My NCAA Tournament Outlook

My own thoughts on the NCAA tourney brackets has Minnesota and Wisconsin advancing to Duluth past North Dakota (Min) and Mercyhurst (Wis), while Cornell/BU (Boston U) and BC (Boston College)/St. Lawrence will be the interesting games of the quarterfinals..

I'm not sure about Cornell, and St. Lawrence has a real chance to beat BC so right now I expect Minnesota/Wisconsin/BU/St. Lawrence to be the final four teams. Wisconsin would face St. Lawrence and Minnesota faces BU if that scenario unfolds..

I'm not cheering for Minnesota and Wisconsin (or any team really) just that the WCHA retains it's stronghold on the National Championship it's had since UMD won the first one way back.

UMD Bulldog Women Beat Gophers

Playing their first game in nearly a month, the UMD women battled the Minnesota Gophers to start the 2012 portion of their 11-12 schedule, winning 4-2 in the first game of the 2 game series. 

The Gophers’ Kelly Terry gave them a 1-0 lead just 1 minute into the game, but freshman Jenna McParland (14th goal of the season) answered Terry’s goal 33 seconds later, with a wrist shot from near the faceoff dot to the right of Minnesota goaltender Noora Räty.  The game remained tied until 10:18 of the first period, when Haley Irwin made a move past a fallen Gopher defender and stuffed the puck past Räty for a 2-1 lead.  Audrey Cournoyer’s 14th goal of the season at 13:24 made it 3-1 ‘Dogs. 

Minnesota outshot UMD 16-9 in the second period, but could only beat Jenny Harss once.  The Gophers’ Sarah Davis cut UMD’s lead to 3-2 with a second period goal at 12:54.  Jenna McParland’s second goal of the game, this time a powerplay goal, gave UMD back it’s 2 goal lead.

UMD’s defense stood strong in the third period, limiting the Gophers to just 5 shots on goal, as the Bulldogs held on to their 4-2 lead and victory over USCHO.COM’s #1 ranked Gopher hockey team. 

Haley Irwin added 3 assists to figure in on every Bulldog goal on the day, while Noora Jaakkola picked up two assists.

UMD Women Swept by Gophers

The UMD Bulldog women were swept at Ridder Arena, Friday night and Saturday afternoon by the Minnesota Gophers. 

On Friday, the Dogs dropped a 4-1 decision, giving up 3 goals in the third period, after taking a 1-1 tie to the second intermission.  Kacy Ambroz’s second goal of the season gave UMD a 1-0 lead 7:34 into the second period, and Gopher Jen Schoullis tied the game at 13:27.  UMD was outshot 18-4 in the period, largely in part to being shorthanded five times. 

Sarah Erickson (9:11), Schoullis (15:04), and Megan Bozek (empty net at 19:14,) accounted for the 3 third period goals for the Gophers, who were 2/8 on the powerplay.  Jenny Harss stopped 33 of 37 Gopher shots in the loss.

 

Saturday afternoon, UMD got down early, when Schoullis scored 52 seconds into the game.  An Amanda Kessel goal at 18:08 gave the Gophers a 2-0 lead at the first intermission break.

A Brigette Lacquette powerplay goal at 2:04 of the second period cut the deficit to 2-1, but Sarah Erickson gave the Gophers back their two goal lead at 5:28.

A Brienna Gillanders powerplay goal at 5:43 of the third period again cut the Gopher lead to a single goal, 3-2, which ended up being the final score for the game. 

Jenny Harss stopped 30 of 33 Gopher shots in Saturday’s game.

UMD is now just 1-4-1 in WCHA play, with the win and tie vs North Dakota being their only points, with 2 losses each to Wisconsin and Minnesota.    Harss has a .91% saves percentage and is allowing 2.97 goals per WCHA game, but the 1-4-1 record in league games. 

UMD Women Tie Minnesota 2-2

The Bulldogs finally took to the ice after 5 weeks off, heading to Ridder Arena for a conference with the rival Gophers. 

The Gophers scored first, with Sarah Erickson scoring at 7:55 of the first period.  That goal was answered 5 minutes later by Brienna Gillanders, on the powerplay, and the teams went to the intermission tied at 1.

The Gophers’ Jen Schoullis retook the lead at 12:50 of the second period and that lead held until 9:33 of the third period, when Katie Wilson scored UMD’s second powerplay goal of the game to even the score at 2.  Neither team could light the lamp again, and the game ended in a 2-2 overtime tie.  The Gophers took the extra WCHA point by winning a shootout 2-1 in 3 rounds, but the game counts as a tie for NCAA playoff purposes.

Jenny Harss stopped 40 of 42 shots for the ‘Dogs, while Noora Raty stopped 29 of 31 UMD shots on the Gopher net.

UMD Semi-Final Photos, Recap

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The Bulldogs defeated the Minnesota Gophers, for the 4th time in a row, beating them 3-2 in the second NCAA Semi-Final game at Ridder Arena. It was also the 4th time in a row that the Bulldogs have scored three goals against the Gophers. Laura Fridfinnson opened the scoring for UMD at 5:55 of the first period, on a wrap around of a rebound from an Emmanuelle Blais shot, and UMD took a 1-0 lead to the locker room. At 12:55 of the second, Blais scored the first of her two goals, with assists to Fridfinnson and Jocelyne Larocque. The Gophers cut into the lead when Sarah Erickson took off on a breakaway after a UMD turnover, beating Jenny Harss at 17:30 of the second period. Only 1:45 later, Blais scored again, givine UMD back it's 2 goal lead, that they took to the second intermission. Both teams had two powerplays in the third period, though neither capitalized on the opportunities. With their goaltender Noora Raty pulled, the Gophers picked up a goal by Emily West at 19:05 to make the game 3-2. UMD managed to keep the puck tied up the final 55 seconds, and set up a championship game with Cornell.

Dogs Hand Beavers 7-3 Loss, Face Gophers for WCHA Playoff Championship

Laura Fridfinnson got UMD off on the right foot, scoring 24 seconds into the first period and then at 19:35 of the period, sandwiching a Katie Wilson goal midway through the period.

UMD opened the second period strong, with an Emmanuelle Blais goal at 2:56, and another Wilson goal, 10 seconds later. Bemidji's Emily Erickson scored her first of two at 5:00, that Jamie Rasmussen answerd at 14:32 of the second period.

Bemidji came out strong in the third period, getting goals by Erin Cody (4:00) and Erickson (6:49) but couldn't gain anymore ground. Blais scored her second goal, an empty netter to finish the scoring and give UMD the 7-3 victory.

Fridfinnson also picked up three assists in the game. Jenny Harss stopped 17 of 20 shots for the win, while UMD scored it's 7 goals on 33 shots.

PHOTOS from the game

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The Gophers and Buckeyes put on a great show in the second game, with the Gophers winning 3:31 into the second overtime.

Ohio State's Brittany Carlson scored the only goal of the first period, while Minnesota's Brittany Francis scored the only goal in the second period, with the 1-1 tie score giving a sense of overtime.

The two teams combined for 6 goals in the final 8:05 of the third period, with the lead being traded twice. Kelli Blankenship gave the Gophers a 2-1 lead at 11:55 of the period, but was answered 12 seconds later by the Buckeye's Raelyn LaRocque. Ohio State grabbed the lead at 16:45 on a Natalie Spooner goal, that was answered by the Gophers' Francis second goal of the game 40 seconds later. The Gophers retook the lead 1:06 after re-tying the game on an Anne Schleper goal, but Ohio State tied it up with 18 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

The first overtime was extremely eventful, with a Gopher goal disallowed after replay, presumably for a puck batted in with a forearm. The Gophers carried much of the first overtime, putting 13 shots on goal, while Ohio State had 7 shots, but a couple good scoring chances themselves in the scoreless OT period. 3:31 into the second overtime, Laura May scored the game winner for the Gophers.

Pictures from the Minnesota/Ohio State game