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MADISON — Nicole Gosling wrister from the top of the circle beat McNaughton top self 4:59 into the game to give the Golden Knights 1-0 lead.
Wisconsin controlled play for much of the game, but Clarkson was spectacular at disrupting everything the Badgers tried to do. The Golden Knights lifted sticks, were strong with poke checks, blocked passes and shots and generally made it difficult for the home team to complete a play.
The Badgers were frustrated and trying to find a way through the stout Clarkson defense. They finally broke through with 8:24 left in the second when Ava Murphy cheated up from the blue line into open ice in the far faceoff circle and received a pass from Casey O’Brien from below the blue line. Murphy went down to one knee and one-timed the shot past Clarkson goalie Holly Gruber to tie the game.
Gruber was outstanding for the Golden Knights, stopping 34 shots, several at point blank range. She was helped by a team in front of her willing to sacrifice everything to keep the puck away from the net. They were credited with 15 blocks, but that number does not capture the work they put in to stop the Badgers at nearly every turn.
It looked like Clarkson might have some momentum to start the first and they quickly doubled the four shots they’d managed in the opening frame, but got no more on net after the midpoint of the game and had just three shot attempts over the final 10 minutes.
Wisconsin took the lead when Kelly Gorbatenko scored what would prove to be the game winner with just more than two minutes left in the second. Wisconsin lost possession of the puck trying to move into the zone, but Gorbatenko followed the play and muscled through some traffic to pick up the loose puck. She quickly angled in towards the net and flipped a backhander up and over Gruber’s shoulder to give Wisconsin the 2-1 lead. The goal was scored just as a Badger power play expired and counted as even strength.
The Badgers outshot the Golden Knights 29-8 over the first two periods, but Clarkson returned the pressure more in the third. The Badgers struggled to adjust to their opponents offensively, often trying to make too many passes and losing possession of the puck. Clarkson had a 12-9 advantage in shots in the third, but couldn’t seem to find the answer. Wisconsin killed two penalties and extended their lead on the power play when Laila Edwards put a Kirsten Simms pass in the net to make it 3-1.
The Golden Knights pulled Gruber with about four minutes to play and got a late power play that put them up 6-on-4, but the Badgers were able to hold them off and Lacey Eden was awarded an empty-net goal with 32 seconds left on the clock when she was tripped at the goal mouth to complete the 4-1 win for Wisconsin.
The Badgers advance to the 16th Frozen Four in their program history. They will face familiar foe Minnesota, who won their quarterfinal game over Colgate Saturday afternoon 3-1.
This story will be updated.
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