Minnesota’s women’s hockey team opened the 2003-04 campaign with a 10-0 exhibition win over the Aurora Panthers on Sunday at Ridder Arena. The Gophers scored two goals in the first period, two in the second and six in the third en route to the 10-0 shutout. The Gophers had 12 of 17 skaters posting a point, including seven with a multiple-point game.
Natalie Darwitz led the scoring charge when she stole the puck and top-shelved it at 12:38 in the first period. Kelly Stephens then scored 3:15 later with the assists going to senior co-captain La Toya Clarke and Darwitz.
Stephens then netted a short-handed goal at 5:13 with the assist going again to Darwitz and first-year defenseman Danielle Ashley. Becky Wacker added her first goal as a Gopher at 7:10 with the assists credited to Kelsey Bills and Noelle Sutton.
Minnesota wasted no time in the third stanza, scoring 35 seconds into the period with a goal from Melissa Coulombe. The Gophers scored again at 6:44, 8:27, 11:06 and 13:30. Clarke added the 10th goal of the game with a minute remaining at 19:00 with the assist going to Wacker.
Stephens was named the first star of the game after scoring two goals. Wacker was the second star with two goals and an assist, while Coulombe was the third star with one goal and two assists.
Jody Horak earned the starting spot between the pipes posting nine saves. Brenda Reinen relieved Horak midway through the second period and faced only three shots on goal for the remainder of the game.
Hess wins
Minnesota sophomore Jen Hess captured her first collegiate victory, winning the title of the Iowa State Memorial Cross-Country Meet. Hess covered the 4-kilometer course in a time of 14 minutes, 12 seconds. Five teams competed, but no team scores were tabulated.
Hess led a strong performance by the Gophers harriers, which placed six runners in the top seven finishers.
Carly Emil placed third in 14:24 to bring a string of five straight Minnesota finishers. Zoe Nagell finished fourth in 14:25, followed by Harper McConnell in fifth (14:27), Katrina Rundhaug in sixth (14:29) and Emily Brown in seventh (14:35).
Women’s tennis
Minnesota’s women’s tennis doubles team of Angela Buergis and Nischela Reddy won two matches Sunday at the 2003 ITA Women’s All-American Pre-Qualifiers in Los Angeles, gaining a spot in the ITA All-American Qualifiers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Buergis and Reddy defeated Shilpa Joshi and Gina Black of UCLA, 8-2, before downing Texas-Arlington’s Daniela Novakova/Kristen Grady, 8-6, in the qualifying round.
Men’s tennis
Minnesota men’s tennis players Avery Ticer and Clay Estes were eliminated today at the 2003 ITA All-American Pre-Qualifiers today in Chattanooga, Tenn. Ticer lost in the round of 32 in singles play and fell with Estes in the doubles draw, also in the round of 32.
Ticer opened the day with 6-3, 6-4 loss to Vlad Obradovic of Florida. For the tournament, Ticer went 3-1 and was the lone Gopher to win a match in the singles draw.
In doubles play, Ticer and Estes fell to Zach Dailey/Lewis Smith of Vanderbilt, 8-4.
