BY ERIK GAFFRON | The Statesman
THE GAME
The UMD women’s hockey team failed to break through offensively on Friday night against the undefeated No.1 Ranked Wisconsin Badgers, falling to the Badgers 3-0.
Carrying speed and lots of offensive pressure early in the first period, the Bulldogs showed promise early in the game. Even as they were able to get the puck deep in the offensive zone, UMD was not able to capitalize on the few scoring chances that 6 first period shots provided.
The Badgers first goal came after an unfortunate break—Bulldog forward Demi Crossman blocked a shot that dropped her to the ice. As a result, the Badgers were able to capitalize on the shaken player’s misfortune. The defense put a puck on net before Erika Sowchuk was able to pass across the slot to Rachel Jones who was able to freely slam the puck into the open net at 16:23 into the game.
Wisconsin scored their second goal when Erika Sowchuck was able to redirect a Ryan Jenny slap shot from the point to score just 6:14 into the second period for the Badgers.
While UMD had sizeable stints of offensive control in the third, they could not find the back of the net. The Badgers, however, were able to capitalize again, scoring on a redirect puck steered in by Emily Clark.
THE TAKEAWAY
Wisconsin Badger Goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens continued her dominant season, breaking the NCAA Division 1 record for minutes of shutout play as a goaltender with 500 minutes and 50 seconds. The previous record was 448 minutes 32 seconds, held by Jessie Vetter. Desbiens stopped 17 shots in the 3-0 victory.
The Bulldogs rose to the occasion, matching Wisconsin's intensity throughout the game. However, missed opportunities and wide shots on offense plagued the Bulldog’s throughout the game, squandering any hope of breaking Wisconsin’s winning streak.
Maddie Rooney played a strong game in net, stopping 33 of 37 shots in the loss and making a few key saves to keep the Bulldogs in the game throughout. Rooney also had good defensive support, getting nine blocked shots from the players in front of her.
THREE KEY STATS
500:50- The amount of consecutive minutes Ann-Renée Desbiens has pitched a shutout. Now holding a new NCAA record, the Wisconsin goaltender will continue to push her streak as she played a nearly flawless game Friday.
33- Maddie Rooney was a standout in net and stopped 33 of 37 shots in the loss. She challenged the Wisconsin shooters well and was able to keep the ‘Dogs in the game all the way until the final minutes.
29- The amount of periods since the last time the Wisconsin Badgers have allowed a goal. The streak goes back to their opening weekend against Providence on October 3.