The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, October 11th
Goals for a Goal: Gophers on the board with 8 goals
The Gopher Women's Hockey team has started the season scoring 8 goals in their opening series, and the Power Play Club wants your assistance converting them to donations back to the team! Pledge a dollar amount for every goal the Gophers score during the regular season and postseason, with the option to double your pledge for power play goals; 4 of the 8 goals last weekend came on the advantage.
Goals for a Goal pledges can be submitted electronically through this online form. . Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!
Power Play Club membership enrollment continues!!
Whether you join the Power Play Club through a basic membership or as a locker sponsor, we want you to enroll for 2023-2024, earning access to our three Chalk Talks with the Gopher Women's Hockey coaching staff and contributing to our fundraising for the team through your tax-deductible enrollment donation.
There is still time to sponsor a player’s or coach’s locker for the 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 (before donating) at susanmcp58@gmail.com.
You can join our 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 bit.ly/GWH_PPC_2324; 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".
Reminder: Home opener next Tuesday, October 17!!
We also provide a reminder that the home opener for the 2023-2024 Gopher Women's Hockey season is scheduled for next Tuesday, October 17, with 7 p.m. start time as the team takes on the St. Cloud State Huskies! A special $2 Tuesday promotion is planned with $2 hot dogs and soft drinks. Fans are also encouraged to arrive a few minutes early as the team will raise its 2023 WCHA Final Faceoff Champions Banner to the rafters of Ridder Arena! Watch your email inbox for the next Penalty Box Post early in the week previewing the game!
#4/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-0-0) - at University of St. Thomas Tommies (4-0-0)
Gophers-Tommies women's & men's doubleheader
Friday, October 13 – women's game at 4:07 p.m.
Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul
Second game – Saturday, October 14 at 4:00 p.m.
St. Thomas Ice Arena, Mendota Heights
After their season-opening series sweep in upstate New York, the Gopher Women's Hockey team is back in Minnesota but still technically on the road as they take on their cross-town opponents, the University of St. Thomas Tommies. The teams open their weekend series as part of a doubleheader at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Friday, October 13, with their game starting at 4:07 p.m. (followed by the Gopher Men's Hockey team also facing St. Thomas later in the evening). The second game of the weekend for the women will take place at the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights on Saturday, October 14, at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets for Friday's doubleheader are still available starting at $30 (plus fees) through Ticketmaster.com. One ticket will get you admission into both games at the 'X'.
Game coverage – Friday's contest will be televised on Fox 9+ in the Twin Cities and surrounding area. Otherwise, video from both games will be streamed on the B1G+ subscription service. Free audio play-by-play is available on GopherSports.com for both Friday and Saturday.
Last season against St. Thomas – The Gophers took 11 of the 12 WCHA standings points against the Tommies in the regular season last year, winning 5-0 & 4-1 at Ridder Arena in January and earning 2-1 (OT) and 4-2 victories in Mendota Heights in February. Facing each other in a conference quarterfinal playoff series for the second-straight year, Minnesota ended UST's season with a 7-0 & 6-2 sweep. Taylor Heise led the Gophers with 13 points in the six contests, coming on 7 goals & 6 assists, Grace Zumwinkle also hit the double-digit mark with 10 points on 5 goals and 5 assists, and Abbey Murphy also lit the lamp 5 times and dished out 4 helpers for 9 points. Skylar Vetter played every minute against St. Thomas, yielding only 6 goals while making 106 saves for a 1.00 goals-against average and .946 save percentage. Nicole Vallario was the Tommies' top scorer against Minnesota with 3 points on a goal and two assists, while Maddy Clough, Anna Solheim, and Maija Almich each added a goal & an assist. St. Thomas' goaltenders were shelled by 310 shots off of Gopher sticks; Alexa Dobchuk posted a 4.59 GAA and .914 SV% in her two games, Saskia Maurer also recorded a 4.59 GAA and .912 SV% in her four starts, and Maggie Malecha stopped 10 of 12 shots in a 20-minute relief appearance.
Analyzing the Tommies – Following an eighth-place finish in the WCHA in their first season of Division I play in 2021-2022, St. Thomas improved to 7th in 2022-2023 with a 3-24-1-1 (0-1 in OT) conference record and an 8-25-1 regular-season overall mark. They look to continue that improvement under head coach Joel Johnson.
Junior Maddie Clough (#2) is back for the Tommies after leading the squad in 2022-2023 with 13 points on 6 goals & 7 assists. However, she's the only returning player to have hit double-digits last season. That said, UST has been heavily bolstered by a pair of freshmen: last year's Ms. Minnesota Ella Boerger (#15) and semifinalist Rylee Bartz (#6). Through their first four games this year, Boerger has 9 points on 5 goals & 4 assists while Bartz has added 7 points on 3 goals & 4 assists. Senior Brieja Parent (#23) is third in scoring, having dished out 5 helpers.
UST's goaltending corps has also seen some turnover from last season, as Coach Johnson has brought in a pair of graduate transfers with WCHA experience. Former Gopher Olivia King (#1) is 2-0-0 for the Tommies, stopping 21 of 25 shots for a 2.00 goals-against average and .840 save percentage. Calla Frank (#32) joins St. Thomas after previously playing at Minnesota State; she's also 2-0-0 with 34 saves on 39 shots for a 2.50 GAA and .872 SV%. Sophomore Maggie Malecha (#33) is their third goaltender; she was 1-1-0 in two starts last year plus 4 relief appearances, posting a 3.00 GAA and .915 SV%.
Last weekend for St. Thomas – The Tommies and Lindenwood Lions played two very different games this past weekend, but both resulted in UST victories and the weekend sweep. Maddie Brown, Rylee Bartz, and Nicole Vallario put St. Thomas ahead 3-0 after the opening 20 minutes of the series only to see Lindenwood knot the score at 3-3 with 6:51 to play after two goals by Gigi Pora and one by Quinn McLaren; however, Bartz lit the lamp a second time with only 18.4 seconds remaining to give the Tommies the 4-3 win, with Calla Frank making 18 saves between the pipes. Saturday's game left little doubt as St. Thomas built a 7-0 lead late in the second period; Ella Boerger tallied two goals & an assist and Cara Sajevic also lit the lamp twice. The Lions broke up the shutout bid by scoring twice on UST's Olivia King, who finished with 11 saves. Lindenwood netminder Natalie Ferenc, starting on Friday and entering in relief on Saturday, made 61 saves over 5 periods. Recording a pair of assists Friday before her 3-point effort on Saturday, Boerger was named WCHA Rookie of the Week.
Gophers earn road sweep of RIT
Minnesota opened its 2023-2024 with results at both ends of the ice, going on the road and defeating RIT 3-0 & 5-1. Abbey Murphy had a hand in all three goals of the opener, scoring the first two – both on the power play – and assisting on Madeline Wethington's tally. Skylar Vetter stopped all 17 shots she faced for the shutout. Scoring was a little more distributed in the rematch; Maggie Nicholson got things rolling with just her 2nd career goal 1:23 into the contest, Murphy netted her third power-play marker of the weekend, Madison Kaiser lit the lamp, Ella Huber recorded the Gophers' first short-handed goal of the year (unassisted), and Ava Lindsay scored her first collegiate goal on another power play with Emma Kreisz assisting for her first career point. Lucy Morgan earned her first victory in the Maroon & Gold, stopping 18 of 19 shots. Murphy finished with 5 points, adding another assist on Kaiser's goal, while Huber had three helpers for a four-point weekend.
Around the WCHA
Wisconsin continues offensive outburst – The Badgers rolled to another weekend sweep, taking their home-opening series 5-3 & 12-2 over Boston College. The Eagle held a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes on Thursday before Wisconsin took over, scoring three unanswered goals to win the opener and the first 6 of the rematch. Britta Curl led all players with 7 points (3g, 4a), while Sarah Wozniewicz (3g, 2a) and Marianne Picard (1g, 4a) each added 5 points.
Minnesota Duluth shuts out Long Island – Bulldogs goaltenders Ève Gascon and Hailey MacLeod needed only 22 saves combined to blank the Sharks, 6-0 & 4-0. Mannon McMahon led UMD on Friday with a four-goal outburst, while Clara Van Wieren netted the first three goals on Saturday after a pair of assists in the opener. LIU's Tindra Holm stopped 97 shots in the series.
Minnesota State cruises to sweep of Sacred Heart – Jamie Nelson tallied 7 points (4g, 3a), Sydney Langseth dished out 6 assists, and Taylor Otremba (3g, 2a) & Whitney Tuttle (2g, 3a) each added five points as the Mavericks rolled over the Pioneers, 9-0 and 7-1. Lauren Barbro & Suzette Faucher combined for 32 saves for MSU.
St. Cloud State splits against Mercyhurst – Marielle Parks scored for the Lakers on both a 5-on-3 power play and the follow-up 5-on-4 advantage, just 43 seconds apart early in the first period Friday; Ena Nystrøm made that hold up as the final result, stopping 26 shots for 2-0 shutout victory over the Huskies. SCSU salvaged the split on Saturday, though, despite another 36 saves from Nystrøm; Emma Gentry scored on a late first-period power play, and Sanni Ahola stopped all 28 shots she faced for a 1-0 shutout.
Bemidji State takes tie, loss vs. RPI – The Beavers took a 1-0 lead on Hailey Armstrong's goal midway through the first period of their opener against the Engineers, but RPI's Nyah Philip knotted the score just before intermission and neither team could find the back of the net over the remainder of regulation & overtime, resulting in a 1-1 tie. In the rematch, the Engineers took their own lead on a second-period power play, only to have BSU's Kayla Santl even things up 1 minute, 40 seconds later. However, Philip lit the lamp again six minutes after that and assisted on a third-period insurance goal to defeat the Beavers, 3-1. Abbie Thompson made a combined 48 saves for Bemidji State, while Amanda Rampado stopped 64 shots for RPI.
Upcoming games – Conference play begins for all eight league teams. Wisconsin continues its Thursday-Friday scheduling, hosting Minnesota State in Madison. Elsewhere, Ohio State visits Minnesota Duluth in a pair of matinee games Friday & Saturday, while St. Cloud State hosts Bemidji State Friday night and Saturday afternoon.
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