University of Minnesota Athletics
A Season to Remember: The 2004 NCAA Champions
6/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
To achieve their ultimate goal, the Golden Gophers would have to go through a few obstacles during the season. In just the second series of the season, the Maroon and Gold lost their senior co-captain, Kelsey Bills, to an ankle fracture. Although the Gophers were without one of their leaders, Minnesota went undefeated in the first half of the season.
The Gophers opened the second half of the campaign against Western Collegiate Hockey Association and arch-rival Minnesota-Duluth. The Gophers fell to the Bulldogs, 4-1 for their first loss of the season. However, Minnesota bounced back to earn a 4-3 overtime win against UMD. The win would come at a price, when sophomore forward Natalie Darwitz was sidelined with an elbow injury. Following Darwitz's injury, Minnesota went 7-3-0, falling to Minnesota State, Wisconsin and Dartmouth. Although it looked as if Darwitz was out for the season, she returned to the Minnesota lineup Feb. 20 against Ohio State. In just her second game back, Darwitz scored a hat trick to lead the Gophers to a 6-0 win over the Buckeyes. From that point on, the Gophers would not lose another game for the remainder of the season.
The Golden Gophers won the WCHA regular season championship, posting a 19-3-2 mark in conference action and the top seed in the WCHA Final Five. It was the third time in five years that the Gophers had won the regular season championship. The Gophers faced Ohio State in the first game of the Final Five, winning 5-1 over the Buckeyes. Minnesota went on to face UMD for the Final Five championship. Although Minnesota was down, 1-0, the Gophers came back to win the game, 4-2. Battling another ankle injury, Bills entered the WCHA Final Five championship game scoring a goal on her first shift. With the win, the Gophers earned their second WCHA Final Five championship in three years. Earning spots on the all-tournament team were Darwitz, Jody Horak and Kelly Stephens, while Krissy Wendell was named the most valuable player.
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 12:11 of the second period. Entering the third period in a 1-1 tie, Minnesota opened the third period with four unanswered goals for the 5-1 victory. Horak had 21 saves, while Wendell had three goals and an assist for a four-point game.
Minnesota's next opponent was Harvard in the Frozen Four championship game. The Maroon and Gold fell behind early when the Crimson took an early 1-0 lead in the first period. Minnesota tied it at 1-1 when Wendell scored, but Harvard added a goal at 12:21 of the second. Minnesota 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 rifled off four goals in the third period for the 6-2 win. Darwitz, a Top-Ten Patty Kazmaier finalist, scored just nine seconds out of the intermission, while Stephens added the insurance goal 32 seconds later at :41 of the third stanza. For the second time in five years, the women's hockey team won a national championship. It was 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, garnering 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, .945 percent save percentage and 1.51 goals against average.
The Gopher seniors Kelsey Bills, La Toya Clarke, Melissa Coulombe and Jerilyn Glenn went out as the top team in the nation. The four seniors combined for 59 points. A group that had never won a Frozen Four game, achieved their ultimate goal.
Key Statistics from the 2003-04 Season
30-4-2 record overall, 19-3-2 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Won the WCHA regular season title and the WCHA Final Five championship Defeated Harvard on March 28 to become the only women's team at the University of Minnesota to win a NCAA national championship Was the first NCAA championship for Minnesota, second national championship overall (the first was in the AWCHA) The Gophers ranked first in the nation in scoring offense (4.47 goals per game) and power-play efficiency (25.5) and third in nation in penalty kill (91.0). The Gophers also finished the season with an 11-game unbeaten streak Held the No. 1 ranking in the nation for 18 of 22 weeks in the US College Hockey Online and American Hockey Magazine/USA Today polls. Krissy Wendell tallied eight points in the Frozen Four, which was the most points by a single person in the Frozen Four. She earned the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player Award. She finished the season with a team-high 36 goals, 42 assists for 78 points, a new school record for most points in a single season. Wendell also led the team in power-play goals (11), short-handed goals (6) and game-winning goals. Although Natalie Darwitz missed 10 games of the season, she scored 27 goals and 37 assists for 64 points. A first-team All-WCHA and second-team All-American, Darwitz was a member of both the WCHA Final Five and All-Tournament team. Darwitz had 10 power-play goals, four hat tricks, four game-winning goals and two short-handed goals. Prior to her injury, Darwitz led the nation in points per game, averaging 2.56 points per game. Kelly Stephens scored 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points. Stephens is the only Gopher of all-time to be named to the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament team twice. Her first came in 2002 when she was a freshman and again this season to help the Gophers win the national championship. Stephens scored six game-winning goals, a hat trick and four power-play goals. She led the team in plus/minus with a +57. Her 42 assists were also a team-best along with Wendell. The line of Darwitz, Stephens, Wendell scored 19 points in the NCAA Frozen Four. Wendell had eight, Darwitz had six, while Stephens had five. In the WCHA Final Five, the trio scored 13 points. Junior goalie Jody Horak finished the season with a 22-4-2 record, a 1.63 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. After falling to Wisconsin on Feb. 13 (2-1 overtime loss), Horak won the next seven games when she was between the pipes. 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.
To achieve their ultimate goal, the Golden Gophers would have to go through a few obstacles during the season. In just the second series of the season, the Maroon and Gold lost their senior co-captain, Kelsey Bills, to an ankle fracture. Although the Gophers were without one of their leaders, Minnesota went undefeated in the first half of the season.
The Gophers opened the second half of the campaign against Western Collegiate Hockey Association and arch-rival Minnesota-Duluth. The Gophers fell to the Bulldogs, 4-1 for their first loss of the season. However, Minnesota bounced back to earn a 4-3 overtime win against UMD. The win would come at a price, when sophomore forward Natalie Darwitz was sidelined with an elbow injury. Following Darwitz's injury, Minnesota went 7-3-0, falling to Minnesota State, Wisconsin and Dartmouth. Although it looked as if Darwitz was out for the season, she returned to the Minnesota lineup Feb. 20 against Ohio State. In just her second game back, Darwitz scored a hat trick to lead the Gophers to a 6-0 win over the Buckeyes. From that point on, the Gophers would not lose another game for the remainder of the season.
The Golden Gophers won the WCHA regular season championship, posting a 19-3-2 mark in conference action and the top seed in the WCHA Final Five. It was the third time in five years that the Gophers had won the regular season championship. The Gophers faced Ohio State in the first game of the Final Five, winning 5-1 over the Buckeyes. Minnesota went on to face UMD for the Final Five championship. Although Minnesota was down, 1-0, the Gophers came back to win the game, 4-2. Battling another ankle injury, Bills entered the WCHA Final Five championship game scoring a goal on her first shift. With the win, the Gophers earned their second WCHA Final Five championship in three years. Earning spots on the all-tournament team were Darwitz, Jody Horak and Kelly Stephens, while Krissy Wendell was named the most valuable player.
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 12:11 of the second period. Entering the third period in a 1-1 tie, Minnesota opened the third period with four unanswered goals for the 5-1 victory. Horak had 21 saves, while Wendell had three goals and an assist for a four-point game.
Minnesota's next opponent was Harvard in the Frozen Four championship game. The Maroon and Gold fell behind early when the Crimson took an early 1-0 lead in the first period. Minnesota tied it at 1-1 when Wendell scored, but Harvard added a goal at 12:21 of the second. Minnesota 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 rifled off four goals in the third period for the 6-2 win. Darwitz, a Top-Ten Patty Kazmaier finalist, scored just nine seconds out of the intermission, while Stephens added the insurance goal 32 seconds later at :41 of the third stanza. For the second time in five years, the women's hockey team won a national championship. It was 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, garnering 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, .945 percent save percentage and 1.51 goals against average.
The Gopher seniors Kelsey Bills, La Toya Clarke, Melissa Coulombe and Jerilyn Glenn went out as the top team in the nation. The four seniors combined for 59 points. A group that had never won a Frozen Four game, achieved their ultimate goal.
Key Statistics from the 2003-04 Season
30-4-2 record overall, 19-3-2 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Won the WCHA regular season title and the WCHA Final Five championship Defeated Harvard on March 28 to become the only women's team at the University of Minnesota to win a NCAA national championship Was the first NCAA championship for Minnesota, second national championship overall (the first was in the AWCHA) The Gophers ranked first in the nation in scoring offense (4.47 goals per game) and power-play efficiency (25.5) and third in nation in penalty kill (91.0). The Gophers also finished the season with an 11-game unbeaten streak Held the No. 1 ranking in the nation for 18 of 22 weeks in the US College Hockey Online and American Hockey Magazine/USA Today polls. Krissy Wendell tallied eight points in the Frozen Four, which was the most points by a single person in the Frozen Four. She earned the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player Award. She finished the season with a team-high 36 goals, 42 assists for 78 points, a new school record for most points in a single season. Wendell also led the team in power-play goals (11), short-handed goals (6) and game-winning goals. Although Natalie Darwitz missed 10 games of the season, she scored 27 goals and 37 assists for 64 points. A first-team All-WCHA and second-team All-American, Darwitz was a member of both the WCHA Final Five and All-Tournament team. Darwitz had 10 power-play goals, four hat tricks, four game-winning goals and two short-handed goals. Prior to her injury, Darwitz led the nation in points per game, averaging 2.56 points per game. Kelly Stephens scored 22 goals and 42 assists for 64 points. Stephens is the only Gopher of all-time to be named to the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament team twice. Her first came in 2002 when she was a freshman and again this season to help the Gophers win the national championship. Stephens scored six game-winning goals, a hat trick and four power-play goals. She led the team in plus/minus with a +57. Her 42 assists were also a team-best along with Wendell. The line of Darwitz, Stephens, Wendell scored 19 points in the NCAA Frozen Four. Wendell had eight, Darwitz had six, while Stephens had five. In the WCHA Final Five, the trio scored 13 points. Junior goalie Jody Horak finished the season with a 22-4-2 record, a 1.63 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. After falling to Wisconsin on Feb. 13 (2-1 overtime loss), Horak won the next seven games when she was between the pipes.
