For No. 2 Minnesota Duluth, timely goals and solid goaltending led to a 6-1 road win against North Dakota.
UMD junior goalie Riitta Schaublin made 19 saves, 11 in the third period for the Bulldogs (7-2-0, 7-2-0 WCHA) in gaining her seventh win of the year. Schaublin has started every game in goal so far this year for Duluth.
“When she got tested in the third, she was there and finished strong,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller.
The third period was also the Bulldogs’ best period offensively, as they controlled much of the play over the Sioux (2-5-0, 0-5-0 WCHA), and converted on both of their power plays in the frame. The goals came from junior Jessica Koizumi and senior Krista McArthur. Junior Noemie Marin also scored her seventh goal of the year early in the period at even strength.
“We came out slow in the first period, and picked it up a little bit in the second, then in the third period when they could see the finish line they decided to get some spark and got going and finished well,” Miller said.
In a penalty laden first period, UND escaped four of UMD’s power plays with only one goal against, mostly due to the exceptional play of the Sioux’s senior goalie Amber Hasbargen. Hasbargen made eleven saves in the first period and finished with 24 saves when she was pulled in the third in favor of fellow senior Margret-Ann Hinkley, who made 8 saves of her own.
Hasbargen, who has also started every game for her team this year.
UMD’s special teams was very successful against the Sioux, scoring four power-play goals out of their eight chances. Their penalty kill was a perfect 6-6 thanks mostly to the play of Schaublin, who stopped all nine UND power-play shots in the third.
“The penalties hurt, their power play looked pretty good,” Sioux head coach Shantel Rivard said.
The Bulldogs took the lead at 5:24 of the first period on the power play when freshman Michaela Lanzi scored her team-leading ninth goal of the season on a one-timer off a pass from Marin. Duluth struck again on the power play in the second on freshman Sara O’Toole’s second career goal at 4:55.
UND found a way to solve Schaublin at 7:01 of the second, when senior Devon Fingland blocked a clearing attempt and stepped into a slap shot that found it’s way through traffic in front and ended up top shelf in the back of the net. Fingland’s first goal of the year cut the deficit to 3-1 at the time.
“It was a nice shot, but the other nice thing was there was people going to the net creating traffic and movement going through and I don’t think Riitta even saw the goal,” Rivard said.
The two teams rematch Sunday at UND’s Ralph Engalstad Arena at 2:05.
