WOMEN'S HOCKEY HOSTS UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA
[January 26, 1998]
THIS WEEK—A busy month, which featured nine games in 26 days, comes to a
close this weekend as Minnesota hosts the University of Manitoba.
The Gophers host the Bisons Friday and Saturday with both games
scheduled for 7 p.m. faceoffs at Mariucci Arena.
MINNESOTA RECENTLY—The Gophers skated to a pair of overtime ties with
Northeastern at Mariucci Arena, Saturday and Sunday.
Minnesota had a pair of one-goal leads Saturday but could not withstand
the efforts of the Huskies' Hilary Witt, who scored both goals for the
visitors, as the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
Brittny Ralph (Brooklyn Center, Minn./Brooklyn Center) got the Gophers'
first goal at the 14-minute mark of the opening period and Kris Scholz
(Hugo, Minn./ Stillwater Area) scored at 12:03 of the final period to
give Minnesota a 2-1 lead, before Witt, just over two minutes later,
tied the game for a second time.
Northeastern held a 28-23 edge in shots on goal. Erica Killewald (Troy,
Mich./Troy) stopped 26 shots for the Gophers.
Sunday's affair was similiar in style with the defense dictating the
game as the game ended in a 1-1 tie. And, like Saturday's game, the
teams traded goals in a short span of time Scholz got her second goal of
the weekend, and 10th of the season, at the 7:30 mark of the second
period, but Lisa Giovanelli responded just over three minutes later to
account for the game's only scoring.
Killewald stopped 25 shots for Minnesota, including seven in the
five-minute overtime.
MANITOBA—The Bisons began a seven-day stretch in which they play five
games when they played at home Sunday night.
Manitoba will play again Monday, Jan. 26, and Thursday, Jan. 29, before
facing the Gophers this Friday and Saturday.
SCHOLZ SHOWS THE WAY—Gopher assistant captain Kris Scholz helped account
for all three Minnesota goals over the weekend, scoring twice and
assisting on the other.
One of four players to have played in all 21 games this season, Scholz
is tied for the team lead in assists (23) and is second in points (33).
She is also the only Gopher to have played in 10 or more games this year
without taking a penalty.
THE PRODUCTION LINE—Although team goal-scoring leaders Nadine Muzerall
(Mississauga, Ontario/Kimball Union) and Ambria Thomas (Fairbanks,
Alaska/West Valley) were held without a goal on the weekend, the duo
combined with Kris Scholz for five of Minnesota's six points.
The trio, which formed the Gophers' top line for the first time in a 5-4
win over Providence in the Princeton Thanksgiving Invitational, has
combined for 38 goals and 91 points in 15 games, while the team has gone
9-3-3.
Muzerall, who leads all NCAA players in total points, had a 13-game
point-scoring streak snapped Saturday, just the second time in 19 games
this season that she has been held without a point.
Here are their numbers over the last 13 games.
Player GP G A Pts Pn-MN PP SH GW +/- SOG Pct.
Nadine Muzerall15 18 19 37 9-18 4 1 4 +28 82 .220
Kris Scholz 15 8 21 29 0-0 2 1 0 +22 36 .222
Ambria Thomas 15 12 13 25 11-22 0 0 3 +25 67 .179
Totals 15 38 53 91 20-40 6 2 7 +75 185 .205
BATTLE OF THE GOALIES—Two of the nation's top-ranked goalies squared off
when Erica Killewald and Shannon Meyers took to the ice over the
weekend.
Killewald, who leads the nation with four shutouts, stopped 51 of 54
shots, lowering her season goals against average to 2.30 while raising
her save percentage to .905. Meyers, ranked in the top five nationally
in goals against average and save percentage and unbeaten in her last
eight games, stopped 39 of 42 shots for the Huskies.
NATIONAL STATISTICS—Minnesota has several players who rank among the
nation's statistical leaders, while the team is in the top 10 in several
categories.
Here are their rankings, through games of Jan. 18.
Points per game—3. Nadine Muzerall, 2.59; 13. Ambria Thomas, 1.71; 18.
Kris Scholz, 1.58. Goals per game—6. Muzerall, 1.29; t11. Thomas, 1.00.
Assists per game—4. Muzerall, 1.29; 5. Scholz, 1.16. Power-play
goals—t4. Muzerall, 5; t10. Brittny Ralph, 3. Short-handed goals— t4.
Thomas, 2. Game-winning goals—t1. Thomas, 4; t1. Muzerall, 4. Goals
against average—5. Erica Killewald, 2.39. Winning percentage—5.
Killewald, .781. Shutouts— 1. Killewald, 4; t6. Sarah Harms, 1.
Scoring offense—4th, 4.74. Scoring defense—5th, 2.26. Scoring
differential—3rd, +2.47. Power-play—7th, 16.7%. Penalty-kill—10th,
84.0%.
THE COACHES—Minnesota coach Laura Halldorson returned to her home state
last year after posting a 59-75-9 record in seven years at Colby College
in Maine. In her final season, she led the White Mules to a 12-9-1
record, earning ECAC Co-Coach and New England Hockey Writers' Coach of
the Year honors.
A 1985 graduate of Princeton, she led the Tigers to three Ivy League
titles, serving as a co-captain in her senior season while earning
all-conference honors.
Currently, Halldorson sports an overall career record of 72-80-12.
The Bisons are coached by Laura Solberg, a 1988 graduate of the
University of Manitoba. Solberg is in her sixth season at her alma mater
and entered the 1997-98 campaign with a 77-21-11 record.
NATIONAL RANKINGS—Here is the latest USA Today/American Hockey Magazine
women's college hockey poll.
USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll, January
21, 1998
Team (1st Place Votes) Pts Record Pvs
1.New Hampshire (5) 75 17-2-1 1
2.Northeastern 60 15-4-1 2
3.Dartmouth 42 12-4-0 3
4.Brown 30 9-4-3 4
5.Cornell 15 9-6-0 NR
Others receiving votes: Minnesota 3.
RATINGS PERCENTAGE INDEX—U.S. College Hockey Online is compiling the RPI
for women's college hockey.
Only results from games between two teams that each play 15 or more
games against Division 1 opponents are used. Factors involved are 1) the
team's winning percentage; 2) the average winning percentage of the
team's opponents; and 3) the average winning percentage of the team's
opponents' opponents. These factors are multiplied by 35%, 50%, and 15%
respectively.
Team GP W-L-T Pct. O% OO% RPI
1.New Hampshire 16 15-0-1 .969 .531 .513 .682
2.Northeastern 18 13-2-3 .806 .516 .504 .616
3.Dartmouth 14 11-3-0 .786 .442 .507 .572
4.Brown 16 10-4-2 .688 .501 .511 .568
5.Minnesota 17 9-5-3 .618 .520 .509 .552
6.Cornell 15 9-6-0 .600 .451 .504 .511
7.Princeton 17 8-8-1 .500 .471 .503 .486
8.Harvard 13 5-8-0 .387 .508 .498 .464
9.Providence 20 5-15-0 .250 .578 .496 .451
10.Colby 10 2-6-2 .300 .428 .499 .394
11.St. Lawrence 14 2-11-1 .179 .499 .496 .386
12.Bost. College15 1-13-1 .100 .540 .489 .378
13.Yale 13 1-10-2 .154 .489 .497 .370
THREE-STAR STANDINGS—At the conclusion of the season, the Gopher women's
hockey player who has accumulated the most three-star points will be
named the Three-Star Player of the Year.
Members of the media and the University of Minnesota sports information
staff vote on the three stars of the game at each home contest. Points
are awarded on a 5-3- 1 basis for players earning one of the game's
three stars.
First Second Third Total Total
Player Star Star Star Stars Points
Nadine Muzerall 4 1 2 7 25
Ambria Thomas 2 0 2 4 12
Kris Scholz 0 2 1 3 7
Marisa Pettiford1 0 0 1 5
Matty Brekken 0 1 0 1 3
Erica Killewald 0 1 0 1 3
Laura Tryba 0 1 0 1 3
Angela Borek 0 0 1 1 1
Sarah Harms 0 0 1 1 1
UP NEXT—The Gophers have games next Friday and Saturday, beginning the
weekend with their final road game of the regular season.
Minnesota will stay within the city limits of Minneapolis as they play
at Augsburg, Feb. 6., beginning at 7 p.m.
The Gophers will return to action the following afternoon when they host
Wisconsin at 2 p.m. at Mariucci Arena.
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