On Tuesday, Oct. 15, the 2013-14 hockey season starts for the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s team. That date also marks the beginning of my 14th year as the team’s goalie coach. The players and coaches are anxious to get back on the ice after last season’s heartbreaking finish.
In 2012-13, the Gusties posted a perfect 18-0 record in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. We beat Bethel and Concordia in the MIAC playoffs to advance to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. In the national quarterfinals, Gustavus beat UW-River Falls 2-1 to move on to the Final Four.
In the semifinals, Gustavus faced off against Elmira College. The Gusties played really well, outshooting the Soaring Eagles 41-26 only to lose the game late in overtime 4-3. It was our first loss of the season.
The next day, we came back for the third place game and even though we battled hard, we came up short, falling to Plattsburgh State. We finished our amazing season with a record of 27-2-1.
This year our first game is Saturday, Nov. 2 when we host St. Mary’s in a nonconference game in St. Peter. Everyone is looking forward to that date.
