It was hard to determine what the grandest spectacle was at the opening of Minnesota’s new Ridder Arena.
It may have been the pregram festivities, which were complete with fireworks, a highlight video and ceremonial opening faceoff, conducted by Kathleen Ridder along with the Gophers’ first captain, Julie Otto, and former Gopher and 2002 Olympian Courtney Kennedy.
It may have been the fact that WCHA Supervisor of Officials Greg Shepherd, who has worked a select few games since retiring from full-time duty as an on-ice official, refereed the game, his first collegiate women’s game.
It may have been Jerilyn Glenn’s goal, a tap-in off a Noelle Sutton rebound four minutes, 16 seconds into the opening period to the initiate the building.
For Minnesota (4-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA), all of that was gravy as an 8-0 win over St. Cloud State (1-3-0, 1-3-0) in front of 3,239 fans was the perfect way to open its new home.
Glenn’s early goal brought the crowd to its feet early and, unlike Friday’s 10-1 win in which the Gophers didn’t score until the final three minutes of the period, they were off and running.
“I couldn’t catch up to her to make it a 2-on-0,” Glenn said of Sutton, who stole the puck in the neutral zone and went in on a breakaway. “I knew if I stayed back, and she didn’t score, I’d be in perfect postion to put the puck away.”
Despite Minnesota taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, following Natalie Darwitz’s sixth goal of the season at 17:45 of the opening frame, SCSU coach Jason Lesteberg felt his team was in the game.
“We generated a number of shots,” he said of his team’s play in the first period. “We hit a post and had three quality scoring opportunities so we could have walked away from that period tied 2-2.”
The Huskies, outshot 19-9 in the opening period, stayed close to the Gophers on the shot chart in the second period but Minnesota put up three more goals. Krissy Wendell set up Allie Sanchez at the top of the crease for the game’s third goal at 6:22 of the second period and then notched her sixth of the season barely two minutes later.
Ronda Curtin’s power-play goal with two minutes to play in the period let everyone know the Gophers were in control.
Minnesota put three more goals on the board in the final period as Gwen Anderson’s second career goal at 10:42 made it 6-0. Kelly Stephens followed with a power-play tally and La Toya Clarke’s shorthanded effort with 3:20 to play sealed the win.
“I was definitely glad we got on the board a little earlier [than Friday night],” Gophers coach Laura Halldorson said. “We did a good job of continuing to chip away and add to our lead.”
After averaging just 3.32 goals per game last season and scoring seven in a game four times, Minnesota has scored at least seven goals in each of its first four games this year and is averaging 8.25 goals per game.
“That’s a team that would be better off on big ice,” Lesteberg said of the Gophers, who move to an NHL-size sheet of ice (200 feet-by-85 feet) from an Olympic sheet (200-by-100). “They’ve got great speed and they’re a dangerous team offensively. They continue to get scoring chances and, eventually, they’re going to score.”
Halldorson was a little more cautious when rating her team.
“I think every weekend we’ll see how much we’re progressing,” she said. “We started out with an exhibition, and then with Findlay and now St. Cloud. Each weekend we’ve taken another step and I think that will be true next weekend when we play Ohio State.
“I think there a couple of things we need to work on and get better at, and there are some things we need to fine tune. It’s a long season, though, and, hopefully, we’ll continue to get better.”
Lesteberg gave freshman Brie Anderson her first collegiate start in goal and, despite giving up eight goals, she made some outstanding saves and provided the Huskies with soldi goaltending while making 34 saves.
Jody Horak, starting her fourth consecutive game for the Gophers, stopped 20 shots for her first shutout of the season.
Minnesota is on the road Oct. 25 and 26 for a series at Ohio State. St. Cloud returns to action Oct. 25-27 with a three-game CHA swing, travelling to Niagara for the opener before heading to Mercyhurst for a two-game series.
