University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
19-5-3, 15-4-3WCHA
St. Cloud State
7-18-3, 5-15-2WCHA
Gophers Cruise Past Huskies
1/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Jan. 28, 2017
ST. CLOUD, Minn. - Five different Golden Gophers scored goals and Sidney Peters earned a 12-save shutout as the No. 4 University of Minnesota women's hockey team sealed this weekend's series sweep with a 5-0 win over St. Cloud State at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center Saturday afternoon.
Minnesota (19-5-3, 15-4-3-2 WCHA) received goals from Sarah Potomak, Taylor Williamson, Nicole Schammel, Lee Stecklein, and Tianna Gunderson in the shutout win. Stecklein (1g-2a), Caitlin Reilly (2a), Schammel (1g-1a), and Potomak (1g-1a) led the Gophers with multiple points.
"Well, we're really happy about the win today," head coach Brad Frost said. "Our team played really, really well with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and great commitment here today.
"To see Tianna Gunderson get her first goal as a Gopher was pretty special, to see how happy she was and how happy our team was for her was really really neat. Everybody played and got significant minutes. Some of our players that don't get a lot of time, they do a good job being a star in their role and encouraging and watching over our other players. Our players that play a lot really encourage those guys when they got out there was really special to see. Really enjoyable game here, we just played tremendously well, so excited about that."
The Gophers outshot the Huskies, 55-12, marking Minnesota's second-highest shot total of the season. Peters stopped all 12 shots for her sixth shutout of the year while St. Cloud State received 50 saves from Madeleine Dahl.
"Today was just a ton of fun," Gunderson said. "A couple of the girls, we were talking before, and just said our goal today is just to try and have fun out there. I know JJ came in and that was kind-of what his speech was about before the game, win or lose, go out there and have fun. That's what we did today."
After a scoreless first period, the Gophers took a 3-0 lead after the second period. Potomak put Minnesota on the board with her 15th goal of the season at the 5:02 mark of the middle frame, scoring off a feed from linemate Kelly Pannek to give the Gophers the 1-0 lead.
Williamson then gave the Gophers a two-goal lead less than three minutes later when she scooped up a loose rebound in the slot and fired it past Dahl. Potomak's initial shot was stopped as she and Stecklein picked up assists on Williamson's third goal of the year.
After scoring the game-winning goal in Friday's 2-1 win, Schammel scored her second of the weekend to make it 3-0 at the 11:58 mark of the second period. Schammel went top shelf off a feed from Reilly and Stecklein.
The Gophers added a pair of goals in the third period as Stecklein scored her third tally of the season at the 2:11 mark before Gunderson scored her first collegiate goal with 13:53 remaining.
"It was amazing," Gunderson said of scoring her first career goal. "I've kind-of been struggling with getting that first one in, but I was trying to take it shift-by-shift. I had a chance my first shift, but didn't bury it, so I made sure to bury it the second shift I got out there."
With Kippin Keller in the box, Pannek had a chance shorthanded midway through the second period. She was hauled down by three Huskies and was awarded a penalty shot at exactly the 10:00 mark of the period. Dahl made the save on Pannek's wrister, marking the first penalty shot the Gophers have attempted since October 2014.
Minnesota was 0-for-2 on the power play while holding St. Cloud State scoreless on one power play chance of its own.
The Gophers hit the road for another WCHA series next week, traveling to Mankato, Minn., to face the Mavericks. Minnesota and Minnesota State will meet for the fourth and fifth times this season at MSU's Verizon Wireless Center at 7:07 p.m. CT Friday, Feb. 3 and 3:07 p.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 4.
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