4 Gustavus hockey players injured in crash, one fatally

A Gustavus hockey player was killed in a crash in Chippewa County Sunday afternoon, and three of her teammates were injured.

Jori Jones, 19, of Little Canada, was hospitalized for her injuries following the crash west of Wilmar, but ultimately died at a hospital in Montevideo.

Jones is the goaltender for the Gustavus women’s hockey team, which won an NCAA Division III championship in March.

A state patrol crash report says Jones was a passenger in an SUV driven by her teammate, 19-year-old Gianna Kate Gasparini, of Lakeville.  Teammates Kayla Marie Bluhm, 20, of Chisago City, and Lily Kay Mortenson, 19, of Champlin, were also passengers in the vehicle.

According to the report, the SUV was eastbound on Highway 40 approaching a four-way stop at the intersection of Highway 29, and a Dodge Caravan driven by Brandi Kay Rasmussen, 28, of Benson, was southbound on Highway 29 when the vehicles collided at the intersection.

Gasparinia, Bluhm, and Mortenson were transported with non-life threatening injuries to the hospital in Montevideo.

Rasmussen was transported to a hospital in Benson, also with non-life threatening injuries.