The Penalty Box Post - Thursday, April 24, 2025

Team USA wins 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship, Finland takes bronze as 8 Gophers earn medals

Kelly Pannek named to media's tournament All-Star Team

Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Taylor Heise intercepted a Canadian pass attempt and fed American teammate Tessa Janecke for the tap-in championship-winning goal just past the 17-minute mark of overtime as Team USA defeated Canada, 4-3, to earn gold at the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship.  The assist was Heise's second point of the contest after a third-period goal.  Abbey Murphy also tallied two points, lighting the lamp in the second period and assisting on Heise's goal.  Lee Stecklein earned an assist on Murphy's goal.  The victory is the 11th World Championship all-time for Team USA.  We send congratulations to Heise, Murphy, Stecklein, Kelly Pannek & Grace Zumwinkle on winning gold, and to Chloe Primerano on earning silver with Canada!

Finland earns bronze on come-from-behind OT win over Czechia – Gopher Natálie Mlýnková tallied a goal and an assist in the first period of the Bronze Medal Game as Czechia took a 3-0 lead over Finland just past the halfway point of the contest.  However, Elli Suoranta lit the lamp for the Finns later in the second period to start their comeback.  Another Gopher, Nelli Laitinen, earned assists on a pair of Elisa Holopainen goals; Holopainen pulled Finland within one (3-2) just over a minute into the third stanza, then knotted the score with a 6-on-4 extra-attacker power-play goal with 1:33 remaining in regulation.  Finland completed the 4-3 victory when Jenniina Nylund lit the lamp 4:52 into overtime.  We congratulate Laitinen & Krista Parkkonen on earning bronze!

Looking at the rest of the standings, Switzerland defeated Sweden, 3-2, in the 5th-6th Place Game.  Japan finished the tournament in 7th, and Germany took 8th.  As previously reported, Norway and Hungary were relegated back to Division I Group A for 2026.

Pannek named to All-Star Team – We send special congratulations to Gopher alumna Kelly Pannek, who was named to the tournament's media-selected All-Star Team.  Pannek recorded an American-leading four goals and was second on Team USA in both total scoring (8 points) and plus-minus rating (+8).

Other Gopher performances at the World Championship:

  • Natálie Mlýnková (CZE) – 4 goals, 2 assists (including hat trick vs. Switzerland)

  • Abbey Murphy (USA) – 3 goals, 3 assists

  • Taylor Heise (USA) – 2 goals, 3 assists

  • Josefin Bouveng (SWE) – 2 goals, 3 assists

  • Lee Stecklein (USA) – 2 goals, 1 assist

  • Nelli Laitinen (FIN) – 3 assists

  • Emma Kreisz (HUN) – 1 goal

  • Tereza Plosová (CZE) – 1 goal

  • Krista Parkkonen (FIN) – 1 assist

  • Grace Zumwinkle (USA) – 1 assist

  • Chloe Primerano (CAN) – +2 plus-minus rating


Austria, Denmark promoted to Top Division for 2026 – Austria's Women's National Team will make its first-ever appearance in the Top Division in 2026 after finishing the Division I Group A Championship with an undefeated 4-1-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, including posting back-to-back 3-0 shutout victories over Denmark & host China to open the tournament.  The Danes will make their return to the Top Division after finishing second at the I-A event with a 3-0-0-2 record (and a tie-breaking win over Slovakia); it will be their fifth appearance.

2026 Women's Worlds to be played in April – Per reporting from The Canadian Press' Donna Spencer published on CBC.ca, International Ice Hockey Federation women's committee chair (and Hungarian Hockey Federation president) Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer indicated that the 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship will be held in April, making it a second major tournament in just over two months following the Olympic Winter Games in February.  It is unknown what this scheduling will mean for professional leagues including the PWHL.  The host city for the Women's Worlds has yet to be named; the announcement will be made at the IIHF's annual congress next month.

PWHL announces expansion with new team in Vancouver

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) announced yesterday its expansion with a new seventh team located in Vancouver, British Columbia which will join the league in 2025-2026, with home games at Pacific Coliseum.

As noted in the press release, details about a forthcoming Expansion Draft and how Vancouver will be integrated into the 2025 PWHL Draft will be announced in the coming weeks.

Following the IIHF Women's World Championship, PWHL play resumes this Saturday, April 26, to conclude the 2024-2025 regular season.  Each team has 3 games remaining on the schedule.


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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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, April 16, 2025

2025 IIHF Women's World Championship update:
USA takes top spot in Group A, Sweden finishes atop Group B,
Hungary relegated after winless preliminary round

For the second-straight year, the U.S. Women's National Team went 4-0 in preliminary round play at the IIHF Women's World Championship, notably defeating Canada 2-1 on Sunday along with wins over Finland (7-1), Czechia (4-0), and Switzerland (5-0).  The Canadians finished second in Group A after also defeating Finland (5-0), Switzerland (4-0) and Czechia (7-1).  The Finns earned the third spot thanks to a 4-2 victory over Czechia and a 2-1 win over the Swiss, while the Czechs defeated Switzerland 3-0 on the tournament's opening day.  The Swiss are now winless in their last 9 World Chammpionship preliminary round games, dating back to the 2023 tournament.

Sweden continues to make improvements, this year taking the top spot in Group B with a perfect 4-0 record of their own after wins over Germany (5-2), Hungary (2-0), Japan (2-0), and Norway (8-0).  Japan earned victories over Norway (5-2), Hungary (2-0), and Germany (1-0) to take second place in the group, though their top forward, Akane Shiga, left the contest against the Germans yesterday with a lower body injury which appeared serious.  The Germans earned wins over Norway (5-2) and Hungary (4-1) to finish third and advance to the playoff round.  However, the Norwegians and Hungarians, newly promoted for 2025, will be relegated back down to Division I Group A for 2026 (Norway defeated Hungary, 3-0, in their head-to-head contest).

The preliminary round results set up the follow quarterfinal matchups tomorrow (Thursday, April 17 – higher seeds listed first):

  • Finland vs. Sweden – 3:00 a.m. U.S. Central Time

  • USA vs. Germany – 6:30 a.m. Central

  • Czechia vs. Switzerland – 10:00 a.m. Central

  • Canada vs. Japan – 1:30 p.m. Central


Television coverage continues on NHL Network in the U.S. and on the TSN family of channels in Canada.  Quarterfinal winners will advance to Saturday's (April 19) semifinals at 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon Central Time; the teams will re-ranked for the semis.

Gophers at the tournament – The representatives of the Minnesota Women's Hockey program made waves on the tournament's opening day on April 9, as eight Gophers in action that day earned points.  Two others have subsequently gotten on the scoresheet.

Notably, alumna Kelly Pannek leads all Gophers with 5 points on 2 goals, 3 assists, and a +6 plus-minus rating for Team USA.  After sitting out the 2024 tournament, Lee Stecklein has lit the lamp twice in her return to the American squad, including opening the scoring against Canada.  Emma Kreisz has the dubious distinction of netting Hungary's only goal of the tournament, though it did prevent them from being completely shut out.  Other performances include:

  • Abbey Murphy (USA) – 2 goals, 1 assist

  • Josefin Bouveng (SWE) – 1 goal, 2 assists

  • Taylor Heise (USA) – 1 goal, 1 assist

  • Nelli Laitinen (FIN) – 1 assist

  • Natálie Mlýnková (CZE) – 1 assist

  • Krista Parkkonen (FIN) – 1 assist

  • Grace Zumwinkle (USA) – 1 assist


Through the preliminary round, Tereza Plosová (CZE) and Chloe Primarano (CAN) have yet to score.

We wish those still in action continued success.  We'll have a playoff round recap next week.

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

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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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

The Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, April 8, 2025

Note: The Penalty Box Post for Tuesday, April 8 was posted on April 16 due to travel to the Frozen Four.

2025 IIHF Women's World Championship
Wednesday, April 9 through Sunday, April 20
Arena České Budějovice – České Budějovice, Czechia

12 Gophers – representing 6 nations – participating in the tournament

Twelve (12) representatives of the Minnesota Women's Hockey program are headed to the upcoming 2025 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship, being held at the Arena České Budějovice in České Budějovice, Czechia, starting tomorrow – Wednesday, April 9 – and continuing through Sunday, April 20.  This marks the first time Czechia has hosted the tournament.

Gophers participating in the tournament include:

  • Canada – Chloe Primerano

  • Czechia – Natálie Mlýnková & Tereza Plosová

  • Finland – Nelli Laitinen & Krista Parkkonen

  • Hungary – Emma Kreisz

  • Sweden – Josefin Bouveng

  • USA – Abbey Murphy, Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein

Tournament preview – Canada looks to repeat and earn their 14th championship after having outlasted the Americans in last year's Gold Medal Game in Utica, NY, 6-5 in overtime, while Team USA is looking for their 11th title.  Meanwhile, the host Czechs look to earn a medal for the third time, having claimed bronze two years ago, while Finland looks to medal for the second-straight year.  Those four teams are joined by Switzerland in Group A and, under the current tournament format, all five automatically qualify for the elimination round.

Germany, Japan and Sweden return in Group B for the 2025 tournament.  They are joined by newly-promoted Hungary & Norway.  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 2026.

Action begins at 11 a.m. local time / 4 a.m. U.S. Central as Sweden takes on Germany, followed by Finland vs. USA at 3 p.m. local / 8 a.m. Central, and Czechia vs. Switzerland at 7 p.m. local / 12 noon Central.  The Hungarians and Canadians have their first action on Thursday (April 10); Hungary will face the Swedes at 8 a.m. Central, and Canada takes on Finland at 12 noon Central.  Notably, Canada and the United States square off in the preliminary round on Sunday, April 13, at 12 noon Central.  The full game schedule is available here.  It appears NHL Network will televise all 29 contests in the USA, with coverage in Canada on the TSN family of channels.

Additional tournament notes –

  • This will be the final year the tournament features tiered groups (with the top five teams in Group A and the next five in Group B).  As approved by the IIHF Congress last September, “snake seeding” will be used to create two groups of equal rank starting in 2026.

  • The IIHF has launched a new subscription streaming service at iihf.tv.  However, games in the 2025 Women's World Championship Top Division are not shown as available at the time this email was written (though this is subject to change).


Pre-tournament exhibitions –

  • Hungary 4, Japan 2 (March 30) – Petra Polónyi, Tamara Gondos, Lotti Odnoga and Alexandra Huszák scored for the Hungarians, while Kanami Seki and Rui Ukita lit the lamp for Japan.

  • Finland 3, Sweden 2, shootout (April 4) – Julia Schalin and Jenniina Nylund gave Finland a 2-0 lead in the second period, with Krista Parkkonen assisting on Nylund's goal.  Sara Hjalmarsson and Hanna Thuvik (short-handed) tallied for the Swedes in the third period to knot the score, forcing overtime and an eventual shootout.  The teams traded second-round goals as Petra Nieminen (FIN) and Hilda Svensson (SWE) lit the lamp, but Finland's Elisa Holopainen found the back of the net in the third round for the victory.

  • Hungary 2, Norway 1 (April 6) – Alexandra Huszák (power play) and Míra Seregély (empty-net) put the Hungarians up 2-0 late, though Andrine Furulund scored for the Norwegians with 20 seconds remaining to avoid being shut out.

  • Sweden vs. Switzerland (April 6) – No information available

Copyright © 2025 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 X at x.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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, April 5, 2025

Murphy, Primerano named to All-USCHO Teams for 2024-2025

Post-season honors continued as Minnesota Women's Hockey Senior forward Abbey Murphy and freshman Chloe Primerano were recpgnized as members of U.S. College Hockey Online's 2024-2025 All-USCHO teams yesterday.  Murphy was named to the Second Team while Primerano was selected for the Rookie Team.

Congratulations, Abbey & Chloe!!

Nelson signs with Gophers as sixth-year transfer for 2025-2026

Gopher Women's Hockey and head coach Brad Frost announced yesterday the signing of forward Jamie Nelson as a sixth-year transfer for the 2025-2026 season.

The Andover, MN, native joins the Gophers after spending the last five years at Minnesota State University.  In 124 career games, she tallied 103 points (42g-61a), the third most all-time in MSU program history.  She became the first-ever Minnesota State skater to be named WCHA Rookie of the Year and was on the WCHA All-Rookie Team at the end of the 2020-2021 season.  Additionally, Nelson is a four-time WCHA All-Academic team and Scholar Athlete selection, a two-time AHCA Krampade All-American scholar, and a 2023-2024 CSC Academic All-District selection.

Nelson joins six incoming freshmen in 2025-2026 GWH signing class: defender Sydney Bailey (Rogers, MN), forward Sienna D'Alessandro (Pointe-Claire, Quebec), forward Bella Fanale (Webster, NY), goaltender Layla Hemp (Chanhassen, MN), forward Avery Hovland (West Fargo, ND), and forward Tereza Plosova (Šimonovice, Czechia).

We send Jamie our warmest welcome, and we look forward to seeing all seven incoming players in Maroon & Gold this fall!!

Kriesz extends number of Gophers headed to Worlds to 12

Let's make it an even dozen!!

Minnesota forward Emma Kreisz was named to roster of the Hungary National Team yesterday (Friday, April 4), making her the 12th Gopher headed to this year's IIHF Women's World Championship.  This will be Kreisz's fourth appearance in the World Championship at the top division, having recorded a goal & an assist in her previous three tournaments.  She also has a goal and 5 helpers in two World Championship Division 1A tournaments, and four goals and two assists in two Olympic qualifying tournaments.

Kreisz joins Josefin Bouveng (Sweden), Taylor Heise (USA), Nelli Laitinen (Finland), Natálie Mlýnková (Czechia), Abbey Murphy (USA), Kelly Pannek (USA), Krista Parkkonen (Finland), Tereza Plosová (Czechia), Chloe Primerano (Canada), Lee Stecklein (USA), and Grace Zumwinkle (USA) as Gopher representatives at the 2025 tournament.

Following opening day action this coming Wednesday, April 9, including Sweden vs. Germany at 4 a.m. U.S. Central Time, Finland vs. USA at 8 a.m., and Czechia vs. Switzerland at 12 noon, Hungary will take to the ice against the Swedes on Thursday, April 10 at 8 a.m. Central.  The full game schedule is available here.

Again, it appears that all Women's World Championship games will be televised on NHL Network in the U.S., and TSN will have tournament coverage in Canada.

Copyright © 2025 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 X at x.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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

Penalty Box Quick Hit - Friday, April 4, 2025

Laitinen, Parkkonen, Mlýnková, Plosová increase total to 11 Gophers headed to 2025 Women's World Championship

Three more members of the 2024-2025 Gopher Women's Hockey team and an incoming Gopher freshman were named to their respective national teams' rosters over the past nine days, bringing the total number of Gopher representatives headed to the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship to eleven (11).

Minnesota defenders Nelli Laitinen and Krista Parkkonen were named to Finland's roster on Wednesday, March 26.  Laitinen will be making her 6th World Championship appearance, having tallied 6 goals and 15 assists for 21 points over the previous five tournaments; she also recorded 2 goals and 5 assists in the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.  Parkkonen will be playing in her 4th World Championship, having scored 6 points on a goal & 5 assists in her previous three appearances.

Forwards Natálie Mlýnková and Tereza Plosová were announced as members of the Czechia National Team this past Monday, March 31, as the Czechs host the tournament in the city of České Budějovice.  Like Laitinen, Mlýnková will be appearing in her 6th World Championship, having tallied 15 goals and 6 assists over the previous five; she also played in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, where she netted one goal.  Though only 18 years of age, Plosová will be making her 3rd WWC appearance, having recorded a goal and two assists in the previous two tournaments.

Laitinen, Mlýnková, Parkkonen, and Plosová join Josefin Bouveng (Sweden), Taylor Heise (USA), Abbey Murphy (USA), Kelly Pannek (USA), Chloe Primerano (Canada), Lee Stecklein (USA), and Grace Zumwinkle (USA) as Gopher representatives at the 2025 tournament.  As of the writing of this email, we are still awaiting the official roster announcement from Hockey Hungary.

Once again, the 2025 Women's World Championship begins this coming Wednesday, April 9.  Preliminary round play runs through the 15th, with quarterfinals on April 17, semifinals on the 19th, and medal games on Sunday, April 20.  We'll preview the tournament early next week before the puck drops.

Though unconfirmed, it appears that all Women's World Championship games will be televised on NHL Network in the U.S.  TSN will have tournament coverage in Canada.  Sweden and Germany square off in the opening contest at 4 a.m. U.S. Central Time on April 9, with Finland vs. USA at 8 a.m. Central and Czechia vs. Switzerland at 12 noon.  The full game schedule is available here.

Copyright © 2025 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 X at x.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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, March 26, 2025

PPC Board of Directors Meeting – Tuesday, April 1 at 7 p.m.

The first Power Play Club Board of Directors meeting of the 2025 off-season is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, April 1.  Meeting topics are to be decided but are likely to include a review of the past year and how we can improve going forward.  The meeting will be held online via Zoom and is open to all club members who were enrolled for the 2024-2025 season; please contact PPC president Bill Johnson (billjohnson013@gmail.com) or vice president Dave Malerich (dmalerich@yahoo.com) if you wish to attend.

Volunteers requested to fill BOD openings...

Additionally, we are looking for volunteers to fill several open directorships on the club's board.  Meetings are held monthly during the off-season (though usually skipping either July or August) for 60 to 90 minutes apiece, plus potential additional in-season meetings as deemed necessary.  Our standard term length is two years, starting April 1.  If you have any interest or want more information, please contact Bill Johnson or Dave Malerich.

To our GWH parents – One of our director positions is designated for a parent representative, and it is currently in need of being filled.  Again, please contact Bill or Dave if you are interested and/or have questions.

Abbey Murphy named Second Team CCM/AHCA All-American

After a 65-point season in 2024-2025 on 33 goals and 32 assists, Gopher Women's Hockey redshirt senior Abbey Murphy was named a Second Team CCM/AHCA All-American, as announced by the American Hockey Coaches Association last Saturday.

At the time of the announcement, Murphy led NCAA Division I players in both game-winning goals (7) and shots (242).  She was in the top-ten nationally in multiple other statistics, including her points, goals, and assist totals, goals per game (.79), power play goals (8), and points per game (1.55).  Murphy finished the year with 103 career goals, good for 6th place all-time in Gopher Women's Hockey history.

Congratulations on this great honor, Abbey!!

Primerano, Bouveng named to national team rosters for upcoming 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship

 Two more members of the 2024-2025 Gopher Women's Hockey team are headed to the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship in Czechia in two weeks after being named to the rosters of their respective national teams!

Defender Chloe Primerano was named to Canada's roster last Friday, where she'll be the youngest member of the team and making her Women's World Championship debut.  Previously, she played as a member of Canada's National Under-18 Team in two IIHF U-18 Women's World Championships, setting defensive scoring records in 2024 and captaining the team to a gold medal this past January.  Primerano made her debut with Canada's senior team in the Rivalry Series last November.

Forward Josefin Bouveng was announced as a member of Sweden's National Team yesterday, marking her fourth time participating in a Women's World Championship.  Over her previous three World Championships, she has a composite 5 goals and 2 assists; she also tallied a goal at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, and a combined 3 goals & 3 assists in two Olympic qualifying tournaments.

Primerano and Bouveng are the sixth and seventh Gopher representatives named to World Championship rosters after current teammate Abbey Murphy and alumnae Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle were selected on March 5 to play on the U.S. National Team.  We currently await roster announcements from host Czechia, Finland, and Hungary.

The 2025 Women's World Championship will be played in the city of Ceske Budejovice, Czechia, starting April 9.  Preliminary round play runs through the 15th, with quarterfinals on April 17, semifinals on the 19th, and medal games on Sunday, April 20.  We'll provide a preview before the action begins.

Wisconsin claims NCAA title; O'Brien wins Patty Kazmaier Award

A wild end to regulation and bonus hockey led to Wisconsin winning their 8th NCAA championship with a 4-3 overtime victory over Ohio State at Ridder Arena on Sunday.

Joy Dunne got the Buckeyes on the board first when she skated through several Badgers and lit the lamp short-handed 8:22 into the contest.  That lead lasted a mere 12 seconds as Laila Edwards responded for Wisconsin with a power-play goal, but Sloane Matthews put Ohio State back ahead just over 6 minutes later, and Emma Peschel made it 3-1 Buckeyes only 10 seconds into the second period.

The Badgers reduced the lead back to one later in the middle frame when Caroline Harvey found the back of the net at the 5:27 mark, though the game remained 3-2 through the second intermission and most of the third period.  However, Ohio State was whistled for too many players with 1:50 remaining in regulation, which then led to a 6-on-4 attack as Wisconsin pulled Ava McNaughton for an extra attacker for the final minute.  Shortly after the ensuing faceoff, chaos ensued in a scramble in the Buckeye crease and, upon a challenge by UW coach Mark Johnson, the Badgers were awarded a penalty shot with 18.9 seconds to go when it was determined an OSU skater had covered the puck with her hand.  Kirsten Simms converted the shot to knot the score and send the game to overtime (full sequence replay).  Simms then sealed the victory for Wisconsin and set off the celebration when she netted the rebound of a shot from Lacey Eden 2:49 into the extra period (full overtime replay).

McNaughton earned the win with a 20-save performance. Amanda Thiele stopped 31 shots for Ohio State.

All-Tournament Team 

  • Goaltender – Ava McNaughton (Wisconsin)

  • Defender – Caroline Harvey (Wisconsin)

  • Defender – Emma Peschel (Ohio State)

  • Forward – Joy Dunne (Ohio State)

  • Forward – Laila Edwards (Wisconsin)

  • Forward – Kirsten Simms (Wisconsin) 

  • Most Outstanding Player – Simms

Wisconsin's O'Brien wins 2025 Kazmaier Award – Badgers fifth-year forward Casey O'Brien was named the winner of the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award on Saturday as part of the Frozen Four weekend festivities.  O'Brien posted an NCAA-leading and Badger record 88-point season on 26 goals and 62 assists, becoming the sixth player from the University of Wisconsin to win the award.  She also became the Badgers' all-time scoring leader, passing Hilary Knight and finishing with 274 points on 97 goals and 177 assists.

Copyright © 2025 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 X at x.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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, March 22, 2025

Gophers fall to Wisconsin in NCAA semifinal

Minnesota Women's Hockey's season concluded with a 6-2 loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Semifinals at Ridder Arena.

Peyton Hemp put the Gophers up 1-0 in the first period after they had killed a major penalty. But Laila Edwards knotted the score with a short-handed goal for the Badgers, and Caroline Harvey & Kirsten Simms put UW up 3-1 in the second. Josefin Bouveng pulled Minnesota back within one just 45 seconds after Simms' goal, but Casey O'Brien pushed the Badger lead back to two with just 2 seconds left in the period. Edwards put the game away with two 3rd-period goals, completing her hat trick with an empty netter.

Hannah Clark made 26 saves for the Gophers. Ava McNaughton stopped 21 shots for the Badgers. Harvey posted a 4-point performance, adding 3 assists to her goal.

Minnesota finishes the 2024-2025 season with a 29-12-1 record.

Minnesota-Wisconsin game recaps...


Ohio State defeats Cornell, 4-2 – The matchup between the Buckeyes and Big Red featured goals scored in pairs.  OSU took a 2-0 lead as Makenna Webster and Brooke Disher lit the lamp in the first period, only to see Cornell's Lily Delianedis and Kaitlin Jockims find the back of the net 68 seconds apart in the second period to tie the score.  But Joy Dunne put the Buckeyes back in the lead 3:37 into the third period after an earlier assist, then doubled that lead less than four minutes later for the final margin.  OSU's Amanda Thiele earned the win with 27 saves, while Annalies Bergmann stopped 38 shots for Cornell.

Championship Preview – Ohio State and Wisconsin meet in the NCAA title game for the third-straight year; the Badgers took the 2023 championship, 1-0, and the Buckeyes returned the favor with a 1-0 win last year.  It's also OSU's fourth-straight appearance in the final, having defeated Minnesota Duluth (3-2) in 2022.

Ohio State was only one of two teams to put a blemish on Wisconsin's record this season, though the Badgers have a 2-1-1 advantage.  The teams split their October series in Columbus with Wisconsin winning 4-2 and Ohio State taking the rematch, 3-2.  In Madison at the start of January, the Badgers got a 6-0 shutout in the opener, but the two squads played to a 3-3 tie in the second game (OSU won the subsequent shootout).  Lacey Eden leads the Badgers in both goals and total scoring against the Buckeyes, lighting the lamp 4 times while dishing out 2 assists for 6 points; Casey O'Brien added a goal & 4 assists, and Caroline Harvey (2g, 2a), Kirsten Simms (2g, 2a), Laila Edwards (1g, 3a), and Laney Potter (4a) each tallied four points.  Joy Dunne led OSU against Wisconsin with a goal & 4 assists, Jocelyne Amos dished out 3 helpers, and Makenna Webster & Maddi Wheeler were the only multi-goal scorers with two apiece.  Ava McNaughton stopped 112 of 120 shots for Wisconsin across the four games, for a 1.98 goals-against average and .933 save percentage.  Amanda Thiele made 97 saves for Ohio State but yielded 13 goals in 11 periods of action (plus one overtime session), for a 3.49 GAA and .882 SV%.  Hailey MacLeod also made 6 saves on 7 shots in a 20-minute relief appearance.

Patty Kazmaier Award reminder – The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be presented later this morning (Saturday, March 22), with Top-3 Finalists Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, and Casey O'Brien (all from Wisconsin).  The presentation will take place at McNamara Alumni Center at the U. of M., beginning promptly at 11:30 a.m. CT with doors opening at 11:00 a.m. CT.  Fans are invited to attend free of charge, and the ceremony will also be televised live on NHL Network.  We'll share the announcement of the winner on our Facebook and X accounts once the presentation is made.


NCAA Championship – #2 Ohio State vs. #1 Wisconsin
Sunday, March 23, at 3:00 p.m. CT
Ridder Arena
Game televised on ESPNU

Thank you to our graduating Gophers – Emma Conner, Peyton Hemp, Ella Huber, Olivia King, Natalie Mlynkova, Abbey Murphy, Maggie Nicholson, Skylar Vetter & Audrey Wethington – for proudly representing the Maroon & Gold over the past several seasons!!

We send thanks to the entire GWH team on another great campaign, and we look forward to seeing you again in the fall!!

Goals for a Goal – Gophers finish 2024-2025 with 153 goals

We send one more round of thanks to everyone who pledged to the Goals for a Goal campaign for the 2024-2025 Gopher Women's Hockey season.  With 2 goals in their NCAA semifinal, the team finished with 153 goals, 35 of which came on the power play!!  If you made a pledge, please watch your email inbox for an invoice from the Golden Gopher Fund at the U. of M. indicating your final amount and how to remit your donation.

Copyright © 2025 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 X at x.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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, March 21, 2025

GWH Game Day!!
NCAA Frozen Four – Semifinal
Minnesota vs. Wisconsin – 7:30 pm (after OSU-Cornell at 4:00 pm)
Ridder Arena

Streaming video on ESPN+
Audio play-by-play
Live stats
Game preview from the U.

All Gopher fans encouraged to WEAR GOLD apparel for the game
GWH Fan Gathering at Stub & Herb's in Stadium Village starting at 4:30 p.m.
Red Carpet Team Arrival at Ridder Arena – 5:10 p.m.
(Fans attending the first semifinal may exit for this and re-enter)

Wethington named NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient

We congratulate Gopher Women's Hockey fifth-year forward Audrey Wethington on earning another award for her work in the classroom!

Wethington was named the recipient of an NCAA Elite 90 Award, which goes to the student-athlete having the highest cumulative grade-point average among those participating at the site of the finals of each NCAA championship.

Wethington becomes the second Minnesota Women's Hockey player all-time to earn an Elite 90 honor, following Anna Barlow (2017).

Excellent work, Audrey!!

Frozen Four links of interest...

UW coach Johnson, goalie McNaughton, UMD rookie Kraemer earn national end-of-season honors

The American Hockey Coaches Association presented their Coach of the Year award, while the Hockey Commissioners Association named a pair of player award winners.

CCM/AHCA National Coach of the Year: Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
Goaltender of the Year: Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin
Julie Chu Rookie of the Year: Caitlin Kraemer, Minnesota Duluth

Patty Kazmaier Award presentation Saturday – The presentation of the 2025 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award by the USA Hockey Foundation will occur tomorrow (Saturday, March 22) at McNamara Alumni Center on the U. of M. campus, with doors opening at 11:00 a.m. and the live show starting at 11:30 a.m.  Event admission is free.  The Wisconsin trio of Laila Edwards, Caroline Harvey, and Casey O'Brien were named as the Top-3 Finalists last week.

GWH alumni news: Knowles re-signs with PWHL's NY Sirens

We send another shout-out to a Gopher Women's Hockey alumna, this time defender Olivia Knowles, who signed a 10-day Standard Player Agreement with the PWHL's New York Sirens on Wednesday.

This is Knowles' second stint on New York's active roster after starting the season as a reserve for the Toronto Sceptres.  She was acquired by the Sirens and activated on December 6, and appeared in 10 games.  Knowles was briefly moved down to New York's reserve player list on March 10 before this week's signing.

Copyright © 2025 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 X at x.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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Semifinal pregame events – Friday, March 21 

Fan Gathering at Stub & Herb's – Join Gopher Athletics at Stub & Herb's in Stadium Village (NE corner of Washington Ave. and Oak Street) on Friday for the official fan gathering before the Gophers' semifinal game!  Festivities start at 4 p.m.!

Red Carpet Arrival – Cheer on the Gophers as they arrive at Ridder Arena before their matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers!  The exact timing is still to be announced, but we will shared it when it becomes available.  Regardless, we are inviting the Maroon & Gold fanbase to join us, the Pep Band and Goldy along the carpets to welcome the team into the arena!

More details about all the events can be found on the Postseason Central page on GopherSports.com.

2025 NCAA Frozen Four – Ridder Arena

Semifinals – Friday, March 21
#2 Ohio State (28-7-3) vs. #3 Cornell (25-4-5) – 4:00 pm CDT
#1 Wisconsin (36-1-2) vs. #4 Minnesota (29-11-1) – 7:30 pm CDT

Championship – Sunday, March 23 at 3:00 pm CDT

The NCAA Frozen Four is back at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis for the first time since 2018, and the Gopher Women's Hockey team is back in the semifinals after missing the event last year.  Minnesota will square off against top-seeded Wisconsin in their sixth head-to-head meeting of the season, playing in the second semifinal on Friday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m.  That game will follow the first semifinal between second-seeded Ohio State and #3 Cornell at 4:00 p.m.  The winners will advance to Sunday's title game, March 23 at 3:00 p.m.

SOLD OUT – Again, the U. of M. Ticket Office reported this past Thursday that the Frozen Four is sold out.  Single-session tickets may be available on the secondary markets, such as SeatGeek, but at a premium.

Video streaming of both semifinal games will be on ESPN+:


The National Championship Game will be broadcast live on ESPNU and also streamed on ESPN+.  The trophy presentation will be streamed here.

Audio coverage with play-by-play man Dan Hamann for the Gophers' semifinal against the Badgers can be found on GopherSports.com.

 

How they got here...

Minnesota holds off Colgate for quarterfinal victory at Ridder

Abbey Murphy netted a pair of power-play goals and a shot from Sydney Morrow hit the pipe and the goaltender on its way into the net to extend Minnesota's lead to 3-0 over Colgate after two periods.  The Raiders battled back with two 3rd-period goals to cut their deficit to one with 9 minutes to play, but they were unable to find the equalizer as Hannah Clark posted a 24-save performance for the 3-2 victory.  Colgate netminder Hannah Murphy stopped 41 shots.

Wisconsin earned the top seed for the NCAA Tournament.  Hosting First Round winner Clarkson in the quarterfinals, the Badgers trailed 1-0 after a power-play goal by the Golden Knights' Nicole Gosling.  But Wisconsin responded with two goals in the second period and two more in the third for a 4-1 victory to advance.  Kelly Gorbatenko netted the game-winning goal, Lacey Eden tallied a short-handed, empty-net goal after an earlier assist, and Ava McNaughton made 19 saves for the win.

Ohio State was seeded #2 for the tournament.  Hosting St. Lawrence, who knocked off Penn State in the First Round, the Buckeyes also found themselves trailing 1-0 when Aly McLeod scored on a power play for the Saints.  But the Buckeyes responded with six unanswered goals for a 6-1 win; Sloane Matthews and Joy Dunne put them ahead before the first intermission, and they netted four more in the third period including Dunne's second of the game.  Amanda Thiele needed only 13 saves for the victory.

Cornell entered the NCAA Tournament as both the regular-season and conference tournament champions from the ECAC, earning the #3-seed.  They faced Minnesota Duluth in the quarterfinals after the Bulldogs defeated Sacred Heart 6-1 in the First Round.  The game between the Big Red and Bulldogs remained scoreless through the first 40 minutes, but Cornell's Alyssa Regalado scored 3:24 into the third and that was all goaltender Annelies Bergmann needed, posting a 28-save shutout for a 1-0 victory.  Ève Gascon made 20 saves for UMD.

Frozen Four Semifinal Matchups

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin – The Gophers are winless against the Badgers this season (0-5), and are looking to break that streak in the most important meeting of the year.  During the regular season, Wisconsin posted 5-0 & 4-3 wins at Ridder in October, 8-2 & 6-1 victories in Madison.  Meeting again in the WCHA Championship Game two weekends ago in Duluth, the teams exchanged leads before Sarah Wozniewicz lit the lamp for the Badgers with 25 seconds remaining for a 4-3 win.

Sydney Morrow is the only Gopher with multiple goals against Wisconsin this year, netting 3 while adding two assists for 5 points.  Chloe Primerano has four helpers across the five previous games, while Ella Huber has a goal & two helpers and Natalie Mlynkova has a goal and an assist.  Notably, the Badgers have held Abbey Murphy to only two assists this year.  In net for Minnesota, Hannah Clark has a 5.20 goals-against average and an .853 save percentage in the Border Battle.  Wisconsin's Casey O'Brien has posted a whopping 6 goals and 9 assists, Caroline Harvey has 9 helpers, Kirsten Simms has a goal & 7 assists, and Laila Edwards has lit the lamp 4 times with 3 assists.  Ava McNaughton has a 1.81 GAA and a .929 SV% against the Gophers.

Ohio State vs. Cornell – While the Buckeyes are in the Frozen Four for the 5th-consecutive year, the Big Red are making their first appearance at the event since 2019.  The two teams have never previously met in the postseason; they have a 3-3-0 head-to-head all-time record, though OSU earned a road sweep in Ithica in their last two meetings in December 2022.

The biggest storyline of this semifinal will be Cornell's NCAA second-best scoring defense, allowing only 1.38 goals per game, facing Ohio State's second-best scoring offense, netting 3.89 GPG.  For the Buckeyes, sophomore Joy Dunne was the youngest of this year's Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 Finalists, recording 58 points on 26 goals and 32 assists, while classmate Jocelyne Amos has also reached the 50-point mark with 27 goals and 23 assists.  The Big Red have very distributed scoring with 8 players each having 20+ points, led by junior Avi Adam's 29 points (10g, 19a) and freshman Lindzi Avar's 15 goals.  At the other end, though, Cornell sophomore netminder Annelies Bergmann is 25-4-5 with 10 shutouts, a .945 save percentage, and a 1.28 goals-against average, and has been named a top-3 finalist for National Goaltender of the Year by the Hockey Commissioners Association.

Frost named finalist for Division I Coach of the Year

 We send our congratulations to Gopher Women's Hockey head coach Brad Frost, who was named a finalist for the 2024-2025 Division I Women's Coach of the Year by the American Hockey Coaches Association yesterday.  Frost is a two-time Coach of the Year honoree, having won in 2013 and 2014, and qualified as a finalist this year by reaching the NCAA semifinals.  As noted in the press release, the award will be presented on May 5 at the AHCA Convention.

Wethington earns volunteerism and civic engagement honor while setting new Gopher program record for games played

We also congratulate fifth-year forward Audrey Wethington for two items on recognition!

Wethington was named one of 20 student-athletes across collegiate winter sports selected to the Inaugural Good Works Winter Team, as announced by Allstate and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) last Wednesday, March 12.  The team was chosen from a pool of nearly 200 nominees named last month.

Meanwhile, Wethington also set a new Minnesota Women's Hockey record for games played wearing the Maroon & Gold.  Last Saturday's quarterfinal against Colgate was Wethington's 174th collegiate appearance, moving her ahead of her sister, Madeline, and Taylor Heise (173 games apiece).  In those 174 games, Audrey has recorded 72 points on 21 goals and 51 assists.

Congratulations on the honor, Audrey, and thank you!!

Murphy continues climb up GWH all-time goal scoring list

 With two more goals in last Saturday's NCAA Regional Final against Colgate, Abbey Murphy continued her ascent up Minnesota Women's Hockey's all-time career goal scoring list.

Murphy's first goal of the game was the 102nd of her career, moving her into a tie with Gopher great Natalie Darwitz for sixth place.  However, Abbey took sole possession of that spot by netting goal #103 later in the contest.

Murphy now sits three goals behind Krissy Wendell (106) for fifth all-time.

Alumni news: Morgan signs with PWHL's Ottawa Charge

Finally, we send a shout-out to Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Lucy Morgan, who signed a Standard Player Agreement with the PWHL Ottawa Charge last Friday.  No contract terms were disclosed, but Morgan fills the roster spot which opened when Emerance Maschmeyer was placed on long-term injured reserve by the Charge.

Ottawa is the second stop for Morgan this season.  A reserve signee for the Minnesota Frost at the start of the year, she was signed to a 10-day contract by the Frost on January 2 and appeared as the starter for their game on January 4 against New York.

Copyright © 2025 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 X at x.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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.


 

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, March 16, 2025

PPC communications this week

As with past years and all the events surrounding the NCAA Frozen Four, we will likely be sending additional email messages to Power Play Club members this week as warranted, including our regular Penalty Box Post.  We will also be sharing information via the PPC Facebook and X feeds.

We encourage fans to also watch the GWH team's Facebook and X accounts for any breaking announcements.

Goals for a Goal – Gophers up to 151 (and still counting)

With 3 goals in the NCAA Quarterfinal, the Gopher Women's Hockey team has lit the lamp 151 times this season, 35 of which have come on the power play!!  Thanks to everyone who has pledged to the Goals for a Goal campaign to convert each of those goals into donations back to the program.  If you have not yet made a pledge, we encourage you to online at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double the amount for power play tallies!  Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!

Gophers hold off Colgate to advance to Frozen Four!!

Abbey Murphy netted a pair of power-play goals and a shot from Sydney Morrow hit the pipe and the goaltender on its way into the net to extend Minnesota's lead to 3-0 after two periods.  Colgate battled back with two 3rd-period goals to cut their deficit to one, but they were unable to find the equalizer as Hannah Clark posted a 24-save performance to send the Gophers to the NCAA Hockey Frozen Four next weekend back at Ridder Arena after a 3-2 quarterfinal victory!

2025 NCAA Frozen Four – Ridder Arena

Semifinals – Friday, March 21
#2 Ohio State (28-7-3) vs. #3 Cornell (25-4-5) – 4:00 pm CDT
#1 Wisconsin (36-1-2) vs. #4 Minnesota (29-11-1) – 7:30 pm CDT

Championship – Sunday, March 23 at 3:00 pm CDT

The NCAA Frozen Four returns to Ridder Arena in Minneapolis for the first time since 2018, and Minnesota returns to the semifinals after missing the event last year.  The Gophers will square off against top-seeded Wisconsin in their sixth head-to-head meeting of the season, playing in the second semifinal on Friday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m.  That game will follow the first semifinal between second-seeded Ohio State and #3 Cornell at 4:00 p.m.  The winners will advance to Sunday's title game, March 23 at 3:00 p.m.

SOLD OUT – The U. of M. Ticket Office reported this past Thursday that the Frozen Four is sold out.  Single-session tickets may be available on the secondary markets, such as SeatGeek, but at a premium.

Media coverage – Both semifinals will have video streaming on the ESPN+ subscription service and the National Championship Game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.  You can also find the Gophers' regular audio coverage with play-by-play man Dan Hamann on the GopherSports.com women's hockey schedule page; please note that the direct link has not yet been created, but will become available soon.

Watch for semifinal previews in our regular Penalty Box Post later this week!

Copyright © 2025 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 X at x.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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.