After imposing its offensive will against Lindenwood last weekend, the No. 4 Wisconsin women’s hockey team (1-2-1-1 WCHA, 3-2-1 overall) was stone-walled offensively against Minnesota-Duluth (2-2-0 WCHA, 2-2-0 overall) and was swept, losing 2-0 Saturday and 1-0 Sunday.
UMD got on the board within the first two minutes of the game Saturday to take an early 1-0 lead. Wisconsin junior goaltender Alex Rigsby tried to clear the puck behind her net, but a pass to her defenseman was mishandled and led to an easy goal for the Bulldogs.
Faced with an early deficit, the Badgers’ offense rallied with multiple scoring opportunities throughout the second period.
With a two-on-one advantage in the UMD zone, senior forward Brianna Decker passed to junior forward Madison Packer across ice, but the shot deflected off the left post. Later in the period, junior defenseman Kelly Jaminksi fired a shot from the point that beat UMD’s goaltender Kayla Black through the five-hole, but the puck bounced off Black’s leg and slid wide past the post to preserve the Bulldogs’ 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs would tack on an insurance goal late in the third period, as UMD got a lucky break when Rigsby tried to poke-check the puck away from UMD’s forward Jenna McParland on an one-on-one opportunity, but the puck deflected off the underside of the crossbar to put the game out of reach, 2-0.
Wisconsin had plenty of opportunities on the power play but went 0-for-5, including a key five-minute major in the first period.
Coming off a shutout loss for the first time since Jan. 7, 2012, the Badgers looked to provide a spark offensively in the second game of the series.
UMD was on the offensive early, outshooting Wisconsin 13-8, and that aggressiveness paid off for the Bulldogs as the first period wore on.
With a little under two minutes left in the period, UMD drew first blood, as senior defenseman Jessica Wong gathered a loose puck from the slot and fired a one-timer into the top corner of the net, which proved to be the lone goal of the contest.
Both teams did an impressive job on the penalty kill, with the Badgers killing off five total penalties and the Bulldogs three. Wisconsin’s high-powered offense never got in a groove due to the stellar play of UMD’s defense, as it forced Wisconsin’s forwards to take shots from the perimeter of the ice and did not allow any rebound opportunities.
Despite the lone goal allowed, Rigsby stayed the course and made 27 saves. The back-to-back shutout losses marks for the first time since 2001 the Badgers have been held scoreless in a weekend series.
Wisconsin finally returns home after a three-week hiatus and will do so in historic fashion as they play Bemidji State in the inaugural game of the LaBahn Arena Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.
