University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Minnesota Duluth
Gophers Earn 3-1 Win Over No. 5 UMD
10/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
The No. 2 University of Minnesota women's hockey team scored a goal in each period to earn a 3-1 win over in-state rival and No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, tonight at Ridder Arena. With the win, the Golden Gophers improve their record to 5-0-0 on the season and 3-0-0 in the Western Collegiate Hockey action.
Minnesota scored at 12:53 in the first period when Anne Schleper scored her fourth goal of the season. Kelli Blankenship made a great pass to Schleper as she fed her the puck in the slot. It was Blankenship's first game back from an injury since the opening game against Syracuse. Chelsey Jones started the play and tallied the second assist.
Terra Rasmussen added to the Gopher lead when she placed the puck, left side, at 16:38 in the second. Kelly Seeler started the play when she kept the puck in and Rasmussen fired off a shot from the top of the right circle for her second goal of the season.
Sarah Erickson scored a power-play goal at 2:53 in the second to put the game at 3-0. Erickson used her back hand to lift the puck top shelf for her sixth goal of the season. Seeler added her second assist on the night, while Megan Bozek also tallied a point.
The Gophers allowed one goal in the third when Emmanuelle Blais scored at 10:51 to put the game at 3-1 and the eventual final. Noora Räty was solid in the Gopher net, stopping 22 of 23 shots on goal. She stopped two one-on-one UMD attempts and allowed just one goal en route to her third win this season. Räty's defense played well in front of her, allowing only three power-play shots on goal and held UMD without a shot for the beginning of the third period.
The Gophers were 1-for-5 on the power play and rattled off 13 of their 38 shots on goal with the extra attacker. Minnesota visited the penalty box three times, but did not give up a power-play goal.
All three stars of the game came on the defensive end with Räty as the No. 1 star, followed by Kelly Seeler, who had two assists and Schleper, who had the Gophers' first goal. In all, seven players tallied a point and Seeler was the only Gopher to have a multiple-point game.
Minnesota and UMD will battle again tomorrow at 4:07 p.m.
