Box Score The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team led the University of North Dakota for longer Saturday afternoon than the Bulldogs did for the entire 2012-13 season. Unfortunately for UMD, it wasn't long enough.
The No. 9 Bulldogs surrendered three unanswered goals in the third period to suffer a 4-3 setback to No. 6 UND at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND. The loss is the first for the now 2-1-0 Bulldogs this season and first in Western Collegiate Hockey Association action.
"I love playing North Dakota, they have the will to win," said head coach Shannon Miller. Â "Some of my players have it, some of them don't. Â We need to learn it if we are ever going to reach our true potential."
North Dakota opened the scoring 10:41 into the first period when UND's Michelle Karvinen swatted in an airborne puck, but the Bulldogs answered immediately on a breakaway from junior forward Jenna McParland. McParland skated around a North Dakota player and scored five-hole just 27 seconds later to draw UMD even at 1-1.
McParland pulled the Bulldogs ahead 34 seconds before the first intermission, tipping in a power-play shot from the point from Emma Stauber. A rip from the blueline from blueliner Lara Stalder 16:21 into the second stanza threaded traffic to beat North Dakota netminder Shelby Amsley-Benzie and gave UMD the 3-1 lead until 2:32 into the third period.
North Dakota flexed its offensive muscle, with goals from Becca Kohler and Sam LaShomb 1:50 apart to tie the game at 3-3. UND, behind a hefty 15-4 shot advantage in the final 20 minutes of play grabbed the lead for good at the 13:25 mark on a tally from Samantha Hanson.
Outshot 38-18 in the skate, UMD goaltender Kayla Black made 34 stops, while the Bulldogs went 1-of-4 on the power-play and held North Dakota scoreless in four extra skater attempts.
The two squads will hit the ice for a rematch tomorrow afternoon at 2:07 p.m.
