The Penalty Box Box - Friday, July 30 2021

The Penalty Box Post
Friday, July 30th

Darwitz, Bobrowski named as new Gopher assistant coaches

We send warmest welcomes to new Gopher Women's Hockey assistant coaches Natalie Darwitz and Jake Bobrowski, following yesterday's announcement that they are joining Brad Frost's staff on the Minnesota bench.

Darwitz returns to the U. following six seasons as the head coach at Hamline University, taking the Pipers to the NCAA Division III Frozen Four in 2018 and NCAA Division III Final in 2019. She was also named both MIAC and USCHO D-III Coach of the Year for the 2017-2018 season. She previously served as a GWH assistant coach in 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 (taking a year off in between to train for the Olympics), and head coach of Lakeville South High School's girls hockey team from 2011 to 2015.

As a player, Darwitz still ranks third in Gopher program history in points (246), first in points per game (2.48), fifth in goals (102), second in assists (144), and first in assists per game (1.45). On the international stage, she's a three-time Olympic medalist (silver in 2002 & 2010 and bronze in 2006) and three-time IIHF World gold medalist with Team USA. She's also inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame, Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame, and 'M' Club Hall of Fame.

Bobrowski comes to the U. after serving on Darwitz's staff at Hamline as an assistant coach the past six seasons. Prior to his time at Hamline, he was the head coach of Hill-Murray's junior varsity girls hockey team and assistant coach of the Pioneers' varsity team for seven years.

Johnson officially named as head coach of U.S. Olympic Team

USA Hockey named its three head coaches for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games on Wednesday, selecting former GWH associate head coach and current St. Thomas University head coach Joel Johnson to lead the U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team in Beijing, China.

Johnson has been involved with USA Hockey for many years, most notably leading the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team to four straight gold medals (2015-18) in the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship and serving as head coach of the U.S. Under-22 Women’s Select Team on two occasions for the U22 Series against Canada. He will serve as head coach of the 2021 U.S. Women’s National Team at the upcoming IIHF Women’s World Championship next month in Calgary, after making his debut with the team as an assistant coach in 2018-2019.

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan will serve as head coach of the U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team, and David Hoff, the head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team for the last three seasons – leading Team USA to back-to-back gold medals at the IPC Para Ice Hockey World Championship – will make his first appearance as head coach of a U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team.

We send congratulations and wishes of good luck to all three coaches!

2021 IIHF Women's World Championship game schedule set

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) released the game schedule for the 2021 Women's World Championship, being played August 20 through 31 in Calgary, with 20 preliminary round games and 8 playoff round contests. The full schedule can be found here.

Team USA – with GWH representatives Megan Bozek, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle – will play in the third game of the tournament against Switzerland on Friday, August 20 at 7:30 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. CT. The Americans' other preliminary round games include...

  • Sunday, August 22 at 7:30 p.m. MT / 8:30 p.m. CT vs. Finland;

  • Tuesday, August 24 at Noon MT / 1:00 p.m. CT vs. Russia;

  • Thursday, August 26 at 4:00 p.m. MT / 5:00 p.m. CT vs. Canada.

All Team USA games will be broadcast live on NHL Network.

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.

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, July 24, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Saturday, July 24th

Seven Gophers named to Team USA for World Championship

2020-2021 Gopher Women's Hockey forwards Abbey Murphy & Grace Zumwinkle and 5 U. of M. alumnae – Megan Bozek, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein – were named to the 25-player U.S. Women's National Hockey Team roster for the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship, as announced by USA Hockey this past Thursday.

Following two postponements of the World Championship from this past spring, the tournament was relocated from Nova Scotia to Calgary, Alberta, and rescheduled to August 20 through 31. As noted in the roster release, Team USA will hold a training camp August 4-9 at the Super Rink in Blaine as part of the U.S. Women’s National Team Festival.

The American squad will be in Group A with Canada, Finland, Switzerland, and Russia, while Group B is comprised of Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, and Japan. All 5 Group A teams and the top 3 Group B teams after round-robin group play will qualify for the playoff round.

We congratulate and send wishes of good luck to the 7 Gopher representatives and all the selected players!!

GWH-record 12 players earn All-American Scholor honors

A Minnesota Women's Hockey program-record 12 players were honored as 2020-2021 Krampade/American Hockey Coaches Association Division I All-American Scholars, announced by the association this past Monday, July 19.

We send our congratulations to Emily Brown, Anne Cherkowski, Josey Dunne, Tella Jungels, Olivia King, Maggie Nicholson, Emily Oden, Gracie Ostertag, Catie Skaja, Taylor Wente, Audrey Wethington, and Madeline Wethington on earning this recognition. To qualify, a student-athlete must have attained a 3.6 GPA for each semester, regardless of whether their school’s hockey team was able to play this season or not.

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.

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, July 16, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Friday, July 16th

Three Gophers invited to Canada Nat'l Development Team camp

Current Gopher Women's Hockey players Olivia Knowles and Amy Potomak (left & right) and alumna Sarah Potomak (center) have been named among 43 players invited to the BFL CANADA National Women's Development Team Summer Camp, being held July 29 through August 9 at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

As noted in the roster release, “The 40 players who will attend camp – six goaltenders, 12 defence and 22 forwards – will be split into two teams and participate in practices and intrasquad games. The camp will also feature two scrimmages against Canada’s National Women’s Team from August 7-9.” Additionally, Hockey Canada is hosting its National Women’s Under-18 Team Summer Development Camp in Calgary, also starting on July 29 with 23 invitees.

We send our congratulations and wishes of good luck to Olivia, Amy, and Sarah!!

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Winny Brodt-Brown named as ‘M’ Club Hall of Fame inductee

We send further congratulations to Gopher Women's Hockey alumna and longtime Minnesota Whitecaps defender Winny Brodt-Brown on being named one of 10 members of the 'M' Club Hall of Fame Class of 2021, as announced by the University of Minnesota on Wednesday.

Brodt-Brown played for the Gophers in 1998-2000 and 2002-2003, recording 134 career points on 41 goals and 93 assists in 96 games. She was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-WCHA First Team in Minnesota's 1999-2000 National Championship season, and was also a Top Ten finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award that year. Among all Gopher blueliners in the program's history, she ranks 2nd for points and 3rd in both goals and assists; she is also 6th among all players in assists per game (0.97).

Winny remains an active, competitive player to this day, joining the Minnesota Whitecaps in their inaugural season in 2004-2005 and remaining with the team through its years in the Western Women's Hockey League, as an independent program, and most-recently as a member of the National Women's Hockey League.

The induction ceremony is scheduled for Friday, September 10 on the Williams Arena court. The ten individuals will be recognized throughout the weekend at various events, including the September 11 home football game against Miami (OH).

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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.

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, July 10, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Saturday, July 10th

Eight Gophers selected for U.S. Nat'l Team Residency Program

2020-2021 Gopher Women's Hockey forwards Abbey Murphy (pictured) & Grace Zumwinkle and 6 U. of M. alumnae – Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein – were named yesterday among the 27 players invited to the 2021-2022 U.S. Women’s National Team Residency Program.

The residency will begin in October at the Super Rink in Blaine in preparation for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, with the final 23-player roster for the team expected to be revealed in very late December or early January. Prior to the residency, USA Hockey will name its 25-player roster later this month for the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship, which is set for August 21-30 in Calgary, Alberta.

We congratulate and send wishes of good luck to the 8 Gopher representatives and all the selected players!!

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Zumwinkle earns At-Large Academic All-District honors

We send further congratulations to Gopher Women's Hockey senior Grace Zumwinkle on being one of eight University of Minnesota student-athletes to earn At-Large Academic All-District honors, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Thursday.

Zumwinkle was joined by Colton Dee (men's gymnastics), Lindsay Eliasen (rowing), Jack LaFontaine (men's hockey), Ona Loper (women's gymnastics), Henry Meeker (men's gymnastics), Lexy Ramler (women's gymnastics), and Shane Wiskus (men's gymnastics) in being recognized. Each student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at their current institution in order to be nominated, and Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot with winners announced later this month.

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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.

Penalty Box Post - Monday, July 5, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Monday, July 5th

Seven GWH players named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars
New school record set with 180 student-athletes honored by conference

Seven members of the Gopher Women's Hockey team were named Big Ten Distinguished Scholars this past Thursday, July 1, among a new U. of M. school record 180 student-athletes recognized by the conference for the 2020-2021 academic year.

We send our congratulations to Emily Brown, Olivia King, Emily Oden, Gracie Ostertag, Catie Skaja, Taylor Wente, and Madeline Wethington on earning this recognition. We give an extra shout-out to Wente and Wethington (pictured) for maintaining perfect 4.0 grade point averages for the year!

Distinguished Scholar Award recipients must have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 or better during the previous academic year, excluding any summer grades.

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Brausen joins Johnson's coaching staff at St. Thomas

Accompanying the official entry of the St. Thomas Tommies into the Western Collegiate Hockey Association on Thursday, July 1, UST head coach Joel Johnson named his two new full-time assistant coaches, one of whom is GWH alumna and (now former) Minnesota assistant Bethany Brausen.

Brausen was on Brad Frost's coaching staff the past four seasons as the team posted a 94-31-8 (.737) record over that span. As a player from 2010 through 2014, she helped the Gophers post a 139-17-5 (.879) record with national championships in 2012 & 2013, playing in all 161 games while recording 51 points on 16 goals and 35 assists.

We thank Bethany for her service to the Gophers as both a player and coach, and wish her the best of luck in this new opportunity!

Marty Sertich was named as Johnson's other assistant. Sertich was on the Tommies' coaching staff for their final two seasons as a Division III program, joining them in the 2018-2019. He also currently runs Tradition Hockey, a youth training program based in Roseville.

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Wente selected by Whitecaps in 3rd round of 2021 NWHL Draft

Prior to earning another academic award (as documented above), 2020-2021 senior Taylor Wente became the latest Gopher Women's Hockey player selected in the National Women's Hockey League draft, being picked 18th overall by the Minnesota Whitecaps in the 3rd round last Tuesday (June 29).

Wente finished her collegiate career with 73 points on 29 goals and 44 assists in 127 games.

Congratulations and good luck, Taylor!!

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PPC Board of Directors meeting – Wednesday, July 14, at 7 p.m.
Meeting to be held online via Zoom

Here's an additional reminder that the next meeting of the Power Play Club's Board of Directors is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. Fundraising for the 2021-2022 Gopher Women's Hockey season is expected to be a focus of the meeting. Board meetings are open to all PPC members (2020-2021 membership applies for the current off-season). This meeting will be held online via Zoom; if you are interested in attending, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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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.

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, June 23, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, June 23rd

U. of M. announces full capacity for Gopher athletic events

The University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics department announced yesterday “that it plans to operate at full capacity for live sporting events when teams return to competition for the 2021-22 academic year.” The new status begins with the Gopher volleyball, soccer, and football seasons this fall.

The press release also reported that the school will be transitioning to mobile tickets for all ticketed events on campus, with additional information and tutorials to be shared directly with ticket holders in the coming weeks.

We look forward to seeing all of you, our fellow GWH fans, at Ridder Arena this fall!!
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Bench, Brown, Knowles to return to GWH for 2021-2022 season

Gopher Women's Hockey seniors Lauren Bench, Emily Brown, and Olivia Knowles will return to the team in the 2021-2022 season, as announced by the university last Thursday, June 17, after each of them accepted the additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All three shared their thoughts on their respective decisions in the announcement.

We look forward to seeing Lauren, Emily, Olivia, and the remainder of the squad on the ice for the program's 25th season, which starts October 1!!

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PPC Board of Directors meeting – Wednesday, July 14, at 7 p.m.

We send out this reminder that the next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is now scheduled for Wednesday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. Fundraising for the 2021-2022 Gopher Women's Hockey season is expected to be a focus of the meeting. Board meetings are open to all PPC members (2020-2021 membership applies for the current off-season). Logistics for the meeting are still to be determined and will be shared as soon as they are available.

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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.

The Two Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Monday, June 7, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Monday, June 7th

Joel Johnson named new head coach at University of St. Thomas

University of Minnesota women's hockey associate head coach Joel Johnson was named the new head coach of the University of St. Thomas women's hockey team earlier today, as that program transitions into NCAA Division I play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association starting in the 2021-2022 season.

Johnson has been part of the Gopher program over two stints spanning 16 combined seasons and 6 of the school's 7 national championships, as an assistant coach from 1999 through 2004 and then as the associate head coach from 2010 through 2021. He also coached in the Bethel University men's hockey program from 2004 through 2010, including 3 seasons as their head coach.

Johnson is also currently serving as interim head coach of the U.S. National Women's Hockey Team as it prepares for the rescheduled 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship and the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He has spent the last 11 seasons with USA Hockey.

The U. of M. also published a press release on the news, with a brief statement from GWH head coach Brad Frost, here.

We send our congratulations and best wishes to Joel as he transitions to this new opportunity and guides the Tommies into Division I, and thank him for his years of service to the University of Minnesota and the Gopher Women's Hockey program.
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Calgary to host 2021 Women's World Championship in August

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), in partnership with Hockey Canada, announced last Wednesday, June 2, that Calgary, Alberta will serve as the new host city for the 2021 Women's World Championship. New event dates of August 20 through 31 were previously announced at the end of April.

The relocation of the tournament to Calgary follows two postponements of the event in its originally-selected host cities of Halifax & Truro, Nova Scotia, due to on-going concerns with COVID-19.

All 31 games of the tournament will be played at WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park, though the exact game schedule is to be announced. The championship will feature 10 teams for only the second time, following the expansion from 8 teams after the 2017 tournament.
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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.


The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, June 1, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, June 1st

Fifteen GWH players named Academic All-Big Ten

Fifteen (15) members of the Gopher Women's Hockey team were recognized last Friday as At-Large Academic All-Big Ten honorees for the 2020-2021 academic year.

Abigail Boreen, Emily Brown, Taylor Heise, Crystalyn Hengler, Olivia King, Olivia Knowles, Emily Oden, Gracie Ostertag, Makayla Pahl, Amy Potomak, Sydney Shearen, Catie Skaja, Taylor Wente, Madeline Wethington, and Grace Zumwinkle were among a total of 187 University of Minnesota student-athletes named as Spring and At-Large Academic All-Big Ten selections. They join another 244 student-athletes previously named as Fall and Winter Academic All-Big Ten honorees.

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten merits, student-athletes must be on a varsity team, have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

We send our congratulations to all fifteen GWH players for their continued success in the classroom!!
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Brown, Zumwinkle earn Leadership U certificates – Following service on the Gopher Athletics Leadership Council and meeting necessary requirements, Gopher Women's Hockey seniors Emily Brown and Grace Zumwinkle were among 9 student-athletes completing the University of Minnesota's Leadership U Certificate Program.

Brown and Zumwinkle were joined by Carlie Brandt (Softball), Tyler Davis (Men's Gymnastics), Valerie Larson (Women's Track & Field), Abbie Nylin (Women's Gymnastics), Stephanie Peller (Rowing), Lexy Ramler (Women's Gymnastics), and Natalie Windels (Women's Track & Field) as Leadership U Certificate recipients. We send our congratulations to all nine student-athletes on this recognition and thank them for their service to the University of Minnesota!!
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Alumna Potomak shines at PWHPA Calgary Showcase

Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Sarah Potomak made a splash at the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association's (PWHPA's) Calgary Showcase this past week, playing for Team Scotiabank from the Calgary regional training hub. Through the showcase's six round-robin games, Potomak led all players with 5 goals, scoring at least once in each of Team Scotiabank's four contests. She was also in a multi-way tie for second in total scoring after the round-robin phase with 6 points.

Unfortunately, Team Scotiabank finished third in the 3-team showcase, not qualifying for the championship game this past Sunday. They lost twice to Team Bauer (Montreal), 6-1 and 4-3, and split with Team Sonnet (Toronto), falling 8-3 before earning a 3-2 victory. Potomak was named third star in the first game against Team Bauer with a goal, and second star in the win against Team Sonnet after recording two goals and an assist.

Team Bauer defeated Team Sonnet, 3-2, in the showcase opener, but lost the second head-to-head meeting, 4-3. Squaring off a third time in the championship game for the Canadian Secret® Cup, the teams traded goals over the first 40 minutes before Marie-Philip Poulin put Team Bauer ahead late in the 3rd period and Sarah Lefort added an empty-netter to seal a 4-2 victory.
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PPC Board of Directors update – June meeting cancelled
Next board meeting: Wednesday, July 14, at 7:00 p.m.

The next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is now scheduled for Wednesday, July 14, following a decision to cancel the June gathering. Fundraising for the 2021-2022 Gopher Women's Hockey season is expected to be a focus of the July meeting. We provide the reminder that board meetings are open to all PPC members (2020-2021 membership applies for the current off-season). Logistics for the next meeting have not been determined, but will be shared at a later date.
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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.

Penalty Box Post - Thursday, May 13, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Thursday, May 13th

Gopher Women's Hockey releases 25th season (2021-2022) schedule
WCHA also releases composite league-game schedule for all eight teams

The University of Minnesota yesterday released the 2021-2022 schedule for the Gopher Women's Hockey team, the 25th season in the program's history. That release followed the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's composite conference schedule outline announcement, with exact dates and times still to be finalized.

The Gophers open play on October 1 & 2 with a WCHA series at home against Ohio State. Minnesota's schedule features three planned non-conference weekends: on the road at Colgate the weekend of October 22 & 23, at home against RIT on November 12 & 13, and at the Nashville Smashville Showcase over Thanksgiving weekend, facing Mercyhurst on November 26 and either Boston College or Colgate on November 27. In the second-half of the year, the team will play four games (two 2-game series) against Division I and WCHA newcomer St. Thomas, with the first of those series on January 7 & 8. Here's the quick rundown.

Oct. 1-2 – vs. Ohio State (WCHA / home opener)
Oct. 8-9 – at Minnesota Duluth
Oct. 15-16 – vs. Minnesota State
Oct. 22-23 – vs. Colgate (non-conference)
Oct. 29-30 – at Bemidji State
Nov. 5-6 – bye
Nov. 12-13 – vs. RIT (non-conference)
Nov. 19-20 – (home & home) vs. St. Cloud State
Nov. 26-27 – Nashville Smashville Showcase
Game 1 vs. Mercyhurst
Game 2 vs. Boston College or Colgate
Dec. 3-4 – at Wisconsin
Dec. 10-11 – vs. Minnesota Duluth

-- Winter Holiday Break --

Jan. 7-8 – at St. Thomas
Jan. 14-15 – at Minnesota State
Jan. 21-22 – vs. Wisconsin
Jan. 28-29 – at Ohio State
Feb. 4-5 – vs. Bemidji State
Feb. 11-12 – (home & home) vs. St. Cloud State
Feb. 18-19 – vs. St. Thomas (Senior Weekend)

-- End of Regular Season --

Feb. 25-27 – WCHA Quarterfinals
(best 2 of 3 at higher seeds)

March 4 & 5 – WCHA Final Faceoff
at Ridder Arena

Here's the direct link to the list of games for all eight WCHA teams (PDF file). All schedules are subject to change.

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2021-2022 GWH season tickets now on sale!!

To go along with the schedule release, season tickets for the 2021-2022 season of Gopher Women's Hockey are now on sale! All fans – whether renewing or purchasing new season tickets – can find more information on the GWH page on the U. of M. Ticket Office site. Season ticket prices are $79 for general admission bench seating, $99 for reserved chairback seats, and $199 for Club Room premium seats (plus fees).

The Umiversity of Minnesota also updated their COVID-19 Ticket Policies and Informaton at the end of March. As noted on that page, “Priority to purchase tickets will be given to season ticket holders before other public groups, should capacity limitations be in effect for the 2021-2022 athletics season. Should fans not be permitted to attend events at the start of the 2021-2022 athletics season, account credit will be provided that may be utilized for events in which health guidelines permit additional fan attendance.”

Any questions should be directed to Gopher Fan Relations by calling them at 1-800-U-GOPHER or sending email to GopherSports@umn.edu.

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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.



Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Thursday, May 27th

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Thursday, May 27th

Robert Morris Univ. discontinues D-I hockey programs

Citing “a series of strategic initiatives intended to position the university to be amongst the most agile and professionally focused schools in the nation as it prepares for its upcoming 100th anniversary,” Robert Morris University announced yesterday that it would no longer field NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey teams, effective immediately.

RMU noted that it will honor all scholarships currently being received by the affected student-athletes – including incoming players who have signed National Letters-of-Intent – and will assist those who wish to transfer. Under NCAA rules, those who do transfer in this situation will not have to sit out a season at their new school. The university approximated that 55 student-athletes and seven staff positions are impacted by this decision.

In the “frequently asked questions” section of the announcement, RMU stated, “The decision to discontinue the men’s and women’s ice hockey programs was made based on an analysis which included scholarships and operating costs, and the necessary investments to maintain and improve the current facility. The university also wanted to align our athletic offerings more closely with other similar nationally-ranked universities of our size.”

College Hockey America tweeted its sadness over the decision and its impact to the student-athletes & staff, but made no statement indicating the effects to the conference.

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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.