Games 16 & 17: vs. No. 8/9 Gustavus Adolphus College (7-2-2, 6-0-0 MIAC)
Dates: Friday, Jan. 3 (at CCC), Saturday, Jan. 4 (Ice Hawks Arena)
Weekend Webcasts: Live stats will be available for both games with Gustavus. The game on Saturday night will be
streamed online.
Last Weekend: UW-Stevens Point split a weekend series with St. Norbert on Jan. 3-4. Both teams earned 3-1 wins on the road in the series. On Friday, three second-period goals powered the Pointers to a win before the Green Knights snapped UWSP's six-game winning streak on Saturday.
UWSP Head Coach Ann Ninnemann: Ninnemann is in her eighth season as head coach of the Pointers. UW-Stevens Point's first women's hockey All-American, Ninnemann played four seasons with the Pointers and tallied 55 goals and a school-record 69 assists. A member of the UWSP Athletic Hall of Fame, Ninnemann holds a 121-65-21 overall record.
In the Rankings: After last weekend's split with St. Norbert, the Pointers are ranked No. 5/7 in the country by USCHO.com and D3hockey.com.
Last Time Out: Gustavus faced UW-River Falls in a home-and-home series on Dec. 11 and 13. The Gusties and Falcons skated to a 2-2 tie in the opening game at River Falls before UW-River Falls blanked Gustavus 3-0 in St. Peter, Minn.
About Gustavus Adolphus: The Gusties are currently ranked No. 8/9 in the country and boast a 7-2-2 overall record, including a perfect 6-0 record in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Last season, Gustavus Adolphus posted an NCAA record 27 wins, won the MIAC Championship for the ninth consecutive season and the MIAC Playoff title for the 10th straight year. The Gusties eventually finished fourth at the Division III Frozen Four.
Gustavus Adolphus Head Coach Mike Carroll: Carroll is in his 15th season as the women's head hockey coach at Gustavus. During his tenure, Carroll has turned Gustavus women's hockey into one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division III. He has compiled an overall record of 314-70-23 in 14 seasons and has the most coaching victories in the history of the program.
Top-10 Defenses: Both teams have defenses that rank in the top 10 in the nation. Gustavus Adolphus is fourth, allowing 1.36 goals per game, while UW-Stevens Point is ninth at 1.67.
Staying Out of the Box: UW-Stevens Point leads the WIAC by spending an average of 8.53 minutes per game in the penalty box. Gustavus leads the MIAC in the same category (8.16 min/game) and has allowed just two power-play goals this season in 32 opporunities.
Starting Strong: The first period has statistically been the strongest period for UWSP this season. The Pointers have outscored opponents 13-5 in the first 20 minutes of games. UW-Stevens Point has outscored opponents in every period (including OT) but have been outshot in every period except the first (132-127).
All-Time Series: The Pointers and Gusties have played 26 times previously and Gustavus holds a 12-10-4 edge in the series that dates back to 2001. The Gusties swept the Pointers 7-3 and 1-0 last season in St. Peter.
Up Next: UW-Stevens Point has a weekend off before traveling to UW-River Falls on Jan. 24-25.
