H 58°, L 46° • Tomorrow: 
H 62°, L 51°
In the first of two games this weekend, the Wisconsin women’s hockey team failed to score in a 2-0 loss to rival Minnesota.
No. 1 Minnesota (25-0-0, 19-0-0 WCHA) dominated No. 8 Wisconsin (15-8-2, 11-8-2 WCHA) in all facets of the game on Friday.
The Golden Gophers controlled the game offensively in all three periods with a constant stream of attacks resulting in 35 shots on goal compared to the Badgers’ 25.
UW had numerous chances on net, but UM’s senior goaltender Noora Rätty proved to be too much for Wisconsin’s offensive attack, blanking the Badgers for the second time this season.
Wisconsin struggled to keep five players on the ice with a total of six penalties in the game while Minnesota was only charged for three.
Two of UW’s penalties came from having too many players on the ice, committing mental mistakes not normally seen from the Wisconsin squad.
Minnesota struck early on Friday, scoring in the first five minutes of the game on freshman forward Hannah Brandt’s 24th goal of the season.
The Gophers second goal came late in the first period on a 5-3 power play after Wisconsin was charged with two penalties in less than a minute.
Wisconsin junior goaltender Alex Rigsby did her best to prevent a Minnesota power play goal, but the two-man advantage proved to be too much for Rigsby, as the Badgers’ defense allowed Gophers’ senior Mira Jalosuo to score from the left circle.
UW’s defense was able to hold the UM attack scoreless in the second and third periods, but the two goal deficit was too much to overcome for the Wisconsin attack.
Friday’s defeat marks Wisconsin’s fifth-straight loss to Minnesota dating back to last season.
The Badgers will have another crack at the top-ranked Golden Gophers on Sunday in the LaBahn Arena.
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