Wisconsin Sweeps Minnesota State
December 11, 2004 | Women's Hockey
No. 4 Wisconsin swept Minnesota State, 4-1, Saturday afternoon at the All Seasons Arena in Mankato, Minn. The Badgers improved to 13-4-1 overall and 9-4-1 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The loss dropped the Mavericks to 3-10-5 overall and 3-8-3 in the WCHA. The win preserved the Badgers' unbeaten record against MSU (21-0-1) and also left the Mavericks winless at home this season.
The Badgers came out hard in the first against an aggressive MSU team. The Mavericks clocked 17 penalty minutes in the first after junior Jen Jonsson was assessed a five-minute major for checking from behind and a 10-minute game misconduct penalty when she collided with Lindsay Macy behind the Maverick goal at 3:59.
Wisconsin got on the board at 9:25 in the first with a goal by sophomore Heidi Kletzien. Senior Amy Vermuelen and sophomore Kristen Witting marked the assists on the play. On Wisconsin's second power-play opportunity, Sara Bauer and Lindsay Macy sent two clean cuts through traffic for captain Carla MacLeod to finish at 18:50 to end the first period.
Penalties would continue to be a problem for the Mavericks 'even the Wisconsin whistles. At 12:53 in the second, Nicole Uliasz took a seat on a body-checking call, but with 1:31 left on the penalty, MacLeod broke free from the MSU defense and slotted a neat goal at 13:21. The goal marked her third-career short-handed goal and the third time Wisconsin has scored during a penalty-kill this season. Nikki Burish nearly finished another on a third period penalty-kill, but a quick block by MSU goalie Laura Brennan denied the score.
The Badgers scored on their fifth power play opportunity with a goal from Cyndy Kenyon at 8:01 in the third. With five more penalties called in the game both teams spent time on special teams. As the clock wound down, the Badgers sent a frenzy of shots into the Maverick crease, but could not profit from on any of them.
Early in the second, Minnesota State scored its only goal of the weekend when Amber Sharratt sent the puck over sophomore Christine Dufour's shoulder.
In net, Dufour marked 14 stops and inked her sixth win of the season.
The series marked the last Badger competition of the calendar year as the team will now prepare for final exams and enjoy nearly a month off before traveling to Quinnipiac for a non-conference tilt, Jan. 7-8.
