Patient Pioneers sink UMD 2-1 to claim second place in WCHA
UMD goaltender Rob Anderson’s acrobatic work made it evident that it was going to be difficult for Denver to score any artistic goals Saturday night. So the Pioneers scrapped and scuffed for goals by Kelly Popadynetz and David Neale in less than three minutes early in the third period to gain a 2-1 victory before an announced 3,228 at the DECC.
The victory made Denver 7-0-2 since a bleak start and allowed the Pioneers to claim second place in the WCHA at 8-5-1, giving them 17 points — one more than Wisconsin, Minnesota and Colorado College going into the holiday break.
“There are about six teams in the race, and for us to come back home in second place is a big boost,” said Denver goaltender Wade Dubielewicz. “I’ve had a few games where I was pretty solid, but out defense and penalty killing has been great. Our defense blocks more shots than I do.
“I look at Duluth right now, and they’re not far from where everybody else is. They’re a great team, and they outworked us for a lot of the game tonight.”
The Bulldogs go into the break 1-10-1, cemented in last place in the WCHA, but still in control of the frustration of playing hard for almost 60 minutes, and winding up just short of victory, over and over.
“Our mistakes are fewer,” said UMD coach Scott Sandelin. “But they’re still costing us. They gained some momentum with two power plays in the second period, and I think that carried over to the third.”
Last night, the Bulldogs were flawless defensively for two periods, thanks to Rob Anderson’s continued hot hand in goal.
UMD had the upper hand in play through the scoreless first period, outshooting Denver 8-5, but Dubielewicz stopped everything, including a tough chance when Mark Gunderson broke around the defense for a power-play chance midway through the period. Denver came out harder in the second period, but Anderson turned aside everything, and UMD took a 1-0 lead despite being outshot 15-8.
The goal came when defenseman Andy Reierson shot from the point, and the puck hit a defender, landing in the slot. Derek Derow didn’t hesitate, and one-timed his shot to put the puck in the upper right corner at 8:03, giving UMD a 1-0 lead that held to the second intermission. “Reierson shot it and it bounced off one of their guys,” said Derow.
If that was an opportunistic goal, the Pioneers staged the quick turnaround with two of them in the first five minutes of the third period.
J.J. Hartmann rushed from the right side and was hassled before Rob Anderson blocked his shot. The puck went behind the net, but Hartmann retrieved it and jammed a pass out front, where Popadynetz scored with a quick 15-foot shot at 1:32.
The Pioneers took the lead at 4:26, after a left-corner faceoff. Neale barged to the net through traffic to find a blocked shot and scored with a backhand at the right edge of the goal.
“They got a shot from out near the point, and their guy went to the net and got the puck,” said Rob Anderson.
After that, UMD had two good opportunities, particularly after Chris Paradise went off for the only two penalties of the period. But Dubielewicz and the scrambling Pioneer defense held firm. UMD coach Scott Sandelin pulled Rob Anderson for a six-man attack with 1:53 remaining, and the Bulldogs had the puck in Denver’s zone most of that time, but most of their shots glanced harmlessly off defenders, and a last fling by Judd Medak from the right boards was gloved by Dubielewicz at the buzzer.
Denver University 0 0 2—2
Minnesota-Duluth 0 1 0—1
First Period: No scoring. Penalties–Hartmann, DU (holding) 5:04; N. Anderson, UMD (tripping) 7:52; Caldwell, DU (interference) 8:06.
Second Period: 1. UMD–Derow 4 (Reierson, Hardwick) 8:03. Penalties–Keith, DU (high-sticking) 1:04; Popadynetz, DU (tripping goaltender) 4:56; Mathias, UMD (elbowing) 11:03; Reierson, UMD (holding) 14:37.
Third Period: 2. DU–Popadynetz 8 (Hartmann, Adams) 1:32. 3. DU–Neale 5 (Barber,Engstrom) 4:26. Penalties–Paradise, DU (charging) 7:41; Paradise, DU (hooking) 14:43.
Shots on goal: Denver 5 15 6–26; UMD 8 8 7–23. Goaltenders: Dubielewicz, DU (23 shots-22 saves); R. Anderson, UMD (26-24). Power plays: Denver 0-3, UMD 0-6. Referee–Tom Goddard; linesmen–Jon Elvy, Joe Romano. Attendance: 3,228.
Eustace’s 2 goals cap UMD rally for 4-3 victory over Harvard
Joanne Eustace thought she might have played better a couple of weeks ago than she did Saturday afternoon. But her UMD women’s hockey teammates might disagree. Certainly, Eustace never has come through more effectively with the stakes so high, as she scored the tying goal with seven minutes remaining and then rapped in the game-winner with 28 seconds left to lift UMD to a stirring 4-3 victory over Harvard.
Eustace, in fact, assisted on the first two Bulldog goals before scoring the two pivotal ones against Harvard, ranked No. 2 in the nation and undoubtedly the best team ever to come into the DECC to face UMD in women’s hockey. For UMD, ranked No. 5 nationally, it was a chance to meet a major test, as will Sunday’s 2 p.m. rematch.
With the rapid expansion of women’s college hockey programs, there is a wide disparity from the top ones to the less-talented ones. Harvard has long been one of the best women’s programs in the nation, and UMD dropped out of the clouds and commanded a spot among the elite a year ago, in its first season. Their game Saturday elicited an excitement from players on both teams, who seemed to genuinely enjoy competing with another team of equal caliber.
“It was upsetting to have the lead and let it slip away, but Duluth was flying, and played with a lot of determination,” said Jennifer Botterill, who scored Harvard’s first goal and set up a third-period goal by Kalen Ingram that gave the Crimson a 3-1 lead. “But it was a great game, with both teams flying. Games like this is why you like to play. They have a lot of great players, and they’re big and strong and play a more physical game.”
The Crimson seemed to put a stranglehold on the sizzling opener of the series early in the third period, when Ingram punctured the often-spectacular goaltending of Tuula Puputti to make it 3-1 at 4:08. That goal caused an interesting reaction on the UMD bench.
“When Harvard went ahead 3-1, and we came right back at ’em, I could see a hunger in our players eyes, and I said to myself, ‘Yeah! We’ve got some character on this team,’ ” said Shannon Miller. “They’re a very good team, and this game could have gone either way, but we learned something about ourselves the way we responded when the pressure was on.”
The Bulldogs, who suffered a couple of upset losses from inconsistent effort early in this, their second season, responded this time by turning up the tempo of their half of what already was a fast-paced, entertaining battle. At 8:21 of the period, Eustace got the puck to Maria Rooth, who carried down the slot with two Harvard defenders all over her. Somehow, when she got to the goal, Rooth managed to chip a one-handed shot that glanced up and in over goaltender Jessica Ruddock.
Ruddock, a freshman, had come into the game with an 0.82 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage. She had a 4-0 record, and had yielded only three goals, never more than one in any game. Rooth’s tally cut the deficit to 3-2, and further inspired the Bulldogs. At 13:12, Ruddock blocked Pamela Pachal’s left point shot, but Eustace was positioned in front scored on the rebound, tying the game 3-3.
Angie Francisco, Harvard’s captain from Duluth, was penalized for slashing during a skirmish for the puck in the corner at 13:12, but the best chance of the ensuing power play came when Tammy Shewchuk broke free on a shorthanded breakaway. Puputti, however, came up with a big save — as she did 29 times during the game.
The game went into its final minute, heading for an apparent overtime, when UMD’s Hanne Sikio was forechecking behind the net. In heavy traffic, Sikio managed to knock the puck out front, on the left side of the goal. With Ruddock still looking at the congestion behind the net, assuming the puck was still back there, Eustace shot it through the goalie’s feet at 19:32.
“As soon as the puck came out, I knew the goalie didn’t know it was there and I shot,” said Eustace, who now has five goals for the season.
Harvard coach Katey Stone said: “I don’t think we were firing on all cylinders the whole game, we were just a little out of sync. But their goaltender definitely played great, and they have a great team. I think they’re the best team we’ve seen. They have very good individually skilled players and they play a different style. They may not do as much passing, but they’re big and strong.”
At the start, Harvard’s top two scorers — Canadian National stars Botterill and Tammy Shewchuk — each got outstanding scoring chances that Puputti thwarted. Those two persisted in threatening all day, which was no surprise to Puputti, who had faced them often in international play while tending goal for Finland.
“I know them well,” said Puputti, who beat the two Canadian stars for the first time. “Even when we were behind 3-1, I had a pretty good feeling. We were playing good, and when it got to 3-2Â…well, I usually never react to any goals scored by any team I play for, but when we got the tying goal, I’m just happy nobody saw me at the other end.”
Puputti could be excused for a little celebration, after succeeding against the most threatening pressure she’s faced all season.
“I played good in the first game of the season,” she said, recalling a 7-0 shutout of St. Lawrence. “Then, I lost it. But now the team is firing up, and I had good games against New Hampshire last weekend, and I felt good tonight. It’s a good thing we’re playing better now, when the games start to count.”
Nelson’s late goal, Anderson’s goaltending gain UMD 1-1 tie
When a hockey game is high-scoring, the coaches always suggest that it was the type of game fans might like, but coaches hate. That should have meant that Friday night’s 1-1 WCHA tie between Denver and Minnesota-Duluth was a game that only coaches could love.
Instead, while UMD coach Scott Sandelin appreciated his team’s play, which improved throughout the game and was climaxed by Tom Nelson’s game-tying goal with 5:26 remaining in the third period. But Denver coach George Gwozdecky disliked the game from the second period on.
The Pioneers came into the game with a 6-0-1 streak, and the realization that a sweep of the series could propel a move into second place in the WCHA, but slipped to 7-5-1 (8-7-2 overall). UMD came in only 1-9 in WCHA play, and improved to 1-9-1 (4-12-1 overall).
Nelson’s equalizer came after Judd Medak forechecked deep on the right side of the net to retrieve the puck, and came out to try a wraparound shot, but goaltender Wade Dubielewicz played him perfectly. “I saw the goalie had me blocked, and I saw something white coming down the slot,” said Medak.
Nelson said: “Judd made a great hustle play and the puck came right to me. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and rapped it in.”
Sandelin acknowledged that his Bulldogs seemed flat at the start. “Once we got our legs moving, I was real happy,” he said. “Denver got that early goal, and sometimes you get shocked into playing. We started pursuing the puck, and got better as the game went on.”
The sparse crowd, announced at 3,039, had reason to anticipate a shootout, both because both teams had scored 19 goals in their last four games, and because Denver jumped ahead with a goal after only 1:36 of the first period had expired. On the second shift of the night, Connor James got the puck behind the net from Chris Paradise and relayed a pass out front, where Lukas Dora’s quick shot beat goaltender Rob Anderson. Simple as that, the Pioneers led 1-0.
But that was it, in entirety, for the game’s scoring — and scoring chances — for the next two-plus periods. The best chance overtime by Denver came when Chris Paradise was set up on a goal-mouth pass, but Anderson went down and threw his leg up to block the shot. “It was a big save, but that’s my job,” said Anderson.
Denver outshot UMD 18-10 in the first period, but Anderson’s goaltending held the Bulldogs in the game. Both teams clamped down defensively in the second period, with UMD holding a 6-5 edge in shots, and the two goalies successfully dueling to maintain the 1-0 count. Shots grew to 10-10 in the third period, and Denver outshot UMD 34-29 for the game.
“I thought Rob Anderson played a strong game,” said Gwozdecky, but his stern demeanor indicated he was not pleased.
“I thought we were as careless with the puck in the second and third periods as we’ve been all year. Disgustingly so. Either you want to make it difficult or easy for your opponent to get the puck when you’ve got it on your stick, and we made it very easy for them. We were fortunate to get the one point.
“In the first period, we did a decent job and played the way we wanted to,” Gwozdecky added. “But if you’re going to be successful, you cannot force the puck into traffic, and we did that too many times, in all zones. When you do that, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing Duluth or the New Jersey Devils, you’re going to give up good scoring chances.”
Denver University 1 0 0
Minnesota-Duluth 0 0 1
First Period: 1. Den—Dora 4 (James, Paradise) 1:36. Penalty–Hardwick, UMD (tripping) 16:06.
Second Period: No scoring. Penalties–Adams, Den (interference) 4:13; Reinholz, UMD (interference) 11:08; Weber, Den (interference) 17:34.
Third Period: 2. UMD–Nelson 9 (Medeak) 14:34. Penalties–none.
Overtime: Penalty–Coole, UMD (holding) 0:38.
Shots on goal: Denver 18 5 10 2–35; UMD 10 6 10 3–30. Goalie saves: Dubielewicz, Den (30 shots, 29 saves); R. Anderson, UMD (35-34). Referee: Tom Goddard; linesmen Jon Elvy, Joe Romano. Attendance: 3,039.
Nelson’s late goal, Anderson’s goaltending gain UMD 1-1 tie
When a hockey game is high-scoring, the coaches always suggest that it was the type of game fans might like, but coaches hate. That should have meant that Friday night’s 1-1 WCHA tie between Denver and Minnesota-Duluth was a game that only coaches could love.
Instead, while UMD coach Scott Sandelin appreciated his team’s play, which improved throughout the game and was climaxed by Tom Nelson’s game-tying goal with 5:26 remaining in the third period. But Denver coach George Gwozdecky disliked the game from the second period on.
The Pioneers came into the game with a 6-0-1 streak, and the realization that a sweep of the series could propel a move into second place in the WCHA, but slipped to 7-5-1 (8-7-2 overall). UMD came in only 1-9 in WCHA play, and improved to 1-9-1 (4-12-1 overall).
Nelson’s equalizer came after Judd Medak forechecked deep on the right side of the net to retrieve the puck, and came out to try a wraparound shot, but goaltender Wade Dubielewicz played him perfectly. “I saw the goalie had me blocked, and I saw something white coming down the slot,” said Medak.
Nelson said: “Judd made a great hustle play and the puck came right to me. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and rapped it in.”
Sandelin acknowledged that his Bulldogs seemed flat at the start. “Once we got our legs moving, I was real happy,” he said. “Denver got that early goal, and sometimes you get shocked into playing. We started pursuing the puck, and got better as the game went on.”
The sparse crowd, announced at 3,039, had reason to anticipate a shootout, both because both teams had scored 19 goals in their last four games, and because Denver jumped ahead with a goal after only 1:36 of the first period had expired. On the second shift of the night, Connor James got the puck behind the net from Chris Paradise and relayed a pass out front, where Lukas Dora’s quick shot beat goaltender Rob Anderson. Simple as that, the Pioneers led 1-0.
But that was it, in entirety, for the game’s scoring — and scoring chances — for the next two-plus periods. The best chance overtime by Denver came when Chris Paradise was set up on a goal-mouth pass, but Anderson went down and threw his leg up to block the shot. “It was a big save, but that’s my job,” said Anderson.
Denver outshot UMD 18-10 in the first period, but Anderson’s goaltending held the Bulldogs in the game. Both teams clamped down defensively in the second period, with UMD holding a 6-5 edge in shots, and the two goalies successfully dueling to maintain the 1-0 count. Shots grew to 10-10 in the third period, and Denver outshot UMD 34-29 for the game.
“I thought Rob Anderson played a strong game,” said Gwozdecky, but his stern demeanor indicated he was not pleased.
“I thought we were as careless with the puck in the second and third periods as we’ve been all year. Disgustingly so. Either you want to make it difficult or easy for your opponent to get the puck when you’ve got it on your stick, and we made it very easy for them. We were fortunate to get the one point.
“In the first period, we did a decent job and played the way we wanted to,” Gwozdecky added. “But if you’re going to be successful, you cannot force the puck into traffic, and we did that too many times, in all zones. When you do that, it doesn’t matter if you’re playing Duluth or the New Jersey Devils, you’re going to give up good scoring chances.”
Denver University 1 0 0
Minnesota-Duluth 0 0 1
First Period: 1. Den—Dora 4 (James, Paradise) 1:36. Penalty–Hardwick, UMD (tripping) 16:06.
Second Period: No scoring. Penalties–Adams, Den (interference) 4:13; Reinholz, UMD (interference) 11:08; Weber, Den (interference) 17:34.
Third Period: 2. UMD–Nelson 9 (Medeak) 14:34. Penalties–none.
Overtime: Penalty–Coole, UMD (holdiing) 0:38.
Shots on goal: Denver 18 5 10 2–35; UMD 10 6 10 3–30. Goalie saves: Dubielewicz, Den (30 shots, 29 saves); R. Anderson, UMD (35-34). Referee: Tom Goddard; linesmen Jon Elvy, Joe Romano. Attendance: 3,039.
Sikio scores twice as UMD women whip New Hampshire 3-0
The University of New Hampshire provided a stiff test for UMD’s women’s hockey team Saturday afternoon, for a variety of reasons, and the Bulldogs passed with flying colors, recording a dominant 3-0 victories behind two goals from Hanne Sikio.
Erika Holst assisted on the three UMD goals, setting up Sikio in the first period, feeding Michelle McAteer who relayed it to Sikio in the second period, and setting up McAteer in the third, as Tuula Puputti recorded the shutout with the Bulldogs outshooting the Wildcats 34-18.
This weekend’s pair of 2 p.m. games against UNH represents the first time an established elite eastern power has visited the DECC to play UMD. And New Hampshire was the team that ended UMD’s Cinderella unbeaten start to their first season a year ago. The Bulldogs had soared through 22 victories and two ties before a trip to Durham, N.H., brought two slaps upside the helmet.
Those were figurative slaps, of course. As for actual slaps upside the helmet, the Bulldogs had to play sophomore forward Jenny Hempel and freshman forward Sanna Peura, both of whom were held out because of concussions they suffered at Ohio State in last Friday’s 7-1 UMD romp. “They both got concussions, and both were from crosschecks to the head,” said coach Shannon Miller. “We had been told Sanna was definitely out for two or three weeks, but we thought Jenny could play this weekend until a neurosurgeon said she shouldn’t play this weekend and maybe next.”
UMD was beaten 2-0 the day after winning 7-1 at Ohio State last wekeend, so two-game consistency in today’s rematch is a greater incentive than revenge for the Bulldogs.
“I don’t know what happened last weekend,” said Sikio. “We came back for the second game, had a lot of shots, against the same goalie, the same everything, but nothing would go in. I’m sure New Hampshire will come out much stronger in the second game. But today was how we can play — should play — every game. We skated well and we played very well.”
UNH is in a rebuilding term, but the loss of Hempel and Peura put UMD into an instant rebuilding process too, so Miller shook up her forward lines for the UNH series. “Sometimes lines just get a little stale,” she said. “So I asked different players who they’d like to play with. Hanne said she’d like to play with Erika, so we put that line together with McAteer.”
Good move. After just 1:08 had passed at the start of the game, “Erika gave me a breakaway pass,” Sikio said. She caught the pass at full flight up the left side, buzzed the defense and zoomed in to beat goaltender Jen Huggen with a close-range deke for a 1-0 lead.
UMD outshot UNH 14-4 in that opening period, and came back for a 12-5 edge in the second, but struggled before Sikio struck again. “Mac gave me a great pass that time,” Sikio added. The play started when Holst fed an outlet pass up the left boards to McAteer, who took off with a 2-on-1 chance and passed quickly to Sikio on the right side. The two closed in, and Sikio had time to consider her options.
“I didn’t know if I should pass it back to her or what,” said Sikio. The solution was a good shot from the right circle at 10:36 of the middle period for a 2-0 lead.
Still, 2-0 was hardly a fair reward for a 26-9 edge in shots and a large difference in scoring chances. The Wildcats had an early power play opportunity to get back in the game at the start of the third period. But Puputti held firm, and the Bulldogs went back to the attack at 5:41, when Holst stickhandled out of the right corner and sent a perfect pass across the goal-mouth that McAteer smacked in for the 3-0 count.
“During the week, we worked on direct attacks, and we scored some nice goals, all on direct attacks,” said Miller. “But we also worked on going to the net aggressively to try to get some ugly goals in traffic. We still didn’t do that.”
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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