Wisconsin Downs Dartmouth In Third Period, 4-3
November 26, 2005 | Women's Hockey
The top-ranked Wisconsin women's hockey team defeated Dartmouth with three third period goals to finish with a 4-3 win. Ironically, the score is the same as when Dartmouth and UW last met, in the NCAA tournament, when Wisconsin was on the short end. Wisconsin improved to 12-1-0 with the victory and Dartmouth fell to 4-5-0 in the non-conference match-up.
In the first, both teams scored goals midway through the period with the Badgers starting things out at 10:27 with a goal from Jinelle Zaugg (Eagle River, Wis.). Dartmouth's Carrie Thompson answered with a power-play goal at 12:31. Skating through the rest of the period scoreless, the teams retired for the first intermission.
The second period, the Badgers had numerous quality chances, but tough goaltending and poor luck denied them at every turn. A Badger power play proved advantageous for the Big Green as Maggie Kennedy raced out of the box just as the puck was cleared out the Dartmouth territory. Meghan Horras (Appleton, Wis.) made the initial stop with the puck wedged between her knees, but off balance, she fell back and dropped the puck loose to put Dartmouth ahead at 14:26.
The third period continued the last wild minutes of the second period in which Zaugg had five real chances to score. Wisconsin capitalized on their fourth power-play opportunity of the game with a goal as Sara Bauer (St. Catharines, Ontario) wrapped around the net to tie it up at 2:26. Dartmouth responded to go ahead again at 6:25.
Bauer was the equalizer again popping the puck in the left side of the net at 10:32. Mere second after the face-off Zaugg notched a goal at 10:45 to put the Badgers ahead for the first time since 12:30 in the first. Captain Sharon Cole (Bloomington, Minn.) and Bauer added the assists for the game-winner.
A tense nine minutes wound off the clock before Dartmouth called a timeout at 1:02. Opting for the extra skater, the Big Green put goalie Kate Lane on the bench at with 38 seconds remaining in the game. The Badgers cleared the puck, but could not score the empty-netter and time ran out on the Dartmouth comeback.
Horras finished her seventh season win with 15 saves while Lane faced a barrage of Badger shots stopping 34 and fell to 4-5-0 on the season.
The win makes tomorrow's match-up with New Hampshire the deciding factor in which team will win the title honors at the Dartmouth Classic. The fourth team at the tournament is the Ottawa Raiders who boast former Badger Kendra Antony on their roster. Antony registered an assist, but the team was shut down, 6-2 by fourth-ranked UNH. Antony was a member of the inaugural Badger women's hockey team and played from 1999-2003. She remains the second leading point scorer in UW history with 159 points. (67-92=159)
Wisconsin's faces off against No. 4 New Hampshire Sunday at noon (Central).
