The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, July 21

Penalty Box Post - Two Minue Minor
Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Classic Border Battle replay on Big Ten Network – tomorrow morning
Wednesday, July 22 at 8 a.m. CT

Catch a replay of a classic Border Battle women's hockey game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers which concluded the 2015-2016 regular season on February 20, 2016.  The game airs tomorrow morning, Wednesday, July 22, at 8 a.m. CT on Big Ten Network as part of their Minnesota Day broadcast, with coverage beginning at 6 a.m. with a Gopher soccer replay.

The full BTN broadcast schedule can be found at btn.com/shows.

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Knowles, Wente, Woken earn more academic honors!!

We send more congratulations to members of the 2019-2020 Gopher Women's Hockey team upon earning additional academic honors, as Olivia Knowles, Taylor Wente, and Alex Woken were named Krampade All-American Scholars earlier today by the American Hockey Coaches Association.

The trio were among 571 Division I men's and women's honorees, recognized for having attained a 3.75 GPA for the fall semester and participated in 40% of their school's games.  Including Knowles, Wente, and Woken, 56 WCHA Women's League players were recognized.  (Note that this year's criteria was modified due to the impact of the Covid-19 impact on spring courses, and a small number of waivers to the participation requirement was granted due to injury or for back-up goaltenders.)

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com.  You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Thursday, July 16, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minue Minor
Thursday, July 16, 2020

Gopher Women's Hockey names 2020-2021 team captains

A quartet of seniors have been selected to serve as team captains for Gopher Women's Hockey in 2020-2021, as announced by head coach Brad Frost on Tuesday.  Grace Zumwinkle and Emily Brown were named as team co-captains, while Olivia Knowles and Taylor Wente will serve as assistant captains.

Brown enters her second season serving as a captain after being an assistant captain as a junior last season, while Zumwinkle, Knowles, and Wente all begin their first season as captains for the Gophers.

We send our congratulations to all four players, and look forward to seeing them lead the squad in the upcoming season!!

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WCHA adds St. Thomas as 8th women's team starting in 2021-2022

The Board of Directors of the Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association voted unanimously to add the University of St. Thomas Tommies as an 8th team to the league, as announced yesterday.  The Tommies will begin WCHA play in the 2021-2022 season, and will be immediately eligible for the conference's regular season and postseason championships, while becoming the first team from a private school to compete in the league.

UST athletics programs are transitioning from the Division III level to Division I.  Nineteen (19) of the school's other 21 sports will join the Summit League while the school's football program will join the Pioneer League.  League membership for men's ice hockey will be announced at a later date.  The school has been a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) since 1920.

The Tommies women's hockey program has a 357-171-52 (.660) all-time record, posting an active streak of 20-straight winning seasons.  They have two Division III Frozen Four appearances – most recently in 2019 – while claiming six MIAC regular season titles and six MIAC postseason crowns.  Their home games are played at St. Thomas Ice Arena, across the street from St. Thomas Academy prep school in Mendota Heights (map).

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com.  You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

An Update from the Power Play Club Board of Directors

July 10, 2020

Dear PPC members and fellow GWH fans –

First and foremost, thank you for your continued support of the Golden Gopher Women's Hockey program.  It is always much appreciated.

As we approach the planned 24th season of competition for the team, the Power Play Club Board of Directors is continuing its off-season work, discussing all the usual topics of club operations, events, and merchandise.  That said, the upcoming season will undoubtedly be quite different than past years, and the board is trying to remain as flexible as possible with all the various details.  While a preliminary schedule of club events has been planned out for 2020-2021, it is still very much subject to change.

As with many of you, the PPC board is closely following any and all announcements regarding intercollegiate athletics and the impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  This includes yesterday's announcement that Big Ten Conference fall sports – football, volleyball, soccer & cross-country – will be moving to in-conference competition only, which followed Wednesday's announcement from the Ivy League that “it will not be possible for Ivy League teams to participate in intercollegiate athletics competition prior to the end of the fall semester.”  The latter is of particular interest due to its impact on the hockey season.

The board is acutely aware that there will also be financial impacts to colleges and universities, and their respective athletics departments, as event schedules are scaled back and spectator attendance is limited.  As an example, Stanford University announced the discontinuation of 11 varsity sports programs, effective at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year in an attempt to maintain their fiscal stability.  Closer to home, GWH head coach Brad Frost indicated at the May club board meeting that fiscal pressures are mounting within the U. of M. Athletics Department, requiring modifications to their operating budgets.  Given all of this, your financial assistance will be more critical than ever to support the program and the young women who comprise the team and exemplify the term "student-athlete" through their academic performances and community service off the ice.  More details on how you can help will be shared in the upcoming weeks as we approach the traditional start of the season.

Given the uncertainty of the competitive schedule and fan attendance policies, the PPC Board of Directors approved a motion at its July meeting to switch the club's annual Silent Auction to an online format for 2020-2021.  Many associated details will need to be worked out over the upcoming months, and will be announced as they are finalized.

As has been noted previously, the board has several openings, and operating with less than the full slate of directors puts additional pressure on those currently serving.  We again put out a call for volunteers to help fill those openings, and you can contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org if you are interested or have any questions.  The board's next meeting will be held via online video conference on Wednesday, August 12 at 7 p.m.

Updates will continue to be sent through our Penalty Box Post or Two-Minute Minor newsletters, or special letters such as this, as announcements warrant.

Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!

Dave Malerich
PPC vice president & communications chair

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Thursday, July 2

Penalty Box Post - Two Minue Minor
Thursday, July 2, 2020

Six GWH players named 2019-2020 B1G Distinguished Scholars

Six (6) members of the 2019-2020 Gopher Women's Hockey team were among 119 U. of M. student-athletes named Big Ten Distinguish Scholars following an excellent academic year.

We send our congratulations to Olivia Knowles, Gracie Ostertag, Sarah Potomak, Catie Skaja, Taylor Wente, and Alex Woken on this achievement!!  Recipients must receive All-Big Ten recognition during the previous academic year, be enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters), and earn a minimum of a 3.70 GPA, excluding summer classes.  We send a special shout-out to Wente and Woken (pictured) for posting perfect 4.0 GPAs for the academic year!

As noted in the press-release from the U., the 119 honorees is a new school record, as is the cumulative student-athlete grade point average of 3.36 for the Spring 2020 semester (the fifth-straight semester that statistic has improved).

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Stecklein, Pannek re-sign with PWHPA for 2020-2021

The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) has continued its series of 2020-2021 player signing announcements on Twitter, including two more Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae: Lee Stecklein (on June 23) and Kelly Pannek (on June 26).  It will be the second year with the organizaton for both players after they joined last season.  (Photos courtesy of USA Hockey)

Stecklein and Pannek are the seventh and eighth alumnae of the Gopher Women's Hockey program, respectively, to be announced as signing with the PWHPA for the upcoming season, joining Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Gigi Marvin, Sarah Potomak, and Sydney Scobee.  As noted previously, we'll continue to watch for additional signings and related announcements.

PWHPA New Hampshire hub team to face U.S. Premier Hockey League squads – Also this past Friday, June 26, the PWHPA and the U.S Premier Hockey League (USPHL) announced an agreement to play a series of exhibition games during the 2020-21 season.  Members of the PWHPA's New Hampshire regional training hub will face each of the teams in the USPHL's National Collegiate Development Conference once, with game dates and locations to be announced later.  The NCDC is the top tier of the USPHL, and is a Tier-2 Junior Hockey league based in the northeastern United States.  All games will follow the junior protocols, with all costs associated with the games picked up by the NCDC member teams.

Also in the press release was the announcement that Cyclones Arena in Hudson, NH, will serve as the home rink for the PWHPA's New Hampshire hub.  It is also home to the Northern Cyclones, one of the NCDC’s 13 member clubs.

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Quick hits...

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com.  You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, June 23

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Knowles, Potomak, and Cherkowski invited to Canadian Summer Camp

Gopher senior Olivia Knowles, junior Amy Potomak, and incoming freshman Anne Cherkowsi are among 50 players invited to the BFL CANADA National Women’s Development Team Summer Camp, as announced by Hockey Canada and recapped by the U. of M. yesterday.  Another 59 players were also named to the Canadian National Women's Under-18 Team Summer Camp.

The "virtual" Development Team camp will consist of weekly meetings until athletes return to university in the fall.  As noted in the press release, the athletes will cover topics that include at-home strength and conditioning plans, mental performance plans and check-ins, nutrition, dry-land skills, skating simulations, team-building activities, short-term international competition preparation and meetings with coaches.  Frequency could also increase to twice weekly as the summer progresses.

We send our congratulations to Olivia, Amy, and Anne!

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GWH alumnae updates...
Leveille signs with Minnesota Whitecaps for third season in St. Paul

Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna goaltender Amanda Leveille will be rejoining the Minnesota Whitecaps for a third season, as announced by the team and the NWHL last Thursday, June 18.

Leveille – a three-time NCAA champion with the Gophers – has excelled in the NWHL as well, winning the Isobel Cup championship with both the Buffalo Beauts and Whitecaps, while also laying claim as the 2017-2018 Goaltender of the Year and the league's current all-time wins leader.  After playing for the Beauts during her first two years as a pro, she joined the Whitecaps in their 2018-2019 NWHL expansion season.

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Six Gopher representatives sign with PWHPA for 2020-2021

Following its initial year and the "Dream Gap Tour" of events across several Canadian and U.S. cities, the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) announced a regional structure last month for the 2020-2021 season.  Each regional group will require a try-out to make its 25-player roster, but this will allow participation in association showcase events plus additional regional games, and will give players access to training opportunities.  Regional training hub locations were announced for Calgary, Toronto and Montreal in Canada, and in New Hampshire and Minnesota in the U.S.

In the subsequent weeks since the format announcement, the PWHPA has been sharing the list of players who have signed on for the upcoming season on its Twitter account. Currently, six alumnae of the Gopher Women's Hockey program are among the signees: Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Gigi Marvin, Sarah Potomak, and Sydney Scobee.

We'll continue to watch for additional signings and event announcements from the PWHPA.

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PPC Board of Directors meeting – Wednesday, July 8 at 7 p.m.

The next Board of Directors meeting will be held next Wednesday, July 8, at 7 p.m.  The board is continuing to meet via online video conference as the summer progresses. Topics for the July meeting will including finalizing the club's 2020-2021 budget and continued discussions on fundraising efforts in the upcoming year.

The board is also continuing to work with the university staff regarding the schedule and logistics of the 2020-2021 season.  It is expected that many details will not be finalized until very shortly before action begins, so your patience is greatly appreciated.

Board meetings are open to all club members (2019-2020 membership applies this off-season).  Additionally, we are still requesting volunteers to fill our several open board positions.  If you are interested in joining the board, or just wish to participate in the July meeting, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com.  You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.