News Tribune Saturday BSU Sweep Story

’dogs lead and refuse to let go
By andy GrederNews Tribune staff writer, Duluth News Tribune
Published Sunday, March 02, 2008
Minnesota Duluth’s second line isn’t playing like an inferior group.

With two players from the first line missing a combined 18 games in 2008, Haley Irwin, Emmanuelle Blais and Laura Fridfinnson have remained intact and are UMD’s consistent scorers.

“They are probably one of the hottest lines in the country right now,” UMD coach Shannon Miller said Friday. “I would be surprised if they are not.”

Fridfinnson scored two goals and Irwin notched two assists in the Bulldogs’ 5-1 win over Bemidji State in Game 2 of a Western Collegiate Hockey Association first-round women’s playoff series at the DECC.

The top-seeded Bulldogs (29-4-1) swept the series and will face St. Cloud State or Ohio State in the WCHA semifinals at 1:07 p.m. March 8 at the DECC, while Minnesota will play Wisconsin in the other semifinal at 4:07 p.m. The championship game will be at 1:07 p.m. March 9.

Fifth-seeded Ohio State beat fourth-seeded St. Cloud State 3-0 Saturday to force Game 3 today.

In eight series in 2008, the all-Canada second line has scored 47 percent of the Bulldogs’ 65 goals during a 13-1 run.

Miller said the top six Division I teams also have second lines that could be their first.

“The one thing that [second] line has always had is speed,” Miller said. “But now they have some poise with the puck, and they are scoring some pretty nice goals.”

The line scored half of UMD’s goals in a 6-0 win Friday over Bemidji State.

On Saturday, Fridfinnson, a freshman from Arborg, Manitoba, was denied on two breakaways by Bemidji State goalie Emily Brookshaw.

With two freshmen on the line, Blais, a sophomore from Lasalle, Quebec, doesn’t believe she needs to be a mentor.

“I don’t think so because they are two talented players,” Blais said Friday. “We just get along really well. We just try to help each other when someone is not having the best game.”

First line mates Saara Touminen, who missed 10 games with a torn knee ligament, and Iya Gavrilova, who has been out for the last eight while the NCAA investigates her eligibility, were the top scorers at 30 points each entering the winter break Dec. 15.

Now Irwin, a freshman from Thunder Bay, Ontario, leads the team with 49 points, with Fridfinnson and Blais in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

The Bulldogs took it to Bemidji State (4-29-3) from the start Saturday. UMD racked up 17 shots before the Beavers got one on UMD goalie Kim Martin after more than 12 minutes in the first period.

UMD held a 1-0 lead after one period behind a rebound goal from junior winger Sara O’Toole at 1:20.

Joss Larocque and Fridfinnson added second-period goals for a 3-0 margin.

Blais and Fridfinnson’s second goals came in the third period.

* UMD defender Tara Gray was carried off the ice by her teammates after suffering a hit late in the third period.