April 18, 2024

The Penalty Box Post - Thursday, April 18, 2024

April 18, 2024

Power Play Club Board of Directors notes

At the April meeting of the Power Play Club's Board of Directors, secretary Paula Biever, treasurer Todd King, and directors-at-large Susan "Rennie" McPherson & Linda Kenny were re-elected to new two-year terms on the board by a unanimous vote. Club president Bill Johnson, vice-president Dave Malerich, directors-at-large J Lindsay & Bob Milligan, and parent representative Mike Zumwinkle each have one year remaining on their terms (expiring in 2025).

We graciously thank Matt Floding and Dave Lord for their time on the board as directors-at-large. Dave has decided to not seek re-election, and Matt tendered his resignation from the board with a year remaining on his term.

At this time, the board has two openings for directors-at-large. If you are interested in joining and/or have questions about the positions, please reach out to Bill Johnson at billjohnson013@gmail.com or Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com. Thank you!!

Maggie Nicholson, Audrey Wethington to return for 2024-2025 season

Coach Brad Frost and the Gopher Women's Hockey program announced last week that Maggie Nicholson and Audrey Wethington will be returning for their respective fifth years on the team.

Nicholson has 20 career points over 95 games, ten of which – two goals & 8 assists – came last season.

Wethington has 55 points in 133 games over her previous four seasons, including 15 points on four goals & 11 assists in her senior year. She was also named a WCHA Scholar Athlete, WCHA All-Academic and a top-three finalist for WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete in 2023-2024.

We send a warm welcome back to both Maggie and Audrey!!

2024 IIHF Women's World Championship – Utica, NY
Canada defeats U.S. for gold in OT, Finland takes bronze

Returning the favor from 2023, the Canada Women's National Hockey Team won the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship gold medal on their opponent's and biggest rival's home ice, defeating Team USA 6-5 in overtime in Utica, New York. Neither team held more than a one-goal lead at any point in regulation, with Caroline Harvey & Laila Edwards each tallying a goal and an assist for the Americans and Marie-Philip Poulin lighting the lamp twice for the Canadians. But a penalty for too many players was called on the U.S. in overtime, and Danielle Serdachny scored on a rebound on the resulting power play 5:16 into the extra period. Aerin Frankel made 24 saves for Team USA, while Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 19 shots for Canada. Gopher representatives Abbey Murphy and Taylor Heise each dished out an assist for the Americans.

Finland claimed the bronze medal with a 3-2 shootout victory over Czechia. The Finns and Czechs exchanged goals in regulation, with Michelle Karvinen & Viivi Vainikka lighting the lamp for Finland and Michaela Pejzlova & Denisa Krizova scoring for Czechia. Goaltender Klara Peslarova kept Czechia in the contest with 46 saves while Finland's Sanni Ahola stopped 29 shots. A shootout was required after the teams played a scoreless 10-minute overtime, tied 2-2. Karvinen put the Finns ahead with a first-round goal, but Klara Hymnlarova evened things for the Czechs in the second round. However, Petra Nieminen gave Finland a 2-1 shootout lead, scoring in the fourth round, and Ahola stopped the next two Czech shooters – including Krizova in the fifth round – to clinch their medals.

Prior to the final day, Team USA was undefeated – including getting a 1-0 preliminary round overtime victory over Canada on a goal by Kirsten Simms and a 26-save shutout by Frankel. Frankel recorded 3 other shutouts, including a 4-0 preliminary round victory over Switzerland (4-0), a 10-0 win over Japan in the quarterfinals, and a 5-0 semifinal win over Finland. Canada's only loss was the preliminary round contest against the U.S.; they defeated Sweden 5-1 in the quarterfinals and Czechia 4-0 in the semis. The Czechs were 3rd in Group A and defeated Germany 1-0 in the quarterfinals before their semifinal and bronze-medal game losses. Finland finished fourth in Group A and defeated the Swiss 3-1 in their quarterfinal. Switzerland was winless in Group A, but will remain in that group following a 3-2 victory in the placement game over Group B winner Germany. The Germans were undefeated in Group B play before their two playoff round losses. Sweden finished 7th with a 3-1 record in Group B preliminary round play. Japan needed a 3-0 victory over Denmark in the final game of preliminary round play to remain in the top division for the 2025 tournament. As a result of that Japanese win, Denmark & China, newly-promoted for 2024, will be sent back down to Division I-A for 2025.

Gophers at the World Championship:

We send congratulations to current Gopher Women's Hockey forward Abbey Murphy and alumnae Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, and Grace Zumwinkle on earning silver medals with Team USA, and to current Gopher Nelli Laitinen on earning a bronze medal with Finland.

Here are the player stats:

Abbey Murphy (USA) – 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points
Taylor Heise (USA) – 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points
Josefin Bouveng (SWE) – 4 goals, 1 assist, 5 points
Nelli Laitinen (FIN) – 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points
Kelly Pannek (USA) – No scoring, +1 rating
Grace Zumwinkle (USA) – served as an alternate and did not play

We also send a wish of good luck to current Gopher forward Emma Kreisz, who is again in international competition with the Hungary Women's National Team. Team Hungary is playing in the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship Division I-A tournament next week (April 21-27) in Austria, with hopes of promotion back to the top division for 2025. In pre-tournament exhibition action this past weekend, the Hungarians split two games against Austria, winning 1‑0 Friday but losing 2‑1 in OT on Saturday.

Additional IIHF Notes

As officially announced this past Sunday, the city of České Budějovice in Czechia – roughly 2½ hours south of Prague – will host 2025 Women's World Championship, running April 9-20. It is the first time the Czechs will host a Women's World Championship and the first IIHF tournament in their country since 2017 (Women's U18 World Championship).
Per reporting by The Hockey News Women's, the 2025 Women's Worlds Division I-A and I-B tournaments will be synced with the Top Division, to also align with breaks in professional league schedules. As noted above, the 2024 Division I-A tournament will be played next week in Austria, conflicting with the restarting PWHL schedule.

BSU alumna Amber Fryklund named new head coach of Beavers

Amber Fryklund was named the sixth head coach of the Bemidji State University Beavers women's hockey program on Tuesday, April 9, moving up from her previous role as associate head coach this past year plus three prior seasons, and 10 years in total on the coaching staff. The announcement came one day after Jim Scanlon announced his departure from the team.

Fryklund is a Bemidji State women's hockey alumna, having played for the Beavers from 2000 to 2003. She continues to hold the program records for points (122) and goals (59), and is second for assists (63), all accomplished in only three seasons. Prior to joining the Beavers' staff, she co-coached the Duluth Northern Stars for six years and was an assistant for the Proctor-Hermantown-Marshall Mirage high school girls team for two seasons. She took time away from the hockey bench to serve as an Assistant Professor of Human Performance, Sport and Health at BSU for three years before her return to the team in 2023-2024. She's also been named as an assistant coach of the 2025 U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team which will compete at the 2025 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship in Vantaa, Finland next January.

Fryklund becomes the second WCHA alumna to be hired as the head coach at their alma mater this offseason, joining Minnesota State's Shari (Vogt) Dickerman.

Copyright © 2024 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

You can receive the Penalty Box Post newsletter via email by signing up here.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter/X at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Power Play Club

April 9, 2024

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Power Play Club

April 9, 2024

Power Play Club Board of Directors meeting - Wednesday, April 10 – at 7 p.m. via Zoom

The Power Play Club Board of Directors will be meeting online via Zoom on Wednesday, April 10, at 7:00 p.m. Board meetings are open to all enrolled PPC members to attend; 2023-2024 registration applies for off-season meetings, and you can contact club president Bill Johnson at billjohnson013@gmail.com for connection information.

2024 IIHF Women's World Championship – Utica, NY
USA defeats Canada for #1 seed in playoffs, Germany & Sweden advance out of Group B

The U.S. Women's National Team will be the top seed for the playoff round at the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship following its 1-0 overtime victory over Canada last night in the final preliminary-round contest for both squads. Both squads were undefeated coming into the matchup, with respective wins over Czechia, Switzerland, and Finland (all game recaps here).

In last night's battle, Kirsten Simms buried the overtime gamewinner past Canadian netminder Ann-Renee Desbiens 3:38 into the extra session after the teams played a scoreless draw through regulation. Caroline Harvey got the lone assist. At the other end of the ice, Aerin Frankel posted a 26-save shutout; Desbiens finished with 29 saves, including 6 earlier in overtime. The game was played in front of an Adirondack Bank Center record crowd of 4,017 spectators.

Team USA's opponent for their quarterfinal game on Thursday (April 11) is still to be determined. Canada, as Group A runner-up, will be the #2 seed for the playoff round and will face Group B runner-up Sweden, who advanced by going 3-1 in their four preliminary contests. Germany also advanced, winning Group B with a 3-0 record through their first three games, including defeating Sweden 1-0 yesterday. Germany and five of the other teams are concluding preliminary-round action today (Tuesday, April 9) to fill out the rest of the quarterfinal bracket and determine which teams will be relegated; watch our social media accounts for updates.

Gophers at the World Championship – Quickly summarizing how our U. of M. representatives are doing at the World Championship:

Josefin Bouveng (SWE) – 4 goals (current tournament leader), 1 assist, 5 points
Taylor Heise (USA) – 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points
Abbey Murphy (USA) – 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points
Nelli Laitinen (FIN) – 2 assists, 2 points
Kelly Pannek (USA) – No scoring, even plus-minus rating
Grace Zumwinkle (USA) – serving as an alternate and has not played

Jim Scanlan stepping down as BSU Beavers Head Coach

In NCAA & WCHA news breaking yesterday, it was announced that Jim Scanlan is stepping down as head coach of the Bemidji State University Beavers women's hockey team, having led them the past 10 seasons. He compiled a 122-202-23 (.385) career record at BSU during that time, earning USCHO.com National Coach of the Year and WCHA Coach of the Year honors for the 2014-2015 season and leading the team to a school-record 22 wins in 2015-2016.

We send warm wishes to Coach Scanlan following this announcement.

No additional announcements on a replacement or of a search have been made at this time. We will share any news as it becomes available.

Copyright © 2024 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

You can receive the Penalty Box Post newsletter via email by signing up here.

Power Play Club

April 1, 2024

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Monday, April 1, 2024

Power Play Club

April 1, 2024

2024 IIHF Women's World Championship
Wednesday, April 3 through Sunday, April 14
Adirondack Bank Center, Utica, New York

6 Gophers – including 4 for Team USA – participating in the tournament

Six (6) representatives of the Minnesota Women's Hockey program are headed to the upcoming 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship, being held at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, NY, starting this Wednesday, April 3, and continuing through Sunday, April 14. The tournament returns to the United States for the first time since 2017.

Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, and Grace Zumwinkle were named to Team USA's roster yesterday following completion of the U.S. National Team Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid. They will be joined in Utica by Finland's Nelli Laitinen and Sweden's Josefin Bouveng.

Tournament preview – The host Americans enter the tournament as defending champions after having claimed gold last year in Toronto, defeating Canada 6-3 in the championship game. The Canadians look to return the favor of winning on their rival's home ice. They are joined by Switzerland, Czechia, and Finland in Group A. Under the current tournament format, all five teams automatically qualify for the elimination round.

After appearing in Group A last year, Japan returns to Group B for the 2024 tournament. They are joined by Sweden, Germany, and newly-promoted China & Denmark. The top three teams in the group after the preliminary round will advance to elimination round, while the bottom two teams will be relegated to Division 1 Group A for 2025.

Sweden and Denmark will play in the tournament's opening game on Wednesday, April 3, at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT, Finland and Czechia will face off in their first game that afternoon at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT, and the U.S. will open its title defense at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT against Switzerland. Canada, Japan, China and Germany will play their first games on Thursday, April 4. The full schedule of games can be found here. The tournament opener and all Team USA games will be broadcast live on NHL Network.

Additional tournament notes –

The 2024 Women's World Championship has a slight format difference than the 2023 edition. This year's 5th-place game will be played by the two highest-ranked teams not winning in the quarterfinals, rather than through a consolation playoff of all four quarterfinal-losing teams.
As reported by The Hockey News in mid-March, China will not allow dual passport players to compete on its team in Utica. Per the article, those players bore much of the responsibility for the team's promotion into the top division.

Pre-tournament exhibitions –

USA 6, Czechia 1 (Saturday) – Six different Americans lit the lamp, including Gopher representatives Abbey Murphy, Grace Zumwinkle, and Taylor Heise. The U.S. outshot the Czechs, 33-16, with Gwyneth Philips making 15 saves for Team USA.
Canada 8, Finland 2 (Saturday) – Finland held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 on goals by Sofianna Sundelin and Petra Nieminen (PP), plus 24 saves by Sanni Ahola over the first half of the contest. However, a goaltender change for the Finns did not work out well as Anni Keisala stopped only 15 of the 22 shots she faced. Blayre Turnbull recorded 2 goals and an assist for Team Canada, Sarah Nurse & Julia Gosling each added a goal and an assist, and Ann-Renee Desbiens & Emerance Maschmeyer combined for 19 saves.
Switzerland 5, Sweden 2 (Saturday) – The Swiss outshot the Swedes 35-23. No further details were available.
At least one more game is scheduled for today (Monday, 4/1) as Germany faces Switzerland.

Copyright © 2024 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

You can receive the Penalty Box Post newsletter via email by signing up here.

Power Play Club

March 27, 2024

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Power Play Club

March 27, 2024

Ohio State defeats Wisconsin, 1-0 to claim program's second NCAA Championship

We send congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae on their staff – Head Coach Nadine Muzerall and Assistant Coach Kelsey Cline – following their 1-0 victory over Wisconsin for their program's second NCAA Championship this past Sunday.

After 52 minutes of scoreless action, Joy Dunne lit the lamp for the Buckeyes with assists from Hannah Bilka & Cayla Barnes. That was all they needed to claim the title as Raygan Kirk posted a 26-save shutout performance. Ava McNaughton made 27 saves for the Badgers.

Semifinal recaps:

Ohio State 4, Clarkson 1 – Sloane Matthews lit the lamp with just 6:48 remaining in regulation to break a 1-1 tie and send the Buckeyes to the title game. Anne Cherkowski put the Golden Knights in the lead 2:25 into the contest, but Makenna Webster evened the score for OSU later in the first period, then assisted on Matthews' goal in the third. Joy Dunne added an insurance tally, Hadley Hartmetz scored an empty netter, and Raygan Kirk made 17 saves for the win. Michelle Pasiechnyk stopped 49 shots for Clarkson.

Wisconsin 3, Colgate 1 – Vivian Jungels' goal with 8:31 remaining in regulation proved to be the difference in punching the Badgers' ticket to the title game. Kirsten Simms put Wisconsin up 1-0 in the first before Jungels' goal doubled their lead, with Casey O'Brien assisting on both. Kristyna Kaltounkova pulled the Raiders within one, lighting the lamp with an extra-attacker and 2:10 to play, but Laila Edwards put home an empty-netter with 12 seconds remaining. Ava McNaughton stopped 25 of 26 shots for Wisconsin while Kayle Osborne made 18 saves for Colgate.

All-Tournament Team

F – Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin
F – Makenna Webster, Ohio State
F – Joy Dunne, Ohio State
D – Cayla Barnes, Ohio State
D – Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
G – Raygan Kirk, Ohio State
Most Outstanding Player – Raygan Kirk

Cornell's Izzy Daniel wins 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

Minneapolis native Izzy Daniel was named the winner of the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the best NCAA Division I women's hockey player. The senior forward became the award's first recipient from Cornell University after recording 59 points on 21 goals & 38 assists and earning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year & Forward of the Year honors. Her 1.74 points-per-game average was third in the nation and led all ECAC players. Her 1.12 assists-per-game average placed her second nationally, and she was seventh in goals-per-game (0.62).

Copyright © 2024 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

You can receive the Penalty Box Post newsletter via email by signing up here.

Power Play Club

March 20, 2024

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Power Play Club

March 20, 2024

Goals for a Goal: Gophers finish 2023-2024 with 135 goals

Our thanks to everyone who submitted a pledge to the Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal program to provide additional financial support for the Gopher Women's Hockey team. Concluding the 2023-2024 season, the Gophers finished with 135 goals, 37 of which were scored on the power play!!

Those of you who pledged should watch your email inbox for an invoice and remittance instructions from the Golden Gopher Fund at some point in the next month. We appreciate your contributions to this and our other fundraisers for GWH!!

Madeline Wethington reaches career 100-point mark

Expanding on a note from our Two-Minute Minor following last Saturday's NCAA quarterfinal contest, Madeline Wethington's assist on Josefin Bouveng's first-period goal was her 100th career point, making her the 7th Gopher Women's Hockey blueliner to reach the century mark. Additionally, her 27 goals and 73 assists also place her seventh all-time in both categories among Minnesota defenders!! Congratulations and thank you, Madeline!!

Laitinen, Bouveng headed to 2024 Women's World Championship

We send wishes of congratulations and good luck to Gopher Women's Hockey sophomores Nelli Laitinen & Josefin Bouveng upon being named to their respective countries' national teams for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championships!!

Laitinen was named to the Finland Women's National Team on March 11, while Bouveng was announced on the Sweden Women's National Team roster yesterday (March 19). This will be Laitinen's fourth and Bouveng's third Women's World Championship. Both also played on their countries' teams at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

The 2024 Women's World Championship is being held at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, NY, from April 3 through 14, with preliminary round games through April 9 and the playoff round starting April 11. Single-game tickets are on sale at 2024.womensworlds.hockey/tickets.

We again also wish good luck to current Gopher Abbey Murphy and alumnae Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek and Grace Zumwinkle as they head to the U.S. Women's National Team Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, NY, March 27-30 ahead of the Team USA roster selection for the World Championship. That roster is expected to be named on March 31.

Duluth, AMSOIL Arena to host 2025 WCHA Final Faceoff

In case you missed the news, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) announced during this year's playoff championship game on March 10 that AMSOIL Arena in Duluth will host the 2025 Kwik Trip Final Faceoff.

The announcement comes after the 2024 Final Faceoff was the ninth-consecutive year the event was held at Ridder Arena. Duluth previously hosted the league's championship weekend in 2008 & 2012. The playoff championship has also been contested in Bloomington, Rochester, Blaine, Grand Forks, and Bemidji.

Daniel, O'Brien, Simms named Kazmaier Award Top 3 Finalists

Following up from last week, Cornell's Izzy Daniel and Wisconsin's Casey O'Brien & Kirsten Simms were named the Top 3 Finalists for the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented to the top NCAA Division I women's hockey player.

The presentation of the award will be held as part of the NCAA Frozen Four weekend festivities this Saturday, March 23, at 12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT at the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, NH. The event is free and open to the public, and will be televised live on NHL Network.

Copyright © 2024 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

You can receive the Penalty Box Post newsletter via email by signing up here.

Power Play Club

March 17, 2024

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, March 17, 2024

Power Play Club

March 17, 2024

NCAA Quarterfinal: Gophers fall at Clarkson, 3-2 in 4 OT

NCAA Frozen Four – Whittemore Center Arena, Durham, NH
Semifinals – Friday, March 22
#1 Ohio State vs. #4 Clarkson – 4:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm CT
#2 Wisconsin vs. #3 Colgate – 7:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm CT
Video from both games streamed for free on ESPN+

Championship – Sunday, March 24 at 4:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm CT
Televised on ESPNU

The new record for the longest game in Minnesota Women's Hockey history also ended its season as Clarkson outlasted the Gophers 3-2 in a four-overtime marathon in their NCAA Women's National Collegiate Tournament quarterfinal in Potsdam, NY. Golden Knights goaltender Michelle Pasiechnyk made 61 saves, including 36 in OT, and Dominique Petrie buried a power-play rebound – her second goal of the contest – at the 5:44 mark of the fourth extra period.

Josefin Bouveng and Ella Huber put Minnesota up 2-0, but Haley Winn netted a power play goal for the Knights to cut the Gophers' lead to one before the first intermission. The 2-1 margin held until late in regulation when Petrie tallied with an extra attacker to send the contest to overtime. The teams battled through three overtime periods before Petrie's game-winning goal in the fourth. Lucy Morgan made 53 saves for Minnesota, 34 in OT. Recording an assist in the first period, Madeline Wethington became the seventh defender in program history to reach the 100-point mark.

The Gophers finish with an overall record of 27-10-2.

Minnesota-Clarkson game Recaps

U. of M. recap – Gophers Fall in 4OT Heartbreaker to Clarkson
Joe Nelson for Bring Me the Sports / SI.com – Gophers fall to Clarkson in 4-overtime NCAA Tournament thriller
Rachel Blount, Star Tribune – Gophers women's hockey ousted by Clarkson in four overtimes in NCAA quarterfinals
Sydney Wolf, The Rink Live – Clarkson outlasts Minnesota in 4OT, heads to Women's Frozen Four

Other quarterfinal Results
#1 Ohio State blows out Minnesota Duluth, 9-0 – Olivia Mobley tallied 2 goals and an assist, Jocelyn Amos added a goal & two assists, Hannah Bilka lit the lamp twice, and Raygan Kirk needed only 16 saves for the Buckeyes to shut out the Bulldogs a fifth time this season. Ève Gascon & Hailey MacLeod combined for 30 saves for UMD.

#2 Wisconsin shuts out St. Lawrence, 4-0 – Casey O'Brien tallied just 16 seconds into the contest, Sarah Wozniewicz doubled the lead in the 3rd period, and Laila Edward lit the lamp twice after an earlier assist for the Badgers while Ava McNaughton stopped all 25 shots she faced. Emma-Sofie Nordström made 43 saves for the Saints.

#3 Colgate knocks off Cornell, 3-1 – Allyson Simpson lit the lamp for the Raiders with 4:11 remaining in regulation, assisted by Elyssa Biederman, to break a 1-1 tie, and Biederman added an empty-netter right before the final horn. Kristýna Kaltounková gave Colgate an initial lead in the first period, but Kaitlin Jockims evened the score for the Big Red in the 2nd. Kayle Osborne stopped 19 of 20 shots for the Radiers, while Cornell's Annelies Bergmann made 31 saves.

Thank you seniors Josey Dunne, Lucy Morgan, Solveig Neunzert, Maggie Nicholson, Taylor Stewart, Audrey Wethington & Madeline Wethington for proudly representing the Gopher Women's Hockey program and the U. of M.!! We send thanks to the entire GWH team on another great season, and we look forward to seeing you in the fall!

Copyright © 2024 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

You can receive the Penalty Box Post newsletter via email by signing up here.

Power Play Club

March 13, 2024

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Power Play Club

March 13, 2024

Goals for a Goal: Counting continues into NCAA Tournament

As the Gopher Women's Hockey team enters NCAA Tournament play, we continue to count the goals they've scored this season. And it's not too late to enroll in the Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal campaign to convert each of those goals into a donation back to the team! Headed into the Big Dance, they have lit the lamp 133 times, with 37 of them coming on the power play!!

Pledges per goal can be submitted online, with the option to double your pledge for power-play tallies. The Golden Gopher Fund will send out invoices following the completion of the season. Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!

NCAA Tournament – Single-elimination

Quarterfinal – #5-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers (27-9-2)
at #4-seeded Clarkson Golden Knights (32-4-2)
Saturday, March 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. CT
Cheel Arena, Potsdam, NY

The Golden Gophers have earned a bid to their third-straight NCAA Women's Ice Hockey National Collegiate Tournament but are headed on the road for the quarterfinal round. Earning the #5 seed, they travel to northern New York state for a meeting against the 4th-seeded Clarkson University Golden Knights at Cheel Arena in Potsdam.

TIME CHANGE – Game time this Saturday, March 16, is now set for 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. This is an hour earlier than originally reported.

Tickets are on sale through the Clarkson University ticket office here.

Game coverage – Video of Saturday's game will streamed on the ESPN+ subscription service. Free audio play-by-play with announcer Dan Hamann will be streamed on GopherSports.com starting 15 to 20 minutes before puck drop here. Free live stats will be available here.

Previously against Clarkson – The Golden Gophers and Golden Knights have met twice previously in NCAA Tournament games with Clarkson coming out victorious both times, defeating Minnesota 5-4 in the 2014 National Championship game and 4-3 in the 2017 Frozen Four semifinals. In the latter contest, Gophers Kate Schipper, Sarah Potomak, and Sophie Skarzynski lit the lamp to erase 3 different one-goal deficits, but Clarkson's Rhyen McGill netted the game-winning goal on rebound with 1:31 to play. Sidney Peters made 21 saves for Minnesota, while Shea Tiley stopped 28 shots for the Knights.

Analyzing the Golden Knights – Though posting a better overall record than Colgate thanks to a 11-0-1 non-conference mark, Clarkson finished the regular season second in the ECAC behind the Raiders with an 18-3-1 league record. After sweeping Princeton in the best-of-3 conference quarterfinals, 3-2 (2OT) & 6-3, they knocked off rival St. Lawrence 3-1 in the semis before falling to Colgate 3-0 in the ECAC Championship.

Clarkson averaged 3.45 goals per game across all contests, good for fourth in the ECAC, and they feature six players who have surpassed the 30-point mark. Senior Nicole Gosling (#21) had a team-high 37 points, is tied for the team-lead with 14 goals, and has dished out 23 assists. Junior defender Haley Winn (#4) is second in total scoring, dishing out 27 assists while lighting the lamp 9 times herself for 36 points. Former Gopher Anne Cherkowski (Sr., #24) and grad student Dominique Petrie (#29) each have 33 points; Cherkowski joins Gosling with 14 goals and has 19 assists, while Petrie has 13 goals & 20 assists. Grad students Darcie Lappan (#27) and Brooke McQuigge (#26) each have 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points.

Defense has been a strength of the Knights, recording NCAA bests for opposing scoring at 1.18 goals-per-game and penalty kill rate at 91.8%. Senior Michelle Pasiechnyk (#1) has been Clarkson's primary goaltender, going 24-4-1 (one no-decision) in 30 starts with 8 shutouts, a 1.31 goals-against average, and a .943 save percentage. Sophomore Julia Minotti (#31) boasts even better stats with an 8-0-1 record, 5 shutouts, a meager 0.57 GAA, and a .965 SV%. Juniors Alexa Madrid (#30) & Holly Gruber (#35) have seen only limited action; Madrid made a brief 4-minute appearance against Harvard this season, not facing a shot on goal, while Gruber appeared in a pair of games in 2022-2023.

Last weekend for Clarkson – In the ECAC semifinals against St. Lawrence, Haley Winn and Sena Catterall gave the Knights a 2-0 lead early in the second period, though Rachel Bjorgan lit the lamp for the Saints just 77 seconds later to pull within one. However, Michelle Pasiechnyk was perfect after that, finishing with 31 saves in total, and Catterall tallied her second goal of the game into an empty net for the 3-1 victory. The Knights and Colgate squared off for the ECAC Championship and played a scoreless first 48 minutes until Madeline Palumbo lit the lamp for the Raiders. Colgate's Kayle Osborne kept Clarkson off the board with 30 saves while Elyssa Biederman tacked on an empty-netter and Emma Pais scored after that for the 3-0 shutout. Pasiechnyk made another 38 saves.

2024 Patty Kazmaier Award Top 3 Finalists to be Named Today

The announcement of the Top 3 Finalists for the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented to the best player in Division I Women's Ice Hockey, is expected today (Wednesday, March 13). We send one more shoutout to Gopher Women's Hockey forward Abbey Murphy on being named a Top 10 Finalist!

The Top 3 Finalist announcement will be shared on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, with more details posted on pattykaz.com.

WCHA 2023-2024 Award Winners

Wrapping up the WCHA season for another year, we share the announcements of the league's award winners for 2023-2024.

Forward of the Year – Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin
Defender of the Year – Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
Goaltender of the Year – Sanni Ahola, St. Cloud State
Rookie of the Year – Joy Dunne, Ohio State
Coach of the Year – Nadine Muzerall, Ohio State
Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year – Clara Van Wieren, Minnesota Duluth
Player of the Year – Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin

Dickerman Named New Coach at MSU after Harrington Retires

Minnesota State University women's hockey alumna Shari (Vogt) Dickerman was promoted to head coach of the Mavericks earlier this week after John Harrington stepped down from the position. Dickerman becomes the fifth head coach in the history of the MSU program, having been a member of the coaching staff since 2009, and briefly served as Acting Head Coach in during the 2023-2024 season.

As a goaltender for the Mavericks, Dickerman was named to the 2004 Division I All-American Second Team and was a Top 10 Finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award that year. She was also a two-time All-WCHA First Team selection. Her 3,590 career saves at MSU are 5th all-time in the NCAA Women's Division I record book.

Prior to coaching at her alma mater, Dickerman spent one year as an assistant coach for the girls Prep 19U team at Shattuck-St. Mary's and was an assistant coach at Mankato West High School before that. More recently, she served as an assistant coach with the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship and the 2023 & 2024 Rivalry Series against Canada.

Harrington will remain in the MSU Athletics Department for the remainder of the academic year, serving as Special Assistant to the Athletic Director before his full retirement from the school on June 30. A 1980 U.S. Olympian on the "Miracle on Ice" team, he finished with an 85-198-25 overall record in nine seasons leading the Mavericks. We send him our best wishes on a happy retirement.

2024 World Championship Medal-round Tickets on Sale Today

Single-game tickets for the medal round of the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship – including quarterfinal & semifinal contests and the bronze & gold-medal games – will go on sale today (Wednesday, March 13) at 12 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. CT at 2024.womensworlds.hockey/tickets.

Single-game tickets for the preliminary round are also on sale using the link above. The tournament is hosted this year by the United States at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York, starting Wednesday, April 3. The playoff round begins with the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 11, and runs through the medal games on Sunday, April 14. More tournament information can be found on the event's website here.

Other NCAA Tournament Matchups – First Round

Cornell (24-7-1) vs. Stonehill (21-15-2) – at Colgate
Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT

Minnesota Duluth (20-13-4) vs. Connecticut (25-7-5) – at Ohio State
Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT

St. Lawrence (27-10-0) vs. Penn State (22-12-3) – at Wisconsin
Thursday, March 14 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT

Quarterfinals

Cornell / Stonehill at #3-seed Colgate (31-6-1)
TIME CHANGE – Saturday, March 16 at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT

St. Lawrence / Penn State at #2-seed Wisconsin (33-5-0)
Saturday, March 16 at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT

Minnesota Duluth / Connecticut at #1-seed Ohio State (32-4-0)
Saturday, March 16 at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT

Power Play Club

March 11, 2024

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Monday, March 11, 2024

Power Play Club

March 11, 2024

NCAA Quarterfinal
#5 Minnesota Golden Gophers
at #4 Clarkson Golden Knights
Saturday, March 16
2:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 p.m. CT
Cheel Arena – Potsdam, NY

Tickets on sale today – Monday, March 11 – at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT
through the Clarkson University ticket office here.

All seating is general admission with a first-come, first-served policy.

Note: Game time has been updated from 2 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET.

Murphy named 2024 Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 finalist

Gopher Women's Hockey junior forward & alternate captain Abbey Murphy was named a Top-10 finalist for the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by the USA Hockey Foundation to the top NCAA Division I women's hockey player!

Murphy remains the national goal leader with 33 while dishing out 26 assists to put her in a third-place tie for total scoring with 59 points. She also leads the nation with 13 power-play goals and is second for goals-per-game average (0.89). She was named to the All-WCHA Second Team last week, her third All-WCHA honor, and earned three WCHA Forward of the Week and two WCHA Forward of the Month honors. Murphy becomes the 39th player in Minnesota program history to be named a Kazmaier Award Top-10 finalist.

The top-three finalists are expected to be announced next Wednesday, March 13, with the winner being revealed on Saturday, March 23 at the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four in Durham, N.H. Congratulations and good luck, Abbey!!

Murphy, 3 GWH alumnae invited to Team USA evaluation camp
Roster for 2024 IIHF World Championship to be named at end of camp

Current Gopher Abbey Murphy was part of more news yesterday (Thursday, March 7) as she and Minnesota Women's Hockey alumnae Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek & Grace Zumwinkle were named to the 39-player invitee list for the U.S. Women's National Team Evaluation Camp by USA Hockey. The camp will be held March 27 through 30 in Lake Placid, New York.

The 2024 U.S. Women’s National Team will be named at the conclusion of camp – likely on Sunday, March 31 – and will compete at the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Utica, NY, running April 3 through 14 at the Adirondack Bank Center. Team USA is the defending world champion after winning gold last year in Brampton, Ontario.

We send our congratulations and wishes of good luck to Abbey, Taylor, Kelly, and Grace!!

Canadian Women's World Championship roster set – We also note that Canada named its 23-player national team roster for the 2024 Women’s World Championship yesterday. Twenty (20) members of the team are returners from the 2023 silver medalist squad.

We will watch for more World Championship team roster announcements as the tournament approaches.

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Power Play Club

March 11, 2024

The Penalty Box Post - NCAA Bracket Update - Sunday, March 10, 2024

Power Play Club

March 11, 2024

Gophers fall to Wisconsin in WCHA Final Faceoff semifinals

A power-play goal from Peyton Hemp with 3:44 remaining regulation gave the Gophers a late lead in their WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal against Wisconsin and Skylar Vetter made 38 saves, but it wasn't enough as they fell to the Badgers in overtime, 4-3.

Kirsten Simms put the Badgers up within the first minute of the contest, but Josefin Bouveng and Ella Huber gave the Gophers a 2-1 first-intermission lead. Simms converted a second-period power play to knot the score before Hemp's goal put Minnesota ahead again. Unfortunately, Casey O'Brien was able to even the score with just 8.8 seconds remaining, banking a shot off of Vetter into the net. Vetter made 3 saves in OT but couldn't stop a backhander from Lacey Eden 7:59 into the extra period, sending Wisconsin to the WCHA Championship Game. Ava McNaughton made 20 saves for the Badgers. Bouveng led the Gophers in scoring, adding an assist to her goal.

First semifinal: Ohio State 5, Minnesota Duluth 0 – Buckeyes netminder Raygan Kirk needed only 17 saves to post a clean sheet as OSU shut out UMD for the fourth time in five meetings this season. At the other end of the ice, Joy Dunne & Kiara Zanon scored 44 seconds apart in the first period and the Buckeyes never looked back. Dunne added a later assist and Emma Peschel also tallied a goal & an assist for OSU, while Hailey MacLeod stopped 39 shots for the Bulldogs.

Championship: Wisconsin 6, Ohio State 3 – Coming off their overtime semifinal victory, the Badgers scored on two of their first three shots on goal against the Buckeyes to go up 2-0. OSU pulled within one early in the second period, but Wisconsin rattled off the next four goals – including two on the power play and one short-handed – to extend their lead to 6-1. Laila Edwards & Casey O'Brien each recorded two goals & two assists for the Badgers and Ava McNaughton made 30 saves. Hannah Bilka lit the lamp twice for the Buckeyes in the final five minutes and Raygan Kirk stopped 16 shots.

All-Tournament Team –

F - Laila Edwards, Wisconsin
F - Casey O'Brien, Wisconsin
F - Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin
D - Emma Peschel, Ohio State
D - Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin
G - Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin

Most Outstanding Player – Casey O'Brien

NCAA Tournament – Single-elimination
Quarterfinal – #5-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers (27-9-2)
at #4-seeded Clarkson Golden Knights (32-4-2)
Saturday, March 16 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. CT
Cheel Arena, Potsdam, NY

The Golden Gophers are headed to their third-straight Big Dance but will have to go on the road to open the tournament. Earning the #5 seed, they will head to northern New York state for a meeting against the 4th-seeded Clarkson University Golden Knights at Cheel Arena in Potsdam. Game time this Saturday, March 16, is set for 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT.

Ticket information is to be announced and we'll share it when it becomes available. More information about this game will be posted in our regular issue of the Penalty Box Post on Wednesday.

Other NCAA Tournament Matchups – First Round

Cornell (24-7-1) vs. Stonehill (21-15-2) – at Colgate
Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT

Minnesota Duluth (20-13-4) vs. Connecticut (25-7-5) – at Ohio State
Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT

St. Lawrence (27-10-0) vs. Penn State (22-12-3) – at Wisconsin
Thursday, March 14 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT

Quarterfinals

Cornell / Stonehill at #3-seed Colgate (31-6-1)
Saturday, March 16 at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT

St. Lawrence / Penn State at #2-seed Wisconsin (33-5-0)
Saturday, March 16 at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT

Minnesota Duluth / Connecticut at #1-seed Ohio State (32-4-0)
Saturday, March 16 at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT

Power Play Club

March 6, 2024

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Power Play Club

March 6, 2024

Goals for a Goal: Total increases to 130 goals!

The Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal campaign is collecting pledges for every goal scored by the Gopher Women's Hockey Team, with the resulting donations used to support Ridder Arena improvements. Goals scored in the postseason are included in the count, and so far the team has recorded 130 goals, 36 of which have come on the power play!!

If you have not yet made a pledge, you still have the opportunity to do so online. The Golden Gopher Fund will send out invoices following the completion of the season. Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!

Laitinen, A. Wethington named WCHA season award finalists

GWH sophomore Nelli Laitinen was named a top-three finalist for WCHA Defender of the Year on Monday, and senior Audrey Wethington was announced as a finalist for WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year yesterday.

Laitinen has scored six goals, dished out 15 helpers, and blocked 56 shots this season; she was named to the All-WCHA Second Team last week. On the ice, Wethington has 15 points on 4 goals & 11 assists; off the ice, the biology major earned her 3rd WCHA Scholar-Athlete honor, which goes to student-athletes averaging 3.50 on a 4.0 scale for their previous two semesters or three quarters of instruction. Congratulations, Nelli & Audrey!!

The 2023-2024 WCHA Forward of the Year, Defender of the Year, Goaltender of the Year and Rookie of the Year, as presented by Sterling Trophy, will be announced later today (Wednesday, March 6). The Coach of the Year, Outstanding Scholar-Athlete, and overall 2023-2024 WCHA Player of the Year will be announced tomorrow, Thursday, March 7.

2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Face-off at Ridder Arena

Semifinals – Friday, March 8
#1 Ohio State (1st seed) vs. #8 MN Duluth (4th seed) – 1:00 p.m.
#5 Minnesota (3rd seed) vs. #2 Wisconsin (2nd seed) – 4:30 p.m.

Championship – Saturday, March 9 at 2:00 p.m.

Ridder Arena hosts the WCHA Final Faceoff for the ninth-consecutive year, featuring four of the top eight teams in the nation and repeating the pairings from last season. Top ranked and top seeded Ohio State will face Minnesota Duluth in the first semifinal this Friday, March 8, at 1:00 p.m. The 3rd-seeded Golden Gophers will face 2nd-seeded Wisconsin in a fifth round of the Border Battle this season, playing in the second semifinal at 4:30 p.m. The winners will advance to the championship game on Saturday, March 9, at 2:00 p.m.

Gopher sports calendar – Please note that the Gopher Men's Hockey team will be hosting a Big Ten Conference quarterfinal series against Penn State this weekend, with Game 1 on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Game 2 Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Additionally, Gopher Men's Swimming & Diving is hosting a meet at the Jean Freeman Aquatic Center on Saturday with the finals scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Final Faceoff attendees should please plan accordingly.

Tournament television/video coverage – Continuing the WCHA's partnership, all three Final Faceoff contests will have video streaming on the B1G+ subscription service. Additionally, all three will also be broadcast on FOX 9+ in the Twin Cities, with streaming of that station through Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, fuboTV, and YouTube TV.

Ticket information – All-session packages and single-session tickets can be purchased from the University of Minnesota Ticket Office through GopherSports.com or by calling 1-800-U-GOPHER during normal business hours (M-F, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

All-session packages are $40 for reserved chairback seating, $30 for adult general admission (bench) seating, $22.50 for general admission for seniors, students & youth, and $12 per ticket for general admission groups of 10 or more.

Semifinal Friday tickets are $24 for reserved chairback seating, $17 for adult general admission (bench) seating, $14.50 for general admission for seniors, students & youth, and $8.50 per ticket for general admission groups of 10 or more.

Championship Saturday tickets are $27 for reserved chairback seating, $21 for adult general admission (bench) seating, $15.50 for general admission for seniors, students & youth, and $10 per ticket for general admission groups of 10 or more.

How they got here:

Gophers eliminate Minnesota State in three games to advance

Scoring on three of their four 3rd-period shots on goal, 6th-seeded Minnesota State upset Minnesota 5-4 in Game 1 of their WCHA quarterfinal series. However, the Gophers responded with a five-goal first-period outburst in Game 2 en route to a 7-1 victory and posted stout defense to shutout the Mavericks 3-0 in Game 3 to win the series and advance.

Minnesota's first forward line accounted for 11 of the team's 14 goals. Josefin Bouveng led the Maroon & Gold with a 10-point weekend, lighting the lamp twice on Saturday & twice more on Sunday while dishing out 6 assists across the three games. Ella Huber tallied a team-high five goals in the series, netting a hat trick Friday and tallying Sunday's game-winning goal; she also recorded two assists for a 7-point performance. Abbey Murphy found the back of the next twice on Saturday while getting six assists as well (two in each game). Jamie Nelson led the Mavericks with two goals & an assist, all coming on Friday.

Between the pipes, Skylar Vetter took Friday's loss despite a 23-save effort; Lucy Morgan started Saturday & Sunday, stopping 28 of the combined 29 shots she faced to earn the two wins. MSU's Hailey Hansen made 32 saves in just under four periods of action but got tagged for nine goals; Suzette Faucher entered in relief Saturday and started Sunday, stopping 57 of 61 shots.

Wisconsin took second in the WCHA standings with a 23-5-0-0 (2-1 in OT) conference record, plus a perfect 6-0-0 mark in non-conference action. Lauren Stenslie lit the lamp twice for 7th-seeded St. Thomas in Game 1 of their quarterfinal series, but the Badgers got two goals & an assist from Kirsten Simms and a goal & two assists from Britta Curl to earn a 4-2 victory. Wisconsin routed the Tommies 9-1 in Game 2 to sweep the series; Curl added two goals & two assists to finish with a 7-point weekend, Casey O'Brien also tallied 2 goals & 2 assists, and Simms dished out 3 helpers. Former Gopher goaltender Olivia King saw her collegiate career come to an end, making 51 saves for St. Thomas.

Ohio State earned their second-straight WCHA regular-season championship with a dominant 26-2-0-0 (2-0 in OT) conference record plus a 3-1-0 mark in non-conference play. The Buckeyes routed 8th-seeded Bemidji State in the quarterfinals, 10-1 and 8-0. Jenna Buglioni posted a 3-goal, 3-assist series, Jenn Gardiner added 3 goals & 2 assists, Cayla Barnes and Joy Dunne each tallied 2 goals & 2 assists, and Kiara Zanon dished out 5 helpers. Olivia Dronen netted the lone goal for the Beavers, scoring unassisted.

Minnesota Duluth finished fourth in the conference standings, posting a 15-11-2-0 (1-0 in OT) mark in WCHA play and going 3-1-2 in non-conference action. The Bulldogs shut out St. Cloud State in the quarterfinals, winning 5-0 and 2-0. Reece Hunt tallied points on all five UMD goals in the opener, scoring the first goal herself and assisting on the other four, and Hailey MacLeod stopped all 20 shots she faced. Bulldog captain Mannon McMahon, having recorded two assists Friday, scored both goals on Saturday; that was plenty as Ève Gascon posted a 27-save shutout performance. Huskies goaltenders Sanni Ahola and Jojo Chobak combined for 55 saves.

Final Faceoff Semifinal Matchups

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin – Both the Gophers and Badgers are nearly certain to receive NCAA Tournament bids regardless of this weekend's results, but, while Wisconsin is likely to host a regional, Minnesota needs at least one win if not two (plus outside help) to avoid having to go on the road to open the “Big Dance”.

Wisconsin went 3-1-0 against Minnesota in the regular season, taking 8 of the 12 conference standings points. At Ridder Arena in December, the Gophers won the opener 5-3 but the Badgers salvaged a split with a 5-1 victory. Last month at Madison, Minnesota battled back in the Friday game to force overtime but lost in the extra period, 4-3; Wisconsin completed the weekend sweep with a 4-0 Saturday shutout. Josefin Bouveng led the Gopher scoring in the season series with 4 points on 3 goals & an assist, Abbey Murphy tallied 2 goals & 2 assists, and Nelli Laitinen added a goal and 2 helpers. Kirsten Simms recorded 4 goals & 4 assists for the Badgers, Lacey Eden tallied 3 goals and 2 assists, and Britta Curl and Maddi Wheeler each added two goals & an assist. Wisconsin had a 143-92 shots-on-goal advantage in the series. Lucy Morgan earned Minnesota's lone win in two starts, posting an .896 save percentage and 3.50 goals-against average, while Skylar Vetter recorded an .882 SV% and 4.44 GAA. Badger freshman Ava McNaughton stopped 40 of 41 shots over her two games for a 0.50 GAA and .976 SV%, but Jane Gervais yielded the other 8 Gopher goals, resulting in an .843 SV% and 3.99 GAA.

Ohio State vs. Minnesota Duluth – As with last year, the Buckeyes are comfortably in the NCAA Tourney field and the Bulldogs appear to be safely in as well but could use a good weekend showing.

While UMD held Ohio State to only 11 goals in their season series – an average under three per game – the Bulldogs were shut out in three of the four contests and outshot by a combined 149-60. The Buckeyes earned 5-2 and 2-0 victories in Duluth in October, then blanked the Bulldogs 3-0 and 1-0 in Columbus in January. Hannah Bilka led OSU with 5 points against UMD on 2 goals & 3 assists, Hadley Hartmetz tallied a hat trick in their first meeting and later added an assist, and Sloane Matthews recorded a goal and 3 assists. Katie Davis and Reece Hunt scored the Bulldogs' goals. Raygan Kirk stopped all 30 shots she faced for the Buckeyes and Amanda Thiele made 28 saves (.933 save percentage and 1.00 goals-against average). UMD netminder Ève Gascon made 103 saves across three games, posting a 2.36 GAA and .936 SV%, while Hailey MacLeod stopped 35 of 38 shots in her lone start (.921 SV%).

Current Pairwise Rankings

Top 10 plus other teams still active in respective conference tournaments
1. Ohio State (31-3-0 overall record, 69.731 NPI)
2. Wisconsin (31-5-0, 65.984)
3. Clarkson (31-3-2, 64.752)
4. Colgate (29-6-1, 64.256)
5. Minnesota (27-8-2, 62.767)
6. Cornell (24-6-1, 61.184)
7. St. Lawrence (27-9-0, 60.466)
8. Minnesota Duluth (20-12-4, 58.981)
9. Quinnipiac (25-11-1, 58.461)
10. Connecticut (23-7-5, 56.739)
12. Northeastern (24-10-3, 54.643)
14. Penn State* (22-12-3, 54.569)
17. Boston College (15-13-7, 52.404)
18. New Hampshire (18-15-2, 52.894)
30. Stonehill (20-15-4, 47.730)
32. Franklin Pierce (18-15-1, 47.829)

The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for Sunday, March 10 at Noon ET / 11 a.m. CT and will be televised on ESPNews. * Penn State has already qualified as the CHA Playoff Champion. The playoff champions from the ECAC, Hockey East, NEWHA, and WCHA also earn autobids to the 11-team field. Rankings and NPI calculations courtesy of USCHO.com.