Power Play Club

View the March 23rd Penalty Box Post newsletter (includes graphics & photos)

Greg May named new Gopher Women's Hockey head coach

Greg “Boom” May has been named as the third head coach in the history of the Gopher Women's Hockey program, as announced yesterday by Thomas O. Moe Director of Athletics Mark Coyle. Per the public statement, the university and May have agreed to a four-year term, pending the completion of a background check and Board of Regents approval.

May has been the Associate Head Coach for the team the past three seasons (2023-2026). He previously coached the men's hockey team at Augsburg University for two seasons (2021-2023), leading the Auggies to a 41-15-2 record and two NCAA tournament berths. May was also the director of operations for the Gopher Men's Hockey team from 2019 through 2021, and coached at the high school level before that. More recently, he served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's U18 National Team which claimed the gold medal at the 2026 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship.

Though he's a familiar face, we send a warm welcome and congratulations to Coach May and look forward to seeing him and the team this fall!! He is expected to be introduced at a press conference scheduled for later today (Monday, March 23).

Murphy, Laitinen, Morrow named 2026 All-Americans!!

Gopher Women's Hockey players Abbey Murphy, Nelli Laitinen & Sydney Morrow were named 2026 CCM/AHCA Division I All-Americans on Saturday by the American Hockey Coaches Association!!

Murphy was named a First Team All-American, her second-straight All-American honor after being named to the Second Team in 2024-2025. She led the Gophers with 66 points on 40 goals, 26 assists, and a +35 rating in just 31 games, pacing the nation with 1.29 goals per game and 2.13 points per game. She also totaled nine power-play goals and one short-handed score. Murphy finished her tenure in Maroon & Gold as Minnesota's all-time leading goal scorer, finding the back of the net 143 times in her career.

Laitinen earned her spot as a Second Team All-American, the first such honor of her collegiate career after recording new personal single-season highs with 30 points on 10 goals and 20 assists in 33 games. She finished with a +31 rating and contributed on both special teams, adding two power play goals and a shorthanded tally.

Morrow collected her second career Second Team All-America honor, her first as a Golden Gopher, after finishing the season with 38 points on eight goals and 30 assists in 39 games, ranking second among all NCAA defenders in both points and assists. She posted a +33 rating and recorded 57 blocked shots. She previously earned a Second Team All-America honor after her sophomore season (2023-2024) as a member of the Colgate University Raiders.

Congratulations, Abbey, Nelli & Sydney!!

2026 NCAA Championship: Wisconsin 3, Ohio State 2;
UW's Caroline Harvey wins 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

The University of Wisconsin Badgers Women's Hockey team claimed their ninth NCAA Championship yesterday, defeating Ohio State 3-2 at the 2026 Frozen Four at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, PA.

The Badgers took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Kelly Gorbatenko & Laney Potter, and held that advantage into the third stanza. The Buckeyes battled back, with Kassidy Carmichael and Jocelyn Amos lighting the lamp to knot the score 5:34 into the final frame. However, UW netminder Ava McNaughton would not yield another OSU goal, finishing with 34 saves, and Claire Enright found the back of the net for the Badgers with 6:18 remaining in regulation, giving them enough to claim the victory. Ohio State's Hailey MacLeod stopped 31 shots.

Harvey wins Kazmaier Award – A day earlier, Wisconsin senior defender Caroline Harvey was named the winner of the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented by the USA Hockey Foundation. At the start of the NCAA Tournament, she ranked first in the nation in assists per game (1.40) and second in the country in points per game (1.97). She is the third defender and seventh Badger to earn the award.

We give one more shout-out to Gopher forward Abbey Murphy on earning Top-3 Finalist recognition for the award.

GWH alumna coaching news: Kennedy hired as Merrimack HC,
Muzerall signs five-year extension at Ohio State

Two Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae made news in the past week in a pair of NCAA Division I head coaching announcements.

Kennedy hired at Merrimack – Courtney Kennedy was named the new head coach of the Merrimack College Warriors Women's Hockey team on Friday. Kennedy, a 2001 Gopher alumna, past WCHA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and 2008 'M' Club Hall of Fame inductee, was a member of the Boston College staff as an assistant coach & associate head coach for 17 seasons (2007-2024) and worked more-recently as the skills coach for the PWHL's Boston Fleet (2024-2025). She also served as the 2026 World Championship-winning U.S. Women's U18 National Team, and has held several roles with USA Hockey dating back to 2013. Congratulations, Courtney!!

Muzerall gets extension in Columbus – Nadine Muzerall, another 2001 Gopher alumna, signed a five-year contract extension to remain at Ohio State as announced on Thursday, keeping her with the Buckeyes through the 2033-2034 season. Having already completed her 10th year in Columbus, she has a career 260-86-22 coaching record (73.6% win pct.) with two NCAA Championships (2022 & 2024). We send Nadine our best wishes!!

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