Rare goal by Jobst-Smith gives Bulldogs 2-1 OT win over Wisconsin

DULUTH — Minnesota Duluth coach Maura Crowell said she told her players this week there needs to be less stick-handling and more shooting against Wisconsin this weekend at Amsoil Arena.

Junior defenseman Nina Jobst-Smith did just that four-plus minutes into overtime on Friday, firing a puck off the paddle of Badgers senior goaltender Cami Kronish and into the back of the net to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 OT victory in WCHA play.

“We talked about that a lot this week. You don't need to stick-handle,” said Crowell, whose No. 5 Bulldogs host the No. 3 Badgers against at 3 p.m. Saturday at Amsoil Arena. “Just get the thing, get your eyes up and fire. These guys work on their shots so much, and then you see a lot of kids don't get a shot off in a game, or you have one, two or three — so make them count. Make them count.”

Jobst-Smith scored coming off the bench as the 3-on-3 period was winding down. Junior wing Clara Van Wieren, after dancing with the puck along the blue line to by time for her team to change, backhanded the puck to Jobst-Smith once the defenseman was in the zone and onside. Jobst-Smith moved to her right and unleashed her shot just as Wisconsin fifth-year senior wing Sophie Shirley stepped up on her.

Friday’s game-winner was Jobst-Smith’s first goal of the season and second goal in 66 games as a Bulldog. Her first collegiate goal came during her freshman year at UMD.

“All game, every time I came to the bench, (associate head coach Laura Bellamy) was giving me pointers on where I should shoot and what I should do,” Jobst-Smith said. “All week we've been working on it. (Defensemen) need to be more producing more, so I thought, ‘Why not put it on net, we got a minute left. We gotta get something there.’”

Badgers sophomore Lacey Eden gave Wisconsin a 1-0 lead at the first intermission after intercepting a pass and backhanding a puck past UMD fifth-year senior goaltender Emma Soderberg late in the period.

Wisconsin held a 16-6 advantage in shots on goal after the first period, however, the Bulldogs dominated possession for the ensuing 44:03 after that, outshooting the Badgers 19-13.

“We got better as each period went on,” said UMD fifth-year senior center and co-captain Gabbie Hughes. “The third period was definitely where we had our success, obviously, but each period we got a whole lot better — and I think a little bit of them getting comfortable after getting one goal. We took that to heart and we went at them a lot harder than we did in the first period.”

Hughes, the team’s leading scorer, tied the game with 2:50 remaining in regulation, knocking in a puck that originated off the stick of fifth-year senior defenseman Maggie Flaherty and hit sixth-year senior wing Naomi Rogge before finding Hughes on the back door.

It was Hughes' third goal and her 13th point of the season. For Kronish, it was the first goal she had allowed in 298 minutes, 46 seconds.

“I got to sit on the back door a little more, huh?” Hughes said.

3. UW sophomore wing Lacey Eden — Capitalized on a bad turnover by UMD with a nice backhander to score the Badgers’ lone goal.

2. UMD fifth-year senior center Gabbie Hughes — Just the third goal of the season, but Friday’s game-winner was the 74th of her college career.

1. UMD junior defenseman Nina Jobst-Smith — A huge-game-winning goal for the Bulldogs that gives them two out of three league points Friday, with three more points on the line Saturday at Amsoil Arena.

Wisconsin 1-0-0-0—1
Minnesota Duluth 0-0-1-1—2
First period
1. UW, Lacey Eden, 18:18
Second period
No scoring.
Third period
2. UMD, Gabbie Hughes (Naomi Rogge, Maggie Flaherty), 17:10
Overtime
3. UMD, Nina Jobst-Smith (Clara Van Wieren, Taylor Anderson), 19:03
Saves — Cami Kronish, UW, 00; Emma Soderberg, UMD, 00.
Power play — UW 0-0; UMD 0-0. Penalties — UW 0-0; UMD 0-0.