Power Play Club

PPC Chalk Talk – Saturday, February 24 at 12:30 pm

We look forward to seeing many of our fellow Power Play Club members for our final Chalk Talk of the season this Saturday, February 24, at 12:30 p.m., prior to the Gophers' second game against Minnesota Duluth. The event will be held in the Ridder Arena Weight Room on the upper level across the hall from the suites, and is an exclusive event for enrolled 2023-2024 club members.

Goals for a Goal: Gophers' total reaches 111 and counting

Scoring 3 more goals last weekend, the Gopher Women's Hockey team has lit the lamp 111 times with 32 of those coming on the power play with one series left to go in the regular season! We encourage our club members and other GWH fans to submit a pledge through our Goals for a Goal program to donate for each of those goals and those yet to come this weekend and in the playoffs! Pledges should be submitted electronically at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double your pledge for power-play conversions. We once again send our thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!

Senior Weekend / Regular Season Finale
#4/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (24-7-1, 18-7-1-1 in WCHA)
vs.
#8/8 Univ. of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (18-11-3, 15-10-1-0)

Friday, February 23 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m.
Ridder Arena

The 2023-2024 regular season concludes with Senior Weekend for the Gopher Women's Hockey team at Ridder Arena. Adding to that, they face the rival Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in a national top-ten series, starting Friday evening, February 23 at 6:00 p.m. and continuing Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 p.m.

"Senior" recognition on Saturday – All fans are encouraged to arrive early for Saturday's contest as the team recognizes its graduate student and senior players during a special pre-game ceremony!!

Game coverage – Video from both contests will be streamed on the B1G+ subscription service, and free audio play-by-play will be on GopherSports.com (Friday and Saturday) starting 15 to 20 minutes before puck drop.

This season against Minnesota Duluth – Minnesota returned from a November series at AMSOIL Arena with back-to-back 3-1 victories over UMD, never trailing during the weekend. Though the Bulldogs took a 14-4 shots-on-goal advantage after the first 20 minutes of the opener, the game remained scoreless. Abbey Murphy put the Gophers in front in the second period, burying a one-timer on a power play. Hanna Baskin evened the score for Minnesota Duluth 9:13 into the third period, but Taylor Stewart lit the lamp less than two minutes later to restore the lead, Peyton Hemp added an empty-netter, and Skylar Vetter stopped 32 of 33 shots for the win. After another scoreless first period in the rematch, Ella Huber completed a nice passing play from Murphy & Josefin Bouveng to again put Minnesota ahead. Later in the second, Murphy got free on a short-handed breakaway; her first shot was stopped, but she collected the rebound, spun, and scored for a 2-0 lead. Gabby Krause pulled the Bulldogs within one in the third stanza, but Hemp netted the Gophers' second shorty of the game 47 seconds later and Lucy Morgan made 28 saves on 29 shots. Bouveng & Audrey Wethington each dished out two assists in the series. UMD netminder Ève Gascon recorded a combined 62 saves in the two contests.

Analyzing the Bulldogs – Minnesota Duluth is firmly on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, sitting in ninth place in the latest Pairwise Ranking estimates. They are the highest team in the national rankings having double-digits losses for the season. Still, following a four-game skid against Ohio State and Wisconsin to end January, they are undefeated (5-0-1) so far in February, passing St. Cloud State for fourth place in the WCHA standings and clinching home ice for the opening round of the league playoffs.

Offensively, UMD is in the middle of the pack among WCHA teams, averaging 2.44 goals per game. Graduate transfer Reece Hunt (#29) is leading the Bulldogs with 17 goals and 28 totals points, along with dishing out 11 assists. Another grad student, forward Mannon McMahon (#16), just set a Minnesota Duluth record for playing in her 166th consecutive game at the school; she and senior Olivia Wallin (#14) are tied with a team-high 15 assists. McMahon is second in total scoring, lighting the lamp 10 times for 25 points, while Wallin has 5 goals for 20 points. The veteran leadership continues as senior Clara Van Wieran (#25) has 21 points on 12 goals and 9 assists.

Between the pipes, sophomore Hailey MacLeod (#35) and Ève Gascon (#1) have been solid as each posted their 5th shutout this past weekend (more on that momentarily). Gascon's fifth clean sheet set a new UMD freshman record; she's got an 8-7-2 record with a 1.52 goals-against average and .951 save percentage. MacLeod is 10-4-1 in her 15 starts, sporting a 1.14 GAA and .958 SV%. Another freshman, Anna Byczek (#31), has not seen any official action.

Last weekend for Minnesota Duluth – In a goaltending showdown, the Bulldogs earned a 1-0 win and a 0-0 tie against the visiting St. Cloud State Huskies. Jojo Chobak made 28 saves for SCSU in the opener, but yielded a third-period goal to UMD's Clara Van Wieran while Hailey MacLeod stopped all 39 shots she faced at the other end; the win earned MacLeod the WCHA Goaltender of the Week honor. In the rematch, Chobak and Ève Gascon posted matching shutouts; Chobak stopped another 30 shots, while Gascon made 39 saves, including one on an overtime penalty shot, earning her the award as WCHA Rookie of he Week. The subsequent shootout after the tie was not so great for the netminders, though, as five of the six shooters lit the lamp; Hanna Baskin and Van Wieran scored for the Bulldogs but Olivia Wallin missed, while Emma Gentry, Laura Zimmerman, and Sofianna Sundelin found the back of the net for the Huskies to take the third WCHA standings point.

Gophers fall twice to Badgers – Josefin Bouveng scored twice in the third period of Minnesota's opener at Wisconsin last Friday, her second coming on a power play with an extra attacker to knot the score at 3-3 and force overtime. However, Laila Edwards lit the lamp for the Badgers in the extra session to defeat the Gophers, 4-3. Peyton Hemp opened the scoring in the first period, but Wisconsin tallied twice in the second stanza for a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes. Bouveng's first goal evened the score at 2-2 early in the third, but Britta Curl gave the Badgers another lead before Bouveng's second goal late in regulation. Skylar Vetter made 31 saves and Abbey Murphy dished out a pair of assists; Jane Gervais stopped 26 shots for Wisconsin. In the rematch, Badgers goaltender Ava McNaughton stopped all 17 shots she faced and Kirsten Simms posted a 3-point performance on two goals & an assist en route to a 4-0 shutout victory over the Gophers; Lucy Morgan made 27 saves for the Maroon & Gold.

Minnesota to host Minnesota State in WCHA Quarterfinals – Following last weekend's results around the WCHA (see our league recap below for summaries of the other two series), the Gopher Women's Hockey team will finish 3rd in the conference regular-season standings and will host the 6th-place Minnesota State Mavericks at Ridder Arena to open the playoffs. The best-of-three series will be played Friday, March 1 at 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m.; and (if necessary) Sunday, March 3 at 3:00 p.m.

Eleven (11) Gophers honored as WCHA Scholar-Athletes;
Twenty (20) named to 2023-2024 WCHA All-Academic Team

Showing their skills in the classroom to go with those on the ice, eleven (11) members of the Gopher Women's Hockey team were named among 85 players honored as WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award winners yesterday.

Madeline Wethington was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete for the fourth time in her career while Maggie Nicholson and Audrey Wethington earned their third distinction. Peyton Hemp and Skylar Vetter became two-time honorees, while Josefin Bouveng, Allie Franco, Sophia Johnson, Lucy Morgan, Solveig Neunzert and Taylor Stewart earned the honor for the first time.

Those eleven plus an additional nine (9) Minnesota Women's Hockey players – Emma Conner, Josey Dunne, Ella Huber, Madison Kaiser, Nelli Laitinen, Sadie Lindsay, Abbey Murphy, Tristana Tatur and Emily Zumwinkle – were honored as members of the 2023-2024 WCHA All-Academic Team. The 20 Gopher representatives were the most from any member school, with 125 total student-athletes recognized.

WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award recipients have achieved at least sophomore status in their academic careers and have a GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in their previous two semesters or three quarters. WCHA All-Academic Team members have achieved at least sophomore status and have a GPA of at least 3.0 in their previous two semesters or three quarters.

We congratulate all twenty Gopher players on their great work!!

GWH alumnae Hannah Brandt, Taylor Heise, Lee Stecklein named to WCHA's 25th Anniversary Top-25 Team

Minnesota Women's Hockey alumnae Hannah Brandt, Taylor Heise, and Lee Stecklein have been named to the WCHA 25th Anniversary Team!! The trio join Krissy (Wendell) Pohl, Natalie Darwitz, Amanda Kessel, and Noora Räty as Gopher representatives on the Top-25 team.

Brandt is the Golden Gophers' all-time leading career scorer with 285 points, also holding the top spot for career assists with 170 while lighting the lamp a second-best 116 times. Her +236 plus-minus rating is also a program record. The three-time NCAA champion (2013, 2015 and 2016) was a four-time All-WCHA First Team honoree, WCHA Rookie of the Year in 2012-2013, and WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Scoring Champion in both 2013-2014 and 2014-2015. Additionally, Brandt was a three-time All-America selection, a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award top 10 finalist four times, and a top three finalist for the Kazmaier Award twice.

Heise, the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner, holds the team record for appearing in 173 games. Over that time, she recorded 227 points – sixth in program history – on 97 goals (t-7th) and 130 assists (5th). Her 9 short-handed goals are fourth in the Gopher record book. Heise was also a top ten finalist for the Kazmaier Award in 2023, a First Team All-American in both 2022 and 2023, a three-time All-WCHA selection, and a member of the 2018-2019 WCHA All-Rookie Team. She was was the WCHA scoring champion and named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, further being honored as the league’s 2021-2022 overall Player of the Year.

Stecklein is also a three-time NCAA champion (2013, 2015 and 2016), three-time All-America award winner, three-time All-WCHA First Team selection, and two-time Academic All-America honoree. During her time with the Gophers, she recorded 93 points – seventh in program history by a defender – on 20 goals and 73 assists. Stecklein is now a veteran member of the USA Hockey program, representing the United States as a three-time Olympian, winning gold in 2018 and silver in 2014 & 2022.

We congratulation all seven Gopher Women's Hockey representatives selected to the 25th Anniversary Top 25 Team!!

Incoming Gophers Puppe, Kosobud honored for high school play

We send a shout-out to two members of the Gopher Women's Hockey freshman class of 2024-2025 who have been recognized for their senior year performances with their respective high school teams!

Kate Kosobud (Moorhead H.S.) and Ayla Puppe (Northfield H.S.) have been named top-five finalists for the 2024 Minnesota Ms. Hockey award by Let's Play Hockey. Kosobud, the lone defender among the finalists, recorded 37 points on 10 goals and 27 assists this season. Puppe was additionally named to the Star Tribune's All-Metro First Team after breaking the century mark for scoring; through last week's section playoffs, she had tallied 110 points on 49 goals and 61 assists. (Pictures courtesy of Let's Play Hockey)

The winner will be announced at the Ms. Hockey Banquet this Sunday, February 25, at the Saint Paul Rivercentre, along with the Jori Jones Award given to the state’s top senior goaltender.

Around the WCHA...

Buckeyes clinch WCHA Regular-Season Championship with sweep of Tommies – Hannah Bilka lit the lamp four times including a hat trick on Friday, Jenn Gardiner added two goals & two assists, four other OSU players each posted 4-point weekends, and seventeen (17) Buckeyes in total each recorded at least one point as they routed St. Thomas, 12-1 and 4-1. The two wins made Ohio State back-to-back WCHA Regular Season Champions, claiming the Julianne Bye Trophy. Maria Cooper and Ella Boerger scored for UST, who were outshot 103-20 in the two contests.

Mavericks sweep Beavers in Mankato – Taylor Otremba tallied two goals & two assists, Sydney Langseth added two goals and an assist, and Hailey Hansen stopped 35 of a combined 37 shots, including all 21 she faced on Friday, to lead Minnesota State to 4-0 and 5-2 wins at home against Bemidji State. Alyssa Watkins and Riley Reeves scored for BSU and Eva Filippova made a combined 47 saves.

Upcoming games – Only pride and the national rankings will be on the line when #1 Ohio State makes their shortest road trip within the conference, visiting #2 Wisconsin. Meanwhile, eyes will be watching the other two series as only the bottom two positions in the league standings remain undecided; Minnesota State will face St. Thomas in a home-and-home matchup starting in Mankato, while Bemidji State hosts St. Cloud State.

Standings: (* clinched final position in standings; top four host league quarterfinals)
1. Ohio State* – 73 points (.936 pts%), 25-1-0-0, 2-0 in OT (28-2-0 overall)
2. Wisconsin* – 65 points (.833 pts%), 22-4-0-0, 2-1 in OT (28-4-0 overall)
3. Minnesota* – 57 points (.731 pts%), 18-7-1-1, 1-2 in OT (24-7-1 overall)
4. Minn. Duluth* – 45 points (.577 pts%), 15-10-1-0, 1-0 in OT (18-11-3 overall)
5. St. Cloud State* – 35 points (.449 pts%), 10-14-2-1, 0-2 in OT (15-15-2 overall)
6. Minnesota State* – 19 points (.244 pts%), 6-20-0-0, 1-2 in OT (12-21-0 overall)
7. Bemidji State – 10 points (.128 pts%), 3-22-1-0, 1-1 in OT (4-26-2 overall)
8. St. Thomas – 8 points (.103 pts%), 2-23-1-1, 0-0 in OT (8-24-1 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.