Women's Hockey Opens Third-Straight Series with a Tie
December 06, 2002 | Women's Hockey
For the fourth time in six games, Wisconsin women's hockey overcame a third-period deficit to earn at least a point as the Badgers escaped with a 2-2 tie against Bemidji State at John S. Glas Fieldhouse Friday night.
Wisconsin appeared to play down hill in the first period, keeping the Beavers pinned in their own end for most of the 20 minutes. Despite the territorial advantage, Wisconsin managed just a few good scoring chances. The first came at 3:23 when the puck got past BSU goaltender Jill Luebke, slid along the goal line but never crossed the red paint. Karen Rickard (Bowmanville, Ontario) also had a chance at 8:00, tipping a centering pass from Sharon Cole (Bloomington, Minn.) on net, but Luebke was in position for the glove save.
The second period was played more evenly and the Beavers took advantage of a UW turnover at the red line to reach the scoreboard first. Alicia Kinsman stole the puck from a UW defender and skated in alone on senior goaltender Jackie MacMillan (Buffalo, Minn.). Kinsman went to her back hand and found room between the goalie 's pads for her third of the season. The unassisted tally came at 5:55.
Meghan Hunter (Oil Springs, Ontario) produced the best UW chance of the second period, stealing the puck from a Beaver defender at the face-off dot to the right of Luebke during a penalty kill. Hunter skated across the slot, but the netminder stayed with her along the ice and the forward's backhand was stopped.
BSU increased the lead to two early in the third period when Nicky Kluck knocked in her first goal of the year at 2:47. Andrea Carlson put the puck out front from behind the net and Kluck scored on the ensuing scramble in front.
Wisconsin finally got on the scoreboard midway through the third period while on a power play. Amy Vermeulen (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) made good on a second rebound to score her third goal of the season. Kathy Devereaux's (Seaforth, Ontario) initial shot was stopped, as was Jackie Friesen's (Regina, Saskatchewan) attempt at the rebound. Vermeulen picked up the loose puck on the far side and hit an empty net for the goal at 9:48.
The Badgers tied the contest with another power-play score, less than one minute later, when Sis Paulsen (Eau Claire, Wis.) scored from the point. Meghan Hunter (Oil Springs, Ontario) fed Kerry Weiland (Palmer, Alaska) at the right point, before the defender slid the puck across the blue line. Paulsen's shot, at 10:46, slipped past BSU goaltender Jill Luebke for her second of the season. The goal sent the game into overtime.
Bemidji State had a power-play chance in the extra period after Molly Engstrom (Siren, Wis.) was called for interference with 44 seconds remaining in the game. Wisconsin killed most of the remaining time pinning the puck along the boards, but allowed Lisa Peters one final shot with three seconds remaining that MacMillan turned away for the tie.
The Badgers went 2-for-4 with the power play and kept the Beavers scoreless on their three attempts. Wisconsin finished the game with a 29-20 advantage in shots.
MacMillan made 18 saves and now stands 9-4-4 this season. Luebke stopped 27 shots and remained perfect at 1-0-3.
Wisconsin (9-4-4, 3-4-4 WCHA) wraps the first half of the WCHA season tomorrow when they face off for a second time against the Beavers (5-5-4, 3-3-3) at the John S. Glas Fieldhouse. The game, originally scheduled for 3:05 p.m., will begin at 2:05 p.m.
