University of Minnesota Athletics
NATIONAL CHAMPION WOMEN'S HOCKEY TEAM OPENS 2000-01 SEASON
10/10/2000 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Coming of the 2000 American Women's College Hockey Alliance national championship last season, Minnesota begins the 2000-01 season this weekend with a home-and-home series against Western Collegiate Hockey Association-Women's League rival St. Cloud State.
The season-opener for both teams is Saturday, beginning at 3:05 p.m., at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. Game two is slated for a 3:05 p.m. start Sunday at Mariucci Arena.
Season Preview
The Gopher Women's Hockey team wrote a new chapter in the history books of the Women's Athletics Department at the University of Minnesota last season, claiming the first national championship in the department's history.
The title was also the culmination of four years of work by head coach Laura Halldorson, who began building the program in the fall of 1996, a year before Minnesota had a team to put on the ice.
Now, in their fourth season as a team, the Gophers have the enviable task of trying to become the first team in women's college hockey history to repeat as national champions. This year's title, however, has special significance as the NCAA will be hosting its first championship in the sport.
Adding to the fact that 2001 will usher in the first NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship, Mariucci Arena has been chosen as the site of the inaugural event. The semifinals are scheduled for March 23 and the finals for March 25.
In its hunt for that title, Minnesota will return 15 letterwinners while adding a group of nine rookies to a squad that posted a 32-6-1 record last season en route to the American Women's College Hockey Alliance National Championship.
Goaltending is always a key ingredient in winning, and the Gophers boast one of the nation's best in senior Erica Killewald (Troy, Mich./ Troy). After struggling early last season, she went 10-1-1 down the stretch and saved her best for last, stopping 74 of 78 shots in two ACHA Championship games, including a 34-save effort in the championship game, to earn tournament most valuable player honors.
With 54 career wins and a 1.78 goals against average, Killewald enters the season as the team's number one goalie. She has ranked among the top three goalies nationally in shutouts in each of the last three seasons and has more wins than any other active collegiate netminder.
"I think we're returning one of the top goalies in the nation," head coach Laura Halldorson said of her senior netminder. "We're looking for her to continue what she's been doing for the last three years. She's both physically and mentally gifted and can make the difference in big games."
On the blueline, the Gophers sport five seniors, but lose the services of 2000 WCHA defensive player of the year Winny Brodt, who will miss her senior season after being selected to play for the U.S. National Select Team. That team will visit Mariucci Arena for a pair of exhibition games, Jan. 19-20, against Minnesota.
Despite missing 11 games due to injury last season, Brodt was second in the nation among defense with 37 assists and was one of six players on the team to score 50 points, a school record for defense.
"Obviously we're losing a very talented player," Halldorson said. "That will have an impact on our team, but if it had to happen, this is the best time for it to happen because we have depth on defense and can absorb this loss."
Two-time All-American senior Courtney Kennedy (Woburn, Mass./ Buckingham, Browne & Nichols) will lead the veteran group of blueliners. A second-team All-WCHA and AWCHA Championship all- tournament selection, she chalked up a career-high 29 assists and led the team with a plus/minus rating of +50 last season.
Also returning on the blueline for Minnesota are seniors Angela Borek (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville), Emily Buchholz (Waupun, Wis./ Waupun), Megan Milbert (South St. Paul, Minn./South St. Paul) and Kelly Olson (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville Area).
Borek had a career-high 10 assists last season and has been one of the top plus/minus players on the Minnesota blueline throughout her career. Buchholz is the team's leader on defense in career games played with 103 while Olson is second with 100. Milbert, who has also played all three forward positions, was limited to just 16 games last season, and may not play this season, due to a shoulder injury.
The group combined for 13 goals and 75 points last season and helped Minnesota rank fifth nationally in scoring defense and penalty- kill efficiency.
The depth Halldorson spoke of comes in the form of four rookies who are being added to the blueline this season. Frosh Melissa Coulombe (St. Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba/St. Pierre Collegiate), Bethany Petersen (Bloomington, Minn./Bloomington Jefferson), Cecilia Retelle (Madison, Wis./Culver Academy) and Stefanie Snow (Bedford, N.H./Cushing Academy) will all vie for playing time immediately.
"Once we combine the talent we have returning with some of the bright players we are adding, we will have a tremendous group on defense," Halldorson said. "Not only will we be deep, we will be skilled."
Minnesota's biggest strength may be its offensive firepower and, up front, the Gophers are led by the nation's goal-scoring leader in 1999-2000, senior Nadine Muzerall (Mississauga, Ontario/Kimball Union Academy). She heads up a group of nine returning letterwinners, including five seniors.
Muzerall's 49 goals last season, including three at the AWCHA Championship, led the nation, as did her 27 power-play points, 16 power-play and nine game-winning goals. The team's most valuable player, however, was not alone in posting impressive offensive numbers during the championship campaign.
Four other Minnesota forwards topped the 20-goal and 50-point marks, and all are back.
Senior left wing Ambria Thomas (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley) had career-best numbers with 25 goals and 62 points while earning second- team All-WCHA honors. She had a pair of five-point games in the month of January and 39 of her points came after Jan. 1.
Second-team All-WCHA honors were also bestowed upon Thomas' linemate, junior Laura Slominski (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville), who had 25 goals and 59 points. She lead the nation with six short-handed assists and tied for the national lead with eight short-handed points.
Sophomore Ronda Curtin (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) was second on the team with 26 goals and tallied 53 points during her rookie season. Her 11 power-play goals ranked her third nationally and were the most in the nation by a frosh.
Junior Tracy Engstrom (Willmar, Minn./Willmar), one of the team's co-captains this season, also scored 53 points, with 23 goals and 30 assists. Four of her goals came during the WCHA tournament and earned her all-tournament honors.
Senior Kris Scholz (Hugo, Minn./Stillwater) is the team's leader, in her fourth year as a captain. She provided solid, two-way play last year and has been among the top 10 scorers in the nation twice during her career.
Senior Betsey Kukowski (Apple Valley, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's) also returns to the lineup along with sophomores Gwen Anderson (North St. Paul, Minn./North St. Paul) and Alyson Sundberg (St. Paul, Minn./ Roseville Area).
Kukowski turned in a solid second-half season last year, scoring 11 points with a +13 rating after Jan. 1. Anderson had five assists during her rookie campaign, while Sundberg scored a pair of goals and had three assists.
The group of 10 returning forwards will be joined by newcomers Kelsey Bills (Carstairs, Alberta/Hugh Sutherland), La Toya Clarke (Pickering, Ontario/Dunbarton Secondary), Jerilyn Glenn (Ham Lake, Minn./Forest Lake) and Tracy Palinsky (Port Elgin, Ontario/Notre Dame Secondary).
"Obviously, we return some great players on offense," Halldorson said. "But we are also adding a talented group of first-year student- athletes to that nucleus.
"We will possess talent, experience, depth, speed and character at the forward position. I think they will be fun to watch."
Minnesota will make its run at the NCAA title by returning nearly 88 percent of its point production from last season, including five 50- point scorers, and five of six defense, along with a goalie who has posted more career wins than any other active collegiate goalie.
Lofty goals will be the order of the day for the Gophers in 2000- 01, and they have every reason to believe those goals are attainable.
"Obviously, it would be tremendous to repeat what we did at the national championship last year," Halldorson said. "It would be extra special to do so in our own rink.
"We also have some unfinished business in regards to winning the WCHA regular-season and playoff championships.
"It's exciting to have this much talent," Halldorson added. "Our goal is to blend everyone together and try to put together a lineup that will be difficult to defend.
"It won't be easy, though. It's going to take hard work, discipline and a committment to excellence. No longer are we the underdogs."
St. Cloud State Recently
The Huskies opened the season with a 6-3 exhibition loss at home to the University of Regina on Saturday afternoon. Regina scored three times in a one minute, 14 second span early in the second period, including a pair of short-handed goals, to take a 4-0 lead. Kobi Kawamoto's short-handed goal at 11:39 of the second period, along with short-handed tallies by teammates Amanda Mathiason and Fiona McLeod, drew St. Cloud State to within one goal with 14:20 to play.
The visitors responded with a goal at 8:42 of the final period and a power-play goal into an empty net with six seconds remaining to clinch the victory. Laura Gieselman stopped 21 shots for the Huskies, who held a 36-27 advantage in shots on goal.
Muzerall to Return From Canadian Camp
Left wing Nadine Muzerall returns this week from the eight-day Canadian National Team evaluation camp in Calgary, Alberta.
The 34-player camp ends Monday, Oct. 9, with the last of four intrasquad games. Muzerall scored twice in the first game, including the game-winner, to lead the red team to a 5-1 win over the white Wedensday. Friday, she scored the game's lone goal in a 1-0 red victory.
She Tops 'Em All
With 57 career victories, goalie Erica Killewald is the winningest active college goalie heading into the 2000-01. She was named the most valuable player of the AWCHA National Championship last year and, in 1998-99, led the nation in both goals against average (1.24) and save percentage (.947).
Stalking 100
After scoring 59 points last season, a 27-point jump from her rookie campaign, Laura Slominski needs just nine points to reach the century mark for her career.
Last year, she led the nation in short-handed assists (6) and tied for the national lead in short-handed points (8). She also ranked 10th in total points (59) and assists (34).
The Series
Four of those six games have been contested at Mariucci Arena, where Minnesota outscored the Huskies 35-1. In the two games at the National Hockey Center, both of which came last season, the Gophers have outscored St. Cloud State 15-3.
When Last We Met
Minnesota claimed 5-0 and 5-2 wins in a home-and-home series, Feb. 18-19, 2000. The opener, at Mariucci Arena, saw five different players score goals for the Gophers, three of which came in the final period as Minnesota outshot the Huskies 18-2.
St. Cloud State clung to the Gophers at home Saturday but Minnesota's three first-period goals and a 51-15 advantage in shots on were too much for the Huskies to overcome.
Guiding the Huskies
In her third year behind the St. Cloud State bench is Kerry Brodt Wethington. A 1995 graduate of St. Cloud State, she was a four-year letterwinner in golf and a 1992 All-American in the sport. She has accumulated a career record of 21-31-5.
Next Up
Minnesota is home for a pair of WCHA games next weekend, hosting Ohio State, Oct. 21-22, at 2:05 p.m.
