Of the 26 game-winning goals Élizabeth Giguère has scored over her collegiate career, a few may have mattered more, but arguably none were prettier than what the senior pulled off Sunday afternoon at AMSOIL Arena.
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Giguère drew the curtain down on the fifth-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team's overtime battle with Minnesota State University, Mankato, pushing the Bulldogs past the Mavericks 3-2 in the final game of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association best-of-three quarterfinals. Giguère's game-winner came just 2:30 into overtime, and propelled UMD into the WCHA's Final Face-Off semifinal that will take place at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. next Saturday.
The Bulldogs began their sixth-ever league quarterfinal game three showdown with a lead, a first on the weekend. Anna Klein scored on UMD's first power play of the game after she shoveled in a rebound off a Giguère shot at 4:48.
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Senior Taylor Anderson doubled the Bulldogs lead to open the second period. Anderson fed Kailee Skinner between the circles, and Skinner's shot attempt ended up on Anderson's backhand for her sixth goal of the season at 2:08 and a 2-0 UMD lead. MSU pulled within one at 7:45 on a goal from Brittyn Fleming, but the Bulldogs owned a 2-1 lead after the first 40 minutes of play.
The Mavericks struck early in the third period when Jessica Kondas netted her fourth of the year at the 2:45Â mark, but the rest of the frame remained scoreless, sending the two sides into overtime to decide the fourth and final team of the league's postseason tournament next weekend.
Enter Quebec City, Quebec native, unassumingly dialed in to add another highlight to her storied career 2:30 into extra time. After she took a long feed from senior defenseman Lizi Norton along the right boards on an MSU line change, Giguère drove to the net, patiently evaded a sliding Maverick defenseman in the slot and then deked MSU goaltender Chantal Burke just enough to force Burke to the ice. Giguère then skated around the outstretched Burke and tucked the puck behind the goaltender's left skate for the game-winning, postseason ticket-punching goal.
"I mean there was a great pass from Lizi up the wall," said Giguère about her game-winner. "I saw that they were kind of changing so we had a chance to go and they were kind of diving all around all game long, so I knew that as soon as I had the chance that, if they that to me I was pulling it. So I just, I don't know what happened, but then the puck was in the net. It was just a great play overall, starting from the D and then to me and then I'm just glad we got the win, to be honest."
Sophomore goaltender Jojo Chobak made 21 saves en route to the second postseason win of her career. UMD outshot MSU 29-23, and went 1-of-3 on its power play while holding the Mavericks scoreless in two attempts. Burke had 26 stops for MSU, who ends the season 15-19-1 overall.
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The Bulldogs (24-10-1) will head to Ridder Arena next weekend to face the top-seeded University of Minnesota. The puck will drop on the first WCHA Final Face-Off semifinal game at 1:00 p.m.
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BULLDOG NOTES: UMD as a program is now 4-2 in WCHA quarterfinal series that go to three games … overall, the Bulldogs are now 32-10 in all quarterfinal games and 45-24 in all WCHA postseason contests … Elizabeth Giguere has scored three game-winning goals this season and leads all active NCAA players with 26 career game-winning goals … Giguère led all players Sunday with two points (1g, 1a) … in all, seven players got on the scoresheet for the Bulldogs … Giguère has now scored 20 or more goals in four of her five collegiate seasons … with 55 points (20g, 35a), Giguère has also recorded 55 or more points in four of her five collegiate seasons.
