GWH Game Day!!
WCHA Quarterfinals, Game 1
#4 Minnesota vs. St. Cloud State
6:00 p.m. – Ridder Arena
Televised on Fox9+
Video stream on B1G+
Free audio play-by-play
Live stats
Murphy, Laitinen, Morrow, Fanale named to 2026 All-WCHA Teams
We send congratulations to a quartet of 2025-2026 Gophers who were named to All-WCHA teams yesterday for their performances on the ice throughout the season!
Graduate student Abbey Murphy was named to the All-WCHA First Team, marking her fifth All-WCHA honor. The current national goal leader with 36 through only 26 games, Murphy was named WCHA Forward of the Week on five occasions this year and was a two-time WCHA Forward of the Month honoree. She also earned national Forward of the Month honors from the Hockey Commissioners Association for September/October and January. She leads the NCAA in goals per game (1.38) and points per game (2.35), is second nationally in total points (61), and seventh nationally in assists per game (0.96).
Senior Nelli Laitinen earned an All-WCHA Second Team selection for the second time in her career, marking her 3rd overall All-WCHA honor after being named to the Rookie Team in 2022-2023. She is second among WCHA defenders in goals (10) and tied for third in points (29), both new single-season career highs. She is also fourth among blueliners in the conference in assists (19) and was named Defender of the Week for her performance in the series at Sacred Heart in January.
Senior Sydney Morrow earned her second-straight All-WCHA honor, being named to the Second Team. It's also her third conference end-of-year award after being named to the All-ECAC Second Team prior to joining the Gophers. This season, Morrow ranks second among WCHA blueliners with 31 points and 23 assists, and she was named Defender of the Week following her performance in the opening weekend against Boston College.
Freshman Bella Fanale claims her first conference end-of-season honor, earning a spot on the WCHA All-Rookie Team after being named Rookie of the Week twice & WCHA Rookie of the Month for January. Fanale ranks fourth nationally among freshmen and second in the WCHA with 18 goals, while her 34 points are also second among WCHA rookies. She has recorded 390 faceoff wins, the most by any WCHA freshman, posted a team third-best +33 rating, and is tied for first among conference freshmen in shooting percentage (.225).
Email Newsletter Editor's Note: Similar to past years, as we try to share all the latest end-of-season updates, including award announcements and conference & national playoff news, our email volume will be increased over the next few weeks. We thank you for your understanding, along with your continued support of Gopher Women's Hockey!!
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