An early third period goal from top scorer Erica McKenzie propelled No. 5 Minnesota to a 3-1 win over North Dakota that completed a weekend sweep.
McKenzie picked up a loose puck in the corner, skated it out front, and put it far side on UND goalie Margret-Ann Hinkley for her fourteenth goal of the season to break a 1-1 tie at 5:18 of the third period.
To ice the win for the Gophers (11-5, 6-4 WCHA), Jenelle Philipczyk put the puck through the legs of the sliding Sioux defenseman into an empty net as time expired.
“We needed a better period in the third, we needed to step up, and [McKenzie] made a nice play on that goal walking out and slipping it through and I was glad we were able to hang on to that lead and play intelligently,” said Minnesota coach Laura Halldorson.
The Sioux (2-10-2, 0-10-2) came out and dictated play right away and carried most of the play in the first and second periods, outshooting the Gophers 18-16.
“This was our best game of the year,” said UND coach Shantel Rivard. “It was heartbreaking not to get the win.”
The game was the closest between the two teams in their history.
Senior Aynsley Allen got the Fighting Sioux on the board first at 13:23 of the first period on the power play. Freshman Cassie Hanson fed sophomore Cara Wooster in the corner, who took the puck out front and got a shot off. With the rebound sitting in front, Allen drove to the net and put it between the legs of Gopher freshman goalie Brittony Chartier for her first goal of the season.
“I sent Aynsley out and told her that was her job, and she did it perfectly,” Rivard said.
Minnesota sophomore Bobbi Ross tied the game 1-1 at 18:24 of the first with a great individual effort. Ross took a pass from McKenzie at center, carried it into UND’s zone and deposited her twelfth goal of the season high to the glove side of Hinkley.
Hinkley had a solid game for UND stopping 23 shots in the loss that dropped her record to 0-3-0 this season.
“She was very good with the rebounds, she was either smothering them or they were into the corners,” Rivard said.
UND finished the game a perfect 3-3 on the penalty kill, and went 1-5 on the
power play.
“Our team played really well tonight, offensively, defensively, and especially on the penalty kill,” Hinkley said. “It was good to see them stepping up and controlling the puck in our zone then icing it.”
Even with all the positives for the Sioux it was Minnesota’s third period that was the difference in the game. The Gophers outshot UND 10-4 in the final frame.
“We came back hard and responded well in the third period, and I felt like we really took it to them and it showed up on the scoreboard,” McKenzie
said.
Minnesota got great play from freshman goaltender Brittony Chartier, who stopped 21 shots and upped her record to 9-5-0 this year. Chartier did some of her best work in the second when she turned away all ten UND shots while holding them scoreless on two power plays.
“[Chartier] was great tonight, especially in the second when we had some
lapses, we really needed her,” Halldorson said.
“It was Brittony’s turn to step up tonight and she did just that,” McKenzie said. “She kept us in this game.”
Minnesota travels to Minnesota State next weekend, while North Dakota hosts Bemidji State.
