University of Minnesota Athletics
GOPHER WOMEN'S HOCKEY SETTLE FOR A 2-2 TIE
1/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
In the first period, Bemidji State took the early lead at 17:10 as Kerri McKwen capitalized on a power-play opportunity with the passes from Alicia Kinsman and Guylaine Hache. The Gophers held the shots in the first period at 14-9, but were unable to put the puck in the net. Minnesota's best chance in the first was a shot from Tracy Engstrom, followed by two rebounds, but the Beavers Anik Cote stopped all three to hold the Gophers scoreless in the first 20 minutes.
Minnesota would tie the game as Laura Slominski scored her 11th goal of the season on a Minnesota power-play to even the score at the 7:20 mark of the second period. Ronda Curtin initialized the play, as she passed the puck to Kelly Stephens, who in return passed the puck in front of the net to Slominski. The 1-1 tie would hold for only a short time as Minnesota scored its second power-play goal of the period at 14:44. Curtin tallied her fifith goal of the season and second point of the afternoon as she took a slap shot, which hit the pipe and went into the net. Engstrom and Stephens were credited with the assists.
In the third, the two teams went scoreless through the period until the 19:54 mark of the third. The Beavers, who had 17 shots on goal in the period, pulled their goalie at 1:19 remaining to put an extra person on the ice. Minnesota's Brenda Reinen had three saves with the extra BSU person, but was unable to save the four shot on goal as Amber Fryklund scored the game-tying goal. The shot came off a faceoff and Fryklund picked it up and shot it in the net. It was the fourth time a Minnesota opponent has pulled its goalie this year. Of those four times, Minnesota scored an empty net goal (vs. Wisconsin Nov. 30) and has been scored on three times. The first was against Dartmouth (Nov. 24), followed by New Hampshire (Nov. 25) and now Bemidji State. In those games, the Gophers hold a 2-0-2 record when the opponent goalie has been pulled.
Reinen started in her ninth game of the season and had a career high 39 saves in the contest, including 20 saves in the third and overtime period.
The Gophers will close out the series tomorrow against BSU. Gametime is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. at the John Glas Fieldhouse.
