Nathan Wells recaps the 2023-24 season for the Bemidji State Beavers men’s hockey team.

This story was originally published in the April 2024 Year In Review College/Frozen Four digital issue.

The post Bemidji State: Bright Spots appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Yet in reality, successfully mastering the move is the result of months and years of work behind the scenes.

For Minnesota State fifth-year senior forward Reggie Lutz, scoring a go-ahead wraparound goal in the Frozen Four against Minnesota is a move that he has been practicing on since the age of five when the Elk River native received a special incentive.

“Every time I would score a wraparound goal, my Dad would take me to McDonald’s, and I’d get a Happy Meal. I’ve been working on one for a while and it was pretty cool to see it work on the big stage,” he said after the Mavericks defeated Minnesota 5-1 in the Frozen Four semifinals. “It was able to pay off tonight, so it was pretty cool.”

Working for years behind the scenes is Minnesota State’s M.O. 41 NHL Draft picks descended to Boston from the Frozen Four teams. Only one, Nathan Smith, came from the Mavericks.

It did not matter to the only program to make a repeat Frozen Four appearance, as thousands of fans came from Mankato, Minnesota, and points elsewhere to cheer, to high-five, and enjoy a program-high against three of the sport’s traditional bluebloods. Thousands lined the TD Garden red carpet for both the April 7 semifinal and the April 9 championship game.

“We’re still building,” said Mike Hastings, who found his wife in the crowd before Thursday’s game. “Pretty special to be a part of it and to have the people travel that distance, spend the time away from work.

“We had some students hop on flights. I’m not sure where the pay came from, but they hopped on some flights out here to support us.”

Photo courtesy of Mansoor Ahmad

Lutz’s path to the Mavericks from Elk River included stops in Fairbanks and Chicago. The 25-year-old’s road to college is the norm for Minnesota State, who had one player debut before their 20th birthday. Burnsville’s Cade Borchardt won a USHL Clark Cup after high school, the culmination of three different teams in three years. Smith played high school hockey in Florida. 

Dryden McKay, the 2022 Hobey Baker Award-winning senior goaltender and men’s hockey all-time shutout leader, spent three straight seasons as a Mike Richter Award finalist without winning the award.

Even Hastings, celebrating his 10th anniversary being hired as Minnesota State’s head coach, has come a long way from an early season series against Denver where the Pioneers swept his Mavericks in Mankato. 

“You learn from the hard things. That was a hard weekend. I remember it vividly,” he said. “I thought we played well that weekend, and we didn’t get a point.”

That Mavericks team eventually made the NCAA Tournament, as did another six under Hastings. When Minnesota State broke through to make it to the Frozen Four in 2021, Borchardt said that he took in the moment, remembering the ones that got him there, before his latest.

In its second Frozen Four appearance, Minnesota State, who began the season sweeping the defending national champions in Massachusetts, made the most of its recent experience in comparison to Minnesota, Michigan, and Denver.

Relaxed, screaming, and happy pregame, the Mavericks players embraced their “we before me” team mantra. The group became one, utilizing its suffocating defense against one of the nation’s top offenses and dispatching Minnesota despite trailing 1-0.

McKay gave up a goal on the first shot he saw of the weekend on a 2-on-0. He did not give up another until the third period of the national championship game. Before Lutz, Benton Maass scored a wraparound goal.

“I think it’s right when you step foot on campus. Ever since Coach has been here in Mankato, he’s built a great culture of family, team first,” Lutz said. “Anything that gets thrown our way, you’re going to put our team first. We don’t have one selfish guy on our team.”

The same team that collectively learned from the hard things and took the long path to college quickly became a perennial national title contender. Walking around Boston was a fanbase, dressed in purple suits, Revolutionary War outfits, and the more traditional Mavericks sweaters, ready for a championship. They had been on the road from Day 1.

Facing the same Denver program Hastings learned from a decade prior, Minnesota State spent 45 minutes keeping the nation’s top offense in neutral. The Pioneers had 4 shots on goal in the national championship game’s first half before finding the back of the net.

Once Denver did, the lessons resumed. A 1-0 third period lead quickly wrapped around into a 5-1 defeat for the Mavericks and the first loss in 19 games. The rainbow that was over TD Garden pregame disappeared. 

“You look at the whole season. We hadn’t lost a game since around Christmas until tonight,” Borchardt said after the championship game. “I mean, obviously nothing’s going to solve this or make us happy right now. So I am proud of everyone, proud of the seniors. It stings.”

Boston was a special place for Minnesota State, who continues to present a difficult puzzle for any team to solve. It is a program long past the point of Providence, Palmquist being pushed, NCAA first rounds, and being a surprise national title contender.  

In a decade, Hastings has evolved the program into one that can reload and keep its identity. The only goal left to change the course of the program is one that barely eluded this group, the ones that came so close to the years of work paying off and wrapping their hands around the trophy.

“I’m incredibly proud of them because they’ve gone to work every day. We all know, your dailies are what make your week, what makes your month, which makes your year. These guys came to work every day with a smile on their face and made their dailies fantastic. The ride they took our staff on and our program on was special,” said Hastings after the title-game loss. 

“There will be time for reminiscing and thinking about the rest of it. Like I said, it’s a little raw now. And we’re going to learn from it and we’re going to move on. We’re going to be better because of what happened tonight and because of the journey that these guys allowed us to have together from the beginning of the year until now.”

Photo courtesy of Mansoor Ahmad

The post That’s A Wrap appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Wild’s Christmas present merrier than recent past

Saint Paul — Some Minnesota Wild players are beginning to heat up right as the three-day holiday break begins.

Wild forward Charlie Coyle scored at Xcel Energy Center for the second time in as many nights, helping out his teammates Tuesday and admittedly playing with confidence.

Jason Pominville, who took until Nov. 28 to score his first goal of the season, notched his fifth less than a month later.

It extends to the net. Making a start in place of Devan Dubnyk, goaltender Darcy Kuemper improved to 4-0-2 in his last six starts. Kuemper made 24 saves, with two big ones down the stretch as Minnesota held on Tuesday for a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

“There was some adversity that struck in the game,”Minnesota coach Mike Yeo said. “I think we were in a better place tonight. We were ready to handle it, and that didn’t break us.”

The holidays have not been a good time for the Wild each of the past two seasons. Winter’s coming has been matched with lengthy losing streaks during late December and early January. Minnesota entered Tuesday’s contest with the Atlantic Division-leading Montreal Canadiens on a two-game losing streak after points in nine straight.

“We played a lot of games in the last little while so a rest, we’ll take advantage of the rest for a little bit,” Zach Parise said.

If maybe this year can be better than the last, getting the win and confidence matters.

That said, Tuesday’s game is not one that will be shown on the hockey highlight reel anytime soon. Long stretches were played in the neutral zone with both goalies being able to catch up on holiday lists, a side effect of two teams playing back-to-back games (and three games in four nights for Minnesota).

Twice the Wild celebrated goals that were waved off on the ice and upheld by review. The frustration was evident, especially with Montreal’s Daniel Carr cutting the lead to one minutes after the second no-goal, where Parise believed a third effort was fruitful in giving Minnesota a 3-0 lead.

The goals that did count were able to break through the doldrums and give the 19,105 fans something to cheer, however. Pominville’s scoring touch showed in the first period by batting in Mikael Granlund’s rebound with a backhand shot. Coyle’s, meanwhile, in the third period also went to his backhand with the 23 year-old equaling his goal total of the previous 21 games.

“I had a little speed so I just tried to taking him wide,” Coyle said. “Just a little move I’ve worked on before and I’ve seen so I just tried to get it off and luckily I didn’t get (Montreal goaltender Mike Condon’s) shoulder and it went in.”

Being able to win in ugly fashion, holding onto leads – a night after blowing a 2-0 one to Dallas – is a needed skill to control over the highs and lows of an 82-game season. So will getting performances from a player like Kuemper, who had gone a week without playing.

“It was nice to get back in there and keep the good things going, the momentum going forward,” Kuemper said. “Not playing for a while since that Vancouver game was the last one, just working hard in practice and focusing on tracking the puck and keeping my eye on it and playing out rebounds. And that keeps translating in games and I’m keeping an eye on it.”

Minnesota returns Saturday to face the Pittsburgh Penguins at Xcel Energy Center. Whether or not the break comes at a bad time for some Wild players can be debated, but Coyle is looking forward to getting back to Boston before coming back to try to keep his own, and his team’s, going.

“It’s going to be nice to kind of regroup,” Coyle said. “Some guys are going home and just enjoying the holidays, but we’ll get right back at it on the 26^th. We have to come back with the same attitude. It’s not going to come for us. We have to forget about this game and come back and get to our game as soon as possible.”

The post Minnesota heads to break to holiday cheers appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Winnipeg’s Ondrej Pavelec blanks Minnesota as Wild fails to clinch postseason berth

ST. PAUL, MN– Looking to lock up a playoff berth at home, the Minnesota Wild will instead leave St. Paul shut out and trying to shake off the feelings of a three game losing streak for the first time in the Devan Dubnyk era.

The home team was unable to feed off the energy of the home crowd. Coming off close losses at home to New York and Detroit, Minnesota played most of Monday’s game from behind against a desperate Jets team.

Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec stopped all 32 shots he faced in a 2-0 road win Monday. Blake Wheeler and Drew Stafford scored for the Jets, which gets a much needed win trying to keep pace with Los Angeles for the Western Conference’s second Wild Card spot.

Minnesota now heads on the road for a three game trip to end the regular season beginning with a nationally televised game against Chicago Tuesday.

“It was a tough, hard-fought game. Give them credit. They made us fight for every inch out there,” Wild coach Mike Yeo said. “We went into the game with a lot of emotion and I don’t know if we controlled it the best way. I felt there was a lot of tension.”

Minnesota is currently in the first Wild Card spot, sitting two points ahead of Winnipeg in the Western Conference. Although the Wild could have earned a playoff berth Monday with a regulation or overtime win, the team remains in position to earn one in the last week of the season.

A third consecutive postseason appearance will now have to be clinched away from Xcel Energy Center, though.

“We have to win. We know that,” Wild forward Thomas Vanek said. ”Sometimes I think this team is better in must-win situations so maybe it’s good for us to get back on the road where we I guess don’t get as pumped up before.

“It’s a tough road trip, but we know what we have to do and it is to win a few games. We’ll start tomorrow.”

Still, the fact that Minnesota is in a position to clinch speaks to how well the team has played since acquiring Dubnyk on Jan. 14. Losing streaks have not existed. Three months after the Wild lost a “must win” game as far as playoff hopes went the last time these two teams played at Xcel Energy Center, it was the Jets who were the ones on the outside of the playoffs.

In that time Minnesota made a 12 point turnaround on the Jets.

That didn’t happen Monday. Plymouth, MN native Blake Wheeler quieted a Wild crowd that for once was able to drown out the Winnipeg fans 4:12 into the game with his 26^th goal of the year. With only Chris Stewart in the penalty box following a post-whistle skirmish with Mark Stuart – a call that Wild players were not happy with – the Jets took advantage on the power play.

“I don’t know where that call came from,” Dubnyk said about being shorthanded early. “But they got a lucky bounce and they put a lot of pucks on the net and they did their job.”

Wheeler’s shot went off Marco Scandella’s skate and past Dubnyk, who made 32 saves.

“Of course we’re going to be frustrated. We just lost the game and that had a big impact in the game,” Yeo said. “That said, we have got to make sure we kill those and make sure there’s a lot of hockey after that.

“That play should not have been the difference in the game and obviously it gave them a head start and the opportunity to play a safer, more patient game which made it a little more difficult for us, but it was one play in the game.”

Winnipeg out-shot the Wild 16-9 in the first period, taking advantage of Minnesota turnovers in the defensive zone. Pavelec shined on the other end of the ice. Most notably, the 27 year-old goaltender made a couple point-blank saves on Mikael Granlund.

Stafford made it 2-0 Jets with 6:50 remaining in the second period by shooting a Tyler Myers rebound that ricocheted right to him off Dubnyk back into the net.

Minnesota had chances to get within one. Vanek came closest, hitting the post four minutes into the second period. The Wild also had three power play opportunities it failed to capitalize upon against Pavelec, who earned his third shutout of the season.

While Yeo believes going through a game like tonight is important for his group for experience, the Wild do not have too much time to find its winning ways and be playing at its best.

“I think it’s important to play the right hockey at the right time of the year, which is now. We were there, we were close and we slipped a little bit,” Vanek said. “Now we have to find it again.”

The post Jets delay Wild’s playoff arrival appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Maryanne Menefee’s two goals lead Minnesota over Minnesota State

MINNEAPOLIS- Maryanne Menefee awoke the Gopher women’s hockey team from a sluggish start Saturday afternoon, sending #2 Minnesota to Grand Forks, North Dakota for a chance to win its fourth consecutive WCHA Final Faceoff title.

After a scoreless first period at Ridder Arena, the junior forward scored twice in a span of 1:43 against Minnesota State. The Gophers, out-shooting the Mavs 33-20 over the final two periods, were able to get three goals in the second period and took over from there.

The team was able to refocus and find reserve energy at home in a 5-1 win over the Mavericks, sending the crowd home with a stick salute and a two game sweep in the best-of-three WCHA first round series.

“Win and advance is kind of the theme here as we get to the playoffs,” Gophers head coach Brad Frost said.

Minnesota (31-2-4, 22-2-4-2 WCHA) goaltender Amanda Leveille made 29 saves with senior Shyler Sletta cleaning up with 5 more in the final 10 minutes.

A night after giving up 10 goals in a shutout loss, Minnesota State (3-32-1, 1-26-1-0 WCHA) allowed a season-low 3 shots in the first period against the WCHA regular season champions. The Mavericks kept Minnesota’s forwards at bay on the outside of the rink, making it easy for senior goaltender Erin Krichiver.

“I feel like that’s happened a few times this year where we just came out not ready and then the coaching staff had to get after us a little bit and definitely push us in the right direction, which we definitely need at some points,” Menefee said.

On the other side of the rink, Leveille and Minnesota survived the period. She nearly matched her Friday total in 20 minutes, making 15 saves and remaining as golden as the team’s Saturday sweaters.

“There were a lot of things that I didn’t need to say, but felt like I needed to,” Frost said about his team turning it around after the first intermission. “Getting out-shot 15-3 against any opponent is not good. So we just talked a lot about heart and passion and being all-in or not. It was mandatory that they picked it up and they did.”

The Gophers came out with more energy and passion in the second, setting the tone early when Rachael Bona found Meghan Lorence in front of the net in the opening minute with a point-blank shot that Krichiver saved.

Her shutout stood until just over 4 minutes into the second period. Sitting in the high slot, Menefee tipped a Megan Wolfe shot past Krichiver to break the deadlock.On her next shift, the Lansing, Michigan native shot the puck through traffic and into the net for her 21^st goal of the season.

“I think (goals) definitely come in bunches (for me) so I’m happy they came tonight,” Menefee said.

Kelly Pannek made it 3-0 Gophers towards the end of the second period when she poked a loose puck into the net for her 13^th goal of the year with 3:48 remaining.

Hannah Brandt scored her 31^st goal of the season 8:46 into the third period when she buried a Kelsey Cline rebound. Seconds later Rachael Bona gave Minnesota a 5-0 lead with a goal on the backdoor before Kathleen Rogan, on her eighth shot of the night, broke a 12 period scoreless streak for the Mavericks.

It was only the 7^th goal given up by Minnesota in the last seven games and also the first-ever goal scored on the senior Sletta, making her 12^th appearance for the Gophers.

“There was one more opportunity to get our senior in who means a lot to our team and that’s what was best for our team at the moment so that’s why I (put Sletta in),” said Frost. “Somebody who came in and wasn’t guaranteed a minute and she still wanted to come and be a Gopher. She’s played a lot than one minute. She’s played many.

“It was unfortunate that that goal went in, but the opportunity for her to play one more time was pretty special for her.”

With the win, Minnesota faces the winner of Bemidji State and Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday March 7 in a WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal. The Beavers and Bulldogs are currently tied at one game apiece with Bemidji State winning 3-2 Friday and UMD taking Saturday’s Game 2 2-0. The third and final game will be played Sunday at 2 p.m. in Duluth.

The post Gopher women advance to WCHA Final Faceoff appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Former Gopher’s goal not enough as Wild inch closer to playoff spot

SAINT PAUL – Florida forward Nick Bjugstad’s return home was a good one for him on the scoresheet.

The Blaine, Minn. native and University of Minnesota alum, wearing a white and red sweater draped in his familiar No. 27, scored his 19^th goal of the season midway through the game. It wasn’t the prettiest. Skating down the ice, the 6’6” second year pro got a shot off from below the face-off circle through Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk and into the net.

“It’s fun to play in front of your family and friends, and to be able to get a goal like that is pretty cool,” said Bjugstad, who played with 150 of his closest family and friends in the Xcel Energy crowd.

Thursday wasn’t a success for him in the standings, however. Instead, the home team got two much-needed points.

Bjugstad’s goal was the only one Minnesota gave up Thursday. The Wild, coming off an overtime road loss to Winnipeg that broke a six game winning streak, held onto a 2-1 lead against the Panthers in the third period to remain hot with its fifth win in six home games.

“Great to have found a way to win a game like that. The game was everything that we had expected it to be,” said Minnesota head coach Mike Yeo about his team, playing for the third time in four nights.

Minnesota got goals from Jason Pominville and Zach Parise while Dubnyk made 26 saves Thursday. Eight of those came in the third period when the Panthers had a four minute double minor and spent the game’s final 79 seconds on the power play.

Pominville got the Wild on the scoreboard 4:12 into the game with his third goal in as many games and 12^th on the season. Mikko Koivu, who had two assists Thursday, found Pominville open on the back door behind Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo. Although the puck was deflected off Pominville’s skate, the referees ruled it was not a distinct kicking motion.

“His game has been really good coming out of the All-Star break,” Yeo said about Pominville, who nearly had a second goal in the third period when he hit the post. “He’s been creating a lot of scoring chances, getting a lot of zone time in the offensive zone and just been real solid about that.”

Parise made it 2-0 Minnesota in the second period. With Dave Bolland in the penalty box for cross-checking Mathew Dumba in the offensive zone, Parise needed a second effort to tap the Thomas Vanek rebound into the net with 14:08 remaining in the middle frame before Bjugstad’s goal cut the Wild’s lead in half three minutes later.

“That was a good shot. Sometimes you get beat there and even though you’re leaning off or you’re cheating as the shot is taken, you know you’re in trouble,” said Dubnyk. “I don’t usually say that I wish I was a few inches taller, but I wish I was a few inches taller there. It was surprising, but great shot. That’s the kind that you tip your cap to and move on.”

Growth or not, the 6’6” Dubnyk stopped late opportunities from Sean Bergenheim, Bjugstad and Jonathan Huberdeau to keep it at a one-goal game .

Just as important was Minnesota’s penalty kill, which went 5 for 5. The Panthers received a four minute power play 3:54 into the third period when Ryan Suter was called for high sticking. Florida was only able to get two shots from the blue line before Aleksander Barkov negated the rest of the advantage with an offensive zone penalty.

With Luongo on the bench in the final minute and Florida having a 6-on-4 advantage, Dubnyk did not allow any second chances.

“That’s big on the penalty kill. You want to eat it up when you can,” he said. “Not just that, but obviously guys get tired working the puck around our end. It just makes everybody feel a little bit better when you don’t have chaos in front of the net so I was fortunate to be in a good spot tonight.”

Minnesota, now with points in each of its last nine games, is two points behind Calgary for the final wild card spot.

Florida, meanwhile, is in a similar position in the Eastern Conference. Memories aside, the Panthers and Nick Bjugstad leave the “State of Hockey” trailing Boston by four points. As nice as the goal was, it wasn’t the souvenir Bjugstad wanted to take back from St. Paul to his new home.

“It would have been better with a win, obviously,” he said. “Either way, it’s fun to play in this building, but it would have been better with a win.”

The post Bjugstad homecoming bittersweet appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minnesota bounces back on freshman’s three-point effort

MINNEAPOLIS- Saturday’s game at Ridder Arena brought out early the simple lesson of “if at first you don’t score, shoot, shoot some more.”

No one helped adhere to that more than freshman forward Kelly Pannek.

A day after Ohio State (14-11-3, 9-10-3-1 WCHA) came back from two goals down to force a 3-3 tie (Minnesota won the ensuing shootout), the WCHA-leading Gophers (24-1-4, 17-1-4-2 WCHA) felt much better about than having the hollow feeling Friday’s game left.

“No one was happy with the shootout win,” said Pannek, who had three points (1G-2A) to extend her nation-leading first-year total to 38 and was one of three players to have 6 shots Saturday. “We just weren’t satisfied with our play yesterday.”

Minnesota was able to out-work and shut down the Buckeye women’s speed, making the road team skate on their heels in a 3-1 victory.

The Gophers  out-shot Ohio State 17-1 in the first period and 44-17 total. Possessing the puck for long stretches early – doing so despite finishing the game with 9 forwards – Minnesota made the necessary adjustments in the second game of the series to counter OSU’s unique forecheck. The Buckeyes were able to get players in front of rebounds and clear the zone in order to stay in the game.

It took until midway through the second period before coach Brad Frost’s team had breathing room on the scoreboard. Pannek burst the dam open with a shot on a 4-on-1 attempt that went off OSU goaltender Kassidy Sauve and into the net.

“We were just trying a lot of stuff to get the puck on net,” said Pannek. “Especially on rushes, if there are people going something good should happen. There were a lot of rebounds I thought throughout the period and the whole game so we were just focusing on getting pucks to the net.”

Pannek and senior defenseman Rachel Ramsey, who had a pair of assists Saturday, were also both part of Minnesota’s first goal. From her own one blue line to the other, Pannek found sophomore Kate Schipper mid-stride on a breakaway.

She did the rest, scoring her fifth goal of the season on her own rebound 8:57 into the game.

“Great finish there by Schipp,” said Frost. “That was a big goal for her, she needed it. She’s been fighting it a little bit.”

Getting the nod in net in place of Stacy Danczak, Sauve made 23 saves on 24 shots prior to Pannek’s goal in the second period. Hannah Brandt made it 3-0 with 5:10 remaining in the second period when the Vandais Heights, Minn. native needed all of 15 seconds to get her 24^th goal of the season from the face-off dot.

“We’ll take Hannah shooting from there every time,” Frost said.

Sauve’s counterpart in net, Amanda Leveille, made 16 saves Saturday. She was barely tested until early in the third period. The junior goaltender was able to stop a partial shorthanded breakaway by Julia McKinnon. She wasn’t as fortunate minutes later during a stretch of 4-on-4 when Claudia Kepler roofed a misplayed puck in front of Leveille to break the shutout.

The Buckeyes had a chance to make it a one-goal game with two power plays in the third, but Minnesota killed both with Ramsey in the box and without forwards Meghan Lorence and Paige Haley.

Replaced by Schipper on the second line, Lorence did not play past the early shifts a night after getting injured and is day to day. Haley had to be helped off the ice in the third period when she was checked by Sara Schmitt. She will be evaluated further in the coming days.

Losses in the ranks aside, it’s a happier group of players. Minnesota heads to North Dakota next weekend with a 10 point lead in the WCHA standings over Wisconsin and home ice in the playoffs with six regular season games remaining. Even better is that they are doing so with the work ethic and effort shown Saturday.

“Any time you show up on the score sheet you can walk away feeling like you did a good job,” said Pannek. “I thought we did a great job today responding. Everybody was ready to go from the drop of the puck to the final whistle, which was huge for us.”

The post Pannek attack downs Buckeyes appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Kuehl scores twice as Buckeyes rally to tie Gopher women

MINNEAPOLIS- Friday night had all the markings of a trap game for the University of Minnesota women. It wasn’t, but the end result left the Gophers wanting more than two points in front of 2,340 fans at Ridder Arena.

A week away from traveling to North Dakota and ending the regular season with series against Minnesota-Duluth and Bemidji State, the two-game home series against fifth-place (out of eight teams) Ohio State featured an opponent that had won 6 of the last 8 games and 9-3-1 on the road.

By the end of the game Minnesota head coach Brad Frost’s voice was shot yelling at his players and the officials.

The Buckeyes’ persistence despite missing several early attempts paid off down the stretch in the series opener. Down 3-1 senior forward Taylor Kuehl, a Minnetrista, Minn. native,  scored twice for the Buckeyes Friday night.

Her second goal, tying the game at 3 with 3:16 remaining in regulation, proved to be the difference in a 3-3 tie where Ohio State was out-shot 32-28 yet had a 9-7 advantage in the third period.

“They were a lot more aggressive than teams we have played recently,” said junior forward Hannah Brandt about OSU after snapping a 12-game point streak Friday. “Their forecheck was a lot faster I guess. We just have to be more prepared for it tomorrow.”

Minnesota (23-1-4, 16-1-4-2 WCHA) took the extra league point in the shootout when Brandt, Milicia McMillen and Dani Cameranesi all scored. Junior goaltender Amanda Leveille, who made 25 saves in regulation and forced Claudia Kepler to shoot wide on a first period shorthanded breakaway, stopped Julianna Iafallo with a diving toe save for her second consecutive shootout win.

“When you win the shootout you feel like you’ve kind of won the game. You certainly feel better than when you lose the shootout,” said Frost. “At the same time we gave up a two goal lead there so there’s some hollowness to it as well.”

Both teams wasted no time off Friday with two goals and a major penalty in the opening 3:21.

Meghan Lorence got Minnesota on the board 90 seconds into the game when her rebound shot got past Ohio State goaltender Stacy Danczak. 76 seconds later Danielle Gagne tossed a change-up on OSU’s first shot that hit the crossbar and sat down on the wrong side of the red line for the Gophers.

Gagne’s night lasted less than another minute. The 5’6” senior was sent off for checking from behind, giving the Gophers a chance to re-take the lead.  Minnesota only had one shot on the five minute major, which turned into a 5×3 when Kara Gust was called for checking, but made the most of it. Redshirt sophomore defenseman Lee Stecklein scored her second of the season on a shot from the top of the slot.

Minnesota freshman Cara Piazza took a pass in stride from linemate Brook Garzone 4:33 into the second period and was rewarded with her ninth goal of the season.

“I just hear Cara on my left and she was wide open. So I just passed it over to her,” said Garzone. “It was a great shot. I was screaming so loud for her.”

The lead wasn’t to be, though. Kuehl made it a 3-2 game eight minutes later when her shot on the power play found its way through traffic.

Ohio State had multiple chances before the goal as the Gophers were unable to clear the puck out of the zone.

“We had three chances to clear it and we became part of the power play by making some good passes to their point,” said Frost.

The Gophers killed a 22 second two-man disadvantage early in the third period, turning what could have been a change in momentum with a one-goal lead into one for the home team. Sara Schmitt came close with a shot off the crossbar, but was reviewed and upheld.

Garzone brought the physical play, sticking up for Leveille late with self-described “crazy eyes” and getting in Julia McKinnon’s face when McKinnon shot the puck after a whistle. Kuehl scored during the 4×4. Despite the efforts of Cameranesi in overtime to bury a winner, first-place Minnesota dropped a point in the WCHA standings.

“Definitely not what we were hoping for especially being up. You never want to let a team back into a game like that,” said Brandt. “It was great to get the extra point, but we’re definitely not satisfied with that game and know we have to come out harder tomorrow.”

Still, Frost sees the game against Ohio State as a reminder for his team to play a more consistent, sixty-minute game before tomorrow’s rematch.

“That’s the hope. Certainly Ohio State is a very, very good team. They’re fighting to get in the top-four of our league and they’re flirting with the top-10 of the Pairwise,” Frost said. “It’s just going to continue to ramp up.

“We’re playing some great teams down the stretch and this is a great way to prepare for it.”

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Gophers prevail in shootout as unbeaten streak versus Wisconsin remains intact

With 2:07 remaining in overtime during Sunday’s series finale, the University of Minnesota women’s hockey team received a power play after Wisconsin’s Katrina Zgraja got called for interference. In many cases, the opportunity is a chance to complete a comeback which began in the third period when Hannah Brandt tied the game.

That wasn’t the case Sunday. Instead, the Badgers stopped Minnesota from getting a chance when the Gophers had possession for 75 seconds and stopped a losing streak in the process.

Minnesota’s winning streak against the Badgers turns into an unbeaten streak as the two teams played to a 1-1 tie Sunday at Ridder Arena. The Gophers (19-1-3, 12-1-3-1 WCHA) won a shootout – the first time it has since January 2012 – to take an extra point in an effort which serves as a season-long one in the standings.

Minnesota coach Brad Frost said his Gophers were not at their best.

“We looked sluggish after playing three lines last night and five D,” said Frost, whose team was playing its fourth game in eight days. “I’m proud of our kids with the guts that they showed because (goalie Amanda Leveille) played great. She kept us in there until we could get one and I’m obviously happy with five points on the weekend.”

In out-shooting the Gophers 33-30, Wisconsin (17-3-2, 13-3-2-0 WCHA) takes home more than a tie. The one point earned is important because the Badgers still lead (41-40) in the WCHA standings by that margin. (Minnesota has two games in hand on Wisconsin, however.)

It’s safe to say Sunday’s finale turned into a physical slugfest between two rivals. Neither would let the other push them around either on the ice or on the scoreboard. Two of the top four offenses in women’s hockey were stifled. Despite Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson changing up his lines in an attempt to get more focus and offense compared to Saturday’s 4-1 loss, every shot attempt had to be earned.

The rivalry between the number two and three teams in the country was on full display at Ridder Sunday.

Both goaltenders, Wisconsin’s Ann-Renee Desbiens and Minnesota’s Leveille were unsolvable for nearly forty minutes.

“The defense kept a lot of shots to the outside so it’s kind of deceiving how many shots they got versus the quality of shots,” Leveille said before adding. “I like getting shots so it helped me get into the game.”

Finally, Wisconsin senior Karley Sylvester broke the deadlock with 21.6 seconds remaining in the second period.

The Badgers spent the final five minutes in the offensive zone coming close to getting a goal with Minnesota either blocking shots or Wisconsin being unable to get one in an open net. Just when it looked like the Gophers could escape the period weathering the storm, Sylvester got her second of the weekend.

“She’s doing good,” Johnson said about Sylvester, a Warroad, Minn. native. “She’s been a good four year player for us and like a lot of seniors they want to go out on a high note.”

Brandt tied the game with 6:32 remaining on a dirty goal in front of the net. The junior, who leads the nation with 21 goals, got hers by crashing the net and knocking a rebound over Desbiens with her body. It was reviewed yet ultimately deemed a good goal.

“Obviously things weren’t going our way for scoring goals today,” she said. “I think at that point anything goes and you just try to put the puck in any way you can.”

Both teams had chances in the third period and overtime before the shootout, in which Brandt was the only one of the six shooters to score. Though it appeared Dani Cameranesi may have won the charity contest for the Gophers, the referees ruled Desbiens made the save. That forced the ending on Leveille, whose nonchalant stop on Katy Josephs was the first calm moment.

“For us it’s actually a little more full just because we were the ones that came back and we know we didn’t play our best game and we still came away with a tie against a very good team,” Brandt said. “I think we’ll take a positive out of that, but know that we have to play better for sixty minutes.

“We’re happy with the result I guess.”

Frost mentioned after Saturday’s 4-1 win that no two games in the team’s then-14 game winning streak against Wisconsin have been the same. In a way, he was right.  Minnesota had already completed a 2-1 third-period and overtime comeback against the Badgers in Madison.

Although the Gophers left Sunday with two points in another comeback that wasn’t the team’s best performance, history was not going to repeat itself.

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Gopher women’s top line shines in 14th straight win over Wisconsin

Dani Cameranesi needed two third period goals this time to break the doors open against third ranked Wisconsin, but the result is the same. Add another win for the University of Minnesota women’s hockey team onto the streak against its border rivals to the East.

All three members of Minnesota’s top line had multiple points, overcoming an opening barrage by the Badgers to defeat the University of Wisconsin 4-1 in a game much closer than the final score indicates.

Besides Cameranesi, Hannah Brandt scored the go-ahead goal in the second period. Maryanne Menefee assisted on all three of her linemates’ goal. All came after the Badgers matched Minnesota (19-1-2, 12-1-2-0 WCHA) in effort throughout the first forty minutes and tied the score in the second period.

“I think in the first period we started off a little slow,” said Cameranesi. “In that rest after the first period we kind of came in and talked it out. We kind of decided that we needed to put a little more effort and do whatever we could to get pucks on net and hope one finds the back of the net.”

It’s the fourteenth straight victory against the Badgers for the Gophers, who have handed Wisconsin (17-3-1, 13-3-1-0 WCHA) all three of its regulation losses in 2014-15.

“A great win. I’m really proud of our kids and the effort they put forth tonight,” Gopher coach Brad Frost said after the game. “I thought Amanda Leveille was tremendous, really setting the tone for us on that turnover five seconds in. Made a great save there and obviously played great. Our big time players stepped up again here tonight with Cameranesi and Brandt and Menefee in particular.”

Both teams came out swinging early. #2 Minnesota and #3 Wisconsin did not need any time to feel the other out, instead bringing physicality fit for the rivalry. Long stretches of the opening period were spent going back and forth up and down the ice without a whistle.

The Badgers began the game by taking advantage of a Minnesota turnover and forced Leveille to make two or three tough saves ten seconds into the game.

“Wisconsin is a great team and we knew that,” said Leveille, who made 23 saves en route to being named the game’s first star. “It was kind of a lucky bounce that it didn’t go into the net on the first shot. That was good on our part and I think Hannah cleared it behind me.”

“We all got our nervous jitters out of the way right on that play.”

After back and forth play for most of the first period, it was a fortunate bounce late that kept the two teams from a scoreless opening twenty. With just over a minute remaining, Cara Piazza got the puck after a Wisconsin defender tripped over the referee. The Minnesota freshman dove around Badgers goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens to make it 1-0 and celebrate with her teammates.

“You know it was a case when she ran into the referee and a mistake, but we got a power play to make it 1-1,” Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson said. “We had chances. We just have to dig down a little deeper and get a little bit more.”

Wisconsin got puck luck of its own, however. Leveille was called for delay of game when she took her helmet off to stop play with 9:29 remaining in the second in order to get her blocker. It was a move the junior admitted was “a mini brain fart.”

The end result was senior Karley Sylvester, the lone Minnesotan in the Badgers lineup, tying the game on the power play when she got the puck on her stick off a rebound and buried it for her ninth goal of the season.

Sylvester’s goal with 8:56 left in the second period marked both Wisconsin’s high point and the moment the Gophers top line took over.

Hannah Brandt skated from behind the net into the slot with a shot to re-take the lead 4:50 later. Cameranesi’s goals, one coming off a deke and move and the other from a Rachel Ramsey shot that went off a few bodies, padded the lead. Playing its third game since Sunday against a fresh opponent , Minnesota out-shot the Badgers 12-4 in the final period.

“No game has been easy in those 14,” Frost said. “Our big time players step up and we find a way to win or at least we have in the last 14 games. Any given night we know what these guys can do to us.

Minnesota and Wisconsin play again Sunday at 2:00 p.m. CT. The Badgers hold a 2 point lead in the WCHA standings (games are worth 3 on the women’s side) so a fifteenth win would put the Gophers ahead.

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