Clarkson Falls in Season Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota (1-0-0) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Clarkson (0-1-0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 10:08 | PP - Jen Schoullis (Minnesota) |
| 1st - 15:28 | Kessel,Amanda (Minnesota) |
| 2nd - 17:20 | Kessel,Amanda (Minnesota) |
| 2nd - 18:19 | Becky Kortum (Minnesota) |
| 3rd - 03:10 | Erickson,Sarah (Minnesota) |
| Minnesota | Clarkson |
|---|---|
|
G:
Kessel,Amanda - 2
A: 2 Players (#4, #8 - 2) Sh: Kessel,Amanda - 7 Sv: Noora Raty - 23 |
G:
N/A
A: N/A Sh: 2 Players (#23, #25 - 4) Sv: Lauren Dahm - 23 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Minnesota | Clarkson |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 1 for 7 | 0 for 8 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 8 (16) | 7 (14) |
| Shots on Goal | 37 | 23 |
| Face Offs Won | 31 | 24 |
Potsdam, NY – Entering Friday
night’s contest, the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey
team was looking to gain a measure of revenge against the
University of Minnesota, the same squad that ended the Golden
Knights season in the NCAA Quarterfinals this past March. The Green
and Gold’s retribution will have to wait another day, as the
Golden Gophers opened the season with a 5-0
victory over Clarkson in front of 908 fans at Cheel Arena.
Clarkson, ranked 7th in the country in the preseason USCHO poll,
falls to 0-1-0 on the season, while 6th-ranked Minnesota moves to
1-0-0. The two teams will meet again on Saturday, with the opening
faceoff scheduled for 3:00 pm.
The first period could easily have been split in two, as Clarkson
controlled the first portion of the frame while Minnesota dominated
the second half. The Knights held the Gophers to just a single shot
on goal in the first eight minutes while putting seven on goal in
the same time. However, a body-checking penalty game Minnesota new
life through the frame and the team took advantage. With less than
half a minute remaining in the power play, Gophers’ center
Amanda Kessel skated along the red line near the Clarkson crease
and put a shot on goal up close, where Clarkson goaltender Lauren
Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY) stopped it. The rebound, however, bounced
directly to the stick of Jen Schoullis, who flipped it over
Dahm’s shoulder to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead. Besides Kessel,
Sarah Erickson also assisted.
Five minutes later the Gophers struck again. A shot from the point
rebounded to the right side where another pass through the crease
found the stick of Kessel, who picked up the goal at 15:28. Assists
went to Erickson and Megan Bozek.
After holding a 7-1 lead in shots through the first eight-plus
minutes, Clarkson had just one more shot on goal in the period
while Minnesota discovered its offense to the tune of 13 shots in
the final 12 minutes.
In the second period, Minnesota continued to challenge the
Knights’ defense, but Clarkson held the Gophers off the
scoreboard after the initial push. The Green and Gold had their
chances offensively when Minnesota took two penalties midway
through the frame, creating a 5-on-3 opportunity. Unfortunately,
Clarkson had just two shots on the Minnesota goal as the Gophers
expertly denied several other chances with body blocks.
Following a stretch with little action, Minnesota again asserted
itself on the offensive end. Dahm stopped a pair of shots from the
top of the crease, but the puck made its way through the slot and
found the stick of Kessel once again, who flipped it past the glove
of the Clarkson netminder at 17:40. Emily West and Terra Rasmussen
each earned assists on the score.
Only a minute later, the Gophers struck again, essentially putting
the game out of reach. The Clarkson defense failed to clear the
puck beyond the blue line where Laura May stole the puck and sent a
pass through the slot to Becky Kortum. The sophomore center
one-timed a shot at 18:19, giving Minnesota a 4-0 edge.
Clarkson made a goaltender change following the second
intermission as freshman Erica Howe (Ottawa, ONT) made her
collegiate debut, but the alteration made little difference to the
Gophers. Sarah Erickson, who had assisted on two earlier goals,
scored her first of the season on a backhand from the bottom of the
left circle at 3:10, with assists going to linemates Kessel and
Schoullis.
Dahm had 23 saves in 40 minutes, while Howe finished out the third
period with nine saves. Minnesota’s Noora Raty made 23 saves
to preserve the shutout.
Minnesota finished the game with a 37-23 lead in shots, scoring
once on the power play in seven chances. The Knights went 0-for-8
in an extra skater.
