University of Minnesota Athletics
Gulstene Embraces Challenges of College Game
10/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
By Jackson Riebel, Athletic Communications Student Intern
MINNEAPOLIS -- Joining a Gopher women's hockey team that has seen plenty of success in recent seasons, freshman goaltender Alex Gulstene is no stranger to the bright lights herself.
Between winning a CSSHL championship with Okanagan Hockey Academy in Vancouver, B.C., and taking home gold as a member of the United States Women's Under-18 team, Gulstene, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, has put together an impressive hockey résumé.
Stepping onto the ice for her first season in a Gopher uniform, Gulstene looks to continue that success at the collegiate level.
Making the leap to NCAA hockey is no easy task, and Gulstene got her first opportunity to adjust in early season appearances against Merimack and Ohio State. After stopping 14 of 15 shots to secure her first career win against Merimack on Oct. 1, Gulstene was excited to get her career started.
"It was a huge opportunity for me, a huge honor to go out there and represent one of the best hockey schools in the country," Gulstene said. "To be able to go out there and really do my job well and try to help the team to that win was a huge honor. It really made all the training worth it."
Even within a small sample size, Gulstene could attest to the heightened level of competition that the NCAA presents.
"Especially in the WCHA, everyone's got a really solid team," Gulstene said. "There aren't any real bad teams, so you have to be able to show up and play a full 60 minutes at a higher pace with a lot of intelligent players on the ice."
Gulstene was quick to mention the winning culture developed by the Gophers coaching staff as a key factor to why a young player can succeed within the program.
"[The coaches] really have a good way of communicating what they expect and what they want from this team, on and off of the ice," Gulstene said. "Our four values - tough, grateful, disciplined, devoted - they're big on that. It really gives you a safe environment to excel and make mistakes, to not only try something new and take risks, but learn and grow through that. You can really feel that through the team."
Gulstene describes her game as an "interesting hybrid between traditional goaltending and a kind-of unorthodox, athletic style," and citied patient and cerebral play as contributors to her past successes. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed with head coach Brad Frost, who has high expectations for his rookie goaltender as she looks to make a home at Ridder Arena over the next four years.
"I like her mindset and the way she approaches the game," Frost said. "She's played in some real big games and has had a lot of real success in her career leading up to coming here, so we would expect her to continue to get better and be real good for us."
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