's believed to be the longest game in NCAA Division III women's hockey history, lasting over 4 hours and 50 minutes of real time and 128:06 of playing game, over two full regulation games worth. 

Saint Mary's Reese Heitzman scored the first goal of the game in the first period, giving SMU a 1-0 lead at the first intermission. Augsburg tied things up two minutes into the second period thanks to Emma Abrahamson, but the Cardinals responded once more with a power play tally to end the second up 2-1. 

Augsburg's Nora Stepan scored the equalizer 3:57 into the third period, setting the stage for three scoreless overtimes. Both goalies, Auggie first-year Kayla Simonson and Cardinal junior Celeste Rimstad, made a combined 68 saves in the four overtime periods. 

First-year forward Aunna Schulte was the hero of the game, ending the marathon with her ninth goal of the season in her collegiate playoff debut. 

Stepan led the Auggies with 10 shots on goal, with six other players chipping in five or more to a total of 62 for Augsburg. Simonson finished with 53 saves between the pipes, with three periods of 10 saves or more. Augsburg took four penalties to the Cardinals' one, and blocked 17 shots off SMU sticks.