Sydney Baldwin scored the game winning goal in the first period and Amanda Kessel added a goal and an assist as the Minnesota Gophers defeated the North Dakota Fighting Hawks 2-0 Saturday at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Amanda Leveille made 21 saves in her 10 th shutout of the season for the Gophers, who advance to the WCHA Championship game Sunday against the Wisconsin Badgers, 2:07 PM at Ridder Arena. Sunday’s game will be televised live on Fox Sport North and Fox Sports Wisconsin Alternate with coverage beginning at 2:00 PM.

 

“I thought it was a real solid game from the net out,” said Minnesota Head Coach Brad Frost. “Overall, really excited to be moving on and playing for a championship tomorrow.”

 

The Gophers jumped out of the gate early, earning a power play after a tripping penalty by North Dakota’s Charly Dahlquist at 4:07. Lee Stecklein had a great opportunity on the doorstep but just missed connecting on the pass, and moments later Fighting Hawks goaltender Shelby Amsley-Benzie made a great save on Dani Cameranesi’s tip in front to keep the game scoreless.

 

North Dakota quickly answered with an opportunity as moments after Dahlquist stepped out of the box, she received a break out pass that sent her in down the left wing side but Leveille came up with a big save of her own.

 

Just past the mid-way point of the first period Minnesota earned its second power play after a tripping penalty by Halli Krzyzaniak. At 13:16 Baldwin fired a wrist shot from the right point over the right shoulder of Amsley-Benzie for a 1-0 lead. Kessel and Kate Schipper assisted on the power play goal.

 

“Amanda’s had a couple big goals for us in the last few weeks and its just awesome to see,” Frost said. “She has an incredible shot, her snap shot is as good as anyone’s, and we’ve been working with her on where she should be looking to shoot. She’s starting to do that the last few weeks and has been a much bigger threat so it’s a huge confidence boost for her and our team.”

 

The Gophers out-shot North Dakota 15-7 in the first period and continued the pressure into the second. Minnesota failed to capitalize on another early power play, but extended the lead at 9:04 on a spectacular goal by Kessel.

 

A breakout pass by Stecklein led Hanna Brandt into the offensive zone down the right wing side. Brandt’s pass found Kessel skating into the slot, where she fought off a check, kicked the puck to her stick, and fired it on net. Amsley-Benzie deflected the shot with her arm, but the puck fluttered over her shoulder and across the line for a 2-0 Gophers lead.

 

“I honestly still haven’t seen how it went in,” Kessel said. “Skate to stick, face down on the ice, I looked up and saw the puck in the air and then behind the line. I’ll take it, those are the kind of goals we’re going to get in the playoffs.”

 

Kessel now has six goals and five assists in nine games this season. She returned to the lineup on February 5 versus North Dakota after missing the first part of the season to concussion symptoms. Kessel’s goal, her 103 rd career goal, moved her alone into fourth place all-time as a Gopher, passing Natalie Darwitz (102) and only trails Nadine Muzerall (139), Hanna Brandt (114), and Krissy Wendell (106).

 

“Any time you add a top five player in the world it makes the team a little better, they were already a good team.” said North Dakota Head Coach Brian Idalski of Kessel.

 

“I think this is the best I’ve seen the team play in the last seven or eight games I’ve played with them,” Kessel said. “I think it has been a complete team effort, our defense played great today really moving the puck up to the forwards.”

 

Minnesota finished the second period leading 2-0 and out-shooting North Dakota 27-16, but two late penalties gave the Fighting Hawks its best opportunity of the game.

 

With Megan Wolfe and Milica McMillen in the penalty box, North Dakota started the 3rd period with 1:42 of 5-on-3 power play time. The Gophers, led by Brandt and Kessel, killed off the power play in a momentum changing penalty kill.

 

“They were being super aggressive and pressuring us,” Idalski said. “They didn’t let us have any space and on the power play that is kind of demoralizing.”

 

“Obviously the 5-on-3 kill was huge, ” Frost said. “I don’t think we gave up a shot and our players did a remarkable job with that, it created a lot of energy in the building and created a lot of momentum for us.”

 

The Gophers allowed just five shots on goal in the third period and had a late stretch of offensive zone pressure that prevented the Fighting Hawks from advancing the puck and pulling Amsley-Benzie for an extra attacker.

 

In one final effort with the goaltender pulled, Amy Menke appeared to cut the deficit in half with under a minute remaining, but after an official review the goal was disallowed because of goaltender interference.

 

“To be honest, I didn’t even know they were looking at it,” Idalski said. “I had already moved on to the next face-off and pulling the goalie. I didn’t think there was any controversy to waive it off but they said she was in the crease and that was the end of it.”

 

Amsley-Benzie finished the game with 32 saves in the loss for North Dakota. The Gophers finished the season series 3-1-1 against the Fighting Hawks, after going 2-1-1 during the regular season.

 

Minnesota advances to its 14th WCHA Championship Game on Sunday, seeking its record seventh WCHA Championship. Wisconsin, meanwhile, is looking to defend its 2015 WCHA Championship.

 

“I think our teams are very much mirror images of each other,” Frost said of the matchup. “We have a lot of respect for them and their staff and I know the feeling is mutual. They’re fast and we’re fast, they’ve got three lines that can score like we do, and both goalies are tremendous.”

 

Sunday marks the fifth matchup between the schools this season. Wisconsin swept a home series December 4 (3-2 OT) and December 5 (3-1), while the Gophers won both home games February 19 (4-0) and February 20 (4-3 OT) at Ridder Arena.

 

“This time of year, your big players have to step up,” Frost said. “I remember Natalie Darwitz gave a speech a few years ago and said, ‘if you’re a stud, you need to be a stud this time of year.’ Everybody has a job and everybody has a role, and they just need to be a star in that role. It’s going to be a great hockey game, just like all the regular season games have been.”