Power Play Club

Teddy Bear Toss & Skate with the Gophers – Saturday, December 6

Doing some holiday shopping in the next week? We encourage you to pick up a new teddy bear or other stuffed animal (or two or three) and bring it to the Gopher Women's Hockey game at Ridder Arena on Saturday, December 6 against St. Thomas for a Teddy Bear Toss at intermission. Puck drop for the contest is set for 2 p.m. All stuffed animals collected will be donated to the M Health Fairview's Masonic Children's Hospital. (Note, though, that they will need to be placed in tied-off plastic bags in order to be donated.) Our thanks to everyone who participates in this great event!!

The annual Skate with the Gophers event is also scheduled for Saturday, December 6, following the game against St. Thomas. This year's skate is a paid, ticketed event; tickets can be purchased here for $8 apiece, and note that a separate ticket to the game (available for purchase here) and a completed participation waiver for ice access are also required. There are two sessions, with player autographs for those not skating at the time. We look forward to seeing you at the game!!

Brunch with the Coaches – Saturday, January 31

The Power Play Club's annual Brunch with the Coaches with be taking place on Saturday, January 31 at 9:45 a.m. as we welcome University of Wisconsin women's hockey head coach Mark Johnson and Minnesota head coach Brad Frost. Coach Johnson has led the Badgers since 2002 and also served as the head coach of Team USA for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

This is a separate-fee event, with tickets running $30 per person for PPC members and $40 per person for non-members. At this time, we are not able to accept credit card payments. Instead, please download the registration form here or pick one up at the PPC table at an upcoming GWH home game; fill out the form; and submit it with a check made out to the Power Play Club to the address indicated or in-person again at Ridder Arena. Note that registrations must be received by Sunday, January 25.

Goals for a Goal – Gophers season scoring total reaches 75

The Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal program is a pledge-per-goal campaign to convert Gopher Women's Hockey's scoring into donations back to the team. Entering their second bye week of the season, the Gophers have lit the lamp 75 times this year, with twelve (12) of those coming on the power play!

Register a pledge for every goal tallied all the way through the playoffs, with the option to double your pledge for power play conversions. Pledges can be submitted electronically through the online form at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal. Following the conclusion of the season, you will receive an email with your pledge total and giving instructions.

Support the Gophers by joining the Power Play Club!!

The Power Play Club is the official booster club of the Gopher Women’s Hockey (GWH) program. As a member, you have the opportunity to experience women’s hockey on a more personal level as you develop friendships with other fans. Membership in the club provides financial support as our best fundraising vehicle for the team, and encourages the players and coaching staff in their quest for academic and athletic excellence. Membership is open at two levels...

Our Locker Sponsor level posts each sponsor's name on a player's or coach's locker, and donors will have an opportunity to meet with their respective player(s)/coach at our event in January (with pictures and a team meal). A minimum $1,000 donation (per locker) is required. If you are interested, either as a renewing or new Locker Sponsor, please contact Bob Milligan at milligandanes@gmail.com as soon as possible but please wait to submit your donation as specific instructions for doing so will be sent to you.

The Basic Membership level requires a minimum donation of $125, which includes up to two adults and any children at same address. Online registration is preferred at z.umn.edu/PPC25; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. Offline registration is also available by downloading the form here and sending it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".

Gophers swept as Minnesota State earns pair of upsets

The Gopher Women's Hockey team came up empty against Minnesota State this past weekend as the Mavericks earned their first regular-season series sweep in the rivalry since January 2007, upsetting the Maroon & Gold 3-1 at Ridder Arena on Friday and 4-1 in Mankato on Saturday.

The series got off to a good start for the Gophers as Abbey Murphy netted her 18th goal of the season 12:27 into Friday's contest, but MSU freshman Mercury Bischoff evened the score less than 4 minutes later. The game remained tied 1-1 with four minutes left in regulation, but Ava Guillemette lit the lamp for the Mavericks on a sharp-angle shot just under the crossbar with 3:20 to go. Minnesota could not find the equalizer, and Kianna Roeske added an empty-netter for Minnesota State. Hannah Clark made 24 saves for the Gophers, while Hailey Hansen stopped 39 shots for the Mavericks. Bischoff recorded two assists to go with her goal.

Moving to the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center for the rematch, Bischoff gave the Mavericks an initial lead, converting a power play 13:20 into the game, but the Gophers' responded when Josefin Bouveng also converted on a power play just 79 seconds later. However, MSU took the again in the second period as Bischoff tallied her second goal of the game, and Whitney Tuttle doubled that lead a short time later. Minnesota was unable to get any shots on goal for a large chunk of the third period, and Bischoff completed a hat trick with an empty-net goal with 1:48 to play. Layla Hemp made 21 saves for the Gophers, while Hansen stopped another 27 shots for the Mavericks.

Bouveng and Murphy each earned an assist on the other's goal. With her six-point (4g, 2a) series, Bischoff was named WCHA Rookie of the Week, and Hansen earned the honor as WCHA Goaltender of the Week with 66 saves on 68 shots.

Murphy catches Heise for sixth on GWH all-time scoring – With her assist on Josefin Bouveng's goal on Saturday, Abbey Murphy reached 227 career points on 121 goals & 106 assists, moving her into a tie with 2022 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Taylor Heise for 6th all-time in Gopher Women's Hockey history. Murphy's next point will put her sixth by herself, and she now sits eight points behind Nadine Muzerall for fifth (at 235).

Around the WCHA...

Badgers need OT to complete sweep of Tommies – Lacey Eden recorded two goals and two assists, Caroline Harvey a goal & 3 assists, and Ava McNaughton posted a 13-saves shutout as Wisconsin rolled to an 8-0 home victory over St. Thomas on Thursday. However, Friday's rematch was a back-and-forth affair; the Tommies an initial lead on a power-play goal by Maddie Brown, Eden (SH) and Laila Edwards put the Badgers ahead in the second period, and UST's Teagan Kulenkamp and Rylee Bartz gave them a 3-2 lead with 6:53 left in regulation. But it was Wisconsin coming out victorious as Kirsten Simms scored an extra-attacker goal with 1:26 remaining in the third and Cassie Hall buried a rebound 2:32 into overtime to complete the series sweep.

Buckeyes earn road sweep of Bulldogs – Joy Dunne lit the lamp twice and Hailey MacLeod stopped 24 of 25 shots Friday as Ohio State defeated Minnesota Duluth, 3-1, at AMSOIL Arena on Friday. Dunne added her third goal of the weekend plus two assists and Genny Klein stopped 31 of 32 shots for OSU on Saturday as they completed the series sweep with a 4-1 victory. Ève Gascon made a combined 77 saves for UMD.

Huskies, Beavers split in Bemidji – Payton Remick tallied two goals & an assist and Emilia Kyrkkö posted a 21-save clean sheet as St. Cloud State shut out Bemidji State, 4-0, on Friday. BSU appeared in control Saturday, leading 4-1 at the second intermission behind a pair of goals from Raeley Carney, but SCSU rallied to light the lamp four times in the third to go ahead 5-4 with 4:29 left in regulation, getting a goal & two assists from Grace Wolfe; however, Isa Goettl knotted the score for the Beavers on an extra-attacker goal with 31.4 seconds remaining and Hailey Armstrong won the game for Bemidji State 1:03 into overtime, 6-5.

Upcoming games – The Thanksgiving holiday weekend features non-conference action for five WCHA teams. St. Cloud State and Ohio State are in the D1 in DC Showcase in Washington, each playing single games against Colgate and Clarkson. In a pair of traditional two-game series, both on Friday & Saturday, Minnesota State hosts Dartmouth and Bemidji State travels south to face Lindenwood. Wisconsin is participating in the SMASHVILLE Women's Collegiate Hockey Showcase in Nashville, taking on Mercyhurst on Saturday and Stonehill on Sunday. Like the Gophers, Minnesota Duluth and St. Thomas are idle.

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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.