MADISON — The 113th meeting between rivals Minnesota and Wisconsin ended in a tie, with an extra conference point going to the Gophers after Emily Zumwinkle’s goal ended an eight round shootout.
The Gophers took the lead early in the first period for the second straight game. Minnesota’s Emily Oden and Wisconsin’s Brett Pettet went for a puck behind the net. The puck popped out to the front of the net where Katie Kotlowski was unable to clear it out of the air. It dropped to Payton Hemp’s stick and she was able to beat Badger goalie Kennedy Blair, who was down in the butterfly, over the shoulder.
The lead lasted into the second, when Wisconsin tied the game on a shot from the left by Casey O’Brien. The puck was slowed by Gopher goalie Lauren Bench and Sarah Wozniewicz dove in to make sure the puck crossed the line, but O’Brien was credited with the goal that tied it up.
It looked like the lead might not last long, as Wozniewicz was called for interference a few minutes later, but Delaney Drake stepped up big for the Badgers, blocking three shots during the penalty kill.
Both teams showcased a willingness to get in front of the puck – the Badgers ended the game with 18 blocks, while the Gophers tallied 23. Minnesota had 11 blocks in the first period alone, stymieing the Wisconsin forwards and keeping anything dangerous from getting close to Bench.
Less than a minute after the power play, Emily Zumwinkle put the Gophers ahead once again. She was left wide open in the far faceoff circle as Madeline Wethington drew the defense towards the far boards. She slotted a pass across to Zumwinkle who caught and then shot the puck in one smooth motion to snipe it past Blair and put Minnesota ahead 2-1.
In the third, O’Brien pulled the Badgers even once again. This time, her shot deflected off the skate of Gopher Emily Oden in front of the net. The misdirection gave Bench no chance.
Neither regulation nor five minutes of 3-on-3 hockey was enough to find a winner. The game officially ended in a 2-2 tie. The shootout went eight rounds, with Taylor Heise, Emily Brown and Zumwinkle scoring for Minnesota. Daryl Watts and Nicole LaMantia scored for Wisconsin, but it was Zumwinkle’s that ended the shootout and gave the Gophers an extra point in the standings.
There were things O’Brien said she knew she and her teammates would see on film that they’d wish they would have done differently. She thought the Badgers had won the game in the final seconds of the bonus frame after her pass made it to the front of the net as Watts and Makenna Webster crashed. Webster was credited with a shot in the box score, but Bench made a big save.
“At the end of the day, I think it’s important to lose. It’s only going to help us going forward, especially in elimination games against tough teams. I think we’re going to learn a lot about this weekend that’s going to help us going forward,” said O’Brien.
Overall, Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson felt there were positives for his team, despite ending the weekend with a loss and tie.
“We played well enough to hang around. When they made it 2-1, we didn’t back off and got a nice goal to tie it,” said Johnson. “It’s a learning opportunity. We need these games. These games help you find out more about yourself and some of the things you need to work on. It’s an experience that down the road might really help us.”
