No. 1 Wisconsin misses golden opportunity, falls to Minnesota in OT
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The tide turned quickly for the Wisconsin women’s hockey team in overtime Jan. 30.
Thirty seconds after junior Cassie Hall missed a chance to finish a one-on-one opportunity against Minnesota goalie Hannah Clark, Gophers sophomore Molly Jordan made the Badgers pay with her first game-winning goal of the season.
The 3-2 final at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis snapped Wisconsin’s 15-game unbeaten streak and tightened the race in the WCHA. The top-ranked Badgers (23-2-2, 17-2-2, 53 points) still lead the league, but No. 2 Ohio State, a 6-2 winner over Minnesota-Duluth on Jan. 30, pulled to within one point. Third-ranked Minnesota now trails UW by five points.
Jordan’s game-winner capped a back-and-forth matchup that saw Wisconsin score twice in the second period to take a 2-1 lead and successfully kill a penalty that ended regulation and spilled over into overtime.
Jordan’s game-winner, however, came after the Badgers were unable to stop a play on defense. Gophers defender Gracie Graham, pushing the puck from the left side, centered a pass that got past three UW defenders and all the way back to Jordan, who entered the zone in time to control the puck and get a clean shot past freshman goaltender Rhyah Stewart with 3 minutes 43 seconds left in overtime.
The game was the first for the Badgers without three of their top five scorers, their No. 1 goalie and top center, all of whom have left the team to compete in the Olympics. Minnesota was also short-handed, minus four players that included its top two scorers.
Senior Lacey Eden put UW on the board by putting away the rebound of her miss from the left side at 14:28 mark of the second period. One minute later sophomore Finley McCarthy scored her third goal of the season to give the Badgers the lead.
Minnesota freshman Avery Hovland tied the game 9 ½ minutes into the final period to set the stage for overtime.
The game marked the debut of a new No. 1 line combination for the Badgers of Hall at center, Eden at right wing and junior Kelly Gorbatenko at left wing. They accounted for 13 of the Badgers’ 27 shots with each of the players having a hand in Eden’s goal.
The matchup also marked Stewart's second start. She finished with 24 saves and almost notched her first WCHA win.
The team’s wrap up the series Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: No. 1 Wisconsin women's hockey loses, 3-2, to Minnesota in overtime
