From UMDBulldogs.com
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The traditional University of Minnesota Duluth holiday break won't last long for four Bulldog women hockey players.
Canada's National Women's U-22 Team has tapped junior forward Emmanuelle Blais, sophomore forwards Haley Irwin and Laura Fridfinnson, and sophonore defenseman Jocelyne Larocque to suit up for the MLP Nations Cup in Ravensburg, Germany. The tournament -- which will be held from Jan. 2-Jan. 6 -- was formally called the European Air Canada Cup, somewhat fitting since Canada is the six-time defending champion at the MLP Cup, having won every year since the tournament’s inception in 2003 and having lost just once in those 20 games.
Blais, Larocque, Irwin and Fridfinnson are part of a Canada roster that includes 21 of the 22 players who dressed for Canada in a three-game series against the United States’ Women’s Under-22 Select Team in Pierrefonds, QC in August. All four Bulldogs' were also part of 11 current U-22 players who won gold at the 2008 Air Canada Cup. Larocque is also won of six players that won a silver medal with Canada's National Team at the 2008 Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, NY in early November.
Just a note for those who are not season ticket holders, or those who are coming up to Duluth for the UMD women's series with Wisconsin... The series originally scheduled to be a Friday/Saturday night series, is now a Saturday night/Sunday afternoon series (7 pm/3 pm) as stated in a letter to season ticket holder that UMD sent out this past week.
I'm not sure what happened to UMD today.. to come out and score in 14 seconds.. then give up right back on a terrible defensive play in front of Martin.. it was sloppier than the NoDak loss.. and is telling.. UMD can be out played physically and will be beaten. Princeton was much more physical, and UMD forgot how to make passes.
The first line was the only one that really did anything good, whether on the powerplay or even-strength, and the [B]entire[/B] defense was just bad today. I wouldn't be surprised to see the 2nd and 3rd lines split up to try and change something come January and the Wisconsin series at the DECC. Just my opinion but, it's time to put Fridfinnson on the third line and move Blais back up to the second line where she belongs...
UMD didnt' really look like they wanted the game until the last couple minutes, which was all first line again. They've gotta find a way to turn it around Sunday and go on Christmas break on a better note.
Tonight's game had a much better flow.. UMD started Johanna Ellison tonight..stopping 20 of 21 shots .. the shot that beat her was a 1 on 0 breakaway(shorthanded for BSU even). Something I mentioned last season.. it seems that almost every time she plays, she end up facing at least one breakaway. Tonight she probably could have challenged the puck b4 the BSU's Erin Cody could get to it, but either way, that was BSU's only goal tonight.
Libby Guzzo scored her first career goal tonight, the game winning goal, after a nice forecheck by freshman Kacy Ambroz caused a BSU turnover with the puck ending up in front of a wide open net for Guzzo to bury.
Tori Shelafoe even dressed and skated a few shifts tonight in only her second game of the season. She's a speedy little player from Forest Lake High School, who will probably play a bigger role next season with the speed she brings.
I don't think Kim Martin is quite right from her concussion following the NoDak Friday night game yet, even though she swept Dartmouth last weekend. You could almost tell for the time she played last night that she wasn't completely there. I wouldn't be surprised if she sat next weekend just to be cautious, with the series against Princeton the final one until January. This said, it's just my observation rather than any fact given by UMD or anyone connected to the team.
OK, no offense to Bemidji State.. but what a BORING game. If UMD had kept up the pressure the whole game it may have resembled the 15 goals UMD put up against SCSU back in the Jenny Potter era. Probably half of UMD's shots would amount to actual scoring chances, while a decent number were from farther than the faceoff dots.
Zuzana Tomcikova is almost an exact copy of Riitta Schaublin's freshman season.. rarely going down to the butterfly.. but able to cover a lot of area with her great size. There doesn't seem to be any drop-off from Brookshaw graduating.. just another goaltender stopping a ton of shots every game while the team searches for offense.
One negative for UMD, at the end of the game Emmanuelle Blais blocked a slot that may have missed her pad and hit her skate .. she hobbled to the bench and the ground and was still there after the handshake and was surrounded by staff as everyone headed out. Just judging from how it looked, I think it'd doubtful she'll be on the ice tomorrow but we'll see.
Add: Unfortunatley.. Johanna Ellison gave up a goal with about 4 minutes left.. her defense didn't kill the puck.. BUT because Kim Martin gave up a goal in the first period, Ellison picked up her first win of the season because it was 2-1 when Martin finished the first period.
This was posted later than normal on WCHA.COM...
WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Jocelyne Larocque • So., D, University of Minnesota Duluth
Jocelyne Larocque, a sophomore defenseman from Winnipeg, Manitoba, scored two goals in the University of Minnesota Duluth's 4-1 victory over No. 3-ranked Dartmouth last Saturday (Nov. 29) at the DECC in Duluth, Minn. The Bulldogs also won 2-1 over Dartmouth in the series opener last Friday (Nov. 28).
Larocque scored Minnesota Duluth's second goal of the game in the 4-1 decision - and what turned out to be the game-winning goal - just :15 seconds into the second period on a blast from the left point. Larocque then launched an empty-net goal with one second remaining for her second goal of the contest and of the season. In addition to her two goals, Larocque helped UMD kill 10 of Dartmouth's 11 power-play attempts, earned a +2 plus/minus rating and put eight shots on goal in the two games.
Larocque, who is the sixth ranked defensive scorer in the NCAA and the third in the WCHA, has 12 points (2g,10a) in 14 games.
Also nominated were: Alyssa Grogan, G, UM; Kathleen Rosso, D, MSU; and Alycia Matthews, D, UW.
