February 3, 2022

The Penalty Box Post - Thursday, February 3, 2022

February 3, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Thursday, February 3rd

Reminder: Vaccine attendance mandate in effect

We provide a reminder to all Gopher Women's Hockey fans planning on attending either one of this weekend's games that the University of Minnesota's temporary vaccination policy is now in effect. Per the policy announcement...

Current U. of M. students, faculty and staff need to show a valid UCard as proof of compliance with the University's already established vaccine policy to gain entry to events.
For all others, individuals ages five and older must show proof of vaccination or a negative, third-party COVID-19 test taken in the previous 72 hours, plus a photo ID with a matching name for anyone 18+, to enter the events. At-home, self-read tests do not meet the requirement as proof of a negative COVID-19 test result.

Please refer to the policy documentation for a list of frequently-asked questions and additional details.

Goals for a Goal – Gophers add another 6 to season total!!

Our Goals for a Goal campaign collects pledges for every goal scored by the Gophers throughout the regular season and postseason, with an option to double your pledge for power-play tallies, to support the squad's participation in a regular-season tournament in Las Vegas in 2022-2023. Through last weekend, the team increased its season total to-date to 116 goals, with sixteen (16) of those coming on the power play!!

We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund.

Looking ahead – Time change for Feb. 11 game at St. Cloud

Please note that the Gophers' away game at St. Cloud State on Friday, February 11, has had its start time moved up. It will now be a matinee contest with a 3 p.m. puck drop. We still look forward to seeing many of our fellow fans there!

#1 Minnesota Golden Gophers (20-7-1, 15-6-1-1 WCHA)
vs. Bemidji State Univ. Beavers (10-13-3, 7-13-2-0 WCHA)

Friday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feburary 5 at 4:00 p.m.
Ridder Arena

Following a hard-fought split on the road, the Minnesota Women's Hockey team returns to Ridder Arena for a pair of games against the Bemidji State University Beavers. Action begins tomorrow night – Friday, February 4 – at 6 p.m., and continues on Saturday, February 5 at 4 p.m.

Last time against Bemidji State – The Gophers earned the 699th and 700th victories in program history with a sweep of the Beavers, 5-2 and 3-2, at the Sanford Center at the end of October.

Amy Potomak lit the lamp twice for Minnesota in the opener, Audrey Wethington tallied the eventual game-winning goal, and Abigail Boreen and Ella Huber also scored. Paige Beebe and Lydia Passolt scored for Bemidji State. Skylar Vetter earned her first collegiate victory with 21 saves, while BSU's Hannah Hogenson stopped 52 shots. Boreen and Huber each netted their second goal of the series in the rematch and Peyton Hemp tallied the gamewinner in the second period. Clair Vekich & Greyson Myers lit the lamp for the Beavers, but Lauren Bench, playing in her final Sandford Center game, stopped 25 shots for the Gopher win. Hogenson made another 33 saves. Taylor Heise led all players with 4 points, dishing out a pair of assists in each game; Hemp recorded two assists on Friday before her goal on Saturday, and Emily Oden had 3 assists in the series. Myers also posted a 3-point series for the Beavers, with two assists Friday before lighting the lamp Saturday.

Analyzing the Beavers – Bemidji State currently sits sixth in the WCHA standings with a 7-13-2-0 conference record; they are 3-0-1 in non-conference action for a 10-13-3 overall record. The Beavers earned a tie and a win against Clarkson in October and Hannah Hogenson made 56 saves in a 0-0 tie at Wisconsin in November; on the flip side, they lost to St. Thomas in their second game of the season.

Junior Reece Hunt (#29) is the Beavers' overall scoring leader with 17 points and also the assists leader with 11. Fifth-year player Paige Beebe (#18) has lit the lamp a team-high 8 times while dishing out 7 assists for 15 points, while senior Graysen Myers (#23) is third in scoring with 14 points on 5 goals and 9 assists. Freshman Claire Vekich (#15; 7g, 5a) and sophomore Taylor Nelson (#8; 4g, 8a) round out BSU's top five with 12 points apiece.

Sophomore goaltender Hannah Hogenson (#1) has seen the most action for Bemidji State, appearing in 19 games; she has an 8-8-3 record in those games with one shutout, a 2.93 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. Fifth-year netminder Kerigan Dowhy (#33) has a 1.61 GAA, a .943 SV%, and 2 shutouts in her 6 starts, but only a 2-4-0 record in those contests. Senior Lexi Baker (#30) has one start and one relief appearance, going 0-1-0 and yielding 8 goals on 37 shots in 43 minutes of action. Freshman Abbie Thompson (#35) has entered two games in relief, yielding 5 goals on 31 shots in 45 minutes of work.

Last action for Bemidji State – Hosting St. Thomas at the Sanford Center, the Beavers trailed 2-0 after a pair of first-period power-play goals by the Tommies. However, BSU outscored UST 8-1 over the remainder of the series, winning 4-3 and 4-0 for the weekend sweep. Claire Vekich earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors for her two-goal, one-assist performance, while Reece Hunt added a goal & two assists and Claudia Verkerke & Taylor Nelson each recorded a goal and an assist. Brieja Parent lit the lamp twice for the Tommies. Hannah Hogenson won the opener for the Beavers with 18 saves & Kerigan Dowhy followed it up with a 20-save shutout in the rematch; UST's Alexa Dobchuk made a combined 61 saves in the series.

Gophers earn 4 points in Columbus – In its second-straight weekend against a top-four rival, Minnesota split with Ohio State on the road, falling to the Buckeyes 2-1 in overtime before winning 5-3 in the rematch. However, with the first game being tied after regulation, the Gophers earned 4 WCHA standings points in the series.

Following a scoreless first period to start the weekend, Taylor Heise skated in on a 2-on-1 rush in the second period and took the shot herself, putting Minnesota up 1-0. However, Madison Bizal capitalized on a 4-on-3 power play to knot the score for the Buckeyes in the third frame, forcing overtime. The Gophers couldn't find their own 4-on-3 PP goal at the start of the extra session, and OSU's Liz Schepers lit the lamp with 1:31 to go. Lauren Bench made 30 saves for the Gophers, while Amanda Thiele stopped 36 shots for OSU.

Paetyn Levis put the Buckeyes ahead early in the rematch, but Minnesota struck for 4 goals in a 6-minute, 12-second span of the second period; Maggie Nicholson netted the first goal of her collegiate career, and Heise scored on both sides of a Madeline Wethington goal. Ohio State cut the Gopher lead to 4-3 with 9:11 to play on goals by Sophie Jaques and Schepers, but Audrey Wethington hit an empty-netter with 1:31 to go to seal the victory for the Maroon & Gold. Makayla Pahl earned her eighth win of the season with 32 saves, while Thiele stopped 23 shots.

Abigail Boreen dished out 3 assists for the Gophers. In addition to her own goal, Jaques assisted on the other four scored by the Buckeyes for a 5-point series.

Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – St. Cloud State's Emma Polusny stopped 54 of 55 shots and Olivia Cvar scored 26 seconds into their game against Wisconsin, but Makenna Webster lit the lamp on a third-period Badger power play and the two teams finished in a 1-1 tie. Nicole LaMantia netted the only goal of the subsequent shootout to give UW the third standings point. Webster netted her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th goals of the series for a hat trick in the rematch, and Kennedy Blair posted an 18-save shutout in a 4-0 Wisconsin victory. Daryl Watts assisted on all four Webster goals.

Gabbie Hughes posted a 6-point series on a goal and 5 assists, Elizabeth Giguere lit the lamp a combined 3 times, and Clara Van Wieran tallied both game-winning goals as Minnesota Duluth swept Minnesota State, 4-2 and 5-3. Brittyn Fleming, Taylor Wemple, and Charlotte Akervik each scored a goal and an assist while Kelsey King dished out 3 helpers for the Mavericks.

The schedule also featured a pair of make-up games. Daryl Watts scored the game-winning goal and tacked on an empty-netter as Wisconsin defeated St. Thomas, 3-1, on Monday night despite a 47-save performance from UST netminder Alexa Dobchuk and a breakaway tally by Luci Bianchi. Five different Bulldogs lit the lamp Tuesday afternoon, with Elizabeth Giguere recording a goal and two assists, as they defeated St. Cloud State, 5-1; Dayle Ross netted her first collegiate goal for the Huskies.

Upcoming games – Two other weekend series feature Friday and Saturday action, as Ohio State visits Minnesota State and Wisconsin hosts Minnesota Duluth. St. Cloud State and St. Thomas square off in a home-and-home series, starting Saturday in St. Cloud before moving to Mendota Heights on Sunday. The Huskies then host the Buckeyes in an afternoon matinee make-up game on Tuesday (February 8).

Standings:
1. Wisconsin – .762 pts%, 15-3-3-2, 2-0 in OT, 48 points (20-3-4 overall)
2. Minnesota – .758 pts%, 15-6-1-1, 0-3 in OT, 50 points (20-7-1 overall)
3. Ohio State – .750 pts%, 15-5-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 45 points (19-5-0 overall)
4. Minnesota Duluth – .667 pts%, 14-7-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 42 points (17-8-0 overall)
5. Minnesota State – .394 pts%, 8-13-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 26 points (12-13-1 overall)
6. Bemidji State – .333 pts%, 7-13-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 22 points (10-13-3 overall)
7. St. Cloud State – .211 pts%, 3-14-2-1, 1-1 in OT, 12 points (8-15-2 overall)
8. St. Thomas – .111 pts%, 2-18-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 7 points (4-20-1 overall)

Copyright © 2022 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 2, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022

Power Play Club

February 2, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, February 2nd

GWH 25th Season Celebration Weekend – February 4 & 5

The Minnesota Women's Hockey program will celebrate its 25th season of competition during this weekend's series against Bemidji State at Ridder Arena. A number of special events are planned over the weekend.

First, we encourage our fellow fans to check out the GWH Online Auction at gophersports.com/auctions, featuring a curated selection of 25 great items. Bidding is now open, and closes next Monday, February 7, at 7 p.m. CT.

Friday, February 4

Two additional celebrations will also take place as the Gophers recognize both National Girls and Women in Sports Day and 50 Years of Gopher Women Varsity Athletics. Ten lucky girls will get the chance to shadow an employee for the night and see what it is like to work for Gopher Women's Hockey.

Saturday, February 5

Invite your family & friends to the game by taking advantage of a special $25 ticket package, which includes two tickets plus concessions.
Season ticket holders will receive a commemorative ticket.
The team will host a free post-game skate; bring your own skates or rent a pair at the 3M Arena at Mariucci Student Lobby.
Also, all GWH alumni have been invited to participate in the festivities. We hope to see many of them in attendance!

Heise earns second monthly award of the season!!

Senior Taylor Heise's continued hot play has earned her the award as the WCHA Forward of the Month for January. Heise recorded 15 points across four series, lighting the lamp 6 times and dishing out 9 assists while tallying multiple points in 5 different contests. Through Sunday, she was tied for the NCAA lead in scoring with 46 points. The latest honor is her second monthly recognition this season after being named November's Forward of the Month. Congratulations, Taylor!!

2022 Olympic women's hockey tournament begins “tonight”;
Team USA begins its gold medal defense tomorrow

Eyes are on Beijing, China, as the 2022 Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Tournament gets underway at the Wukesong Sports Center and National Indoor Stadium. Ten (10) players with ties to the Minnesota Women's Hockey program are participating: Americans Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle; Finland's Nelli Laitinen; and Sweden's Josefin Bouveng.

Team USA is the defending Olympic gold medalist after defeating Canada in a shootout in 2018; they are also looking to make up for their 2021 IIHF World Championship loss to the Canadians in August. Finland wants to medal again after claiming bronze in 2018, while Sweden is in its first top-division tournament since 2019 and looking to improve on its 7th-place finish at the 2018 Winter Games.

While the tournament technically begins tomorrow – Thursday, Feb. 3 – time zone differences mean that the first games will occur tonight in the United States. Here's the list of preliminary-round games for Teams USA, Finland, and Sweden (with times shown as U.S. Central):

Sweden vs. Japan – Thursday, February 3 at 2:40 a.m.
Finland vs. USA – Thursday, February 3 at 7:10 a.m.
Finland vs. Canada – Friday, February 4 at 10:10 p.m.
Sweden vs. Czech Republic – Saturday, February 5 at 2:40 a.m.
USA vs. ROC (Russia) – Saturday, February 5 at 7:10 a.m.
USA vs. Switzerland – Sunday, February 6 at 7:10 a.m.
Sweden vs China – Monday, February 7 at 7:10 a.m.
Finland vs. Switzerland – Monday, February 7 at 7:10 a.m.
USA vs. Canada – Monday, February 7 at 10:10 p.m.
Sweden vs. Denmark – Tuesday, February 8 at 7:10 a.m.
Finland vs. ROC – Tuesday, February 8 at 7:10 a.m.

All Team USA and Team Canada games will be broadcast on the USA Network. Other select games will also be broadcast on USA Network or streamed at nbcolympics.com (note that this is subscription service). The full tournament schedule is available here. We will retweet IIHF game recaps on Twitter and post our own summary of results on Facebook.

Power Play Club

February 1, 2022

Penalty Box Post - Quick Hit - Tuesday, February 1st, 2022

Power Play Club

February 1, 2022

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Tuesday, February 1st

Gopher Women's Hockey online auction now open!!
Bidding closes on Monday, February 7 at 7 p.m. CT

The Gopher Women's Hockey Online Auction, a partnership of the Golden Gopher Fund and the Power Play Club, is now open at gophersports.com/auctions, with bidding closing next Monday evening, February 7, at 7 p.m. CT. The auction aligns with the program's 25th season celebration during this coming weekend's home series against Bemidji State.

As noted in last week's Penalty Box Post, the auction features 25 great items to bid on, including...

Team-signed gold jerseys - one from this season and one from last season;
A signed stick and signed helmet from this year's team;
Autographed items from past GWH teams, including the 2012-13, 2014-15, and 2015-16 NCAA Champions;
Signed and framed photos of several past Gopher greats, including 2022 Olympians Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Kelly Pannek & Lee Stecklein, plus former Olympians Krissy Wendell, Natalie Darwitz, and Gigi Marvin.

The auction is one of several PPC fundraising efforts supporting the Gopher Women's Hockey program. As reported in December, we raised more the $62K from our membership donations combined with monies collected on Give to the Max Day, and we graciously thank everyone who has contributed so far this season!!

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

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

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

Power Play Club

January 28, 2022

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Power Play Club

January 28, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, January 26

Goals for a Goal – Gophers light the lamp 6 more times!!

The Gopher Women's Hockey team increased its season scoring total to-date to 110 goals!! Sixteen (16) of those have come on the power play!!

We again ask for your assistance to support the squad's participation in a tournament in Las Vegas in the 2022-2023 regular season. Our Goals for a Goal campaign collects pledges for every goal scored throughout the regular season and postseason. The program includes an option to double your pledge for power-play tallies. We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund.

GWH online auction begins Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. CT

The Power Play Club is partnering with the Golden Gopher Fund at the U. of M. to host the Gopher Women's Hockey Online Auction, aligning with the program's 25th season celebration! The auction opens on Tuesday, February 1 at 10 a.m. CT and runs through Monday, February 7 at 7 p.m. CT.

The auction features 25 great items to bid on, including...

Team-signed gold jerseys - one from this season and one from last season;
A signed stick and signed helmet from this year's team;
Autographed items from past GWH teams, including the 2012-13, 2014-15, and 2015-16 NCAA Champions;
Signed and framed photos of several past Gopher greats, including 2022 Olympians Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Kelly Pannek & Lee Stecklein, plus former Olympians Krissy Wendell, Natalie Darwitz, and Gigi Marvin.

A link to the auction will be shared on our social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter) on the 1st.

#2/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-6-1, 14-5-1-1 WCHA)
at
#3/2 Ohio State Buckeyes (18-4-0, 14-4-0-0 WCHA)

Friday, January 28 at 6:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, January 29 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. CT
OSU Ice Rink, Columbus, OH

Coming out of one big rivalry series, the Gopher Women's Hockey team heads out on the road for another, traveling to Columbus, OH, for a top-four battle against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The action begins Friday, January 28, at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT and continues on Saturday, January 29, at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT at the OSU Ice Rink.

Last time against Ohio State – The opening of the 25th season of Minnesota Women's Hockey saw the Gophers on the wrong end of a series sweep, falling to the Buckeyes 4-2 and 4-1 at Ridder Arena. Peyton Hemp tallied her first goal in the Maroon & Gold to give the Gophers the lead 5:34 into the season opener. However, Clair DeGeorge knotted the score for OSU on a power play later in the first period, and Jenna Buglioni & DeGeorge lit the lamp in the second stanza for a 3-1 advantage. Taylor Heise pulled the Gophers within one late, scoring with an extra attacker with 2:03 to play, but Paetyn Levis tallied into an empty net for the Buckeyes 51 seconds later. Emily Brown assisted on both Gopher goals. In the rematch, Ohio State built a 3-0 lead after two periods, with Sophie Jaques converting twice on power plays and Jennifer Gardiner also scoring. Amy Potomak netted a between-the-legs breakaway goal in the third to cut the Minnesota defecit to 3-1, but Buglioni responded with an insurance goal for OSU. Jaques was named WCHA Defender of the Week, while OSU's Andrea Braendli earned the WCHA Goaltender of the Week honor after stopping 62 of 65 shots. Lauren Bench made 22 saves for Minnesota on Friday night, while Skylar Vetter stopped 27 shots in her collegiate debut on Saturday.

Analyzing the Buckeyes – With the WCHA switching to points percentage to set the conference standings, a split this past weekend (more on that momentarily) put Ohio State in sole possession of first place in the league. The Buckeyes are 18-4-0 overall and 14-4-0 in WCHA conference play, with their losses coming at the hands of Wisconsin (2) and Minnesota Duluth (2).

A defender – senior Sophie Jaques (#18) – leads Ohio State in all three scoring categories, recording 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points, claiming five WCHA Defender of the Week and two Defender of the Month awards in the process. On the forward lines, junior Jennifer Gardiner (#12; 12g, 22a) & sophomore Jenna Buglioni (#10; 12g, 20a) are second and third in total scoring with 34 and 32 points, respectively, while seniors Paetyn Levis (#27) & Gabby Rosenthal (#15) have each netted 13 goals.

Senior Andrea Braendli (#20) has seen the most action between the pipes for the Buckeyes, going 9-3-0 with a one shutout, .924 save percentage and 1.84 goals-against average; however, OSU is currently playing without her as she attends the Olympics on Team Switzerland. Sophomore Amanda Thiele (#30) has appeared in 10 games, posting a 6-1-0 record with 2 shutouts, a 1.06 GAA and .944 SV%. Junior Raygan Kirk (#1) is 3-0-0, recording a 1.50 GAA and .852 SV%, and fellow junior Quinn Kuntz (#35) stopped all 7 shots she faced in 30 minutes of action across two relief appearances.

Last action for Ohio State – While the Buckeyes were without their primary netminder due to the Olympics, the same held true for the visiting UMD Bulldogs. Instead, Amanda Thiele (OSU) and Jojo Chobak (UMD) started both games, with the first contest being a goaltender battle. Thiele and Chobak each made 27 saves as the game remained scoreless into its final minute, but Kylie Hanley lit the lamp with 32 seconds remaining for a 1-0 Minnesota Duluth victory. The Buckeyes took a 2-0 first-period lead in the rematch on goals by Jenna Buglioni & Sophie Jaques. OSU's Clair DeGeorge and UMD's McKenzie Hewett scored third-period goals 14 seconds apart, but Thiele made another 18 saves for a 3-1 Ohio State win and a series split. Chobak stopped 38 shots in the loss.

Gophers sweep top-ranked Wisconsin

Minnesota earned its first series sweep of Wisconsin since February 2016 and the Badgers suffered the first sweep against them in almost 4 years as the Gophers earned 2-1 and 4-3 victories at Ridder Arena.

Gopher goaltender Makayla Pahl had the standout performance of the opener, making 40 saves in the contest. Madeline Wethington scored the opening goal with 6:22 left in the second period. Daryl Watts tied the game for the Badgers with 11:32 to play, but Amy Potomak untied it with the game-winning goal with 2:34 to go, scoring on a 2-on-1 rush after a pass from Audrey Wethington. Audrey finished with two assists, also recording a helper on her sister's goal. Kennedy Blair made 20 saves between the pipes for Wisconsin.

The rematch saw a wild 5-goal first period. Brette Pettet gave UW an early lead, but Crystalyn Hengler evened the score 96 seconds later. Wisconsin went ahead again when Caitlin Schneider scored, but Ella Huber responded 14 seconds later and Catie Skaja put the Gophers ahead 70 seconds after that, 3-2. Taylor Heise pushed the lead to 4-2 in the second period. Pettet pulled the Badgers within one early in the third, but the Gopher defense held tight and Lauren Bench made 30 saves to earn the win. Blair stopped 21 shots for the Badgers. Skaja and Heise each had an assist to go with their respective goals, and Abigail Boreen dished out 3 helpers.

Heise, Huber earn conference weekly honors!!

Senior Taylor Heise and freshman Ella Huber were the latest Gopher Women's Hockey players honored by the WCHA as they were named Forward & Rookie of the Week, respectively, for their performances in the series against Wisconsin. Heise's award is her first weekly recognition of the year, though she was named November's Forward of the Month. Huber's honor is the first of her collegiate career.
Congratulations, Taylor and Ella!!

Gophers sign Swedish Olympian Bouveng for 2022-2023

Minnesota Women's Hockey and head coach Brad Frost announced Monday the signing of 2022 Sweden Olympic Team forward Josefin Bouveng as the fourth member of the incoming Gopher class of 2022-2023, joining Allie Franco, Madison Kaiser, and Nelli Laitinen. Bouveng becomes the first Swedish and fourth European player to join the program.

Bouveng is also 10th player with Gopher ties to be participating in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing after she recorded 2 goals and 3 assists over 3 games in an Olympic qualifying tournament in November. Prior to joining the senior national team, she participated in three U18 Women's World Championships, claiming a silver medal in 2018, and won a gold medal with Team Sweden at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.

Bouveng is in her fifth year in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). Currently in her second season with Brynäs IF, she has recorded 17 goals and 19 assists through 21 games.

Best wishes at the Olympics, Josefin, and welcome to the Gopher family!!

Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – Olivia Cvar lit the lamp twice for St. Cloud State to give the Huskies a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Bemidji State on Friday. In the rematch, the Beavers salvaged a split after Gabbie Smith netted her second goal of the weekend to take a 2-0 lead and they held on for their own 2-1 win.

Brittyn Fleming netted three goals and Charlotte Akervik & Kelsey Kind each added a goal and 3 assists as Minnesota State swept St. Thomas, 4-1 in Mendota Heights and 3-1 in their Hockey Day Minnesota outdoor game at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato. Emerald Kelley earned a win in her first career start for the Mavericks on Friday, making 11 saves. Emma Larson and Anna Erickson scored for the Tommies, and Alexa Dobchuk stopped a combined 74 shots.

Upcoming games – In the three other conference series, all with Friday and Saturday games, Minnesota State visits Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin visits St. Cloud State, and Bemidji State hosts St. Thomas. The schedule also features a pair of make-up games early next week, as Wisconsin visits St. Thomas on Monday night and St. Cloud State hosts Minnesota Duluth in a Tuesday afternoon matinee.

Standings:
1. Ohio State – .796 pts%, 14-4-0-0, 0-1 in OT, 43 points (18-4-0 overall)
2. Minnesota – .767 pts%, 14-5-1-1, 0-2 in OT, 46 points (19-6-1 overall)
3. Wisconsin – .741 pts%, 13-3-2-1, 2-0 in OT, 40 points (18-3-3 overall)
4. Minnesota Duluth – .611 pts%, 11-7-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 33 points (14-8-0 overall)
5. Minnesota State – .433 pts%, 8-11-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 26 points (12-11-1 overall)
6. Bemidji State – .267 pts%, 5-13-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 16 points (8-13-3 overall)
7. St. Cloud State – .229 pts%, 3-12-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 11 points (8-13-1 overall)
8. St. Thomas – .130 pts%, 2-15-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 7 points (4-17-1 overall).

Power Play Club

January 21, 2022

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, January 21, 2022

Power Play Club

January 21, 2022

The Two Minute Minor
Friday, January 21st

Gopher Women's Hockey Game Day!!
We hope to see many of you tonight at Ridder Arena as #5-ranked Minnesota squares off against top-ranked Wisconsin in the latest chapter of the Border Battle, with puck drop scheduled for 6:00 p.m. Tonight is also a Gold Out as all fans are encouraged to wear gold-colored apparel. Tickets are available here.

If you cannot attend in person, video of today's game will be streamed on B1G+ here. Free, live audio is available on GopherSports.com, while live statistics are available here. Game two of the series is tomorrow at 4 p.m.

Go Gophers!! Beat the Badgers!!

GWH recruit Laitinen Olympics-bound with Team Finland

Newly signed Gopher Women's Hockey recruit Nelli Laitinen is headed to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, as a member of the Finland Olympic Team. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced their women's team roster yesterday.

She becomes the ninth player with University of Minnesota ties headed to the Games, joining Americans Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle. Laitinen, Murphy and Zumwinkle will be first-time Olympians.

Team Finland opens the tournament against Team USA on Thursday, February 3, at 9:10 p.m. local time in Beijing / 7:10 a.m. U.S. Central Time. The full schedule of games is available here.

Congratulations and good luck, Nelli!!

WCHA switches to points percentages for 2021-2022 standings

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced Wednesday that points percentages will be used to determine the league's 2022 regular-season champion and seedings for the conference playoff tournament, due to cancelled games which cannot be rescheduled and the resulting imbalance of games played.

The WCHA shared the decision in conjunction with the announced rescheduling of three previously-cancelled contests. That was followed by news yesterday of a fourth rescheduled game.

At this time, the switch to a points percentage-based ranking makes no changes to the order of the conference teams in the standings. Minnesota remains third with a .741 points percentage (40 of a possible 54).

Bench named to national goaltending award "watch list"

We send congratulations to Gopher graduate player Lauren Bench as she was named to the "watch list" for the National Women's Goalie of the Year, as announced yesterday by the Hockey Commissioners Association. The 19 goaltenders on the list represent all five NCAA Division I conferences, and were selected by their respective league offices.

As noted in the release from the HCA, a committee of voters will pare the list down within the next two weeks and then choose the winner who will be announced in March during the NCAA Frozen Four. Congratulations and good luck, Lauren!!

Power Play Club

January 19, 2022

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Power Play Club

January 19, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, January 19

Goals for a Goal – Gophers roll past 100 goal mark!!

The Gopher Women's Hockey team netted 11 goals – including 3 on the power play – against Minnesota State, increasing their season total to-date to 104 goals, with 16 on the power play!!

Our Goals for a Goal campaign collects pledges for every goal scored throughout the regular season and postseason, converting them into contributions to support Minnesota's participation in a tournament in Las Vegas in the 2022-2023 regular season. The program includes an option to double your pledge for power-play tallies. We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund.

#5 Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-6-1, 12-5-1-1 WCHA)
vs. #1 Wisconsin Badgers (18-1-3, 13-1-2-1 WCHA)

Friday, January 21 at 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, January 22 at 4:00 p.m. CT
Ridder Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team looks to rebound from a tough Saturday loss, but they will be challenged as they host the top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers in the 114th and 115th all-time editions of the Border Battle. The action begins at Ridder Arena on Friday evening, January 21 at 6:00 p.m. and continues Saturday, January 22 at 4:00 p.m.

GOLD OUT on Friday – Fans coming to Friday's game at Ridder Arena are encouraged to wear gold attire to support the Gophers!

Last time against Wisconsin – Minnesota never trailed in its road series against the Badgers in early December. Taylor Heise and Emily Oden put the Gophers up 2-0 through one period of their opening game. Wisconsin came back with a second-stanza goal by Casey O'Brien and the tying tally by Maddi Wheeler in the third, but Catie Skaja converted a Badger turnover into an unassisted go-ahead goal just 9 seconds later. Lauren Bench made 31 saves to earn a 3-2 victory. The two teams traded goals in the rematch; Peyton Hemp scored for the Gophers in the first period, O'Brien tied things up in the second, Emily Zumwinkle put Minnesota back ahead in the third, and O'Brien netted her third goal of the weekend to draw the Badgers even again. A scoreless overtime resulted in a 2-2 tie, with Bench making another 37 saves in the game. The subsequent shootout needed 8 rounds before Zumwinkle won it to give Minnesota the extra point in the WCHA standings; Heise (1st round) and Emily Brown (4th) scored for the Gophers, while Daryl Watts (2nd) and Nicole LaMantia (4th) found the back of the net for the Badgers. Hemp and Oden each recorded an assist to accompany their respective goals.

Analyzing the Badgers – Wisconsin continues to be at the top of the WCHA, with only the one loss and two ties in their 16 conference games. Combined with a 5-0-1 non-conference record, the Badgers have maintained the #1 national ranking since the start of the season.

Wisconsin has a trio of players each recording 30+ points so far. Sophomore Casey O'Brien (#26) has a team-leading 21 goals and 38 points, dishing out 17 assists in the process. Classmate Makenna Webster (#8) is the Badgers' assists leader with 20 while lighting the lamp 15 times herself for 35 points. Fifth-year and past Patty Kazmaier Award winner Daryl Watts (#19) also has 15 goals plus 19 assists for 34 points. Another sophomore, Maddi Wheeler (#28), is the fourth Badger with double-digit goals, lighting the lamp 10 times and dishing out 12 assists.

Little has changed goaltending-wise for Wisconsin since the last Border Battle meeting. Fifth-year goaltender Kennedy Blair (#29) has been the only Badger between the pipes in their last 6 games; her record this season now stands at 16-1-3 with 5 shutouts, a 1.20 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage. As before, redshirt junior Cami Kronish (#30) has not yielded a goal in 4 periods of action, making a combined 14 saves, while redshirt freshman Jane Gervais (#1) has stopped 23 out of 25 shots over 5 periods of action for a 1.20 GAA and .920 SV%.

Last action for Wisconsin – The Badgers have not played since January 2 following a scheduled bye week and the cancellation of their home series this past weekend against St. Thomas. In their last games, a top-five non-conference series against Quinnipiac in Madison, Nicole LaMantia recorded a goal & 2 assists and Casey O'Brien scored a shorthanded, unassisted goal to break a 2-2 tie en route to a 5-2 victory in the opener. However, Bobcats goaltender Corinne Schroeder stopped 41 of 42 shots in the rematch; Sarah Wozniewicz scored early in the second period for the Badgers, but Maddy Samoskevich lit the lamp for QU later in the stanza and the game finished in a 1-1 overtime tie.

Gophers split with Minnesota State

Minnesota found itself trailing after MSU scored the opening goal of both their games this past weekend. However, the results after that were very different between the two contests. The Gophers netted the next 7 goals on Friday night in Mankato, including a first-period hat trick from Amy Potomak, en route to a 7-2 victory. Emily Zumwinkle, Taylor Heise, Madeline Wethington, and Emma Conner also lit the lamp, though Kelsey King scored in the final minute for the Mavericks. Skylar Vetter stopped 29 of 31 shots for the Gophers, while Calla Frank made 41 saves for MSU.

On Saturday at Ridder Arena, Minnesota State took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission after two goals by Charlotte Akervik and one by Kennedy Bobcyk, though Abigail Boreen converted a power play for Minnesota. In the second stanza, Makayla Pahl replaced Lauren Bench in net for the Gophers, Savannah Norcross scored on a laser shot high short-side, and a 2-on-0 passing play from Catie Skaja to Ella Huber and back to Skaja for a tap-in goal knotted the game 3-3 after 40 minutes. Going to the third, Jessica Kondas put the Mavericks ahead again with 12:20 to play, but Boreen netted her second power-play goal of the game to tie the score 4-4 with 8:27 left. Neither team scored again in regulation, but MSU broke their 53-game losing streak to the Gophers when King scored with 1:11 left in 3-on-3 overtime. Frank made another 41 saves for the Mavericks; Bench recorded 5 saves in the first period, and Pahl stopped 22 shots over the remainder of the contest.

King finished with a 5-point series, dishing out 3 assists to go with her two goals. Potomak (3g, 1a), Heise (1g, 3a), and Norcross (1g, 3a) recorded 4-points apiece, while Audrey Wethington also tallied 3 assists.

Vetter earns second-straight weekly conference award!!

Gopher freshmen Skylar Vetter earned a second-straight weekly conference award, being named WCHA Rookie of the Week for her career-high 29-save performance and .935 save percentage Friday night against Minnesota State, following being named Goaltender of the Week on January 10. As noted in the separate press release from the U. of M., Vetter is the 6th goaltender in GWH program history to earn a Rookie of the Week award. Congratulations, Skylar!!

Gophers add Finland native Laitinen to 2022-2023 freshman class

Gopher Women's Hockey and head coach Brad Frost announced Monday that Finnish defender Nelli Laitinen has signed with the team as the third member of the 2022-2023 recruiting class, joining Allie Franco and Madison Kaiser. Laitinen has already played in two IIHF Women's World Championships with the (senior) Finland National Team along with two U18 Women's World Championships. She is currently playing club hockey with Kiekko-Espoo, the two-time defending regular-season champions and current leaders of the Finnish Women's League. Welcome, Nelli!!

Finland Olympic Team to be named Thursday

The Finnish Hockey Association will announce the rosters for the 2022 Finland Olympic Men's and Women's Hockey Teams tomorrow – Thursday, January 20 – at 7 p.m. Eastern European Time / 11 a.m. U.S. Central Time. Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Noora Räty and newly-signed recruit Nelli Laitinen have been participants in the recent Finnish training camps. We will share more information following the announcement.

Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – In addition to the cancellation of the St. Thomas-Wisconsin series, the games between Ohio State and St. Cloud State in St. Cloud were also called off. The WCHA again indicated it will be making every effort to reschedule all in-conference series.

Minnesota Duluth, coming out of an unscheduled prior weekend off, swept visiting Bemidji State, 8-2 and 3-0. Anna Klein led the Bulldogs with 3 goals and 2 assists, Naomi Rogge added 3 goals and one assist, and Elizabeth Giguere recorded a goal and 3 helpers. Emma Söderberg posted a 28-save shutout on Saturday for UMD, while BSU's Kerrigan Dowhy made 29 saves.

Upcoming games – Barring more unplanned cancellations, St. Cloud State visits Bemidji State and Ohio State hosts Minnesota Duluth in a pair of Friday-Saturday series. St. Thomas and Minnesota State will play a home-and-home series, starting Friday night at the St. Thomas Ice Arena before taking things outside on Sunday afternoon as part of Hockey Day Minnesota festivities at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato.

Standings: 1t. Wisconsin – 14-1-3-1, 2-0 in OT, 40 points (18-1-3 overall); Ohio State – 13-3-0-0, 0-1 in OT, 40 points (17-3-0 overall); Minnesota – 12-5-1-1, 0-2 in OT, 40 points (17-6-1 overall); 4. Minnesota Duluth – 10-6-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 30 points (13-7-0 overall); 5. Minnesota State – 6-11-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 20 points (10-11-1 overall); 6. Bemidji State – 4-12-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 13 points (7-12-3 overall); 7. St. Cloud State – 2-11-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 8 points (7-12-1 overall); 8. St. Thomas – 2-13-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 7 points (4-15-1 overall).

Power Play Club

January 13, 2022

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Power Play Club

January 13, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
January 12, 2022

#4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-5-1, 11-4-1-1 WCHA)
vs. Minnesota State Univ. Mavericks (9-10-1, 5-10-1-1 WCHA)

Friday, January 14 at 6:00 p.m. CT, Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center – Mankato
Saturday, January 15 at 4:00 p.m. CT, Ridder Arena

After sweeping a home-and-home series this past weekend, the Gopher Women's Hockey team heads into another one, facing the Minnesota State University Mavericks. The two teams open the weekend Friday evening, January 14 at 6:00 p.m. at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato. The second game of the series will be at Ridder Arena on Saturday, January 15 at 4:00 p.m.

Last time against Minnesota State – The Gophers earned their first series sweep the season, defeating the Mavericks 3-0 at Ridder Arena and 6-2 in Mankato in October. All three goals in the opener came on the power play as Madeline Wethington, Gracie Ostertag, and Taylor Heise lit the lamp. At the other end of the ice, Makayla Pahl stopped all 14 shots on goal she faced for the shutout. Ostertag opened the scoring in the rematch with her second PPG of the weekend, Savannah Norcross tallied her first goal as a Golden Gopher, and Peyton Hemp and Amy Potomak extended the lead to 4-0 early in the second period. MSU's Sydney Langseth and Kennedy Bobyck cut the Mavericks' deficit in half, but Potomak converted a steal into her second goal of the game and Emily Oden lit the lamp in the third stanza to complete the sweep. Pahl earned the win with 9 saves in two periods of work; Skylar Vetter entered for the final 20 minutes and stopped the two shots she faced. MSU netminder Calla Frank made a combined 87 saves in the series. Ella Huber led all Gophers in total scoring, dishing out 4 assists over the weekend, and Emily Zumwinkle tallied her first collegiate point, assisting on Potomak's first goal.

Analyzing the Mavericks – Minnesota State has been a streaky team at times this season; after winning three-straight early in the season, the earlier series against the Gophers started an 8-game losing skid. However, the Mavs did bounce back a little, winning their first four December games. With a 5-10-1-1 WCHA record, they sit fifth in the conference standings.

Senior Brittyn Fleming (#19) is their overall scoring leader with 24 points, netting 7 goals and dishing out a team-high 17 assists. Three juniors follow in scoring for the Mavericks; junior Kelsey King (#20) has an MSU-leading 10 goals while adding 7 assists for 17 points, defender Charlotte Akervik (#8) has 4 goals & 11 assists for 15 points, and Kennedy Bobcyk (#12) has 14 points on 6 goals & 8 assists. Senior Brooke Bryant (#17) has also lit the lamp 7 times with 5 assists for 12 points.

Junior Calla Frank (#77) is Minnesota State's goaltending leader, starting 17 of the team's 20 games this season; she has an 8-8-1 record with 3 shutouts, a 2.69 goals-against average, and a .908 save percentage. Sophomore Lauren Barbro (#37) won her only start (non-conference against Merrimack), stopping 27 of 30 shots. Sophomore Emerald Kelley (#55) stopped 9 of 11 shots in a one-period relief appearance (against St. Cloud State). The Mavericks also brought in freshman Avery Stilwell on an emergency basis for their November series at Ohio State; she made a combined 84 saves in the two games.

Last action for Minnesota State – The Mavericks have yet to play in 2022 after their scheduled non-conference series at home against Syracuse was cancelled.

MSU claimed only 2 standings points on the road against Bemidji State in mid-December. Claire Vekich recorded the game-winning power-play goal & an assist and Paige Beebe dished out two helpers as the Beavers came from behind to win 3-2 in the opener. BSU's Lindsay Featherstone and MSU's Madison Mashuga lit the lamp in the rematch as the two squads skated to a 1-1 overtime tie; the Mavericks earned the bonus point when Sydney Langseth was the only player to score in the three-round shootout.

Gophers roll past St. Thomas – Fourteen different Minnesota Women's Hockey players recorded a point as they cruised to a sweep in their first-ever series against St. Thomas, 8-0 and 8-2. Abigail Boreen lit the lamp twice in the opener and followed that up with her first career hat trick plus an assist in the rematch. Saturday's contest also featured Savannah Norcross' first multi-goal game as a Gopher, Tristana Tatur's first collegiate point, and a 16-save shutout by Skylar Vetter. Taylor Heise posted a 6-point weekend with a goal and 5 assists, Madeline Wethington tallied a goal and dished out 4 helpers, and Amy Potomak matched Norcross with 2 goals and 2 assists. Peyton Hemp netted a short-handed goal Saturday and a power-play goal & an assist on Sunday for 3 points. Lauren Bench stopped 11 shots in Sunday's game. UST goaltender Alexa Dobchuk made a combined 74 saves in the series.

Boreen, Hemp, Vetter earn weekly conference recognition!!

A trio of Gophers – senior Abigail Boreen (center) and freshmen Peyton Hemp & Skylar Vetter – were honored as the WCHA Forward, Rookie, and Goaltender of the Week, respectively, following their performances against St. Thomas. Vetter was additionally recognized for having the Howies Hockey Tape Performance of the Week. Congratulations, Abigail, Peyton, and Skylar!!

GWH promotions & events this week and looking ahead...

Gopher Women's Hockey has numerous promotions and events scheduled over its remaining seven regular-season home games. Here are some highlights...

This Saturday, January 15 – Stop by the marketing table at Ridder Arnea to receive a FREE 25 Seasons of Gopher Women's Hockey autographed poster!
Friday, January 21: Gold Out – Wear gold to the Border Battle against Wisconsin! Fans will receive a FREE gold pom pom!
Saturday, February 5: GWH 25th Anniversary Celebration – Invite your family & friends to the game featuring a special $25 ticket package (including two tickets plus concessions). Season ticket holders will receive a commemorative ticket, and the team will host a post-game skate; bring your own skates or rent a pair at the 3M Arena at Mariucci Student Lobby.

The full list of promotions is available on GopherSports.com. Additionally, our Gopher Women's Hockey / Power Play Club Silent Auction is tentatively scheduled for the first week of February!!

Goals for a Goal campaign continues to roll!

Minnesota lit the lamp 16 times – including 3 on the power play – this past weekend, pushing their season total to-date to 93 goals, with 13 on the power play!! We ask for your help to convert every goal the team scores throughout the regular season and postseason into a contributions to support their participation in a tournament in Las Vegas in the 2022-2023 regular season.

Our Goals for a Goal campaign collects pledges for every goal scored, with the option to double your pledge for power-play tallies. We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund.

Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – In addition to the cancellation of the Minnesota State-Syracuse series, the games between Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State in St. Cloud were also called off. The WCHA indicated it will be making every effort to reschedule the UMD-SCSU series.

Ohio State throttled visiting Lindenwood in Columbus, winning 8-2 and 10-0. Sophie Jaques continued her hot hand with a 7-point series on 3 goals and 4 assists. Paetyn Levis added 3 goals and 2 assists, Liz Schepers lit the lamp twice and dished out 3 helpers, and Brooke Bink posted a hat trick on Saturday.

Upcoming games – With six weekends left in the regular season, all eight WCHA teams will be in conference action for the duration. The upcoming weekend features St. Cloud State at Ohio State, Minnesota Duluth hosting Bemidji State, and St. Thomas on the road for a Saturday-Sunday series at Wisconsin.

Standings: 1t. Wisconsin – 14-1-3-1, 2-0 in OT, 40 points (18-1-3 overall); Ohio State – 13-3-0-0, 0-1 in OT, 40 points (17-3-0 overall); 3. Minnesota – 11-4-1-1, 0-1 in OT, 36 points (16-5-1 overall); 4. Minnesota Duluth – 8-6-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 24 points (11-7-0 overall); 5. Minnesota State – 5-10-1-1, 0-1 in OT, 18 points (9-10-1 overall); 6. Bemidji State – 4-10-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 13 points (7-10-3 overall); 7. St. Cloud State – 2-11-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 8 points (7-12-1 overall); 8. St. Thomas – 2-13-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 7 points (4-15-1 overall).

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

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

Power Play Club

January 1, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, January 1st, 2022

Power Play Club

January 1, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Saturday, January 1st

Gophers vs. Whitecaps exhibition game canceled;
time change for second half opener vs. St. Thomas on Jan. 8

The U. of M. published the following announcement last night:
The University of Minnesota women's hockey exhibition contest against the Minnesota Whitecaps on Tuesday, Jan. 4 has been canceled due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the Whitecaps organization. The exhibition will not be rescheduled.

Minnesota is scheduled to start the second half of its season on Jan. 8 against the University of St. Thomas at Ridder Arena. Game time is set for 4 p.m., and will be televised on Bally Sports North.

Please note that the 4 p.m. start next Saturday is a time change to accommodate the television coverage.

Eight (8) Gophers Beijing-bound with U.S. Olympic Team!

Eight representatives of the U. of M. Women's Hockey program – Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle – have been named to the U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey Team roster for the upcoming 2022 Winter Games being held in Beijing, China!

The eight players have been members of USA Hockey's Women's Residency Program centralized since October, and account for more than one-third of the 23-member Olympic team roster announced earlier this evening. The U. of M. also published a press release here.

The Americans are looking to defend their gold medals after a 3-2 shootout victory in the 2018 Winter Games. In the My Why Tour schedule of games in pro-Olympic preparation in November and December, Team USA went 2-4 against their Canadian counterparts.

The Olympic Women's Hockey Tournament begins on Thursday, February 3, with the Gold Medal Game set for Thursday, February 17 (though starting late on Feb. 16 in the U.S. Central Time Zone). The Americans' schedule starts against Finland at 9:10 p.m. local time / 7:10 a.m. U.S. Central on February 3. The full schedule of games for all teams is available here.

GWH alumna Marvin announces retirement from USA Hockey

Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Gigi Marvin announced her retirement from the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team Program on December 16, completing a 13-year international career with one gold and two silver Olympic medals, five IIHF Women's World Championship gold medals, and 4 Four Nations Cup titles. Marvin played in 126 games with U.S. national teams (at both the senior and U22 levels), recording 74 points on 24 goals and 50 assists.

Marvin currently sits tied for ninth in GWH program history in all three scoring categories, tallying 87 goals and 108 assists for 195 points. She played in 152 career games for Minnesota between 2005 and 2009.

Congratulations on a great career Gigi, and best wishes on your next adventure!

Multiple international games & tournaments cancelled

Prior to the cancellation of the Gophers' exhibition against the Whitecaps, a number of international hockey events were called off over the past 3 weeks due to ongoing concerns about and adhering to protocols for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The final three games of the My Why Tour between the U.S. and Canada Women's National Hockey Teams were scrapped, including the December 20th game in St. Paul and two games in Alberta this coming week. Both teams are still preparing for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in February.

Meanwhile, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced on December 24th that six January tournaments would be cancelled. Included in that list was the 2022 edition of the Women's Under-18 World Championship, marking the second-straight year that event will not be played.

The IIHF attempted to hold the 2022 Men's Under-20 World Championship – the "World Juniors" – in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. However, after positive COVID tests forced the forfeiture of three-straight games on the third and fourth days of the tournament, that event, too, was cancelled on December 29th. Additional positive tests from the participating teams, plus one from an on-ice official, were announced on December 30th.

Power Play Club

December 17, 2021

Penalty Box Post: Quick Hit - Thursday, December 16, 2021

Power Play Club

December 17, 2021

Penalty Box Post: Quick Hit
Thursday, December 16th

PBP Quick Hit - Thursday, December 16th

NCAA announces expansion of NC Women's Ice Hockey Championship to 11 teams effective for 2022 tournament

The NCAA's Division I Council yesterday (Wednesday, Dec. 15) approved the recommendations from the Division I Competition Oversight Committee to increase the Beach Volleyball Championship field to 16 teams and Women's Ice Hockey Championship to 11 teams. The expansion of the two tournaments will go into effect for the 2022 championships.

Quoting the press release from the organization:

The 2022 National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Championship will feature the top five seeds in the tournament receiving a first-round bye. The fifth-seeded team will play at the campus site of one of the top four seeds. Three first-round games will be played at the campus sites of three of the top four seeds in the tournament.

The winners of the first-round games will have a day off before playing in the quarterfinals. The tournament will stay on its current schedule since no weekends will be added with this format. The 2022 Women's Frozen Four is slated for March 18-20 at Penn State.

Minnesota currently sits 5th in both the DCU/USCHO and USA TODAY/USA Hockey Magazine national polls, and also 5th in the USCHO.com PairWise Rankings.

Copyright © 2021 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

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

Power Play Club

December 15, 2021

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Power Play Club

December 15, 2021

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, December 15th

Goals for a Goal, overall fundraising campaign updates

Minnesota Women's Hockey heads into the holiday break with 77 goals scored so far this season, with 10 of those coming on the power play. Help us support the team's participation in a tournament in Las Vegas in the 2022-2023 regular season by making a pledge to our Goals for a Goal campaign, pledging a dollar amount for every goal the Gophers score throughout the regular season and postseason with the option to double your pledge for power play goals!

We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund.

We thank our club members and our Give to the Max Day donors for their generosity. Combining our membership donations and monies collected on Give to the Max Day, we've raised more the $62K for the Minnesota Women's Hockey program this season! We're also not done, with the final Goals for a Goal amount to be factored in and our online auction planned for late January and early February.

Mid-season recap...

Gophers split with Minnesota Duluth – Minnesota tallied the first goal in each of its two games against UMD at Ridder Arena this past weekend, and also held a one-goal lead entering the third periods of both contests. However, the games differed after that. Following a top-shelf stick-side rocket by Catie Skaja in the second period on Friday to put the Gophers up 1-0 through 40 minutes, Gabbie Hughes and Naomi Rogge lit the lamp 97 seconds apart to put the Bulldogs up 2-1. Amy Potomak knotted the score with 8:53 left in regulation, but Elizabeth Giguere put Minnesota Duluth back ahead 42 seconds later. The Gophers could not find another equalizer, falling 3-2; UMD netminder Emma Söderberg made 29 saves, while Lauren Bench stopped 19 shots. In Saturday's rematch, Audrey Wethington and Peyton Hemp put Minnesota up 2-0 after the first period, but Gabbie Krause lit the lamp for Minnesota Duluth in the second period. However, Makalya Pahl made 12 saves in that stanza, 6 more in the final period, and 24 for the game to earn a 2-1 victory. Söderberg posted another 33 saves to bring her weekend total to 62. Potomak and Wethington each recorded an assist to accompany their respective goals, while Crystalyn Hengler dished out two helpers on Saturday.

Overall Analysis – Minnesota currently sits third in the WCHA standings with a 30 points, posting a 9-4-1-1 conference mark (0-1 in OT). They trail both Wisconsin and Ohio State, who sit in a first-place tie with 40 points apiece, though the Gophers have two games in hand over both. Minnesota was 5-1-0 in non-conference play for a 14-5-1 overall record.

Seven (7) different Gopher players have recorded double-digit points and the team's season-long scoring average is 3.85, which is fifth among all Division I teams. Though while 17 players have lit the lamp, Taylor Heise remains the only one with double-digit goals, recording 14. Heise also holds the team lead in the other two scoring categories, dishing out 17 assists for 31 total points. Abigail Boreen and Amy Potomak each have 8 goals apiece; Boreen also has 15 assists to sit second in total scoring with 23 points. Peyton Hemp, Catie Skaja, and Emily Oden have each netted 7 goals; Hemp is the team's third 20+ point scorer with 21, Skaja has 19 points, and Oden has 17. Potomak has 7 assists for 15 points, and Ella Huber has 10 points on 3 goals and 7 assists. Madeline Wethington is the top-scoring defenseman with 9 points on 3 goals and 6 assists.

The Gophers' scoring defense is still yielding less than two goals per game, but their 1.95 mark (39 goals in 20 games) is only third in the WCHA and tied for 11th in the NCAA. Graduate player Lauren Bench has seen the most action, going 5-3-1 in nine starts with a shutout, a 2.13 goals-against average, and a .922 save percentage. Junior Makayla Pahl is a perfect 6-0-0 in her starts, also recording one shutout; her 1.57 GAA and .926 SV% are both third among qualifying goaltenders in the WCHA. Freshman Skylar Vetter is 3-2-0 in her five starts, with a 1.94 GAA and a .913 SV%, while junior Olivia King stopped 10 of 11 shots over a combined 52 minutes of action in two appearances against RIT.

Minnesota's power-play conversion rate currently stands fifth among WCHA teams at 18.5% (10 of 54), while the penalty kill unit is fourth in the league at 83.1% (54 of 65). Taylor Heise has netted three short-handed goals for the Gophers, who have yet to allow any shorties on their own power play.

Exhibition reminder – Gophers vs. Whitecaps, January 4 – We provide a reminder that action resumes for the Gophers with an exhibition contest against the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation at Ridder Arena on Tuesday, January 4 at 7 p.m. The Whitecaps feature seven U. of M. alumnae on their roster: Chelsey Rosenthal, Winny Brodt-Brown, Alex Woken, Meghan Lorence, Nicole Schammel, Patti Marshall, and Amanda Leveille. Admission is free, with general admission seating for all seats. We hope to see many of you there.

Team USA, Canada resume pre-Olympic competition tonight (Wednesday,, Dec. 15)
Action comes to Xcel Energy Center next Monday night (Dec. 20)

USA Hockey's My Why Tour presented by Toyota, featuring Women's National Team games against the Canadian National Team, continues tonight, Wednesday, December 15, at the Centene Community Ice Center in suburban St. Louis, Missouri, with puck drop at 7 p.m. CT. The two teams will plan again on Friday, December 17, also at the Centene Community Ice Center at 7 p.m. CT. Both of those games will be televised live on NHL Network.

Following the games in St. Louis, the teams will relocate to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the seventh game of their series on Monday, December 20, at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster, and the game will be televised on NBC Sports Network.

The series is currently tied at two wins apiece through the first four games, with each team earning victories on the other's ice. Canada took the two October games in Allentown, PA, and Harford, CT, by scores of 3-1 & 3-2, but Team USA returned the favor by winning the next two contests in Ontario last month, 3-2 (OT) & 2-0. Amanda Kessel and Lee Stecklein are the only Gopher representatives to record points so far; Kessel lit the lamp twice while Stecklein dished out one assist.

Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – Hannah Hogenson made a combined 97 saves and Lydia Passolt lit the lamp twice for Bemidji State, but Daryl Watts recorded 4 goals & two assists while Nicole LaMantia dished out 5 helpers to earn WCHA Forward & Defender of the Week honors, respectively, as Wisconsin earned a series sweep, winning 5-1 and 5-2.

Calla Frank was named WCHA Goaltender of the Week after stopping 51 of 52 shots, Brooke Bryant netted two goals, and Taylor Wemple and Brittyn Fleming each added a goal & an assist as Minnesota State swept St. Cloud State, 3-0 and 3-1. Allie Cornelius tallied the lone goal for the Huskies.

St. Thomas' Nicole Vallario recorded two goals & two assists to earn her second WCHA Rookie of the Week award of the season & Saskia Mauer made a combined 70 saves, but Lindenwood's Casey Adimey tallied 3 goals & an assist and Sena Takenaka added a goal & 3 assists as the Lions swept the Tommies in non-conference action, 4-3 (OT) and 4-1.

Upcoming games – This coming weekend features one WCHA series as Bemidji State hosts Minnesota State on Friday evening & Saturday afternoon (Dec. 17 & 18). New Year's weekend sees Minnesota Duluth travel to Boston for non-conference action against Harvard (Dec. 31 & Jan. 1), Wisconsin hosts Quinnipiac in a top-five battle (Jan. 1 & 2), and St. Cloud State plays in the Battle in the 'Burgh in Pennsylvania, facing Penn State on January 1 and either Boston University or Syracuse on January 2.

Standings: 1t. Wisconsin – 13-1-2-1, 2-0 in OT, 40 points (17-1-2 overall); Ohio State – 13-3-0-0, 0-1 in OT, 40 points (15-3-0 overall); 3. Minnesota – 9-4-1-1, 0-1 in OT, 30 points (14-5-1 overall); 4. Minnesota Duluth – 8-6-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 24 points (9-7-0 overall); 5. Minnesota State – 5-9-0-0, 0-1 in OT, 16 points (9-9-0 overall); 6. Bemidji State – 3-10-1-0, 1-0 in OT, 9 points (6-10-2 overall); 7. St. Cloud State – 2-11-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 8 points (6-11-1 overall); 8. St. Thomas – 2-11-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 7 points (4-13-1 overall).