After second: The Gophers came out a little slower than in the first and Bemidji took advantage of that. After two Gophers collided in front of their net, Lura was off balance and left an open net for Bemidji to score and pull with in one goal. A minute later, the Gophers scored when Sarah Erickson found the back of the net after Kelli Blankenship was blanked on breakaway. Monique Lamoureux was also cast away on a breakaway but after Emily West rushed the puck up the ice on a power play, Kelly Seeler was able to score and bring the score to 4-1 in favor of Minnesota. After first: The Gophers lead 2-0 with Monique Lamoureux scoring both goals. The Gophers look alright, not dominant but not terrible. They haven’t won all the races to the puck but look like they could be the faster team. Minnesota has out shot Bemidji 26-4 in the firstA majority of the play has been in Bemidji State’s zone with four penalties coming within the last eight minutes. Lura has kept her stats clean this game with only a couple good chances given to the Beavers.
It has been awhile since I have been to Ridder Arena. The last home game was Nov. 28 and 29. Since sweeping Harvard that weekend, the Gophers have swept North Dakota, Niagara and Ohio State and moved up to number one in both the WCHA and the national polls. Wisconsin lost their season-long hold on first-place after losing and tieing Duluth 4-0 and 3-3 with Duluth winning the shootout. Wisconsin is 1-for-3 during shootouts and this new rule may not help them in the end because they are losing the shootouts they are in, giving up league points to their opponents who are right behind them in the WCHA standings.
With a WCHA record of 14-1-1, the Gophers now face Bemidji State, who have a 2-14-0 league record. Coach Brad Frost has some minor changes in his line up due to injuries. Senior Gigi Marvin was checked from behind last weekend at Ohio State and is out for the weekend with an undisclosed injury. She will instead be providing radio commentary. Senior Rachael Drazan is out with a hurt ankle but is looking to return for tomorrow night’s game.
West-Schoullis-Francis
Rasmussen-J. Lamoureux-M. Lamoureux
Blankenship-Erickson-Jones
May-Horton-Ludwigson
Gagnon, Seeler, Willey, Maunu, Schleper, Zebro
Jenny Lura is starting in nets for the Gophers.
