Minnesota Wins NCAA Division I Women's Hockey National Title

The Golden Gophers are golden again.

The University of Minnesota bested Western Collegiate Hockey Assocation rival and defending national champion Wisconsin on Sunday by a 4-2 count at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, Minnesota to win its third national championship and first since 2005 when it finished off back-to-back titles.

Amanda Kessel, a sophomore forward and the younger sister of the Toronto Maple Leafs' Phil Kessel, opened the scoring less than nine minutes into the contest for Minnesota. Sarah Erickson then staked the Gophers to a 2-0 lead, before Stefanie McKeough and Brooke Ammerman connected for the Badgers.

Emily West then tallied the game-winning goal on a penalty shot late in the first period to give Minnesota a 3-2 lead, and Erickson added an insurance marker early in the third period. Noora Räty finished with 42 saves in net for Minnesota, while Alex Rigsby made 21 stops for Wisconsin.

The Gophers, who finished 34-5-2 overall, ended the season on an eight-game winning streak, and also won 13 of their last 14 outings. They won the WCHA Tournament with a 2-0 victory over Minnesota-Duluth on March 3rd, and then bested both North Dakota and Cornell in the NCAA Tournament before denying the Badgers (33-5-2) a second consecutive national crown.

Wisconsin's Brianna Decker won the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top player in women's Division I hockey for 2011-12. A junior forward from Dousman, Wisc., Decker led the nation with 37 goals, and tied for first overall with 82 points. Wisconsin senior forward and former U.S. Olympian Hilary Knight closed her college career with 143 goals and 262 points, both all-time bests in school history.

Räty, a native of Finland, went 32-5-2 this season for Minnesota with a 1.33 goals-against average, a .941 save percentage and a nation-best 10 shutouts. Wisconsin-native Kessel finished third in the nation in scoring with 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points.