NEW HAVEN, Conn. – On Friday night at Ridder Arena the Yale women's ice hockey team fell behind 3-0 in the first period against No. 3 Minnesota, the defending national champions. The Bulldogs spent the rest of the game valiantly battling back, getting goals from sophomore forwards Eden Murray and Courtney Pensavalle along with junior forward Phoebe Staenz, but ultimately could not overcome the early deficit. The Golden Gophers came away with a 6-3 win.

Minnesota, which has won three of the last four NCAA Championships, got three goals from 2015 Patty Kazmaier Finalist forward Dani Cameranesi, including one as part of their nation-leading power play unit. Another Patty Kazmaier Finalist, forward Hannah Brandt, had three points -- including a historic assist that gave her the Gophers' all-time lead.

The Gophers led the nation in scoring offense entering the game (6.17 goals per game), putting Friday's offensive outburst in perspective. Minnesota (12-1-0, 9-1-0 WCHA) opened the scoring at 7:25 on a goal by forward Kelly Pannek. The Gophers had a 5-0 shot advantage at that point, and they kept that pressure up even after grabbing the early lead. Forward Caitlin Reilly nearly made it 2-0 30 seconds later, stealing the puck and skating in all alone on Yale junior goalie Hanna Mandl. But Mandl came out to challenge her and Reilly sent the shot high.

Cameranesi, who entered the game third in the nation in points per game (2.25), backhanded in a rebound at 11:11 to make it 2-0. A minute later a slap shot by forward Kate Schipper hit the post, keeping the Bulldogs within striking distance. But Yale's first penalty of the night enabled the Gophers' potent power play unit -- ranked No. 1 in the country, converting at 47.5 percent entering the weekend -- to deliver a goal, as Cameranesi deflected one past Mandl to make it 3-0 at 14:11.

A penalty on the Gophers late in the first period enabled Yale to creep closer. Pensavalle found herself with plenty of time and space near the top of the right circle less than a minute into the power play, and she fired one past Gophers goalie Amanda Leveille at 17:49. Senior forward Hanna Åström and Murray assisted on the play.

Minnesota had multiple scoring chances in the final minute of the first, but sophomore defenseman Mallory Souliotis dove to the ice to break up a pass with 30 seconds to play and Mandl followed that up by getting her leg out to deny a shot with 18 seconds left. Mandl also turned aside a tricky no-look backhander from the slot by Pannek, and the teams headed into the first intermission with the score 3-1.  

After being outshot 13-4 in the first, the Bulldogs kept things more evenly matched in the second – nine shots for each team, to be exact. Still, the Gophers extended their lead at 7:07. Brandt became Minnesota's all-time leader in assists on the play with her 144th, hitting forward Sarah Potomak in stride for the tally as Potomak deked to get Mandl out of position and then backhanded the puck in to make it 4-1.

Yale (1-5-1, 1-2-1 ECAC Hockey) had a chance to cut into the lead at 9:15 of the second when Åström intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and skated in for a shot, but Leveille got her blocker out to knock that shot away. Less than three minutes later Cameranesi made it 5-1, finishing her hat trick with a goal at 11:53.

Another Minnesota turnover gave Staenz one of the Bulldogs' best chances of the night, but her wrister with six minutes left in the second sailed just wide. Yale made up for that by getting its second power play goal in as many chances a few minutes later, as Murray scored off assists from senior defenseman Kate Martini and Souliotis to get the score to 5-2 at 16:21.

Getting two goals as a team against the Gophers was impressive enough -- they entered the night fourth in the nation in scoring defense (1.25 goals per game). But Pensavalle nearly scored two goals all by herself; only a quick reaction by Leveille to make a glove save on Pensavalle's shot with 13 seconds left kept the Gophers lead at 5-2 heading into the third.

It did not take long for the Bulldogs to get that third goal once the third period started. Staenz took a feed from sophomore defenseman Kaitlin Gately in the right circle and sniped it past Leveille at 2:25 to make things interesting.

A spectacular save by Mandl with 15:57 left kept Yale in the game. Minnesota had a 2-on-0, but Mandl got her glove out to deny the shot by Cameranesi from the doorstep. But two and a half minutes later Brandt snuck one past her to make it 6-3.

Mandl finished with 31 saves, while Leveille made 14.

A crowd of 1,932 was on hand for the game, and while official records are not available that was likely the largest crowd ever to see a Yale women's ice hockey game. Minnesota is currently on a 24 game home unbeaten streak (22-0-2). The teams play again on Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. Central time.

Report by Sam Rubin '95, Yale Sports Publicity