University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
28-3-3, 23-2-3WCHA
St. Cloud State
14-16-4,11-14-3WCHA
Gophers Win WCHA Regular Season Championship
2/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
The No. 1 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team defeated St. Cloud State, 3-1, to earn the school’s fifth Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title and the first since 2005. The Golden Gophers (28-3-3 overall) won the conference title with 51 conference points and a 23-2-3 mark in conference games. The Gophers swept conference opponents 11 times this season en route to the conference championship. Minnesota’s other championships came in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005 and now 2009.
SCSU scored its first goal of series when Caitlin Hogan scored at 5:09 in the first period. However, Gigi Marvin and the Gophers put the game back at even when Marvin scored a power-play goal at 12: 12. Rachael Drazan fed Marvin the puck as she rifled in a shot in the right corner for her 24th goal of the season.
The Gophers put a mere four shots on goal during the period to SCSU’s 10 and visited the five times in the first.
Sarah Erickson put the Gophers up, 2-1 when she scored her 10th goal of the season at 8:09 in the second period. On the power play, Monique Lamoureux started the play and found sister Jocelyne Lamoureux at the blue line. She chipped the puck over to Erickson who sniped her shot and the puck past SCSU goalie Tayler VanDenakker.
Monique Lamoureux added the insurance goal when she scored an unassisted goal at 15:25. Lamoureux brought the puck through the right circled and used her backhand to scored her 33rd goal of the season.
After yesterday’s 23 penalties called, the two teams were granted another 14 in today’s game. Minnesota had eight penalties, while SCSU had six. The Gophers were 2-for-5 on the power play, while SCSU was 0-for-7.
Along with the championship, the Gophers honored seniors Rachael Drazan, Melanie Gagnon, Kim Hanlon, Gigi Marvin and Dagney Willey.
The Gophers will host Bemidji State next weekend as they enter the WCHA playoffs with the No. 1 seed. Friday’s game is at 6:07 p.m., while the next two days are scheduled for a 4:07 p.m. start. If the Gophers win the first two games, they advance forgo the Sunday game and head to the WCHA FINAL FACEOFF, also at Ridder Arena.
