Gustavus women's hockey team following the third place game.
The Gustavus women’s hockey team finished the 2009-10 season Saturday afternoon by dropping a 4-1 decision to Elmira College in the third place game at the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships, which were held on campus in St. Peter, Minn.
Even though the year didn’t end like we wanted it to, the Gusties really had a wonderful season!
The women won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular season and playoff championships and defeated UW-River Falls in the NCAA Quarterfinals to advanced to the Final Four of NCAA Division III women’s hockey.
Gustavus finished the season with a record of 22-6-2. After stumbling a bit at the start of the year, the Gusties went on an amazing 20-1 run to qualify for the National Tournament.
The Gusties were a young team and graduate only two players so they should be a contender again next season.
The Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team will take on Elmira College Saturday afternoon in St. Peter, Minn. for third place in the 2010 NCAA Division III National Tournament.
The Gusties were shutout 4-0 Friday night in the semifinals by Amherst College, the defending National Champions. After getting off to a slow start, the Gusties outshot Amherst 23-11 in the final two periods but were unable to beat a hot goalie.
Gustavus is now 22-5-2 on the year.
Don Robert Ice Arena
The puck is about to drop at the 2010 NCAA Division III Hockey Championships taking place this weekend at Don Roberts Ice Arena in St. Peter, Minn., on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College.
I was on the ice for the Gustavus practice Thursday afternoon as the Gusties skated for about 90 minutes. The players are fired up and ready to go for Friday night’s 7 p.m. semi-final game against Amherst College.
The four participating schools — Gustavus, Amherst, Elmira and Norwich all attended the pre-tournament banquet Thursday night on campus. It was a first-class event all the the way! The menu featured steak and shrimp and was delicious!
After dinner they showed video highlights of each team and a video from the NCAA that showcased what Division III athletics are all about. A player from each team then spoke to the crowd and told everyone a little bit about their program.
The 2010 All-Americans and Player of the Year award winner were also announced….It was a great way to kick-off what promises to be an exciting weekend of women’s college hockey.
After much of hard work, our new 2010 Web site is now live! Lots of information in an easy-to-read layout.
We are offering 10 programs this year for goalies of all abilities. Ice time is in evening and weekends at Eagan, Richfield, and Schwan Super Rink in Blaine.
Online registration is available by clicking on the 2010 programs icon.
We have also added a blog, joined Facebook, and uploaded some videos to our Youtube Channel.
It’s been an exciting couple of days of hockey.
I enjoyed visiting with all the goalie families who stopped by our booth at the Let’s Play Hockey Expo in St. Paul on March 12-13.
The paper goalie masks we gave away were a huge hit. We ran out of masks (1,000) by mid-afternoon Saturday.
Custom-painted goalie helmet.
Another big hit was the custom-painted goalie helmet I had on display. It featured the Carroll Goalie School logo and logos from Edina and Minnesota State University, Mankato. It was designed by “Eric the Maskman.” Let me know if you need info about having your helmet painted.
As a former Edina goalie, I want to say congrats to the Hornets on capturing the state high school championship on Saturday. I talked with Edina Coach Curt Giles and Goalie Coach Don Beaupre at the hockey expo. They felt their kids were playing well as a team and peaking at the right time of the year. Turns out they were right! By the way, I worked with the two Edina High School goalies during their youth hockey days. We helped them build a solid foundation for future success and I am very happy for them!
This is an exciting time to be a hockey fan. The college playoffs are underway and the boy’s state high school tournament takes place this weekend in St. Paul.
I remember back to my high school days when I had the opportunity to play in the state tournament. The tourney was held at the old St. Paul Civic Center that featured the famous glass dasher boards.
I played for Edina-East and we opened the tournament, like the Hornets do this year, by playing Roseau. Back then the Rams had a player by the name of Neal Broten..have you heard of him?…..The Hornets ended up winning that game 2-zip…In the semifinals, the Hornets knocked off Don Lucia’s Grand Rapids team before falling to Rochester John Marshall in the championship. It was a thrill of a lifetime to play in a Minnesota state high school hockey tournament. I think about all the memories from that weekend every year about this time of year. I’ll probably run into some of my former teammates and coaches at this year’s event.
LET’S PLAY HOCKEY EXPO
Be sure to stop by and see us at the Let’s Play Hockey Expo, taking place at the RiverCentre on Friday and Saturday from 10-6 each day. In addition to information about our 2010 programs, we have a bunch of paper goalie masks to giveaway. They are sure to be a hit and won’t last long…plus we have a few other surprises too.
I look forward to talking hockey with you!
As many of you know, I work as a part-time assistant coach for the Gustavus Adolphus College women’s hockey team. Today the Gusties clinched the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoff championship with a 5-1 win. The victory earns the team an automatic berth in the NCAA National Tournament.
Read the game story here.
The field for the seven-team National Tournament will be announced Monday.
Yes, it was 30 years ago today that the U.S. Olympic hockey team stunned the world by beating the Russians in Lake Placid on their way to Olympic gold. I was in college during that game and we watched with great interest the tape delayed replay of the historic game. Do remember what you were doing that day? Click on the video to hear what Olympic goalie Jim Craig remembers about that magical game.
Congratulations to Zane Gothberg for winning the Frank Brimsek Award as the top boy’s senior high school goalie in Minnesota.
The Thief River Falls, Minn. native attended the Carroll Goalie School during his youth hockey days. We are thrilled that we were able to play a role in helping him develop his goaltending skills.
He also participated in Minnesota Hockey’s Dave Peterson Advanced Goalie Camp. I serve as a director of this camp that is held every summer in Blaine. The skill development program features 50 of the state’s top boys and girls high school goalies.
Gothberg has committed to continuing his hockey career at the University of North Dakota, although he was likely spend a year or two in the USHL. He’ll be presented the award on March 14 in St. Paul.
The five finalists for the Minnesota High School Girls’ Goalie of the Year have been announced by Let’s Play Hockey newspaper. The winner will be announced Feb. 28.
The five senior goalies are Kallie Billadeau, Hopkins; Michelle Bonapace-Potvin, Rochester John Marshall/Lourdes; Caitie Morris, Edina; Kaitlyn Rolando, Tartan; Marah Sobczak, Stillwater Area.
This year, two of the five finalists attended the Carroll Goalie School during their high school days. I’ve enjoyed watching these girls improve their goaltending skills through the years. I am thrilled they are being honored for their achievements both on and off the ice. They both have impressive resumes. In fact, all five finalists have outstanding credentials. I plan to be at the banquet to see who is named the winner!
Last year, Laura Bellamy of Duluth was named the LPH Goalie of the Year. She trained with us during her high school days and it was great to see her at the awards banquet in St. Paul. Laura is now a first-year goalie at Harvard.
Laura Bellamy at Harvard. Photo courtesy: Gil Talbot Photography
