Shorthanded Bears Blanked By Gophers
In a series finale that was much less contentious than the opener, Brown never got anything going against No. 1 Minnesota.
The Gophers (19-1-2) scored three times in the first period and cruised to a 5-0 victory. Krissy Wendell led the offense with two goals and an assist. Brown (10-8-1) managed only 14 shots on Gopher goalie Brenda Reinen, who earned her third shutout of the season.
“Overall, I thought it was a good game, good weekend for us,” said Minnesota coach Laura Halldorson. “Great start for Rhino and her team getting a shutout. We’ve had three in the last four games, so that’s encouraging.”
A day after racking up 49 minutes in penalties, the two teams combined for just 16 minutes of infractions.
Defender Ashley Albrecht got Minnesota on the board at 4:41 with her first goal of the season. She carried an Erica McKenzie feed to the Brown net, faked netminder Stacy Silverman out of position and slid a backhand behind her.
The lead tripled when Wendell converted on a breakaway and McKenzie got a goal of her own on the power play before the end of the period.
“I just see a lot more confidence in our eyes,” said Wendell of the scoring from other sources over the weekend. “Any combination they’ve thrown out there, you can see the confidence. People are getting more confident with holding onto the puck, and looking for the net and getting more opportunities.”
Brown coach Digit Murphy tried a myriad of tactics, including sending three forecheckers hard after the puck.
“We were just trying to go for a goal,” she said.
At other times, Brown would skate one wing at center ice when defending its own zone, a team staple over the years.
“We tried to just float someone when the Wendell and Darwitz line wasn’t out, because you can’t give those kids space,” Murphy said. “But we’re shorthanded right now, and it hurts. But you can’t play the number one team in the country shorthanded.”
Brown was without co-captain Amy McLaughlin, an All-ECAC defender, for the third straight game tonight. On Friday, Brown lost its other co-captain Katie Guay for the weekend when she was handed a game disqualification.
Brown didn’t do much to keep Reinen active, but she stayed sharp nonetheless.
“It’s a little tough, but you have to keep battling,” Reinen said. “Our D just does a great job. Our forwards are blocking shots. The penalty kill has been a lot better.”
Her coach liked what she saw from Reinen.
“She deserves to play,” Halldorson said. “I think she’s looked real good in the games that she’s gotten.”
The final two periods of the game were largely uneventful. The exception was a shift late in the third when Wendell and Darwitz alternated being playmaker and finisher on a pair of pretty goals seven seconds apart.
Wendell, like everyone else, failed to come up with words to fully describe her scoring artistry.
“Pretty much that one move,” she said.
The Bears’ coach wasn’t happy with the results, but found some positives in the defeat.
“Our goaltending was great,” Murphy said. “I think we just need to get healthy again and get our personnel back. I think we did pretty well for what we had.”
Having completed the nonconference portion of its schedule, Minnesota turns its attention to the WCHA.
“We still have Wisconsin and UMD coming up, as well as the rest of our league opponents, and we’re going to have to play well every weekend,” Halldorson said.
