It was D-Day, where “D” stood for Dreyer.
That’s Pam Dreyer, junior goaltender for Brown, who allowed just one goal while making 35 saves, including 17 in a tense, scoreless third period that saw Minnesota pepper Dreyer furiously in an attempt to tie up the game.
In that period, Dreyer withstood power-play shots, shorthanded bids, and over a minute of extra-attacker pressure from Minnesota, as the Gophers threw everything they had at the goal but couldn’t solve the Brown netminder.
“We wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for Pam Dreyer,” said Brown coach Digit Murphy. “Right at the end of the game she shuts down Ronda Curtin dead to rights in front of the net. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to her for keeping us in.”
Curtin, a Patty Kazmaier finalist who leads Minnesota in scoring as a defenseman, was held without a point.
“We were just outworked in the first two periods,” Curtin said, claiming the hype surrounding the Kazmaier Award had little effect on her.
“I was more concerned about tonight, not tomorrow,” she added, referring to Saturday night’s Kazmaier banquet.
“After the second period, being down 2-1, we said we’ve got them right where we want them,” said Laura Halldorson, Minnesota coach. “It’s pretty familiar territory to be losing late in the game… I thought we came close several times. A bounce here or there and we could have pulled it out.”
At the midpoint of the third period, Minnesota ratcheted up the pressure. A power play seemed like a chance for the Gophers to get the equalizer, and the Minnesota skaters had a number of opportunities, controlling play in the Brown zone. However, a tripping call to Minnesota’s Sarma Pone nullified the power play and, eventually, sent Brown on a power play of its own.
But Minnesota generated significant chances even on the penalty kill, particularly on a Laura Slominski shorthanded bid after Minnesota had set up shop in the Brown zone despite being short a player. But in the end all penalties expired with no scoring.
“We did go in the tank with about three, four minutes left,” said Murphy. “[Dreyer] kept us in and allowed us to win the game.”
“She’s been a rock star for the last three games. She’s the hot goalie going in,” she said, adding with a mischievous smile, “but I might start [second goalie Katie] Germain tomorrow.”
The first period also featured 20 minutes with no goals.
“I thought the turning point of the game was about halfway through the first period when we started taking the body,” said Kristy Zamora, who scored the game’s first goal. “We came out to a slow start but we just kept going and wouldn’t give up.”
The physical play set the tone for the remainder of the first period, which saw Brown have an advantage both territorially as well as in shots. Late in the period, Minnesota goalie Jody Horak had to make two sterling saves on a pair of shots by Brown defenseman Meredith Ostrander, one from the slot and one from the point.
But it took less than two minutes for the scoring to get underway in the second period. At just 1:40, Zamora received a pass from Kelly Nugent and skated right past a pair of Gopher defenders and, from the slot, slid the puck past Horak for the first strike.
“[Nugent] had it on the side boards, and she passed it out to me,” said Zamora. “I was pretty much wide open. I was going five hole and just drove it into the net. I didn’t even know it went in.”
Later in the second with the Gophers on the power play, Laura Slominski, guarded by a pair of Brown defenders, slid the puck across the ice to a wide-open Kelly Stephens, who had an open net with which to tie the game.
It wouldn’t remain tied for long. Almost immediately, Minnesota’s Kelsey Bills took a penalty for checking, and Brown was able to get good motion on the puck, executing tic-tac-toe passing on the resulting power play. That culminated in junior defenseman Cassie Turner finding forward Kim Insalaco at center ice, with Turner taking the shot which trickled past Horak’s glove and over the line. It was Insalaco’s second game-winning goal in as many games.
“We’re not done yet,” said Insalaco. “We didn’t come here to win one game, we came to win two. We’re going to have fun, but fun equals winning. We’re here to win.”
Brown advances to Sunday’s championship game to face Minnesota-Duluth, winner of a 3-2 decision in the early semifinal. Minnesota will face Niagara in the consolation.
“It makes it a little easier, to lose to [Murphy’s Bears],” said Halldorson, who has a close relationship with the Brown coach. “I’m happy for her. But I wish it had been a different team that had lost to them today.”
