Power Play Club

Coming soon – Gopher Women's Hockey Online Auction

The U. of M. Intercollegiate Athletics Department is hosting a Gopher Women's Hockey online auction starting soon at gophersports.com/auctions. Our thanks to the staff at the Golden Gopher Fund for their coordination of the event. Watch you email inbox for a message from the GGF and/or Power Play Club when the auction goes live; we'll also post the announcement to our accounts on Facebook and X/Twitter.

Remaining PPC Chalk Talk Schedule

We remind our fellow Power Play Club members and Gopher Women's Hockey fans that we still have two Chalk Talks, each featuring a member of the GWH coaching staff, scheduled for the remainder of the 2023-2024 regular season. Join us on Saturday, February 10, at 12:30 p.m. and Saturday, February 24, also at 12:30 p.m. in the Ridder Arena Weight Room (upstairs, across the hall from the suites), where we'll be reviewing the previous night's game video and discussing strategy & other topics.

The Chalk Talks are exclusive events for enrolled 2023-2024 club members. You can still register through our membership page on this website.

Goals for a Goal

Help us continue to support the Gopher Women's Hockey team financially by pledging to the Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal program, donating for each goal scored by the team throughout the season (including the playoffs) with the option to double your pledge for power play goals. Through 24 games, the team has lit the lamp 88 times, with 24 of those coming while having the advantage! Submit your pledge electronically at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal. Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!

#5/5 Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-5-1, 12-5-1-1 in WCHA)
vs.
Minnesota State University Mavericks (10-15-0, 4-14-0-0)

Friday, January 26 at 6:00 p.m. – Ridder Arena
Saturday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m. - Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center – Mankato

After earning a sweep in their first road series of 2024, the Gopher Women's Hockey team plays their first home-and-home series of the calendar year, taking on the Minnesota State University Mavericks. Action begins at Ridder Arena on Friday, January 26 at 6:00 p.m. before relocating to the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato for the second game on Saturday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m.

Game coverage – As with last weekend, Saturday's game will be televised on Fox 9+ (channel finder), and video from both games will be streamed on the B1G+ subscription service. Free audio play-by-play can be found on GopherSports.com (Friday and Saturday) starting 15 to 20 minutes before each contest.

Last time against Minnesota State – The Mavericks took 1-0 leads in both games of their November home-and-home series against the Gophers when Whitney Tuttle scored early on Friday at Ridder Arena and Lauren Zawoyski netted her first collegiate goal Saturday in Mankato. However, the Gophers battled back for a pair of come-from-behind victories and the weekend sweep, winning 3-1 and 2-1. At Ridder, Abbey Murphy ripped home a power-play goal in the second period to knot the score, Nelli Laitinen lit the lamp on a blue-line bomb in the third, Ava Lindsay added a power-play insurance tally, and Lucy Morgan finished with 33 saves. At the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, Emma Kreisz netted the second goal of her career to draw the Gophers even, Madison Kaiser put away her own rebound to take the lead with 6:14 to play, and Skylar Vetter stopped 20 shots in total for the victory. Hailey Hansen started in net for MSU in the opener and stopped 17 of 18 shots before having to leave late in the second stanza due to injury; Suzette Faucher played the rest of the weekend and made a combined 44 saves in just over four periods of action.

Analyzing the Mavericks – Though Minnesota State is 6-1-0 in non-conference play and 3-1-0 in league games against Bemidji State and St. Thomas, they are 1-13-0 against the rest of the WCHA, getting only a 2-1 win two weekends ago against St. Cloud State. In total, they've been slightly outscored, 76-69 and their penalty kill rate is notably below 80%, allowing 15 goals on 67 opportunities.

The Mavericks boast two players who have passed the 20-point mark for the season. Senior Sydney Langseth (#3) has a team-leading 26 points & 15 assists, and her own 11 goals are second on the squad. Sophomore Whitney Tuttle (#7) has 23 points on 9 goals & 14 assists. Senior Jamie Nelson (#10) has a team-high 13 goals plus 6 assists for 19 points, while sophomore Taylor Otremba (#24) has 17 points on 6 goals and 11 helpers.

Junior Suzette Faucher (#31) has seen the most playing time between the pipes for MSU, recording a 3-8-0 mark with a 3.10 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage. Freshman Hailey Hansen (#33) is 1-2-0 with one no decision (against the Gophers), posting a 3.84 GAA and .872 SV%. Sophomore Avery Stilwell (#1) remains on the Mavericks' roster as the emergency backup, but senior Lauren Barbro is no longer listed on their roster after going 6-5-0 in 11 starts earlier this season with one shutout, a 2.62 GAA, and a .904 SV%.

Last action for Minnesota State – The Mavericks took a 2-0 lead early in the second period of the opener against Wisconsin in Mankato, getting goals from Jamie Nelson (SH) and Taylor Otremba, but Cassie Hall & Kelly Gorbatenko knotted the score for the Badgers after 40 minutes and Kirsten Simms lit the lamp in the third stanza for a 3-2 UW victory. The rematch started with fireworks as Vivian Jungels & Casey O'Brien scored for Wisconsin and Sydney Langseth lit the lamp for Minnesota State, all within the first 2½ minutes, but the Badgers extended their lead to 4-2 in the second period and added three more goals in the third for a 7-2 victory and the road sweep. Langseth finished the series with 2 points, assisting on Otremba's goal to go with her own, while Whitney Tuttle dished out two assists. O'Brien led the Badgers with 5 points on her goal plus 4 assists, while Simms tallied a second goal plus two assists. Suzette Faucher stopped 34 of 37 shots for MSU on Friday and Hailey Hansen made 30 saves Saturday.

Gophers sweep Beavers on the road – First-period goals by Josefin Bouveng & Allie Franco just 45 seconds apart and a 24-save performance by Lucy Morgan earned Minnesota a 2-0 shutout victory over Bemidji State at the Sanford Center on Friday night. Franco's goal was her first of the season. Khloe Lund got BSU on the board in the first period of the rematch, scoring on a shot appearing to be deflected off a Gopher stick, but Emma Kreisz scored on a second-period power play, Ava Lindsay also converted a power play in the third period to put Minnesota in the lead, Bouveng jumped on a rebound to add an insurance goal, and Skylar Vetter also made 24 saves for a 3-1 win and a series sweep. Beavers goaltender Eva Filippova played both games, stopping a combined 67 shots. Kreisz finished the weekend with 3 points, adding two assists to her goal, and Bouveng has now found the back of the net in 5-straight games against BSU.

GWH alums Kessel, Räty named to WCHA 25th Anniversary Team

Minnesota Women's Hockey alumnae Amanda Kessel and Noora Räty have been named to the WCHA 25th Anniversary Team!! The duo join Krissy (Wendell) Pohl and Natalie Darwitz as Gopher representatives in the first 20 of 25 selections, with the remaining five players to be announced in mid-February.

Kessel won the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, leading the undefeated Gophers to their second-straight NCAA Championship. She was also named WCHA Player of the Year that season after being named WCHA Rookie of the Year in 2010-2011. Overall, she was honored as a two-time All-American, three-time All-WCHA selection, and three-time national champion (2012, 2013 & 2016). She finished her collegiate career with 108 goals (10th in the WCHA records), 140 assists (8th in the WCHA records) and 248 points (8th in the WCHA records). Her 2012-2013 single-season totals of 101 points, 46 goals, and 55 assists are 3rd, 3rd and 4th (respectively) in the WCHA record books.

Räty is Minnesota's all-time goaltending wins, shutouts, and saves leader with 114, 43, and 3,250 respectively. Most notably, she posted a 38-0-0 record in 2012-2013, claiming the 2013 NCAA Championship after also winning in 2012 and being named Frozen Four Outstanding Player both years. She was a two-time First Team All-American (2010 and 2013), Second Team All-American in 2011, two-time WCHA Goaltending Champion, WCHA All-Rookie team selection in 2010, and four-time All-WCHA honoree. Her other collegiate career stats include a 1.34 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage.

Congratulations Amanda and Noora!!

Around the WCHA

Buckeyes shut out Bulldogs in Columbus – Ohio State netminders Raygan Kirk & Amanda Thiele combined for 32 saves (14 for Kirk, 18 for Thiele) to shut out Minnesota Duluth, 3-0 and 1-0. Hailey MacLeod stopped 35 shots for UMD on Friday but Kelsey King, Joy Dunne, and Kenzie Hauswirth lit the lamp for OSU. Ève Gascon made another 32 saves for the Bulldogs on Saturday and held the Buckeyes off the board for 55 minutes, but Hannah Bilka scored on an Ohio State power play with 4:18 to play to earn the sweep.

Huskies, Tommies split home wins – Klára Hymlárová scored short-handed for St. Cloud State and assisted on Katie Kaufman's power-play goal to give SCSU a 2-0 lead over St. Thomas on Friday in St. Cloud; Keara Parker converted a UST power play in the third, but Alice Sauriol added an insurance goal for the Huskies and Jojo Chobak stopped 24 of 25 shots for a 3-1 victory. Taylor Lind put St. Cloud State up 1-0 after one in the rematch in Mendota Heights, but Abby Promersberger evened the score for St. Thomas in the second, Rylee Bartz gave the Tommies the lead with 11:30 to play, and they added three empty-netters – two by Lauren Stenslie – to win 5-1 and earn the split. Olivia King claimed the victory with 25 saves after stopping 31 shots the previous night.

Upcoming games – Two league series begin this week with Friday afternoon matinees: St. Cloud State hosts top-ranked Ohio State and Wisconsin heads to the North Shore to face Minnesota Duluth. Meanwhile, Bemidji State hosts St. Thomas Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.

Standings:
1. Ohio State – 49 points (.907 pts%), 17-1-0-0, 2-0 in OT (20-2-0 overall)
2. Wisconsin – 43 points (.796 pts%), 14-4-0-0, 0-1 in OT (20-4-0 overall)
3. Minnesota – 39 points (.722 pts%), 12-5-1-1, 0-1 in OT (18-5-1 overall)
4. St. Cloud State – 32 points (.593 pts%), 10-7-1-0, 0-1 in OT (15-8-1 overall)
5. Minn. Duluth – 29 points (.537 pts%), 10-8-0-0, 1-0 in OT (13-9-2 overall)
6. Minnesota State – 12 points (.222 pts%), 4-14-0-0, 1-1 in OT (10-15-0 overall)
7. Bemidji State – 6 points (.111 pts%), 2-16-0-0, 1-1 in OT (3-20-1 overall)
St. Thomas – 6 points (.111 pts%), 2-16-0-0, 0-0 in OT (8-17-0 overall)

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.