The Fearless, Frozen Females of Hockey

With a record-setting 62 consecutive wins, the Minnesota Golden Gophers revolutionized NCAA women’s hockey. During the memorable run, players such as Rachel Bona, Megan Bozek, Rachel Davis, Amanda Kessel, Noora Raty, Jen Schoullis and Kelly Terry helped carve a legacy that may never be matched again. Just as all things must pass, so do must the memorable streak. Perhaps fittingly, the streak ended against a WCHA rival. The North Dakota Fighting Sioux, who met the Golden Gophers in the 2013 WCHA final and 2013 NCAA tournament, finally solved the maroon and gold in a match for the ages. Having logged three goals in the first period, the 3,150 stunned fans at Ridder Arena saw the Golden Gophers face a three-goal deficit. Kayla Gardner opened the scoring at the 6:12 mark against sophomore Amanda Leveille. Freshman Gracen Hirschy added to the lead at 10:34 while Finnish national team member Susanna Tapani scored the third goal on the power play. Just 1:50 into the second stanz...

A weekend series between the North Dakota Fighting Sioux and the Russian national women’s team was more than an exhibition, but a celebration of the game and the friendships that form a solid foundation. Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota was the setting as the nationally ranked Fighting Sioux were part of Russia’s exhibition tour of the United States. Having returned for their first game since Thanksgiving, the Fighting Sioux showed some slight signs of rust during the first period of the November 29 game. The first period found Russia taking the lead with Alena Khomich logging a goal at the 13:02 mark. Of note, backstop Shelby Amsley-Benzie was kept very occupied as Russia would outshoot the Fighting Sioux by a convincing 10-4 mark. Once the second started, the Fighting Sioux seemed refreshed and it showed in their play. At the 1:32 mark, Becca Kohler buried the puck past Russian backstop on a power play to tie the game at 1 apiece. Alexandra Kapustina wa...