Sophomore Annie Pankowski scored twice and Ann-Renée Desbiens saved 23 of 24 shots as top-ranked Wisconsin won, 3-1, and swept Minnesota for the first time in six years.
“It was a good challenge for our squad today, coming off a nice victory last night, and how we would respond and how Minnesota would respond,” coach Mark Johnson said.
Wisconsin (18-0-0, 12-0-0-0 WCHA) also got an empty-net goal by Sarah Nurse.
“Your good players have to be good,” Johnson said. “Even the last minute, Emily Clark wins two key faceoffs and one ends up with an empty-netter. Those are little things that help you get ready for the second half of the season.”
Clark finished with two assists.
After scoring the winning goal in overtime the night before, Pankowski did her damage earlier on Saturday in front of another sellout crowd. She took off down the length of the ice with a turnover, and although Minnesota had two defensemen back to challenge, they couldn’t prevent her from cutting to the crease and flipping a backhander by Amanda Leveille at 16:34 of the first period.
Pankowski doubled the lead a period and one second later with a forehand off a skate that deflected into the net.
“Her shot in the second period found a hole and found a lane and was a big lift going into the third period with a two-goal lead,” Johnson said.
The Gophers (15-3-0, 11-3-0-0 WCHA) managed to pull within a goal at 8:12 of the third period when Sarah Potomak followed her own shot and knocked in a rebound.
“We were kind of dead and buried there after two periods with the way we were playing, but to pick it up there in the third and get that one and really have some great chances down the stretch,” Frost said.
Minnesota pressed hard, but Desbiens prevented an equalizer.
“Their goaltender made some incredible saves,” Frost said.
The end result was back-to-back losses for the Gophers for the first time since the last two games of their 2010-11 season.
“As it I told our team, it doesn’t define us and who we are this weekend, but if we don’t learn from it, then that’s going to be a shame,” Frost said. “We’re going to take a lot out of this weekend, playing the top team in the country, and try and have a good weekend next weekend, and then get focused and ready for the second half.”
Minnesota concludes its 2015 on Friday night with the Hockey Hall of Fame game versus St. Cloud State in Roseville, Minn.
“We made a step forward, we made some progress, but again, you come back Monday, you get up at seven o’clock, you go lift weights, you come back to practice and get refocused, because we have a tough road trip up in Grand Forks next weekend,” Johnson said.
