'Jackets sweep Pointers to advance to NCHA tournament

3/1/2010
By Brendan Willis
Staff Writer

In a weekend which was the University of Wisconsin-Superior women’s hockey first win-or-go-home games, the Jackets came to play and swept the UW-Stevens Point Pointers 5-2 on Feb. 26 and 2-0 on Feb. 27 to advance to the four-team Northern Collegiate Hockey Association tournament.              

On Friday night it was all ‘Jackets. They came out early and hit the Pointers hard as only 5:58 into the first period sophomore Torri Shelafoe took an Allie Pullar pass and buried her second goal of the year. 

Only 3:06 later junior Shana Katz took an outlet feed from senior Brittany Bembeneck and scored her sixth goal of the year past Pointers goalie D’Andra Phillips.  

The ‘Jackets weren’t done there however as 2:49 later sophomore Ashley Martin took advantage of a Pointers penalty and made the score 3-0. Junior Teagan Cassan got the assist on the goal.  

The Pointers responded to make the game 3-1 at the 13:12 mark in the first and then cut the lead to one just five minutes into the second period, but that was all they put past senior goalie Melissa Kunzelman. 

The ‘Jackets added a couple of insurance markers in the third period from Katz and senior Jodi Holland to make the score 5-2 and that is what sealed the deal for them. Kunzelman ended the game with 24 saves while Phillips stopped 23. Katz ended the game with two goals and an assist.                

Saturday night was unlike Friday as scoring was slim to none. The first and second periods were dominated by Phillips and Kunzelman as they shut down both teams’ offenses and held the score to zeroes saving 14 and 15 pucks respectively. 

The scoring did not start until midway through the third period as Cassan deflected a Brittany Dunkel slapshot from the point to beat Phillips five hole and give the ‘Jackets the crucial 1-0 lead. 

Kunzelman took over after the goal as she turned away countless Pointer chances and with the help of a Holland empty netter, lead the Jackets to their tenth shutout of the season but more importantly a spot in the NCHA tournament. 

The shutout gives Kunzelman seven, which ties her for the national lead. She was also the only ‘Jacket to land an All-Conference spot while Dunkel and Pullar received Honorable Mention.  

The ‘Jackets now travel to Lake Forest, Illinois March 5 as they take on Lake Forest to see who advance to the final against the winner of UW-River Falls and Adrian.