The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, June 6, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, June 6th

Gophers release 2023-2024 non-conference schedule

Gopher Women's Hockey yesterday released its non-conference schedule for the 2023-2024 season, filling out the calendar as found on its schedule page on Gophersports.com.

Minnesota will host an exhibition on Saturday, September 23, against the Durham West Lightning prep team.  The Gophers then go on the road to open the regular season on October 6 & 7 at RIT in Rochester, New York.  As has now become somewhat of a Thanksgiving weekend tradition, the team will play in a neutral-site event, participating in the “D1 in DC” showcase in Arlington, Virginia, with games against Cornell on November 24 & Harvard on November 25.  Finally, Minnesota will host UConn at Ridder Arena to open the 2024 portion of the schedule on January 5 & 6.

Most game times are still to be announced at a later date.  We provide a reminder that the WCHA opener on October 13 against St. Thomas will be played at 4:00 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, with tickets going on sale in August.

Power Play Club events for the 2023-2024 season

With the announcement of the team's full schedule, the Power Play Club Board of Directors has tentatively planned the following events for 2023-2024:

  • Saturday, September 23 – Reception with the team post-game

  • Saturday, December 2 – Chalk Talk prior to MN vs. Bemidji State

  • Saturday, January 6 – Brunch with the Coaches prior to MN vs. UConn

  • Saturday, January 13 – Locker Sponsor event prior to MN vs. Ohio State

  • Saturday, February 10 – Chalk Talk prior to MN vs. St. Cloud State

  • Saturday, February 24 – Chalk Talk prior to MN vs. Minnesota Duluth

Each Chalk Talk will begin 90 minutes before the scheduled game time and is a PPC exclusive event for members enrolled for the 2023-2024 season.  The Brunch with the Coaches will begin 4½ hours before puck drop; it is an extra fee event open to the public with registration starting in December.

PPC Board meeting tonight (Tuesday, June 6) at 7:00 p.m.

The next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is scheduled for this evening, Tuesday, June 6 at 7:00 p.m.  This will be an online meeting held over Zoom.  Board meetings are open to all enrolled club members; 2022-2023 membership applies during the off-season, and you can attend by contacting club vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.

Copyright © 2023 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 - Wednesday, May 24, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, May 24th

Vetter, G. Zumwinkle earn Academic All-District honors
Women's Academic All-America honorees to be announced June 22

Gopher Women's Hockey players Skylar Vetter and Grace Zumwinkle were two of ten University of Minnesota student-athletes named Academic All-District At-Large Team members yesterday by College Sports Communicators.  We send our congratulations to Skylar, Grace, and the other eight upon their accomplishments, and they are now eligible for Academic All-America consideration with the announcements of first-, second-, and third-team honorees occuring June 21 for the men and June 22 for the women.

As noted in the press release from the U., All-District nominees must have met the following criteria:

  • Nominated athletes must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at their current institution.

  • Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games.

  • No student-athlete is eligible until they have completed one full calendar year at their current institution and been on a college roster in that sport for two years.

  • In the cases of transfers, graduate students, and two-year college graduates, the student-athlete must have completed one full calendar year at the nominating institution to be eligible. Nominees in graduate school must have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or above both as an undergrad and in grad school.

The full list of Women's Academic All-District At-Large Team selections can be found here, and the Men's list is available here.

Vetter attends USA Hockey Goaltending Camp

We also send a shout-out to Skylar Vetter on her invitation to and participation at the 2023 USA Hockey National Goaltending Camp, held this past weekend (May 19-21) in Plymouth, Michigan.  She was one of 24 invitees to the camp and one of 12 female netminders to attend.

On Monday, USA Hockey posted a camp recap video on Twitter. 

Gopher alumna Räty signs with PHF's Metropolitan Riveters

The winningest goaltender in Gopher Women's Hockey history will be playing in the United States for the first time in her professional career.

Finland native Noora Räty signed a one-year deal with the Metropolitan Riveters of the Premier Hockey Federation for the 2023-2024 season on May 16.  Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Räty is a four-time Olympian with two bronze medals, a nine-time World Championship participant with one silver medal & four bronze, and a two-time NCAA Champion with the Gophers (2012 & 2013).  She remains atop the U. of M. wins leaderboard with 114 while also holding the leads in shutouts (43), saves (3,250) and saves-per-game (23.38); she's also second in save percentage (.946) and third in goals-against average (1.34).

Copyright © 2023 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, May 15, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, May 14th

Gophers, Tommies to play at Xcel Energy Center – October 13
Tickets on sale August 22 with season ticket holder pre-sale August 14

Already with an update to the 2023-2024 schedule, the Gopher Women's and Men's Hockey teams will play a doubleheader at Xcel Energy Center on Friday, October 13, both taking on the University of St. Thomas Tommies.  Puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. for the women and 7:30 p.m. for the men.  The game marks the first-ever appearance at the ‘X’ for both women's programs, while the Gopher men last played there in 2017 and the Tommie men were there last October.

Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday, August 22 at 10:00 a.m.  Season ticket holders for all four teams will have access to a priority pre-sale starting on Monday, August 14.  One ticket will give fans access to both games.

Madeline Wethington announces return to Gophers for 5th year

 Gopher Women's Hockey stand-out defender Madeline Wethington announced Friday through the team's social media accounts (Twitter and Facebook) that she will be returning to the team for a fifth season!!

As noted in the announcement, Madeline is pursuing a Master's Degree in Biological Sciences.  The Edina native and Blake School alumna currently sits in a ninth-place tie in Minnesota program history for career goals by a defender (22), while also dishing 54 assists for 76 points.  She earned WCHA Rookie of the Year honors in 2019-2020 and was twice named to the All-WCHA Third Team.  Back on the academic side, Madeline is a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team honoree and WCHA Scholar Athlete.

We look forward to seeing Madeline back in the Maroon & Gold this fall!!

Gopher alumnae Knowles, Leveille re-sign with Whitecaps

A pair of Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae will be returning to the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation next season.

Following her rookie year with the 'Caps in 2022-2023, Olivia Knowles signed a two-year deal with the organization on May 3.  The defender recorded a combined goal and 3 assists between the regular season and postseason.

Two-time Isobel Cup winner and two-time PHF (formerly NWHL) Goaltender of the Year Amanda Leveille signed a one-year agreement on Friday to remain with the Whitecaps.  The 2023-2024 season will be her 6th with the orgnaization and eighth in the league.  She is also a three-time All Star selection.  Leveille posted a .923 save percentage and 2.43 goals-against average in the 2022-2023 regular season, ranking second in the PHF in both categories.

We send our congratulations to both Olivia and Amanda, along with wishes of continued success!!

Note to our readers: If you have a tip on a piece of GWH alumnae news, please send it to PPC vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.  We will gladly accept any updates.  Thank you!!

Copyright © 2023 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, May 11, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Thursday, May 11th

Gophers, WCHA, release 2023-2024 league-game schedules

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association yesterday released its preliminary 2023-2024 composite conference-game schedule for all eight league member teams.  The University of Minnesota followed that with the specific Gopher Women's Hockey schedule.

The Gophers will open WCHA play on October 13 & 14 across town at St. Thomas.  The conference home opener at Ridder Arena will take place on Tuesday night, October 17, against St. Cloud State; the Gophers & Huskies will play a second Tuesday game on December 5 in St. Cloud before a home-and-home series on February 9 & 10.  Minnesota will also face Minnesota State in a pair of home-and-home series – November 3 & 4 and January 26 & 27 – with both Friday games at Ridder and the Saturday contests in Mankato.  The 2023 portion of the schedule concludes with the Border Battle against Wisconsin at Ridder on December 8 & 9, and the Gophers will host Ohio State in the first league series of 2024 for both teams on January 12 & 13.  Senior Weekend at Ridder Arena features the “I-35 rivalry” series against Minnesota Duluth on February 23 & 24.

Game times, non-conference contests, and Power Play Club events will be announced at a later date.

PPC Board of Directors meeting – Tuesday, June 6 at 7 p.m.

The next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is scheduled for Tuesday, June 6 at 7:00 p.m.  This will be an online meeting held over Zoom.  Board meetings are open to all enrolled club members; 2022-2023 membership applies during the off-season, and you can attend by contacting club vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.

Copyright © 2023 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 - Tuesday, May 2, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, May 2nd

PPC Board of Directors meeting – tonight (May 2) at 7 p.m.

The Power Play Club Board of Directors is meeting this evening (Tuesday, May 2) at 7:00 p.m.  This will be an online meeting held over Zoom.  GWH head coach Brad Frost will be in attendance to recap the past season and discuss his priorities for 2023-2024.  Board meetings are open to all enrolled club members; 2022-2023 membership applies during the off-season, and you can still attend by contacting club vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.

Heise wins Big Ten Medal of Honor, named Athlete of the Year;
GWH honored as U. of M. Women's Team of the Year

We send our congratulations to Gopher Women's Hockey fifth-year forward Taylor Heise, who earned two major honors during last night's Golden Goldys ceremony, the annual U. of M. Athletics Department internal event recognizing outstanding performances throughout the year.

Heise was joined by Gopher Football's John Michael Schmitz as the 2023 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients.  The Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded annually to a top female and male student-athlete at each conference institution, with this year's honor marking the 109th anniversary of the award.  The conference's most exclusive award was the first of its kind in intercollegiate athletics to recognize academic and athletic excellence.

Additionally, Heise earned the Golden Goldy award as the Women's Athlete of the Year after earlier honors as First Team All-American, First Team All-USCHO, WCHA Forward of the Year, All-WCHA First Team, WCHA All-Tournament Team and finalist for WCHA Player of the Year.  Heise ranked first in the nation with 30 goals, second with 67 points and third with 37 assists.

We further congratulate the entire Gopher Women's Hockey team on earning the Golden Goldy award as Women's Team of the Year after winning their 8th WCHA Tournament Championship and appearing in the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four!!

We provide one final shoutout to all the U. of M. student-athletes and teams earning Golden Goldy awards at last night's ceremony.  Congratulations, all!!

Copyright © 2023 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, April 20, 2023

The Penalty Box Post
Thursday, April 20th

PPC Board of Directors meeting – May 2 at 7:00 p.m.

The next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, at 7:00 p.m.  This will be an online meeting held over Zoom.  GWH head coach Brad Frost will be in attendance to recap the past season and discuss his priorities for 2023-2024.  Board meetings are open to all enrolled club members, and 2022-2023 membership will apply during the off-season; if you wish to attend, please contact club vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.

Team USA wins World Championship over hosts Canada
Czechs claim bronze over Swiss; Finland tops Sweden for 5th place

Hilary Knight recorded a hat trick, scoring the game-winning goal and a critical insurance tally, giving Team USA a 6-3 victory over Canada to claim gold at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship (USA Hockey recap here).  Knight's three goals extended her World Championship career scoring record past the century mark to 101 points.  Amanda Kessel assisted on two of Knight's goals and Taylor Heise recorded an assist on the game-winner.  The Americans battled back from three one-goal deficits, with Abbey Murphy lighting the lamp for Team USA's first goal of the night.  Goaltender Aerin Frankel preserved the victory with a 24-save performance.  Brianne Jenner tallied two goals and an assist for the Canadians and Ann-Renee Desbiens made 16 saves.

The victory marks Team USA's first major tournament gold medal in four years (2019 Women's Worlds), breaking Canada's three-tournament winning streak (2021 & 2022 Worlds, 2022 Winter Olympics).

Czechia claimed its second-straight World Championship bronze medal, defeating Switzerland 3-2.  The Czechs and Swiss both won their quarterfinal matchups – over Finland and Japan, respectively – but fell in the semifinals.

Finland defeated Sweden 3-1 in the 5th place game to move back into Group A for the 2024 Women's World Championship.  After losing in the quarterfinals, both teams rebounded with Placement Round (consolation bracket) victories – over Germany & Japan, respectively – to advance to the tournament's final day.

 Gophers at the World Championship 

  • Taylor Heise finished as the highest-scoring Golden Gopher representative at the tournament, tied for 3rd overall with 12 points on a goal and 11 assists.  She also posted a +9 plus-minus rating and was named as one of Team USA's top three players for the tournament.

  • Finland's Nelli Laitinen finished third in scoring among all defenders, tallying 10 points on 3 goals and 7 assists, with a +8 rating.

  • Amanda Kessel got hot during the playoff round, recording 6 points in Team USA's final three games and being named the American player of the game in their semifinal win over Czechia.  She finished with 9 points on 5 goals and 4 assists, with a +7 rating.

  • Abbey Murphy lit the lamp three times in the playoff round, tallying 8 points for Team USA in total on 5 goals & 3 assists and posting a +8 rating.

  • While Josefin Bouveng only lit the lamp once, it was critical as the lone goal in Team Sweden's 1-0 shutout victory over Japan in the placement round.

  • Lee Stecklein was solid on the blueline for the Americans, posting a +6 rating while dishing out an assist.

  • Kelly Pannek finished with an assist for Team USA.

  • Incoming Gopher Emma Kreisz did not score for Hungary.

Gopher alumna Megan Bozek announces Team USA retirement

2012 & 2013 NCAA champion Megan Bozek announced her retirement from the U.S. Women's National Hockey team yesterday.  She finishes her Team USA career as a two-time Olympic Silver Medalist (2014, 2022) and four-time Women's World Championship Gold Medalist (2013, 2016, 2017 & 2019), recording 58 points on 17 goals and 41 assists in 111 games wearing the Red, White & Blue.  In the Gopher Women's Hockey record book, Bozek still holds the lead in all three career defensive scoring categories, tallying 146 points on 47 goals and 99 assists; she was also a Top-3 Finalist for the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.

Journalist Nicole Haase caught up with Bozek for a career retrospective and discussion of her future.  The article includes comments from Gopher head coach Brad Frost and Minnesota & national squad teammate Lee Stecklein.

Congratulations and thank you, Megan, on your wonderful career!!  Best wishes on your next adventure!!

Utica, NY, to host 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship

 The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and USA Hockey jointly announced this past Sunday that Utica, New York, will be the host city for the 2024 Women's World Championship (IIHF announcement here, USA Hockey announcement here).  The 31-game schedule is tentatively planned for April 4-14 and will be played at the adjacent Adirondack Bank Center and Utica University Nexus Center.

The 2024 event will be the fifth time the United States has hosted the tournament, having last done so in 2017 in Plymouth, Michigan.  The World Championship was last played in the state of New York in 1994 in Lake Placid.

As noted in the USA Hockey release, the historic Adirondack Bank Center (opened in 1960) is home of the Utica Comets, the AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils, and is designated as a National Historic Civic Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.  The Utica University Nexus Center, which opened last year, is home of the Utica University women’s ice hockey team.

Copyright © 2023 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, 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 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, April 12, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, April 12th

2023 IIHF Women's World Championship – Brampton, Ontario

Canada takes Group A with shootout win over Team USA;
Finland, Sweden advance to Thursday's quarterfinals

In the final preliminary round game for both teams, Canada defeated the United States 4-3 in a shootout to finish atop Group A with 11 standings points, while the Americans came in second in the group with 10 points.

Hannah Bilka put Team USA up 1-0 in the first period, but Sarah Fillier knotted the score for Canada, Marie-Philip Poulin lit the lamp on a 5-on-3 power play, and Laura Stacey hit an empty netter to put the hosts up 3-1 with 2:27 to go.  The Americans battled back, as Hilary Knight hit an empty-netter with 39 seconds left and Amanda Kessel did as well with 3.4 seconds on the clock, with Taylor Heise assisting on both, pulling the score even at 3-3.  After a scoreless 5-minute overtime which included penalty calls on both teams, the game went to a shootout.  Knight and Canada's Brianne Jenner each scored in the first round, but neither team could find the back of the net in the next 7 rounds.  Finally in round 9, Knight lost control of the puck on her third attempt, but Jamie-Lee Rattray scored for Canada for the victory.  Ann-Renee Desbiens made 26 saves for Canada; Aerin Frankel stopped 33 shots for the U.S.

Prior to that contest, both teams were 3-0 with wins over Czechia, Switzerland, and Japan.  Box scores for all contests are available here, and game recaps are avaiable here.

Czechia took 3rd place in Group A behind a 5-2 victory over Switzerland in the preliminary round finale last night.  The Swiss finished 4th thanks to a win over the Japanese, putting them fifth.

In Group B, Finland finished in the top spot, going undefeated against Germany, Sweden, Hungary, and France, outscoring their opponents by a combined 26-3.  The Germans took second in the group with wins over the Swedes, Hungarians and French.  Sweden also advanced by topping Hungary, 6-2, and defeating France yesterday, 8-2.  Hungary was knocked out of the tournament after their 2-1 loss to the Germans yesterday, while the French went winless in their four Group B contests, relegating them back to Division I in 2024.

 

Quarterfinal matchups tomorrow (Thursday, April 13)

  • (3) Czechia vs. (6) Finland – 10:00 a.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. CT

  • (2) United States vs. (7) Germany – 1:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. CT

  • (1) Canada vs. (8) Sweden – 5:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. CT

  • (4) Switzerland vs. (5) Japan – 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT

The USA-Germany and Canada-Sweden games will be broadcast live on NHL Network.

 

Gophers at the World Championship 

  • Now a Gopher alumna, Taylor Heise's hot hand has continued in her second Women's World Championship with the U.S. Women's National Team; she currently sits atop the overall scoring table for players from Group A teams, having posted 8 points on a goal & 7 assists, and is the plus-minus leader from all teams with a +9.

  • Finland's Nelli Laitinen is tied for second in scoring among all defenders, having tallied 6 points on 2 goals and 4 assists, with a +6 rating.

  • Abbey Murphy has contributed 5 points for Team USA, with 2 goals & 3 assists, plus a +4 rating.

  • Including her game-tying goal against Canada, Amanda Kessel has 3 points on 2 goals and an assist, with a +3 rating.

  • Kelly Pannek has an assist and is a +1 for Team USA.

  • While she has yet to score, Lee Stecklein has been a critical blueliner for the Americans and has a +4 rating.

  • Josefin Bouveng has yet to score for Sweden, and incoming Gopher Emma Kreisz did not score for Hungary.

Copyright © 2023 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 - Sunday, April 2, 2023

The Penalty Box Post
Sunday, April 2nd

Note: This was sent out to the email list of PPC members on April 2nd, but was posted to our website on April 12th due to webmaster unavailability.


Heise, Zumwinkle, Laitenen named to 2022-23 All-USCHO Teams

We send congratulations to 2022-2023 Gopher Women's Hockey players Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, and Nelli Laitinen, who were named to All-USCHO Teams by U.S. College Hockey Online this past Friday.

Heise earned the second recognition of her collegiate career as a member of the All-USCHO First Team.  Zumwinkle was honored for a second time as a Second Team forward.  Laitinen was named to the Rookie Team.

USCHO also named their top award winners for the 2022-2023 season.  Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner Sophie Jaques from Ohio State was additionally honored as USCHO Player of the Year, Penn State's Tessa Janecke and Wisconsin's Caroline Harvey were named Co-Rookies of the Year, and St. Cloud State's Brian Idalski earned the honor as Coach of the Year.

2023 IIHF Women's World Championship
Wednesday, April 5 through Sunday, April 16
CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada

8 Gophers – including 5 for Team USA – participating in the tournament

Eight (8) representatives of the Minnesota Women's Hockey program are headed to the upcoming 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championship, being held at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario, Canada starting this Wednesday, April 5, and continuing through Sunday, April 16.  The tournament returns to its regular April timing for the first time since 2019 after being cancelled in 2020 and held in August in 2021 & 2022.

Taylor Heise, Amanda Kessel, Abbey Murphy, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein were named to Team USA's roster yesterday following completion of last week's USA Hockey's camp in Blaine.  They will be joined in Brampton by Finland's Nelli Laitinen, Hungary's Emma Kreisz, and Sweden's Josefin Bouveng.

Tournament preview – The host Canadians enter the tournament as two-time defending champions after having claimed gold in 2021 & 2022, along with winning the 2022 Olympic gold medal in between.  The Americans look to get back on top after last winning the 2019 tournament.  They are joined by Switzerland, Czechia, and Japan in Group A.  Under the current tournament format, all five teams automatically qualify for the elimination round.

While still #3 in the world rankings, Finland finds themselves in Group B this year after a sixth-place result at the 2022 tournament.  They are joined by Sweden, Hungary, Germany, and newly-promoted France.  The top three teams in the group after the preliminary round will advance to elimination round, while the last-place team will be relegated to Division 1 Group A for 2024.

Finland will play in the tournament's opening game on Wednesday, April 5, at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT against France, the U.S. will take on Japan in their first game that afternoon at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT, and Canada will open its title defense at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT against Switzerland.  Sweden and Hungary will play their first games on Thursday, April 6; the Swedes will take on Germany in the first game of the day, while the Hungarians will face the French in the evening matchup.  The full schedule of games can be found here, and all U.S. and Canada games will be broadcast live on NHL Network south of the border.

Pre-tournament exibitions –

  • Japan 4, Hungary 3, shootout (Friday)– Emma Kreisz recorded an assist on a power-play goal by veteran Fanni Gasparics to put Hungary up 3-2 in their game against Japan on Friday, but Ayaka Hitosato scored with 1:43 remaining in regulation to knot the score at 3-3.  After a scoreless overtime, Kohane Sato netted the winning shootout goal for the Japanese victory.

  • Switzerland 2, Germany 0 (Friday) – Alina Marty & Sinja Leemann scored for the Swiss, and Andrea Brändli stopped all 16 shots she faced for the shutout.  Germany's Sandra Abstreiter made 29 saves.

  • Canada 3, Finland 1 (last night) – Brianne Jenner recorded the game's opening goal plus an assist, and Emily Clark & Marie-Philip Poulin also scored for the Canadians.  Emilia Vesa lit the lamp for Finland.

  • Three more games are scheduled for today (Sunday, 4/2) as Sweden faces Switzerland, France takes on Japan, and Germany plays Hungary.

Heise, Potomak recognized by the IIHF – Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Taylor Heise and Sarah Potomak were recognized by the IIHF in pre-tournament coverage, being named as two of the Top 10 Stickhandlers in Women's Hockey.  Congratulations, Taylor & Sarah!!

PPC Board of Directors meeting – April 12 at 7:00 p.m.

The first meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors in preparation for the 2023-2024 Gopher Women's Hockey season is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12, at 7:00 p.m.  This will be an online meeting held over Zoom.  Board meetings are open to all enrolled club members, and 2022-2023 membership will apply during the off-season; if you wish to attend, please contact club president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

Copyright © 2023 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, 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 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, March 22, 2023

The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, March 22nd

8 Gophers invited to U.S. National Team evaluation camp
World Championship roster to be named following camp's conclusion

 Eight (8) representatives of the Minnesota Women's Hockey program were named among 46 players invited to the U.S. Women's National Team evaluation camp, being held next week – March 27 to 31 – at the NSC Super Rink in Blaine.  Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy, Gracie Ostertag, and Grace Zumwinkle from the 2022-2023 Gopher squad will join alumnae Hannah Brandt, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein at the camp.

On Saturday, April 1, USA Hockey will announce the 23-player Team USA roster for the upcoming 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship, being held April 5 through 16 at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario.  The team will practice one more time in Blaine on the 1st before heading to Brampton, and will open their World Championship schedule against Japan at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT on the 5th.  Both teams will also face Canada, Czechia, and Switzerland in preliminary round play before advancing to the elimination round, which starts April 13th.

Bouveng, Laitinen, Kreisz named to preliminary WWC rosters

Expectations are high that 2022-2023 Gopher freshmen Josefin Bouveng & Nelli Laitinen and incoming 2023-2024 freshman Emma Kreisz will also be Women's World Championship participants, as all three have been named to preliminary rosters for their respective national teams.

Bouveng has been named to the 24-player preliminary roster for Team Sweden, which needs to make one cut before the World Championship begins.  The Swedes will play a pre-tournament exhibition game against Switzerland on Sunday, April 2, at McAlpine Ford Arena in Aurora, Ontario.

Laitinen was named to Team Finland's 24-player preliminary roster yesterday.  She was also the subject of a feature article by journalist Lucas Aykroyd, posted on the tournament's website earlier this month.  The Finns are scheduled to play an exhibition against Team Canada on Saturday, April 1, before the tournament begins.

Kreisz was named to the preliminary Hungarian National Team roster on Monday, though the lineup will need to be trimmed from its current 29 players to 23 over the next two weeks.  After traveling to Ontario, Team Hungary will play exhibition games against Japan on March 31 and Germany on April 2.

We send congratulations and wishes of good luck to all our Gopher representatives!!

NCAA Championship: Wisconsin 1, Ohio State 0

The Wisconsin Badgers claimed their 7th national championship in program history, defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 1-0 in the title game this past Sunday.

Ohio State was shut out for the first time all season as Wisconsin netminder Cami Kronish stopped all 31 shots she faced.  Meanwhile, Kirsten Simms scored with 6:32 to go in the first period to put the Badgers ahead, and they held on for the victory.  Amanda Thiele made 21 saves for the Buckeyes.

Wisconsin became the lowest-ranked team to win the national title and the first to win four games in the tournament.

All-Tournament Team

  • F - Jesse Compher, Wisconsin

  • F - Kirsten Simms, Wisconsin

  • F - Laila Edwards, Wisconsin

  • D - Caroline Harvey, Wisconsin

  • D - Sophie Jaques, Ohio State

  • G - Cami Kronish, Wisconsin
     

  • Most Outstanding Player – Kronish

Jaques named 2023 Patty Kazmaier Award winner

Ohio State graduate player Sophie Jaques claimed the 2023 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, becoming the first Buckeye and just the second defender to earn the honor.  She finished the season leading all blue-liners in the NCAA in points (48), goals (24), power-play goals (9) and points per game (1.17).

PPC Board of Director updates

Board election recap / results – We thank those who attended the PPC All-Member Meeting on February 28.  The primary item of business was the annual election of officers and directors to he club's board.

  • President Bill Johnson, vice president Dave Malerich, directors-at-large Matt Floding and J Lindsay, and parent representative Mike Zumwinkle were all re-elected to new two-year terms.

  • Upon completing her term as a director-at-large, Paula Biever was elected to fill the open position of secretary for the second year of its term (expiring in 2024).

  • Two open director-at-large positions were filled.  We welcome past club officers Bob Milligan and Linda Kenny back to the board.  Bob will serve a two-year term and Linda will serve a special one-year term.

This brings the Board of Directors back to a full complement of 12 members; treasurer Todd King and directors-at-large John Conner, David Lord, and Susan "Rennie" McPherson are entering the second year of their respective two-year terms.

April meeting date TBD – The Board of Directors will be meeting in April to begin its off-season work and planning for 2023-2024.  However, the meeting date is still to be determined; we will share it as soon as it is set.

Copyright © 2023 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, 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 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 18, 2023

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

Goals for a Goal – Gophers finish with 177 goals in 2022-23

We send one more round of thanks to everyone who pledged to the Goals for a Goal campaign for the 2022-2023 Gopher Women's Hockey season, supporting future Ridder Arena improvements.  With 2 goals in their NCAA semifinal, the Gophers lit the lamp a total of 177 times over their 39 games, 33 of which came on the power play!  If you made a pledge, please watch your email inbox for an invoice from the Golden Gopher Fund at the U. of M. indicating your final amount and how to remit your donation.

Gophers fall to Wisconsin in overtime in NCAA semifinal

 NCAA Championship – #1 Ohio State vs. Wisconsin
Sunday, March 19, at 3:00 p.m. CT
AMSOIL Arena, Duluth
Game televised on ESPNU

The Gopher and Badger Women Hockey teams exchanged leads in regulation of their NCAA semifinal matchup; Taylor Heise put Minnesota up just 3:23 into the contest but Wisconsin's Laila Edwards & Sophie Shirley lit the lamp just 53 seconds apart in the third period to go ahead 2-1.  However, skating with an extra-attacker, a shot from Madeline Wethington found the back of the net with 1:11 remaining in regulation, sending the game to overtime tied 2-2.

While both teams had opportunities in the extra period, Caroline Harvey scored for the Badgers at the 16:47 mark to defeat the Gophers and bring Minnesota's season to a close.

Skylar Vetter made 35 saves for the Gophers.  Cami Kronish stopped 37 shots for the Badgers.

Minnesota-Wisconsin game recaps...


Ohio State defeats Northeastern, 3-0 – The Buckeyes blitzed the Huskies, holding a 53-15 shots on goal advantage for the game, with Sloane Matthews, Makenna Webster and Hadley Hartmetz lighting the lamp for OSU.  Amanda Thiele stopped all 15 shots, while Northeastern's Gwyneth Philips made 50 saves.

Championship Preview – Ohio State went 3-1-0 against Wisconsin in the regular season, winning 2-1 (OT) and 5-0 in Columbus in January and splitting the rematch in Madison in February, 6-5 (OT) Badgers and 3-1 Buckeyes.  Emma Maltais tallied 8 points on 4 goals & 4 assists for OSU against Wisconsin, while a quartet of Buckeyes each had 5 points: Jenn Gardiner (3g, 2a), Paetyn Levis (3g, 2a), Sophie Jaques (1g, 4a), and Makenna Webster (5a).  Britta Curl was the top Badger scorer against the Buckeyes, with 2 goals & 2 assists, while Jesse Compher (2g, 1a), Vivian Jungels (1g, 2a), and Casey O'Brien (1g, 2a) each added 3 points.  Between the pipes for Wisconsin, Cami Kronish posted a 1-2-0 record with a 3.22 goals-against average and .910 save percentage, while Jane Gervais stopped 34 of 39 shots (.872 SV%) in her lone appearance.  Raygan Kirk won the first of the four contests for the Buckeyes, stopping 27 of 28 shots (.964 SV%), and Amanda Thiele went 2-1-0 in the other three games with a 2.31 GAA and .915 SV%.

Patty Kazmaier Award reminder – The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be presented later this morning (Saturday, March 18), with Top-3 Finalists Sophie Jaques (Ohio State), Alina Mueller (Northeastern), and Danielle Serdachny (Colgate).  The presentation will take place in the AMSOIL Arena Ticket Lobby in Duluth, beginning promptly at 11:30 a.m. CT with doors opening at 11:00 a.m. CT.  Fans are invited to attend free of charge, and the ceremony will also be televised live on NHL Network.  We'll share the announcement of the winner on our Facebook and Twitter accounts once the presentation is made. 

Thank you to our graduating Gophers – Abigail Boreen, Taylor Heise, Crystalyn Hengler, Olivia King, Savannah Norcross, Lizi Norton, Emily Oden, Gracie Ostertag, Makayla Pahl, Catie Skaja, and Grace Zumwinkle – for proudly representing the Maroon & Gold over the past several seasons!!

We send thanks to the entire GWH team on another great campaign, and we look forward to seeing you again in the fall!!

Copyright © 2023 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.