Women's Hockey Salvages Split with Bemidji
Mavericks lose game one, but rebound with five goal explosion Saturday to earn two points.
by Dan Myers
January 25, 2006
The Minnesota State women’s hockey team rebounded from a disappointing effort Friday against Bemidji State to earn a series split and a huge 5-2 win on Saturday against the Beavers at All Seasons Arena.
The victory was the first win for the Mavericks since a 2-0 win at St. Cloud State in mid-November.
Keying the victory for MSU was a potent first line of Amanda Stohr, Maggie Fisher and Felicia Nelson. All three former South St. Paul Packers tallied a goal, with Stohr and Fisher also adding assists.
“Those kids play so well together,” said Mavericks’ head coach Jeff Vizenor. “They always seem to find space and find energy from each other.”
The win may have been one of the more important of the season for the Mavericks, as they had lost a 2-1 decision the previous night.
After a scoreless first period Friday, the Beavers jumped on top just under five minutes into the second on a goal by Kelly Hart. Nelson answered back just before the second intermission on a goal of her own, Nelson’s eighth of the season. Fisher and Brittany Mackley earned helpers on the play.
The score remained 1-1 until the 15:09 mark of the third period, when Jessica Pullar was credited with the game-winner for Bemidji after the puck bounced off her skate and past MSU’s Brit Kehler. Despite pulling Kehler in the final minute, the Mavericks were unable to find the equalizer and found themselves in a nine-game winless streak heading into Saturday’s matinee.
“It was really the way our last few games have gone,” Vizenor said of the unfortunate bounce at the end of Game 1. “We’re not getting the bounces we want, but you have to create your own chances too, and we had plenty of opportunities to get a lead at the other end.”
On Saturday, it didn’t take the Mavericks long to grab the lead Vizenor and the Mavericks craved. During their nine-game funk, the Mavericks held a lead for only 8:53 — 8:14 of which came during a first-period stretch against Minnesota Dec. 10.
Kristina Bunker opened the scoring for MSU just 1:27 into the contest. Shera Vis earned the only assist after her original shot was turned away by BSU goalie Emily Brookshaw.
“That first goal was enormous for us because we talked about winning the first five minutes of the game,” Vizenor said. “It was huge to get that lead and just play with a lead for awhile.”
The Beavers tied the game on a goal by Nikki Eckebrecht at 15:36. The goal came on the power play, the first of a pair of power- advantage goals given up by the Mavericks.
Fisher struck first in the second, giving MSU a 2-1 edge at 6:06, but Helena Tageson scored nearly six minutes later to even the game once again.
At 17:35, Stohr deflected the game-winner past Brookshaw, giving the Mavericks a 3-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. In fact, Bunker’s second goal at 10:07 of the third, and an empty netter by Nelson with just 35 seconds remaining in the game ran the score to 5-2 and built much needed confidence for the offensively starved Mavericks.
“We haven’t been giving up many goals, so there has been some pressure on us,” Stohr said. “We need to start finishing and it’s up to us to start finishing for our goalies and for the team.”
Kehler made 31 saves to earn her ninth victory of the season for MSU, which hits the road next weekend for a vital series at North Dakota. Tied with Ohio State in the WCHA standings, and with the Buckeyes hosting defending national champion Minnesota, the Mavericks (10-11-3 overall, 7-9-2 WCHA) have a chance to put some room between themselves and OSU in the battle for home ice in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. SCSU swept UND last weekend to also launch themselves into home ice contention, trailing the Buckeyes and Mavericks by a single point in the standings.
Face-off from Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks is scheduled for 2:07 p.m. Saturday and 3:07 p.m. Sunday.