It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
Minnesota and Niagara skated to a 2-2 tie and each took third place at the Frozen Four. Both netminders were sharp in the game, Minnesota’s Brenda Reinen making 25 saves and Niagara’s First Team All-American goalie Tania Pinelli recorded 34 saves. During a five minute overtime period, the Purple Eagles had the edge, getting five shots to Minnesota’s two.
Niagara entered the women’s NCAA Frozen Four with an automatic qualifier as the top eastern seed, and Minnesota grabbed the same spot from the west. When the two schools met, it wasn’t supposed to be in the national third place game. There wasn’t supposed to be a single, five minute session for this game. It was meant to happen in the title game, with the two schools playing until somebody put the puck in the net, however long that took.
“I think it’s because there are four very good teams in this tournament,” said Minnesota coach Laura Halldorson.
The game looked to be a defensive struggle for the first 54 minutes, as the only scoring was a second-period tally from Minnesota’s Kristy Oonincx.
“Ronda [Curtin] let a great shot go from the point and I just happened to have my stick in the right place,” said Oonincx of her score.
But the final six minutes of play saw three goals, two of them by Niagara.
“This is the Frozen Four. It doesn’t matter if it is for third place,” said Niagara senior Stephanie Romain, who scored the second game-tying goal with two minutes left in the game. “I wish we were at the championship game, but we can’t be there. So to us, this is our championship.”
With Minnesota clinging to a one-goal lead and the possibility looming of the first Frozen Four shutout, Jennifer Goulet picked up a fanned shot from Minnesota’s Ronda Curtin and took it the length of the ice for the score.
“I knew they were behind me, but I just kept going,” said Goulet. She was in a similar situation last weekend in overtime against Providence, but rather than taking the straight shot that was stopped in that game, she elected to try a deke that fooled Gopher netminder Brenda Reinen.
Just like that, the tournament’s first overtime session appeared possible. But less than a minute later, Minnesota defender Kelsey Bills took a slapshot from the post that was redirected into the net by teammate La Toya Clarke.
The Gophers barely had time to breathe before Niagara struck again. With just two minutes left in the game, senior captain Stephanie Romain scored the game-tying goal with a shot from behind the net that hit a mass of bodies and ended up a goal.
“It was great forechecking and I just put it to the net,” said Romain. “We were all crashing the net so hard it just went in.”
“We talk about leaving a legacy at Niagara, because we’re building a program,” said Niagara chief Margot Page. “And seniors such as our captain [Romain] have done just that.”
The two-all score held up despite chances in overtime, primarily from Niagara.
“It’s a little disappointing that we didn’t win a game here,” commented Halldorson. “But whenever I start to feel that disappointment, I look at the big picture. We had a tremendous season, and not one that many people expected us to have.”
“I never thought I’d like ties in this tournament,” said Page. “What you saw in the second and third period was pretty much Niagara hockey.”
