Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Kim Martin readies to make a save on a penalty shot. |
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Martin Sets Records in UMD-Gopher Split
Nov. 20, 2007
By John Gilbert - There are series splits in WCHA hockey, but this one was over the top. UMD's Kim Martin faced 82 shots for the weekend, set two school records with 27 saves in one period and 50 saves in a game, as well as a penalty shot, but only got one victory, albeit a highly-satisfying 5-0 shutout in the opener against Minnesota. Meanwhile, Kim Hanlon, who had become the forgotten Golden Gopher netminder for five straight games, returned to the nets in the second game and was the beneficiary of a complete turnaround, blanking the Bulldogs 3-0.
To have all four games before Thanksgiving seems excessive, but the entertainment value of their meetings is always worthwhile when archrivals Minnesota-Duluth and archrival Minnesotacome together. Both elite women's hockey teams have serious designs on the WCHA and NCAA championshps - both of which will be held on the same DECC ice surface. UMD had been ranked No. 1 in the country when they sailed undefeated into Minnesota three weeks earlier, and were properly run aground when the Golden Gophers ripped them with 4-1, 5-1 victories.
So the Bulldogs had extra incentive, and presented coach Shannon Miller with the perfect gift for her 44^th birthday with the 5-0 victory. The next day, UMD's chance to put an exclamation point on their response was instead more of a comma. Or coma. The Golden Gophers roared back and whipped UMD 3-0 for a split of shutouts, as Hanlon was perfect in her first start in a month, although Gopher coach Brad Frost said no, it was not his birthday. At 7-3 atop the WCHA, UMD is 8-3-1 with its only losses to Minnesota.
The first game score was misleading. Minnesota was the beneficiary when
referee Chris Perrault hit UMD with the game's first five power plays,
plus the penalty shot, all in the first two periods. The game appeared
quite even and fast-paced, but the Gophers seized the chance to rain
shots at UMD from every angle - most of them point-blank. Sophomore
Martin showed no effects of jet lag from her recent return from starring
for Sweden in the Four Nations Cup in Europe, and kicked out 18 shots in
the first period. She also stopped Gopher star Gigi Marvin"s penalty
shot after a UMD defenseman closing her hand on the puck in the crease.
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At the other end, Myriam Trepanier scored from the blue line and Karine Demeule knocked in a rebound for a 2-0 UMD lead against freshman Jenny Lura, who jumped into the nets in the first UMD series and never came back out. Saara Tuominen, a UMD captain despite being only a sophomore, had played for Finland in the Four Nations Cup and admitted she was exhausted after returning Monday. But she scored on a 2-on-1 early in the second period to make it 3-0, and had assists on two other UMD goals.
Martin jumped, dived, scrambled, sprawled and did all sorts of gymnastic things, but she stopped all 27 Minnesota shots in the middle period - a UMD women's hockey team record. Minnesota had an 18-0 edge on power-play shots in that period. The flow of play didn't change in the third period, but Minnesota got four of the five penalties, essentially evening up the power plays with the issue no longer in doubt.
Martin made 13 more stops in the third period to make sure it was not in doubt, winding up with 50 for the game - another school record, breaking Riitta Schaublin's mark of 44 - as UMD was outshot 50-28.
"Of course, I grade myself, and I would say this was probably my best," said Martin. "I think that's the most shots I've ever had in a shutout. When you play in the World Tournament or the Olympics, you might face 60 or 70 shots against Canada or the U.S., but some go in."
Elin Holmlov made it 4-0 in the first minute of the third period, meaning Tuominen had a goal and two assists on the first four goals. But a defining moment of the game came after 13 minutes of the third period. Marvin, the concensus pick as the top player in the Women's-WCHA, sped in on a breakaway but her shot went off the pipe. UMD sped back the other way, and diminutive Emmanuelle Blais, a sophomore sparkplug who has been the Bulldogs most consistent forward all season, raced right back up the right side and blasted a 45-footer, high to the far side, past Lura. It couldn't have been more than a five-second journey for the puck to go from glancing off the pipe at UMD's end to being in Minnesota's net for a 5-0 margin.
"It was very stellar," said Miller. "Congratulations are in order. They smoked us two games, and we needed to return the favor. We needed to win, and got it. We were on the penalty kill for about 30 minutes, but Kim Martin was great, and we scored many beautiful goals."
With six freshmen - five of whom are among UMD's top six scorers - Miller noted how the youthfulness manifested itself. "We had a promotion to give away t-shirts if we scored in the first five minutes," Miller said. "When we scored at 5:21, the players on the bench were all disappointed that we had missed. When they announced that they had decided to give out the t-shirts anyway, our players were all excited."
Tuominen said: "We were a lot better than when we played down there. When we got back from the Four Nations Cup, I didn't practice until Friday. But still my legs were dying."
From Minnesota's side, third-term captain Bobbi Ross acknowledged that the Gophers seem to be more successful - always - when they score first. "Between periods, we never doubted we could come back and win," Ross said. "But I don't think we've ever come back to win a game yet."
The Gopher players were satisfied with their 4-2 record on a make-of-break six-game stretch that saw four games against UMD sandwiched around two against Wisconsin, and leaves them 5-4-1 in league play. Coach Frost had started the stretch by playing a hunch and going with freshman Lura in goal. As well as she played, he played another hunch and brough Hanlon back for the rematch.
"It was Kim's first game in six, but everything was better today," said Frost. "Our defensemen's gap, our backchecking, everything was better and we played a more all-around game."
Whitney Graft made sure there would be no shutout by Martin when she circled from the left circle to the slot and scored from 30 feet with a low, hard, 5-hole shot at 7:58 of the first period. Marvin, who had 12 shots in the two games, was credited with a goal-mouth power-play goal at 0:42 of the second period, but it was awarded instead to Erica McKenzie, who had 13 shots in the two games.
Ross notched her second assist of the day when she rushed up the right side and passed to freshman Jan Schoullis for a goal at 5:33 of the middle period, and Hanlon held the shutout from there, but was rarely threatened as the Gophers outshot UMD 32-21. Marvin thought she'd scored on a third-period break-in, but Martin reached her stick back and kept the puck from crossing the line. It didn't matter.
"We're proud of how we've done against the top teams," said Ross, "and everybody is happy with how Kim played."
UMD coach Miller was completely baffled by her team's lack of fire. "I'm really disappointed we didn't at least match the intensity of our opponent," said Miller. "The Gophers wanted to win today more than we did. If we came out flying, and hungry, and lose, that's one thing. But there was no energy in the room, no hunger. I go in the locker room, and I'm fired up, and there was nothing there. We did not show up. It's really that simple."
Maybe Miller needs to schedule two birthdays on Gopher weekends.
