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ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – For the third consecutive year the Bethel University women's hockey team will be taking on Gustavus Adolphus College in the MIAC playoffs. The Golden Gusties came out victorious the previous two years against the Royals and every other MIAC playoff opponent in the last nine years. Gustavus has won both the regular season and MIAC playoff championship each year since 2004-05 and have lost just eight games during that stretch. Bethel has never defeated Gustavus in their program's history but the Royals have been very competitive with the Gusties in recent years. All three games in the 2012-13 season were two goal victories for #2 ranked Gustavus.

The Royals will bring to St. Peter an offensive attack that is capable of putting up big numbers and are led by the MIAC scoring leader in Cristina Masten. The junior forward has been on fire recently, winning two of the last three MIAC Athlete of the Week Awards, and scoring 20 points over the last eight games. Her season total of 37 points is eight more than the nearest competitor. Lindsay Burman and Biz Huss are tied for fifth in the MIAC with 25 points making Masten, Burman and Huss the highest scoring trio in the league.

Goaltenders Jess Newstrom and Erika Allen were both solid in the net all season and against Gustavus. Newstrom made 59 saves in her two starts while Allen made 29 in her lone start against the Gusties. Both rank in the top 25 nationally in GAA with Newstrom at 2.02 and Allen at 1.62.

The puck will drop Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the  Don Roberts Ice Rink on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus in St. Peter, Minn. Live stats and video can be found here.