The No. 5 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team scored two first-period goals to earn a 2-1 win over No. 10 Boston College, today at Ridder Arena. After tying the last two games, the Golden Gophers returned to the win column and increased their unbeaten streak to 11-straight games. The Gophers improve their overall record to 15-4-3 on the season.
Laura May scored her first goal as a Golden Gopher when she scored just 2:30 into the first period. May received a pass from Melanie Gagnon at the bottom of the left circle and placed it on BC goalie Molly Schaus’ blocker side for her first goal in a Gopher jersey. Whitney Graft added the second assist and her third on the season.
May’s goal marked the 13th Gopher to score a goal this season out of 18 skaters. Erica McKenzie leads the team with 16, followed by Gigi Marvin with 10 and Ross with nine. Of the 18 Gopher skaters, 16 have tallied a point this season, including eight with double digit points.
Anya Miller scored her second goal in two days when she rifled in a shot from the point, top-shelf, for her seventh goal of the season at 9:14 in the first. Bobbi Ross and Brittany Francis assisted on the play to put the game at 2-0. The Gophers dominated the first period, outshooting BC, 13-3.
The Gophers’ two goals in the first period would be all the scoring they would need for the win. After a scoreless second period, the Eagles cut Minnesota’s lead to one when Shannon Webster scored an unassisted goal at 11:19 in the third period. BC tried to tie the game, pulling Schaus with 1:34 remaining in the contest. The Gophers, however, did not allow a shot on goal and only attempted one shot, which was wide.
Jenny Lura picked up her eighth win of the season, sitting at 8-3-1 in her rookie campaign. Lura only faced three shots in the first, but kept the Gophers in the game in the second period, stopping 11 shots and seven in the third for 21 saves.
With the conclusion of the Boston College series, the Gophers closed out their non-conference portion of the schedule. The Gophers went 4-0-2 against non-conference opponents this season. Minnesota opened the season with a 5-3 win over Northeastern (10/5) and a 4-2 victory over Boston University. The Gophers then won and tied against Wayne State and Boston College the past two weeks.
The Gophers return to Western Collegiate Hockey Association action next weekend as they travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to face North Dakota. Friday’s game is set for a 7 p.m. start, while Saturday’s game is slated for a 4 p.m. tilt. Both games will be played at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.