Gophers Lose to Badgers 4-3 in OT in WCHA Semifinal

Wisconsin scores with 8.8 seconds left to force OT

On International Women’s Day the fans at Ridder Arena got the gift of the two most stories programs in women’s college hockey going toe to toe in another epic playoff battle between they two. The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers seem to always end up meeting in the postseason with tons on the line, and once again that was the case on Friday. It’s lived up to the hype as the back and forth battle came down to the last possible seconds of the third period and then overtime as the Badgers scored the final two goals of the game to first extend, and then finish it. Wisconsin would win 4-3 in overtime to advance to the WCHA Championship Game Saturday afternoon while the Gophers wait to officially hear their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday.

Minnesota coach Brad Frost made the decision to start junior Skyler Vetter in goal over 5th year senior Lucy Morgan. Vetter lost the opening game of Minnesota’s best-of three series against Minnesota State last Friday after giving up five goals on just 23 shots on goal. Morgan got the start in net on both Saturday and Sunday’s deciding Game 3 and allowed just one goal over the two games. Morgan also had the lone win against the Badgers this season allowing just three goals in a 5-3 win for Minnesota in December. But Vetter proved over the course of the game that Frost did make the right decision, though she did get off to a bit of a rough start. The Badgers countered with freshman Ava McNaughton in goal who is the usual Saturday starter for the Badgers, but went 2-0 against Minnesota this season.

Minnesota wanted to get off to a good start and to not play from behind for long stretches of the game, and they did not help themselves right away. After one trip the to the offensive zone resulted in a wide shot for the Gophers, the Badgers broke out and Laila Edwards fed the nations leading point scorer Kirsten Simms. On Wisconsin’s first shot of the game she would put a backhand past Vetter to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead just 38 seconds into play.

Minnesota appeared to tie the game just a minute and a half later. The Gophers forced a turnover in the Badger end and a Taylor Stewart shot bounced off a Badger player and right to Audrey Wethington. She deflected the puck with her skate and as it slid over the goal line appeared to touch it with her stick. Wisconsin challenged the goal saying that it was kicked in, and the referees reviewed it and agreed. The replay shows that Wethington did kick the puck and went to try and knock it with her stick but whiffed as the puck slid into the net. It was the correct call and the Badgers remained in the lead.

Minnesota did not give up though and as the kids say…puck don’t lie. With 15:27 left in the period Abbey Murphy broke in on an one on one and put an initial shot that McNaughton saved, but she gave up a juicy rebound that Josefin Bouveng would find and backhand top shelf to tie the game at one.

Minnesota would take the lead on another dirty goal just a few minutes later. Minnesota won a faceoff in the Badger zone and the puck went back to the point. Madeline Wethington ripped a shot that went just wide of the goal but bounced hard off the back boards right into a scrum in the edge of the Wisconsin net. Ella Huber tipped the puck and it bounced off McNaughton’s outstretched glove as she lay on the ice, then off her mask and into the goal as a mass of players then pushed the net off it’s moorings. The goal was reviewed, but it was determined to have been a good goal, and Minnesota had their first lead of the game.

Both teams had good looks the remainder of the period but Minnesota seemed to carry a majority of the play until Wisconsin got their first chance on the power play. Murphy was called for holding with 3:07 left in the opening period. The Gophers would kill it off with the help of a few gorgeous saves by Vetter. Minnesota would get a power play of their own when Murphy came out of the box and got the puck and immediately made a rush towards the net and was trucked by Edwards for the Badgers. She went to the box but the Gophers could not get anything going in the first 47 seconds of the power play and the period would end with the Gophers holding a 2-1 lead.

Wisconsin killed off the rest of the Edwards penalty easily to open the second period with the Gophers just getting a pair of shots on net. Both teams had looks in the early part of the period with Wisconsin having the better but both goalies kept the puck out of the net. But then the Badgers would take advantage of the next controversial call to tie the game. Minnesota’s Madison Kaiser took the puck into the Badgers zone and was driven hard into the boards but the referees did not call a penalty. However Gopher captain Peyton Hemp stood up for her and the referees would get her for a retaliatory roughing penalty. Gopher coach Brad Frost argued to the referees but to no avail. Just eight second later the Badgers would tie the game when Simms put a one-timer feed past Vetter on the power play for her second goal of the game.

Minnesota was tested yet again as just ten seconds after the goal Audrey Wethington was whistled for a slash and Minnesota returned to the penalty kill. This time the Gophers did kill off the two minutes and kept the game knotted at a pair. Wisconsin continued to put insane pressure on Minnesota after they penalty. Vetter again made some huge saves, and Wisconsin had some very near misses.

Just when the Gophers seemed to weather the worst of the storm the Badgers went back on the power play when Murphy was called for checking. She absolutely did check a Badger player late and behind the play, a completely selfish stupid penalty to take at that point in the game. But the Gophers would again kill off the penalty with the help of an amazing Vetter kick save. Despite being outshoot 13-3 in the period, the Badgers only scored on one of their three powerplays and the game headed to the second intermission tied at two.

The third period started off rather sluggish as both teams did not want to make a critical mistake. With about 12 minutes left in the period, they finally picked up the pace. Wisconsin had about 90 seconds of zone control and put several shots on net, but Vetter kept them all out. Minnesota then had their chance to return fire and Audrey Wethington nearly had a pair of goals but McNaughton made the save on the first one and the second actually went through her five-hole but slid through the crease and out the other side, not into the net.

Once again the Badgers brought the pressure and Vetter again made save after save to keep the game tied. Minnesota had their chance to finally try and take control when Maddie Wheeler was called for tripping with 7:46 to play in the third. But the Badgers controlled play the entire time and the Gophers could not even get a shot on goal on their power play

Then things got really weird. Minnesota put some pressure on in the Wisconsin end and Murphy was taken down behind the Badger goal with no penalty called to the absolute ire of the Gopher fans and bench. Wisconsin brought the puck back in the Minnesota end and Vetter made a save and held for a faceoff. On that faceoff Wisconsin’s Mariane Picard was called for a hand pass on a faceoff which is a 2 minute minor. Was it a makeup call on the Murphy hit? Sure seemed like it could be.

The Gophers would cash in on this chance. A Nelli Laitinen shot would be blocked but the puck would bounce right to Peyton Hemp who put the puck past McNaughton to give the Gophers a 3-2 lead with 3:44 left in the game. Minnesota just had to hang on to advance to Saturday.

If you thought that was how this would end, you haven’t seen a Gopher vs Badger women’s hockey game. Wisconsin pulled McNaughton with 1:45 to play in regulation but the Gophers did a good job of not giving up any quality chances. Vetter made the saves she had to and after a Wisconsin icing with 36.6 seconds left McNaughton had to come back in the goal. The Badgers would win the faceoff and bring the puck back in the Gopher end and after it was tied up along the side boards while time ticked down, Wisconsin finally freed it with 15 seconds left. KK Harvey shot the puck and it was deflected behind the Gopher net where Casey O’Brien took it and backhanded the puck back towards the front of the goal. The puck would bounce off of Vetter’s helmet and ricochet into the back to the net to tie the game with 8.8 seconds left. Overtime here we come.

Overtime started out exactly as anyone would want it to be. It was pure classic Minnesota vs Wisconsin. Open, free flowing and both teams getting great quality chances. Minnesota had opportunities but an Ella Huber shot slid just wide and a Murphy tip was stopped right on the doorstep by McNaughton.

Finally Wisconsin would decide that they wanted to put this to an end. Wisconsin brought the puck into the Gopher end and Vetter made a great save on a point blank shot by Cassie Hall but the rebound kicked back out to Wisconsin. A point shot by Vivian Jungles went behind the net where Britta Curl picked it up and threw it in front. Lacy Eden got the puck and threw a backhand on net and past Vetter 7:59 into OT to give Wisconsin the win 4-3.

The Badgers will advance to play Ohio State for the WCHA Championship Saturday afternoon. The Buckeyes had no trouble defeating Minnesota-Duluth 5-0 in the first semifinal game.

With the Gophers loss and Colgate and Clarkson’s wins in the ECAC semifinals, the Gophers are locked into the #5 spot in the women’s pairwise rankings. They will play a road NCAA Quarterfinal next Saturday most likely at the loser of the ECAC Championship Game between Colgate and Clarkson. It will be the Gophers first road NCAA Quarterfinal since 2018 when they lost in Madison against the Badgers. Minnesota will officially find out their fate when the NCAA brackets are announced at 11 AM Sunday morning on ESPNEWS.

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