University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHERS DOWN BULLDOGS TO EARN SPOT IN TITLE GAME
3/24/2000 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Minnesota (31-6-1) will face top-ranked Brown (25-3-3) in Saturday's championship game, beginning at 6 p.m. CST.
The Gophers fell behind Friday when Maria Rooth scored at 13:17 of the opening period and Michelle McAteer's goal just 15 seconds into the second period put Minnesota-Duluth ahead 2-0.
Nadine Muzerall got Minnesota on the board at 10:50 of the middle period when she took a pass from Winny Brodt in the left circle and scored when her backhanded shot deflected in front and through the legs of Bulldog goalie Tuula Puputti.
UMD carried the 2-1 lead deep into the final period, but the stellar goaltender of Erica Killewald, who stopped all 16 Bulldog shots in the final period, kept Minnesota in the game.
The Gophers finally evened the game when Muzerall, the nation's leading goal scorer, carried the puck behind the UMD net, came out the right side and banked the puck off the inside of Puputti's leg for her 48th goal of the season.
After converting on just one of it's previous 22 power plays before Muzerall's second goal, the Gophers scored on back-to-back power plays when Engstrom took a pass from Courtney Kennedy along the left wing boards, skated into the faceoff circle, and banked a shot off the right post for the game-winning goal.
Despite outshooting Minnesota 42-27, UMD was unable to score on any of its last 26 shots. Killewald finished the game with 40 saves while Puputti had 24.
Saturday's title game will be broadcast in the Twin Cities by WDGY-630 AM.
