The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 23, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, February 23rd

Goals for a Goal: Gophers enter postseason with 152 goals!

The Gopher Women's Hockey team finished the regular season with 152 goals, nineteen (19) of which came on the power play!!

We send our thanks to everyone who has enrolled into the Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal campaign this year, submitting a pledge for every goal scored by the Gophers! But there's still plenty of time to make a pledge if you haven't done so. Additionally, we provide a reminder that goals scored in the postseason will be included in this year's final count. The collected funds will be used to support the squad's participation in a regular-season tournament in Las Vegas in 2022-2023. We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund. The GGF will send out invoices following the end of the season.

GWH Online Auction recap

Additional thanks go to everyone who participated in the Gopher Women's Hockey online auction earlier this month. The auction netted $3,877 in support of the team!

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 2021-2022 WCHA Regular-Season Champions!!

WCHA Quarterfinals - Best 2 out of 3 games
#1-seed Minnesota Golden Gophers (26-7-1, 21-6-1-1 WCHA)
vs. #8-seed St. Thomas Tommies (5-25-1, 3-23-1-0 WCHA)

Friday, February 25 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feburary 26 at 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 27 at 2:00 p.m. (if necessary) - at Ridder Arena

After completing the regular season against the University of St. Thomas Tommies, the Gopher Women's Hockey team will face them again to begin the WCHA playoffs. The best two-out-of-three-game quarterfinal series at Ridder Arena will open on Friday, February 25 at 6:00 p.m., then continue on Saturday, February 26 at 4:00 p.m. and (if necessary) Sunday, February 27 at 2:00 p.m.

Gophers earn WCHA regular-season crown with sweep of Tommies – Minnesota cruised in their final two regular-season contests, defeating St. Thomas with a pair of 7-1 results. Sixteen (16) different Gophers recorded a point in the series. The top line of Abigail Boreen, Taylor Heise, and Catie Skaja posted 15 points over the weekend; Boreen led all scorers with a 6-point effort on a goal and 5 assists, Heise lit the lamp 3 times and added two helpers for 5 points, and Skaja tacked on a goal and 3 assists. Three others each tallied 3 points – Ella Huber (2g, 1a), Peyton Hemp (1g, 2a), and Audrey Wethington (3a). Savannah Norcross also lit the lamp twice on Saturday. Skylar Vetter and Lauren Bench each made 11 saves in their respective starts. Maddy Clough & Luci Bianchi tallied for the Tommies. UST goaltender Alexa Dobchuk stopped 98 shots in 108 minutes of action, while Eryn Cooley made 13 saves in a 12-minute relief appearance on Thursday.

Tommies analysis update – With an assist on Thursday, freshman Abby Promersberger (#11) retained the Tommies' overall scoring lead with 13 points on 5 goals and 8 helpers, also bringing her into a tie with senior Anna Solheim (#19) for the assists lead (Solheim has 2 goals for 10 points). Juniors Allie Monrean (#14) and Luci Bianchi (#15) have each lit the lamp a team-high 6 times; Monrean has 5 assists for 11 points, while Bianchi has dished out 3 assists for 9 points.

Senior Alexa Dobchuk (#30) posted a new personal-best 59 saves in Saturday's game against the Gophers, but her record this season fell to 2-19-1 with a 4.50 goals-against average and an .896 save percentage. Fellow senior Eryn Cooley (#35) has now stopped 38 of 43 shots faced in just over 47 minutes of action across five relief appearances. Freshman Saskia Maurer's availability for this weekend is unknown; as noted last week, she has a 3-6-0 record in her 9 starts, with a 3.16 GAA and .917 SV%.

Huber earns conference honor for final regular-season weekend

Gopher Women's Hockey freshman Ella Huber was named WCHA Rookie of the Week for her performance against St. Thomas to conclude the regular season. In the finale on Saturday, Huber lit the lamp twice for her first career multi-goal game, also dished out an assist, and recorded a +3 plus-minus rating in the contest. Her effort also garnered additional recognition from the league as the Howies Hockey Tape Performance of the Week! Congratulations, Ella!!

Heise reaches 60-point season, surpasses 150 career points

With 3 goals and 2 assists this past weekend, Minnesota Women's Hockey senior Taylor Heise reached the 60-point mark for the season, becoming the first Gopher to do so since Kelly Pannek in 2016-2017. Heise currently leads the nation in total points scored & points-per-game (among those playing 20+ games), and her 26 goals are tied for the national lead as well. Additionally, with her assist on the opening goal last Thursday night, Heise reached the 150-point mark for her collegiate career; she now sits at 154 points on 64 goals and 90 assists. Congratulations, Taylor!!

With 52 points of her own, Abigail Boreen joins Heise as the first Gopher duo to both reach the 50-point mark in the same season since Pannek & Sarah Potomak did so in '16-'17.

Nine Gophers earn medals at 2022 Olympic Winter Games;
USA falls to Canada in Gold Medal Game, Finland takes bronze

A comeback attempt by Team USA fell short in the Olympic Gold Medal Game against Canada. The Canadians took a 3-0 lead as Sarah Nurse netted the opening goal and Marie-Philip Poulin struck twice. Hilary Knight scored short-handed, with an assist to Hannah Brandt, to cut the American deficit to two before the second intermission, but it took a 6-on-4 extra-attacker power-play with time running out to pull within one as Amanda Kessel scored with under 13 seconds left. Team Canada killed off the remaining time and took home the gold, winning 3-2.

Earlier in the Bronze Medal Game, Finland blanked Swtizerland 4-0. Viivi Vainikka opened the scoring in the first period. The Swiss held their deficit at one until the third period when the Finns lit the lamp three more times, including a power-play goal by Nelli Laitinen. Swiss goaltender Andrea Braendli made 43 saves in the contest, while Anni Keisala stopped 15 shots for Finland.

Gophers at the Winter Games – We send our congratulations to the nine Minnesota Women's Hockey representatives between Team USA and Team Finland who earned medals at the Games. Here are the final statistics for our Gophers (** indicates Silver Medalist, * indicates Bronze Medalist).

  • Amanda Kessel** (USA) – 3 goals, 5 assists, 8 points

  • Nelli Laitinen* (FIN) – 2 goals, 5 assists, 7 points

  • Kelly Pannek** (USA) – 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points

  • Hannah Brandt** (USA) – 6 assists, 6 points

  • Dani Cameranesi** (USA) – 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points

  • Megan Bozek** (USA) – 3 assists, 3 points

  • Josefin Bouveng (SWE) – 1 goal, 1 point

  • Lee Stecklein** (USA) – 1 goal, 1 point

  • Grace Zumwinkle** (USA) – 1 goal, 1 point

  • Abbey Murphy** (USA) – 1 assist, 1 point

Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – Ohio State took care of business at home to claim the 2nd seed for the WCHA playoffs, sweeping Wisconsin 5-1 and 2-1. Kenzie Hauswirth netted both Buckeye goals on Saturday after also lighting the lamp on Friday, while Jenna Buglioni recorded a goal and 2 assists and Amanda Thiele stopped 48 out of 50 shots. Makenna Webster and Daryl Watts scored for the Badgers.

Minnesota Duluth suffered a mini-upset last Tuesday (Feb. 15) when St. Cloud State played them to a 1-1 tie and the Huskies won the shootout (2-1 in 4 rounds). Meeting again for a standard weekend series in Duluth, the Bulldogs shut out the Huskies on Friday, 3-0, but needed two goals in the final minute of regulation on Saturday to complete the sweep with a 4-3 win. Naomi Rogge led UMD with 2 goals and 2 assists over the three contests, while Elizabeth Giguere dished out 4 helpers. After netting Tuesday's shootout-clinching goal, Courtney Hall recorded a goal and an assist for SCSU on Saturday.

Chantal Burke, a transfer goaltender from Penn State, made her debut for Minnesota State and earned her first two career shutouts, 2-0 and 5-0, over Bemidji State, stopping all 47 shots she faced. Brittyn Fleming recorded two goals and two assists for the Mavericks, posting a new Minnesota State program record for points in a season with 40. Kelsey King added a goal and 3 helpers for MSU.

Final regular-season standings:
1. Minnesota – .810 pts%, 21-6-1-1, 0-3 in OT, 68 points (26-7-1 overall)
2. Ohio State – .778 pts%, 21-6-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 63 points (25-6-0 overall)
3. Wisconsin – .704 pts%, 18-6-3-2, 2-0 in OT, 57 points (23-6-4 overall)
4. Minnesota Duluth – .690 pts%, 19-8-1-0, 1-1 in OT, 58 points (22-9-1 overall)
5. Minnesota State – .381 pts%, 10-17-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 32 points (14-17-1 overall)
6. Bemidji State – .298 pts%, 8-18-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 25 points (11-18-3 overall)
7. St. Cloud State – .210 pts%, 4-20-3-2, 1-1 in OT, 17 points (9-21-2 overall)
8. St. Thomas – .123 pts%, 3-23-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 10 points (5-25-1 overall)

Other WCHA Quarterfinal Pairings...
Best 2-out-of-3 / Friday, Saturday, and (if necessary) Sunday, February 25-27

#5-seed Minnesota State University at #4-seed University of Minnesota Duluth
All three games at 2:00 p.m. CT

#7-seed St. Cloud State University at #2-seed Ohio State University
Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET / Saturday & Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET

#6-seed Bemidji State University at #3-seed University of Wisconsin
Friday at 7:00 p.m. CT / Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT / Sunday at 2:00 p.m. CT

More information from the league is available here.

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.

The Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, February 15th, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, February 15th

Goals for a Goal reminder: postseason included this year!

The Gopher Women's Hockey team lit the lamp another 10 times this past weekend, including one coming on a power play. Those results bring the squad's season total to-date to 138 goals, with eighteen (18) of those on the power play!!

Our Goals for a Goal campaign collects pledges for every goal scored over the season, with an option to double your pledge for power-play tallies. We remind everyone that the program is being extended this year to include postseason goals. The collected funds will be used to support the squad's participation in a regular-season tournament in Las Vegas in 2022-2023. We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund. The GGF will send out invoices following the end of the season

#1 Minnesota Golden Gophers (24-7-1, 19-6-1-1 WCHA) vs. Univ. of St. Thomas Tommies (5-23-1, 3-21-1-0 WCHA)

Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 p.m. - St. Thomas Ice Arena, Mendota Heights
Saturday, Feburary 19 at 4:00 p.m. - Ridder Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team concludes the 2021-2022 regular-season with its second series against its new cross-town rival, the University of St. Thomas Tommies. The home-and-home matchup will begin with a special Thursday night game, February 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights. After a day off, the series then moves to Ridder Arena for the rematch on Saturday, February 19 at 4:00 p.m.

GWH Senior Day Saturday – We encourage all fans to arrive at Ridder Arena early on Saturday as the Gopher Women's Hockey program recognizes its seniors as part of pregame festivities.

WCHA championship watch – Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Minnesota leads the WCHA standings. Regardless of other results in the conference, the Gophers can clinch the league's regular-season championship – which would be the program's 11th – by earning 4 or more standings points against the Tommies. The Gophers could also clinch with fewer points, but would be dependent on results in the Wisconsin at Ohio State series.

Last time against St. Thomas – Fourteen different Gophers recorded a point as they cruised to a sweep in their first-ever series against Tommies in January, 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 also 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.

Analyzing the Tommies – Having made the jump to Division I this past off-season, St. Thomas is going through the requisite growing pains. They currently hold the last position in the WCHA standings. That said, they have earned five victories this year, taking 7 of 12 standings points from St. Cloud State, sweeping RIT in a non-conference road series, and also getting a win over Bemidji State.

Similar to St. Cloud State, the Tommies are missing two European players due to the Winter Olympics. In UST's case, both are freshmen playing for Team Switzerland. Despite being gone since the holiday break, Nicole Vallario (#26) is still the team's top-scoring defender with 4 goals and 3 assists. Saskia Maurer (#29) was the goaltender of record in three of the Tommies' victories, posting a 3-6-0 record in her 9 starts with a 3.16 goals-against average and .917 save percentage.

Three different players lead the three primary scoring categories for St. Thomas. Freshman Abby Promersberger (#11) is the Tommies' overall scoring leader with 12 points on 5 goals and 7 assists. Junior Allie Monrean (#14) has a team-high 6 goals plus 5 assists for 11 points, while senior Anna Solheim (#19) is UST's assist leader with 8 while lighting the lamp twice herself for 10 points. Junior Luci Bianchi (#15) has also netted five goals for the Tommies while dishing out 3 assists.

Senior Alexa Dobchuk (#30) split time with Maurer during the first-half of the season, and has started all 11 games since the break; in her 20 total starts this year, she is 2-17-1 with a 4.24 GAA and an .897 SV%. Fellow senior Eryn Cooley (#35) has seen spot-duty with four relief appearances, stopping 25 of 29 shots faced in just over 35 minutes of action.

Last action for St. Thomas – The Tommies came up empty during their trip to the North Shore to face Minnesota Duluth. Alexa Dobchuk made 39 saves for UST in the opener, but goals by Gabby Krause and Anneke Linser put the Bulldogs up 2-0; Brieja Parent lit the lamp for St. Thomas but they fell short, 2-1. UMD found their scoring touch in the rematch; Naomi Rogge recorded two goals & two assists, Clara Van Wieran added two goals & an assist, and Taylor Anderson & Gabby Krause each talled a goal and two assists in an 8-1 rout. Allie Monrean lit the lamp for the Tommies, Alexa Dobchuk made another 39 saves before being relieved, and Eryn Cooley stopped 7 shots over the final 9-1/2 minutes. UMD netminders Jojo Chobak & Holly Gruber faced only 16 shots for the entire series, stopping 14.

Gophers extend winning streak to 5 with sweep of St. Cloud State

The top line of Abigail Boreen, Catie Skaja, and Taylor Heise combined for 7 goals – including all five Gopher tallies on Friday – and 7 assists to lead Minnesota to a sweep of St. Cloud State, 5-3 and 5-1. After yielding goals to the Huskies' Emma Gentry & Nicole Ness in the first period on Friday, Boreen recorded a hat trick plus 2 helpers, Skaja tallied a goal and 2 assists, and Heise tacked on an empty-netter after 3 earlier assists. SCSU's Olivia Cvar scored a late power-play goal with an extra attacker, but Lauren Bench made 14 saves for the win. Emma Polusny stopped 55 shots for the Huskies. Skaja got things started in the rematch with an unassisted tally before Cvar evened the score with another power-play goal. However, the Gophers took control after the first intermission; Savannah Norcross put Minnesota up 2-1 in the second, Olivia Knowles lit the lamp in the third, Skaja scored unassisted again with a short-handed, empty-net tally, and Ella Huber added her first-career short-handed goal on the same penalty kill. Knowles posted a 3-point game, recording two assists to go with her goal. Makayla Pahl made 19 saves and earned an offensive assist on Huber's goal, while Sanni Ahola stopped 42 shots for the Huskies.

Brown earns special recognition after nomination from team

In a special recognition before this past Saturday's contest, Minnesota senior captain Emily Brown was honored as the “PNC Achiever of the Game”. The PNC Achievers program celebrates achievement among student-athletes and showcases student success through its honors and recognition program. Honorees are selected by designated panels at each respective school, and selection criteria requires each honoree to have distinguished themselves in the classroom and in their community through academic achievement, community service and student leadership. As of last November, the program is currently active at nearly 20 schools and universities across the markets PNC Bank serves. Brown was nominated by her teammates and coaching staff for her academic accomplishments, community service, and demonstration of GWH team values! Congratulations, Emily!!

2022 Winter Olympics Gold Medal Game – USA vs. Canada
Wednesday, February 16 at 10:10 p.m. US Central
Television coverage on NBC

For the fourth-straight Winter Olympics and sixth overall, the U.S. and Canada Women's Ice Hockey teams will battle for the gold medal. Team USA is the defending Olympic champion after winning the 2018 Gold Medal Game 3-2 in a shootout, but the Canadians are 7-2 against the Americans over the last seven months, including the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship and pre-Olympic exhibition action. Canada claimed the 2021 World Championship gold medal with a 3-2 overtime victory.

We wish good luck to the eight Gopher Women's Hockey representatives playing as members of Team USA: Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein & Grace Zumwinkle.


Bronze Medal Game: Finland vs. Switzerland, Wednesday at 5:30 a.m. CT – Team Finland, including incoming Gopher freshman Nelli Laitinen, will look for its fourth Olympic bronze medal and second-straight. They take on a Swiss team looking for their second Olympic medal. This is a rematch of the 2021 Women's World Championship bronze medal game, which Finland won 3-1. The game will be streamed through NBC's peacocktv.com subscription service, with a replay on USA Network Wednesday afternoon at noon CT.


Semifinal recaps

Canada 10, Switzerland 3 – Marie-Philip Poulin lit the lamp twice, Claire Thompson recorded a goal and 2 assists, and Sarah Nurse dished out four helpers as the Canadians outshot the Swiss 61-13. Switzerland netminder Andrea Braendli was relieved less than 10 minutes into the contest after yielding 4 goals in a span of just 2:05, though teammate Lara Stalder made a showing with two goals and an assist.

USA 4, Finland 1 – Hannah Brandt's pass across the slot found Cayla Barnes, who buried the power-play goal to open the scoring in the second period. Hilary Knight and Hayley Scammura extended the American lead to 3-0. Susanna Tapani netted an extra-attacker goal for the Finns with 26 seconds remaining, but Abby Roque tacked on an empty-netter for Team USA with Amanda Kessel earning an assist. Alex Cavallini made 25 saves and was named the U.S. Player of the Game, while Finland's Anni Keisala stopped 38 shots.

Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – In a 2-2 game late in the third period Friday night, Ohio State pulled their goaltender in search for a regulation victory at Bemidji State; however, a save off the goal line by Beavers goaltender Kerigan Dowhy – her 51st stop in the contest – rebounded to teammate Paige Beebe, who launched the puck down the ice and into the empty net with 0.3 seconds remaining and the 3-2 BSU upset. OSU responded in force in the rematch as eight different Buckeyes lit the lamp for an 8-1 victory and the series split; Clair DeGeorge recorded 2 goals and 3 assists over the weekend.

Daryl Watts posted a 9-point series with 4 goals and 5 assists, Casey O'Brien added 3 goals and an assist, and Makenna Webster tallied a goal and 4 helpers as Wisconsin rolled over Minnesota State, 5-2 and 7-2. Kelsey King recorded 2 goals & 2 assists and Brittyn Fleming had 2 goals & an assist for the Mavericks.

Upcoming games – Minnesota Duluth & St. Cloud State have three games remaining, all against each other; as mentioned last week, they will play a make-up game in St. Cloud this afternoon (Tuesday, Feb. 15) before squaring off in Duluth on Friday and Saturday. Also on Friday and Saturday, Wisconsin and Ohio State will battle in Columbus while Minnesota State hosts Bemidji State in Mankato.

Standings:
1. Minnesota – .795 pts%, 19-6-1-1, 0-3 in OT, 62 points (24-7-1 overall)
2t. Ohio State – .760 pts%, 19-6-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 57 points (23-6-0 overall)
Wisconsin – .760 pts%, 18-4-3-2, 2-0 in OT, 57 points (23-4-4 overall)
4. Minnesota Duluth – .680 pts%, 17-8-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 51 points (20-9-0 overall)
5. Minnesota State – .333 pts%, 8-17-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 26 points (12-17-1 overall)
6. Bemidji State – .321 pts%, 8-16-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 25 points (11-16-3 overall)
7. St. Cloud State – .208 pts%, 4-18-2-1, 1-1 in OT, 15 points (9-19-2 overall)
8. St. Thomas – .133 pts%, 3-21-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 10 points (5-23-1 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.

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 9, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, February 9th

U. of M. lifts vaccine mandate; mask requirement remains

The University of Minnesota announced yesterday that it will not extend its temporary policy requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative, third-party COVID-19 test. The policy runs through events occurring today (Wednesday, Feb. 9) but expires after that.

The university reiterated, though, that its face covering policy does remain in place, with all guests attending an indoor Gopher Athletics event on campus being required to wear a well-fitted mask.

Goals for a Goal – season total continues to build!!

With four games left in the regular season and the postseason yet to come, the count of goals scored by the Gopher Women's Hockey team continues to increase. Through last weekend, the team has lit the lamp 128 times. Of those, seventeen (17) have come on the power play!!

Our Goals for a Goal campaign collects pledges for every goal scored over the season, with an option to double your pledge for power-play tallies. The collected funds will be used to support the squad's participation in a regular-season tournament in Las Vegas in 2022-2023. We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund. The GGF will send out invoices following the end of the season.

#1 Minnesota Golden Gophers (22-7-1, 17-6-1-1 WCHA)
vs.
St. Cloud State Univ. Huskies (9-17-2, 4-16-2-1 WCHA)

Friday, February 11 at 3:00 p.m. Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, St. Cloud
Saturday, Feburary 12 at 3:00 p.m. Ridder Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team continues its push toward the playoffs with two home-and-home series to conclude the regular season, the first coming against the St. Cloud State University Huskies. Action begins with an afternoon matinee on Friday, February 11 at 3:00 p.m. at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. The series then moves to Ridder Arena for the rematch on Saturday, February 12 at 3:00 p.m.

Time change reminder – We provide a reminder that the start time on Friday is a change from the original schedule. We hope many of you can make the drive up to St. Cloud on Friday afternoon.

Last time against St. Cloud State – Taylor Heise opened Minnesota's November series against St. Cloud State with her third short-handed goal of the season, and led the Gophers with 2 goals and 3 assists in a weekend sweep, winning 6-2 and 5-1.

The Huskies' Emma Gentry tied the opening contest in St. Cloud later in the first period, but Audrey Wethington, Olivia Knowles, Abigail Boreen, and Heise lit the lamp in the second stanza to open a 5-1 lead, and SCSU's Addi Scribner and Minnesota's Gracie Ostertag traded power play goals in the final 20 minutes. Emily Brown, Ostertag, and Boreen put Minnesota up 3-0 after one period of the rematch at Ridder Arena, and Emily Oden made it 4-0 before Mackenzie Bourgerie tallied for St. Cloud State. Crystalyn Hengler added a power play goal in the final frame. Oden dished out 3 assists in the series to accompany her goal, and Catie Skaja recorded 4 helpers.

Between the pipes, Makayla Pahl made 23 saves on Friday while Skylar Vetter stopped 20 shots on Saturday. Huskies netminder Sanni Ahola made a combined 66 saves in the two contests.

Analyzing the Huskies – St. Cloud State sits 7th in the WCHA standings with a 4-16-2 conference mark. While they've gone 2-2 against Minnesota State, they are 1-3 against Bemidji State and 1-2-1 against St. Thomas. The Huskies did post a 5-1-0 record in non-conference play, but those wins came against Lindenwood (x2), RPI (x2), and Penn State.

The Huskies find themselves missing two European players due to the Winter Olympics. Finnish senior Jenniina Nylund (#81) is third in total scoring for the team despite having played just 16 games for them, recording 15 points on 7 goals and 8 assists. Czech junior Klara Hymnlarova (#12) has 2 goals and 3 assists in 12 games with the Huskies.

Sophomore Emma Gentry (#20) is the run-away team leader in goals, having lit the lamp 14 times, nearly a quarter of the team's total of 57; adding in her 5 assists, she has 19 points. Junior Taylor Lind (#13) is the Huskies' overall scoring leader with 22 points, coming on 7 goals and 15 assists. Junior Olivia Cvar (#91; 7g, 3a) and junior Courtney Hall (#17; 2g, 8a) each have 10 points.

Sophomore Sanni Ahola (#1) has seen a slight majority of action between the pipes for SCSU; she's 5-11-0 in her 16 starts, with a 3.83 goals-against average and .894 save percentage. Graduate student Emma Polusny (#32) is an experienced veteran for the Huskies; she has a 4-6-2 record in 12 starts this season, with a 2.82 GAA and .925 SV%. Senior Karlie Ries (#30) and freshman Sky Hughes (#33) have not seen any action this year.

Last action for St. Cloud State – The Huskies led St. Thomas 2-0 in both games of their home-and-home series this past weekend. Allie Cornelius and Olivia Cvar (SH) scored in the second period of the opener in St. Cloud. However, four-straight penalties by SCSU led to third-period goals by the Tommies' Megan Cornell (5-on-3), Abby Promersberger (PP), and Anna Solheim (5-on-3); Alexa Dobchuk made 33 saves in total to earn UST the 3-2 victory. Moving to Mendota Heights for he rematch, Emma Gentry and Nicole Ness put the Huskies up by two but St. Thomas' Maija Almich cut that lead in half before the second intermission. The Tommies would get no closer, as Allison Green pushed the SCSU lead back to two with 1:07 to play. UST's Allie Monrean lit the lamp with 16 second left, but St. Cloud State earned the 3-2 win and the series split.

The Huskies are also coming off of a mid-week rescheduled game against Ohio State yesterday (Tuesday, 2/8) in St. Cloud. Liz Schepers completed a hat trick over the first two periods for the Buckeyes, though they led only 3-2 after 40 minutes thanks to SCSU goals by Gentry and Taylor Lind. But OSU struck 3 more times in the third stanza; Lexi Templeman & Brooke Bink each recorded a goal and an assist, and Schepers lit the lamp a fourth time to defeat the Huskies, 6-2.

Gophers sweep Bemidji State

Twelve different Minnesota players found the scoresheet as they defeated Bemidji State, 7-0 and 5-2, at Ridder Arena this past weekend. Taylor Heise led the way with 2 goals and 3 assists in the series, maintaining her NCAA lead in total scoring with 51 points and tallying her nation-leading 4th short-handed goal. Abigail Boreen and Savannah Norcross each tallied 2 goals & 2 assists, while Audrey Wethington, Catie Skaja & Amy Potomak each added a goal and 2 assists. Peyton Hemp lit the lamp twice on Friday night for her first career multi-goal game. Emily Brown recorded her 80th career point with an assist Friday, then tallied point #81 with a goal on Saturday. For Bemidji State, Taylor Nelson and Greysen Myers each lit the lamp shortly following Gopher goals to knot the score 1-1 and 2-2 on Saturday, but Norcross put Minnesota up for good.

Lauren Bench earned both victories, posting a 26-save shutout Friday before stopping another 27 shots on Saturday. BSU's Kerigan Dowhy made 43 saves in the opener, while Hannah Hogenson stopped 42 shots in the rematch.

Brown, Hemp latest Gophers to earn weekly honors!!

Senior captain Emily Brown and freshman Peyton Hemp were honored as the WCHA Defender & Rookie of the Week, respectively, for their performances against Bemidji State. In addition to passing the career 80-point mark with her goal and assist, Brown blocked 4 shots, posted a plus-5 rating on the ice, and played in her 157th and 158th career games with the Gophers. Hemp's pair of goals were accompanied by a plus-2 rating in the series, earning her a second weekly award this season. Congratulations, Emily and Peyton!!

Olympic Update: Canada defeats U.S. in preliminary play;
Finland earns 3rd seed & Sweden qualifies for quarterfinals

Minnesota Women's Hockey representative contributed to Team USA's performance in the preliminary-round contest against Canada yesterday, with Dani Cameranesi scoring and Kelly Pannek & Amanda Kessel recording assists, but the Canadians won in come-from-behind fashion, rattling off three-straight goals for a 4-2 victory. With the win, Canada took the top spot in Group A and the #1 seeding for the playoff round, which begins Friday (Beijing time).

Prior to their head-to-head meeting, the American and Canadian squads each won their other three Group A games. Team USA defeated Finland 5-2, ROC (Russia) 5-0, and Switzerland 8-0. Canada steamrolled their opponents, topping Switzerland 12-1, Finland 11-1, and ROC 6-1. Finland also fell to Switzerland, 3-2, but a 5-0 win over ROC yesterday propelled them into a third-place finish in the group. Through tiebreakers, ROC finished 4th and Switzerland 5th; ROC defeated the Swiss 5-2 in group play.

Japan claimed the top spot in Group B, earning standings points in all four of their games; they defeated Sweden 3-1 and Denmark 6-2, fell to China 2-1 in a shootout, but won a shootout over the Czechs, 3-2. The Czech Republic won their opener over China 3-1, topped Sweden 3-1, but were upset by Denmark 3-2. After their losses to Japan and the Czech Republic, Sweden defeated China 2-1 and Denmark 3-1 to advance to the playoff round. The Chinese and Danes were eliminated (China won their head-to-head meeting 3-1).

Quarterfinal match-ups (times listed are U.S. Central Time):

  • United States vs. Czech Republic – Thursday, February 10 at 10:10 p.m.

  • Canada vs. Sweden – Friday, February 11 at 7:10 a.m.

  • ROC vs. Switzerland – Friday, February 11 at 10:10 p.m.

  • Finland vs. Japan – Saturday, February 12 at 2:40 a.m.


Gophers at the Winter Games (* indicates career Olympic firsts):

  • Amanda Kessel (USA) – 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points (U.S. scoring leader)

  • Kelly Pannek (USA) – 2 goals*, 3 assists, 5 points

  • Nelli Laitinen (FIN) – 1 goal*, 2 assists*, 3 points*

  • Megan Bozek (USA) – 3 assists, 3 points, +7 rating

  • Dani Cameranesi (USA) – 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points

  • Hannah Brandt (USA) – 2 assists, 2 points

  • Josefin Bouveng (SWE) – 1 goal*, 1 point*

  • Grace Zumwinkle (USA) – 1 goal*, 1 point*

  • Abbey Murphy (USA) – 1 assist*, 1 point*

  • Lee Stecklein (USA) – +3 rating

Around the WCHA...

Last weekend – Before their make-up game in St. Cloud yesterday, Ohio State cruised to series sweep of Minnesota State in Mankato, 5-0 and 7-1. Gabbie Rosenthal tallied 3 goals and 2 assists, Liz Schepers notched 6 points on a goal and 5 assists, Paetyn Levis added 2 goals and 3 assists, Jenna Buglioni lit the lamp 3 times, and Amanda Thiele stopped a combined 41 shots. Jessica Kondas scored the lone goal for the Mavericks and Calla Frank made 79 saves.

Elizabeth Giguere scored twice and Jojo Chobak stopped all 45 shots she faced as Minnesota Duluth shut out Wisconsin 3-0 to open their series, UMD's first win in Madison in over 11 years. But Daryl Watts recorded a hat trick in the rematch, scoring on a power play, at even strength, and short-handed, and Kennedy Blair made 26 saves on 27 shots in a 5-1 Badgers victory and the series split.

Upcoming games – The other three weekend series will also feature Friday and Saturday action; Ohio State remains on the road with a visit to Bemidji State, St. Thomas heads north to face Minnesota Duluth, and Wisconsin hosts Minnesota State. The schedule also includes one more make-up game as well, as St. Cloud State hosts Minnesota Duluth next Tuesday afternoon (Feb. 15).

Standings:
1. Ohio State – .783 pts%, 18-5-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 54 points (22-5-0 overall)
2. Minnesota – .778 pts%, 17-6-1-1, 0-3 in OT, 56 points (22-7-1 overall)
3. Wisconsin – .739 pts%, 16-4-3-2, 2-0 in OT, 51 points (21-4-4 overall)
4. Minnesota Duluth – .652 pts%, 15-8-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 45 points (18-9-0 overall)
5. Minnesota State – .361 pts%, 8-15-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 26 points (12-15-1 overall)
6. Bemidji State – .306 pts%, 7-15-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 22 points (10-15-3 overall)
7. St. Cloud State – .227 pts%, 4-16-2-1, 1-1 in OT, 15 points (9-17-2 overall)
8. St. Thomas – .145 pts%, 3-19-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 10 points (5-21-1 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.

The Penalty Box Post - Thursday, 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.

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

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.

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

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 26, 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).

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.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, 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!!

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.

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, 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).

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.

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 12, 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.