February 10, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 10, 2021

February 10, 2021

Power Play Post
Wednesday, February 10, 2021

#2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (.667 pts%, 9-5-1-1, 0-1 in OT)
vs. #4 Ohio State Buckeyes (.619 pts%, 9-5-0-0, 1-0 in OT)
Friday, February 12 at 4:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 13 at 1:07 p.m.
Ridder Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team completes the home portion of its 2020-2021 schedule with unprecedented 5th and 6th regular-season games against the Ohio State Buckeyes, squaring off at Ridder Arena. The teams also get an early start on the weekend as the puck drops on Friday, February 12, at 4:07 p.m., and action continues Saturday, February 13 at 1:07 p.m. CT.

Video and audio streaming – Video from both games will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Free audio streaming will also be available both days through Golden Gophers All-Access, starting roughly 20 minutes before game time. Friday's audio play-by-play will also be simulcast starting at 4:00 p.m. on KFAN+ 96.7FM in the Twin Cities, and on the KFAN+ channel on iHeart.com and the iHeart Radio app.

This season against Ohio State – The Gophers and Buckeyes split each of their two previous series. In November at Ridder Arena to open the regular season, Minnesota took game 1 by a 4-0 score but OSU came back with a 2-1 decision the next day. Just two weeks ago in Columbus, the Gophers again won the first game of the series, 7-4, but were held to a single goal in the rematch and fell to the Buckeyes, 3-1. Grace Zumwinkle leads all Minnesota scorers with 4 goals and an assist in the four contests; Abigail Boreen is the only other Gopher with multiple goals against OSU, having lit the lamp twice, while Taylor Heise & Emily Oden each have a goal & two assists. Emma Maltais, Liz Schepers, and Tatum Skaggs have scored two goals apiece against Minnesota this season; Maltais also dished out 5 assists for 7 points in the four contests, Schepers recorded two helpers for 4 points, and Skaggs also tallied an assist for 3 points. Between the pipes, Lauren Bench played the first 3 games for the Gophers, going 2-1 with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage, while Makayla Pahl stopped 41 of 43 shots – a .953 SV% – on January 30. OSU netminder Andrea Brändli also played the first three games of the season series, posting a 3.39 GAA and .863 SV%, but Amanda Thiele earned the win on Jan. 30 by stopping 29 of 30 shots – a .967 SV%.

Analyzing the Buckeyes – Following their split against Minnesota two weeks ago, Ohio State dropped to #4 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll and also fell to fourth in the WCHA standings (behind Minnesota Duluth). While they maintained their #3 ranking in the USA Hockey Magazine / USA Today poll for an additional week, they fell to #4 after being idle this past weekend.

A trio of Buckeyes are now tied for the team's scoring lead with 11 points apiece. Freshman Jenna Buglioni (#10) has OSU's goal lead with 7 while dishing out 4 assists, senior Tatum Skaggs (#11) increased her season totals to 6 goals and 5 helpers, and sophomore Jennifer Gardiner (#12) has 5 goals and 6 assists. Seniors Liz Schepers (#21; 4g, 6a) and Emma Maltais (#17; 2g, 8a) have each also reached the 10-point mark.

As mentioned prior to their last series, defense and goaltending have been critical for Ohio State. Junior Andrea Brändli (#20) is 7-5-0 in her 12 starts with 2 shutouts, though – following the game on Jan. 29 against the Gophers – her goals-against average increased to 1.98 and her save percentage decreased to .921. Freshman Amanda Thiele (#35) won her both of her two starts and also made one relief appearance; she's stopped 53 of 55 shots for a 0.90 GAA and .964 SV%.
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Gophers “split” Border Battle series against Wisconsin

The Gophers celebrate earning the third point in the WCHA standings with a 1-0 shootout win following a 2-2 tie against Wisconsin on Saturday. Makayla Pahl stopped all three Badger shooters. (Photo courtesy of the U. of M. / GopherSports.com)

Though Minnesota fell 4-3 in overtime to Wisconsin in the opener of their Border Battle series and could only salvage a 2-2 tie in the rematch, a 1-0 shootout win by the Gophers meant that they evenly split the WCHA standings points with the Badgers, taking 3 apiece. Madeline Wethington and Grace Zumwinkle gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead five minutes into the 2nd period on Friday night; Wisconsin's Daryl Watts cut the Gophers' lead to 2-1, but Crystalyn Hengler converted on a power play to push the advantage back to two six minutes into the 3rd stanza. However, Caitlin Schneider scored for the Badgers less than 3 minutes later, Britta Curl knotted the score with an extra-attacker tally with 25.5 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime, and Watts lit the lamp 2:03 into the extra session. Lauren Bench recorded an offensive assist on Wethington's goal but took the loss with 25 saves. Makayla Pahl made the start between the pipes for Minnesota on Saturday, but saw Sophie Shirley and Maddi Wheeler score to give Wisconsin a 2-0 lead in the latter portion of the 2nd period. However, it was the Gophers with the comeback as Abigail Boreen blasted a shot past Badgers goaltender Kennedy Blair 1:33 later, and Zumwinkle got her stick on an Olivia Knowles shot that found the back of the net in the 3rd stanza to knot the score. Another overtime ensued but neither team tallied, resulting in the official tie. Heading to a shootout, Taylor Wente beat Blair in the first round, and that was all Pahl needed as she stopped all three Badger shooters to take the third conference standings point. In regulation and overtime, Pahl made 21 saves. Blair recorded 56 saves in the series.
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NCAA cancels D-III Championships, issues new D-I guidance

The NCAA's Division III Administrative Committee approved the recommendation from the Division III Championships Committee to cancel all winter championships due to low participation numbers among member schools, as announced last Wednesday, February 3. Specifically affected are the championships for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s ice hockey, and wrestling.

As noted in the press release, the D-III Championships Committee determined participation numbers in all nine winter sports are well below the established threshold to provide a national championships experience, necessitating the decision. For ice hockey, the threshold was 70% of normally-participating schools.

Meanwhile, the Division I Council Coordination Committee announced last Thursday the approval of contingency plans to reduce championship bracket sizes for D-I winter and spring sports, along with spring National Collegiate Championships. The contingency plan for team sports comes into play if participation for automatic-qualifying conferences falls to 50% or lower. At this time, men's and women's ice hockey meet the threshold to maintain full brackets for their respective tournaments.
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Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae news...
NWHL suspends season; PWHPA announces game at MSG

The National Women's Hockey League season was interrupted for the second-straight year. The league announced on Twitter and Facebook last Wednesday that, in agreement with the Olympic Regional Development Authority, the remainder of the 2021 NWHL Season and Playoffs in Lake Placid had been suspended. As noted in the announcement, the suspension was due to new positive COVID-19 tests and the resulting safety concerns for the players, their respective staff and the community. We send our thoughts to Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Sydney Baldwin, Winny Brodt Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence, and Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal, all of whom were playing with the Minnesota Whitecaps.

On the flip side, the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association announced last Wednesday a partnership with the NHL's New York Rangers and the playing of the first game of the 2021 Secret® Dream Gap Tour at historic Madison Square Garden. The game is scheduled for Sunday, February 28, at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, though additional details are to be announced. It's the first women's hockey game in history to be played at MSG.

The PWHPA followed that up with an announcement that another "All-Star" team comprised of players from the Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Calgary regional training hubs is headed back to the U.S. Premier Hockey League's "Hub City Tampa" bubble this month. From the press release: “During the course of their stay, the team will face off in five exhibition games against USPHL teams. Four of those games will be against Tier-2 NCDC opponents, while one game will be against the Tier-3 Premier League. In addition to game action, the PWHPA All-Star team will again take part in on-ice practice sessions and off-ice training.”

The All-Star team includes Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Amanda Kessel, Gigi Marvin, Hannah Brandt, and Kelly Pannek. Action begins today – Wednesday, February 10 – when they face the Northern Cyclones Premier team at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. The schedule for the PWHPA All-Stars is available on the USPHL's website here, video from all 5 contests will be available on the HockeyTV subscription streaming service – with the game on Saturday, Feb. 13 available for free, and The Women's Hockey Tribune will have recaps of all the action.
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Around the WCHA...

St. Cloud State, Minnesota State split – SCSU freshman goaltender Sanni Ahola made 38 saves, including 25 in the third period, and Emma Gentry scored twice en route to a 4-0 shutout victory for the Huskies over MSU in the opening contest of their weekend series. However, four different Mavericks lit the lamp in the rematch, with Kennedy Bobyck recording the game-winning goal, in a 4-2 win over the Huskies and a series split. Laura Kluge also tallied two goals and Taylor Lind dished out 3 assists for St. Cloud State over the weekend.

Upcoming games – Bemidji State and Wisconsin kick off the action this coming weekend with a pair of afternoon games Friday & Saturday in Madison. However, the league announced yesterday that the scheduled series between Minnesota State & Minnesota Duluth in Mankato has been postponed, as MSU has paused all team activities for seven days due to COVID-19 protocols. St. Cloud State is idle.

Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .778 pts%, 28 points in 12 games (9-2-1-0, 1-1 in OT); 2t. Minnesota, .667, 30 pts in 15 gms (9-5-1-1, 0-1); Minnesota Duluth, .667, 24 pts in 12 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-1); 4. Ohio State, .619, 26 pts in 14 gms (9-5-0-0, 1-0); 5. Minnesota State, .370, 20 pts in 18 gms (7-10-1-0, 2-0); 6. Bemidji State, .274, 11.5 pts in 14 gms (2-10-2-1, 2-4, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. St. Cloud State, .265, 13.5 pts in 17 gms (4-12-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision).

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Copyright © 2021 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.

Power Play Club

February 3, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Power Play Club

February 3, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, February 3, 2021

PPC / GWH online auction still in the works...

We want to thank everyone for their patience as we work through some unexpected delays in launching our online auction for the 2020-2021 season. We will provide information on auction dates as soon as they are finalized.
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Gophers announce upcoming game time updates

The U. of M. and WCHA announced some game time updates for Minnesota's last four contests of the regular season, as follows...

Friday, February 12 vs. Ohio State – 4:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 13 vs. Ohio State – 1:07 p.m.
Friday, February 19 at Bemidji State – 6:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 20 at Bemidji State – 3:07 p.m.

As always, you can find the the Gophers' full game schedule at gophersports.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/schedule.
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#2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (.692 pts%, 9-4-0-0, 0-0 in OT)
vs. #1 Wisconsin Badgers (.833 pts%, 8-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT)
Friday, February 5 at 6:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 6 at 4:07 p.m.
Ridder Arena

The gauntlet of games against top opposition continues for the Gopher Women's Hockey team, as the #1-ranked Wisconsin Badgers pay a visit to Ridder Arena this weekend. The next round of the Border Battle begins on Friday, February 5, at 6:07 p.m., and continues on Saturday, February 6, at 4:07 p.m.

Video and audio streaming – Video from both games will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Free audio streaming will also be available both days through Golden Gophers All-Access, starting roughly 20 minutes before game time.

Last time against Wisconsin – A trip to Madison for the first Border Battle series of the season three weekends ago did not go well for the Gopher Women's Hockey team, as they were swept by the Badgers, 5-0 and 6-3. Sophie Shirley, Britta Curl, Daryl Watts, and Makenna Webster each tallied a goal and an assist for Wisconsin in the series opener, Dara Greig also scored, and UW's Kennedy Blair stymied Minnesota by stopping all 30 shots she faced. Lauren Bench made 21 saves in two periods of work, but yielded four goals; Makalya Pahl entered in relief for the third period, stopping 8 of 9 shots. The Gophers battled back from a 2-0 deficit in the rematch when Grace Zumwinkle converted a power play and Amy Potomak netted her first goal of the season. Curl put the Badgers back ahead, but Josey Dunne lit the lamp on a wrap-around for Minnesota just 41 seconds later to knot the score at 3-3. Unfortunately, Wisconsin retook the lead again when Watts scored early in the third period, Brette Pettet netted her second goal of the game, and Watts tacked on an empty-netter late for her 6th point of the series (3g, 3a). Bench made 22 saves, while Blair stopped 23 shots. Anne Cherkowski dished out two assists for the Gophers.

Analyzing the Badgers – After sweeping the Gophers and then winning two more games on the road at St. Cloud State, Wisconsin has taken the top spot in the WCHA standings and also the league lead in team scoring (with 3.90 goals per game).

Senior Daryl Watts (#19) has taken the individual national scoring lead, recording 14 points (7g, 7a) over her last 4 games, bringing her season totals to 11 goals, 10 assists, and 21 points. Junior Sophie Shirley (#9) is second in the national points-per-game table, increasing her total to 16 on 6 goals and 10 assists. Seniors Brette Pettet (#20) & Grace Bowlby (#13) are third and fourth in Badger scoring; Pettet has 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points, while Bowlby has dished out 9 assists from the blueline.

Graduate transfer Kennedy Blair (#29) has started all 10 games against for the Badgers, recording 3 shutouts, a 1.35 goals-against average and .950 save percentage. Blair also split a shutout with senior backup Breanna Blesi (#32); Blesi stopped 7 shots in 19 minutes of action two weekends ago, remaining 4-1-0 in 5 career starts and 3 relief appearances with one (solo) shutout, a 1.01 GAA and a .917 SV%. Junior Cami Kronish (#30) and freshman Jane Gervais (#1) have yet to play this season.

Last action for Wisconsin – The Badgers visited St. Cloud State on January 22 & 23 and steamrolled the Huskies in their opening game, 10-0; Daryl Watts recorded a hat trick & 3 assists, and Brette Pettet added her own hat trick & an assist. SCSU had 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the rematch, but Sophie Shirley tallied twice for Wisconsin to even the score both times, Lacey Eden lit the lamp with 1:17 to play, and Watts added an empty-netter for a 4-2 victory and the weekend sweep. Watts finished with 8 points (4g, 4a), Pettet had two assists Saturday for a 6-point series (3g, 3a), and Shirley posted 5 points (3g, 2a).

Minnesota splits with Ohio State in Columbus – Seven different Gophers scored in the opening game of their road series against the Buckeyes, but the contest was back-and-forth into the third period. Taylor Heise's goal with under 10 minutes remaining gave Minnesota a 5-4 lead, Crystalyn Hengler added a power-play insurance goal with 3:16 to go, and Catie Skaja tacked on an empty netter for a 7-4 victory. Abbey Murphy and Grace Zumwinkle each recorded a goal and an assist, and Emily Oden (PP) and Abigail Boreen also lit the lamp. At the defensive end, Lauren Bench made 29 saves. Emma Maltais recorded a point on all four OSU goals, lighting the lamp once and dishing out her career 98th, 99th, and 100th assists; Liz Schepers also had a goal and an assist, and Andrea Brändli made 24 saves. Both teams started their second goaltenders on Saturday, with Makayla Pahl seeing action for Minnesota and Amanda Thiele playing for Ohio State. Pahl made 41 saves, but the Gophers fell behind 2-0 on goals to Tatum Skaggs (PP) and Sara Säkkinen. Boreen netted her second goal of the series 48 seconds after Säkkinen and just before the buzzer ending the second period, but Thiele shut the door in the third stanza, making 29 saves in total, and Maltais tacked on an empty-netter for her 5th point of the weekend and a 3-1 Buckeye win.
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Baldwin joins Whitecaps, who earn #2 seed for NWHL semifinals
Isobel Cup Playoffs Thursday & Friday to be televised on NBCSN

Action for National Women's Hockey League teams both on and off the ice has made things at the league's "bubble" in Lake Placid, NY quite interesting.

Just before the start of the abbreviated season, the Minnesota Whitecaps announced the signing of Gopher alumna Sydney Baldwin via Twitter. The Whitecaps started the campaign 3-0 with wins over Boston (2-1), Toronto (6-5 in a shootout), and Metropolitan (1-0).

The NWHL schedule, however, has been thrown into flux not once, but twice. Due to COVID concerns, Metropolitan withdrew from competition on January 28. The top 3 remaining teams – Connecticut, Minnesota, and Toronto – were named as qualifying for the Isobel Cup Semifinals and scheduled for a round-robin set of games to determine seedings, while Boston and Buffalo were put into a best-of-3 play-in series. Toronto defeated Minnesota, 4-3, in their rematch, and shutout Connecticut 6-0, while Boston came back from a game one upset by Buffalo to win two games to one. However, before Minnesota and Connecticut could square off, the Whale also withdrew from competition, which let both Boston and Buffalo advance.

All this leads to the playoff round starting tomorrow (Thursday, February 4) with the semifinals, pitting 4th-seeded Buffalo against top-seeded Toronto at 5:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. CT, following by 3rd-seeded Boston against 2nd-seeded Minnesota at 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT. Both semifinals games and the Isobel Cup Final on Friday (February 5) at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT will be televised live on NBCSN.

Gophers with the Whitecaps in the NWHL bubble – Baldwin joined fellow Gopher alumnae Winny Brodt Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence, and Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal on the Whitecaps roster. Lorence leads the four skaters with 4 points, all coming on assists, while Baldwin has tallied a goal and two assists for 3 points. Brodt Brown recorded her first goal as an NWHL player, netting the gamewinner against Boston. Defensively, Baldwin, Brodt Brown, and Rosenthal have 5 shot blocks apiece. Between the pipes, Leveille has played almost all the game minutes for the 'Caps, posting the 3-1-0 record with the one shutout, a 2.47 goals-against average and .936 save percentage.
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Around the WCHA...

League announces Final Faceoff format and schedule

The Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced its conference playoff plan yesterday. The 2021 Final Faceoff will be held Saturday & Sunday, March 6-7 at Ridder Arena. However, there will be no quarterfinal round this year, and only the top 4 teams based on points percentage in the final regular-season league standings will qualify directly to the semifinals on March 6. The winners will advance to the March 7 championship, with that game's winner earning the WCHA's automatic berth in the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship. Attendance policies and start times for all three Final Faceoff games will be announced at a later date, though they will be streamed live on FloHockey.tv (with subscription information found at FloSports.tv).

Recent action – Bemidji State played their 4th- and 5th-straight overtime games but came out on the losing end of both, falling to Minnesota State 1-0 and 3-2; Kelsey King recorded two goals and an assist for the Mavericks, including the gamewinner in the opener, and Jessica Kondas netted Saturday's game-winning goal. In Duluth, Gabbie Hughes reached the career 100-point mark with 2 goals and an assist, Anna Klein scored 2 goals and 2 assists, and Emma Söderberg stopped 44 of 45 shots as UMD swept St. Cloud State, 4-1 and 6-0.

Upcoming games – The conference schedule features only one other series as St. Cloud State hosts Minnesota State in a pair of afternoon games on Friday and Saturday. Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, and Ohio State are idle.

Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .833 pts%, 25 points in 10 games (8-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota, .692, 27 pts in 13 gms (9-4-0-0, 0-0); 3. Minnesota Duluth, .667, 24 pts in 12 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-1); 4. Ohio State, .619, 26 pts in 14 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-0); 5. Minnesota State, .354, 17 pts in 16 gms (6-9-1-0, 2-0); 6. Bemidji State, .274, 11.5 pts in 14 gms (2-10-2-1, 2-4, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. St. Cloud State, .233, 10.5 pts in 15 gms (3-11-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision).
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Copyright © 2021 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.

Power Play Club

January 26, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Power Play Club

January 26, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Member-only Chalk Talk – Tomorrow (Wed., Jan. 27) at 4 p.m.

Here's one more reminder that an online edition of our Chalk Talks with GWH head coach Brad Frost is scheduled for tomorrow – Wednesday, January 27 – at 4:00 p.m. via Zoom. This is a member-only event for 2020-2021 Power Play Club members, and the Zoom link will be shared to members tomorrow morning.

If you still need to enroll or renew for this season, if you enrolled or renewed your membership earlier this month, or wish to verify your membership status, please contact Laura Halldorson by email at halld002@umn.edu. We are doing our best to document our records accurately, but we are experiencing a lag of roughly a week to process registrations due to the current work-from-home situation.
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Membership registration remains open!! 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.
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#2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (.727 pts%, 8-3-0-0, 0-0 in OT)
at #3 Ohio State Univ. Buckeyes (.639 pts%, 8-4-0-0, 1-0 in OT)
Friday, January 29 at 6:07 p.m. ET / 5:07 p.m. CT
Saturday, January 30 at 3:07 p.m. ET / 2:07 p.m. CT
OSU Ice Rink, Columbus

Following a week off, the Gopher Women's Hockey team returns to action with their farthest road trip of the regular season, heading to Columbus, OH, to face the Ohio State Buckeyes at the OSU Ice Rink. The puck drops for the opening game on Friday, January 29, at 6:07 p.m. ET / 5:07 p.m. CT, and action continues Saturday, January 30 at 3:07 p.m. ET / 2:07 p.m. CT.

Video streaming of series on BTN+ – Video from both games will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Watch our social media accounts for game-specific video links and any updates on audio coverage.

Last time against Ohio State – 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 the Buckeyes to open the 2020-2021 season, winning 4-0 in game one but falling 2-1 in game two. Bench stopped all 36 shots she faced in the opener for the shutout. Grace Zumwinkle lit the lamp on the first shift of the season just 28 seconds into the contest, 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 Ohio State 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.

Analyzing the Buckeyes – Ohio State enters the upcoming weekend having moved back into third in the WCHA standings while having retained the #3 ranking in the national polls for much of the season. Their four losses on the year include the split with Minnesota, two losses to Wisconsin, and a split two weekends ago at Minnesota Duluth.

Prior to last weekend (more on that shortly), the Buckeyes had only a +1 goal differential on their opponents. Even through their latest series, the OSU power play is only 1-of-23 (4.3%). Scoring has been spread out, with 11 different players lighting the lamp, but only freshman Jenna Buglioni (#10; 6g, 4a) and sophomore Jennifer Gardiner (#12; 4g, 6a) have double-digit points with 10 apiece. Senior Tatum Skaggs (#11) is third in total scoring with 9 points (5g, 4a).

Defense and goaltending have been critical for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the only Division I or II team to have not yet yielded a power-play goal, posting a perfect 25-for-25 mark on the penalty kill. Junior Andrea Brändli (#20) is 7-4-0 in her 11 starts with 2 shutouts; her goals-against average has dropped to 1.59 this season (compared to 1.89 over her first two years), and she has held steady with a .935 save percentage. Freshman Amanda Thiele (#35) won her only start (against Bemidji State) and also made one relief appearance; she's stopped 24 of 25 shots in 73 minutes of action.

Last weekend for Ohio State – Hosting Minnesota State, the Buckeyes shelled MSU goaltenders with 96 shots on goal while only yielding 51. Tatum Skaggs lit the lamp twice and Andrea Brändli made 25 saves en route to a 3-0 shutout victory in the opener. Seven different Buckeyes scored in the rematch, taking a 5-0 lead and winning 7-2 over the Mavericks for the series sweep; Jennifer Gardiner recorded a goal and two assists, and Jenna Buglioni netted her second goal of the weekend. Kelsey King tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota State.
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Six announced as Minnesota's freshman class of 2021-2022

The Gopher Women's Hockey team introduced six players who signed National Letters of Intent to join the U. of M. family as freshmen for the 2021-2022 season, welcoming...

Emma Conner, forward, Edina, MN (Edina High School)
Peyton Hemp, forward, Andover, MN (Andover High School)
Ella Huber, forward, Northfield, IL (Chicago Mission)
Sadie Lindsay, forward, Minnetonka, MN (Breck School)
Skylar Vetter, goaltender, Lakeville, MN (Lakeville North High School)
Emily Zumwinkle, defense, Excelsior, MN (Breck School)

We send our warmest greetings to all six players. More information about the signees, along with comments from GWH head coach Brad Frost, can be found in last Thursday's press release on GopherSports.com.
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Around the WCHA...

Recent action – A goaltending battle ensued in Bemidji, with BSU goaltender Kerrigan Dowhy stopping 76 of 77 shots, and Minnesota Duluth netminder Emma Söderberg making 34 saves on 35 shots; both games were scoreless through regulation, Mak Langei scored for the Beavers in overtime in the opener, and Nina Jobst-Smith tallied her first collegiate goal for the Bulldogs in the extra period of the rematch for the series split. Wisconsin steamrolled St. Cloud State in their opening game, 10-0, with Daryl Watts recording a hat trick & 3 assists and Brette Pettet adding her own hat trick & an assist; the Huskies had 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the rematch, but Sophie Shirley scored twice for the Badgers to even the score both times, Lacey Eden lit the lamp with 1:17 to play, and Watts added an empty-netter for a 4-2 victory and the weekend sweep. Watts finished with 8 points (4g, 4a), Pettet had two assists Saturday for a 6-point series (3g, 3a), and Shirley posted 5 points (3g, 2a).

Upcoming games – Two other series in the league also both feature Friday evening and Saturday afternoon contests. Bemidji State heads south to Mankato to play Minnesota State, while Minnesota Duluth hosts St. Cloud State. Wisconsin is idle.

Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .833 pts%, 25 points in 10 games (8-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota, .727, 24 pts in 11 gms (8-3-0-0, 0-0); 3. Ohio State, .639, 23 pts in 12 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-0); 4. Minnesota Duluth, .600, 18 pts in 10 gms (6-4-0-0, 1-1); 5. Minnesota State, .310, 13 pts in 14 gms (4-9-1-0, 0-0); 6. St. Cloud State, .269, 10.5 pts in 13 gms (3-9-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. Bemidji State, .264, 9.5 pts in 12 gms (2-8-2-1, 2-2, 1 shootout no-decision).

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Copyright © 2021 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.

Power Play Club

January 23, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Thursday, January 21, 2021

Power Play Club

January 23, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Thursday, January 21, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Thursday, January 21st

Member-only Chalk Talk – Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 4:00 p.m.

An online edition of our Chalk Talks with GWH head coach Brad Frost is now scheduled for Wednesday, January 27 at 4:00 p.m., and will be held on Zoom. As mentioned last week, topics will include a review of the recent series and a discussion of playing strategy. This is a member-only event for 2020-2021 Power Play Club members. The Zoom link will be shared to members via email that morning.

If you enrolled or renewed your membership this month or wish to verify your membership status, please contact Laura Halldorson by email at halld002@umn.edu. While we are doing our best to document our records accurately, we are experiencing a lag of roughly a week to process registrations due to the current work-from-home situation.

Membership registration remains open!! 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.

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Recap... Gophers swept by Wisconsin

A trip to Madison for the Border Battle series against Wisconsin did not go well for the Gopher Women's Hockey team, as they were swept by the Badgers, 5-0 and 6-3.

Four different Badgers – Sophie Shirley, Britta Curl, Daryl Watts, and Makenna Webster – each tallied a goal and an assist in the opening game on Friday, Dara Greig also scored, and UW's Kennedy Blair stymied Minnesota by stopping all 30 shots she faced. Lauren Bench made 21 saves in two periods of work, but yielded four goals; Makalya Pahl entered in relief for the third period, stopping 8 of 9 shots.

Wisconsin again took a two-goal first-period lead on Saturday when Brette Pettet and Lacey Eden lit the lamp. The Gophers battled back, as Grace Zumwinkle converted a power play before the end of the stanza and Amy Potomak netted her first goal of the season early in the second frame. Curl put the Badgers back ahead with a power-play goal, but that lead was short-lived as Josey Dunne scored on a wrap-around for Minnesota just 41 seconds later. Unfortunately, Wisconsin retook the lead again when Watts scored 2:30 into the third period, Pettet added an insurance goal at the 4:50 mark, and Watts tacked on an empty-netter late for her 6th point of the series (3g, 3a). Bench made 22 saves, while Blair stopped 23 shots. Anne Cherkowski dished out two assists for the Gophers.

As a result of the sweep, Wisconsin and Minnesota flipped positions again in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national polls. The Badgers regained the top spot, while the Gophers fell back to #2.

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Around the WCHA...

St. Cloud State gets win and earns tie against Bemidji State, but shootout result vacated by league – The SCSU Huskies earned their third win of the season Friday, defeating BSU 3-1; Paige Beebe initially put the Beavers ahead in the first period, but Nicole Ness and Emma Gentry scored in the second stanza to give the Huskies the lead, and Taylor Lind added an empty-netter to go with an earlier assist.

Saturday's game, however, ended in controversy; Lind & Gentry put SCSU up 2-0 after 20 minutes, and Clair DeGeorge & Taylor Nelson scored for BSU in the 2nd stanza. The game finished as a 2-2 tie after a scoreless third period and overtime. The subsequent shootout appeared to have been won by the Beavers, but it was later determined to have been incorrectly ended after 2 rounds, as it was supposed to go 3 rounds rather than using a "sudden death" round-by-round format. The WCHA announced yesterday that the league's Advisory Council vacated the shootout result and awarded each team 1.5 standings points for the 2-2 tie.

Minnesota Duluth, Ohio State split – The series between UMD and OSU was a goaltending battle. Bulldogs netminder Emma Söderberg stopped all 34 shots she faced in the opener, Anna Klein scored in the first period, and Taylor Anderson added an empty-netter to give Minnesota Duluth a 2-0 victory. Söderberg made another 44 saves in the rematch but yielded a goal to Buckeyes forward Brooke Bink in the second period; that was the difference as OSU goalie Andrea Brändli stopped all 32 shots from the Bulldogs to earn a 1-0 shutout win and the weekend split.

Upcoming games – All six upcoming contests in the league will be played on Friday and Saturday. Wisconsin heads to St. Cloud to face the Huskies in a pair of afternoon games. Ohio State hosts Minnesota State while Minnesota Duluth visits Bemidji State, with both of those series starting Friday evening and continuing Saturday afternoon.

Standings – As noted on the league's standing's page, “points percentage” will be used to determine the postseason seedings and regular-season champion. 1. Wisconsin, .792 pts%, 19 points in 8 games (6-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota, .727, 24 pts in 11 gms (8-3-0-0, 0-0); 3. Minnesota Duluth, .625, 15 pts in 8 gms (5-3-0-0, 0-0); 4. Ohio State, .567, 17 pts in 10 gms (6-4-0-0, 1-0); 5. Minnesota State, .361, 13 pts in 12 gms (4-7-1-0, 0-0); 6. St. Cloud State, .318, 10.5 pts in 11 gms (3-7-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. Bemidji State, .271, 6.5 pts in 10 gms (1-7-2-1, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision).

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Power Play Club

January 19, 2021

The Two Minute Minor - Alumnae update edition

Power Play Club

January 19, 2021

Two Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Editor's Note: With the Gopher Women's Hockey team having a bye this coming weekend, we're taking a cue from the staff at the U. and focusing this message on the Gopher alumni playing professionally. Enjoy!!
Our next regular edition of the Penalty Box Post will be published later this week.
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Potomak sisters invited to Hockey Canada's January camp
Sarah among the 35 participants in Calgary through remainder of month

The Potomak sisters – Sarah (pictured) and Amy – were among 47 invitees to Hockey Canada's BFL National Women’s Team Training Camp, being held in Calgary now through January 30. Sarah is one of 35 camp attendees, as Amy and 11 others are unable to participate due to collegiate commitments or other reasons.

The full invitee list from Hockey Canada can be found here.
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NWHL, Whitecaps 'bubble season' starts this Saturday (Jan. 23)

The National Women's Hockey League released it's regular-season and Isobol Cup Playoff schedule for the 'bubble season' being played at 1980 Rink-Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

All six league teams will begin action this Saturday, January 23. The Minnesota Whitecaps, including Gopher alumnae Winny Brodt Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence, and Chelsey Brodt Rosenthal, open their schedule at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT that afternoon against the Boston Pride, then play again on Sunday, January 24, at 1 pm ET / Noon CT against the expansion Toronto Six.

The abbreviated schedule, with only 15 games in total and a round-robin format among the six squads, concludes on Saturday, January 30. Teams will be ranked for two additional seeding games between Sunday, January 31, and Wednesday, February 3. Those games will apply to overall records, teams will be reseeded, and the top 4 will play in the Isobel Cup Semifinals on Thursday, February 4, with the Championship Game on Friday, Feburary 5.

Details of video coverage of the games in Lake Placid are to be announced, but the league's partnership with Twitch is expected to continue. The league announced in December that NBCSN will televise the Isobel Cup Semifinals & Championship.

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Gopher alumnae make impact with PWHPA 'All-Stars' in Tampa

The 'all-star' team of Professional Women's Hockey Players Association members from the Minnesota and New Hampshire Regions completed its schedule of exhibition games against junior teams from the U.S. Premier Hockey League at that league's bubble site in Tampa, Florida, going 2-3-1 (W-L-OTL) in six contests.

Several Gopher alumnae contributed to the PWHPA team's offense. Kelly Pannek lit the lamp 3 times, all coming in the two games against the Boston Jr. Bruins and Utica Jr. Comets, following an earlier assist. Dani Cameranesi also recorded 4 points on a goal and 3 assists, Amanda Kessel added a goal and two assists, Gigi Marvin & Lee Stecklein each dished out two helpers, and Nicole Schammel found the back of the net in the team's opener. Hannah Brandt played in all five games but did not score.

Recaps of all six games are available from The Women's Hockey Tribune. Box scores from the five games against teams in the USPHL's National Collegiate Development Conference are available here.

We await additional news from the PWHPA regarding plans for the Secret® Dream Gap Tour and the Secret® Cup, involving teams from all five regional training hubs.

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Gophers playing in Europe and Asia...

Competing in the Frauen-Bundesliga with Mad Dogs Mannheim in Germany, recent Gopher alumna Alex Woken has made an immediate impact, leading the team in all three scoring categories with 13 goals, 8 assists, and 21 points in 17 games. The Mad Dogs are currently fourth in the league with a 9-0-0-8 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record.

Patti Marshall has seen limited playing time in her first season with Brynäs IF in the Swedish Women's Hockey League, appearing in only 9 of the team's 29 games. However, Marshall has made the most of her opportunities, recording 11 points on 5 goals and 6 assists. The team is currently 2nd in the league standings with a 24-0-1-4 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record.

Across the border in Turku, Finland, Katie Robinson has played in 16 of the 22 games for her pro club, TPS, in the Naisten Liiga (Women's League). Robinson has lit the lamp 3 times and dished out 10 assists for 13 points. TPS is currently sixth in their league with a 10-1-2-9 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, but they have clinched a playoff spot.

Meanwhile, Megan Bozek & Noora Räty continue to play with the Shenzhen, China-based KRS Vanke Rays in the Russian WHL, after winning the league championship last March. Bozek has appeared in all 14 games for the Vanke Rays this season, recording 13 points on 6 goals and 7 assists, with a +16 plus-minus rating. Räty has a 3-1 record in four games, stopping 74 of the 82 shots she's faced for a 2.44 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. The Vanke Rays are 3rd in the WHL with 35 standings points on an 11-1-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record, but they are within striking distance of the top two teams, holding 4 games in hand over both along with being only roughly halfway through their schedule.

(All stats and team records through Sunday, January 17.)

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Power Play Club

January 13, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Power Play Club

January 13, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, January 13

Member-only Chalk Talk tentatively planned for next week

An online edition of our Chalk Talks with GWH head coach Brad Frost is tentatively scheduled for next week, though exact timing is still being finalized with the coach and his staff. As with the in-person version of the event held in past seasons, topics will include a review of the recent series and a discussion of playing strategy. This is a member-only event for 2020-2021 Power Play Club members. We will share the date and time of the event via email and on our social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter) as soon as it is determined.

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Membership registration remains open!! 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. If you need to verify your membership status, contact Laura by email at halld002@umn.edu.

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.

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Ostertag named 2020-21 PPC Scholarship recipient

The Golden Gopher Fund announced that GWH defender Gracie Osterag is the recipient of the Power Play Club Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year. The junior from Shakopee intends to major in Business Marketing Education. In 78 career games played, Ostertag has 17 points on one goal and 16 assists. Congratulations, Gracie!!

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#1 Univ. of Minnesota Golden Gophers (24 pts, 8-1-0, 0-0 in OT)
at #2 Univ. of Wisconsin Badgers (13 pts, 4-2-0, 0-1 in OT)
Friday and Saturday, January 15 & 16
Both games at 2:07 p.m.
LaBahn Arena, Madison

After flipping positions in both national polls, the top two teams meet up for the first time this season. The #1-ranked Gopher Women's Hockey team heads to Madison to play the #2 Wisconsin Badgers in a pair of afternoon games, playing on Friday and Saturday, January 15 & 16 at 2:07 p.m. both days.

Saturday's game on FOX Sports North, video streaming of series on BTN+ – The University of Minnesota announced yesterday that Saturday's game will be televised live on FOX Sports North; check the FSN channel finder or with your television provider for the channel. Video from both games will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Watch our social media accounts for game-specific video links and any updates on audio coverage.

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 – Wisconsin has seen limited action this season, playing only a single series before the holiday break. That said, they've already played four games against Ohio State, including last weekend (more on that momentarily). With 13 WCHA standings points in six contests, their 2.17 points-per-game average is second-best in the league.

Senior Daryl Watts (#19) is again leading the Badgers in goals and total scoring, averaging better than a point per game with 4 goals, 3 assists, and 7 points. Junior Sophie Shirley (#9) is one of three Wisconsin players with 4 assists apiece; she has also netted two goals of her own for 6 points. Junior defender Nicole LaMantia (#21) has a game-winning goal plus 4 assists for 5 points. Senior Grace Bowlby (#13) is the third Badger with 4 assists, while classmate Brette Pettet (#20) has 2 goals and 2 assists.

Graduate transfer Kennedy Blair (#29) has been the only Badger goaltender to see action so far this season. Two of her four wins have been shutouts; across her six games, she has a 1.34 goals-against average and .954 save percentage. 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. Freshman Jane Gervais (#1) has yet to play.

Last weekend for Wisconsin – Hosting Ohio State, the Badgers found themselves down 1-0 after 40 minutes following Paetyn Levis' second-period goal for the Buckeyes; however, Daryl Watts knotted the score midway through the third stanza and Nicole LaMantia lit the lamp with 6:21 left in regulation to give Wisconsin a 2-1 victory. The rematch started similarly, with Riley Brengman scoring on a second-period power play to put OSU up 1-0 and Watts tying the game in the third period, but this time the contest went to overtime and Liz Schepers netted the gamewinner for Ohio State 1:02 into the extra period. Wisconsin earned a WCHA standings point for finishing regulation tied, but the result still goes down as a loss on their record. Kennedy Blair made a combined 65 saves in the series for the Badgers, while Andrea Brändli stopped 53 shots for the Buckeyes. Ohio State's Madison Bizal was named WCHA Defenseman of the Week after assisting on all three of their goals.

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Gophers earn 3-game sweep over St. Cloud State

Minnesota also found itself down 1-0 after the first 40 minutes of its opening game of the weekend Thursday following a power-play goal by St. Cloud State's Olivia Cvar; however, Grace Zumwinkle netted an unassisted goal 1:41 into the third period to tie the contest, and scored off of an Anne Cherkowski faceoff win with 5:35 remaining to give the Gophers a 2-1 victory. Catie Skaja opened the scoring in Saturday's contest, lighting the lamp at the 4-minute mark of the first period, but much of the remainder of the series belonged to the line of Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy, and Emily Oden; Heise doubled the Gopher lead to 2-0 and Murphy netted two more goals, all before the first intermission, to put Minnesota up 4-0. Laura Kluge converted a 2-on-1 rush for SCSU in the second stanza, but Minnesota went on to a 4-1 win. Heise found the back of the net twice in the opening period of Sunday's game in St. Cloud, Taylor Wente made the score 3-0 in the second period, Heise completed her hat trick with 2:04 remaining, and Lauren Bench stopped all 16 shots she faced for a 4-0 shutout. Oden dished out assists on all four of Heise's goals in the series. In total, 11 different Gophers recorded a point. Between the pipes, Bench stopped 43 of the 44 shots she faced in seven periods of action, while Makayla Pahl entered for the latter two periods of Saturday's game and made 14 saves on 15 shots. Huskies netminder Emma Polusny played the first four periods of the series before being relieved by Sanni Ahola for the duration; they each made 55 saves.

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Heise and Murphy earn WCHA weekly honors

Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy earned honors as WCHA Forward & Rookie of the Week, respectivly, following their performances against St. Cloud State. The linemates each finished with 5 points over the weekend; Heise recorded an assist to go with her 4 goals, while Murphy assisted on all three of Heise's Sunday goals after scoring her own two on Saturday. Heise's award is the fifth weekly recognition she's received from the WCHA in her collegiate career, and Murphy's is her first. Congratulations, Taylor and Abbey!!

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NCAA announces all winter sport tourney sites will be pre-selected

Amid the on-going coronavirus pandemic and following the announcement of plans for the Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, the NCAA announced Monday general plans for all other winter sport championships. As documented in the release, “The first portion of the plan calls for all rounds of the winter championships to be held at predetermined sites, rather than at traditional sites that are not predetermined. Bids for predetermined preliminary rounds will be accepted now through January 25, with the host sites to be announced the week of February 8. For championships that typically have predetermined sites that have previously been announced, those sites will continue to host as long as local public health authorities determine it is safe to do so.” Also, no final decisions have been made in regard to fans at any of the championships.

U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) documented the impact of the announcement on the Division III Hockey Championships. For the 9-team men's tournament, which includes a first-round play-in game before the quarterfinals, bids may propose host variations that: 1) combine rounds (e.g., first round and quarterfinals); 2) host more than one quarterfinal game at the same site; 3) accommodate hosting all nine teams for the entirety of the championship within the same venue; or 4) offer more than one venue in same locale. The D-III women's tournament is already planned for a single site at a location to be determined, with all three rounds played in a four-day span (March 19-22).

No specific plans or changes have been announced for the Division I men's and National Collegiate women's hockey tournaments. We will share any updates as they are made available.

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Around the WCHA...

Recent action – The third WCHA series this past weekend started very similarly to the other two, with Minnesota State coming from behind to win 2-1 after trailing Bemidji State 1-0 through 40 minutes of play; the Beavers took the lead on a goal by Lydia Passolt, but Brittyn Fleming lit the lamp for the Mavericks with 4:30 remaining and Tristen Truax scored on a power play with 2:34 left. In the rematch, MSU's Kelsey King scored twice, Jessica Kondas & Madison Mashuga each recorded a goal and an assist, and Calla Frank made 23 saves for a 4-0 shutout and the series sweep. Frank finished with a combined 41 saves on 42 shots, while BSU's Kerrigan Dowhy made 62 saves in the series.

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Upcoming games – Two other series in the league both feature Friday evening and Saturday afternoon contests. After the postponement of its series against the Gophers earlier this month, Minnesota Duluth will see its first action of 2021 when it hosts Ohio State. Meanwhile, Bemidji State will make the short road trip to face St. Cloud State. Minnesota State is idle.

Power Play Club

January 5, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Power Play Club

January 5, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, January 5, 2020

GAME ADDED – Special three-game series

#2 Univ. of Minn. Golden Gophers (5-1-0-0, 0-0 in OT)
vs. St. Cloud State Univ. Huskies (2-4-0-0, 1-1 in OT)

Thursday, January 7 at 3:07 p.m.
Saturday, January 9 at 4:07 p.m.
Ridder Arena

Sunday, January 10 at 3:07 p.m.
Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, St. Cloud

WCHA adds 3rd game to series – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced this past Sunday that the Minnesota and St. Cloud State women's hockey teams will play a third game this week, actually preceding the two previously-scheduled contests. The Gophers and Huskies will open their series with a weekday matinee at 3:07 p.m. on Thursday, January 7, at Ridder Arena. The two teams will have a day off before resuming on Saturday, January 9, at 4:07 p.m., also at Ridder, then will relocate to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud for the finale on Sunday, January 10 at 3:07 p.m.

Video streaming & audio information – BTN+ will provide streaming video of the games on January 7 & 9 at Ridder Arena; subscription packages are available here. Both of those games will also feature free streaming audio on Golden Gophers All-Access on GopherSports.com.

Video of Sunday's game (Jan. 10) in St. Cloud will be streamed by FloHockey; subscription and schedule information can be found at FloSports.tv. No audio coverage from that game is expected, but we will post any changes to this on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Last year against St. Cloud State – In addition to four regular-season meetings, the Gophers and Huskies also faced each other in the WCHA Quarterfinals. Minnesota swept all six games, winning 3-0 and 4-2 at Ridder Arena in October 2019, 4-1 and 3-0 in St. Cloud last January, and 4-2 and 7-3 in the two playoff contests. The Gophers also outshot the Huskies by a combined 256-117, including 110-32 in the playoff round. Grace Zumwinkle led Minnesota with 10 points against SCSU, lighting the lamp 4 times – including a hat trick on February 29 – and dishing out 6 assists. Taylor Heise added 8 points (3g, 5a), and Emily Brown tallied 7 points (3g, 4a). In total, 11 different Gophers netted a goal, and five others each recorded at least one assist. Twelve (12) Huskies recorded at least one point across the six games; Klára Hymlárová led them with 4 points on a goal and 3 assists, Abby Thiessen added a goal and two assists, and Dana Rasmussen was the only multi-goal scorer against the Gophers, netting two. Between the pipes, Sydney Scobee played all six games in their entirety, stopping 109 of 117 shots for a .932 save percentage and 1.33 goals-against average. St. Cloud State's Emma Polusny also played all 18 periods, posting a .906 SV% but a 4.08 GAA.

Analyzing the Huskies – Through 6 games, the Huskies' two victories already match their conference win total for the entirety of last season. Their 6 points in the current standings are only just behind the 7 the picked up a year ago. On the basis of standings points per game, their 1.00 average is fifth best in the WCHA so far this year.

Despite the improvement in its win-loss record, SCSU has been outscored 18-9 in their six contests, averaging only 1.50 goals per game on the offensive side. Junior Jenniina Nylund (#18) has 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points, all of which are (or are tied for) team highs. Freshman Emma Gentry (#20) has only played three of the team's six games, recording 2 goals and an assist, while sophomore Klára Hymlárová (#12) has a goal and two assists.

Goaltender Emma Polusny (#32) is an experienced senior, having started 70 games prior to this season. However, she has started only 3 of the 6 games for the Huskies this year, going 1-2-0 with a .922 save percentage and 2.85 goals-against average. Polusny has been splitting time with Finnish freshman Sanni Ahola (#1); Ahola shut out Minnesota State in her collegiate dubut with a 37-save performance, but she's lost her other two starts so far, posting a .902 SV% and 3.17 GAA across the three games. Junior Karlie Ries (#30) is the Huskies' emergency goaltender, having played only 8 minutes of mop-up work in a blowout loss to Wisconsin last year.

Last action for St. Cloud State – The Huskies have not been in action since December 11, but their series on the road against Bemidji State featured the first two overtime games in WCHA 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.

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Gopher alumnae and professional news...

PWHPA All-Star Team update – As mentioned last week, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) has created a 24-player All-Star Team which is participating in the U.S. Premier Hockey League's “Hub City Tampa” that starts today. The PWHPA All-Stars include Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Nicole Schammel, Kelly Pannek, Hannah Brandt, Gigi Marvin, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, and Lee Stecklein.

An article from The Women's Hockey Tribune noted that the six-game schedule for the PWHPA All-Star Team begins on Thursday, January 7. Per the article, all six contests will have live video streaming on the HockeyTV subscription service (listed times are Eastern), with live scoring and postgame box scores available on the USPHL’s website for each game as well; we will provide links on our social media channels as they become available.

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Around the WCHA...

Recent action – Ohio State cruised to a series sweep of Bemidji State, winning 4-1 and 7-1; Buckeyes freshman Jenna Buglioni led the way with 3 goals and 3 assists, while Jennifer Gardiner added 3 goals and 2 assists, and Tatum Skaggs tacked on 2 goals and an assist. Wisconsin also earned a weekend sweep over Minnesota State, but needed a third-period goal in each game to win 3-2 and 1-0; Daryl Watts and Brette Pettet netted the game-winning goals, while Grace Bowlby dished out three assists in the opener. Kennedy Blair needed only 39 saves to earn both wins and Sunday's shutout, while MSU's Calla Frank stopped a combined 64 shots.

Upcoming games – Two other series in the league both feature Friday and Saturday afternoon contests. Bemidji State hosts Minnesota State, while Ohio State travels to Madison to face Wisconsin. Minnesota Duluth is idle.

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Copyright © 2021 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.

Power Play Club

December 31, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Thursday, December 31, 2020

Power Play Club

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.

Power Play Club

December 17, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Special Edition - Thursday, December 17, 2020

Power Play Club

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.

Power Play Club

December 16, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Power Play Club

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.