Clarkson skates by Minnesota in thriller

Clarkson, fielding a team of mostly Canadian players, never trailed against defending-champion Minnesota and showed they belong in the National Championship game.

The defining moment came with just 1:13 to play when Genevieve Bannon carried the puck up ice before dishing it off to Cayley Mercer. The speed forward found Ryhen McGill high in the slot and sent a drive past Gophers goaltender Sidney Peters in what proved to be the game-winner.

The game was the second nail-biter of the night, the first when Wisconsin defeated Boston College with just seventeen seconds left.

Clarkson’s Loren Gabel had the best first chance of the game when she broke in all along on the right win, lifting a puck high and just above Minnesota goaltender Sidney Peters’ right shoulder.

Clarkson nearly lit the first lamp on a play when they advanced the puck into the zone, fired a few shots on net, the rebound of which Peters did not control. It somehow squirted ot the other side across the open side fo the net. The scrambling Peters struggled to cover the crease while her teammate cleared the loose puck.

Midway through the period, Minnesota began to pepper they net with quialty scoring chaces, It was just the difference of Clarkson goaltender Shea Tiley that kept the game scoreless. First, a stop on Dani Cameranesi from between the circles and then right toe save on a drive through traffic.
After the flurry, Minnesota’s Taylor Williamson took a hooking penalty and the Golden Knights went a player up. Just after the power play, Genevieve Bannon skated down the right wing, puting a shot on net that Peters kicked out the right pad. The rebound went straight to Bannon who didn’t miss, giving Clarkson the 1-0 lead at 12:55. Gabel and Ella Shelton registered assists.

Minnesota continued to muster up chances as the opening period came to a close and finally, they ended up converting one.
With just more than two minutes to play and the Gophers advancing and pressing deep into the Clarkson zone, Kate Schipper carried the puck to the left circle. Whle drawing two Clarkson defenders toward her she passed the puck to Caitlin Reilly, who accepted it on an open blade, and with the flick of the wrist, knotted things up at 1-1.
The period ended with Minnesota leading in shots 12-9.
The second period began with the second delay of the night due to ice, preventing the teams from jumping right back into the back-and-forth flow enjoyed at the end of first frame.
Once the flow started to pick-up and with seven minutes expired, it was Kelsey Cline who sent a shot on net where Nicole Schamel was screening Shea Tiley. The shot nearly got through, but not enough to get past Tiley and into the net.
Not long thereafter, Clarkson regained the lead. The play started in the Gopher zone when Genevieve Bannon slid a puck to the top of the circle for a waiting Cailey Mercer. She found Loren Gabel high in the slot. Gabel sent a quick wrister that beat Peters glove side, lighting the lamp and making it 2-1.
Minnesota and Clarkson were trading scoring opportunities, skating end-to-end, when the Gophers finally broke through to tie it. With a minute left in the period Sydney Baldwin accepted the puck in neutral ice, slid the puck over to Kelly Pannek who crossed the line before dropping it over to Sarah Potomak. With using a defensive player as a screen, Potomak fired a wrister that soared above Tiley’s blocker and just uunder the bar to tie the game at 2-2.
Minnesota, which had been gaining momentum as the period wore on, continued to lead in shots 23-19.
After a third ice quality issue greeted players for the opening of the third period,
Minnesota had a great chance just more than four minutes in when Cameranesi fired a blast from the right point. The rebound bounced to Care Piazza fired on net, but Tiley answered.
Seconds later, Clarkson answered Minnesota’s pressure with some of their own. Bring the puck out of the zone, Savannah Harmon brought the pay up ice and after crossing the blue line, sent a shot on net. Possibly screen or perhaps not ready for the attack, it flutered past Peters’ glove side and into the net to give the Golden Knights a 3-2 lead.
Clarkson was getting userd to applying pressure and continued to press, this time on a two-on-one break.
Streaking down the right wing, Michaela Pejziova carried the puck into the Minnesota zone and sent a saucer pass to the left where Gabel was waiting. Gabel got a stick on it and if not for the lateral split-save of Peters, would have made the score 4-2. Peters getting a toe on the tip kept the Gophers alive
With just under five to play, the Gophers, as they had been all game, mounted another comeback. With jump in their step and quick transitions at neutral ice, Lindsay Agnew let go of a blast at the top of the right curcle. Tiley made the save, but the rebound came to Sophie Skarzynski to tie it at 3-3.
Clarkson came right back with a two-on-one chance and made a great chest save, freezing it for a whistle and killing another Golden Knights chance.
But Clarkson continued their push, getting stronger after reach tying goal. That’s when the Golden Knights took the lead and with the win to advance to face Wisconsin.