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Schmitt's Double
Overtime Goal Leads Pointers to Frozen Four
Box Score
Jackie Schmitt has delivered more big goals during the past three
seasons than almost anyone in NCAA Division III women�s hockey, but none
bigger than her goal Saturday night in St. Peter, Minn.
The junior forward scored at 5:58 of double
overtime to give UW-Stevens Point a 3-2 victory over Gustavus Adolphus in
the Pointers� first-ever NCAA tournament game, leading UW-Stevens Point into
next weekend�s Division III Women�s Frozen Four.
The goal was Schmitt�s Division III-leading ninth
game-winner of the season among her 14 goals this year. In just three
seasons, Schmitt now has 23 game-winners and has scored the go-ahead goal in
the Pointers� last three wins over Gustavus Adolphus.
�If we want a puck to bounce on somebody�s stick,
it�s definitely Schmitty�s,� said Pointers� coach Brian Idalski. �She is
always in the right place at the right time and works so hard.�
For the Pointers, it was the longest game in
school history, surpassing their previous game when they beat UW-Superior
for the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association playoff title on a goal 2:22
into double overtime two weeks ago. UW-Stevens Point has now played five
straight one-goal games, winning four of the five. The Pointers have played
13 games decided by one goal or less and are 6-3-4 in those games.
The Pointers are 18-6-4 overall and will take on
top-ranked Manhattanville (N.Y.) in the frozen four on Friday in Middlebury,
Vt. Host Middlebury
and Plattsburgh State (N.Y.) meet in the other semifinal. The Pointers
have never faced Manhattanville, but tied Plattsburgh State 1-1 and lost to
Middlebury 3-2 earlier this season, while already playing three games in
Middlebury's rink.
�I think our whole schedule�s helped us this
year,� said Idalski, whose team played 12 games against teams in the final
Division III top 10 and another six games against teams receiving votes in
the poll. �We had so many tough games this season and our kids have worked
so hard that it�s starting to pay off.�
The Pointers tallied the first goal in Saturday�s
game when they had a flurry of four shots and Liz Goergen finally scored the
goal at the 11:03 mark of the first period with assists from Ann Ninnemann
and Kim Lunneborg. The Gusties tied the game early in the second period on
an unassisted goal from freshman Andrea Peterson.
Junior Jennifer Dorff broke the tie for the
Pointers at the 12:47 mark of the second period with just her second goal of
the year and fifth of her career with an assist from Truckey. But again it
was Peterson, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of
the Year, who rescued the Gusties with a shorthanded goal midway through the
third period to tie the game.
The third period and overtimes were incredibly
even with both teams getting six shots in the third period and eight in the
first overtime. Each team had two shots in the second overtime before the
Pointers forced a Gustavus Adolphus turnover in their own zone that led to
the game-winning goal by Schmitt with an assist from Ashley Howe.
Freshman Amy Statz had 27 saves for the Pointers,
who held a 36-29 advantage in shots. Kristin Setterstrom made 33 saves for
Gustavus Adolphus, which had the nation's longest winning streak at 10 games
and ended the year 22-6.
UW-Stevens Point is now 64-16-6 over the past
three seasons and will advance to the frozen four in just its fourth season
as a varsity program.
�It seems like it�s been a long time coming, but
when you put it in perspective, for this program to reach this level in just
four years is amazing,� Idalski said. �It�s great for the kids and I�m
really happy for the seniors who started this program to get a chance to be
a part of this.� |
