AMHERST, MASS. – Gustavus Adolphus had to put in a lot of extra work to make women's hockey history.
Kaitlyn Holland scored early in the third overtime, and the Gusties beat Amherst 2-1 in the NCAA Division III women's hockey championship game.
"I'm sort of speechless, to be honest with you," said Gusties coach Matt Carroll, who ranks second in D-III women's history with 492 victories. "Just very proud of our team, our coaches, our school for being supportive, and all the parents that came out here. It was probably a heck of a fun game to watch."
Holland put in a rebound of a Lily Mortenson shot 93 seconds into the third OT. Tournament MVP Katie McCoy made 33 for Gustavus (27-3), which becomes the first West Region team to win a D-III women's championship, a year after losing in overtime in the championship game to Middlebury. It's the first national championship in any sport by a MIAC program since 2016.
The game was the longest in the modern era of women's hockey — the first to go beyond a single overtime. Gustavus also needed two overtimes in Friday's national semifinal to beat Plattsburgh State 3-2.
At 14:46 of the second period, Mortenson put Gustavus in front 1-0 when she took advantage of a turnover in front of the Mammoths net and fired the puck in past goalie Natalie Scott, who hadn't given up a goal since Feb. 18. Amherst had five shutouts in a row before this game.
Carley Daly tied the score for Amherst (26-4) with 1 minute, 12 seconds to play in regulation, tipping in a shot 6-on-5.
