Amanda Kessel produced big numbers on a record-setting night for the Gophers (Photo: WCHA.com)

Led by Amanda Kessel’s five-point effort (2 goals, 3 assists), the University of Minnesota women’s hockey team rolled to a 9-1 win over Minnesota State (4-8-2, 2-6-2-1 WCHA) at Ridder Arena and into the NCAA record books. The undefeated Gophers (14-0-0, 10-0-0 WCHA) won their 22nd straight game dating back to Feb. 18 to set a new NCAA record for consecutive victories, eclipsing the previous record of 21 set by Harvard University between Jan. 4 and March 15, 2008.

Senior defenseman Megan Bozek also scored twice while junior forward Kelly Terry chipped in four assists to an offensive machine which did not get started until the game’s second half.

Charging and interference penalties committed by Minnesota’s Sara Davis and Hanna Brandt, respectively, late in the first period gave the Mavericks a 5-on-3 advantage. Just 22 seconds later, MSU capitalized when Lauren Smith took advantage of prone Gopher goaltender, Noora Räty, to tie the game 1-1 and, in the process, score the first opening-period goal allowed by Minnesota this season.

That is how it remained until Bozek’s goal at 10:54 of the second period put the Gophers back up by a goal and opened the floodgates. Minnesota would go on to score seven more goals over the game’s next 22:24 to complete the record-setting rout.

“We set the record with this year’s team, but last year’s team was a big part of it as well,” Minnesota coach Brad Frost said, acknowledging the contribution of the 2011-12 Gophers who won their final eight games en route to an NCAA title. “Obviously winning the national championship last year was special—this doesn’t rank up quite as high as that —but this is a pretty neat thing for our program.

“It’s pretty remarkable to win 22 games in a row.”

Bozek added, “Not many people can say that they’ve [set] an NCAA record; it’s been a good start to the year, I’d say.”

In case you were wondering, Harvard finished 32-2-0 in 2008 but did not capture the NCAA championship as the Crimson dropped a 4-1 decision to Wisconsin in the Frozen Four semifinals. Two nights later, Minnesota-Duluth defeated the Badgers 4-0 for its fourth NCAA title.

. . . . . 

Elsewhere in the WCHA …

No. 10 North Dakota (6-5-0, 5-4-0-0 WCHA) received goals from Allison Parizek, Michelle Karvinen, and Monique Lamoureux aided by a pair of Jocelyne Lamoureux assists to defeat Bemidji State 3-1 in Saturday night’s season opener between the regional rivals at the Sanford Center. The Beavers (2-7-2, 1-5-1-0 WCHA) benefited from senior forward Emily Erickson‘s first goal of the year but it wasn’t enough to prevent BSU’s fifth straight loss to North Dakota dating back to a 3-2 victory on Nov. 26, 2011. The two teams will meet again on Sunday afternoon at 2 pm at the Sanford Center.

. . . . . 

Minnesota-Duluth’s Tea Villila battles with St. Cloud State’s Haylea Schmid during UMD’s 4-1 win. (Photo: Tom Nelson, St. Cloud State Athletics)

For the second time in as many days, the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs skated to a 4-1 win over the St. Cloud State Huskies at the National Hockey Center. Jenna McParland‘s second goal of the series at 7:51 of the first period proved to be the difference and extended UMD’s unbeaten streak over SCSU to 11 games. The Bulldogs (5-6-1, 4-5-1 WCHA) outshot the Huskies (4-9-1, 2-8-0 WCHA) by a 36-29 margin and went 2-of-6 on the power play while holding St. Cloud State scoreless in two attempts.

. . . . .

Minnesota native Taylor Kuehl‘s (Minnetrista) two goals led the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-4-0, 8-4-0 WCHA) to a 3-1 win over the Wisconsin Badgers (8-4-2-, 4-4-2-2 WCHA) to split the series in Columbus, Ohio.

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Megan Bozek scored three goals in a Minnesota sweep of UMD in Duluth. (Photo: WCHA.com)

No. 1 Minnesota (12-0-0, 8-0-0 WCHA) at Minnesota-Duluth (3-6-1, 2-5-1 WCHA)

Friday: UM 4  UMD 1
Saturday: UM 4  UMD o

Minnesota extended its winning streak to 18 games in sweeping Minnesota Duluth on the road for the first time since Oct. 26-27, 2007. Freshman Maryanne Menefee scored twice while fellow rookie, Hannah Brandt, and  junior Amanda Kessel each added a pair of assists toward Friday’s win. UMD junior forward, Jamie Kenyon, scored the lone goal of the series for the Bulldogs early in the third period but Gopher goalie Noora Räty stopped all 23 other  UMD shots in the opener. Minnesota-Duluth goaltender, Kayla Black made 23 of her series total of 52 saves on Friday.

In Saturday’s finale, Senior defenseman, Megan Bozek, scored twice–her second and third goals of the series–and Räty made 17 saves in shutting out the Bulldogs. Brandt added two more assists to maintain her team and national points lead at 33 (12-21–33) while Kessel scored her team-leading 15th goal of the season, which also leads the nation. In addition, Bozek’s 18 points (6-12–18) tops all Division I defensemen.

Minnesota State (4-6-2, 2-4-2 WCHA) at Wisconsin (7-3-2, 3-3-2 WCHA)

Friday: UW 2  MSU 0
Saturday: UW 5 MSU 0

Wisconsin goaltender Alex Rigsby, last week’s WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, extended her shutout streak to 189 minutes in blanking the Mavericks twice in Madison. With the exception goaltender Danielle Butters‘ 72 saves in the series, not much went right for MSU in two games at LaBahn Arena. Warroad’s Karley Sylvester contributed an assist in each game for the Badgers.

No. 10 Ohio State (9-3-0, 7-3-0 WCHA) at St. Cloud State (2-7-1, 2-6-0 WCHA)

Friday: OSU 3  SCSU 2
Saturday: OSU 4 SCSU 2

With a goal on Friday and a pair of assists on Saturday,  Ohio State sophomore forward Taylor Kuehl–and reigning WCHA Offensive Player of the Week–of Minnetrista, Minn. helped lead the Buckeyes to a sweep of the Huskies in St. Cloud. Edina’s Ellie Sitek recorded her first goal of the season early in the third period of the series opener but OSU answered just over six minutes later on a Tina Hollwell goal which would become the game winner. SCSU goaltender Julie Friend of Minnetonka took the loss on Friday despite her 32-save effort.

Audrey Hamner had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s loss at home to Ohio State (Photo: St. Cloud State University Athletics)

Andover’s Alex Nelson got the Huskies on the board first on Saturday and a late second-period goal by Audrey Hamner of Wyoming, Minn. gave St. Cloud State a 2-1 lead heading into the third, but Ohio State countered with a trio of third-period goals to put the game away. Kuehl assisted on Hollowell’s empty-net goal at the 19 minute mark to seal the sweep for the Buckeyes.

No. 4 Clarkson (8-2-0, 2-0-0 ECAC) at No. 9 North Dakota (5-5-0, 4-4-0 WCHA)

Friday: CU 3  UND 1
Saturday: UND 3  CU 2

North Dakota freshman goaltender Shelby Amsely-Benzie of Warroad made 23 saves to earn her second win of the season and help UND salvage a split in its non-conference series with visiting Clarkson University on Saturday. Mary Loken, a senior forward from Roseau, assisted on Jocelyne Lamoureux‘s 100th collegiate goal at 3:16 of the second period in the win.

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ilia Ohio State so. forward, Taylor Kuehl (Minnetrista, MInn.), has been named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week. (Photo: WCHA.com)

With four goals and an assist last weekend to help her Ohio State Buckeyes to a sweep of visiting Bemidji State last weekend, sophomore forward, Taylor Kuehl (Minnestrista, Minn.) was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week. Kuehl, who registered nine shots and was a +4 plus/minus in the series, is heating up now with six goals in her last four games and 10 points (8-2–10) in 10 games this season.

Minnesota defenseman Milica McMillen scored once in each game of the Gophers’ sweep at North Dakota last weekend and added an assist while helping limit UND to 40 total shots in the series. All that adds up to WCHA Rookie of the Week for the freshman from St. Paul who sits tied for second in overall scoring among WCHA defenseman with 11 points (5-6–11) through 10 games.

Wisconsin junior goaltender, Alex Rigsby was recognized as WCHA Defensive Player of the week after leading the Badgers to a sweep at home of New Hampshire by stopping 50 of 51 Wildcats’ shots.

Heading over to the polls …

After last weekend’s sweep of North Dakota in Grand Forks, Minnesota’s extended its run as U.S. College Hockey Online’s consensus No. 1 team in the nation to a fifth straight week to open the season. North Dakota drops one spot to No. 9 while Ohio State, after a one-week hiatus from the top 10, climbs back in at No. 10. Wisconsin (12) and Minnesota-Duluth (11) each received votes this week but, following a pair of losses to No. 5 Mercyhurst, Minnesota State falls from the 10th spot without receiving a vote.

USCHO’s initial Division III women’s poll finds Gustavus Adolphus ranked No. 3 in the country (one first-place vote) behind Norwich and Plattsburgh, respectively.  Concordia (Moorhead) opens the season at No. 10 with St. Thomas (5), Bethel (2), and St. Scholastica (1) also receiving votes.

Notable …

With 21 saves in Saturday’s 5-1 win over UND, Gopher goaltender Noora Räty earned her 84th career victory to become the school’s all-time leader in that category. Sunday’s win raised her overall record to 85-17-8 and leaves the Espoo, Finland native just 15 wins shy of tying the NCAA record set last season by Mercyhurst’s Hillary Pattenden (100-20-6).

Nicole Anderson’s five-point weekend (3-2–5) for Providence earns the Jordan, Minn. forward Hockey East Player of the week honors. (Photos: Hockey East)

Congratulations go out to Providence senior forward, Nicole Anderson (Jordan, Minn.), as the recipient of this week’s Hockey East Player of the Week award. According to a Hockey East press release, Anderson tallied five points on the weekend (3g,2a), including a hat trick and an assist in the 4-2 win over St. Cloud State on Sunday. During Saturday’s game she tallied an assist on the tying goal with 19.2 seconds left in the game. She finished the weekend with 14 shots on goal and a +3 plus/minus rating.

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