University of St. Thomas Athletics
5-13-2, 2-11-1
Minnesota
13-4-1, 9-4-1
St. Thomas battles #3 Gophers in loss
12/7/2024 8:42:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MINN. – The first half of the 2024-25 season is officially over for the University of St. Thomas women's hockey team. The Tommies faced the #3 University of Minnesota Gophers in their final game of 2024 and put up a feisty performance against the No. 3 team in the country. St. Thomas scored two goals against its formidable opponent but were unable to hold Minnesota's potent offense at bay, ultimately falling by a final score of 6-2. With the loss, the Tommies close the first half of the season with a 5-12-2 record, and the Tommies are 2-11-1 in Western Collegiate Hockley Association (WCHA) play.
RECAP:
Like Friday night, the first period was filled with fireworks, though this time, all three goals that were scored were legal. Minnesota opened the scoring at 9:30 in the period, when Peyton Hemp snuck the puck past Dani Strom (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) to give the Gophers an early 1-0 lead. Thanks to a scrum near the Minnesota blue line, the puck found its way to Keara Parker's (Winnipeg, Manitoba / Rink Hockey Academy). The sophomore saw Sadie Lindsay (Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnesota) and Rylee Bartz (Fargo, N.D. / Warroad) had a two-on-one advantage up the ice and made a perfect pass to Lindsay near the left circle. Lindsay then slid the puck to Bartz, who was waiting patiently at the back door to even the score at 1-1.
Minnesota regained the lead roughly 30 seconds later, as Nelli Laitinen went top shelf to regain a 2-1 lead for the Gophers. That score held through the end of the period, through the Tommies did generate one final grade A scoring chance in the closing seconds. With 17 seconds left in the period, Bartz tried to beat Hannah Clark top shelf, but her shot sailed wide, resulting in the 2-1 Minnesota lead after one.
The physicality from the first period carried over to the second, as the two teams were called for a combined four penalties before the five minute mark. The Gophers capitalized on a Cailin Mumm (Andover, Minn. / Andover) tripping call midway through the period, extending their lead to 3-1 on a goal by Sydney Morrow. Minnesota then bounced a puck past Strom at 16:42, making it 4-1 Gophers at the end of the second.
Lauren Stenslie (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) did have a chance to cut the deficit in half with one minute remaining in the second period. Minnesota left the forward alone at center ice, allowing Stenslie to break away on a pass from Nicole Vallario (Lugano, Switzerland / SPSE TENERO). The junior forward flipped the puck up and over Clark, seemingly to the back corner, but it clanged off the crossbar and out, maintaining the Gophers 4-1 advantage.
St. Thomas continued to generate offensive chances in the third period and eventually found the back of the net at 6:13 in the period. After Minnesota took a 5-1 lead, it was once again the Parker-Bartz-Lindsay line that came through for the Tommies, as Lindsay scored her third goal of the season, sliding the puck past a diving Clark to cut the Minnesota lead to 5-2. However, St. Thomas was never able to catch the Gophers, and Minnesota scored one final goal in the closing seconds of regulation to secure the 6-2 victory.
TOP TOMMIES
- ·Sadie Lindsay (Minnetonka, Minn. / Minnesota) and Keara Parker (Winnipeg, Manitoba / Rink Hockey Academy) both recorded multi-point performances. Lindsay closed the night with one goal and one assists, while Parker assisted on both St. Thomas goals Saturday night.
- Dani Strom (Maple Grove, Minn. / Maple Grove) faced 42 shots and made 36 saves on Saturday, the ninth 30+ save performance of her Tommie career. Prior to Friday, Strom made 30+ saves in four consecutive games, including those against #6 Clarkson and #12 Penn State.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will enjoy nearly a month off before returning to the ice for competition. The Tommies will play #9 St. Cloud State in an outdoor exhibition game on Saturday, January 4 at the St. Louis Park ROC in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. St. Thomas will then travel to Ridder Arena to face the same Minnesota team in its first official series of the new year. The first game will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10.
