Gophers Hockey: Historic winning streak snapped at 62 against North Dakota
By Frank Bi
They say all good things must come to an end and for the Minnesota Gopher women’s hockey team, the end was Sunday as the Gophers lost to North Dakota to snap a monumental 62-game winning streak — the longest in NCAA hockey history.
The 3-2 loss on Sunday afternoon was the final game of a two-game series at home against rival North Dakota, who was the last team to beat the Gophers back in February of 2012. Since that loss almost two year ago, the Gophers have won two national championships and are favorites again this year to repeat back-to-back-to-back.
Minnesota’s loss puts their season record at 13-1-0 overall and 11-1-0 in the conference with a road series against Yale next weekend before coming home after Thanksgiving to host Princeton at Ridder Arena. With the pressure of extending the historical winning streak out of the way, Minnesota can focus on winning the next set of games before making their outdoor hockey debut in January at the Hockey City Classic at TCF Bank Stadium against Minnesota State.
“For everybody who has been a part of it, it’s been a really special thing,” said head coach Brad Frost. “I think they helped grow the game of women’s hockey here in Minnesota and nation-wide, and that’s a huge testament to them. There was a lot of pressure, a lot of media attention and a lot of excitement every time we stepped on the ice, which was great, but it’s over, and we’re happy to have been a part of it.”