The fourth-ranked Gophers women’s hockey team entered the final weekend of the regular season on Friday night at Ridder Arena coming off what could prove to be the most important 20 minutes of its season.
Playing on the road last weekend, Minnesota scored twice in the third period to beat St. Cloud State 2-1 and end a four-game losing streak that included three one-sided losses. For the comeback to prove pivotal, however, the Gophers would have to step up against the No. 6 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, a team they had swept in November, in hopes of building
momentum for the postseason.
Overcoming a slow start and surviving a late scare, the Gophers got the job done Friday night, beating the Bulldogs 3-2.
“After losing four in a row, which I later found out was for first time in program history, we knew it was going to be hard to try to get out of it,” Gophers coach Brad Frost said. “Getting two in the third against a very good defensive team kind of springboarded us and got us going back going in the right direction.”
Gophers fifth-year senior forward Natalie Mlynkova, who missed the last two games due to an undisclosed injury, provided what proved to be the winning goal in the second period, which gave the Gophers a 3-1 lead. The transfer from Vermont said the importance of Friday’s game was not lost on the players.
“We’ve been facing some adversity for sure,” Mlynkova said. “Better that it came now than in the playoffs. Everything happens for a reason, and I think maybe we needed that little warning.
“We took it to heart, and I hope we can learn from it and move on.”
Mlynkova’s goal was her 14th of the season, a total that undoubtedly would be higher if not for a series of injury and health issues.
“She’s such an impact player,” Frost said. “I think she’s one of the best in the country when she’s healthy.”
Like the Gophers (24-9-1, 18-8-1 WCHA), Mlynkova might be trending in the right direction just in time.
“I told the girls in the locker room that I feel better today than I have in the last five months,” she said. “It’s been a heck of a year for me personally; lots of adversity. I’ve been playing through things for a very long time, and eventually it took me out of the game.
“I just hope I’m on the right track now. I’m building to being 100%, and I’m very close to that. No doubt, I’m going to be there very soon.”
Despite being outplayed during the first half of the first period on Friday, the Gophers took a 1-0 lead at 14:52. Emma Kreisz carried the puck out of the right-wing corner in the Duluth zone and flipped backhand past Bulldogs goaltender Eve Gascon for her seventh goal of the season.
“We were turning some pucks over, and we needed to filter pucks to the net instead of trying to make passes,” Frost said. “But getting that first one was big.”
The Bulldogs tied the game just over two minutes later when Olivia Wallin picked up a loose puck in the slot and slid it past Gophers goaltender Hannah Clark.
The Gophers scored the only two goals of the second period. Ella Huber collected her 12th of the season at 6:40 before Mlynkova scored what can only be described as a goal-scorer’s goal. Taking a pass along the right-wing board in the Bulldogs’ zone, she cut into the slot, held the puck for an extra beat and ripped a wrist shot past Gascon.
“I try to have the poise when I have the time to do that,” Mlynkova said. “I was just glad that I was able to finish on my shot there and it helped us to get the win.”
The Bulldogs (19-12-2, 14-11-2) cut the Gophers’ lead to 3-2 at 16:52 of the third period and pulled their goaltender in the final minute, but the Gophers defended well in the closing seconds.
While their focus will be on taking care of business against the Bulldogs on Saturday, the Gophers also will have an eye on Ohio State’s game against St. Cloud State.
“There’s always national tournament implications when you play top opponents like this,” Frost said. “And also (in the conference); if we win and St. Cloud wins, we can move up to the two spot.
“We’re guaranteed the three spot, which is good, but any time you can move up in the standings or in the national picture we want to do that.”
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