UW Shuts Out UND 4-0, Completes Sweep
December 09, 2007 | Women's Hockey
Four different Badgers recorded goals as the No. 7 Wisconsin women's hockey team shut out North Dakota 4-0 Sunday afternoon at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Freshmen Hilary Knight (Hanover, N.H.), Kelly Nash (Bonita, Calif.) and Mallory Deluce (London, Ontario) and junior Erika Lawler (Fitchburg, Mass.) all registered a goal and an assist as the Badgers (12-6-2 overall, 8-4-2 WCHA) completed their fourth series sweep of the season.
Junior goalie Jessie Vetter (Cottage Grove, Wis.) stopped all five shots that she faced to earn her seventh shutout of the season and the 22nd of her career. Vetter had 10 shutouts last season to tie the NCAA record for most shutouts in a single season.
Vetter's counterpart, Brittany Kirkham, made 32 saves for North Dakota (3-13-4, 3-9-2). The Badgers out-shot UND 36-5 in the contest and allowed North Dakota just two shots in the game's final 40 minutes.
Following a scoreless first period, the Badgers needed just 69 seconds to take a 1-0 lead in the second. Lawler carried the puck into the left corner and fed the puck to the slot where Knight one-timed it past Kirkham. Lawler and junior Alycia Matthews (Castlegar, British Columbia) each earned assists on Knight's eighth goal of the season.
Wisconsin doubled its lead at the 8:03 mark of the second period. Freshman Malee Windmeier fired a shot from the point that Kirkham was able to stop, but Nash was there to flip the rebound over Kirkham for her fourth goal of the season.
Less than three minutes later, Deluce extended the UW lead to 3-0 with her team-leading ninth goal of the season. Deluce picked up the puck in the right corner and saw her attempted centering pass deflect off of Kirkham's leg and into the net.
Lawler closed out the scoring when she took a pass from junior Angie Keseley (St. Louis Park, Minn.) and beat Kirkham for her seventh goal of the season.
Wisconsin finished the game 0-for-6 on the power play while North Dakota was 0-for-3.
The Badgers are now off for the next three weekends for exams and the holidays. Wisconsin returns to the ice Jan. 4-5, 2008 when the team will travel to Mankato, Minn., to face Minnesota State.
