MN Hockey News

Minneapolis -- Coming off it's longest game in school history last weekend, the Number 2/3 Ranked University of Minnesota Women's Hockey Team hosted the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second semi-final game of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Final Face-Off Saturday afternoon at Ridder Arena.

The second seeded Gophers swept Minnesota State last weekend in the first round of the WCHA playoff best-of-three game series 8-5 and 4-3.  In last Saturday's game Emily West got the game winning goal 1:16 into the third overtime, and at 101:16 it was the longest game in school history.

Ohio State closed out the regular season with a 12-13-3 record in the WCHA, 17-14-5 overall, and just edged out Bemidji State for the fifth seed heading into the conference playoffs.  The Buckeyes matched up with defending WCHA Tourney and NCAA Champ Wisconsin, and swept the Badgers winning both games in overtime 3-2 and 4-3 in Madison.  In last Saturday's 4-3 win, Senior Captain Raelyn LaRocque scored the game-winner in the second overtime.

Back in January when Minnesota swept Ohio State 5-2 and 6-0 coming out of the holiday break, the Gophers were facing a Buckeye team that wasn't 100% and missing Freshman forward Minttu Tuominen who was with Team Finland preparing for the Olympics.  This time around Ohio State scored the games first goal, on their first shot on Gopher Freshman goaltender Noora Raty, a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier award as the best Women's hockey player.  Sophomore Brittany Carlson scored her third of the season from above the right face off circle just as the power play was expiring at 6:39 of the opening period to put the Buckeyes up 1-0. 

Twice in her career Senior Brittany Francis has scored two goals in a game, the last time was earlier this season at North Dakota on December 19, and her first one of the game came on a power play for Minnesota at 18:23 of the first period to tie it up 1-1 heading into the second intermission.

After scoring an unofficial hat trick, the first of her career, against the US Olympic Team in a January exhibition game Kelli Blankenship has seemed to find herself in the right place at the right time.  The Senior winger was charging toward the net at 11:55 of the third period and a Michelle Maunu slapper rebounded to her, and she put it back in the net for her ninth goal of the season to briefly give the Gophers a 2-1.  Just :12 seconds later after winning the face-off and getting the puck into the offensive zone, Freshman Paige Semenza tied it up for Ohio State 2-2.

Emily West almost broke the 2-2 tie for Minnesota at 14:18 swerving her way through the Buckeyes defence, but her wrist shot clanked off the crossbar.

The final 3:15 of the third period turned into one of the wildest finishes to a women's college hockey game this season.  First at 16:45 Ohio State's Natalie Spooner picked fellow Canadian countrywomen's pocket Brittany Francis and scored a short-handed goal on a mini-breakaway to give the Buckeyes a 3-2 lead.  Francis then got that one back scoring a one-timer on a 5-on-3 Gopher power play to once again tie it up, 3-3.

Following penalties on each side which made it 4-on-4, Minnesota defencewoman Anne Schleper, nursing a cold, danced with the puck at the top of the circles in the offensive zone and fired a wrister past Ohio State netminder Chelsea Knapp at 18:31 to put the Gophers back on top again 4-3.

On the power play with less than a minute left in regulation, the Buckeyes pulled their goalie and with just :17 seconds left Raelyn LaRocque scored a 6-on-4 goal to send the game into overtime.

Unlike last Saturday against the Mavericks, it looked like Minnesota had won the game just 6:24 into the first overtime from Chelsey Jones.  The senior winger had previously scored the game winning goal in two of the last three games, but upon further review it was determined that the puck went into the net off her glove and no goal as play contuined.

Both the Gophers and Buckeyes each had one hit off the goal post to keep the game going in the first overtime.  First from Ohio State's Hokey Langan at 7:30, and later at 9:05 from Minnesota's Chesley Jones as 80 minutes passed without anything being decided.

Coming into her Junior season Gopher winger Laura May had scored six career goals, and at 3:31 of the second overtime she scored her 12th of the season to send Minnesota to the Championship Game of the WCHA Tournament and a 5-4 win over the Buckeyes.

Minnesota netminder Noora Raty made 35 saves in picking up her 17th win of the season in 23 games, and on the other side Chelsea Knapp stopped 43 shots for Ohio State and the loss evened her record at 15-15-5.

Having tied their regular season series with two wins each, and finishing the WCHA with 43 points each, the Gophers and Bulldogs will play for the WCHA Tournament Championship Sunday afternoon at 12pm.

THREE STARS:

1--Minnesota--Winger--Brittany Francis 

2--MInnesota--Winger--Laura May

3--Minnesota--Defence--Anne Schleper

SCORING:

OSU  1-0-3-0-0

MIN  0-1-3-0-1

1--635--OSU--EV--Brittany Carlson/3  (Hokey Langan/27)

2--1823--MIN--PP--Brittany Francis/11  (Megan Bozek/16)

3--1155--MIN--EV--Kelli Blankenship/9  (Michelle Maunu/4, Terra Rasmussen/8)

3--1207--OSU--EV--Paige Semenza/5  (Raely LaRocque/25, Natalie Spooner/22)

3--1645--OSU--SH--Natalie Spooner/22  (Unassisted)

3--1725--MIN--PP--Brittany Francis/12  (Emily West/21, Megan Bozek/17)

3--1831--MIN--EV--Anne Schleper/12  (Alexandra Zebro/7)

3--1942--OSU--PP/EX--Raelyn LaRocque/11  (Laura McIntosh/35, Hokey Langan/28)

O2--331--MIN--EV--Laura May/12  (Chelsey Jones/9, Becky Kortum/10)

GOALIE STATS:

OSU--Chelsea Knapp (Loss, 15-15-5)  83-MIN,  5-GA,  43-SV (12-11-6-13-1)

MIN--Noora Raty (WIN, 17-2-4)  83:30-MIN,  4-GA,  35-SV (9-11-7-7-1)  

PENALTIES:

1--435--MIN--Anne Schleper--2min--Tripping

1--1345--OSU--Shannon Reilly--2min--Checking

1--1526--OSU--Kim Theut--2min--Hooking

2--1433--OSU--Paige Semenza--2min--Tripping

2--1545--MIN--Team--2min--Too Many Players

2--1743--OSU--Brittany Carlson--2min--Holding

3--243--MIN--Emily West--2min--Hooking

3--1608--OSU--Brittany Carlson--2min--Roughing

3--1657--OSU--Raelyn LaRocque--2min--Interference

3--1756--MIN--Chelsey Jones--2min--Interference

Ohio State  6--12 minutes

Minnesota  4--8 minutes

MISC STATS:

Shots on Goal:  OSU 39 (10-11-10-7-1),  MIN 48 (12-12-9-13-2)

Power Play Goals - Attempts (Shots):  OSU 1-4 (4),  MIN 2-6 (10)

Face Off Pct. (Won-Lost):  OSU 49% (44-45),  MIN 51% (45-44)