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| Gustavus | MIAC | Friday Live Blog | Saturday Video Live Stats |
Going Out With a Bang: The Blazer seniors get the best in their final collegiate series, hosting MIAC Champion Gustavus on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m., before traveling to St. Peter for a 2 p.m. faceoff in the season finale on Feb. 23. The Gusties have already locked up the regular season MIAC title, and will enter with an unbeaten 16-0-0 mark in the MIAC, as well as a 22-0-1 overall record. The Blazers will counter with a 5-11-4 record on the season, with a 3-11-2 mark in conference play.
About Gustavus: Ranked No. 2 in the nation, Gustavus comes into the weekend after sweeping St. Olaf 7-4 and 6-2. They are led by Lindsey Hjelm, who has 24 points this season, ranking fourth in the conference. She is one of three Gustie players with 11 goals this season, joined by Allison Eder-Zdechlik (21 pts) and Megan Wanecke (20 pts). Gustavus is solid between the pipes with three goaltenders putting up impressive numbers, led by Lindsey Hibbard who has started 15 games, posting a .922 save percentage and a 1.22 GAA. Tara Hoverstad has a .949 save percentage with a 0.71 GAA, while Colleen Jacoby has a .957 save percentage with a 0.97 GAA.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams met was in the final series of last season, with the Gusties taking game one 9-1 in St. Peter, before coming back to St. Cloud to beat the Blazers 7-2 in the regular season finale. After the Blazers pulled the game within one early in the second period on Friday night, the Gusties answered back just four minutes later, and closed the second with four answered goals on their way to nine on the night. On Saturday, the Blazers and Gusties were tied 1-1 to start the second, before Gustavus scored six straight.
The Storyline: Saint Benedict heads into the last series of the season mathematically out of the playoffs. The Blazers will have to dig deep to fend off the top ranked Gusties, who have won four straight, last losing in the NCAA Tournament last March. The Blazers are still looking for that elusive win that will give them a better record than last season.
Who to Watch: Sophomore
Alli O'Brien leads the Blazers with 11 points on six goals and five assists. Following closely behind O'Brien is junior Allyson Nielsen and sophomore
Megan Brettingen. Nielsen has put up nine points on five goals and four assists while Brettingen has eight points with five goals and three assists.
Last Time Out: Last weekend the Blazers were swept by Bethel. The Royals came out on top in a close first game, topping the Blazers 3-2 in St. Cloud, coming back after the Blazers scored the game's first goal. The two teams then traveled to Blaine on Feb. 16, where the Blazers suffered a 6-1 loss, their most lopsided of the season.
Mara Kohl had the lone goal in game two for the Blazers, her first of the season.
