University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 27
Providence, RI
University of Minnesota
6
vs
2
Harvard
Gophers Win 2004 NCAA Title
3/27/2004 8:00:00 PM | Women's Hockey
The Golden Gopher women's hockey team won the program's first NCAA national championship with a 6-2 win over Harvard.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Golden Gopher women's hockey team became the first University of Minnesota women's team to win an NCAA national championship when the Maroon & Gold brought home the 2004 NCAA title. The Gophers scored four unanswered goals in the third period on the the way to a 6-2 win over Harvard for the program's first NCAA national championship and second national title overall.Â
Minnesota (30-4-2) received four points each from Natalie Darwitz (3g-1a) and Krissy Wendell (1g-3a) along with multiple points from Kelly Stephens (1g-2a) and 31 saves from Jody Horak in the win over the Crimson. Meanwhile, Harvard (30-4-1) got goals from Kat Sweet and Nicole Corriero as well as 34 saves from goaltender Ali Boe as Minnesota had a 40-33 advantage in shots on goal.
Darwitz scored the game-winning goal just nine seconds into the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie and giving the Maroon & Gold its first lead of the game. Stephens doubled the Minnesota lead when she found the back of the net just 32 seconds later, and Wendell scored her team-leading 36th goal of the year at the 6:54 mark. Darwitz completed her national championship game hat trick when she iced the 6-2 win with 7:01 remaining in the game.
For the game, Minnesota was scoreless on three power-play opportunities while holding Harvard to one-for-five with the skater advantage.Â
Over the first two periods, the teams were even as Harvard took the lead twice but Minnesota answered each time. The Crimson took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on a goal by Sweet at the 12:48 mark of the opening period. The second period saw Darwitz tie the game at 1-1, but Harvard regained the one-goal lead midway through the period when Corriero scored on the power play. Andrea Nichols scored for Minnesota late in the middle frame to send the teams into the second intermission even at 2-2 before the Maroon & Gold pulled away in the final 20 minutes.
2003-04 Season in Review
The Golden Gopher women's hockey team coined the phrase, "Get It Done," for the 2003-04 season. After falling short in the semifinals of the Frozen Four the past two seasons, the Gophers were determined at the beginning of the season to not only win the semifinal contest, but a national championship as well. Minnesota went undefeated in the first half of the season, holding a 13-0-1 record. By the end of the first half, Minnesota was highly recognized in the league and in the nation. Minnesota led the country in scoring offense, power-play efficiency, and penalty kill.
Minnesota's heart of the schedule started in the second half of the season. In two months, the Gophers faced five ranked opponents. The first test came against WCHA rival Minnesota Duluth. The Gophers fell for the first time in 15 games, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Bulldogs. However, Minnesota rebounded to earn a 4-3 overtime win against UMD. The victory came at a price however as Natalie Darwitz was sidelined for 10 games. With a sweep over St. Cloud State on March 5 -6, Minnesota clinched the WCHA regular-season championship, posting a 19-3-2 mark in conference action and earning the top seed for the WCHA Final Five. Defeating Ohio State by a score of 5-1 in the WCHA semifinals, the Gophers faced UMD for the tournament championship and earned a 4-2 win.
With the No. 1 seed in the 2004 Frozen Four, the Golden Gophers drew Dartmouth in the semifinal game. The Big Green entered the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, but the Gophers came back to tie the game at the 12:11 mark of the second period. Entering the third period tied 1-1, Minnesota opened the third period with four unanswered goals for the 5-1 victory. Wendell led the charge with three of the Gophers' five goals. It was the first time in three years that the Gophers advanced to the NCAA Championship game.
Minnesota's next opponent was Harvard. The Maroon & Gold fell behind early when the Crimson took an early 1-0 lead in the first period. Minnesota tied the game at one when Wendell scored, but Harvard added a goal at 12:21 of the second. Minnesota again tied the game when Andrea Nichols scored on a perfect pass from La Toya Clarke to enter the final period in a 2-2 draw. For the second time in two games, Minnesota rattled off four goals in the third period for the 6-2 win. Darwitz scored just nine seconds into the period, setting an NCAA record for the fastest goal coming out of an intermission. Kelly Stephens added the insurance goal 32 seconds later at the 41-second mark of the third stanza. The win marked the first NCAA championship for any women's sport at the University of Minnesota.
Wendell, a first-team All-American, led the Gophers with eight points in the Frozen Four and received the Most Outstanding Player award. Darwitz, Horak, Stephens, and Allie Sanchez all landed All-Tournament Team honors. Wendell and Darwitz each had hat tricks in the Frozen Four, while Stephens scored five points. Horak ended the Frozen Four with 52 saves, a .945 percent save percentage, and a 1.51 goals against average.
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Minnesota (30-4-2) received four points each from Natalie Darwitz (3g-1a) and Krissy Wendell (1g-3a) along with multiple points from Kelly Stephens (1g-2a) and 31 saves from Jody Horak in the win over the Crimson. Meanwhile, Harvard (30-4-1) got goals from Kat Sweet and Nicole Corriero as well as 34 saves from goaltender Ali Boe as Minnesota had a 40-33 advantage in shots on goal.
Darwitz scored the game-winning goal just nine seconds into the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie and giving the Maroon & Gold its first lead of the game. Stephens doubled the Minnesota lead when she found the back of the net just 32 seconds later, and Wendell scored her team-leading 36th goal of the year at the 6:54 mark. Darwitz completed her national championship game hat trick when she iced the 6-2 win with 7:01 remaining in the game.
For the game, Minnesota was scoreless on three power-play opportunities while holding Harvard to one-for-five with the skater advantage.Â
Over the first two periods, the teams were even as Harvard took the lead twice but Minnesota answered each time. The Crimson took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on a goal by Sweet at the 12:48 mark of the opening period. The second period saw Darwitz tie the game at 1-1, but Harvard regained the one-goal lead midway through the period when Corriero scored on the power play. Andrea Nichols scored for Minnesota late in the middle frame to send the teams into the second intermission even at 2-2 before the Maroon & Gold pulled away in the final 20 minutes.
2003-04 Season in Review
The Golden Gopher women's hockey team coined the phrase, "Get It Done," for the 2003-04 season. After falling short in the semifinals of the Frozen Four the past two seasons, the Gophers were determined at the beginning of the season to not only win the semifinal contest, but a national championship as well. Minnesota went undefeated in the first half of the season, holding a 13-0-1 record. By the end of the first half, Minnesota was highly recognized in the league and in the nation. Minnesota led the country in scoring offense, power-play efficiency, and penalty kill.
Minnesota's heart of the schedule started in the second half of the season. In two months, the Gophers faced five ranked opponents. The first test came against WCHA rival Minnesota Duluth. The Gophers fell for the first time in 15 games, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Bulldogs. However, Minnesota rebounded to earn a 4-3 overtime win against UMD. The victory came at a price however as Natalie Darwitz was sidelined for 10 games. With a sweep over St. Cloud State on March 5 -6, Minnesota clinched the WCHA regular-season championship, posting a 19-3-2 mark in conference action and earning the top seed for the WCHA Final Five. Defeating Ohio State by a score of 5-1 in the WCHA semifinals, the Gophers faced UMD for the tournament championship and earned a 4-2 win.
With the No. 1 seed in the 2004 Frozen Four, the Golden Gophers drew Dartmouth in the semifinal game. The Big Green entered the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, but the Gophers came back to tie the game at the 12:11 mark of the second period. Entering the third period tied 1-1, Minnesota opened the third period with four unanswered goals for the 5-1 victory. Wendell led the charge with three of the Gophers' five goals. It was the first time in three years that the Gophers advanced to the NCAA Championship game.
Minnesota's next opponent was Harvard. The Maroon & Gold fell behind early when the Crimson took an early 1-0 lead in the first period. Minnesota tied the game at one when Wendell scored, but Harvard added a goal at 12:21 of the second. Minnesota again tied the game when Andrea Nichols scored on a perfect pass from La Toya Clarke to enter the final period in a 2-2 draw. For the second time in two games, Minnesota rattled off four goals in the third period for the 6-2 win. Darwitz scored just nine seconds into the period, setting an NCAA record for the fastest goal coming out of an intermission. Kelly Stephens added the insurance goal 32 seconds later at the 41-second mark of the third stanza. The win marked the first NCAA championship for any women's sport at the University of Minnesota.
Wendell, a first-team All-American, led the Gophers with eight points in the Frozen Four and received the Most Outstanding Player award. Darwitz, Horak, Stephens, and Allie Sanchez all landed All-Tournament Team honors. Wendell and Darwitz each had hat tricks in the Frozen Four, while Stephens scored five points. Horak ended the Frozen Four with 52 saves, a .945 percent save percentage, and a 1.51 goals against average.
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Players Mentioned
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