The St. Cloud State University Women’s Hockey program was celebrating its twentieth year of existence.  The Huskies welcomed in the University of Minnesota.  Coming into this weekend, the Golden Gophers were ranked third in the nation. Pregame festivities included a ceremonial puck drop from the original coach of the program twenty years ago, Kerry Brodt Wethington.  Members of the original team also joined the coach to celebrate the anniversary. 

 

 

Early in the first period, the Gophers struck first with a goal from Nicole Schammel who increased her point streak to five games.  Schammel has picked up a point in every regular season game thus far for the Gophers.  Picking up the assist on the play was Olivia Knowles.  This assist was Knowles’ first point of the season.  Minnesota would strike again just over halfway through the first period to increase their lead to two.  This time, it was the Lake City, MN native Taylor Heise.  On this goal, the Huskies had broken up Heise’s backdoor pass. Polusny had already started to try and cover the backdoor pass, but when it was just sitting in the slot, Heise was able to backhand it into the wide-open net. The Gophers were not done for the period.  A late minor penalty assessed to Taytum Geier for tripping put Minnesota on the power play for the first time, and they converted just fifteen seconds in.  Again, it was Taylor Heise scoring her second goal of the evening.  This last goal made it 3-0 Gophers headed into the first intermission.

 

 

The start to the second period was much better for the Huskies. Two and a half minutes into the period, a broken-up play occurred in the slot and the puck bounced to the point for St. Cloud.  At the point for Huskies, Taylor Wemple.  She ripped in into the back of the net, decreasing the Gophers’ lead to two.  The Huskies would have a two on two rush half way into the period.  The two women for the Huskies were Nylund and Theodosopoulos.  Nylund carried the puck in and took a shot.  Gulstene, the goaltender for Minnesota, left a juicy rebound sitting in front.  Tylke was the first to take a tap at it.  Gulstene stopped that shot, but let the rebound sit in the slot, where Jenniina Nylund put the puck in the net for her first collegiate goal.  The Gophers now only led by one.  The Gophers would answer as Heise fed a pass to British Columbia native Sarah Potomak who would make it a two-goal lead once again.   Minnesota wasn’t done for the period as Olympic gold medalist, Kelly Pannek would find the back of the net with an assist from Sophie Skarzynski.  The Gophers would enter the second intermission with a three-goal lead again.

 

 

For the majority of the first half of the third period, the play was back and forth.  Again, the Gophers would go on the power play for the third time of the evening.  The penalty on the Huskies was hooking on Kenzie Wylie.  The Gophers were one for two on the power play up to that point, but they would soon make it two for three as Sarah Potomak would score her second goal of the night, her third of the season.  This would be the final score of the night as the Huskies drop the first one of the series to the Gophers by a score of 6-2.

 

 

The Gophers did not take a single penalty in this game, and the Huskies took four.  If the Huskies want to have any chance to win tomorrow at Ridder Arena, they have to have more even penalty numbers.  Overall though, the Gophers were just that much better than the Huskies.  All night, Minnesota was skating circles around St. Cloud State in a figurative manner.  The offense of the Gophers was just that much better than the Huskies were defensively.

 

 

Tomorrow, St. Cloud State travels to Ridder Arena to attempt to split the series with the Gophers at 4:07 pm.  You can listen online on the KVSC Sports Stream for coverage of tomorrow’s game.