Four the fourth straight tournament, Minnesota had its quest for a championship ended by Wisconsin. The Badgers (27-7-3, 20-5-3 WCHA) continued their recent mastery of the Gophers, improving to 12-2-2 in their head-to-head meetings over the last three seasons.<\/p>\n
Jinnelle Zaugg got her stick on a puck off of an offensive-zone draw just ahead of a Minnesota defender during a third-period power play. The deflected puck eluded Kim Hanlon and gave the defending champions the deciding goal in a 4-3 victory.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think we played overall particularly well, but the girls dug deep, Jessie [Vetter] made the saves when she needed to, and we scored some timely goals,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Certainly the fourth one was probably the biggest one of the game, being the game winner.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Her goal came less than five minutes after the Gophers (27-6-4, 21-5-2) had battled back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game on a goal by Jen Schoullis.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The fourth one was just reading their players,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Zaugg said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They were kind of stepping back on the faceoff and [I was] trying to take advantage of that. The puck popped right in the right slot, and I have a long reach.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Zaugg also scored the first goal of the game for the Badgers back in the first period, two and a half minutes after the Gophers had opened the scoring.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The first goal was kind of just a ‘let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s throw it on net and hope there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a rebound for Duggan coming in,’ and it went in \u00e2\u20ac”- surprise,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a battle back and forth between Minnesota and us. When there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goals scored back and forth, you can take the goal two ways. You can either let that effect how you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to play, or you can use it as, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI want to get that goal back and score another goal.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Erika Lawler put Wisconsin up 3-1 with goals both early and late in the second period.<\/p>\n
Hilary Knight jumped on a turnover behind Minnesota\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goal and found Lawler coming down the slot to give the Cardinal & White their first lead. That lead doubled on a play where the puck, Hanlon, and a couple more bodies all wound up in the Minnesota goal.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I hit Angie [Keseley] with a pass in the slot,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lawler said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153She tried to slip it through the defenseman, and I was just going to the net, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it was going to get through. But it just snuck through, and I just tipped it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Gigi Marvin responded for Minnesota with her second goal of the game to reduce the deficit to 3-2 before the second period ended.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Something that really helped out in tonight\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s game was Gigi and Westy teaming up to get another goal right away to put us within one goal of Wisconsin at the point,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Minnesota co-captain Bobbi Ross said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We never had a doubt that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be able to come back.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I like the way we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re battling back when we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re behind \u00e2\u20ac”- it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not an easy thing to do. Hopefully that will really help us out later, but if we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re never behind again, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fine by me, too.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Both of Marvin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goals were highlight worthy. On the first, she flew down the right side and snapped a quick shot low on Vetter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stick side.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Just putting the puck on net -\u00e2\u20ac” we know Vetter\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good goalie; we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen her many times now,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marvin said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I just had my head up, shot, and the spot was open, so I hit it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
On the second, she spun and got a stick on Emily West\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shot as it went past, changing both the puck\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s speed and direction.<\/p>\n
The game\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s final minute had its share of drama. With Hanlon pulled for an extra attacker, Lawler carried into the Gopher zone and shot at the empty net, but Rachael Drazan dove to knock the puck wide with her outstretched stick and keep her team alive.<\/p>\n
Whitney Graft succeeded in getting the puck past Vetter one last time with only 00.1 showing on the clock, but there was no controversy when referee Dan Lick immediately waved the goal off.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153From my view, it was pretty obvious that she caught it and threw it in,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Vetter said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It was very impressive that she got it down and in that quick with 0.1 left, but I knew she got it with her hand.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Marvin shot the puck from the boards to set up Graft\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s final attempt.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The whole game, we were just trying to get traffic in front of the net and throw the puck on net,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marvin said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153So that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all we were planning to do. The clock only showed 16 seconds when we faced off, so there wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t too much that I could do with it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
When asked if she saw the puck go in and thought there was a chance the goal would count, she replied, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I saw it go in -\u00e2\u20ac” I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think there was a chance.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We tried to tell him that it hit her elbow,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ross said.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I thought Lick did a good job of being consistent all the way through for both sides,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nice that the reffing wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a deciding factor in a game that was as hard fought by both teams as this one was.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The net result was all too familiar for Minnesota.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We play Wisconsin so many times and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s frustrating losing to them,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Marvin said.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I thought it was a great hockey game,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Gopher coach Brad Frost. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Both teams obviously gave their all. Unfortunately, one team has to lose, and that was us tonight.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tough loss for sure, but we know we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a lot more to play for,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ross said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have to work extra hard to makes sure that when next week rolls around that we feel nothing like this.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easier to put aside a tough loss when that defeat does not end your season.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Certainly by the sounds of things and the way the NCAA has done it, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to be seeing an eastern team, whether it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s home or away,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Frost said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re looking forward to it. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always nice to be able to play some teams that you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t faced and see what you have in comparison to them.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
His counterpart behind the Wisconsin bench also looked ahead to next week\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s action.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It comes down to the match ups more than anything,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Johnson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be opposed to being on the road. The positive and the good thing is you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still playing. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re one of eight teams and you have a chance to win a national championship. And I like the way we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re playing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
One Badger who is playing well is Vetter, looking like her usual stingy self as March rolls along.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been tested a couple more times this year,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I look forward to it; I like to see more shots, and just have a chance to help my team out.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Based on the firepower Minnesota-Duluth displayed in defeating St. Cloud State, she figures to get plenty of chances to do just that.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve played Duluth four times, and all four games have been extremely close,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Johnson said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I would anticipate tomorrow\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s game to be typical of the way the two team\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s have played over the last three or four years.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tough to get these chances, but we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re certainly looking forward to tomorrow\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s contest.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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