Penalty Box Post - Thursday, December 31, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Thursday, December 31, 2020

Happy New Year!!

PPC membership & event news...

Membership reminder – Once again, a donation of $50 or more to the Power Play Club Fund at the University of Minnesota Foundation will enroll your household into the PPC for the season. To make your donation online, go to the Power Play Club Fund web page here. If you prefer to submit your donation by check, you can download the registration form here, fill it out, and mail it and your check to Laura Halldorson at the address listed on the form. If you have already enrolled as a Locker Sponsor for 2020-2021, you do not need to register again.

Locker Sponsorships still available!! With a donation of $600 or more, Locker Sponsors are recognized with their name(s) listed on the locker of their designated player or coach. If you are interested in being a Locker Sponsor, do not use the links above, but instead please contact Susan "Rennie" McPherson at membership@powerplayclub.org.

Online auction to open in January – Details are still being finalized for the Power Play Club's annual auction. As previously mentioned, the PPC is partnering with the Golden Gopher Fund to move the auction online for the 2020-2021 season, and it is expected to be open for approximately two weeks starting in mid-January. The auction tentatively includes several items signed by past GWH National Championship teams, Gopher alumna autographed photos, and at least two jerseys. Any questions can be sent to PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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Gophers - Bulldogs series is Postponed - The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced this afternoon that the upcoming women's hockey series between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, set for January 4 & 5 at Ridder Arena, has been postponed, with make-up dates to be determined.

The U. of M. also sent out a press release about the postponement here.

We will continue to monitor updates from the WCHA and the U. regarding schedule changes. The Gophers are now set to return to action next weekend with a home-and-home series against St. Cloud State, starting January 9 at Ridder Arena at 4:07 p.m. and continuing January 10 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud (time TBA).

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Gopher alumnae and professional news...

NWHL announces TV coverage for Isobel Cup Playoffs, additional Lake Placid news – News continues to come from the National Women's Hockey League regarding their abbreviated "bubble season" in Lake Placid, NY, which runs between January 23 & February 5. The league announced that NBC Sports Network will provide television coverage of the Isobel Cup semifinals on Feb. 4 and the Championship on Feb. 5. They also announced a partnership with Yale University to provide COVID-19 testing for all six member teams, and that the season will have an all-female officiating staff courtesy of help and guidance from USA Hockey.

The Minnesota Whitecaps feature Gopher alumnae Winny (Brodt) Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence, and Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal, plus co-head coach Ronda Engelhardt and assistant coach Laura Slominski.

Seven (7) Gopher alumnae named to PWHPA select team to play in USPHL bubble – Meanwhile, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) announced the creation of a 24-player Select Team which will participate in the U.S. Premier Hockey League's “Hub City Tampa” from January 4 through 18. The PWHPA Selects will play exhibition games against USPHL teams from its Tier-2 National Collegiate Development Conference, plus take part in on-ice practice sessions and off-ice training.

The PWHPA Select Team was chosen from the organization's Minnesota and New Hampshire regional training hubs, and includes Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Nicole Schammel, Kelly Pannek, Hannah Brandt, Gigi Marvin, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, and Lee Stecklein.

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Around the WCHA...

Last action – Minnesota State took 4 of 6 standings points in its series against Bemidji State in Mankato on December 17 & 18. The two teams traded goals through the first 40 minutes of the opener, then played a scoreless 3rd stanza and overtime to finish in a 2-2 tie; BSU took the third standings point for the game when Kara Werth netted the only goal in a four-round shootout. In the rematch, the Mavericks held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes and the Beavers took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission, but MSU tallied three 3rd-period goals to win 5-3. In the series, Paige Beebe (BSU) and Jamie Nelson (MSU) each recorded 2 goals and an assist, Ellie Moser (BSU) scored twice, and Anna Wilgren (MSU) added a goal and two assists.

Upcoming games – Bemidji State and Minnesota State both had short holiday breaks with only a single weekend off. The Beavers resume play with a road trip to Columbus to face Ohio State tomorrow and Saturday, January 1 & 2. The Mavericks host Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday, January 2 & 3. St. Cloud State's lengthy break continues, as they are idle this weekend.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

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 - Special Edition - Thursday, December 17, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Special Edition
December 17, 2020

WCHA releases 2nd half schedule for 2020-2021;
Gophers slated for 14 more games in regular season

The Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association released its composite schedule for the “second half” of the 2020-2021 regular season yesterday (Wednesday, December 16). The Gopher Women's Hockey team followed up with its own press release, documenting its 14 remaining contests to complete a 20-game schedule for the year.

The schedules, for individual teams and the league as a whole, are highlighted by some notable differences compared to past seasons. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual double round-robin format (with each team playing 2 two-game series against every other team) has been scrapped, with no member club playing a full 24-game conference schedule. Rather, the total number of games planned for each team (including those already played) varies between 16 (Wisconsin) and 22 (Minnesota State). On the flip side, while some pairings of teams will only play one head-to-head series, other pairings will meet for a third series (their fifth and sixth games) in the regular season.

Such is the case for Minnesota. The Gophers will not meet Minnesota State again in the regular season, and will play only single series against St. Cloud State and Bemidji State. However, despite already having hosted two games against Ohio State in November, Minnesota will face the Buckeyes in four more regular-season games. Here's the team's remaining schedule.

• Jan. 4 & 5 – vs. Minnesota Duluth

• January 9 – vs. St. Cloud State

• January 10 – at St. Cloud State

• Jan. 15 & 16 – at Wisconsin

• January 22-24 – idle

• Jan. 29 & 30 – at Ohio State

• Feb. 5 & 6 – vs. Wisconsin

• Feb. 12 & 13 – vs. Ohio State

• Feb. 19 & 20 – at Bemidji State

• February 26-28 – idle

Times for all home games except the Ohio State series (Feb. 12 & 13) have been set; check the GWH schedule page on GopherSports.com for details. Remaining start times, including for all road contests, are to be announced.

Additionally, details regarding the 2021 WCHA Final Faceoff and NCAA postseason will be released at a later date.

Also, per current Minnesota Department of Health guidelines, there will be no ticket sales for Gopher Women's Hockey home games at this time, as all entertainment venues are required to be closed to members of the public.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

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 - Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Penalty Box Post
December 16, 2020

Holiday break recap...

The Gopher Women's Hockey team enters the holiday break atop the WCHA standings with a 5-1-0 conference mark and 15 points. That said, they are one of only four league teams to have played 6 games to-date, as Bemidji State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin have had their schedules limited by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having so few games played, it is difficult to make any inferences from collected statistics. Still, Minnesota is currently ranked #2 in the latest national polls and received first-place votes. Defense is also the name of the game for the Gophers so far, yielding only 7 goals in their 6 contests and posting a perfect penalty kill on 16 opposing power plays so far. Redshirt senior goaltender Lauren Bench is 4-1-0 in her 5 starts with one shutout, a 1.21 goals-against average, and a .965 save percentage.

On the offensive end, the Gophers have lit the lamp 18 times, averaging 3.00 goals per game. Twelve (12) different players have netted a goal this season, with Grace Zumwinkle scoring 5 and Abigail Boreen adding 3. Emily Oden, Crystalyn Hengler, and Madeline Wethington have each dished out four assists. Zumwinkle has one helper to go with her goals for a team-leading 6 points, followed by Oden with 5 (1g, 4a), and then Hengler and Wethington with four apiece. One area of potential concern is power play scoring, as Minnesota has capitalized just twice in 17 opportunities, an 11.8% rate.

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Gophers sweep Minnesota State to conclude December games;
Hengler, Bench earn Player of the Week honors

The Gopher Women's Hockey team extended its winning streak to four games, sweeping Minnesota State in a hone-and-home series, 5-1 in Mankato and 2-1 at Ridder Arena.

Abigail Boreen put the Gophers up 1-0 eleven minutes into the first game last Thursday night, but the score remained unchanged into the 3rd stanza with the Mavericks holding a 29-13 shot advantage after 40 minutes. Olivia Knowles doubled the Gopher lead 2:21 into the final period, but MSU's Sydney Langseth narrowed the gap at the 5:34 mark. However, Boreen scored unassisted for her first career two-goal game, and Grace Zumwinkle and Taylor Heise added two more within the next 72 seconds. Lauren Bench earned the victory (more on that momentarily).

After recording her first collegiate assist and point the previous night, Audrey Wethington added her first career goal in Friday's rematch against MSU, redirecting her sister Madeline's shot and putting the Gophers up 1-0 after 20 minutes. Zumwinkle doubled the lead with a power-play tally in the second period, but Brittyn Fleming pulled Minnesota State back within one just before the second intermission. However, the Gopher defense remained resolute in the final stanza, holding the Mavericks to 5 shots on goal (and only 19 for the game); Makayla Pahl made 18 saves in her first collegiate start to earn the victory.

Following the past weekend's action, Gopher Women's Hockey junior Crystalyn Hengler and Lauren Bench were named WCHA Defenseman & Goaltender of the Week, presented by Sterling Trophy.

Hengler recorded three assists against Minnesota State, a career high in a two-game series, and led all NCAA defenders in assists and points over the weekend. She also had a +3 plus-minute rating for the two contests, second-best among WCHA defensemen. Her assist on Friday came on Grace Zumwinkle's game-winning power-play goal.

Bench received her third Goaltender of the Week award following the third Gopher Women's Hockey series. In Thursday's game in Mankato, Bench stopped 40 of the 41 shots she faced to preserve the 5-1 victory.

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GWH alumni & professional news...

Pannek joins coaching staff at Benilde-St. Margaret's – As announced on Twitter on Monday, Gopher Women's Hockey alumna and Olympic gold medalist Kelly Pannek has joined the girls' hockey coaching staff at her high school alma mater, Benilde-St. Margaret's School in St. Louis Park. We send our congratulations and best wishes to Kelly on this opportunity.

Scotiabank partners with PWHPA, sponsors Calgary region – Scotiabank, a supporter of hockey across Canada, was announced as a sponsor for the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) last Thursday, Dec. 10. As part of the agreement, players in the PWHPA's Calgary region will officially be part of Team Scotiabank in the organization's Secret® Cup tournament. The announcement was shared broadly on Twitter by a number of the Calgary players, including GWH alumna Sarah Potomak.

NWHL to play abbreviated "bubble season" in Lake Placid, partnership with Stathletes – Meanwhile, we're catching up on some news from National Women's Hockey League. On November 25, the league announced it will be playing an abbreviated season in Lake Placid, NY at the 1980 Rink-Herb Brooks Arena between January 23 & February 5, 2021. Only 15 "regular-season" games in total will be played, with each pair of teams meeting once in a round-robin format; that will be followed by a single-elimination playoffs involving all six squads. The Minnesota Whitecaps feature Gopher alumnae Winny (Brodt) Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence, and Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal, plus co-head coach Ronda Engelhardt and assistant coach Laura Slominski.

On December 7, the NWHL also announced a partnership with Stathletes, a Canada-based hockey analytics company, to “provide data and insights to the league’s teams throughout the NWHL’s 2021 season in Lake Placid.”

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Around the WCHA...

Recent results – Bemidji State and St. Cloud State played in the first two overtime games in league play since the change to a 3-on-3 format for the extra period immediately following regulation. The teams split the two contests, both by 3-2 scores, with Emma Gentry scoring the gamewinner for the Huskies in the first game and Clair DeGeorge netting the deciding goal for the Beavers in the rematch. Gentry earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors for her 2-goal, 1-assist performance in series, DeGeorge led all scorers with 3 goals and an assist, and SCSU's Jenniina Nylund added two goals and an assist.

Upcoming games – Bemidji State will visit Minnesota State to conclude the scheduled WCHA games, playing a pair of weekday matinee games tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday; puck drop is set for 2:07 p.m. both days.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

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 - Monday, Dec. 7, 2020

Penalty Box Post
December 7, 2020

PPC membership & fundraising updates...

Membership registration remains open!! Once again, a donation of $50 of more to the Power Play Club Fund at the University of Minnesota Foundation will enroll your household into the PPC for the season. To make your donation online, go to the Power Play Club Fund web page here. If you prefer to submit your donation by check, you can download the registration form here, fill it out, and mail it and your check to Laura Halldorson at the address listed on the form. If you have already enrolled as a Locker Sponsor for 2020-2021, you do not need to register again.

Locker Sponsorships still available!! With a donation of $600 or more, Locker Sponsors are recognized with their name(s) listed on the locker of their designated player or coach. If you are interested in being a Locker Sponsor, do not use the links above, but instead please contact Susan "Rennie" McPherson at membership@powerplayclub.org.

Online auction to open in January – With the current scenario of no spectators being allowed for Gopher Women's Hockey home games, the Power Play Club is partnering with the Golden Gopher Fund to move its annual auction online for the 2020-2021 season. Exact timing is still being determined, but expect the auction to be open for two weeks starting in mid-January. More details will be shared as soon as they are finalized. Any questions can be sent to PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.
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Golden Gopher Fund's Pledge Per Goal program

The Golden Gopher Fund has debuted the Pledge Per Goal program for the 2020-2021 season. Initially planned for Gopher Men's Hockey, the program has been extended to also include Gopher Women's Hockey this year, giving registrants the opportunity to choose between the teams. Donations will be directed to the U. of M. Athletic Department's general scholarship fund. If you are interested, more information and the registration form are available at z.umn.edu/PledgePerGoal.
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SCHEDULE ADDITION!!

#3 Univ. of Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1-0)
vs. Minnesota State University Mavericks (1-3-0)

Thursday, December 10 at 6:07 p.m.
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center – Mankato

Friday, December 11 at 6:07 p.m. – Ridder Arena

After postponements of this past weekend's Minnesota-Wisconsin and Minnesota State-Bemidji State series, and the additional postponement of the Minnesota-Ohio State series originally scheduled for the upcoming weekend, the WCHA announced a schedule addition pitting the Gophers against the MSU Mavericks in a home-and-home series. The action begins at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center (formerly the Verizon Wireless Center) in Mankato on Thursday, December 10, at 6:07 p.m., and moves to Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on Friday, December 11, also at 6:07 p.m.

Video streaming & audio information – With the Mavericks and Gophers each hosting a game, video and audio streaming options will vary between the two contests. Video of Thursday's game in Mankato will be streamed by FloHockey; subscription and schedule information can be found at FloSports.tv. BTN+ will provide streaming video of Friday's rematch at Ridder Arena; subscription packages are available here. No audio is expected for Thursday's game, but watch our Facebook and Twitter accounts for updates; Friday's Gopher home game will feature free streaming audio on Golden Gophers All-Access on GopherSports.com.

Last year against Minnesota State – The Gophers swept the five games against the Mavericks in 2019-2020, with 6-0 & 7-1 victories in Mankato in the opening weekend of WCHA play, a 4-0 win in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Game in Prior Lake last December, and 5-1 & 3-0 results at Ridder Arena to conclude the regular season in February.

Taylor Heise led the Gophers with 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points against MSU, recording at least one goal and one assist in each of the first four contests. Alex Woken and Grace Zumwinkle each posted 8 points on 4 goals and 4 assists against the Mavericks, and the Potomak sisters each added 6 points – Sarah tallied 3 goals and 3 assists, while Amy lit the lamp twice and dished out 4 assists. Sydney Scobee started all five games, yielding only a single goal on 87 shots faced in 270 minutes of action (.989 SV%, 0.22 GAA), while Makayla Pahl stopped 15 of 16 shots in two relief appearances. Charlotte Akervik and Kelsey King scored Minnesota State's goals against the Gophers. MSU goaltender Abigail Levy yielded 15 goals on 92 shots in her three starts for an .837 save percentage and 5.00 goals-against average, while Calla Frank yielded 10 goals on 79 shots in her two starts for an .873 SV% and also a 5.00 GAA.

Analyzing the Mavericks – Minnesota State finished 6th in the WCHA last year, but earned 19 points in the conference standings with a 4-16-4-3 record. They went 3-1-0 against St. Cloud State in league play, earned 4 points in their early-season home series against Ohio State (two ties with a 3-on-3 OT win and a shootout win), and upset Wisconsin with a 3-1 victory on February 8. They were also 7-1-0 in eight games against non-WCHA competition. However, their season came to an end when they were swept by the Buckeyes in the WCHA quarterfinals, 4-2 & 1-0.

Scoring was hard to come by for the Mavericks last season as no player reached double-digit goals, but the team returns a quartet who each lit the lamp 6 times in 2019-2020. Junior Anna Wilgren (#5) led MSU with 18 assists and 24 points. Sophomore Kelsey King (#20) dished out 16 assists to go with her 6 goals for 22 points as a freshman, and seniors Brittyn Fleming (#19) and Mariah Gardner (#16) recorded 12 and 10 assists, respectively, to go with their 6 goals apiece. Four games into the 2020-2021 season, freshmen Jamie Nelson (#18) and Sydney Langseth (#3) lead MSU with 3 points apiece.

Minnesota State finds itself short on experienced goaltenders, as Abigail Levy transferred to Boston College. Sophomore Calla Frank (#77) returns as their primary netminder, having posted a 6-8-3 record in her freshman year, with 2 shutouts, a .912 save percentage, and 2.74 goals-against average. She is 1-3-0 to start the new season, with an .871 SV% and 3.77 GAA. Another pair of freshmen – Lauren Barbro (#37) and Emerald Kelley (#55) – back up Frank, but have yet to see any game action.

Last action for Minnesota State – Going on the road on November 27 & 28, the Mavericks ran into a hot opposing goaltender at St. Cloud State. Huskies freshman Sanni Ahola set a new school record by making 37 saves in her debut, and Allie Cornelius scored for SCSU early in the second period to defeat MSU, 1-0. Ahola made another 38 saves in the rematch, but Jamie Nelson tallied two goals and an assist for the Mavericks, Sydney Langseth added a goal and two assists, and Charlotte Akervik netted the game-winning power-play goal late in the 2nd period in a 4-2 Minnesota State victory, splitting the series.
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Around the WCHA...

Recent results – Anna Klein tallied two goals and three assists, and Naomi Rogge & Clara Van Wieren each lit the three times as Minnesota Duluth swept St. Cloud State, 4-0 and 5-1; Jenniina Nylund netted her first goal of the season for the Huskies, but they were outshot by the Bulldogs by a combined 93 to 32.

Upcoming game schedule – After a couple postponements, Bemidji State is finally expected to get underway this week, hosting St. Cloud State on Thursday night and Friday afternoon. The Minnesota-Duluth and University of Wisconsin game has been postponed. Ohio State is idle following the postponement of its series against the Gophers.
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

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 - Friday, December 4, 2020

Penalty Box Post -Two Minute Minor -
December 4, 2020

MN-WI Border Battle series POSTPONED

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced this morning that this weekend's women's hockey series between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers, set for today and tomorrow, December 4-5, at Ridder Arena has been postponed, with make-up dates to be determined.

Today's announcement follows the similar statement yesterday that next weekend's series between Minnesota and the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus is also postponed.

We will continue to monitor updates from the WCHA and the U. of M. regarding schedule changes. With the two series postponements, Minnesota's "first half" comes to a quick close and we await the schedule of future games.
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Next weekend's Minnesota-Ohio State series postponed

The WCHA announced yesterday that next weekend's (December 11 & 12) series between Minnesota and Ohio State in Columbus has been postponed and will be played later in the season (exact dates to be announced). OSU's inability to meet the minimum number of players required to compete was cited as the reason for the postponement.
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Zumwinkle, Bench earn monthly honors for November

We again send our congratulations to Gopher Women's Hockey seniors Grace Zumwinkle and Lauren Bench, following yesterday's announcement naming them the WCHA Forward & Goaltender of the Month, presented by Sterling Trophy.

Zumwinkle tallied 3 goals and an assist in Minnesota's first four games, and led the league with 24 shots on goal. Bench was the goaltender of record for all four contests, recording 3 wins while stopping 126 of 131 shots faced for a .962 save percentage and 1.26 goals-against average.

Bench named national Goaltender of the Month – In addition to the conference award, Lauren Bench was also honored yesterday as the national Goaltender of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners Association, as shared by the U. of M..

Gopher Men's Hockey senior Jack LaFontaine also earned national Goaltender of the Month honors from the HCA.

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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club 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 - Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, December 2, 2020

#3 Univ. of Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1-0) vs. #1 Univ. of Wisconsin Badgers (1-1-0)
Friday, December 4 at 6:07 p.m.
Saturday, December 5 at 4:07 p.m.
Ridder Arena

After a hard-earned road sweep against one rival, another comes to Ridder Arena for a visit, as the Gopher Women's Hockey team hosts the Wisconsin Badgers in rounds 1 & 2 of the 2020-2021 Border Batter. The series opens Friday, Dec. 4 at 6:07 p.m. and continues Saturday, Dec. 5 at 4:07 p.m.

Video streaming on BTN+ & free audio on GopherSports.com – Video from this weekend's two games against Wisconsin will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Gopher home games will also feature free streaming audio, available on Golden Gophers All-Access on GopherSports.com.

Last year against Wisconsin – The Gophers went 1-2-1 against Badgers last season. Minnesota earned 5 WCHA standings points at Ridder Arena with a 4-2 victory followed by a 2-2 tie with a shootout win, but the Badgers earned a series sweep at LaBahn Arena in January, 5-4 (OT) and 3-0.

Grace Zumwinkle led the Gophers with 7 points against Wisconsin, lighting the lamp 4 times (with two 2-goal games) and dishing out 3 assists. Sarah Potomak (3g, 2a) and Taylor Heise (1g, 4a) each tallied 5 points over the four games, while Amy Potomak added a goal & two assists in the season series plus the lone goal of the shootout in the second game at Ridder. Sydney Scobee made 107 saves but yielded 11 goals, resulting in a .907 save percentage and 2.75 goals-against average. Presley Norby led the Badgers with 3 goals and 2 assists against the Gophers, Abby Roque recorded a hat trick in the first game in Madison while dishing out an earlier assist, and Daryl Watts (2g, 1a), Caitlin Schneider (1g, 2a), and Delaney Drake (3a) each tallied 3 points. Kristen Campbell stopped 83 of 93 shots for an .892 SV% and 2.47 GAA.

Analyzing the Badgers – After dropping the 2018-2019 WCHA Regular-Season Championship to Minnesota, Wisconsin was perfect in the subsequent playoffs to claim both the WCHA Tournament and NCAA Championships that year. They then claimed the 2019-2020 WCHA regular-season crown with a 17-4-3-2 conference mark and 27-4-3 overall record entering the playoffs. Earning the quarterfinal bye, the Badgers knocked off Minnesota Duluth in the conference semifinals, 4-1, but were upset by Ohio State in the Final Faceoff Championship game, 1-0.

2018 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Daryl Watts (#19) returns for her senior season, having already recorded 204 career points (89g, 115a) in her first 3 years; she led the Badgers in 2019-2020 with 25 goals and 49 assists for 74 points. Junior Sophie Shirley (#9) was second in scoring for UW last year, netting a team-leading 29 goals while dishing out 32 assists for 61 points. However, no other returning Badger recorded 30 or more points last season; senior Brette Pettet (#20) tallied 28 points on 12 goals and 16 assists as a junior. That said, the Badgers' freshman class includes past U.S. Women's Under-18 National Team members Makenna Webster (#8) & Casey O'Brien (#26), and Canada U-18 National Team player Maddi Wheeler (#28).

Like Minnesota, Wisconsin features a redshirt senior graduate transfer at goaltender for 2020-2021. Kennedy Blair (#29) began her collegiate career at North Dakota, but did not play in the 2016-2017 season and transferred to Mercyhurst following the disbanding of the UND program. In three years with the Lakers, she posted a 32-26-8 career record with 10 shutouts; last year she was 17-8-3 (with one no-decision), 4 shutouts, a 1.98 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. The Badger backups have seen only limited game action; senior Breanna Blesi (#32) is 4-1-0 in 5 career starts and 2 relief appearances, with one shutout, a 1.07 GAA and a .908 SV%, while junior Cami Kronish (#30) has only a single 40-minute relief appearance in which she yielded 2 goals on 11 shots. Quebec native Jane Gervais (#1) joins the team as a freshman.

Last weekend for Wisconsin – Opening their season on the road against Ohio State, the Badgers found themselves down 3-1 after 20 minutes on Buckeye goals by Sophie Jaques, Madison Bizal, and Jenna Buglioni, though Daryl Watts scored for Wisconsin. Brette Pettet cut the Badger deficit to one when she lit the lamp 14 seconds into the 2nd period, but OSU netminder Andrea Brändli prevented a tying goal, making 22 saves for a 3-2 victory. In the rematch, Maddi Wheeler and Britta Curl gave Wisconsin a 2-0 lead at the first intermission, Sophie Shirley lit the lamp twice in the third period, Dara Greig scored late, and Kennedy Blair stopped 28 shots for a 5-0 shutout and series split. Badger defender Nicole LaMantia led all players in total scoring with 4 assists, while Shirley and Watts each tallied 3 points; LaMantia & Shirley were subsequently named WCHA Defenseman and Forward of the Week, respectively.
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Gophers earn road sweep in Duluth – After spotting UMD a 2-0 first-intermission lead in the opening game of their series at AMSOIL Arena, Minnesota Women's Hockey tallied the next six goals and held the Bulldogs to only one more, resulting in a weekend sweep for the Gophers with 4-2 and 2-1 victories. Anna Klein and Kylie Hanley scored the first two goals for Minnesota Duluth, but Abigail Boreen netted her first of the season for Minnesota less than two minutes into the second stanza. Still trailing 2-1 with 8 minutes to play, Abbey Murphy knotted the score with her first collegiate goal, and Anne Cherkowski put the Gophers ahead with her first career goal with 2:17 to play. Maggie Nicholson assisted on Cherkowski's goal for her first point in the Maroon & Gold. Already with an earlier assist, Catie Skaja added an empty-net goal on a shot from her own zone. In the rematch, Emily Brown recorded her first goal of the season in the first period, and Emily Oden added her first of the season – also the first Gopher power-play goal of the year – late in the second frame. Ashton Bell cut the Bulldogs' deficit in half midway through the third period, but Lauren Bench and the Gopher defense prevented an equalizer to preserve the win. Murphy added an assist to go with her goal, while Oden's goal was her second point of the weekend as well.
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Bench earns more conference recognition – Gopher senior netminder Lauren Bench stopped 57 of 60 shots in the series against UMD, earning her a second-straight honor as the WCHA Goaltender of the Week. Bench led all conference goalies with a 1.50 goals-against average for the weekend, and her .950 save percentage was second-best.

Bench was also named last Friday morning as the first Howies Hockey Tape WCHA Performance of the Week honoree for her 69 saves the prior weekend against Ohio State. Congratulations, Lauren!!
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Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – Finnish freshman goaltender Sanni Ahola set a new St. Cloud State program record by making 37 saves in her debut, and Allie Cornelius scored for the Huskies early in the second period for a 1-0 shutout win over Minnesota State. Ahola made another 38 saves in the rematch to earn the WCHA Rookie of the Week Award, but MSU's Jamie Nelson tallied two goals and an assist, Sydney Langseth added a goal and two assists, and Charlotte Akervik netted the game-winning power-play goal late in the 2nd period in a Mavericks 4-2 victory, splitting the series.

Upcoming games – St. Cloud State will make its own trip to the North Shore this weekend for a Friday evening-Saturday afternoon series against Minnesota Duluth. The scheduled series between Bemidji State and Minnesota State in Bemidji has been postponed. Ohio State has a scheduled week off.

Conference standings note: The WCHA standings have a slightly different points calculation starting this season, particularly with regards to regular season league games that go to overtime. Because of the NCAA rule change sending games right to a five-minute 3-on-3 overtime period following regulation (rather than playing 5-on-5 for five minutes), both teams will receive a point for finishing regulation tied, and the team scoring in the overtime or (if still tied after OT) winning the subsequent shootout will receive a second point. That said, all wins and losses in regulation or overtime will count fully for national ranking purposes and will be listed as the team's record, with overtime wins and losses (plus shootout wins) tracked separately for the league standings.
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club 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 - Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minute Minor
November 25, 2020

Zumwinkle, Bench named WCHA Players of the Week

We send our congratulations to Gopher Women's Hockey seniors Grace Zumwinkle and Lauren Bench on earning WCHA Player of the Week honors, presented by Sterling Trophy, following their performances against Ohio State this past weekend.

Zumwinkle was named Forward of the Week after lighting the lamp three times in the series, including the opening goals of both games. Her first tally on Saturday set a new Minnesota program record for the earliest goal to start a season, coming just 28 seconds into the contest.

Bench was named Goaltender of the Week after stopping 69 of the 71 shots she faced, including all 36 on Saturday for the shutout, posting a .972 save percentage and 1.02 goals-against average for the weekend.

Minnesota Duluth's Ashton Bell and Clara Van Wieren were honored as the Defenseman and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Bell tallied a goal and 4 assists in the series against Minnesota State, while Van Wieren added 2 goals and an assist.
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Important PPC membership update

Once again, registration is now open for all membership tiers of the Power Play Club for 2020-2021, and a donation of $50 of more to the Power Play Club Fund at the University of Minnesota Foundation will enroll your household into the club for the season.

Please note that, if you prefer to submit your donation by check, we have updated the registration form. With the work-from-home situation faced by many this year, we have provided a different address for Laura Halldorson. You can download the revised form here, fill it out, and mail it in with your check. If you have already mailed your registration, it will be received but may take some extra time to be processed.

To make your donation online, go to the Power Play Club Fund web page here.

And if you have already enrolled as a Locker Sponsor for 2020-2021, you do not need to register again. Thank you!!
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Additional news and notes...

Audio coverage of the Gophers-Bulldogs series – Please note that there will not be "normal" audio coverage of Gopher Women's Hockey's road series against Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 27-28) and Ohio State (Dec. 11-12). For the series against UMD, we remind fans that FloHockey will be streaming video of the game, with subscription and schedule information available at FloSports.tv. However, if you are looking for an audio option, KDAL 610-AM is expected to be broadcasting the game, with a web stream available on listenlive.co; any updates to this will be shared on our social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.
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Northeastern postpones winter sports schedule – Northeastern University announced yesterday that they have canceled games and practices for all winter sports through December 18, following “a small cluster of recent COVID-19 cases that led to quarantining athletes on five varsity teams.”

We will continue to monitor news sources and social media for additional announcements across all of Division I women's hockey. More schedule adjustments from Hockey East are extremely likely following the Northeastern postponements. _____________________________________________________________________________

Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club 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, November 24, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, November 24, 2020

PPC membership registration OPEN for all tiers!!

Registration is now open for all membership tiers of the Power Play Club for the 2020-2021 season. We have simplified things with a single basic membership tier. A donation of $50 of more to the Power Play Club Fund at the University of Minnesota Foundation will enroll your household into the club for the season. If you have already enrolled as a Locker Sponsor for 2020-2021, you do not need to register again.

To make your donation online, go to the Power Play Club Fund web page here. If you prefer to submit your donation by check, you can download the registration form here, fill it out, and mail it and your check to Laura Halldorson at the address listed on the form.

Locker Sponsorships still available!! We are always looking for additional Locker Sponsors to support the Gopher Women's Hockey program. With a donation of $600 or more, Locker Sponsors are recognized with their name(s) listed on the locker of their designated player or coach. If you are interested in being a Locker Sponsor, do not use the links above, but instead please contact Susan "Rennie" McPherson at susanmcp@drsusanmcp.com.
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Revisiting Give to the Max Day – Again, our thanks to all of our generous donors who contributed to Give to the Max Day last Thursday, November 19. We received a couple of late – but still very welcomed – donations, bringing our collected total to $14,175 ! With the initial $10K combined gift from four anonymous donors and their secondary pledge of another $10K, the overall total raised for the Gopher Women's Hockey program was $34,175 !
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#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers at #6 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Friday, November 27 at 6:07 p.m.
Saturday, November 28 at 3:07 p.m.
AMSOIL Arena, Duluth

Following a split in its season-opening series, the Gopher Women's Hockey team hits the road for the first time in 2020-2021, heading to the North Shore for a rivalry matchup against the UMD Bulldogs at AMSOIL Arena. The action begins Friday, Nov. 27 at 6:07 p.m. and continues Saturday, Nov. 28 at 3:07 p.m.

Streaming on FloHockey – Minnesota Duluth home games, along with games hosted at Bemidji State, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State, are being streamed this season by FloHockey, the primary carrier of WCHA Women's Hockey. Subscription and schedule information can be found at FloSports.tv.

Last year against Minnesota Duluth – The Gophers went 2-1-1 against Bulldogs last season, though UMD earned the extra point in the WCHA standings after the 2-2 tie in the first game in Duluth. Minnesota responded with a 4-3 victory in the next day's rematch. At Ridder Arena, the teams traded shutouts, with the Gophers winning 5-0 on January 31 and the Bulldogs returning the favor, 2-0, on February 1.

Amy Potomak, Alex Woken, and Emily Oden led Minnesota with four points apiece against UMD. Potomak's points all came in the game on January 31, recording a first-period natural hat trick and adding a later assist. Woken posted 2 goals and 2 assists in the season series, while Oden dished out four helpers. Catie Skaja also lit the lamp twice, with both goals coming in the Gophers' win in Duluth. Sydney Scobee made 104 saves, posting a .937 save percentage and 1.72 goals-against average in the four contests. Gabbie Hughes, Sydney Brodt, and Maggie Flaherty were the only three Bulldogs to record multiple points against Minnesota; Hughes led the way with five points on a goal and 4 assists, while Brodt (3g, 1a) and Flaherty (4a) each tallied four points. Maddie Rooney made 135 saves with a .925 SV% and 2.72 GAA.

Analyzing the Bulldogs – Minnesota Duluth finished fourth in the WCHA regular-season standings for the third-straight year and saw their season end in the conference semifinals, falling to Wisconsin. They finished with an 18-12-6 overall mark and an 11-8-5-3 record in conference play. They enter the series against the Gophers after sweeping Minnesota State on the road this past weekend.

Gabbie Hughes (#17) enters her junior season after leading the team in all three scoring categories in 2019-2020, lighting the lamp 20 times and adding 31 assists for 51 points. Senior defender Ashton Bell (#26) was named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team after tallying 32 points on 11 goals and 21 assists last year. Senior Anna Klein (#19) netted 13 goals while dishing out 14 assists for 27 points last season. U.S. Women's Under-18 Team members Katie Davis (#11) and Clara Van Wieren (#25) join the squad this year as freshmen.

Goaltending is a bit of an unknown for Minnesota Duluth following the graduation of Olympian Maddie Rooney. Swedish junior Emma Söderberg (#30) returns as the only Bulldog netminder having seen action entering this season, but only in a limited amount; she is 4-1-0 in five career starts with 4 other relief appearances, posting a .928 save percentage and 1.80 goals-against average. Senior Hanna Markel (#1) has served only as an emergency backup the past three seasons, and Chicago native Jojo Chobak (#31) joins the team as a freshman.

Last weekend for Minnesota Duluth Due to COVID-19 testing protocols, the Bulldogs are the only team to face opposition from both Big Ten and Northern Sun schools to begin the season. They started on the road at Minnesota State, earning the weekend sweep with 5-0 and 7-3 victories over the Mavericks. Ashton Bell led UMD in total scoring in the series with a goal and 4 assists, Anna Klein tallied 3 goals and an assist, Anneke Linser netted two goals with two assists, and Kylie Hanley & Clara Van Wieren each added two goals and an assist. Emma Söderberg earned both wins between the pipes, recording her first career shutout on Friday and making a combined 44 saves. Madison Oelkers led Minnesota State with a goal an an assist in Saturday's contest.
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Gophers split opening weekend with Ohio State

Grace Zumwinkle scores the opening goal of Sunday's game against the Buckeyes. (Photo by Susan "Rennie" McPherson)

Despite getting a combined 69 saves from Lauren Bench on 71 shots in her first two games as a Gopher and the team taking 1-0 leads in both contests, Minnesota settled for a series split against Ohio State to open the 2020-2021 season, winning 4-0 in game one but falling 2-1 in game two. Bench was the story of the opener as it was also her birthday; she stopped all 36 shots she faced for the shutout. Grace Zumwinkle lit the lamp on the first shift of the season just 28 seconds into the contest, a new team record for earliest goal to start a season. Josey Dunne recorded her first goal for the Maroon & Gold in the second period, Zumwinkle netted her second of the game with under 5 minutes to play, and Taylor Wente scored a long empty-netter. In the rematch, Zumwinkle buried her third goal of the weekend to put Minnesota up three minutes into the game, but Liz Schepers knotted the score for the Buckeyes just 21 seconds later, Tatum Skaggs gave OSU the lead six minutes after that, and goaltender Andrea Brändli shut the Gophers down for the duration. In the series, Anne Cherkowski also recorded her first points as a Gopher with a pair of assists, and Madeline Wethington also dished out two assists. Emma Maltais assisted on both OSU goals, and Brändli recorded a combined 39 saves over the weekend.
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Around NCAA Division I women's hockey...

Upcoming WCHA games – Two other series also feature Friday evening and Saturday afternoon games. Wisconsin gets its season underway with a road trip to Columbus to face Ohio State, while St. Cloud State hosts Minnesota State. Bemidji State is idle.

Other notable news – With their tight geographical footprint, Hockey East teams have gone through a series of schedule adjustments in just the past 7 days; the latest change now pits Boston College against Providence in a home-and-home series this weekend (instead of B.C. vs. Vermont and Providence vs. Northeastern). Meanwhile, College Hockey America announced its first half league schedule, with 16 games in total; following Lindenwood at Penn State & RIT at Syracuse this weekend, the six CHA teams will then be paired up to play four consecutive games – two at home and two on the road – against the same opponent over the first two weekends of December.
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club 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 - Friday November 20, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minute Minor
November 20, 2020

THANK YOU!! Give to the Max Day goal exceeded by over 25%!!

We send a very gracious THANK YOU to all the Gopher Women's Hockey supporters who contributed to our Give to the Max Day campaign yesterday. As of 11:00 p.m. last night, combined donations of $12,675 had been collected, exceeding our $10K goal for the day by over 25 percent. Adding in the initial $10K pledge from a quartet of anonymous donors and their second pledge to contribute another $10K if we met our goal yesterday, Minnesota Women's Hockey will receive $32,675!!

We again send additional thanks to the staff at the Golden Gopher Fund for partnering with the Power Play Club in this effort.
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Golden Gopher Fund debuts Pledge Per Goal program

As previously announced, the PPC Board of Directors made the decision to not run the “Goals for a Goal” program in 2020-2021 due to the amount of uncertainty surrounding the season.

However, the Golden Gopher Fund is debuting a similar Pledge Per Goal program this year. Initially planned for Gopher Men's Hockey, the program has been extended to also include Gopher Women's Hockey, giving registrants the opportunity to choose between the teams. Donations will be directed to the U. of M. Athletic Department's general scholarship fund. If you are interested, more information and the registration form are available at z.umn.edu/PledgePerGoal.
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WCHA announces streaming partnerships for 2020-2021 season

Following its previous announcement that the Big Ten Network would be covering women's hockey home games for Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio State on its BTN+ streaming service, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association shared yesterday that FloHockey would be “the primary carrier for the WCHA Women's League and will stream all games played at Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.” This includes the Gophers' series at UMD next weekend, November 27 & 28.

Subscription and schedule information for FloHockey can be found at FloHockey.tv, while subscription and schedule information for BTN+ can be found at btnplus.com.
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Media Guide & replay of Media Day – The 2020-2021 WCHA Women's League Media Guide is available online on WCHA.com, with the option to download the entire guide or specific sections as PDF files. Meanwhile, this past Tuesday (Nov. 17) was the conference's media day; you can catch a replay of the statements from Commissioner Jennifer Flowers and all seven WCHA head coaches on YouTube here.
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Ivy League schools, Union College cancel seasons;
RIT ‘reconsiders’ previously-announced cancellation

Catching up on some of the news from around Division I women's ice hockey – including one announcement from last week that we missed in our Penalty Box Post this past Tuesday...

• The Ivy League announced last Thursday evening (Nov. 12) the decision by its Council of Presidents that league schools will not conduct intercollegiate athletics competition in winter sports during the 2020-2021 season. This includes both men's and women's ice hockey at Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton and Yale, which all play in the ECAC hockey conference.

• Following the Ivy League announcement and Monday's cancellation of the men's and women's hockey seasons at RPI, Union College became the eighth ECAC school to call off its hockey seasons on Tuesday. The move leaves only Clarkson, Colgate, Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence as ECAC schools planning on competing in 2020-2021.

• On the flip side, Rochester Institute of Technology announced Tuesday that it had “reconsidered its decision” to cancel play for its D-I men’s and women’s hockey programs. The Atlantic Hockey (men's) and College Hockey America (women's) conferences recently submitted their return-to-play safety plans to New York state for approval, prompting RIT's reversal.

IIHF cancels lower tier tournaments in multiple categories – In addition to the announcements across NCAA Division I, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Council made the unanimous decision Wednesday (Nov. 18) to initiate another series of tournament cancellations for the 2020-2021 season. “With the exception of the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship and the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship, all 2020/21 tournaments in the lower division men’s senior, women’s senior, and men’s U18 categories have been cancelled.” This latest decision wipes out 18 tournaments in total.

We will continue to monitor the news for any further announcements. Our thanks to the staff at U.S. College Hockey Online for the NCAA-related articles.
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club 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, November 17, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Give to the Max Day – this Thursday, November 19!!
Help us reach $30,000 in total contributions!!

The Power Play Club is excited about the chance to support Gopher Women’s Hockey on Give to the Max Day. Four donors have already pledged a combined $10,000. If we raise an additional $10,000 by end of the day on Thursday (November 19), those donors will match their gifts… for a total of $30,000!

As with past years, Give to the Max Day donations to U. of M. Athletics in support of this initiative will receive DOUBLE (x2) GOPHER SCORE POINTS! Your Gopher Score Points provide you with a priority ranking which is utilized for:

• Season Ticket Upgrades & Post-Season Ticket Allocation (NCAA Tournament)

• Gopher Loyalty Program Selection Date/Number of Selections

• Season Parking for Gopher Sports

• Early Access to On-Sales for Single Game Tickets

We hope all GWH fans will participate at whatever level they can. All gifts are appreciated, and are now being accepted at the Gopher Women’s Hockey Give to the Max Day Campaign page.
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Season opener!!

#4 Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. #5 Ohio State Buckeyes
Saturday, November 21 at 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 22 at 2:00 p.m.
Ridder Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team starts its 24th season in program history with a matchup against the team they were scheduled to face in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament last March: the Ohio State Buckeyes. Action begins Saturday, November 21, at 3:00 p.m., and continues Sunday, November 22, at 2:00 p.m., with both games at Ridder Arena.

Streaming on BTN+ – This weekend's two games against Ohio State and the home series against Wisconsin on December 4 & 5 will be streamed online via BTN+. The Big Ten Network offers a variety of BTN+ subscription packages by conference, school, or sport, available here.

Last year against Ohio State – The Gophers and Buckeyes split their four-game regular-season series in 2019-2020. OSU won the opener in Columbus in October, 4-3, but Minnesota responded with a 4-2 victory the next day. In January in Minneapolis, the Buckeyes took the first game 4-1 at Ridder Arena, but the Gophers won outside on Hockey Day Minnesota, 2-1. Meeting up again in the WCHA Final Faceoff semifinals, Minnesota took 2-0 and 3-2 leads, but Ohio State responded to force overtime and advanced to the championship game, winning 4-3 when Tatum Skaggs lit the lamp 4:56 into the extra session.

A quartet of Gophers each recorded four points in the five contests against the Buckeyes; Grace Zumwinkle and Amy Potomak lit the lamp 4 times apiece, Taylor Heise netted 3 goals with an assist, and Emily Brown dished out four assists. On the Ohio State side, four players each tallied 5+ points against Minnesota; Emma Maltais led the way with a goal and 5 assists, Liz Schepers lit the lamp 3 times with 2 assists, and Skaggs & Sophie Jaques each added two goals and three assists. Additonally, Jenn Gardiner and Gabby Rosenthal also lit the lamp 3 times apiece for OSU. In net, Sydney Scobee made 127 saves with a 3.17 goals-against average and an .894 save percentage, Makayla Pahl made 8 saves in 18 minutes of action in mop-up duty in Janaury's loss at Ridder, while Buckeyes goalkeeper Andrea Brändli stopped 149 shots (38 in the WCHA semifinal) with a 2.58 GAA and .920 SV%.

Analyzing the Buckeyes – Ohio State enters the 2020-2021 season as the defending WCHA Final Faceoff champion, having defeated Wisconsin 1-0 in overtime in the title contest. They were third in the league standings, posting a 13-6-5-2 conference record and a 20-8-6 overall mark in the regular season.

OSU also comes in with much experience, losing only one of its top 11 scorers from last season to graduation. The team's leading trio in 2019-2020 returns as seniors; Emma Maltais (#17) posted a whopping 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists), Liz Schepers (#21) led the squad with 22 goals while dishing out 21 assists for 43 points, and Tatum Skaggs (#11) added 42 points (17g, 25a). Junior defender Sophie Jaques (#18) also surpassed the 20-point mark last season, tallying 9 goals and 15 assists.

The Buckeyes also retained all three goaltenders from last year's squad. Junior Andrea Brändli (#20) started 31 of the team's 38 games in 2019-2020, posting a 20-5-5 record (with one no-decision), 4 shutouts, a 1.89 goals-against average, and a .928 save percentage. Senior Lynsey Wallace (#30) was the primary backup for Ohio State, posting a 4-3-1 record in 10 total appearances, with a 2.35 GAA, and a .906 save percentage. Sophomore Quinn Kuntz (#35) stopped 6 of the 8 shots she faced in 18 minutes of game action as a freshman. The Buckeyes also added 2020 U.S. Women's U-18 National Team goaltender Amanda Thiele (#32).

Analyzing the Gophers – Minnesota again looks to improve over last season's finish, claiming second in the WCHA regular-season standings before their conference playoff semifinal loss. Meanwhile, the team's roster of skaters (forwards & defense) has expanded back to 20 players as seven freshmen join the Maroon and Gold.

After placing fourth among Division I teams with a 3.89 goals-per-game average in 2019-2020, the Gophers lost two of their top-5 scorers to graduation. That said, the team returns 70% of its goal production and 73% of its total points from last season. Senior Grace Zumwinkle returns as last season's top goal scorer (25) and second on the squad in total points (45). Juniors Taylor Heise & Amy Potomak both improved on their freshman point totals in their sophomore seasons; Heise tallied 43 points (18g, 25a), while Potomak recorded 36 points (18g, 18a).

Minnesota allowed 1.69 goals per game to opponents last season, a slight improvement over the previous season, placing them fifth-best in Division I but at the top among WCHA squads. Graduate transfer Lauren Bench joins the Gophers for her redshirt senior season after three years as the primary goaltender for Bemidji State, posting a career 2.45 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. Sophomore Makayla Paul saw only limited playing time last year but stopped 23 of the 24 shots she faced in 47 minutes of game action over three relief appearances. Sophomore Olivia King returns as the team's third netminder.

As previously mentioned, 7 other new players join Bench on the Gopher roster this year. Three members of the 2020 U.S. Women's U-18 National Team – Abbey Murphy (Evergreen Park, IL; Chicago Mission), Maggie Nicholson (Minnetonka; Minnetonka H.S.), and Audrey Wethington (Edina; Blake School) – join the Gophers, as does Canada Women's U-18 National Team member Anne Cherkowski (Coldstream, BC; Pursuit of Excellence). The team also added 2020 Minnesota Class AA All-Tournament Team member Tella Jungels (Edina; Edina H.S.), Minnesota Ms. Hockey award semifinalist Addie Burton (Orono; Blake School), and Chicago Mission defensive standout Josey Dunne (O’Fallon, MO).

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Murphy, Brown earn preseason conference honors;
Gophers take second spot in WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll

The WCHA announced its preseason honors yesterday, with Minnesota Women's Hockey freshman Abbey Murphy selected as Preseason Rookie of the Year, earning four of the seven votes from the conference coaches. Fellow Gopher newcomer Anne Cherkowski also received a vote, as did St. Cloud State's Emma Gentry and Wisconsin's Casey O'Brien.

Senior Gopher captain Emily Brown was named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team, and was joined by Wisconsin's Daryl Watts & Sophie Shirley, Ohio State's Emma Maltais & Andrea Brändli, and Minnesota-Duluth's Ashton Bell. Fellow Gopher seniors Olivia Knowles and Grace Zumwinkle were among other players receiving votes.

Watts was named WCHA Preseason Player of the Year, with 3 votes. Maltais was second with 2 votes, while Zumwinkle and UMD's Gabbie Hughes earned one vote apiece.

In the Preseason Coaches Poll, Minnesota slotted into the #2 spot, earning 31 voting points and 3 first-place votes. Wisconsin took the top spot with 34 points and 4 first-place votes. Ohio State was picked third with 28 points, followed by Minnesota Duluth (21 points), Bemidji State (14), Minnesota State (13), and St. Cloud State (6).
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Gophers selected 4th in national polls – After earning the 4th seed for the 2020 NCAA Tournament (which was subsequently cancelled), Minnesota retained that ranking in both this year's Preseason USCHO.com Division I Poll (receiving 109 voting points) and Preseason USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine College Hockey Poll (140 points; 1 first-place vote). Both polls were also in agreement with the other positions in the top five, as Wisconsin, Cornell, and Northeastern earned the top three spots (in that order) and Ohio State was picked 5th. Clarkson was 6th in the USCHO poll and 7th in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll, while Princeton had just the opposite rankings. Minnesota-Duluth followed as the last nationally-ranked WCHA team, in 8th in both polls.
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Other news around NCAA Division I...

COVID-19 impacts St. Cloud State, Vermont, Rensselaer, Beanpot tourneys – Per a press release this past Sunday from the WCHA, St. Cloud State University has put a pause on all women's ice hockey activities following multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the program, causing the postponement of their season-opening home series against Bemidji State this coming weekend; no make-up dates have been set at this time. The men's and women's hockey & basketball teams at the University of Vermont have all seen their start of competition pushed back to December 18 after consultation with their state's Department of Health; the delayed start causes the postponement of at least three series for the Catamounts women's hockey team. Meanwhile, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced the full cancellation of their men's & women's hockey seasons due to the pandemic, and the annual men's and women's Beanpot tournaments were also cancelled.

Upcoming WCHA games – With the SCSU-BSU contests postponed, only one other WCHA series remains on the calendar this weekend. Minnesota Duluth starts on the road against Minnesota State, playing on Friday and Saturday. Top-ranked Wisconsin is idle and scheduled to open its season next weekend.

Hockey East gets underway – Hockey East is also opening its action with six of its ten teams scheduled for Friday & Saturday games this week. Holy Cross hosts Maine, while Boston College faces New Hampshire and Providence plays Merrimack in a pair of home-and-home series. UConn will start next weekend after the postponement of their home series against Vermont; Northeastern also opens its season next weekend, while Boston University starts play on December 4.
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Copyright © 2020 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club 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.