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Pointers Claim Second Straight NCHA
Playoff Title
Box
Score
It�s not official yet, but the UW-Stevens Point
women�s hockey team has all but locked up its second straight trip to the NCAA
Division III tournament.
The Pointers put the finishing touches on another
outstanding season by capturing their second straight Northern Collegiate Hockey
Association playoff title with a 3-1 win over UW-River Falls Sunday at Ice Hawks
Arena. The Pointers are now 22-2-1 and awaiting a likely NCAA postseason berth
that will be announced on March 6.
The NCHA does not have an automatic berth to the
tournament, but is guaranteed one at-large berth in the field. UW-Stevens Point
went undefeated against league opponents this year while claiming both the
regular season and tournament titles. The team�s 22 victories are seven more
than any other NCHA squad.
The Pointers jumped on UW-River Falls early, scoring a
pair of first period goals. Kim Lunneborg scored 6:09 into the game when Ann
Ninnemann sent a cross-ice pass that was deflected by a Falcons� defender
directly onto the stick of Lunneborg, who raced in from the blue line and beat
goalie Marlene Yaeger. Katy Lankey struck for a goal eight minutes later with
assists from Jackie Schmitt and Jessie Suter for a 2-0 lead.
UW-River Falls cut the lead to one goal as Kelly
Jensen scored on a scramble in front of the net 31 seconds into the second
period, but the Pointers countered less than five minutes later as Schmitt
scored with an assist from Suter for a 3-1 advantage.
The teams skated out the final 34 minutes without any
scoring as the Pointers claimed their third league title in four seasons. Amy
Statz made 17 saves, including nine in the second period.
Yaeger made 23 saves in her final game against the
Pointers, against whom she made a career in goal. It was the 16th time she faced
UW-Stevens Point in goal. For her career, Yaeger played a whopping 1,029 minutes
against the Pointers, allowing 34 goals and making 518 saves for a 1.98 goals
against average and .938 save percentage. Of the 34 goals, 15 came in the last
five meetings and all resulted in UW-Stevens Point wins.
The Pointers extended their unbeaten streak to 12
straight games and are also undefeated in their last eight games against
UW-River Falls, dating to the Falcons� win in the 2002 NCHA playoff title game.
Both teams were making their fourth finals appearance in the five-year history
of the tournament. |
