POTSDAM, N.Y. — Earning a Women’s Frozen Four berth in four overtimes was the perfect way for Clarkson to spend its longest game in program history.

The No. 4-seeded Golden Knights downed No. 5 Minnesota 3-2 on Saturday to make its first Frozen Four appearance since 2019. The win was no easy task though as Clarkson never held a lead in the contest until scoring the game-winner in the fourth overtime.

The Gophers end their season with a 27-10-2 overall record. The Golden Knights will compete at the Women’s Frozen Four in Durham, New Hampshire, next week for the chance to win the school’s fourth national title (2014, 2017, 2018).

Gophers sophomore Josefin Bouveng opened the scoring in the first period when she scooped up a rebound and popped it past Clarkson netminder Michelle Pasiechnyk. A few minutes later, Bouveng made a pass across the crease to Ella Huber who increased the Gophers’ lead to 2-0.

Clarkson responded late in the first period with a power-play goal from Haley Winn. The Golden Knights then tied things up with an extra-attacker goal from Dominique Petrie late in regulation to push the game into overtime while deadlocked at 2-2.

Petrie finally scored the game-winner on the power play in the fourth overtime.

Goaltender Michelle Pasiechnyk made 62 saves in the win for Clarkson while Lucy Morgan made 53 saves for Minnesota.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. — The results may not have been what he was looking for, but as Charlee Soto was walking back to the minor league side of the Twins complex after pitching in front of a crowd of fans at Hammond Stadium in the Spring Breakout game, he was all smiles.

The 18-year-old, whom the Twins drafted 34th overall last year, gave up four runs while only retiring two batters in an 8-8 tie in a game featuring the Twins and Tampa Bay Rays’ top prospects Saturday.

“I didn’t have the outcome I wanted,” Soto said. “It was just fun to be out on the field with those guys and go out there and compete.”

Soto, currently the Twins’ third-ranked pitching prospect per MLB Pipeline, was amped up — he was trying to calm himself down, he said, and his body wouldn’t allow it — and it was clear.

And why wouldn’t he be?

He’s pitched some on back fields but was not sent out to an affiliate after being drafted last year, instead spending that time primarily in the weight room and building his arm up. Now, he’s finally pitching in games as a professional, and Saturday he got to do so in front of an enthusiastic cheering section made up of family members.

As he prepares for his first season as a professional, Soto is working on developing his sinker, which he’s trying to get to be the same velocity as his four-seamer, and his slider, which he said is “getting there.”

“All those pitches are coming along very well,” Soto said.

While the Spring Breakout offered each organization’s brightest prospects the chance to play together, Soto has also relished the opportunity he’s had this spring to spend time around Twins major leaguers.

“It’s just fun being around all those guys,” he said. “I was around Pablo López, (Jhoan) Duran a little bit. Just being around those big (league) guys, you learn a lot from them on the weight room side and on the baseball side, as well.”

DeSclafani sees game action

On the Lee County Sports Complex back fields, away from the main stadium, Twins starter Anthony Desclafani saw his first game action of spring, throwing (almost) two innings in a minor league game.

DeSclafani, who has been behind in his build-up for the season after experiencing some elbow soreness earlier this spring, threw 36 pitches on Saturday. He allowed a pair of singles in his first inning while striking out a pair of batters.

In the second, he issued a walk (the runner was subsequently thrown out trying to steal by Christian Vázquez), struck out a batter and then allowed another walk before the Twins opted to end the inning.

“He looked good for those two innings. Now we build up and see what comes next,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’ll see how he comes out of his two innings and go from there.”

López goes five

The results may not have been what he was looking for — he gave up four home runs in his five innings of work against the Rays — but López stretched it out to 73 pitches on Saturday. It will likely be the longest start of the spring for López, the team’s Opening Day starter.

“The five ups, with seventh-some pitches, I feel like my body is where it should be,” López said. “I was throwing harder the last two innings and that’s a good sign.”

Briefly

Byron Buxton finished Saturday’s 6-5 win over the Rays with a single and a double, scoring from first base in the first inning on a Royce Lewis two-bagger. He also made a diving grab in center field. … The Twins will send a group up to Dunedin on Sunday to take on the Blue Jays. Reliever Jorge Alcala is listed as the starter.

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Minnesota was dominant from start to finish on Saturday at  Xcel Energy Center, beating New York 5-1 before an announced crowd of 9,006. It was a performance coach Ken Klee couldn’t have drawn up much better.

In winning its fourth straight game, Minnesota grabbed an early lead, got goals from each of its top three lines and continued the stellar defensive play that has been its calling card throughout the season.

With one more game to play before the month-long break for the Women’s World Championship, Minnesota sits alone atop the Professional Women’s Hockey League standings.

Michela Cava scored two goals, giving her three in the past two games after being moved up to the top line. Kendall Coyne Schofield continued her recent increase in offensive production with her sixth goal of the season and Grace Zumwinkle added her team-leading ninth of the season.

And just as significantly, Claire Butorac continued Minnesota’s recent trend of getting goals from secondary scorers as she picked up her first of the season. Klee sees it as a good sign that Minnesota is starting to see production throughout the lineup.

“It’s a lot of fun, and they’re all happy for each other,” he said. “With Claire Butorac getting her first goal, Michela Cava with two great goals; she kind of got going last game.

“It was Denisa (Krizova) the game before that. For me, it’s the level of excitement that the players have for each other, when they’re having success and making plays. To me, that’s what a great team is about.

“I want to be able to roll four lines. Obviously, certain players play more than others in certain situations, but my teams, everyone has a role and everyone is important.”

To that end, Sydney Brodt made her season debut after being activated from long-term injured reserve. The former University of Minnesota Duluth captain picked up an assist on Butorac’s goal.

Butorac said she hadn’t put any added pressure on herself to break through on the score sheet but was pleased to be able to contribute.

“I think every night we take the ice as a team we really are a team,” she said. “We get contributions from top to bottom. We play as a team, and we take pride in that.”

Meanwhile, Minnesota continues to be the hardest team to score against, limiting teams to an average of 1.8 goals per game. Goaltender Maddie Rooney followed Nicole Hensley’s shutout performance on Wednesday with a strong effort of her own, with New York’s only goal coming on a power play.

“You look at their goals-against average and save percentage, they’re both at the top of the league, which is just outstanding,” Klee said. “It gives us a chance every night.”

Rooney credits her teammates for buying into being solid in their own zone.

“The defense is playing great,” Rooney said. “Tonight, I feel they kept a lot of the shots to the outside, and when the rebound was there they did a great job of clearing it. And, also, I thought we were breaking out a lot easier than in the previous couple of games.”

The four-game winning streak is Minnesota’s longest this season. Minnesota appears to be playing at its highest level to date.

“These past four games have definitely given us momentum,” Rooney said, “but we aren’t gong to take any opponent lightly. It’s just step on the gas pedal from here.”

Added Butorac: “Obviously, it’s nice to win four, but I don’t think we’re satisfied what that. We are going to push through to the end of the regular season.”

A win over Montreal next Sunday at Excel would send Minnesota into the break on a real high.

“We talked about how important these points are for us at home before the break,” he said, “because we know after the break we have four of five to finish on the road.”

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When Providence Academy and Albany met a week before Christmas it was the Huskies emerging with a two-point win.

Turns out it was just an appetizer because the excitement and tension of that one was topped Saturday afternoon.

And the result went the other way.

Maddyn Greenway went nearly coast to coast for a game-winning layup with 9 seconds remaining and Providence Academy earned a storybook finish by beating Albany 81-78 in the Class 2A championship game at Williams Arena.

It is the third straight title for the Lions. Providence Academy beat Albany by 14 in last year’s state title game.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said Lions senior Brooke Hohenecker.

How about you, coach Conner Goetz?

“This is something I’ve never been a part of, that comeback that late. That was special.”

Down by one, Greenway grabbed a rebound of a missed free throw, raced down the court and deftly banked the ball off the glass and through the netting.

It was the first lead for the 28-4 Lions, who had trailed by 18 late in the first half.

“I saw they were kind of on their heels, and I saw it was (5-foot-4 Callie Holthaus) so she wouldn’t block it like (6-foot-3) Alyssa Sand. I was just going to take it,” Greenway said.

“She just beat us down the court,” said Albany coach Aaron Boyum.

Greenway defended a last-ditch effort by Holthaus, and Hope Counts sank two free throws with 0.4 seconds left.

Greenway picked up her fourth foul with just over 11 minutes to play, yet the sophomore finished with 30 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Hohenecker added 14 points, and Counts and Arianna Flies-Peterson each had a dozen. Peterson had a team-high 10 rebounds.

“This is the fourth year in a row that we’ve seen them in the state tournament. I believe if it wasn’t for us they’d be a four-time state champion,” Goetz said. “… They’re absolutely fantastic and they pushed us to the absolute brink. To come back is really special.”

Albany beat Providence Academy in the 2021 final.

Sand led the Huskies with 29 points and 17 rebounds but was whistled for her fourth foul early in the second half.

Initially called a charge against Counts, a second official quickly raced in, and after a discussion, the call was reversed to a blocking foul on Sand.

“I think it was a charge, I thought I was set,” said Sand, a University of St. Thomas commit. “I don’t know if it changed the course of the game, I just had to be more aware because I didn’t want to foul out.”

Boyum was told by an official it is not a play that can be reviewed by video.

With its top offensive threat routinely being subbed in and out, Albany (30-2) struggled to regain its offensive flow, missing 13 of its first 14 shots in a second half where it finished at just 30%.

Still, a pullup jumper by Sand gave the Huskies a 76-73 lead with 2:03 left. A pair of free throws from Kylan Gerads made it 78-74 with 53.1 seconds to go, but Greenway countered with a 3-pointer seven seconds after to set up the wild finish.

Sand had 20 points and Gerads 14 as the Huskies shot 51.5% in the first half and made 13 of 15 free throws — Sand was 7 for 7 — for a 55-44 lead.

Gerads finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The Huskies led 49-31 with 3:33 left in the first half, but a late 9-1 run by Providence Academy kept the Lions within striking distance. Greenway, often knocked to the floor on drives, had 15 points in the first half and seven assists.

Down by 11 at the break, Greenway said the message in the locker room among teammates was confidence. “We turned to each other and said we’re not losing this game.”

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