January Gopher series against Bemidji State at Sanford Center now part of 218 Sports Women's Hockey Showcase
218 Sports, a non-profit organization based out of Bemidji, has announced three weekends of sports showcases at the Sanford Center in January and February. The Gopher Women's Hockey team's WCHA series against Bemidji State will be part of the Women's Hockey Showcase on January 16 & 17, with Minnesota State High School League games (featuring teams from Bemidji H.S., Hill-Murray, Orono, and Warroad) and a Fan Fest also occurring those days. The full schedule of events can be found here, with the contests between the Gophers and Beavers happening as previously announced – Friday, January 16 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, January 17 at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets – One ticket will get you into all the events on either single day, and full weekend (two-day) discounted packages are also available for purchase. See the ticket information page for more details, including special codes required to purchase the two-day packages.
With the additional games being played at the showcase, we encourage any Gopher fans planning on traveling to Bemidji to make your lodging reservations as soon as possible! We look forward to seeing many of your there to support the Maroon & Gold!!
Field Trip Day Reminder
Meanwhile, we provide a reminder that the home game on Friday, November 14 against Bemidji State has been designated as the Gophers' second Field Trip Day game, presented by Kwik Trip. The game has been moved to 3M Arena at Mariucci and has a 12:00 p.m. start time. Elementary and middle schools are invited to attend with free admission, and tickets can still be reserved for those groups at z.umn.edu/WHOFieldTripDay2025.
IIHF pushes future Women's World Championships to November, announces Denmark as host of 2026 top division tournament
Per a joint statement from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) released on Monday, the two organizations said they “and the global women’s hockey community have come together to reimagine the international calendar, aligning around a shared vision to grow the women’s game and strengthen opportunities for players at every level.”
The biggest impact of that reimagining is that the IIHF Women's World Championships will be pushed to a November timeslot going forward, starting with the 2026 event for the top division and 2027 tournaments for lower divisions. This will put them just ahead of the start of the PWHL season and avoid any clash with that league's calendar and the Olympics.
Denmark was announced as the host nation for the 2026 Women’s World Championship top division, which will be played November 6 through 16. Herning will be one of the host cities, with a second venue to be decided. The women’s lower divisions will still play in April 2026 as previously scheduled before the move to the November slot in 2027.
In addition, a new European Women’s Championship is set to start in April 2027. More details are pending, including the tournament format and the number of competing nations. The event is meant to “[create] more opportunities for elite international competition, ensuring the development of women players throughout the entire season, and elevating visibility for women’s hockey across Europe.”
IIHF announces rebranding – Separately, the IIHF unveiled its new brand identity, designed by TwelfthMan, at its semi-annual congress in France last Friday, October 3, the first update for the organization in 20 years. As per the announcement, “the brand includes an updated logo and wordmark, visual identity, graphic language, colour palette and bespoke font built around the brand essence ‘Home Ice’.”
Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud to undergo remodeling during 2026 off-season
With the Gopher Women's Hockey team scheduled to play St. Cloud State this weekend and the second game of the home-and-home series to take place in St. Cloud, we share news first published in September that a $12.9 million construction project is planned for the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, to start next March and run through the 2026 off-season.
Specifically, the HBNHC will replace its ice rink cooling plant, which is currently still the original system from when the building opened in 1989. Additionally, both ice sheets at the facility will be reduced in size, with the main rink being narrowed from 200 feet-by-100 feet down to 200'-by-94'. Dasher boards and shielding will be replaced to improve player safety, automatic temperature controls will be upgraded, and new LED lighting will be installed.
The funding came from state Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement (HEAPR) money awarded for projects within the Minnesota State University system.
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.