October 11, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Monday, October 10, 2022

October 11, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An Edition of the Penalty Box Post
Monday, October 10th

Help us reach 50 Locker Sponsors for 2022-2023!!

We are just 3 sponsorships short of our goal of 50 for the 2022-2023 season. The locker sponsor program raises a significant amount of revenue for the team. If you are interested in sponsoring a locker, please contact Rennie McPherson at lockersponsorship@powerplayclub.org.

We also provide a reminder that you can still join the Power Play Club at the basic membership tier, which includes up to two adults and any children at same address, with a minimum donation of $50. Online registration is preferred at z.umn.edu/PPC22; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. To register offline, download the form here and send it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".

Goals for a Goal 2022-2023: Make Your Pledge Today!

The Power Play Club and the Golden Gopher Fund invite you to pledge your support to Gopher Women’s Hockey. Pledge a dollar amount for every goal the Gophers score during the regular season and postseason. You can also choose to double your pledge for power play goals. Your donation will help fund updates and improvements to Ridder Arena, such as the new GWH Olympian display.

In their first two official games of the 2022-2023 season, the Gophers tallied 10 goals, with two of those coming on the power play.

To make a pledge, fill out this online form (preferred) or download the PDF version, print it, and mail it in to the listed address. After the postseason, you will receive an email with your pledge total and giving instructions. All contributions are tax-deductible donations to the Golden Gopher Fund.

Thank you for your support of Gopher Women’s Hockey!

Ostertag named 2022-'23 Power Play Club Scholarship recipient;
Heise honored as Patty Berg Legacy Scholar Athlete

Gopher Women's Hockey co-captain and fifth-year defender Gracie Ostertag was named the recipient of the Power Play Club Scholarship for a third-consecutive year, as announced at the Golden Gopher Fund Scholarship Banquet held last Wednesday, October 5. The Shakopee native is majoring in Business and Marketing Education. Congratulations, Gracie!!

Fellow co-captain and fifth-year player Taylor Heise was recognized as the 2022 Patty Berg Legacy Scholar Athlete honoree, recognizing a female athlete's excellence in their sport, in the classroom, and in the community. Heise becomes the third GWH player to receive the award, joining Anne Schleper (2011) and Lee Stecklein (2016). She is pictured below with U. of M. Athletics Director Mark Coyle. Congratulations, Taylor!!

We also send broader congratulations to the other endowed scholarship recipients among the Gopher Women's Hockey team and all of Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics.

Five GWH alumnae in PWHPA action this weekend in Montréal

As noted two weeks ago, seven alumnae of the Gopher Women's Hockey program were named to the rosters of Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) teams for the 2022-2023 Secret© Dream Gap Tour. Five of them have been further identified as active for this coming weekend's first stop of the tour in Montréal, Quebec: Hannah Brandt (Team Sonnet), Emily Brown (Team Sonnet), Kelly Pannek (Team Scotiabank), Sarah Potomak (Team adidas), and Lee Stecklein (Team Harvey's). All four games of this weekend's event will be streamed on cbcsports.ca, with action starting at Saturday (Oct. 15) at 12:30 p.m. CT (game schedule here).

Third Secret© Dream Gap Tour location & dates announced – Following this weekend's stop in Montréal and the PWHPA's second event in Truro, Nova Scotia on November 4-6, the organization announced that Pittsburgh will host the third Dream Gap Tour stop November 25-27. As noted in the press release, “the event will consist of a total of four games – to be played at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex – as well as community events, including two girls hockey clinics.”

Fourth USA-Canada Rivalry Series game set for December 15

On the national team front, USA Hockey announced a fourth game of the 2022-2023 Rivalry Series against Canada, the second being played south of the border, scheduled for Thursday, December 15 at The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada. The series begins in British Columbia with games on November 15 in Kelowna and November 17 in Kamloops, then moves to Seattle, WA, for the third meeting on November 20. Tickets are now on sale for all four contests; visit the Rivalry Series pages on HockeyCanada.ca and USAHockey.com for the games in their respective countries.

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

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

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

Power Play Club

October 6, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Thursday, October 6, 2022

Power Play Club

October 6, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Thursday, October 6th

WCHA Championship Banner Raising – pregame Friday!!

While we encourage our fellow fans to attend the “Drop the Puck Pre-game Tailgate" outside the main entrance of 3M Arena at Mariucci tomorrow (Friday, October 7) starting at 5:00 p.m., we also highly suggest joining us inside Ridder Arena by 5:45 p.m. as the Gopher Women's Hockey team raises the banner celebrating their (2021-) 2022 WCHA Regular-Season Championship!! See you there!!

Goals for a Goal 2022-23: Make Your Pledge Today!

Fill out this online form,
OR
Download, print, and mail in this form (PDF file).

After the postseason, you will receive an email with your pledge total and giving instructions. All contributions are tax-deductible donations to the Golden Gopher Fund.

Thank you for your support of Gopher Women’s Hockey!

Calling all Gopher Women's Hockey fans!!

There is still time to sponsor a player’s or coach’s locker for the 2022-2023 season. Locker sponsorships require a minimum of $600 donation. Locker sponsors will have a photo with the player or coach and a special meal with the team. If you wish to sponsor a locker, please contact Rennie McPherson at lockersponsorship@powerplayclub.org.

You can also join the Power Play Club at the basic membership tier, which includes up to two adults and any children at same address, with a minimum donation of $50. Online registration is preferred at z.umn.edu/PPC22; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. To register offline, download the form here and send it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".

We provide one more reminder that this Saturday's PPC Chalk Talk is a exclusive event for enrolled club members, starting at 12:30 p.m. in the Ridder Arena weight room.

Attention Locker Sponsors...

Thank you to everyone supporting GWH by already signing up to be a locker sponsor in 2022-2023. You are considered enrolled for Saturday's Chalk Talk; no additional action is necessary. Please be advised that the Golden Gopher Fund will be sending out emails to you beginning in mid-October with instructions on how to pay for your locker sponsorship. If you have not received those instructions by October 31, please contact Rennie McPherson at lockersponsorship@powerplayclub.org.

Power Play Club

October 5, 2022

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Power Play Club

October 5, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, October 5th

“Drop the Puck Pre-game Tailgate” – Friday, Oct. 7 at 5 p.m.

JUST ANNOUNCED!! Gopher Women's and Men's Hockey fans are invited to meet in front of 3M Arena at Mariucci on the east lawn this Friday, October 7, for the “Drop the Puck Pre-game Tailgate”, featuring drinks, music, games, and other activities. The event begins at 5:00 p.m.

Chalk Talk – Saturday, October 8 at 12:30 p.m.

The first of this year's Power Play Club Chalk Talks with a member of the Gopher Women's Hockey coaching staff is scheduled for Saturday, October 8, at 12:30 p.m. in the Ridder Arena weight room (upstairs), prior to the team's second game against the Bemidji State Beavers. The Chalk Talk will include a discussion of team strategy, reviewing the previous night's game film, and time for a brief question & answer session.

Note that this is an exclusive event for registered Power Play Club members.

Watch for a Two-Minute Minor email in your inbox tomorrow
with PPC fundraising and membership enrollment updates!

Regular Season & Conference Opener!!
#2/2 Minnesota Gophers vs. Bemidji State University Beavers
Friday, October 7 at 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, October 8 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Ridder Arena

The 26th year of Gopher Women's Hockey officially gets underway with the start of the regular season and a WCHA in-conference matchup against the Bemidji State University Beavers. The series at Ridder Arena begins Friday, October 7, at 6:00 p.m. and continues on Saturday, October 8, at 2:00 p.m.

TRAFFIC ALERT!! As noted previously, the Gopher Men's Hockey team is also in action at home this weekend, taking on in-state rival Minnesota State. Please allow time for additional vehicular and pedestrian traffic on campus.

Live streaming of all 112 WCHA in-conference games along with non-conference matchups hosted by WCHA schools is available on the BTN+ subscription service. A guide on how to purchase a subscription package can be found here.

Free audio coverage of Gopher Women's Hockey continues with play-by-play announcer Dan Hamann. Individual game links can be found on the GWH schedule page, including those for the contests this Friday and Saturday.

Last season against Bemidji State – The Gophers completed a four-game season sweep of the Beavers, winning 5-2 & 3-2 at Sanford Center last October and 7-0 & 5-2 at Ridder Arena in February. Thirteen (13) different Gophers recorded a point against BSU, led by Taylor Heise's 9 on two goals and seven assists. Abigail Boreen recorded a team-high 4 goals in the four games while dishing out a pair of assists, and the quartet of Peyton Hemp (3G, 2A), Amy Potomak (3G, 2A), Savannah Norcross (2G, 3A), and Catie Skaja (1G, 4A) each tallied five points. After Skylar Vetter won the first of the four games with 21 saves on 23 shots (a .913 save percentage), Lauren Bench played the other three contests against her former team, stopping 78 of 82 shots for a .951 SV% and 1.33 goals-against average. For Bemidji State, Graysen Myers netted two of their six goals while adding two assists for four points and Reece Hunt dished out 3 assists. Hannah Hogenson played between the pipes in three of the games, posting a .914 SV% with 127 saves and a 4.04 GAA; Kerrigan Dowhy started the first game at Ridder, stopping 43 of 50 shots (.860 SV%).

About the Beavers – Bemidji State finished the 2021-2022 regular season sixth in the WCHA with an 8-18-2 league record (1-0 in overtime, 0-2 in the shootout), though they posted a 3-0-1 non-conference record. Their season concluded when they were swept by Wisconsin in the conference quarterfinals, 2-1 & 5-0.

Senior Reece Hunt (#29) led the Beavers in total scoring & and assists last year with 20 and 13, respectively, while lighting the lamp 7 times. However, the second- & third-highest scorers in 2021-2022 – Graysen Myers and Paige Beebe – have both graduated. That said, two others are back after each tallying more that 10 points last season: junior Taylor Nelson (#8; 5G-8A-13 pts) and sophomore Claire Vekich (#15; 7G-5A-12 pts). Freshman Raeley Carney (#10) joins both Nelson and Vekich with two goals apiece four games into their 2022-2023 campaign, while sophomore defender Adriana Van De Leest (#24) has four assists.

Between the pipes, junior Hannah Hogenson (#1) returns as the only BSU netminder with meaningful experience, having gone 8-10-3 in 22 appearances (20 starts) last year with a .914 save percentage and 3.08 goals-against average; she is 1-1-1 in her 3 starts so far this season with a .900 SV% and 2.90 GAA. Sophomore Abbie Thompson (#35) has already played more time this year than all of 2021-2022; she stopped 13 of 16 shots in a winning effort against Lindenwood two weekends ago, after making 21 saves on 26 shots in a combined 45 minutes of relief action against Wisconsin & UMD as a freshman. Madison Faucher (#33) joined the Beavers' roster but has yet to see any action.

Bemidji State takes loss, salvages tie at Clarkson – After the Beavers earned a win and a tie at home against the Golden Knights in Bemidji in 2021-2022, Clarkson returned the favor this past weekend in Potsdam, NY, with a 5-0 victory over BSU followed by a 2-2 tie. Anne Cherkowski recorded 2 goals & 2 assists in the series and Michelle Pasiechnyk stopped all 20 shots in Friday's shutout for the Golden Knights. BSU's Paige Anderson dished out two assists and Claire Vekich tallied the game-tying goal on Saturday, while Hannah Hogenson stopped 56 of 63 shots over the weekend.

Gophers come from behind to top Whitecaps – Four different Gophers lit the lamp and five others dished out assists as they defeated the Minnesota Whitecaps in exhibition action at Ridder Arena last Friday night, 4-2. Taylor Heise put the Maroon & Gold on the board first in the opening period, but Sydney Brodt and Natalie Snodgrass (PP) gave the Whitecaps the lead in the second stanza. Josefin Bouveng knotted the score shortly after the midpoint of the contest, Emily Oden capitalized on a power play early in the third period to put the Gophers ahead, and Tristana Tatur added an insurance goal with 6:25 to play. Gopher alumna Amanda Leveille stopped 27 of 29 shots for the Whitecaps over the first two periods; Makalya Pahl and Skylar Vetter combined for 17 saves for the Gophers.

Around the WCHA...

Ohio State opens national title defense with sweep of Minnesota State – In the first in-conference WCHA series of 2022-2023, the Buckeyes needed a pair of come-from-behind efforts in Mankato to sweep the Mavericks, 2-1 & 5-4. Gabby Rosenthal & Jenn Gardiner each posted two goals & an assist for OSU, assisting on each other's goals in the opener and both lighting the lamp in rematch. Madison Mashuga recorded a goal & an assist for MSU.

Huskies sweep Rensselaer – In their first regular-season action, St. Cloud State defeated the RPI Engineers 5-0 and 3-2 at home for Brian Idalski's first series sweep as the Huskies' head coach. Taylor Lind tallied 2 goals & 2 assists, Emma Gentry recorded 2 goals & 1 assist, and Jenniina Nylund added a goal & 2 assists. Jojo Chobak stopped all 17 shots she faced in her SCSU debut on Friday and Sanni Ahola made 26 saves on Saturday.

Minnesota Duluth earns pair of victories – Remaining in the state of New York between their first and second weekends of action, UMD improved to 4-0-0 with a 3-2 overtime victory over St. Lawrence this past Thursday and a 4-0 win over Penn State on Friday. Mannon McMahon recorded two goals & an assist, Anneke Linser lit the lamp twice, Maggie Flaherty tallied Thursday's OT gamewinner, Gabbie Hughes dished out 3 assists, and Emma Soderberg made a combined 45 stops including a 24-save shutout on Friday.

Wisconsin shuts out Lindenwood – Lacey Eden and Maddi Wheeler each posted 3 goals & 4 assists as the Badgers routed the visiting Lions, 6-0 & 10-0, holding a combined 139-14 shots-on-goal advantage. Sophie Shirley added 3 goals & 2 assists, and Caroline Harvey dished out five helpers.

Upcoming games – Like the Gophers, St. Thomas opens their regular season this weekend, facing Wisconsin in Madison. The oher four WCHA teams are also in in-conference competition on Friday & Saturday as St. Cloud State takes on Ohio State Columbus while Minnesota State visits Minnesota Duluth.

Power Play Club

September 28, 2022

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Power Play Club

September 28, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, September 28th

Exhibition Special!!

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Minnesota Whitecaps
Friday, September 30 at 6:00 p.m. CT
Ridder Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team gets another exhibition tune-up match when it hosts the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation. The two local squads will square off at Ridder Arena on Friday, September 30 at 6:00 p.m. at Ridder Arena.

FREE ADMISSION!! Friday's game features free admission with no ticketing. We hope to see many of you there!!

TRAFFIC ALERT!! Please note that the University of Minnesota Homecoming Parade is also scheduled for Friday evening, Sept. 30, along University Avenue. Please allow time for additional vehicular and pedestrian traffic on campus, both before and after the GWH game.

Live streaming of the game will be available on the BTN+ subscription service.

Last time against the Whitecaps – The Gophers earned a come-from-behind 5-1 victory over the 'Caps at Ridder Arena in September 2019. Jonna Curtis put the "visitors" up with a power-play tally, beating the horn at the end of the first period, but Grace Zumwinkle, Taylor Heise, and Amy Potomak responded with second-period goals and Sydney Shearen and Heise lit in the lamp in the third. While an exhibition for the Gophers, it was a very early preseason game for the Whitecaps, who were outshot 57-12. Gopher alumna Amanda Leveille made 52 saves, while Gophers Sydney Scobee, Makayla Pahl, and Alex Gulstene combined for 11 stops.

About the Whitecaps – As an organization, the Minnesota Whitecaps are entering their 19th year of existence. While they've seen many changes over that time, including joining the then-National Women's Hockey League (now the Premier Hockey Federation) in 2018, several big adjustments have happened this past off-season.

Jack Brodt, the team's founder and general manager, announced his retirement from coaching the team on May 16 after 18 seasons on the bench, joining the front office of NLTT Hockey – the group owning both the Whitecaps and the Buffalo Beauts – as the Assistant Director of Hockey Operations. At the end of July, the team announced its move across town to a new home as the primary tenant of the Richfield Ice Arena, leaving TRIA Rink after four years. That was followed by more retirement news as the Whitecaps shared on Twitter in August that charter members Winny Brodt-Brown and Brooke White-Lancette were hanging up their skates after 18 years on the squad. And while Gopher alumna Ronda (Curtin) Engelhardt remains head coach of the Whitecaps with a two-year contract extension, she's now doing it in a solo role while also being hired as a North American Amateur Scout for the NHL's Nashville Predators. On top of all of that, Allie Thunstrom – last year's top goal scorer for the 'Caps – signed with the Boston Pride for the new season.

Player signing information has been under the radar the past two months. Gopher alumnae Sydney Baldwin, Olivia Knowles, Amanda Leveille, and Patti Marshall were confirmed among the Whitecaps signees for 2022-2023 as of July 31. Other known signees include WCHA alumnae Stephanie Anderson (BSU), Sydney Brodt (UMD), Ashleigh Brykaliuk (UMD), Brittyn Fleming (MSU), Anna Klein (UMD), Sidney Morin (UMD), and Liz Schepers (OSU). Jonna Curtis returns after posting a team-high 24 points on 9 goals and 15 assists in 20 regular-season games last year, while international players Denisa Křížová and Ronja Mogren are joining the squad.

The regular season for the Whitecaps begins on the road at Toronto on November 5 & 6 before they return to open their new home rink in Richfield against Boston on November 18 & 19.

Gophers cruise in opening exhibition – Already with a second-period tally, Grace Zumwinkle netted two short-handed goals just 20 seconds apart in the third period to record a hat trick, punctuating the Gophers' 13-0 rout of the University of Manitoba Bisons at Ridder Arena last Saturday afternoon. Abigail Boreen added two goals and an assist and Gracie Ostertag dished out 3 helpers. Emily Zumwinkle, Josefin Bouveng, Audrey Wethington, Emma Conner, Abbey Murphy, Crystalyn Hengler, Catie Skaja, and Madeline Wethington also all lit the lamp, the team put 65 shots on goal, and the three Gopher goaltenders – Makayla Pahl, Skylar Vetter, and Olivia King – each played a period, combining for a 10-save shutout.

Jessica Scott joins Gopher Women's Hockey coaching staff

Prior to the opening exhibition against Manitoba, GWH head coach Brad Frost announced Friday that Jessica Scott has been promoted to assistant coach of the team. Scott had been serving as the Gophers' Director of Operations since 2019. She has previous high school head coaching experience locally at Coon Rapids and Wayzata, being named the Class AA head coach of the year in 2018 and Section 6AA coach of the year back-to-back in 2018 and 2019. She was also an assistant coach for four years at the University of St. Thomas while it was still a Division III program.

We congratulate Jessica on this promotion, as she has been a great partner of the Power Play Club the past three years!! We look forward to her time on the coaching bench!!

7 GWH alums named to PWHPA Secret© Dream Gap Tour rosters

Seven alumnae of the Gopher Women's Hockey program have been named to the rosters of Professional Women's Hockey Players Association teams for the 2022-2023 Secret© Dream Gap Tour. This year's four teams are region-agnostic. We congratulate and send best wishes to our Gopher representatives:

Team adidas – Amanda Kessel, Sarah Potomak & Sydney Scobee
Team Harvey's – Lee Stecklein
Team Scotiabank – Kelly Pannek
Team Sonnet – Hannah Brandt & Emily Brown

As noted in the press release, the teams will compete in events across North America, starting in Montréal, QC on October 15-16 and Truro, NS on November 4-6.

Around the WCHA...

Badgers split with Nittany Lions – The new season began with a big upset as Penn State upended Wisconsin, 4-1, on Thursday night; PSU goaltender Josie Bothun stopped 27 of 28 shots on goal, her teammates blocked 22 more shots, and Tessa Janecke tallied two goals and an assist. Penn State took a 1-0 lead on Friday on Kiara Zanon's second goal of the series but the Badgers exploded after that, rolling to a 9-1 victory; Sophie Shirley recorded two goals & two assists, Lacey Eden added two goals & one assist, and Jesse Compher, Britta Curl, and Casey O'Brien each tallied a goal & two assists.

Minnesota Duluth earns road sweep over LIU – Long Island University goaltender Tindra Holm made 114 saves over two games, but it wasn't enough as the UMD Bulldogs swept the Sharks, 4-1 and 5-0, with a 123-13 shot advantage. Ashton Bell led the Bulldogs with a hat trick Sunday plus two assists, Taylor Anderson scored twice Saturday & added an assist Sunday, and Gabbie Hughes recorded a goal & three assists.

Bemidji State sweeps Lindenwood at home – The BSU Beavers defended home ice in their opening weekend, defeating the Lindenwood Lions, 3-2 (OT) and 6-3. After the two teams traded goals on Friday, forcing overtime after regulation finished tied 2-2, Bemidji State's Taylor Nelson got free and scored 1:30 into the extra period. Lindenwood took a 1-0 lead 9:52 into Saturday's rematch, but Raeley Carney netted two power-play goals to give the Beavers the lead and Genevieve Hendrickson & Claire Vekich (PP) extended the advantage to 4-1. The Lions pulled within 4-3, with Morgan Neitzke tallying her second goal of the contest, but Nelson and Gabbie Smith scored for BSU to put it out of reach. Smith led the Beavers in total scoring in the series, dishing out two assists to go with her goal.

Elsewhere last weekend – Manitoba's road trip to the state of Minnesota was a tough one. Before playing the Gophers, they were defeated 5-1 by Minnesota State with Anna Wilgren scoring twice. St. Thomas then beat the Bisons 4-1 on Sunday; the Tommies scored their four goals in a 4:56 span of the third period after falling behind earlier in the stanza. St. Cloud also began their season with an exhibition victory, defeating the Durham West Jr. Lightning 5-1.

Upcoming games – Minnesota Duluth plays in a three-team, three-game scramble hosted by St. Lawrence; the Bulldogs square off against the Saints on Thursday night and face Penn State on Friday, with SLU playing PSU on Saturday. Wisconsin also plays on Thursday & Friday, hosting Lindenwood. In-conference action begins when Ohio State opens the defense of its national championship on the road at Minnesota State on Friday & Saturday. A pair of non-conference series also feature Friday & Saturday games as St. Cloud State hosts RPI and Bemidji State visits Clarkson.

Chalk Talk – Saturday, October 8 at 12:30 p.m.

The first Power Play Club Chalk Talk with a member of the Gopher Women's Hockey coaching staff is scheduled for Saturday, October 8, at 12:30 p.m. in the Ridder Arena weight room (upstairs), prior to the team's second game against the Bemidji State Beavers. The Chalk Talk will include a discussion of team strategy, reviewing the previous night's game film, and time for a brief question & answer session.

Note that this is an exclusive event for registered Power Play Club members.

Club registration reminder...

Enrollment in the Power Play Club for 2022-2023 – the 26th year of Gopher Women's Hockey – continues as the regular-season approaches!

A minimum donation of $50 is required for our basic membership tier, which includes up to two adults and any children at same address. Online registration is preferred at z.umn.edu/PPC22; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. To register offline, download the form here and send it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".

For a minimum $600 donation, you can become a Locker Sponsor for the season, our top membership tier. Your name would be posted on a nameplate next to a player's or coach's locker, with an opportunity to meet with your respective player(s) at our event in January. If you are interested, either as a renewing or new Locker Sponsor, please contact Susan "Rennie" McPherson at lockersponsorship@powerplayclub.org (before making a donation).

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.

Power Play Club

September 21, 2022

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Power Play Club

September 21, 2022

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, September 21st

Postgame "ice-breaker" reception outside this Saturday

Following the exhibition opener against Manitoba this Saturday, September 24, the Power Play Club will be partnering with the GWH parents and the team as we take our postgame reception outside to the plaza on the east side of 3M Arena at Mariucci. In addition to meeting the new Gophers for 2022-2023 season plus potentially the other members of the squad, pizza and beverages (water & soft drinks) will be provided. Please bring your own chair(s) for seating, and you are also welcome to bring treats to share.

Inclement weather plans will be shared during the game at the Power Play Club table on the Ridder Arena concourse if necessary.

Club registration continues for 2022-2023 season

We continue to encourage you, our fellow Gopher Women's Hockey fans, to enroll in the Power Play Club for the 2022-2023 season if you have not done so already!

A minimum donation of $50 is required for our basic membership tier, which includes up to two adults and any children at same address. Online registration is preferred at z.umn.edu/PPC22; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. To register offline, download the form here and send it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".

For a minimum $600 donation, you can become a Locker Sponsor for the season, our top membership tier. Your name would be posted on a nameplate next to a player's or coach's locker, with an opportunity to meet with your respective player(s) at our event in January. If you are interested, either as a renewing or new Locker Sponsor, please contact Susan "Rennie" McPherson at lockersponsorship@powerplayclub.org (before making a donation).

We provide a reminder that our three Chalk Talks are exclusive member-only events, with the first of those coming up during the Gophers' regular-season opening weekend on Saturday, October 8.

Special Exhibition Opener!! Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. University of Manitoba Bisons
Saturday, September 24 at 2:00 p.m. CT - Ridder Arena

The 26th season of Minnesota Women's Hockey begins with a pair of exhibition contests, the first occurring on Saturday, September 24 at 2:00 p.m. CT when the Gophers host the University of Manitoba Bisons.

FREE ADMISSION!! Saturday's game features free admission with no ticketing. We hope to see many of you there!!

Live streaming of the game will be available on the BTN+ subscription service.

About the Bisons – Manitoba enters 2022-2023 after finishing fourth in the Canada West Conference last year with a 13-7-0 regular-season record, but their season came to an end in the league's quarterfinals, being swept by the Univ. of Saskatchewan, 4-2 and 3-0.

The Bisons have already started their new season, first with a four-game tour of western Europe in late August and early September, falling twice to the French National Team (5-2 & 6-0) but defeating the Dutch National Team (3-2) and the Bracknell Queen Bees Ice Hockey Club (Slough, UK; 7-1). Returning to North America, the Bisons were swept in a pair of exhibition games by their rival Saskatchewan this past weekend, 5-3 & 3-1. This coming weekend, their game against the Gophers is the second of three in Minnesota; they will play at Minnesota State on Friday and St. Thomas on Sunday.

The University of Manitoba has yet to post an official team roster for the 2022-2023 season, but a trio of second-year forwards led the team in scoring in the regular-season last year. Halle Edwards (#11) was atop the team's scoring sheet with 16 points on 7 goals & 9 assists in 18 games, Sarah Dennehy (#18) tallied 13 points on 2 goals & 11 assists in 19 contets, and Kate Gregoire (#7) added 12 points (4G, 8A) in 18 appearances. Between the pipes, Erin Fargey (#30) saw the most action for the Bisons as a third-year player, going 7-4-0 in her 11 games (including playoffs) with a .931 save percentage and 1.97 goals-against average. Two rookies also saw action in net; Kimberley Davidson (#20) went 5-3-0 with a .954 SV% and 1.39 GAA, and Meagan Relf (#31) posted a 1-2-0 record with a .901 SV% and 2.74 GAA.

Analyzing the Gophers – Despite a 1-3-0 start to the 2021-2022 season, all in league play, Minnesota bounced back to win the program's 11th WCHA Regular-Season Championship with a 21-6-1-1 conference record plus a 5-1-0 mark in regular-season non-conference action. However, losses to Ohio State in the conference championship game and Minnesota Duluth in the NCAA Quarterfinals brought the Gophers' season to an end.

That said, the team enters the new year with nine (9) fifth-year players looking to make additional improvements. Patty Kazmaier Award winner Taylor Heise (#9) and linemates Abigail Boreen (#22) and Catie Skaja (#3) all return after setting career-best single-season marks last year, combining for 72 goals and 100 assists. Grace Zumwinkle (#12) rejoins to the Gophers after earning an Olympic silver medal with Team USA. Meanwhile, Crystalyn Hengler (#13), Savannah Norcross (#27), Emily Oden (#21), and Gracie Ostertag (#6) also return to the squad, while Lizi Norton (#28) joins the Gophers as a graduate transfer after four seasons at Minnesota Duluth.

On top of the experienced veterans, two other important players return to the Gophers offensive attack. Peyton Hemp (#15) enters her sophomore season after earning WCHA and National Rookie of the Year honors, lighting the lamp 12 times and adding 20 assists for 32 points. Abbey Murphy (#18) joins Zumwinkle as a returning Olympian; the redshirt sophomore recorded 8 goals and 10 assists in her condensed 20-game freshman campaign.

Senior Makayla Pahl (#33) and sophomore Skylar Vetter (#31) are likely to split time between the pipes in 2022-2023. Last year, Pahl started 9 games and made one relief appearance, posting a 9-1-0 record with a 1.70 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. Vetter made 8 starts with a 6-2-0 record and appeared in one game in relief, recording a 1.57 GAA and .926 SV%. Senior Olivia King (#1) also returns; she saw 52 minutes of action last year across two relief appearances against RIT, yielding one goal on 11 shots.

Norton is one of 5 new faces to the Gopher Women's Hockey roster, being joined by 4 incoming freshman. The Gophers get some European flavor with an additional pair of 2022 Olympians – Swedish forward Josefin Bouveng (#11) and Finnish defender Nelli Laitinen (#7). Closer to home, Minnesota natives Allie Franco (#16) and Madison Kaiser (#29) join the program; Kaiser was a 2022 Minnesota Ms. Hockey finalist and Star Tribune All-Metro 2nd Team honoree, while Franco was a Ms. Hockey semifinalist.

Around the WCHA...

This weekend – Wisconsin will get the action started among WCHA teams; they head to Penn State for non-conference action tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday. Also in non-conference competition, Bemidji State will host Lindenwood on Friday & Saturday, while Minnesota Duluth travels to Brooklyn, NY, to face Long Island University on Saturday & Sunday. As previously mentioned, Minnesota State will host Manitoba on Friday and St. Thomas will face the Bisons on Sunday in exhibition action. St. Cloud State also hosts an exhibition game on Sunday, taking on the Durham West Jr. Lightning. Ohio State will start its season next weekend.

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

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

Power Play Club

September 19, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, September 18, 2022

Power Play Club

September 19, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An Edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, September 18, 2022

PPC member registration & event reminders...

As we noted previously, 2022-2023 registration for the Power Play Club is open at all levels!!

A minimum donation of $50 is required for our basic membership tier, which includes up to two adults and any children at same address. Exclusive access to our three in-person Chalk Talk events is included. Online registration is preferred at z.umn.edu/PPC22; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. To register offline, download the form here and send it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".

For a minimum $600 donation, you can become a Locker Sponsor for the season, our top membership tier. Your name would be posted on a nameplate next to a player's or coach's locker, with an opportunity to meet with your respective player(s) at our event in January. If you are interested, either as a renewing or new Locker Sponsor, please contact Susan "Rennie" McPherson at lockersponsorship@powerplayclub.org (before making a donation).

Board of Directors meeting, September 20 – Here's another reminder that the Power Play Club Board of Directors will be meeting this Tuesday, September 20, at 7:00 p.m. This is the last board meeting before puck drops to start the 2022-2023 season, and will occur in-person at Ridder Arena. As always, board meetings are open to all registered club members; both 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 members are welcomed to attend.

Postgame reception, Saturday, Sept. 24 – Following the exhibition opener against Manitoba this Saturday, September 24, the Power Play Club will be hosting a postgame reception with the team, our first in-person event after more than two seasons!! As with the game itself, we hope that many of you can stick around as the new Gophers for the 2022-2023 season are introduced (and possibly some of those added in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 as well). Game time is set for 2:00 p.m.

Chalk Talk, Saturday, October 8 at 12:30 p.m. – The first of this season's Chalk Talks, in which a member of the Gopher coaching staff joins club members to discuss team strategy, review game film, and have a brief question & answer session, is scheduled for Saturday, October 8, prior to the second game of the series against Bemidji State. This is an exclusive event for registered Power Play Club members. We will have more details following this week's PPC board meeting.

Gopher Women's Hockey tops WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll; Heise named WCHA Preseason Player of the Year

In a very fractured vote of WCHA coaches, the Gopher Women's Hockey team placed atop the league's preseason poll, receiving 3 of the 8 first-place votes and 44 voting points. Minnesota was only one point ahead of Ohio State (43 pts), which also received 3 first-place votes, while Wisconsin was in third with 42 points and the other two 2 first-place selections. The poll continued with Minnesota Duluth fourth (31 pts), Minnesota State fifth (25 pts), then Bemidji State (16 pts), St. Cloud State (15 pts), and St. Thomas (8 pts).

Meanwhile, Taylor Heise was named the conference's Preseason Player of the Year after receiving 7 of the 8 votes (with OSU's Emma Maltais earning the other vote). Heise becomes the first Gopher to earn the award since Hannah Brandt prior to the 2015-2016 season. Additionally, she was named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team, joined by Gabbie Hughes (F-UMD), Maltais (F-OSU), Sophie Jaques (D-OSU), Ashton Bell (D-UMD), and Amanda Thiele (G-OSU). Minnesota's Grace Zumwinkle was among several other players earning votes in the team selection.

Wisconsin defender Caroline Harvey, already a veteran of the U.S. Women's National Team, was named as the WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year, earning 6 votes. Badger teammate Kirsten Simms received the other two votes.

Minnesota ranked in top three in both national polls

The Gopher Women's Hockey team was also ranked in the top three in both national polls, published this past week, taking the #2 position with two first-place votes in the DCU/USCHO Division I poll published on Monday, Sept. 12, and the #3 spot in the USA TODAY / USA Hockey Magazine poll (click “Women's Poll” on the page).

Defending NCAA champion Ohio State received the top position in both rankings, with 17 of 20 first-place votes in the DCU/USCHO poll and 16 of 19 in the USA TODAY / USA Hockey Magazine poll. Wisconsin was third in the DCU/USCHO poll, garnering one first-place vote, and second in the USA TODAY / USA Hockey Magazine poll with 3 first-place votes. Northeastern took the #4 spot and Minnesota Duluth #5 in both polls.

GWH alumna update...
Engelhardt earns coaching contract extension with Whitecaps while being named as new staff member of NHL's Predators

Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna Ronda (Curtin) Engelhardt made news this past Wednesday with a pair of announcements.

Engelhardt was named to the staff of the NHL's Nashville Predators “as a North American Amateur Scout based out of Minnesota,” the first female scout in team history.

Within two hours of the Predators' news, the Minnesota Whitecaps announced that Engelhardt had been signed to a two-year head coaching contract extension. Engelhardt has served as co-head coach of the Whitecaps during the team's first four seasons in the Premier Hockey Federation (formerly the National Women's Hockey League). She will be transitioning into leading the team in a solo role. The 'Caps will also be hosting their home games at Richfield Ice Arena starting this coming season after previously playing at TRIA Rink in St. Paul.

Congratulations, Ronda, and best wishes of continued success!!

Power Play Club

September 7, 2022

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Power Play Club

September 7, 2022

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Wednesday, September 7th

Gophers add two exhibition contests later this month; PPC postgame reception returns following Sept. 24 match

Gopher Women's Hockey and head coach Brad Frost announced yesterday the addition of two exhibition contests to the 2022-2023 schedule, both occuring at Ridder Arena later this month as warm-ups to their regular-season slate of games.

The Gophers will open action against the University of Manitoba Bisons on Saturday, September 24, with puck drop scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT. The following weekend, the Maroon & Gold will host the PHF's Minnesota Whitecaps on Friday, September 30, at 6:00 p.m.; confirmed signees on Whitecaps' 2022-2023 roster include Gopher alumnae Sydney Baldwin, Olivia Knowles, Amanda Leveille, and Patti Marshall.

Both games are free and open to the public (with no tickets issued). We hope to see many of you there!! Fans planning on attending the Gophers-Whitecaps game on the 30th should note that the University of Minnesota's Homecoming Parade is scheduled for that evening, so please allow extra time and caution for increased vehicular & pedestrian traffic around campus.

PPC postgame reception, Saturday, Sept. 24 – Following the exhibition opener against Manitoba on September 24, the Power Play Club will be hosting a postgame reception with the team, our first in-person event after more than two seasons!! As with the game itself, we hope that many of you can stick around as the new Gophers for the 2022-2023 season are introduced (and possibly some of those added in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 as well). Additional details will be shared as the date approaches.

Power Play Club

September 6, 2022

Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Power Play Club

September 6, 2022

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, September 6th

Power Play Club Announcements

Locker sponsorship registration continues for the 2022-2023 season! Each sponsorship requires a minimum tax-deductible donation of $600.00 (per locker), with all funds going to the Gopher Women’s Hockey Enhancement Fund to support the team. Member benefits include the Power Play Club membership, a photo with your player, and meal with your player and the team on a game day (tentatively set for January 7, 2023).

GWH fans who are interested in sponsoring a player’s or coach's locker should contact Rennie McPherson at susanmcp@drsusanmcp.com. Please provide FIVE names of players and/or coaches you are interested in sponsoring; we try to make sure that each player is sponsored before doubling and tripling up. The current team roster – including the incoming players – can be found at gophersports.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/roster.

Basic membership registration opens soon! Registration for our basic membership tier will be opening soon. As with the past couple of seasons, a minimum donation of $50.00 per family/address is required for registration. Thanks for your patience as we finalize the details.

Chalk Talks scheduled, starting October 8 – Our popular Chalk Talk events, in which a member of the Gopher coaching staff joins club members to discuss team strategy, review game film, and have a brief question & answer session, are scheduled for the 2022-2023 season. Specificlly, they are planned for October 8 (Bemidji State series), November 5 (Minnesota Duluth), and February 4 (Ohio State), starting 90 minutes prior to each day's game time. The location for each date is still being finalized. These are member-exclusive events.

Board of Directors meeting, September 20 – The next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors, the last before puck drops to start the 2022-2023 season, is scheduled for Tuesday evening, September 20, at 7:00 p.m. This is planned to be in-person at Ridder Arena. As always, board meetings are open to all registered club members; both 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 members are welcomed to attend.

IIHF Women's Worlds: Potomak, Canada claim Gold Medal; Heise named MVP, Best Forward as Team USA takes Silver

Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna Sarah Potomak and the Canada National Women's Hockey Team defeated Team USA, 2-1, on Sunday to win gold at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship. The win marks the third major tournament victory for the Canadians over the Americans in roughly 12 months following the 2021 WWC and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Potomak finished with 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points in the tournament, while recording a +9 plus-minus rating.

Meanwhile, Taylor Heise was racing up the individual player scoreboard in her Women's World Championship debut with Team USA. Heise was named the tournament's MVP and Best Forward after tallying 18 points on 7 goals and 11 assists. Her point total was second-most on the all-time single-tournament scoring list and the highest in the past 30 years, trailing only Cindy Curley's 23 points from the 1990 WWC. (Photo by Matt Zambonin / HHOF-IIHF Images)

Amanda Kessel joined Heise on the media-selected All Star Team, recording 17 points on 6 goals & 11 assists and placing third on the single-tournament scoring list. Kessel also led Team USA with a +17 plus-minus rating.

Other Gophers at the Women's World Championship – Here's how our other GWH representatives fared at the tournament...

Hannah Brandt (USA) – 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points
Nelli Laitinen (Finland) – 1 goal, 4 assists, 5 points
Kelly Pannek (USA) – 3 goals, 1 assist, 4 points
Lee Stecklein (USA) – 1 goal, 3 assists, 4 points
Grace Zumwinkle (USA) – 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points
Josefin Bouveng (Sweden) – 1 assist, 1 point

Gold Medal Game: Canada 2, USA 1 – In both their preliminary round meeting and the championship game, Canada took a 2-0 lead over Team USA; however, unlike the contest on August 30 in which the Americans came from behind with 5-straight goals to win, they couldn't overcome the deficit the second time. After Brianne Jenner scored both Canadian goals on Sunday, Abby Roque lit the lamp – with Kessel getting an assist – to bring Team USA within one with over a period remaining. However, Canadian goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens made 12 saves in the final 20 minutes to keep the Americans from finding the equalizer.

We congratulate Potomak on her gold medal, and Brandt, Heise, Kessel, Pannek, Stecklein & Zumwinkle on their siver medals!!

Elsewhere in the tournament...

After finishing atop Group B in the preliminary round, Czechia made history. First, they upset Finland in the quarterfinals, 2-1 in overtime. Though they were crushed by the U.S. 10-1 in the semifinals, they bounced back to win bronze with a 4-2 victory over Switzerland, their first World Championship medal.

Japan was winless in the preliminary round, going 0-4 im Group A and being outscored 31-4, including 9-3 against Finland. A second loss to Switzerland in the quarterfinals sent them to the placement round (consolation bracket). They got their first victory of the tournament in significant come-frome-behind fashion, defeating Sweden 5-4 after trailing 3-0. They followed it up with a 1-0 shootout win in their 5th-Place Game rematch against the Finns, getting 61 saves through OT from goaltender Miyuu Masuhara. What this means for the 2023 Women's World Championship is uncertain; despite the win, Japan was leapfrogged in the world ranking by the bronze-medal winning Czechs, and Finland remains third in the ranking despite their 6th-place result this year.

Sweden was the second-place team in Group B upon completion of the preliminary round, but a 3-0 loss to Canada in the quarterfinals followed by the loss to Japan in the placement round resulted in a 7th-place overall result. Hungary was the third-place team in Group B, the last team to advance to the quarterfinals; they lost to the U.S. in the quarters and fell to Finland in overtime in the placement round to finish 8th.

Germany and tournament host Denmark were 4th & 5th in Group B entering their head-to-head final preliminary round game, and it went down to literally the last second. While the Danes were playing to move up and into the quarterfinals, the Germans needed a regulation-time win to avoid relegation. Denmark led 2-1 with 5 minutes remaining in the third period, but Laura Kulge knotted the score with 4:11 to play. Still needing another goal before the stanza ended, the Germans pulled goaltender Sandra Arbstreiter with 2:12 left, and it paid off as Tanja Eisenschmid beat the horn and lit the lamp with 1 second remaining. The 3-2 German victory relegated Denmark to Division 1 for 2023; they will be replaced by 2022 Division 1 Group A champion France.

Following the cancellation of the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championship and the restriction of not having any fans in attendance at the 2021 tournament, Canada has been named the host country for the 2023 championship. Dates and the host city (or cities) are to be announced.

Power Play Club

August 31, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, August 28, 2022

Power Play Club

August 31, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, August 28th

Gophers' non-conference game schedule announced!

The University of Minnesota announced the Gopher Women's Hockey team's 2022-2023 non-conference schedule on Friday, featuring four games across two weekends.

The Gophers will again be participating in a neutral-site tournament over Thanksgiving weekend, heading to Henderson, Nevada, for the 2022 Vegas Showcase. Minnesota will face Penn State on Friday, November 25, at 3 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. CT. They will then play either Boston University and Yale on Saturday, November 26, with game time dependent on Friday's results.

Ridder Arena will host the East-West Showcase on January 6 & 7, as the Gophers and St. Cloud State Huskies each face New Hampshire and Merrimack from Hockey East. Minnesota will take on the UNH Wildcats on Jan. 6 at 6:00 p.m., and the Warriors from Merrimack on Jan. 7 at 4:30 p.m. The Huskies will play the Warriors on the 6th and the Wildcats on the 7th, with both of those contests expected to be played before the Gopher games.

The full Gopher regular-season calendar, including the 28-game WCHA conference schedule and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Game, can be found here.

2022 IIHF Women's World Championship update...
Kessel, Heise lead all players with 6 points apiece after 2 games

The last two Gophers to win the Patty Kazmaier Award, Amanda Kessel (2013) and Taylor Heise (2022), are making waves at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship, each recording 6 points apiece through two contests to lead all players.

Heise tied an all-time WWC single-game record in her major tournament debut with the senior U.S. National Team, dishing out 5 assists in the Americans' 10-0 victory over Japan on Thursday, earning her the honor as Team USA's Best Player in that game. She added a 6th assist in yesterday's 6-1 win over Finland.

Kessel tallied a goal and two assists against the Japanese, then followed it up with 2 goals, an assist, and the U.S. Best Player award against the Finns.

Among other Gophers playing at the World Championship, Hannah Brandt (USA) recorded two points on a goal and an assist against Finland; Kelly Pannek (USA) lit the lamp and Lee Stecklein (USA) tallied an assist against Japan; Josefin Bouveng dished out an assist in Sweden's 5-2 win Thursday over Denmark; Nelli Laitinen was named Team Finland's Best Player in their 4-1 loss to Canada despite not scoring; and Sarah Potomak (CAN) & Grace Zumwinkle (USA) have yet to record a point.

Like Team USA, Canada is 2-0-0-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) in Group A after their win over Finland Thursday and a 4-1 victory over Switzerland. The Finns are 0-0-0-2, but look to rebound in their remaining preliminary round games. Over in Group B, Sweden is 1-1-0-0 with their win over Denmark and a 4-3 shootout victory over Germany. Here's the schedule of remaining preliminary round games for those four teams...

Sunday, August 28

Japan vs. Canada – 3 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. Central Time

Monday, August 29

Japan vs. Finland – 3 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. Central Time
USA vs. Switzerland – 7 p.m. local time, Noon Central Time
Hungary vs. Sweden – 7:30 p.m. local time, 12:30 p.m. Central Time

Tuesday, August 30

Czechia vs. Sweden – 3:30 p.m. local time, 8:30 a.m. Central Time
Switzerland vs. Finland – 4 p.m. local time, 9 a.m. Central Time
USA vs. Canada – 8 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. Central Time

Quarterfinals on Thursday, September 1; semifinals and consolation bracket games on Saturday, September 3; and 5th-6th place game & medal games on Sunday, September 4.

The full schedule of games, including results from completed contests, can be found on the tournament's website at www.iihf.com/en/events/2022/ww/schedule. All Team USA and Canada preliminary round games will be televised live on NHL Network in the United States.

Power Play Club

August 25, 2022

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Thursday, August 25, 2022

Power Play Club

August 25, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Thursday, August 25th

GWH at Minnesota State Fair – Tuesday, August 30 at 1 p.m.

University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics teams will be back at the Minnesota State Fair, at the U. of M. Building along Dan Patch Avenue between Cooper and Underwood Streets, next week. The Gopher Women's Hockey team will be on stage at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30, and we hope to see many of you there!!

More information about all the Gopher sports participating at the Fair can be found here.

2022 IIHF Women's World Championship begins Thursday Morning
Nine Gopher representatives in action, playing across four national teams

We provide a reminder that the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship begins this morning – Thursday, August 25 – in Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark. Nine Minnesota Women's Hockey representatives will be playing with their respective national teams, including current (2022-2023) Gophers Josefin Bouveng (SWE), Taylor Heise (USA), Nelli Laitinen (FIN) & Grace Zumwinkle (USA) and alumnae Hannah Brandt (USA), Amanda Kessel (USA), Kelly Pannek (USA), Sarah Potomak (CAN) & Lee Stecklein (USA). The tournament runs through Sunday, September 4.

Teams USA, Canada, and Finland will play in the tournament's Group A, along with Japan and Switzerland; all five teams automatically qualify for the elimination round. Sweden joins Czechia, Germany, Hungary, and hosts Denmark in Group B, with the top 3 teams in that group advancing to the elimination round. Here's the list of preliminary round games for the four teams with Gopher players...

Thursday, August 25

Japan vs. USA – 3 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. Central Time
Finland vs. Canada – 7 p.m. local time, Noon Central Time
Denmark vs. Sweden – 7:30 p.m. local time, 12:30 p.m. Central Time

Saturday, August 27

Finland vs. USA – 3 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. Central Time
Germany vs. Sweden – 3:30 p.m. local time, 8:30 a.m. Central Time
Switzerland vs. Canada – 7 p.m. local time, Noon Central Time

Sunday, August 28

Japan vs. Canada – 3 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. Central Time

Monday, August 29

Japan vs. Finland – 3 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. Central Time
USA vs. Switzerland – 7 p.m. local time, Noon Central Time
Hungary vs. Sweden – 7:30 p.m. local time, 12:30 p.m. Central Time

Tuesday, August 30

Czechia vs. Sweden – 3:30 p.m. local time, 8:30 a.m. Central Time
Switzerland vs. Finland – 4 p.m. local time, 9 a.m. Central Time
USA vs. Canada – 8 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. Central Time

Quarterfinals on Thursday, September 1; Semifinals and consolation bracket games on Saturday, September 3; and 5th-6th place game & medal games on Sunday, September 4.

The full schedule of games can be found on the tournament's website at www.iihf.com/en/events/2022/ww/schedule. All Team USA and Canada preliminary round games will be televised live on NHL Network in the United States.

We again wish good luck to all nine Gopher representatives!!

Pre-tournament recaps: Canada crushes Denmark, defeats U.S.

Tuesday, August 16 & Thursday, August 18: Finland sweeps Japan, 6-1 & 7-1 – Nelli Laitenen dished out a power-play assist in last Thursday's contest.

Saturday, August 20: Canada 14, Denmark 1 – Sarah Potomak netted Canada's first two goals and added a later assist as the visitors lit the lamp a total of six times in the first period and four more times each in stanzas 2 & 3. Josephine Asperup scored for the Danes in the third period to avoid a shutout. Hockey Canada recap here.

Sunday, August 21: Finland 8, Denmark 0 – Laitinen recorded two more assists as the Finns rolled in their final tune-up before the tournament.

Tuesday, August 23: Canada 3, USA 1 – Lee Stecklein put the Americans on the board first, with Grace Zumwinkle recording an assist, but the Canadians responded with a pair of goals in the 2nd period and one in the third to take the win. USA Hockey recap here; Hockey Canada recap here.

Tuesday, August 23: Switzerland 2, Sweden 1 (shootout) – The two teams played to a 1-1 tie after regulation and a scoreless overtime. In the subsequent shootout, scheduled for five rounds initially, Nadine Hofstetter put the Swiss ahead in round 3 but Josefin Bouveng knotted it up for the Swedes in round 5. After four more scoreless rounds, Switzerland's Kaleigh Quennec lit the lamp in round 10 for the victory. Swiss recap here.