It seemed an impossible challenge for the UMD women’s hockey team, going to Madison to face the No. 1 ranked Wisconsin Badgers. Never mind that UMD was ranked No. 2, and had split with the Badgers earlier in the season in Duluth, handing Wisconsin its first loss of the season in the process.
  

   
But the Bulldogs were without scoring leader and Patty Kazmaier Award favorite Lara Stalder, who was off scoring goals for her native Switzerland, which qualified for the South Korean Winter Olympics by winning a 3-game qualifying tournament. Stalder scored 8 goals and 12 points in the three victories, capped by a 4-1 triumph over the Czech Republic. The Czechs, incidentally, were powered by Katerina Mrazova, another Bulldog off to qualify.


   In addition, defensemen Jessica Healey and Jalyn Elmes were sidelined by injuries. Without four such stalwart regulars, the Bulldogs had little hope. And yet, sophomore goaltender Maddie Rooney pulled everyone together with a spectacular performance to forge a first-game 1-1 tie in the Saturday afternoon contest.


   Rooney made 43 saves through three periods and an overtime, stopping everything until Sarah Nurse scored midway through the third session. But UMD’s Sydney Brodt scored with 5:22 remaining in regulation against ace Wisconsin goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens, who made 21 saves. The game followed with a shootout, and the first two shooters scored at both ends of the rink, with Ashleigh Brykaliuk and Sidney Morin getting UMD’s goals.

   
Then the goalies prevailed, through 11 rounds. In the 12th round of alternating breakaways, the Badgers got a goal from Mekenzie Steffen, while Desbiens stopped UMD;s Lynn Astrup, and the Badgers claimed the extra point for the shootout victory.

UMD couldn’t duplicate the heroic effort Sunday afternoon, however, and Wisconsin scored twice in the first period, and got five more in the second, en route to an 8-0 triumph. For the weekend, the tie and victory clinched the WCHA title for top-ranked Wisconsin, while UMD slipped in its quest to beat Minnesota for second place.


   Nevertheless, UMD held onto the No. 2 rank in the national polls, which show 1. Wisconsin, 2. UMD, 3. Clarkson, and 4. Minnesota. Those positions are vital going into this weekend, the final one of the regular season, both for pairings in league playoffs and in the upcoming NCAA tournament. In NCAA seeding, the at-large teams are determined by national rank, meaning Wisconsin, UMD and the Gophers look very solid to make it, even when two of the three must lose in the WCHA tournament.


   That also means this weekend’s games against St. Cloud State at AMSOIL Arena are important to get the full-squad Bulldogs back on track to go into playoffs. While both the UMD men and women are in action this weekend, the women are home, while the men are on the road and far away until next weekend, when they come home to face Miami of Ohio, and will need to share AMSOIL Arena with the women, who will be home for a first-round WCHA playoff set, and the traditional Saturday aftenoon Section 7AA high school tournament semifinals.


   The UMD men’s team retained its No. 1 rank during last weekend’s bye, and the Bulldogs return to action with a tough series at Colorado College, with a couple more regular-season weekends remaining. Significant, however, is that UMD stayed No. 1 in the nation despite No. 2 Denver sweeping home and home games against CC last weekend, which vaulted the Pioneers into first place in the NCHC.


   Elsewhere in men’s college hockey, the University of Minnesota is rated No. 5, despite splitting two games against Ohio State, coached by former UMD assistant Steve Rohlik. The Buckeyes won 5-4 before losing 6-5 to a Gopher team that scored all six goals on power plays. However, the Big Ten is also tight, with Minnesota first and Wisconsin slipping to second because of being swept by Penn State. This weekend, Minnesota, which swept Penn State two weeks ago, must go to Penn State for a rematch.


   And in the WCHA, Bemidji State beat Alabama-Huntsville 3-2 in Huntsville last Friday and clinched the MacNaughton Cup in the process when Michigan Tech lost 3-2 to Ferris State. The Beavers promptly lost the next night, 5-2. But they don’t have to give their first MacNaughton Cup back, even though Michigan Tech bounced back to beat Ferris State, also 5-2. Those title celebrations can get a little carried away.


   Out East, Harvard beat Boston University 6-3 in the Beanpot Tournament championship on Monday night, while Northeastern surprised Boston College 4-2 in the third-place game. That prestigious tournament is another reminder why the College Cup among the five Minnesota Division I teams is so important — too important to be destined for being scrapped.


Line, Anderson Start Strong


   The Northern Minnesota whiz kids started up where they left off last season. Jason Line, of Wright, Minnesota, was last seen beating Greg Anderson of Duluth, his Summit Racing Pro Stock teammate, to capture the NHRA Pro Stock title, with Anderson as runner-up.

This season started last weekend, at Pomona, Calif., and, sure enough, Line went all the way to reach the final, where he found Anderson. And he beat Anderson again, meaning this season starts off with Line and Anderson 1-2 in the hotly contested Pro Stock category.