Looking at recent results, it seems a victory for the Gophers women's hockey team is almost automatic when it plays St. Cloud State.
No. 1-rated Minnesota beat the Huskies for the 17th game in a row on Friday, winning 3-0 at Ridder Arena. Gophers goalie Amanda Leveille, a sophomore from Kingston, Ontario, made 15 saves for her third consecutive shutout and ninth this season.
It was the Gophers' third victory over SCSU this season. But in the previous one, 4-3 in early November, the Gophers needed two goals in the final 2:02 to win.
This time, it was not nearly as dramatic.
Meghan Lorence scored the first two goals for the Gophers (23-1-1, 17-1-1) and Sarah Davis got the third to make it 3-0 going into the third period.
Lorence scored her first goal with four minutes to go in an opening period when the Gophers outshot the Huskies 18-3. She got a power-play goal in the second period, giving the junior forward from Mounds View 11 goals this season.
Lorence is the sixth Gopher to reach double figures in goals this season. And four of those players, including Davis, are tied for the team lead with 14 goals.
Freshman Kate Schipper had assists on the second and third goals. Leveille, who shut out Minnesota State Mankato 4-0 and 5-0 last weekend in a home-and-home series, lowered her 1.19 goals-against average a little more. She has not given up a goal in 186 minutes, 41 seconds since late in a 2-2 tie with Ohio State on Jan. 11.
The last victory for St. Cloud State (4-20-3, 3-16-2-1) over the Gophers came on Feb. 13, 2010.
