Gophers Season Ends in National Semifinal
Bulldogs Bounce Minnesota for 4th Straight Time
3/19/10 – Minnesota-Duluth 3, Minnesota 2
The line between winning and losing can be very fine and hard to distinguish. Apparently when Minnesota faces Minnesota-Duluth, that divide is also very real, because the Gophers (26-9-5, 18-6-4 WCHA) keep winding up on the wrong side of the score.
All six head-to-head meetings between the two branches of the University of Minnesota became races to three goals, and the Bulldogs (30-8-2, 20-6-2 WCHA) won the last four of those races. UMD triumphed 3-2 Friday night in the national semifinal before 2,070 fans.
“I think getting the first goal was huge, but we started the game with a lot of confidence,” Coach Shannon Miller said.
The Bulldogs were able to get on the board first despite being out shot 13-7 in the opening period.
“It was a wraparound,” Laura Fridfinnson said. “[Emmanuelle Blais] shot it on net, and the goalie came out to play her, so I just took it behind the net and wrapped it around and got it in.”
Just as key was the goal that enabled UMD to take a 3-1 lead into the locker room for the second intermission. Blais scored off of a pass from Fridfinnson at 19:15, less than two minutes after Sarah Erickson got the Gophers on the scoreboard and halved Duluth’s 2-0 lead.
“It was a great pass,” Blais said. “Obviously, it was good for us to just come back right away after their goal, and especially just at the end of the second.”
Blais, who also scored UMD’s second goal, finished with two goals and an assist. Line mate Fridfinnson added a goal and two helpers.
The Gophers spent the entire final period trying to close the gap once more. They finally pulled their goalie in the final minute and got an extra-attacker goal from Emily West. West batted the puck out of midair and past Jennifer Harss with 55 seconds to go. Harss prevented any additional offense by Minnesota as she did most of the night in saving 27 shots, and the clock ran out on a 3-2 win for UMD.
“I thought [Harss] was remarkable tonight,” Miller said. “She’s gotten better and better through the course of the season.”
So have the Bulldogs.
“Their transition game is second to none,” Erickson said.
Those quick transition strikes often forced Minnesota to pay on the scoreboard for the smallest of miscues.
“There was no doubt in our mind we could win this game; we just didn’t,” Erickson said.
Minnesota Coach Brad Frost said that the hardest part of losing is that “the season comes to an abrupt ending.”
They bow out knowing they fought to the end.
“From a player’s point of view, I think they played amazing the whole game,” Blais said of her opponent. “It’s very hard; I’m absolutely exhausted right now.”
For the ‘Dogs, it continues against Cornell on Sunday at noon in Ridder Arena.
“We haven’t played against them, so it’s kind of exciting to have a new opponent,” Fridfinnson said.
Despite the Big Red’s brief NCAA history, Miller expects a battle on Sunday.
“Anybody that’s here is a great team,” she said. “I’m not worried about a letdown at all. It doesn’t matter who we play, we have to bring our absolute best game, and that’s the bottom line.”
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