UMD Women Split with Ohio State

Compiled via collegehockeystats.net box scores for the 2 game series.

On Friday night, UMD scored the only goal of the first period, with Vanessa Thibault (from Haley Irwin and Pernilla Winberg) scoring a powerplay goal at 4:47 of the period. 

After the first period, it was the Natalie Spooner show, as she scored a natural hat trick in the second period, with goals at 5:17, 10:56, and 12:50 of the period.  She made it 4-1 with her fourth goal of the game at 7:23 of the third period. 

Jenny Harss took the loss Friday, stopped 22 of 26 shots she faced, giving way to Lana Steck the final 9:22 of the game.  Steck saw only one shot in her third period stint.

On Saturday, a 4 goal second period lifted the Dogs to a 6-2 victory over the Buckeyes.

OSU’s Hokey Langan opened the scoring at 3:26, with a shorthanded, unassisted goal.  Jenna McParland (Irwin and Jessica Wong) evened the score with a powerplay goal at 14:11.

Pernilla Winberg (Thibault, Jessica Wong) gave UMD the lead with a shorthanded goal 59 seconds into the second period, then a two goal lead with a goal (from Emma Stauber) at 5:34.  OSU’s Ally Tarr cut the UMD lead to 3-2 at 6:18, but that was as far as the Buckeyes got.  Wong (Katie Wilson and Thibault) and Katie Wilson scored 18 seconds apart, at 14:24 and 14:42 to put the ‘Dogs up 5-2.

Irwin (Brienna Gillanders, Audrey Cournoyer) finished the scoring at 15:58 of the third period.  Jenny Harss stopped 36 of 38 shots to pick up her 6th win of the season on Saturday.

UMD Women Sweep U-Conn

The Bulldogs first road trip of the season sent them out to battle their second Hockey East opponent, this weekend University of Connecticut. 

On Friday, the Dogs picked up a 5-4 victory, with 5 different players each picking up a goal.  Katie Wilson gave UMD the lead 3:53 into the game, assisted by Emma Stauber.  UConn tied the game at 16:13 with a powerplay goal by Emily Snodgrass. 

UMD took the lead back at 8:31 of the second quarter, when Vanessa Thibault scored her first of the season, from Gina Dodge and Shara Jasper.  Audrey Cournoyer’s third goal of the season, just 27 seconds later gave the ‘Dogs a 3-1 lead.  UConn’s Rebecca Hewett cut UMD’s lead to 3-2 at 13:21, but Jessica Wong made sure the Bulldogs took a two goal lead to the locker room with a goal with 6 seconds left in the second period.  Cournoyer and Wilson assisted on Wong’s goal.

Huskies’ Jocelyn Slattery cut the Bulldog lead to 4-3 with a goal 4:26.  Haley Irwin gave the Bulldogs back a two goal lead yet again, at 17:30 of the period, from Mariia Posa, which proved to be the game winner, as UConn’s Taylor Gross scored with their goaltender, Alexandra Garcia pulled for an extra attacker, at 18:37. 

 

On Saturday, the Dogs doubled up UConn in shots on goal, 48-24, and beat them on the scoreboard 6-1.  Jenna McParland picked up her first career goal at 12:16, from Irwin and Pernilla Winberg, the only goal of the period for either team.

UConn’s Sarah MacDonnell tied the game at 1, just 2:55 into the second period, but that tie was the only goal for the Huskies on the afternoon.  Jessica Wong’s 4th goal of the season, assisted by Zoe Hickel, at 5:55 of the second gave UMD the lead for good.  Mariia Posa scored her first goal of the season, from Cournoyer and Wilson at 10:46, and McParland added her second goal 58 seconds later. 

Winberg’s second goal of the season, from Irwin, and Kacy Ambroz’s first of the year, unassisted added to UMD’s lead in the third period.  Jenny Harss got the win in both games, with Lana Steck playing the final 5:58 of the Saturday game. 

The Bulldogs head back to Amsoil Arena for a series with #1 ranked Wisconsin Friday and Saturday nights’ at 7:07.

UMD Women Squash St. Cloud

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Four goals in a row by Pernilla Winberg lead the Bulldogs to an 8-0 win over St. Cloud State, February 18, 2011 at Amsoil Arena.

Haley Irwin scored UMD's 5th goal, in her first game back from an undisclosed injury, while Tara Gray, Elin Holmlov, and Kacy Ambroz socred the other 'Dogs goals.

Holmlov added three assists, and Katie Wilson, Brienna Gillanders, Jocelyne Larocque, Irwin each had two assists. Jenny Harss stopped all 10 shots she saw in two periods, and Lana Steck stopped 5 shots she faced in relief, playing the third period.

Winberg celebrates her hat-trick

Brienna Gilanders looks for a rebound

UMD Women Beat Minnesota 3-2

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The UMD women's hockey team continued to stay hot, taking the first game of 2 with the Minnesota Gophers, 3-2 at the DECC. Down 2-1 after two periods, Elin Holmlov evened the score in the first minute of the third period, scoring an unassisted goal. Pernilla Winberg gave UMD the lead at 13:55 of the period, a lead that the Dogs held to the final buzzer. Jessica Wong for the 'Dogs and Kelly Seeler for the Gophers each scored in the first period, and the Gophers' Sarah Davis gave them the 2-1 lead in the second period.

Pernilla Winberg scores the game winner, despite being pulled down in front of the Gopher net

 

Jenny Harss congratulated on the victory by backup goaltender Lana Steck

UMD Season (16 Days and counting down!)

UMD 2010-11 Season
Not only do they defend their 5th National Championship, but have a nice new arena to defend the second half of the season. There are only 5 seniors on the roster, to replace the 5 that graduated, plus Libby Guzzo's transfer to St. Scholastica, making 20 total roster players with the three goaltenders (Harss, Martin, and Steck.)

4 players are listed as defensemen.. giving me the idea that Jessica Wong and Elin Holmlov will see some blue line time this season. Some people were asking what the roles of Gina Dodge and Kacy Ambroz would be this season (with the Olympians returning).. but I don't think there's reason to wonder after their play last season.

UMD should be able to roll 3 lines with anyone this year, with defense being the one spot with possible questions with Rasmussen and Murray graduating. Larocque and Gray will be on the ice a lot with Posa (Soph) and Noora Jaakola (Freshman), and whoever they do decide to move from forward to defense to fill in.

Might we see a goaltender battle between Harss and Martin this winter? Martin didn't have a really excellent Olympic tournament, but they (Team Sweden) didn't play anyone for tuneup matches so she had a really bad defensive team in front of her. Sweden would have been far better off to leave it's players on their NCAA teams seeing high caliber opponents, but that's getting off topic. She (Martin) is (reported as) probably the healthiest (knees) she's been as a Bulldog so it will be fun to see both goaltenders probably rotate at least until after Christmas.

Shannon Miller can't go anywhere for at least 5 years.. if not more.. she has 5 rings for 5 fingers.. but needs 5 more for the other hand!

Bulldogs Win 2-1, Sweep Mavericks In Mankato

Jessica Wong and Katie Wilson scored for UMD, and Ashley Young scored for Minnesota State-Mankato, and Lana Steck got the 2-1 win for the Bulldogs in her first start of the season. I'll post the link to the box score tonight sometime.