GRAND FORKS, N.D. --- The University of North Dakota women's hockey team opened its 2011-12 campaign with an 11-0 exhibition win over the Manitoba Bisons tonight at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The Sioux knew after last season, where they barely missed out of the NCAA Tournament, that in order to put control of their destiny into their own hands they would need to add more secondary scoring.
UND proved its depth will be potent this year as 17 of 18 skaters recorded at least one point in tonight's game.
After an inconspicuous start during the first few minutes, it was UND's third line of seniors Sara Dagenais (Montreal, Quebec), Kelsey Ketcher (Mound, Minn.) and junior Mary Loken (Roseau, Minn.) that looked the sharpest.
After Loken took a shot on net that trickled behind Bisons' netminder Tara Lacquette, Dagenais came from behind the net to bang it home and score the game's opening goal at 5:06.
Only 19 seconds later, Loken carried the puck into the slot from neutral ice and sniped a shot past Lacquette on the far side.
Senior Alyssa Wiebe (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) scored her first of two in the game at 17:12 in the first period, when she tapped in a pass from Jocelyne Lamoureux on a 2-on-1 chance. In her Fighting Sioux debut, sophomore Michelle Karvinen made a nice play to find Lamoureux from center ice and start the odd-man rush.
Wiebe would finish the game with a team-leading four points while Karvinen added three assists.
In a second period explosion, new comers Monique Weber (Elk River, Minn.) and Andrea Dalen (Honefoss, Norway) each scored their first goals in a Sioux jersey. Dalen's goal was on the power-play and would hold out to be the games only power-play goal.
UND's dynamic top-line of Jocelyne Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.), Monique Lamoureux-Kolls (Grand Forks, N.D.) and Karvinen recorded their first goal as a unit at 4:45 of the second stanza and Wiebe would add her second of the game to close out the frame with 7-0 lead.
The Sioux continued to score quickly and often in the third period as Weber and Lamoureux each scored to cap off their two-goal game.
Senior goaltender Stephanie Ney (100 Mile House, British Columbia) didn't see a lot of work, but stopped all 13 shots faced. UND finished with 49-13 domination in shots.
UND closes out the exhibition series at 2:07 p.m. tomorrow at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
