The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - May 22, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, May 22nd

Correction...

The Minnesota Women's Hockey schedule of 2022-2023 WCHA games published in this past Tuesday's Penalty Box Post erroneously listed an October series at Minnesota Duluth. We apologize for the error. Here is the corrected list.

Oct. 7-8 – vs. Bemdiji State
Oct. 14-15 – (home & home) vs. MN State
Oct. 21-22 – (home & home) vs. SCSU
Oct. 28-29 – at Ohio State
Nov. 4-5 – vs. Minnesota Duluth
Nov. 18-19 – at Wisconsin
Dec. 2-3 – (home & home) vs. MN State
Dec. 9-10 – (home & home) vs. SCSU
-- Winter Holiday Break --
Jan. 13-14 – vs. St. ThomasJan. 20-21 – at Bemidji state
Jan. 27-28 – at Minnesota Duluth
Feb. 3-4 – vs. Ohio State
Feb. 10-11 – vs. Wisconsin (Senior Wknd)
Feb. 17-18 – at St. Thomas
-- End of Regular Season --

Feb. 24-26 – WCHA Quarterfinals
(best 2 of 3 at higher seeds)

March 3 & 4 – WCHA Final Faceoff
at Ridder Arena

As before, game times and non-conference contests will be announced at a later date.

Heise honored as CoSIDA Academic All-District selection

Gopher Women's Hockey senior forward Taylor Heise added to her collection of awards from the 2021-2022 season, being one of five University of Minnesota student-athletes named as Academic All-District® honorees for at-large sports by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. Heise, Lindsay Eliasen (rowing), Ona Loper (gymnastics), Ben Meyers (men's hockey) and Lexy Ramler (gymnastics) join 13 Gopher student-athletes already recognized as Academic All-District® selections for 2021-2022 in their respective sports.

Heise and the four others honored this past week advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in June. Congratulations, Taylor!!

Ridder to host WCHA Final Faceoff in 2023 and 2024

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced Wednesday that Ridder Arena will continue to host the Final Faceoff conference semifinals and playoff championship through 2024, marking the 24th and 25th seasons of the league. The two-year extension will be the eighth- & ninth-consecutive years Ridder has hosted the event and the 16th & 17th times overall.

As noted in the press release from the conference, the selection was made following a vetting process and recommendation by the league’s staff and a vote of approval by the WCHA Board of Directors. (Ridder Arena photo by Justin Wolford)

Idalski returns to WCHA as new head coach at St. Cloud State

In other conference news, St. Cloud State University named Brian Idalski as the sixth head coach of its women's hockey team on Thursday. He returns to the WCHA after spending 11 seasons (2007-2018) as head coach at the University of North Dakota.

Since leaving UND, Idalski spent three years as the head coach of the KRS Vanke Rays in Russia's Women's Hockey League, winning the regular-season championship in 2020-2021 and playoff championships in 2020 & 2022. He also served as head coach of China's Women's Olympic team for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

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.

Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, May 17, 2022

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, May 17th

Gophers, WCHA release 2022-2023 league-game schedules

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association yesterday released its preliminary composite conference-game schedule for all eight league member teams. The University of Minnesota followed that with the specific Gopher Women's Hockey schedule which included some updates. (Note that, for any remaining discrepancies, we are defaulting to the U. of M. release.)

The Gophers will open WCHA play on October 7 & 8 at home against Bemidji State, followed by back-to-back home-and-home series against Minnesota State and St. Cloud State. Minnesota will complete its season series against both the Mavericks & Huskies early, with consecutive home-and-homes again in December. The Gophers will open the second-half of the year much like they did in 2021-2022, facing St. Thomas on January 13 & 14. Senior Weekend at Ridder Arena will feature the Border Battle against Wisconsin on February 10 & 11. Here's the quick rundown.

Oct. 7-8 – vs. Bemdiji State
Oct. 8-9 – at Minnesota Duluth
Oct. 14-15 – (home & home) vs. MN State
Oct. 21-22 – (home & home) vs. SCSU
Oct. 28-29 – at Ohio State
Nov. 4-5 – vs. Minnesota Duluth
Nov. 18-19 – at Wisconsin
Dec. 2-3 – (home & home) vs. MN State
Dec. 9-10 – (home & home) vs. SCSU
-- Winter Holiday Break --
Jan. 13-14 – vs. St. Thomas

Jan. 20-21 – at Bemidji state
Jan. 27-28 – at Minnesota Duluth
Feb. 3-4 – vs. Ohio State
Feb. 10-11 – vs. Wisconsin (Senior Wknd)
Feb. 17-18 – at St. Thomas
-- End of Regular Season --
Feb. 24-26 – WCHA Quarterfinals
(best 2 of 3 at higher seeds)

March 3 & 4 – WCHA Final Faceoff
at Ridder Arena

Game times and non-conference contests will be announced at a later date.

Gopher netminding duo headed to USA Hockey Goalie Camp

Gopher Women's Hockey's Makayla Pahl and Skylar Vetter were named yesterday as two of the 29 players invited to the 2022 USA Hockey National Goaltending Camp, being held this coming weekend – May 19-22 – at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.
As noted in the press release, the four days will consist of on-ice training, skill development, video analysis and team building activities, with a stated goal of “allow[ing] the group to compete among their peers, grow their game, self-evaluate and learn from an experienced camp staff.”

Congratulations, Makalya & Skylar, on your selections!!

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 Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - April 29, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An Edition of the Penalty Box Post
Friday, April 29th

Next PPC Board Meeting – Tuesday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m.

The Power Play Club Board of Directors will be meeting online via Zoom on Tuesday evening, May 10, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is open to all enrolled Power Play Club members (2021-2022 membership applies for off-season meetings); if you are interested in attending, please contact PPC vice president Dave Malerich at vicepresident@powerplayclub.org.

As has become our tradition at the May meeting, GWH head coach Brad Frost will be in attendance to discuss the upcoming season's schedule – both the game calendar and PPC events – plus fundraising & target projects and other related topics.

Support GWH through service to the Power Play Club! We continue to ask for your assistance fulfilling several remaining vacancies on the PPC board or with other club responsibilities. While board meetings have routinely occurred monthly during the off-season and as-necessary once the new season begins, we are discussing the possibility of spreading them out across the full year. If you are interested in a board or other volunteer position, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

GWH roster update: Several '21-22 seniors returning for '22-23

Following the announcement of Grace Zumwinkle's return to Gopher Women's Hockey on April 20, the team has followed that up with updates regarding the other seniors with remaining eligibility.

In order announced (and pictured below, left to right), it was confirmed that Gracie Ostertag, Crystalyn Hengler, Savannah Norcross, Emily Oden, Catie Skaja, Abigail Boreen, and Taylor Heise will all be back in Maroon & Gold for the 2022-2023 season, looking to defend their WCHA regular-season championship and also bring home some post-season hardware.

We look forward to seeing all our returning players this fall!!

Alumnae news: Räty claims 2nd WHL Cup with KRS Vanke Rays

Gopher Women's Hockey alumna and goaltending stand-out Noora Räty won her second Russian Women's Hockey League WHL Cup championship as a member of the KRS Vanke Rays. The Vanke Rays completed a 3 games-to-none finals sweep of Scythian with a 2-1 shootout victory in Game 3 this past Tuesday (April 26) after winning 3-1 in Game 1 and 3-2 in Game 2. They also claimed the title in 2020.

Räty played every minute of the finals, stopping a combined 87 of 91 shots during the run of play for a .956 save percentage and 1.27 goals-against average. She also shut down the three Scythian shooters she faced in the Game 3 shootout to clinch the Cup. Across all three playoff rounds, she posted a 6-1-1 record (as the game with the shootout goes down as a tie for goaltending stats) with a .950 SV% and 1.30 GAA; she was also a perfect 11-0-0 in her regular-season appearances with a .964 SV%, a 0.94 GAA, and 3 shutouts. Congratulations, Noora!!

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 Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Thursday, April 21, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An Edition of the Penalty Box Post
Thursday, April 21st

Hemp, Brown honored at 2022 Golden Goldy Awards

Gopher Women's Hockey's Emily Brown and Peyton Hemp were recognized during the 16th annual Golden Goldys, the University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Department's internal awards ceremony honoring the top student-athletes at the school.

Hemp was named as the Female Rookie of the Year across all Golden Gopher varsity athletics. The award follows Hemp's awards as National Rookie of the Year, WCHA Rookie of the Year, and three-time WCHA Rookie of the Month selection. She led WCHA freshmen in points (32) and goals (12).

Brown was joined by Gopher Men's Swimming and Diving's Cameron Kelley as recipients of the Land O' Lakes Outstanding Achievement Award in Leadership and Service, which recognizes one men's and one women's team student-athlete who are accomplished in the areas of leadership and volunteerism. As noted in the award announcement, Brown was the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, an active leadership council member and three-time recipient of the Leadership U Certificate of Excellence, and has volunteered numerous hours of community service work.

Additionally, Brown was one of nine recipients of a Leadership U Certificate of Excellence. To receive a certificate, individuals must accomplish the following items: attend and engage in Leadership U programming with fellow student-athletes, complete and debrief behavioral and emotional intelligence assessments, reflect on Speaker Series professional guests' insights and actively engage with the Leadership U staff and fellow student-athletes.

Congratulations Emily and Peyton on these awards!!

Departure of Potomak, return of Grace Zumwinkle announced

The Gopher Women's Hockey team provided a pair of updates on the status of players who have completed their senior seasons but have eligibility remaining if they choose to use it.

The first announcement was made on Sunday, April 10, that Amy Potomak's Gopher career has come to a close. Potomak recorded 111 points on 49 goals and 62 assists, with 7 of those goals being gamewinners. Thank you, Amy, for proudly representing the U. of M., and we we wish you all the best in your next adventure!

On the flip side, the team announced yesterday (Wednesday, April 20) that 2022 Team USA Olympian Grace Zumwinkle will be returning to the U. for her fifth season. In 133 career games with the Gophers, Zumwinkle has 148 points on 84 goals (13 gamewinners) and 64 assists. She recorded her first career Olympic goal this past February in Beijing, coming in a preliminary-round contest against the Russian Olympic Committee team; she also posted a +3 plus-minus rating in the tournament. Also of note, Grace will join her younger sister Emily on the Gopher roster. Welcome back, Grace! We look forward to your return this fall!

GWH alumnae news: Kessel named first participant in Penguins' Executive Management Program – Also announced yesterday, the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins named Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Amanda Kessel as the inaugural participant in their new Executive Management Program. As noted in the press release, the program “offers candidates, with a focus on women and minority athletes, a one-year opportunity to work alongside executives within the Penguins partnership, marketing, communication and broadcast departments, as well as hockey operations. The first-of-its-kind program will consist of a rotation through different departments to expose participants to all aspects of the sports business, and includes graduate school educational and community service components.” Congratulations and continued best wishes, Amanda!

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.

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Saturday, April 9, 2022

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Saturday, April 9th

PPC Board Notes – Board meeting Tuesday, April 12 at 7 pm;
additional volunteers needed to fill positions

The first meeting of the new term for the Power Play Club Board of Directors – and the first of the 2022 off-season – will be held online via Zoom this coming Tuesday evening, April 12, at 7 p.m. As always, the meeting is open to all enrolled Power Play Club members (2021-2022 membership applies for off-season meetings); if you are interested in attending, please contact PPC vice president Dave Malerich at vicepresident@powerplayclub.org.

We send thanks to Barb Hoese for her service on the PPC Board over the past 5 years, including as the secretary the past two seasons.

We welcome John Conner to the board for a two-year term as a director-at-large. We also welcome back Todd King as treasurer and Susan (Rennie) McPherson & David Lord as directors-at-large for additional two-year terms following their reelection at our Annual Meeting on March 30.

Support GWH through service to the Power Play Club! As we've noted the past year, your help is needed to fulfill several remaining vacancies on the PPC board or to assist with other club responsibilities. As hockey fans, we know that being continually short-handed makes it difficult to be successful! Board meetings occur monthly during the off-season and as-necessary once the new season begins. If you are interested, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

Heise, Hemp named to All-USCHO teams for 2021-2022

Another round of on-ice full-season honors were announced on Friday, April 1, with Gopher Women's Hockey forwards Taylor Heise and Peyton Hemp named as members of U.S. College Hockey Online's All-USCHO teams for 2021-2022.

Heise was named to the All-USCHO First Team while Hemp was honored as a member of the All-USCHO Rookie Team. Congratulations, Taylor and Peyton!!

In earlier, separate announcements, Ohio State's Sophie Jaques was named USCHO's Player of the Year and Mercyhurst’s Vanessa Upson was honored as USCHO’s Rookie of the Year.

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

The Power Play Club does not share its mailing list. Please add news@powerplayclub.org to your address book to keep our messages from going into your Spam/Junk folder. 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 Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, April 3, 2022


The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, April 3rd

Huber recognized as National Player of the Month for March

University of Minnesota freshman forward Ella Huber was named Rookie of the Month for March by the Hockey Commissioners Association. She is the second Gopher to earn a monthly honor from the organization following two awards for senior Taylor Heise as Player of the Month (Nov. & Feb.). Huber's recognition also follows Peyton Hemp's selection by the HCA as National Rookie of the Year.

Huber's goal against Ohio State in the WCHA Final Faceoff title game was the first of her career in the postseason. As noted in the follow-up press release from the U., she also recorded 11 shots, three blocks, and four faceoff wins in three March contests.

Congratulations, Ella!!

GWH alumna Muzerall honored as USCHO Coach of the Year

We send congratulations as well to Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna Nadine Muzerall who, as the bench boss at the Ohio State University, was named as USCHO's Coach of the Year after leading the Buckeyes to their second WCHA Playoff Championship, their third NCAA Frozen Four appearance, and their first NCAA Championship with a program-high 32 wins.

Through six seasons in Columbus, Muzerall has a career head coaching record of 127-63-17, a .655 winning percentage. Earlier in March, she was named WCHA Coach of the Year for the third time after her team posted a 21-6-0 regular-season conference record.

IIHF U18 World Championship rescheduled to June in Wisconsin
Tickets to games at LaBahn & Capitol Ice Arenas now on sale

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has announced that the 2022 Women's U18 World Championship, which previously had its January schedule of games in Sweden cancelled, will be played on June 6 through 13 in Wisconsin, with games at LaBahn Arena in Madison and Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton.

LaBahn Arena will host Group A preliminary round contests – featuring the teams from the United States, Canada, Finland & Sweden – and the playoff round games. Tickets for those contests are now on sale at go.wisc.edu/u18worlds2022, sold on a per day basis (one ticket for both games on a single day). Individual day tickets for all preliminary round, quarterfinal and semifinal game days (June 6-12) are $15 for the general public and $10 for groups, while tickets for June 13, the day of the medal games, are $20 for the general public and $15 for groups.

Capitol Ice Arena will host Group B preliminary round games – featuring the teams from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany & Slovakia – and the best-2-of-3 relegation round series, with tickets sold at tickets.capitolicearena.com. Preliminary round tickets are also sold on a per day basis for $15 for the general public and $10 for groups; relegation round tickets are $5 per game when purchased in advance.

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 Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, March 26, 2022

The Two Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Saturday, March 26th

GOLDEN!! Taylor Heise wins 2022 Patty Kazmaier Award!!


University of Minnesota senior forward Taylor Heise has been named the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the best player in NCAA Division I Women's Hockey, as announced by the USA Hockey Foundation on NHL Network.

Leading the nation with 66 points on 29 goals and 37 assists, Heise becomes the third Minnesota Golden Gopher to be honored as a Kazmaier Award winner, joining Krissy Wendell-Pohl (2005) and Amanda Kessel (2013). The award joins Heise's recognition as First Team All-American, WCHA Player of the Year, WCHA Offensive Player of the Year, and WCHA Scoring Champion, along with three WCHA Forward of the Month honors (Nov., Jan., Feb.) and two HCA Player of the Month honors (Nov. and Feb.).

The U. of M. published their announcement of Heise's Kazmaier Award, including comments from Taylor and GWH head coach Brad Frost, here.

As part of her acceptance, Heise indicated that she intends to return to the Gophers for a fifth season this fall.

Congratulations, Taylor!!

PPC All-Member Meeting – Wednesday, March 30 at 7:00 pm;
Volunteers needed to fill board positions

We provide another reminder that all 2021-2022 Power Play Club members are invited to attend the organization's annual meeting this coming Wednesday, March 30th. The meeting is set for 7:00 p.m. As previously noted, the primary order of business will be the election of Board of Directors members, including for the officer positions of secretary and treasurer, but we will also be reviewing club activities over the past year and opening the floor for questions, discussion, and other feedback.

The link for the meeting will be sent out to members on Wednesday morning.

Additionally, volunteers are needed to fulfill several vacancies on the PPC Board of Directors or to assist with other club responsibilities. The board meets monthly during the hockey off-season (starting in April) and as-necessary once the new season begins. If you are interested, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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.

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Wednesday, March 23rd

PPC All-Member Meeting – next Wednesday, March 30th

All 2021-2022 Power Play Club members are invited to attend the organization's annual meeting next Wednesday, March 30th. The primary order of business will be the election of Board of Directors members, including for the officer positions of secretary and treasurer, but we will also be reviewing club activities over the past year and opening the floor for questions, discussion, and other feedback.

This is expected to be an evening, online meeting via Zoom. We are still working on exact details and will send out updates to enrolled members as those details are finalized.

Ohio State defeats Minnesota Duluth, 3-2 to claim program's first NCAA Championship

We send congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae on their staff – Head Coach Nadine Muzerall, Assistant Coach Emily West, and Director of Hockey Operations Kelsey Cline – following their 3-2 victory over Minnesota Duluth for their program's first NCAA Championship this past Sunday.

The Buckeyes and Bulldogs traded second-period goals by Paetyn Levis (OSU, power play) and Naomi Rogge (UMD), then did it again in the first two minutes of the third stanza when Clair DeGeorge (OSU) and Elizabeth Giguere (UMD) lit the lamp. But Kenzie Hauswirth scored for Ohio State off a Bulldog defender's skate with the game-winning goal with 6:40 to play. OSU goaltender Amanda Thiele earned the victory with 17 saves; UMD's Emma Söderberg stopped 36 shots.

Semifinal recaps:

Minnesota Duluth 2, Northeastern 1, 2OT – Naomi Rogge ended a marathon contest at the 98-minute, 15-second mark to push the Bulldogs past the Huskies and into the National Championship Game. Skylar Irving put Northeastern ahead in the 2nd period, but Taylor Anderson knotted the score for UMD in the third. Emma Söderberg made 46 saves for the Bulldogs, while Aerin Frankel stopped 48 shots for the Huskies.

Ohio State 2, Yale 1 – Tabea Botthof put the Bulldogs up 1-0 early in the second period, but Paetyn Levis netted a power-play goal for the Buckeyes to knot the score, and Jennifer Gardiner put OSU ahead less than 4 minutes later. Ohio State netminder Amanda Thiele made 23 saves for the win, while Yale's Gianna Meloni stopped 38 shots.

All-Tournament Team

  • F – Naomi Rogge, Minnesota Duluth

  • F – Paetyn Levis, Ohio State

  • F – Kenzie Hauswirth, Ohio State

  • D – Sophie Jaques, Ohio State

  • D – Skylar Fontaine, Northeastern

  • G – Emma Söderberg, Minnesota Duluth

  • Most Outstanding Player – Levis

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 Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, March 18, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Friday, March 18th

GWH final scoring tally: 169 goals, 21 on the power play

We send another thank you to everyone who has made a pledge for the Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal program. The Gopher Women's Hockey team finished its season with 169 goals, 21 of which came on the power play!!

Invoices have been sent out by the Golden Gopher Fund on how to remit the corresponding donations. If you were expecting an invoice but did not receive one or have any other questions, please contact Laura Halldorson at the GGF.

As we've stated throughout the 2021-2022 season, collected funds will go to support the team's participation in a regular-season tournament in Las Vegas in 2022-2023. More details on our final collection – and all the Power Play Club's fundraising efforts – will be shared when they become available.

Heise named Kazmaier Top 3 Finalist, First-Team All-American


Minnesota Women's Hockey senior forward Taylor Heise celebrated her birthday yesterday – Happy Birthday, Taylor! – with two national recognitions: first being named a Top 3 Finalist for the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award by the USA Hockey Foundation, and then being honored as a 2021-2022 Women's Division I First-Team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association!!

Heise led the country with 66 points on 29 goals and 37 assists in 39 games. Of her 29 goals, five came while the Gophers were short-handed and seven were game-winners. She had already earned honors as the WCHA Player of the Year & Offensive Player of the Year, HCA National Player of the Month in November, three-time WCHA Forward of the Month (Nov., Jan. & Feb.), and a WCHA All-Academic Team honor. Additionally, Heise has participated in multiple volunteer activities.

Heise becomes Minnesota's 12th top-three finalist for the Kazmaier Award, following Grace Zumwinkle last season. She's also the 42nd All-American and 23rd First-Team member in Gopher program history.

As noted in the USA Hockey Foundation announcement, the 2022 Kazmaier Award winner will be announced next Saturday, March 26 during an hour-long special on NHL Network beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT / 11:30 a.m. ET.

Hemp named National Rookie of the Year


Gopher Women's Hockey freshman forward Peyton Hemp was named 2021-2022 National Rookie of the Year on Wednesday by the Hockey Commissioners Association!!

Hemp, already recognized as the WCHA's Rookie of the Year and a three-time league Rookie of the Month (Oct., Nov. & Feb.), recorded 32 points on 12 goals and 20 assists, with a +27 plus-minus rating and five of her goals being game-winners.

Hemp is the third Gopher to win the award since its inception at the end of the 2013-2014 season, joining Dani Cameranesi (2014) and Sarah Potomak (2016).

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 Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, March 13, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, March 13th


NCAA Quarterfinal: Gophers fall to Minnesota Duluth, 2-1

NCAA Frozen Four – Pegula Ice Arena, University Park, PA
Semifinals – Friday, March 18

#3 Northeastern vs. Minnesota Duluth – 3:30 pm ET / 2:30 pm CT
#1 Ohio State vs. #5 Yale – 7:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm CT
Video from both games streamed for free on ESPN+

Championship – Sunday, March 20 at 4:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm CT
Televised on ESPNU

Minnesota Duluth goaltender Emma Söderberg made 37 saves, holding the Gopher Women's Hockey team to a first-period power-play goal from Abigail Boreen. Mannon McMahon knotted the score for the Bulldogs in the second period and Gabbie Hughes lit the lamp in the third to put UMD ahead. Minnesota could not find an equalizer, falling 2-1 in their NCAA Quarterfinal matchup to bring their season to an end. Lauren Bench made 25 saves.

The Gophers finish with an overall record of 29-9-1.

Minnesota-UMD game recaps...


Other Quarterfinal results...

#1 Ohio State outlasts Quinnipiac in double-overtime, 4-3 – Bobcats goaltender Corinne Schroeder made 73 saves and Taylor House scored a 6-on-4 extra-attacker power-play goal with 1:22 left in regulation to force overtime. However, Clair DeGeorge netted her second goal of the game 2:05 into the second overtime period to send the Buckeyes to the Frozen Four.

#5 Yale advances with 2-1 OT road win over #4 Colgate – The Bulldogs' Vita Poniatovskaia and Raiders' Kaitlyn O'Donohoe scored first-period goals, but that was all either team could muster in regulation. However, Tess Dettling lit the lamp 2:05 into overtime to punch Yale's ticket for the Frozen Four. Gianna Meloni made 28 saves for the Bulldogs for the victory, while Hannah Murphy stopped 20 shots for the Raiders.

#3 Northeastern knocks off Wisconsin, 4-2 – Katy Knoll and Maureen Murphy each tallied a goal & an assist for the Huskies, with Murphy's goal being the eventual gamewinner. Brette Pettet pulled the Badgers within one with a third-period power-play goal, but Northeastern's Alina Mueller netted her own power-play marker for the final margin. Aerin Frankel made 39 saves for the Huskies, while Kennedy Blair stopped 28 shots for the Badgers.

Thank you seniors Lauren Bench, Abigail Boreen, Emily Brown, Kyleigh Hanzlik, Taylor Heise, Crystalyn Hengler, Olivia Knowles, Savannah Norcross, Emily Oden, Gracie Ostertag, Amy Potomak, and Catie Skaja for proudly representing the Gopher Women's Hockey program and the U. of M.!!

We send thanks to the entire GWH team on another great season,
congratulations again on your WCHA Regular-Season Championship,
and we look forward to seeing you in the fall!

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