University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gopher Women's Hockey Final Release
6/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
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Golden Gophers Win first NCAA Championship
The Golden Gopher women's hockey team accomplished, what they set out to do: to win a national championship. After winning the WCHA regular season championship and the WCHA Final Five, Minnesota entered the 2004 Frozen Four as the No. 1 seed and drew Dartmouth. The Gophers defeated the Big Green, 5-1 in the semifinal game, scoring four goals in the third period. Minnesota faced Harvard, and similar to the game against Dartmouth, scored four goals in the third period to win the game and the championship, 6-2. The women's hockey team is the only women's sport at the University of Minnesota to win a NCAA championship. The Gophers won the national championship in 2000 under USA Hockey's American Women's College Hockey Alliance (AWCHA).
WCHA Dominance
The Golden Gophers became the fifth-straight national champion from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Minnesota was the first team when they won the 1999-2000 AWCHA championship. Since then, Minnesota-Duluth won the next three NCAA Frozen Four championships. The 2004 season marked the first year that the Bulldogs have not been in the national tournament since the start of their program in 1999-2000.
Gophers Break Multiple NCAA Records
The Golden Gophers broke several records at the NCAA Championships this past year. With her eight points in the tournament, Krissy Wendell set various NCAA Frozen Four records. Wendell holds the record for most points in the tournament and a game. Her four goals in the Frozen Four tied Minnesota-Duluth's Maria Rooth for most goals in a tournament. Wendell also established herself in the assist category with three assists in the championship game. Along with Wendell, Darwitz also put her name in the record books. With her hat trick in the championship game, Darwitz set a new record for goals and points (4) in a championship contest. She also has the fastest goal to start a period at :09. The previous record was set by former Harvard player Jennifer Botterill. Jody Horak tied UMD's Tuula Puputti for allowing the fewest goals in a championship game, set at two.
