University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
21-7-5, 17-6-4WCHA
Wisconsin
18-12-3, 15-11-1WCH
Gophers Fall in 4-3 Overtime Heartbreaker
2/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
The No. 2 University of Minnesota women's hockey team fell in heart-breaking fashion, 4-3, in overtime to No. 8 Wisconsin, tonight at Ridder Arena. Although the Golden Gophers scored with 17 seconds to tie the game in the third period, the Badgers came back to win in overtime, at 4:03, for the game-winning goal.
With the loss, the Gophers (21-7-5 and 17-6-4 in the WCHA) and the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are now tied for the league lead in points with 41. St. Cloud State and the Badgers are tied for third with 31 points, while Bemidji State is fifth with 28 points.
Minnesota jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Sarah Erickson scored on the opening shift just :32 into the contest. Erickson placed the puck in the top-right corner for her 14th goal of the season. Linemates Emily West and Brittany Francis assisted on the play. The Gophers put the game at 2-0 when Sam Downey scored her third goal of the year on a power-play attempt at 17:09 in the first. Kelly Seeler found Downey at the bottom of the left circle, while Alexandra Zebro held the second assist.
However, Wisconsin responded by scoring three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead after two. Brooke Ammerman scored her 19th goal of the season on the power play at 19:17 in the first to put the game at 2-1. Jasmine Giles then scored at 2:58 in the second period and again at 16:34, while on the power play.
Minnesota took a timeout with 1:01 remaining in the third. The Gophers pulled goalie Alyssa Grogan and they took advantage within 15 seconds when Emily West scored at 19:43 in the third to force overtime. Anne Schleper held the single assist, while Sarah Erickson provided a great screen in front to help West to her 18th goal of the season.
With less than a minute remaining, Carolyne Prevost used a backhanded shot to place the puck just underneath Grogan's pad to score the game-winner. The last time the Gophers lost in overtime also came against Wisconsin in the NCAA regional game on March 15, 2008.
The loss also marked the first this year at Ridder Arena. The Gophers were 15-0-1 entering tonight's game. Minnesota's last loss at Ridder came on March 8, 2009 in the WCHA Championship game.
