University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
21-1-1, 15-1-1WCHA
Minnesota State
9-16-0, 4-15-0WCHA
Gophers Top Mavericks 4-0 on Outdoor Ice
1/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
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Jan. 17, 2014
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
MINNEAPOLIS - Senior Sarah Davis (Paradise, N.L.) led the Gophers with three points as the top-ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey team skated to a 4-0 win over Minnesota State in the first game of the 2014 Hockey City Classic at TCF Bank Stadium Friday evening.
Along with Davis's three-point night, No. 1 Minnesota (21-1-1, 15-1-1-0 WCHA) received two points from junior Rachael Bona (Coon Rapids, Minn.), and junior defenseman Jordyn Burns (Chanhassen, Minn.) scored her first goal of the season. Sophomore goaltender Amanda Leveille (Kingston, Ont.) made 19 saves in her seventh shutout of the year.
"This was an incredible night and a wonderful event to be a part of," head coach Brad Frost said. "We're very grateful to be a part of it.
"I thought our kids played really well. There were a lot of distractions and a lot of elements that we weren't sure about, but I thought we played well. We kept it simple. We put the pressure on, defended well, and got enough goals there to win."
Minnesota outshout Minnesota State (9-16-0, 4-15-0-0 WCHA) 51-19 for the game as the Mavericks received 47 saves from senior goaltender Danielle Butters.
Junior Meghan Lorence (Mounds View, Minn.) scored the eventual game-winner when she gave the Gophers a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 5:24 of the opening stanza, assisted by Davis and Bona.
After 18 scoreless minutes to begin the second frame, the Gophers scored two goals in the final two minutes to extend their lead to three heading into the third period. Bona and Davis each scored their 13th goals of the season with Bona's tally coming at the 18:00 mark before Davis scored on the power play just 1:11 later.
Burns capped the scoring at 18:53 of the third period on an assist from freshman Paige Haley (Red Wing, Minn.).
The Gophers did not take a penalty for the first time since a 10-1 win over North Dakota on Nov. 30, 2003. Today's game marked the third penalty-less game in Gopher women's hockey history. Minnesota was 2-for-3 with the man advantage.
The game marked the Gopher women's hockey team's first-ever outdoor game. Played in front of 6,623 fans, the crowd was the largest at a Gopher women's hockey game in the state of Minnesota since the program's inaugural game, an 8-0 win over Augsburg played before 6,854 fans (Nov. 2, 1997). The Gophers played in front of a program-high 10,668 fans at Wisconsin on Jan. 29, 2011.
Minnesota looks to complete the series sweep when the teams conclude the series at All Seasons Arena in Mankato, Minn., at 1 p.m. CT Sunday afternoon.
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