University of Minnesota Athletics
Erica Killewald
9/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Erica Killewald |
A native of Troy, Mich., Killewald ranks first in the school career record book in saves (2,385) and shutouts (21), second in wins (73) and sixth in goals-against average (1.88). She also owns four of the top seven winningest seasons for a goaltender.
Killewald will go down in Golden Gopher history as the winning goaltender for the first ever women’s hockey game at the U of M. The netminder backstopped Minnesota to an 8-0 win over Augsburg in front of a record crowd at Mariucci Arena on Nov. 2, 1997. From there, Killewald help Minnesota grow from its infancy into the AWCHA Champions in 1999-2000.
After an 18-win freshman season that saw her finish tied for second in the nation with five shutouts, Killewald led the Golden Gophers to a third-place finish at the 1999 AWCHA National Championship, earning all-tournament honors in the process. During that sophomore season, Killewald held opponents to two or fewer goals in 23 of 26 starts and led nation in goals against average (1.24) and save percentage (.947). For her efforts, she was named the team’s most improved and most valuable player.
The 1999-2000 season saw Killewald and the Maroon and Gold make history as Minnesota won its first women’s national team title at the AWCHA National Championship. Killewald stopped 74 of 78 shots in the national tournament, earning most valuable player honors. On the season, she posted a 17-6-1 record, including an 8-0-1 mark in 10 games during the tram’s 21-game unbeaten streak. In a 2-2 tie at archrival Minnesota Duluth, Killewald made 51 saves to set a school record that stands to this day.
Killewald wrapped up her collegiate career in 2000-01 by leading the Golden Gophers to their first ever WCHA Regular Season Championship. On the season, she posted a 19-8-2 record, leading the WCHA in goals-against average (2.12) and save percentage (.914) to earn First Team All-WCHA honors.
During her career at Minnesota, Killewald compiled a 73-23-9 career record and helped the Maroon and Gold compile a 105-26-9 (.782) overall record and raise the first two banners in school history. A two-time member of the WCHA All-Academic Team, Killewald graduated with a degree in kinesiology.
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