In a major step forward for the program, the No. 8 North Dakota Fighting Sioux swept the No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gophers with a 3-1 win Saturday night in front of 921 at Ridder Arena. The win put the Sioux into first place in the WCHA, and is the second straight win for the Sioux against the Gophers after 28 consecutive losses. It also marked the first time since January 5-6, 2007 that the Gophers were swept at home, when the Wisconsin Badgers managed the feat.
Monique Lamoureux-Kolls scored at 3:36 in the first period on a four-on-four attempt when she fired a shot top-shelf that beat Gophers goalie Alyssa Grogan, who finished with 15 saves.
The Gophers knotted the score at one when Kelly Terry scored her second goal in two games at 7:32 of the first.
However, Sioux forward Sara Dagenais continued her strong play on the weekend and scored at 10:12 to give the Sioux the lead.
In the second period, the Sioux depended on the strong play of goalie Stephanie Ney, who finished with 24 saves. Ney stopped a barrage of Gophers shots in the period, 12 in all, preserving the lead.
Dagenais struck again at 3:55 of the third period on a power play to give the Sioux a two-goal lead, the first time all weekend either team led by two. The Sioux defense held strong, blocking several shots and holding the Gophers to only three shots in the period.
The Sioux travel to Minnesota State next weekend for a pair of games, while the Gophers travel to St. Cloud for two games.
