Gustavus Adolphus College

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Wednesday, November 8, 2006 (2 years ago)

Three trips to the Championship Round of the NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Tournament in the past five seasons for the Gustavus women's hockey program have produced two third-place finishes and one fourth-place finish — a great track record to be sure — but eighth-year head coach Mike Carroll feels his team can go farther. "We have been very fortunate to have had the success we've had," noted Carroll, "but we want to take that next step at the Final Four." The Gusties, who set an NCAA Division III record with 53 power play goals in 2005-06, have focused on prioritizing team defense during preseason camp as a means to that end. "We want to be able to handle pressure more consistently against the nation's best teams," added Carroll, a four-time MIAC Coach of the Year.

Gustavus welcomes back 16 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished 22-5-2 overall and fourth at the NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Championships last spring. A group of seven talented newcomers look to add to a team already loaded with depth and experience. Carroll is optimistic about this season, noting "We have eight sophomores on the roster who saw a significant amount of ice time last season, so there will be fewer unknowns…We will also be able to find roles for our [first-year players] and let them grow." That depth and experience will be extremely helpful as the Gusties, who enter the season ranked third in the USCHO.com Division III Preseason Women's Poll, take on a rigorous Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schedule. "Everybody is improving throughout the league," said Carroll.

Andrea Peterson (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.), a three-time first team all-American and MIAC Player of the Year, will once again don the captain's "C" this season from her spot on the blue line. Peterson is the Gustavus' career scoring leader with 148 points on 67 goals and 81 assists, having passed Sarah Moe's mark of 144 late last season. Peterson scored 48 points on 18 goals and 30 assists last season to lead all Division III defenders in scoring. She needs only 14 goals to pass Moe on the Gustavus career goals list and trails Laura Stypulkowski by one for the career lead in assists. Peterson is also the MIAC's active scoring leader, needing only seven points this season to move from seventh place to second place.

Peterson will be paired with fellow captain Laura Vannelli (Jr., Eagan, Minn.) on the blue line. Vannelli switches to defender after accumulating 14 points on 10 goals and 4 assists as a forward last season. "Playing defender is a switch for Laura," noted Coach Carroll, "but she and Andrea compliment each other. Vannelli is more of a defensive-minded defender." Gustavus' third captain, Margaret Dorer (Jr., St. Paul, Minn.), will also be found patrolling the blue line. Dorer, a 2005-06 All-MIAC selection, finished last season third on the team with 37 points (10g, 27a) and finished tied for the team lead in power play goals (with Kelly Crandall) with seven. According to Carroll, Dorer will be paired with first-year Claire Opsahl (Eagan, Minn.), another "stay-at-home" defender. Liz Haakenson (So., Moorhead, Minn.), a member of the MIAC All-Rookie team last season, is another good two-way player who should provide depth and contribute at both ends of the ice. Haakenson scored three goals and 16 assists last season.

All-MIAC performers Molly Doyle (Jr., Eagan, Minn.), Kelly Crandall (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.), and Mari Gunderson (So., Shoreview, Minn.) return up front. Doyle, an All-America selection last season, scored a team-high 21 goals, but will be sidelined for the first part of the season after having offseason knee surgery. Crandall, a three-time letterwinner and two-time All-MIAC selection, has 99 career points on 36 goals and 63 assists and should become the seventh Gustie women's hockey player to record 100 career points early in the season. Gunderson finished sixth on the team a year ago with 24 points (13g, 11a) and was also named to the MIAC All-Rookie Team. Carroll believes that the Gusties are deeper at forward than in the past, which he noted was very encouraging. Also returning to patrol the offensive zone for the Gustavus are Jenny Pusch (So., Minneapolis, Minn.), Jessie Doig (So., New Prague, Minn.) and Stefanie Ubl (Jr., Blaine, Minn.). Pusch finished just ahead of Gunderson on the Gustavus scoring list with 25 points (14g, 11a), while Doig (8g, 10a) added 18 points. Ubl, a former defender, finished last season with 10 goals and 12 assists. First-years Jenna Bullock (Buffalo, Minn.) and Melissa Mackley (Burnsville, Minn.) also drew praise from Carroll, who noted that both have done well in making the jump from high school to college during preseason camp.

The Gusties have a total of four goalies on the roster, two with significant collegiate game experience. Senior Kitty Hurley (Minnetonka, Minn.) will see most of the time between the pipes for Gustavus after posting a 12-5-2 record with 292 saves, a 1.31 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 2005-06. Hurley's goals against average (GAA) ranked third in the nation, while her save percentage ranked 11th. Sophomore Amanda Rosequist (Edina, Minn.) played in 10 games, posting an 8-0-0 record (6-0-0 in MIAC play) with 85 saves and a 1.63 GAA. With two experience goaltenders, Carroll noted that first-years Breanna Scavo (Blaine, Minn.) and Sarah Windhorst (Eden Prairie, Minn.) will be able to develop at their own pace.

Gustavus will not travel to the East Coast during the regular season, meaning every game will be important in terms of regional rankings. In addition to the 20-game MIAC schedule with its usual home-and-home with rival St. Thomas (Feb. 2-3), Coach Carroll's squad opens with games at UW-Stevens Point (Nov. 11) and versus UW-Superior (Nov. 14), with return engagements scheduled with each in January. Both schools made it into the NCAA field last season, with UW-Stevens Point taking third place with a 2-0 win over the Gusties. Also on the schedule is a weekend series at Lake Forest College (Jan. 12-13) and a home game with UW-River Falls (Dec. 13).

2006-07 Roster

2006-07 Schedule

2005-06 Statistics