The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Events this Saturday, December 6, 2025:

Teddy Bear Toss & Skate with the Gophers

We again 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 this Saturday 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 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, 2026

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.

Join the Power Play Club!!  Last call for Locker Sponsors!!

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.  This is our last call for Locker Sponsors for the 2025-2026 season!  If you are interested, either as a renewing or new 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.  We also provide a reminder to those who have received the donation instructions that your contribution is due by December 31, 2025.

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".

#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-4-0, 8-4-0-0 WCHA)
vs. Univ. of St. Thomas Tommies (8-10-0, 3-9-0-0 WCHA)

Friday, December 5 at 2:00 p.m. - Lee and Penny Anderson Arena – St. Paul
Saturday, December 6 at 2:00 p.m. – Ridder Arena

After a weekend off for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Gopher Women's Hockey team concludes the 2025 portion of its schedule with a home-and-home WCHA series against the University of St. Thomas Tommies.  Minnesota gets its first look at the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena in St. Paul when the series begins this Friday, December 5 with a 2 p.m. matinee puck drop.  Both squads will then make the short 4-mile trip to Ridder Arena for the rematch on Saturday, December 6, also at 2 p.m.

Game coverage –

 
Last year against St. Thomas – The Gophers swept the four-game regular-season series against the Tommies in 2024-2025.  Meeting last December at the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, the Maroon & Gold earned a 5-0 shutout in the opener and took the rematch by a 6-2 score.  Squaring off again in January at Ridder Arena, Minnesota posted 4-2 and 5-1 victories.  The Gophers outshot the Tommies by a combined 158 to 73.

Abbey Murphy again led Minnesota in all three scoring categories, tallying 10 points on 4 goals and 6 assists, including a 5-point (2g, 3a) performance in the first game.  Nelli Laitinen was second in total scoring against St. Thomas with 6 points, lighting the lamp once and dishing out 5 helpers, and Sydney Morrow added two goals and 3 assists for 5 points.  Rylee Bartz and former Gopher Sadie Lindsay each recorded a goal & an assist for the Tommies against Minnesota last year.

Hannah Clark saw all the action against St. Thomas, making 68 saves with a 1.25 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage.  Dani Strom started all four games for the Tommies, making 124 saves but yielding 18 goals for a 4.93 GAA and .873 SV%.  Maggie Malecha relieved Strom for the third period of the first contest, stopping 14 of 15 shots.

Analyzing the Tommies – Gopher alumna Bethany Brausen is now in her first full year as head coach of the St. Thomas Women's Hockey program, now playing at their new on-campus home in St. Paul.  UST started the season with 8-straight road games, winning the first five and going 6-2-0 over that span; however, they've cooled off with a 2-8-0 record since then.

The Tommies have also been overtime warriors, taking five of their games – all in WCHA play – to extra time and going 2-3-0 in those contests.  Three of the five came against teams currently higher than them in the league standings: a road win over Minnesota State (2-1), a home loss to Ohio State (3-2), and road loss at Wisconsin (4-3).  They also exchanged 4-3 overtime results (one win, one loss) at St. Cloud State.

Four of UST's top five scorers this season come from their junior class.  Rylee Bartz (#6) has already surpassed her sophomore scoring total; she leads the Tommies with 19 points on 10 goals & 9 assists.  Ella Boerger (#15) has a team-high 14 assists while lighting the lamp 4 times herself for 18 points.  Sophomore Ilsa Lindaman (#19) is third in scoring with 16 points on 8 goals and 8 assists after recording only 4 points (1g, 3a) as a freshman.  Two more juniors are tied for fourth with 13 points apiece; Ellah Hause (#18) has 4 goals & 9 assists, while last season's scoring leader for St. Thomas, Maddie Brown (#10), has 3 goals and 10 helpers.  Sophomore Chloe Boreen (#20) is the sixth Tommie to have reached double-digit scoring so far season, tallying 12 points on 7 goals and 5 assists.

After becoming the Tommies' primary goaltender as a freshman last season, posting a 6-20-2 record in 29 starts, sophomore Dani Strom (#1) has taken a backup role so far this year; she's 1-1-0 with one no decision in three games with a 5.21 goals-against average and .804 save percentage.  Instead, graduate student Julia Minotti (#37) has transferred in after three seasons at Clarkson and taken the lead role; she has a 7-9-0 record with 2 shutouts, a 2.44 GAA, and a .909 SV%.  Freshman Nora Hannan (#31) has made three relief appearances, yielding 7 goals on 51 shots in just over 71 minutes of action (5.89 GAA, .863 SV%).  Senior Maggie Malecha (#33) remains on the St. Thomas roster but has yet to play this season; she appeared in 8 games last year (3 starts), posting an 0-4-0 record.

Last action for St. Thomas – Like the Gophers, the Tommies were idle this past weekend.  As noted in our previous Penalty Box Post, they were swept at Wisconsin two weekends ago but, after being shut out 8-0 in the opener of that series, took the Badgers to overtime in the rematch before falling 4-3.  Maddie Brown tallied a goal & an assist and netminder Julia Minotti made 47 saves for UST in the Saturday contest.

 
Around the WCHA

Minnesota State earns home sweep of Dartmouth – Mercury Bischoff remained hot with 3 goals and an assist, Lauren Goldsworthy tallied two goals & an assist, Lauren Zawoyski dished out 4 helpers, and MSU goaltenders Hailey Hansen and Kaydence Roeske combined to stop 45 of 47 shots to give the Mavericks a pair of non-conference wins over the Big Green, 5-2 and 5-0.

BSU loses opener, settles for tie in rematch vs. Lindenwood – Hailey Armstrong tallied two goals & an assist for Bemidji State in their series at Lindenwood, but Michaela Paulinyova lit the lamp twice in a 7-4 win for the Lions on Friday, Zsofia Pazmandi scored twice for LU to erase a pair of one-goal deficits to tie the Beavers 2-2 on Saturday, and Lexi Secreto made a combined 63 saves in the series.

Ohio State earns "sweep", SCSU splits at D1 In DC showcase – Hilda Svensson tallied a hat trick & two assists and Joy Dunne added a goal & 4 helpers as the Buckeyes shut out Clarkson, 8-0, on Friday; Kassidy Carmichael and Sanni Vanhanen each lit the lamp twice for OSU in a 5-0 shutout of Colgate on Saturday.  Sofianna Sundelin recorded a hat trick for St. Cloud State on Friday, her third goal coming 1:40 into overtime, to defeat Colgate, 3-2, on Friday, but Clarkson's Bridget Stevenson & Sara Manness each scored and Arianne Leblanc stopped all 29 shots she faced to shut out the Huskies on Saturday, 2-0.  SCSU's Emilia Kyrkkö made a combined 57 saves over the weekend.

Wisconsin cruises at SMASHVILLE – Lacey Eden tallied 2 goals & 2 assists, Kirsten Simms added a goal & 2 assists, and Caroline Harvey became the WCHA's all-time top career scoring defender with a three-assist performance as the Badgers defeated Mercyhurst 5-1 on Saturday.  Wisconsin then claimed the SMASHVILLE Showcase's Guitar Trophy with a 17-2 drubbing of Stonehill on Sunday; Simms and McKayla Zilisch each tallied a hat trick plus an assist, Cassie Hall added two goals & two assists, Laila Edwards recorded a goal and four helpers, and the Badgers set new UW program records for goals in a game (17), goals in a period (9 in the second), and shots on goal in a game (87).

Upcoming games – The other six WCHA teams are also back in Friday & Saturday conference play.  St. Cloud State faces Minnesota State in Mankato with a Friday matinee start.  Bemidji State hosts Minnesota Duluth, but the big series of the weekend is in Columbus as #1 Wisconsin visits #2 Ohio State.

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