A pair of third-period power-play goals lifted No. 6 Wisconsin to a 2-1 victory over No. 9 Northeastern on Sunday at the Kohl Center.
In a game in which the Badgers (2-0-0) outshot their opponent 37-14, it was the opponent that scored first. Northeastern’s Kim Greene scored her second power-play goal in as many days, firing a slapshot from the high slot past UW goaltender Jackie MacMillan . Rachel Bertram and Rebecca Paul earned assists on the goal at 18:41 of the first period.
The Badgers controlled play in the second period, holding a 16-1 shot advantage in the stanza, but failed in cracking Husky netminder Chanda Gunn.
The score remained 1-0 until 9:06 of the third, when Badger sophomore defender Nicole Uliasz finally solved Gunn. With Northeastern’s Theresa Ella off for checking, Uliasz fired a slapshot from the left point, beating a screened Gunn for the equalizer. Sophomore Jackie Friesen tipped the puck back to senior Sis Paulsen at the right point, who sent it along the blue line to Uliasz. For Paulsen, the assist was her 100th career point.
The game appeared headed for overtime until 17:18 when Husky Cyndy Kenyon tripped up Wisconsin forward Meghan Hunter at the Badger blue line. The penalty put the UW on its seventh power play of the contest.
Thirty seconds in, senior Kerry Weiland found Hunter at the point. The junior’s slapper sailed wide left of Gunn, but the puck bounced off the back boards and out front to the right of the NU goaltender. Senior Kendra Antony was there for the bounce and found the net for the game-winner at 17:48.
“We knew if we kept on them, the puck would eventually go in,” Antony said. “Chanda is a great goalie. We knew if we pressured her and got the rebounds we were going to score — not our first shot, she was going to stop those all day.”
Northeastern pulled former Badger Gunn after a timeout at 18:45, and again after a faceoff in the Husky end of the ice, but the UW held off the charge and left with the 2-1 win and series sweep.
“I think it was a team effort,” added Antony. “We all came together in the third period and we knew what we had to do. Everyone gave their best effort and we came out on top.”
UW’s MacMillan won for the second consecutive afternoon. She made 13 saves and improved to 2-0-0. Gunn made 35 saves, but lost and now stands 0-2-0.
