Despite being two regular season games behind third-ranked Clarkson, it was 10th-ranked Minnesota Duluth getting off to a fast start Friday with a goal in the opening minute and a one-goal lead at the first intermission.
The Golden Knights were the ones to finish strong, however, scoring three unanswered goals for a 4-2 victory, spoiling the Bulldogs’ 2019-20 regular season opener before a crowd of 943 at Amsoil Arena.
The defeat is the first for the Bulldogs’ on opening weekend since Maura Crowell took over as coach in 2015-16. UMD was 7-0-1 on opening weekend with three sweeps heading into Friday’s game, with the tie coming against Boston College to start the 2016-17 season.
“I thought it was a great hockey game, especially liked our first period, the fast start,” Crowell said. “That's a really good hockey team. I thought we kept right up with them. I think we could have beat them if we cleaned up certain areas. It looked like Game One for us at certain points and at other points, it looked like we had been playing a lot. So I'm encouraged by our team. I would have liked, obviously, a win tonight, but I love the chance to get back at them (Saturday).”
Clarkson, which improved to 3-0 after sweeping Syracuse in a home-and-home last weekend, returns to Amsoil Arena for a 3:07 p.m. rematch with the Bulldogs on Saturday. The Knights will try and become the first team to sweep the Bulldogs in a season-opening series since Ohio State did it to open 2012-13.
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Clarkson took a 3-2 lead into the third period following a pair of goals in the later half of the second. Freshman wing Brooke McQuigge tied the game at the 13:25 mark with her first collegiate goal and senior center Michaela Pejzlova put the Knights ahead with 3:06 left in the second.
Junior wing Elizabeth Giguere put the Bulldogs down by two just 1:13 into the third period. She set up Pejzlova’s game-winning goal by forcing a UMD turnover along the sidewall. Giguere then took off on a solo breakaway and while her shot was denied by Bulldogs senior goaltender Maddie Rooney, the rebound that landed on the stick of Pejzlova got through.
“The momentum was going back and forth and they capitalized on a couple goals,” Crowell said. “I think that when they went up 3-2, we might have sat back a little bit licking our wounds.”
UMD led 2-1 after the first period thanks to goals by sophomore center Gabbie Hughes and senior captain Sydney Brodt.
Hughes — who celebrated her 20th birthday Friday — scored 31 seconds into the regular season opener to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. Clarkson tied the game two minutes later, but Brodt put her team back on top with 7:08 to go in the period.
UMD was on the verge of pulling ahead by two in the opening minutes of the second, laying siege to the Knights, who finally iced the puck in desperation to escape their own zone. That forced coach Matt Desrosiers to burn his one and only timeout 5:25 into the second.
A body checking call against Jalyn Elmes nine-plus minutes into the second put Clarkson on the power play, and while the Knights failed to score, they were able to gain the momentum necessary to tie the game in the two-plus minutes after the power play expired.
“You want your power play to go out there, obviously, look to score and get some chances and that,” Desrosiers said, “but at least keep the momentum in your favor and stuff. I thought we did that.”
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Clarkson 1-2-1—4
Minnesota Duluth 2-0-0—2
First period — 1. UMD, Gabbie Hughes 1 (Ashton Bell, Sydney Brodt), 0:31; 2. CU, Avery Mitchell 1 (Gabrielle David, Kayla Friesen), 2:33; 3. UMD, Brodt 1 (Anneke Linser, Bell), 12:52. Penalties — Tia Stoddard, CU (holding), 18:50.
Second period — 4. CU, Brooke McQuigge 1 (David), 13:25; 5. CU, Michaela Pejzlova 2 (Elizabeth Giguere), 16:54. Penalties — Jalyn Elmes, UMD (body checking), 9:16.
Third period — 6. CU, Giguere 3 (Taylor Turnquist, Pejzlova), 1:13. Penalties — None.
Shots on goal — CU 10-13-9—32; UMD 12-5-7—32. Goalies — Amanda Zeglen, CU (25 shots-23 saves); Maddie Rooney, UMD (32-28). Power plays — CU 0-of-1; UMD 0-of-1. Penalties — CU 1-2; UMD 1-2. Referees — Duncan Ryhorchuk, Michael Diebold. Linesmen — Sam Jerome, Ron Laturi. Att. — 934.
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