UMD Ties and Falls to Gophers

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

If this weekend was a litmus test for the No. 10 University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team against the nation’s best team, then the Bulldogs more than passed the test.

The No. 1 University of Minnesota managed to escape AMSOIL Arena Saturday night with a 4-3 Western Collegiate Hockey Association win, but it was UMD that showed the Bulldogs more than belonged.  The Gophers took four points on the weekend to the Bulldogs two, but UMD outshot Minnesota 71-59 in the series for the first time since Oct. 20-21 of 2017.

“There were certainly stretches tonight where we had them and had their number, and it was great,” said head coach Maura Crowell.  “I think we just need to convert a little more, and I think everyone would agree on that. It’s nice to get chances and looks but it’s still November, and we have a lot of developing still to do. “

The Gophers found a footing Saturday early that evaded them Friday, and the result was the first lead of the game.  Sarah Potomak got her shot to trickle past UMD goaltender Maddie Rooney at 9:02 of the first period, giving Minnesota its first lead of the series.

The first period would eventually appear boring after an absolutely wildly offensive second period between the two sides that saw five goals in all.  Minnesota started the scoring avalanche 2:20 into the stanza when Catie Skaja backhanded her own rebound into the twine. UMD got on the board at the 8:15 mark when Anneke Linser stretched out for a backhand of her own past Sydney Scobee to draw the Bulldogs within one goal.

Similar to Friday afternoon, senior captain Sydney Brodt delivered another momentum-building goal, this time redirecting a shot by Gabbie Hughes on the doorstep at 11:03 on the power play to pull the Bulldogs right back into the game.  Unlike Friday, however, Minnesota responded, and Skaja tapped away a rebound that had managed to escape detection 2:24 later to retake the lead. Gracie Zumwinkle then put the exclamation point on the period with a shot from the high slot that went bar down behind Rooney to send the Gophers into the second intermission with a 4-2 advantage.

The Bulldogs never relented in the third period and buried Minnesota in a 19-2 shots on goal difference that UMD unfortunately couldn’t cash in on until there was 56 seconds remaining.  Hughes won a face-off draw in the Gopher zone to the right of Scobee, tipped the puck to Maggie Flaherty and Flaherty found Ashton Bell all alone on the doorstep to get the Bulldogs down one at 4-3l.

Time simply ran out on UMD, and despite outshooting Minnesota 35-28 in the skate, UMD settled for two WCHA points on the weekend against the nation’s top-ranked team.  Rooney posted 24 saves, while Scoobee made 32 for the Gophers, who improve to 13-1-2 overall and 9-1-2-1 in league action.

The No. 10 University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey arguably brought its best game of the season to AMSOIL Arena Friday afternoon, and the result was a tie and two league points from the nation’s top-ranked team.

The Bulldogs earned a 2-2 tie with the No. 1 University of Minnesota before grabbing the extra Western Collegiate Hockey Association point in the second overtime.  The overtime tie is the second straight draw against a ranked side for UMD, which just six days ago tied No. 7 Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

“We came out of the gates ready to go tonight and we put them on their heels a little bit in the first,” said UMD head coach Maura Crowell.  “We let them back a little in the second but we still put two goals in the net, so coming back in the third, I thought we made a good push again. I thought we had the momentum for a large part of the game, and we had a great game from everybody.  It doesn’t matter who is on the ice for the other team when everybody is doing their job.”

UMD started hot, outshooting the Gophers 10-3 in the opening first 10 minutes of the game and 15-10 over the period.  That offensive push materialized at 5:48 of the second period on junior winger Anna Klein’s fourth goal of the season.  After Maggie Flaherty threw a puck on net from the point, Klein shoveled the rebound just over Sydney Scobee’s outstretched glove for the game’s first goal.

Minnesota found the equalizer at 12:32  on a goal from Emily Oden, but just 39 seconds later, UMD retook the lead on a single-handed effort from senior forward Sydney Brodt.  Picking up a Gopher turnover along the left boards, Brodt skated in just above the extended goal line and then literally around to Scobee’s glove side for her fifth tally of the season.

Another Gopher goal at 18:23 by Alex Woken neutralized UMD’s 26-22 SOG advantage, however, and after 40 minutes of play, the two squads were fittingly tied up at 2-2.

It would take another 25:59 of action to determine a winner according to WCHA standards.  While the game officially went into the books as a 2-2 tie, UMD struck 59 seconds into 3-on-3 action to pocket the extra point.  Senior defenseman Jalyn Elmes intercepted a Gopher pass in the defensive zone and hit Kylie Hanley off the boards behind the red line.  Hanley entered the offensive zone, skated between the circles and wristed a shot that a streaking Elmes in the slot inadvertently tipped five-hole past Scobee for the game-winner.

In their third overtime game in their past five meetings, the Bulldogs edged the Gophers in shots on goal 35-33.  Scobee had 33 stops for the Gophers (12-1-2, 8-1-2-1), while Maddie Rooney, who made some incredible saves late in the game, finished with a total of 31