DULUTH, Minn. --- The University of North Dakota women's hockey team was defeated 3-1 tonight as Minnesota Duluth pulls off the sweep over the Sioux. UND skated to an early lead but just like the night before it would not hold as the Sioux fall to 1-4-1 (1-4-1-0 WCHA).

Sophomore Kelsey Ketcher (Mound, Minn.) broke up a pass on the forecheck between two UMD (5-3-0, 4-2-0-0 WCHA) defenders and brought the puck in on a two-on-one opportunity early in the game. Ketcher put a wrist shot low on Jennifer Harss where junior Janet Babchishin (Sturgis, Saskatchewan) found the rebound off the pads, in the slot, for the early lead only 1:42 into the game.

Shortly after Stephanie Ney came up with a huge save as Laura Fridfinnson brought the puck in on the rush all alone to Ney's stick side, tried to deke to her back hand but Ney was able to come up with the glove save. Ney would finish with 28 saves.

There was an extremely costly ten seconds for the Sioux half way through the first frame, as Emmanuelle Blaise was able to take advantage of a nice deke around a Sioux defender by Fridfinnson. Fridfinnson cleared the defender and was able to pass the puck through the slot for a wide-open net and goal by Blaise at 10:18.

Only five seconds later, sophomore Alyssa Wiebe was sent to the penalty box for hooking and immediately off the draw in the Sioux zone Jaimie Rasmussen scored at 10:26.

After the UMD scored on both five-on-three power-play attempts yesterday, the Sioux got their first opportunity of the weekend as UMD was called for back-to-back penalties, killing its own power play. The Sioux had 1:34 of two-man advantage but couldn't cash in which would once again be a major theme of the game as UND went scoreless in seven power-play attempts and the Bulldogs finished with two power-play goals on 13 attempts.

The period would end in net-to-net action as both teams pushed the puck up ice, but the Sioux would still head into the first intermission trailing by one.

The Bulldogs would cash in on another power play attempt to start the second stanza as Saara Tuominen found the puck alone towards the near faceoff circle and beat Ney short-side. Ney got a small piece of it but it still went in off her shoulder at 2:21. It would be the lone goal of the period.

Trying to get back into the game the Sioux had a good opportunity when Babchishin was able to get a stick on the puck on the forecheck and got in a race to the puck with the Bulldogs netminder. They got to the puck at about the same time and as both teams tried to scramble to the net a penalty was called on Alyssa Wiebe for slashing ending the scoring chance at 12:25.

The Sioux were able to kill the penalty but it led to another penalty called right as the first expired on Jordan Slavin for roughing at 14:25.

Wiebe had an opportunity to close the gap with a breakaway opportunity on the penalty kill with a little over a minute remaining but was stoned by Harss.

The Bulldogs held the shot advantage in the game 31-23.

The Fighting Sioux will look to end its five game winless streak as it head to St. Cloud State next weekend for a Friday/Saturday series with 7:07 and 2:07 p.m. starts, respectively.

-GO SIOUX-