Wisconsin Settles for 3-3 Tie
December 09, 2006 | Women's Hockey
The second-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team went up 3-0, but was unable to hold on to that lead as it settled for a 3-3 tie with St. Cloud State Saturday afternoon at the National Hockey Center.
Meghan Duggan (Danvers, Mass.), Sara Bauer (St. Catharines, Ontario) and Bobbi-Jo Slusar (Swift Current, Saskatchewan) scored for the Badgers, who closed out the 2006 portion of their schedule with a 16-1-3 record overall and 12-1-3 record in the WCHA.
Senior goalie Christine Dufour (Rivere-du-Loup, Quebec) earned the start in goal and made 24 saves. Her counterpart, Kendall Newell, stopped 29 shots for the Huskies (7-9-4, 4-9-3).
Duggan gave the Badgers a 1-0 lead with 36 seconds left in the opening period. Junior Jinelle Zaugg (Eagle River, Wis.) got the puck on the right side and sent a pass to Duggan in the slot. Duggan sent the puck at the net and it found its way past Newell to give Duggan her 13th goal of the season. Zaugg and senior Kristen Witting (Beloit, Wis.) notched assists on the play.
Bauer put the Badgers up 2-0 1:29 into the second. The 2006 Patty Kazmaier Award winner won an offensive zone faceoff on the right side and snapped a quick shot into the upper right corner for her 11th goal of the season and 180th career point. The power-play goal was unassisted.
Midway through the second period, Slusar gave UW a three-goal cushion when her shot from the top of the circles went in off of the crossbar. Meaghan Mikkelson (St. Albert, Alberta) and Angie Keseley (St. Louis Park, Minn.) tallied assists on the power-play goal.
Marie-Michel Lemieux got the Huskies on the board at the 4:31 mark of the third period. The goal ended Dufour's shutout streak at 186 minutes and 38 seconds.
Meaghan Pezon cut the score to 3-2 with 7:22 left in regulation when she ripped a shot over Dufour from the right circle. The unassisted goal was Pezon's fifth of the season.
St. Cloud tied the game at three with 19 seconds left in regulation. Playing shorthanded and with an empty net, Caitlin Hogan found a loose puck in front of the Badger net and put it in through traffic for her sixth goal of the season.
Despite out-shooting St. Cloud 2-0 in overtime, Wisconsin was unable to come up with a game-winner.
Wisconsin finished the game 2-for-7 on the power play while St. Cloud was 0-for-5.
The Badgers are now off for exams and the holidays. They return to action Jan. 5-6, 2007 when they travel to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
