Krzyzaniak, UND fall to Minnesota in WCHA Final Face-off championship game; will not be advancing to NCAA tournament

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Published on Sunday, March 9, 2014

By: Lanny Stewart

myWestman.ca

A Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship title was not in the cards this season for Neepawa's Halli Krzyzaniak and the University of North Dakota women's hockey team.

Minnesota netted two power play tallies to defeat UND 3-1 on Saturday night in the WCHA Final Face-off championship game in Bemidji, Minn. It was a tough loss for UND, considering the club had defeated the No. 1 seeded Gophers earlier in the year, which at that time, ended Minnesota's 62-game winning streak.

"The loss on Saturday was obviously tough, but we battled hard all the way through and I'm really proud to be a part of the team," said Krzyzaniak.

The loss coupled with the fact that UND was not selected to take part in the NCAA tournament on Sunday, means Krzyzaniak's first season as a member of UND has officially come to a close.

The 19-year-old blueliner didn't register a point over the weekend and finished her first season with the UND program with two goals, eight assists for 10 points in 36 games.

"I can't believe that was my whole freshman year," she said. "People aren't joking when they tell you it flies by. I thought that over the course of the year, I really grew as a player. I was fortunate enough to be put in a role where I saw lots of ice time in all situations and I'm happy with how I played. I thought that defensively, I had a very good year, and I'm really looking forward to developing the offensive side of my game more before next season."

UND advanced to the WCHA championship game after edging Wisconsin 1-0 in a semifinal on Friday.

Krzyzaniak spent the past five years with the Pursuit of Excellence hockey program in Kelowna, B.C. before joining UND.

She is majoring in biology and pre-health while at UND and is the daughter of Jim and Kelly Krzyzaniak.

Photo of Krzyzaniak courtesy of UND athletics