Erickson, West and Räty Lead Gophers to a 4-0 Shutout Win Over SCSU
Provided by the University of Minnesota

The No. 2 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team earned a 4-0 shutout win over the St. Cloud State Huskies, today at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. Sarah Erickson and Emily West each tallied three points, while Noora Räty added her second consecutive shutout for the win. The Golden Gophers improve their record to 7-0-0 and 5-0-0 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Gophers got on the board early when West scored on a rebound attempt just :28 into the contest. The assists went to Erickson, who put on the initial shot and Brittany Francis during the opening shift of the game.

Minnesota opened the floodgates in the second when it scored three goals to put the game at 4-0 after two periods. Erickson and West combined for a pretty goal when they capitalized on a two-on-one attempt at 2:57 in the second. May was on the penalty kill when she added her third goal of the season at 6:39. May took advantage of a SCSU turnover behind their own net and placed the puck short side for her first short-handed goal of her career and her third goal this year. With May’s goal, the Gophers have netted four short-handed goals in seven games this season. West has two, while Chelsey Jones and May each have one.

Erickson added her second goal of the period when she scored on a rebound attempt at 8:04 in the second. Schleper started the play when she passed the puck in the slot where West was waiting. She put the initial shot on, but with a big rebound attempt, Erickson buried the puck for her eighth goal of the season. The Gophers tacked on 17 shots on goal in the period, while allowing nine.

Räty earned her second shutout in two games. After shutting down Minnesota Duluth down last weekend to add her first career shutout, Räty added her second tonight when she had a career-high 32 saves.

Minnesota and St. Cloud State wrap up the series tomorrow at Ridder Arena. Game time is set for 4:07 p.m.