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Wisconsin women's hockey falls to Minnesota at WCHA Final Faceoff; NCAA tournament up next

Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
Wisconsin's Nicole LaMantia (21), shown in a game from earlier this season, scored the team's second goal in a loss to Minnesota Friday in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.,
Wisconsin's Nicole LaMantia (21), shown in a game from earlier this season, scored the team's second goal in a loss to Minnesota Friday in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.,

The Wisconsin women's hockey team suffered its first loss of the season to Minnesota at an inopportune time.

The sixth-ranked Badgers fell to the third-ranked Gophers, 4-2, in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Faceoff in front of a crowd of 2,334 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis.

The loss dropped UW to 25-10-2. Up next for the Badgers will be the NCAA Tournament. Tournament pairings will be announced at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPNews.

“It’s tough that we don’t get to choose our destiny with winning the WCHA Final Faceoff, but there’s nothing we can do now but wait and keep practicing, and getting ready for whoever we play,” junior Casey O’Brien said. “The way we’re going to play shouldn’t depend on who is up next, we just need to stick to Badger hockey and we’ll be successful.”

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BOX SCORE:Minnesota 4, Wisconsin 2

Minnesota (28-5-3) moves on to the final where it takes on top-ranked Ohio State for the WCHA’s automatic berth in the tournament.

Abbey Murphy’s power play goal at the 3:44 mark of the third period was the difference in the game. The Gophers added an empty net scored during the final 2 minutes for their final margin of victory.

O’Brien finished with one goal and one assist for the Badgers. Her unassisted goal off a turnover at the 1:54 mark of the second period tied the game, 1-1. Later she and senior Jesse Compher got assists on a goal scored by senior Nicole LaMantia that tied the game, 2-2, at the 12:35 mark of the second period.

“I thought we definitely had the opportunity to win. We had some good chances on our power plays and a couple of open net shots, but the puck just wasn’t bouncing our way,” senior Britta Curl said. “Maybe a few individual mistakes cost us a couple of goals and that’s always how it goes with these games. They’re always going to be tight, so the more you can capitalize on your chances of winning go up.”

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin women's hockey falls to Minnesota at WCHA Final Faceoff