Stalock, UMD stun Sioux 3-0 to reach 1st final
SAINT PAUL, MN. — Minnesota-Duluth was impressive in taking out Minnesota 2-1 in Thursday’s play-in game, but the Bulldogs were even more impressive Friday night, when Alex Stalock stopped all 31 shots and his team beat top-seeded North Dakota 3-0 before 17,729 fans at Xcel Energy Center to reach the Saturday night championship game.
It seems like a simple formula that Minnesota-Duluth is using in the WCHA Final Five: Get the first goal for an early lead, and let the other guys shoot. It worked Thursday, because MacGregor Sharp scored early and Stalock stopped 39 Gopher shots. And it worked again Friday because Sharp scored another stunning goal in the opening minutes, then Stalock simply stopped all 31 Fighting Sioux shots.
“It was no surprise, really,†said Sioux captain Ryan Duncan. “He’s been a great goalie through his college career. He’s a big-game goalie, and it’s a credit to him. They’ve got a hard-working team with a lot of intensity, and obviously, they’ve got a lot to play for.Ââ€
UMD (20-12-8) has now risen to a solid position within the criteria for making the NCAA tournament’s 16-team field, and North Dakota (24-13-4) already was solidly in. The Bulldogs will try to become the first team to ever capture the WCHA’s Final Five by winning three straight games. No team has ever gone all the way from the play-in game, but UMD will take on Denver for the title, after North Dakota plays Wisconsin for third place.
The interesting scenarios leading to the NCAA selections were everywhere in this tournament’s first two days, and nobody noticed it more than UMD coach Scott Sandelin. When the Bulldogs beat Minnesota, all the North Dakota fans were cheering them on, more of an anti-Gopher thing than favoring UMD. Friday night, those fans might have been dismayed they got what they wished for, but in the 3-0 victory over the Sioux, all the idled Gopher fans were cheering for the Bulldogs.
“One advantage we had is that we played last night,†said Sandelin. “We knew we had to have a better 60-minute game tonight, and we got it. We got a nice break with Sharpie’s goal, and we played a much, much better game start to end. Our penalty-kill was tremendous, and, of course, the goalie is a big part of that.Ââ€
Stalock has been so solid, giving up two goals in a 4-1, 3-1 upset sweep at Colorado College last weekend, then yielding only one goal in the two enormous victories at Xcel, that any game-plan seems workable. In this case, while the sizzling Sioux were repeatedly turned back by Stalock, Sharp’s goal at 5:16 of the first, and a 4-on-4 tally by Mike Montgomery barely two minutes later gave the brilliant junior netminder all the cushion he’d need.
The final score was padded when Mike Connolly hit an open net with 1:53 to play, although even that goal required explanation.
“Hats off to Duluth,†said North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol. “They played an outstanding game, betting the early lead and then playing a very solid team game for 60 minutes. We needed to get a bounce around Alex Stalock. He was tremendous, but his team also played very well.Ââ€
Stalock used to be criticized for roaming too far from the goal to play the puck, and occasionally misplaying it. Friday night, it was North Dakota’s freshman Brad Eidsness who made an apparent goof, although he was more a victim of MacGregor Sharp’s high-intensity play.
Killing a penalty, the Bulldogs threw the puck in deep, and Eidsness routinely went behind the net to tee up the puck for the first available defenseman. As Eidsness started around the right side on his return to the crease, however, Sharp zoomed in on the left of the net, grabbed the puck, yanked it just inches out front and tucked it inside the post, an instant before Eidsness could slide across.
The Sioux might have been stunned, and the crowd was, for certain. Stalock, the reformed roamer, came to his defense: “He’s a good goalie, and I don’t know what happened exactly on that one, but this is a tough place for a freshman to play.Ââ€
Montgomery, a defenseman who found himself in deep on a 4-on-4 situation, spotted the rebound when Josh Meyers blasted a shot from center-point at 7:41. With Sioux defenders all around him, Montgomery spun far enough to get an awkward angle shot off – and it went in, possibly before Eidsness knew it was coming.
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The Sioux, outshot 11-7 by the hustling Bulldogs in the first period, came back for a 14-6 edge themselves in the second period, and 10-7 in the third, for a 31-24 shot advantage. But Stalock stopped everything, including a 5-minute power play when Brady Lamb went off five minutes for kneeing.
Down by two with the final minutes ticking away, Hakstol pulled Eidsness for a sixth attacker. That gave Mike Connolly the chance to again make a key smart play. In Thursday’s game, he was a one-man dynamo in killing off much of the final minutes with alert steals, rushes and even a diving sweep check. Friday, he got the puck from Sharp and skated across his blue line, carrying the puck until he got to the center red line – to make sure he eliminated any chance of icing – and then he rifled a shot 90 feet into the open net.
Sandelin said it might have been an advantage to have played the night before, but he added that he doesn’t think it will be a problem to play the third straight night.
“It’s only a disadvantage if you talk about it,†he said, talking about it. “We came in wanting to win three games, and we’re two-thirds of the way there. Denver is a very, very good team, and it will be a major challenge.Ââ€
Lamoureux twins ignite late Gopher romp in semis
Lamoureux twins ignite Gophers late romp in semis
By John Gilbert
Last Updated: Sunday, March 08th, 2009 10:22:16 AM
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. — The top-seeded University of Minnesota cracked open a tight game with four unanswered goals in the third period Saturday afternoon to eliminate Minnesota State-Mankato 7-2 in the first semifinal of the Women’s WCHA Final Faceoff tournament at Ridder Arena.
The Mavericks (12-19-5) who had upset St. Cloud State in a three-game series to ride the No. 5 seed into the semifinals, gave the Gophers all they wanted for two periods, trailing 2-1 at the first intermission and 3-2 at the second. But in the third, the powerful Golden Gophers got two goals from freshman Monique Lamoureux, the second goal of the day for her twin sister, Jocelyn Lamoureux, and one from Terra Rasmussen in the third period to remove any doubt.
Minnesota (31-3-3), the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, will face No. 2 ranked Wisconsin in Sunday’s 1 p.m. league playoff final. Wisconsin (30-2-5) outlasted Minnesota-Duluth 3-1 in the second semifinal Saturday.
“I’m very happy with the win, and our ultimate goal was to get into position to play for a championship,†said Minnesota coach Brad Frost. “We started quite slowly, and credit that to Minnesota State-Mankato. They did what they had to do, but I’m proude of the way our players responded. Getting the fourth goal was huge.Ââ€
The Golden Gophers opened the scoring when captain Gigi Marvin scored her 26th goal, a shorthanded effort at 5:29 of the first period. Brittany Francis made it 2-0 on a power play at 13:26 of the opening period, and the Gophers appeared on their way. But Abby Williams got one back for the Mavericks before the period ended.
Monique Lamoureux’s power-play goal regained the two-goal edge at 3-1 at 7:19 of the second period, but the Mavericks kept pace, and converted on a two-man power play of their own at 16:44, closing the game to 3-2.
But in the third, Monique Lamoureux scored from the left edge just after a two-man power play had expired to make it 4-2, but even then the Mavericks wouldn’t quit. The crushing goal was one that required a lengthy review, at 11:43. Kelly Blankenship rushed the Maverick goal for a shot, and crashed into goaltender Paige Thunder. As Blankenship and Thunder tumbled into the goal, the puck stayed out in the crease, but Terra Rasmussen, trailing the play, skated in and flipped the puck up and over the tangle in the nets.
A delayed penalty had been signalled on Mankato, causing Blankenship to lose her balance and crash into the net, apparently, which negated any goaltender interference, and, since the puck preceded her into the crease, caused the officials to allow the goal. At 5-2, the task was too steep for the Mavericks.
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Monique Lamoureux scored against two minutes later, her 38th goal of a league-scoring-championship freshman season, and sister Jocelyn Lamoureux notched her 28th less than a minute after that.
MSU-Mankato co-coaches Paul Willett and Mandy Krause-Rideout, who assumed the dual role at midseason, brought their Mavericks a long way through the second half of the season. “Mandy and I couldn’t be prouder of our hockey team, especially the way we played one of the top teams in the country. We just came out a little short.Ââ€
Krause-Rideout said: “We really battled through two periods. We knew any space we gave them would put us in trouble, but we had a lot of great chances, even when it was 4-2.Ââ€
Williams, whose goal lifted the Mavericks hopes, said: “It gave us a boost. Our goal all year was to beat them, and even at 4-2, we still believed we could do it. We rallied together, and our coaches helped us so much.Ââ€
The Gophers, meanwhile, could actually enjoy watching the later UMD-Wisconsin game.
Asked if he had any feeling which team he’d rather face in the final, Frodst said: “Nope. We’ve played about even with both of them, and it will just be exciting to watch their game as a fan.Ââ€
Stalock lifts Bulldogs to pivotal victory over Sioux
Alex Stalock was so busy facing 38 shots it seemed unlikely he could let his focus wander anywhere from the Minnesota-Duluth goal. But the junior goaltender said there were times during his team’s 3-1 victory over North Dakota where he enjoyed being a hockey fan.
“The pace was so great, there were a couple times when I thought, ‘Boy, this is fun to watch!’ †Stalock said.
He insisted that it didn’t matter he lost his bid for a shutout in the third period, and you had to believe him. “I’ve been with some of these guys two or three years,’ Stalock said, “and winning is what we all want, every night. Any time you win, it’s a great feeling.Ââ€
But those teammates know better than anyone what Stalock has meant to their chances to win, whether successful or not. And when a game ends up being as huge as the second North Dakota contest, Stalock’s play became Exhibit A in what could be a pivotal turnaround for the Bulldogs.
In baseball, a “stopper†is a pitcher whose talent and consistency can be counted on to stop a slump and turn his team’s momentum upward. In hockey, the term “stopper†is much simpler – it refers to the goaltender, who stops opposing shots, or else.
Alex Stalock, however, proves that a goaltender can meet both definitions.
Against North Dakota, Stalock was very good in Friday’s 2-2 tie with 31 saves against speedy Fighting Sioux. Considering that UMD entered the series with only two victories in 20 games against North Dakota (2-16-2), they had to be impressive to gain the tie. However, the tie also extended the Bulldogs winless streak to an 0-3-2 slide, dropping them to 1-4-3 in the WCHA.
If ever there was need for a stopper of the baseball kind, Stalock responded, seizing the opportunity to kick out 37 Fighting Sioux shots and secure the 3-1 victory for UMD. The Bulldogs had tied Wisconsin the previous week, but, frustrated by Wisconsin’s ability to slow the pace, they fell back and lost the rematch. This time, the series required a much quicker and more forceful performance from the Bulldogs, and Stalock rose to the occasion, losing his shutout only after UMD had built a 3-0 lead.
“Last week (against Wisconsin), we got pinned back in our zone, and we only got three goals for the weekend,†Stalock said. “You’re not going to win many games with only three goals for the weekend.
“Every team in our league is going to come at you, but the pace was much quicker against North Dakota. The difference was we were able to match their pace, and we played so much better along the boards, making passes, and getting the puck out of the zone.Ââ€
In the process, by allowing only three goals in 71 shots for the weekend against North Dakota, Stalock snatched the WCHA’s defensive player-of-the-week award again, for the second time this season. The first time was for a 5-1 victory over St. Cloud State at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center on Nov. 1, which was UMD’s last previous victory. If those two victories are bookends of a 2-3-2 month, there was no similarity between the two victories.
At the time UMD beat St. Cloud State, the Huskies were bottoming out of an early-season slump, while North Dakota, despite a shaky start, was flying. Since their first meeting, incidentally, St. Cloud State has apparently coordinated its previously scattered parts onto the same page and, after victories over Denver and Wisconsin the last two weekends, the Huskies head for Duluth to play a Saturday night rematch to complete their set that began at Xcel Center.
For consistency, Stalock was 4-4-4 with a 2.70 goals-against and a .901 save percentage going into Saturday’s game, when he improved on all three statistics, while making his most saves of the season, and expanding his personal streak to 49 consecutive starts – longest streak among all active NCAA Division 1 goaltenders.
Coming into the Sioux series, the Bulldogs played an impressive 3-3 tie against Wisconsin, but lost 4-1 to the Badgers the next night. The lingering after-effect was that the Bulldogs started the first game against the Sioux at the same pace the Badgers had induced, meaning a major adjustment in pace was required to catch North Dakota, which might be the quickest team in the league. For the first 10 minutes, the Bulldogs had to face the choice of quickening their pace, or being content to hook the speedy Sioux and spend the night in the penalty box.
To the Bulldogs credit, they not only tried to jack up their tempo, they were capable of doing it. Not that either team could avoid penalties, as all four goals in the 2-2 game came on power plays. Matt Frattin’s bullet gave UND a 1-0 lead, but MacGregor Sharp tied it for UMD. In the third period, Jason Gregoire put the Sioux up 2-1, but Josh Meyers tied it with 1:30 remaining when his shot hit a defender’s stick and popped up in the air before settling behind Brad Eidsness for the deadlock. The Sioux protested it had been last touched by a high stick, but the officials ruled the high stick belonged to a Sioux defenseman.
In the rematch, the pace started out at the same racehorse tempo, but with a difference. Michael Gergen tipped Trent Palm’s point shot for a power-play goal in the first period, which was the first time UMD had scored the first goal in six games. The most entertaining thing, for the season’s biggest crowd of 5,037 in the DECC, was that the pace of the game was amazingly swift, interrupted only by the near-constant stream of penalties.
“They might have outplayed us in the second period,†Stalock said. “But we wanted a break, and we got it.Ââ€
Late in the second period, the Bulldogs made a quick-counter rush as Jack Connolly sent Justin Fontaine flying up the right side, and Fontaine’s 2-on-1 feed put Jordan Fulton in the clear for a pretty goal. That also was the only goal of the weekend that came with both teams at full strength. With Stalock kicking out everything the Sioux threw at him, the Bulldogs had an improbable 2-0 lead at the second intermission.
When the third period opened, MacGregor Sharp scored on the power play at 0:52, and it went to 3-0. The Sioux charged and charged again, but Stalock repelled everything until 12:32, when defenseman Chay Genoway – who seemingly was making great plays all over the ice all weekend – generated the play resulting in Brad Miller’s power-play goal to break the shutout.
“I thought we played well in the first game, but we knew we had to play even better in the second,†said UMD coach Scott Sandelin. “And we did that. We knew the team that pushes the pace of the game would win, and when we needed a big save, Al was there.
“The first period was fun to watch, and in the second, that guy kept us in the lead. Then we got a big goal to start the third period, and Al had to make some big saves to end it.Ââ€
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Sandelin downplayed the satisfaction he must have been feeling for beating the North Dakota team where he was assistant coach until getting the UMD job. “It’s always fun to beat good teams,†he smiled.
The victory could be a springboard to better things for a UMD team, which, by every measurement, looks improved over last season. A few goals for, and the same tight goals-against, thanks to Stalock, is the perfect recipe.
A year ago, the Bulldogs were 9-14-5 for eighth place in the WCHA and 13-17-6 overall. For the entire season, they scored only 74 goals – barely over 2 goals per game, the fewest total goals by any UMD team since 1967-68, when the ‘Dawgs scored only 71 goals. But they played eight fewer games back then, so last year’s tally was worse, by more than half-a-goal per game.
But even during the 2007-08 doldrums, the Bulldogs gave up only 91 goals in all games (2.53 goals per game) – UMD’s all-time low in 47 years of Division 1 hockey. The reason, of course, was attributable to a solid defensive corps, but mainly to No. 32, goaltender Alex Stalock.
Stalock started every game last season and his 2.35 goals-against average was equally as impressive as his .914 save percentage, both of which are the second best in UMD single-season history to Josh Johnson, who mostly split the job in 2006-07 with Stalock. Because of UMD’s lack of success, Stalock mostly suffered in oblivion last season, even though he was named the league’s defensive player of the week three times. As he has matured, Stalock also has tempered the wandering puck-handler reputation he developed at South St. Paul hockey and in the USHL. He backed off of it after an…uh…exciting start to his UMD career two years ago, and now he stickhandles to clear more judiciously.
“When I get the chance to play the puck, I do it,†Stalock said. “I’ve always used it to our advantage.Ââ€
As this season of compressed competitiveness continues, every WCHA team needs two things: to score more goals, and to cut down goals-against. But as UMD seeks to move up in the standings, the Bulldogs needs are more simplified. They only need to score more goals, because Alex Stalock has a handle on the goals-against, mostly with saves, but occasionally with zone-clearing passes.
Bulldogs shine while Huskies sputter in 5-1 Xcel romp
It was called the Minnesota College Hockey Showcase, so both the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and St. Cloud State Huskies put evidence of how they started the season on display when their half of the doubleheader went to the Dawgs, so to speak. UMD kept up its dramatically improved scoring, while St. Cloud State seemed to find the Yo-yo technique known as the “Sleeper,†as the Bulldogs claimed a 5-1 victory.
It seems like only a year ago when the Bulldogs couldn’t score goals. In fact, it WAS only a year ago. Only once, last season, did UMD score as many as five goals in a game, and after that 5-3 nonconference victory over Bemidji State, the Dawgs scored only 29 goals in their remaining 19 games – an average of 1.05 goals per game, during which time they were shut out five times, and scored only one goal on six other occasions.
For the whole 13-17-6 season, UMD was blanked six times and scored one goal on 10 other occasions. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they won one game 1-0, and tied two others 1-1.
UMD had another one of those 1-1 ties at Alaska-Anchorage in the second game of their weekend series before to the Showcase, but in the four games prior to the Anchorage tie, the Bulldogs had scored five goals twice and six once — 19 goals in four games. After losing 4-3 and tying 1-1 at Anchorage, they regained their scoring touch with their five-spot against St. Cloud State., meaning they have scored five or more on four occasions in their first seven games this season.
“It was frustrating last year,†acknowledged Nick Kemp, who scored the second UMD goal against St. Cloud. “But we decided we weren’t going to worry about what happened last year. It’s always fun to play at home, but it was great playing here. We wanted to outscore themn on the power play.Ââ€
UMD has been getting goals from an assortment of players, as well. Matt Greer got his first of the season by rapping in a rebound for a 1-0 first-period lead against the Huskies. “The first goal was very important,†said Greer. “We’ve been working on our power play and penalty kill, and it was good to see us come through on both.Ââ€
Kemp got his second with a one-timer off MacGregor Sharp’s pass from deep on the right side to open the second, then Josh Meyers moved in from the point to score a power play goal, and freshman Mike Connolly got his third goal on another power play for a 4-0 lead through two periods.
UMD outshot St. Cloud State 45-31, but the Huskies, who normally have one of the WCHA’s top power plays, were clearly out of sorts, and it wasn’t until 7:11 of the third period before Nick Oslund scored the Huskies goal. At that, UMDF countered almost immediately, when Drew Akins put in his second try with a power-play rebound.
UMD was 3-7 on the power play, while blanking the Huskies 0-6.
“Obviously, with three power-play goals tonight, we capitalized,†said UMD coach Scott Sandelin. “With the rules changes, and the way they’re calling penalties, special teams are huge. Their power play is always one of the top in the league, and with Garrett Roe and Ryan Lasch always making plays, our penalty kill had to come through.”
As for the tournament, Sandelin said, “I think this Showcase is a great event, from a pure college hockey standpoint. It’s a great experience to play one game here. It’s unique, and our players were all excited to get down here and play. As for incentive to get back here to the Final Five? It was brought up.Ââ€
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If the Bulldogs have found goal-scoring with their teams maturing process, St. Cloud coach Bob Motzko was frustrated by his Huskies.
“It’s not a happy coaches camp right now,†said Motzko. “We’re like a Yo-Yo the way we’ve been up and down, and we were at the bottom today. We started the game extremely well, but we let frustration get to us. We have some individuals making some bad decisions, and we’re not a coherent group right now. We’re having big peaks and valleys.Ââ€
The power play’s lack of production is part of the battle. Motzko wasn’t going to name names, naturally, when he talked about sub-par performances, but he praised his young players for their effort, and said the team is getting outstanding leadership from Garrett Raboin and David Carlisle.
“It’s on the ice,†said Motzko. “Our power play is part of it, but we have enough talent that we shouldn’t be letting our frustration get the best of us. We’ve been so emotional every shift that we turn the puck over and take dumb penalties. If we’re going to get beat 5-1, I wish we’d get our tails kicked, but we didn’t. We’ve got to solve that Yo-Yo.Ââ€
Nick Oslund, who got the Huskies goal, corroborated his coach’s views. “We came out and played fine at first,†he said. “But in the second period, the game kind of went away.Ââ€
Oslund summed up his teammates’ view of the Showcase format as a highlight for the weekend. The Huskies will play the second game of the series at UMD on Nov. 29. But the idea of bringing the four Minnesota-based WCHA teams together for league-counting games at Xcel Center could grow into a prominent highlight, the players said.
“It’s definitely a good idea,Ââ€Oslund said. “There’s a lot of pride in Minnesota hockey, and the Showcase is definitely a good thing.Ââ€
Gopher women sweep UMD off No. 1 pedestal
When Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth meet in women’s hockey, high-intensity and emotional play and outstanding individual achievements are anticipated, to say nothing of some significance on the season’s standings. But there’s also room for surprises, and the rebuilt Golden Gophers proved it once again when they journeyed up Interstate 35 for the opening weekend of Women’s-WCHA.
The Gophers were patient as the nation’s No.1 rated University of Minnesota in Duluth held a ceremony to raise its NCAA championship banner to the rafters of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) on Friday night.
That wasn’t unique, because, after all, it was the fourth time in the eight-year history of NCAA women’s hockey tournaments that the Bulldogs have won the banner.
Nor was it shocking that the Gophers survived a typically high-intensity battle to win the first game 4-3 on Melanie Gagnon’s overtime goal. After all, UMD lost only four games last season while winning the WCHA championship, and Minnesota had inflicted three of them.
What was truly startling was that Minnesota’s refuvenated Gophers came back just as hungry in Saturday’s second game and simply outhustled the Bulldogs throughout to claim a 2-0 shutout for sophomore goaltender Jenny Lura.
UMD appeared loaded enough to deserve its No. 1 rating, and had done little to dissuade anyone with an opening 6-2, 6-1 sweep on the road at Niagara. Minnesota, meanwhile, had lost 3-2 in overtime to a U.S. Women’s National team that had been reduced to 10 skaters, and the U.S. also won 2-1 in a shootout that night to demonstrate the new rule. Then the Gophers opened against a supposed soft touch in Robert Morris, but were upset 3-2 in the opener, despite a 65-shot barrage, before winning 7-1 for a split.
Those were hardly the credentials to set up an upset scenario at UMD, where strong crowds of over 1,300 watched each game. There might have been some grumbling about such a major series being held so early in the season, but all the fans had to come away impressed with Minnesota’s team speed and great balance at both ends of the rink.
“I was really proud of our team,†said Minnesota coach Brad Frost, starting his second full year. “The seniors were leading, the returnees were working hard, and the young players really contributed. Then to come in here, where they were fired up with the banner-raising and all, and give them…really not much.Ââ€
Frost admitted that the first game was what he expected. He had played all three goalies the previous weekend, and said he thought freshman Alyssa Grogan had looked the sharpest, so she got the call in Game 1. “It was a typical, Minnesota-UMD game†he said.Ââ€We jumped out ahead, then they came roaring back to tie it up. I thought there was really good action up and down, especially in the second period.Ââ€
The surprise came in Game 2, when Frost expected more of the same, but UMD’s usual uprising never materialized. “We forechecked really hard,†Frost said. “And we were able to eliminate their transition game in the neutral zone.Ââ€
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Lura was perfect, but the Gophers prevented UMD from generating very many quality scoring chances. UMD’s sparkplug Emmanuelle Blais made several speedy break-ins, but mainly the Gophers reduced the Bulldogs offense to comparatively feeble long shots or feeds to the goal-mouth where Gopher back-checkers created heavy congestion.
The second game also was the forum for Minnesota’s freshman twins, Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux, to indicate what value their presence brings to offset the graduation departures of top guns Erica McKenzie and Bobbi Ross.
In the first game, all four Gopher goals came on power plays, with Emily West and Monique Lamoureux scoring in the first period, and Gigi Marvin’s goal countering one by UMD’s Sara O’Toole for a 3-1 lead after two periods. UMD’s expected surge opened the third, with Saara Tuominen scoring at 0:09, and freshman Pernilla Winberg scoring at 4:23 to forge the 3-3 tie. Kim Martin and Grogan battled into overtime, when UMD fired six shots to none through four and a half minutes. Then, with 25 seconds left in the five-minute session, Melanie Gagnon took the only Gopher shot of overtime, converting Marvin’s power-play feed for the game-winner.
In the second game, Kim Martin came up with an early save on Emily West’s breakaway, but at 13:18, Monique Lamoureux carried up the left side and fired a shot that got through Martin, but struck the far, right pipe. It caromed out, but before Martin or any defending Bulldog could get to it, Jocelyne Lamooureux tapped it in for a 1-0 lead.
At 2:09 of the second period, the twins swapped roles, with Monique Lamoureux scoring after Jocelyne fed her.
The biggest surprise was yet to come. As coach Frost pointed out, a 2-0 lead means nothing in this series. But as the second period went on, the less-experienced Gophers – with six freshmen and four sophomores in the lineup – continued to disrupt UMD’s passing and win the battles for loose pucks. It was more of the same in the third, and the anticipated Bulldog uprising never happened.
UMD coach Shannon Miller said the question came down to which team was more hungry. That was true. And the answer was Minnesota. She also said the two losses wouldn’t mean all that much because of the length of the season, and that she thought UMD and Minnesota were probably the 1-2 teams in the country. Maybe so, but on the opening weekend of WCHA play, No. 1 didn’t play like No. 1, and the Gophers were Golden.