University of St. Thomas Athletics
5-15-2, 2-13-1
Minnesota
17-5-1, 11-4-1
#3 Gophers outlast Tommies in Saturday matchup
1/11/2025 4:56:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. – The University of St. Thomas women's hockey team hoped to make a statement Saturday afternoon. After a close game on Friday, the Tommies were looking to upend their crosstown rival and hand the University of Minnesota its second loss in four games. After the first 40 minutes of play, St. Thomas was in position to do just that, hanging with #3 Minnesota after the first two periods of play. However, the Gophers pulled away late in the third, using a three-goal period to secure a 5-1 victory. With the loss, the Tommies are now 5-15-2 overall and 2-13-1 in Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) play.
RECAP:
Unlike Friday, the scoring started early in Saturday's showdown at Ridder Arena, as the Gophers scored two quick goals to take a 2-0 lead by the five minute mark. Like Friday, St. Thomas battled the #3 ranked team in the country, with the Brown-Boerger-Boreen line being the first to put shots on goal. The Tommies also had an opportunity to cut the deficit in half early, as Peyton Hemp was once again sent to the box for body checking at 7:49 in the first period. St. Thomas took advantage of the power play opportunity, as Nicole Vallario (Lugano, Switzerland / SPSE TENERO) sailed the puck past Clark to cut the deficit to 2-1 at 8:57.
Just a little over five minutes later, the Tommies found themselves down a skater and without their goal scorer, as Vallario was given a five minute major and misconduct for contact to the head at 14:30 in the period. For, basically, the final five minutes of the period, the St. Thomas penalty kill went to work preventing the No. 5 power play unit in the country from scoring another goal. The Tommie PK unit limited the Gophers to just three shots on goal during the five minute major, and Dani Strom (Dayton, Minn. / Maple Grove) deftly made all three saves, preserving the one-goal deficit at 2-1.
After killing the five minute major to end the first, St. Thomas looked to even the score early in the second period and to work in Minnesota's offensive zone. The Tommies offensively generated several good scoring chances, though they only managed three shots on goal through the first 10 minutes of the period. On defense, Strom and Co continued to stand strong, weathering early storms from the Gophers top line. When Minnesota seemingly extended its lead to 3-1 with five minutes to go in the period, Natalie Mlynkova's goal was waved off, and St. Thomas had a chance to even the score at the two minute mark. Chloe Boreen (Somerset, Wis. / Hill-Murray) stole the puck in the neutral zone and found herself with in an odd man rush with Haley Maxwell (Edina, Minn. / Edina). The first year dumped it back to Maxwell who in turn fired it at Clark, only for it to be turned away and the rebound sail just out of Boreen's reach.
The Gophers put together one final push in the final minute of the period, but Strom held firm to preserve the 2-1 score entering the third. St. Thomas, though, could not hold Minnesota at bay in the third. The Gophers scored three goals in the final 20 minutes of play, defeating the Tommies by a final score of 5-1.
TOP TOMMIES
- Nicole Vallario (Lugano, Switzerland / SPSE TENERO) scored the lone goal for St. Thomas Saturday afternoon, with assists to Ellah Hause (Forest Lake, Minn. / Hill-Murray) and Rylee Bartz (Fargo, N.D. / Warroad). It was Vallario's third goal of the season and 13th in her Tommie career.
- Dani Strom (Dayton, Minn. / Maple Grove) faced 38 shots and made 33 saves Saturday, her 10th 30+ save performance this season.
UP NEXT
St. Thomas will return to St. Thomas Ice Arena for its next WCHA series when the team hosts #1 Wisconsin in a two game series. Puck drop on Friday, January 17 is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.
