Article by Sam Roering. Photo by Sam Roering.
The St. Cloud State women’s hockey team got swept by the University of Minnesota Duluth over the weekend. This brings their season to a close as they will not advance in the WCHA tournament or earn a bid for the national tournament.
On Friday, the Huskies came out strong, but a five minute major would challenge St. Cloud’s penalty kill early on. They only allowed one goal on the major, coming from Duluth’s Caitlin Kraemer.
Only trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Huskies bounced back in the second. Emma Gentry was there for the rebound off of Dayle Ross’s shot, tying the game at one. St. Cloud then added another goal, this time on the power play from Alice Sauriol. The Huskies were the better team all period and were rewarded with a 2-1 lead.
The Huskies continued to outplay Duluth all the way until the final two minutes of play. The Bulldogs had pulled Gascon, who had made 32 saves, from the net for the extra attacker. It was Kraemer who netted her second goal of the game to tie it up. The Bulldogs weren’t satisfied with that and with five seconds left in the third period, Olivia Wallin stole back a Bulldogs win, making it a 3-2 game.
With a heartbreaking end to Friday’s game, the Huskies were determined to put it all on the line Saturday. The Huskies came out firing, seemingly taking an early lead on a goal from Sauriol. However, the Bulldogs successfully challenged it for offsides, the score remaining at 0-0 after the first.
The Bulldogs then struck in the second period. Grace Sadura put the Bulldogs on the board and later on in the period, Olivia Mobley added to the lead. The Huskies trailed 2-0 heading into the third period.
The Bulldogs held the lead from there, but the Huskies wouldn’t go away quietly. With less than five minutes left, Laura Zimmermann would break through for the Huskies, making it 2-1.
The offense had been sparked, but they’d soon be sent to the penalty kill with three minutes left in the game. After killing the penalty, the Huskies put up their best fight but ultimately couldn’t tie it, ending their season with a 2-1 loss to the Bulldogs.
St. Cloud’s Three Stars of the Weekend
★ Emma Gentry
Gentry gave it her all over the weekend, starting with a game-tying goal on Friday that sparked the offense. She excelled in the little things, leading the Huskies in face-off wins and tying for the team lead in blocks on Saturday. Gentry wraps up her collegiate career as the all-time leader in game-winning goals for the Huskies and second in career goals.
★★ Dayle Ross
Dayle Ross stepped up in big moments, factoring in on both Huskies goals on Friday. They were her 39th and 40th career points. She ends her Huskies career tied for ninth in all time +/- with a +7.
★★★ Sanni Ahola
Sanni Ahola delivered on Friday with a 28 save performance. She was strong in key moments, concluding her time with St. Cloud as the program’s all-time leader in wins and shutouts by a goaltender. These Huskies have left a permanent mark during their time with the team, leaving the program in a better place than when they arrived.
Up Next
Although the season has come to a close, several members of the team will take their play to the international stage later this month. The IIHF Women’s World Championship will be held in Czechia, where current and former Huskies will represent Finland, Germany, Switzerland, and other countries.
If you need Huskies hockey to hold you over until then, former Huskies Klára Hymlárová and Laura Kluge are competing at the professional level. Kluge joined the Toronto Sceptres in February, while Hymlárová has been with the Minnesota Frost all season.
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