February 9, 2025

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, February 7, 2025

February 9, 2025

GWH Senior Celebration – RSVP deadline reminder (Feb. 10)

Here's our final reminder that RSVPs are due by next Monday, February 10 for the 2025 Gopher Women's Hockey Senior Celebration, which is scheduled for Thursday, February 20, at Club Cambria in Huntington Bank Stadium. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. with the meal and program to begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children, with payment collected at the event. RSVP to Ashley Holmes by email at holme965@umn.edu or by text at 612-296-0057. More information is available in the event flyer here.

Murphy named National Women's Player of the Month; joined by Morrow as WCHA monthly award winners

Gopher Women's Hockey senior co-captain Abbey Murphy was named National Women's Player of the Month for January yesterday by the Hockey Commissioners Association, going back-to-back after having received the same honor for December. Murphy posted 18 points (8g, 10a) in ten games last month, including a four-point (1g, 3a) performance against Minnesota State on January 17 & a two-goal contest versus Bemidji State on January 24. She also recorded a +11 plus-minus rating.

Murphy was joined by junior Sydney Morrow as WCHA honorees, being named as the conference's Forward & Defender of the Month, respectively. Again, Murphy went back-to-back on the recognition after having also earned the award for December. Morrow's recognition was the first WCHA monthly award of her career; she tallied four goals and five assists throughout the month of January, recorded four multi-point games, posted a +10 plus-minus rating, and led the team with two power-play goals.

Congratulations, Abbey and Sydney!!

Kreisz records assist in opener of Olympic qualifying, Pannek nets Rivalry Series shootout goal

As we noted on Wednesday, three different qualifying tournaments for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games opened yesterday, and Gopher Women's Hockey sophomore forward Emma Kreisz dished out an assist on the eventual game-winning goal for Team Hungary in their contest against Slovakia, played in Bremerhaven, Germany. Additionally, though not credited with a second point, Kreisz provided the pressure to force a Slovakian turnover leading to an empty-net insurance goal for the Hungarians as they won 3-1.

In the other game played in Group I, host Germany shut out Austria, 2-0. All four teams are idle today before resuming Saturday, with Austria facing Slovakia and Hungary taking on the Germans.

Hosting the Group H tournament, Team Sweden defeated Norway in their opening contest, 3-0; however, Gopher junior Josefin Bouveng went without a point for the Swedes. Earlier in the day, Denmark topped the Netherlands, 3-1. Action continues this morning as the Danes play Norway, followed by Sweden taking on the Netherlands.

In Group G play, host Japan routed France, 7-1, after China topped Poland, 3-2 in a shootout (1-0 in five rounds). These teams are idle today before China faces France and Poland squares off against Japan on Saturday.

Rivalry Series, Game 4: USA 2, Canada 1, shootout – Goaltender Gwyneth Philips was the American player of the game, stopping 31 of 32 shots. Hilary Knight converted a first-period power play to put Team USA up 1-0, but Blayre Turnbull knotted the score for the Canadians with an extra-attacker goal with 2:20 remaining in regulation. However, Philip's performance sent the game first to overtime and then a shootout, and three Canadian shooters were unable to beat her. At the other end, Knight, Hannah Bilka, and Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Kelly Pannek all found the back of the net for the victory.

With the win, the U.S. National Team tied the series at two games apiece with the deciding Game 5 set for tomorrow night (Saturday, February 8) at 7 p.m. AT / 5 p.m. CT at Credit Union Place in Summerside, P.E.I. The contest will be televised on NHL Network.

Euro Hockey Tour / 3 Nations Tournament – In other international action occurring yesterday, Finland defeated Switzerland, 3-1, in the opening game of the 3 Nations Tournament in Liberec, Czechia, despite being outshot 36-17. Julia Liikala lit the lamp twice for the Finns and Anni Keisala made 35 saves.

Finland faces the host Czechs today, and the Swiss will take on Czechia on Saturday to wrap up the event.

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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 X at x.com/GopherWHockey.

Power Play Club

February 5, 2025

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Power Play Club

February 5, 2025

GWH Senior Celebration – Thursday, February 20

RSVPs are due by next Monday, February 10 for the 2025 Gopher Women's Hockey Senior Celebration, which is scheduled for Thursday, February 20, at Club Cambria in Huntington Bank Stadium. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. with the meal and program to begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children, with payment collected at the event. RSVP to Ashley Holmes by email at holme965@umn.edu or by text at 612-296-0057. More information is available in the event flyer here.

PPC All-Member Meeting – Saturday, February 22 at 12 p.m.

The annual Power Play Club All-Member Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 22 at 12 p.m. in the Baseline Tennis Center Club Room. This is an opportunity to touch base with other Power Play Club members and to provide feedback on the operation of the club and the Gopher Women's Hockey game experience. We will also have a Board of Directors election, including for the offices of president and vice president. All enrolled 2024-2025 club members are invited and encouraged to attend.

Goals for a Goal

After lighting the lamp six more times last weekend, the Gopher Women's Hockey team has netted 111 goals this season, with 26 coming on the power play!! We continue to ask for your help converting each of those into a donation back to the team through our Goals for a Goal pledge-per-goal program. We are still accepting pledges at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double the pledge for power play tallies! Our thanks for your consideration of this campaign!

#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (22-6-1, 16-5-1-0 WCHA)
at #1 University of Wisconsin Badgers (27-1-2, 21-1-2-1 WCHA)
Saturday, February 8 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 9 at 12:00 p.m.
LaBahn Arena – Madison, WI

Following a contentious battle this past weekend, the Gopher Women's Hockey team heads into its last full road series of the 2024-2025 regular season and a second-straight top-three matchup nationally. The squad travels to Madison for two more Border Battle games against the #1-ranked University of Wisconsin Badgers at LaBahn Arena, playing Saturday, February 8 at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, February 9 at 12:00 p.m.

Game coverage – Saturday's contest will be televised on Fox 9+, and both contests will have video streaming on the B1G+ subscription service (Saturday / Sunday). Free audio play-by-play on GopherSports.com continues Saturday & Sunday, and live stats can be found here.

This season against Wisconsin – Home ice was not kind to the Gophers in their October series against the Badgers, falling 5-0 & 4-3. Wisconsin controlled the opener, holding Minnesota to only 18 shots on goal, all of which were stopped by UW netminder Ava McNaughton. Skylar Vetter kept the Gophers in the game through two periods, stopping 23 of 24 shots, but Wisconsin lit the lamp on four of their first six 3rd-period shots over the opening 7:40 of the stanza. Hannah Clark relieved Vetter for the remainder of the contest, stopping the two shots she faced. After a scoreless first period of the rematch with Clark between the pipes for the Gophers, Sydney Morrow lit the lamp twice in the opening two minutes of period two and Madison Kaiser pushed the Gopher lead to 3-0 at the 8:44 mark of the period. Unfortunately, the Badgers chipped away at that lead, getting a power-play tallies by Laila Edwards & Lacey Eden, the tying goal from Hannah Halverson 4 minutes later, and one more from Casey O'Brien put them ahead with 6:07 to play. McNaughton shut the door on Minnesota the rest of the way, finishing with another 26 saves, while Clark stopped 25 shots. Caroline Harvey assisted on all four Badger goals Saturday to give her five helpers for the weekend, and O'Brien posted a two-goal, two assist series.

Analyzing the Badgers – Wisconsin has been the top team nationally much of the season, having lost only once (at Ohio State in December) and recorded two ties. The Badgers lead the nation in scoring offense (averaging 1.29 goals-per-game more than the next-closest team), scoring defense, scoring margin, power play goals, and power play percentage. They need only a single standings point in their remaining four games to clinch a share of the WCHA Regular-Season Championship, and they'll win it outright if they get that point this weekend.

Individually, Wisconsin boasts 4 of the top 6 scorers nationally. Senior Casey O'Brien (#26) is the NCAA's top point-getter, recording 59 on 18 goals and 41 assists. Junior Laila Edwards (#10) has the most goals in Division I with 26 while dishing out 29 assists for 55 points. Junior Kirsten Simms (#27; 15g, 33a), junior defender Caroline Harvey (#4; 14g, 33a), and senior Lacey Eden (#6; 19g, 21a) have also reached or exceeded the 40-point mark this year.

At the other end of the ice, sophomore netminder Ava McNaughton (#30) has an NCAA-best 1.16 goals-against average and the second-best save percentage at .949 (among qualifying players); she has started all but one of Wisconsin's games, posting a 26-1-2 record with 7 shutouts. Fifth-year player Quinn Kuntz (#35) won her lone start against Maine and has also made 3 relief appearances, stopping 25 of the 26 shots she's faced in 117 minutes of action (.962 SV%, 0.51 GAA). Redshirt sophomore Chloe Baker (#32) has two relief appearances and has stopped all 7 shots she's faced.

Recent action for Wisconsin – Despite being held to only two goals in each game, the Badgers earned a weekend sweep on the road at Minnesota Duluth, winning 2-1 in overtime on Friday and 2-1 in regulation on Saturday. The Bulldogs has 1-0 leads in both contests on goals by Grace Sadura & Olivia Mobley, and Ève Gascon made a combined 86 saves. However, Ava McNaughton stopped the other 53 UMD shots she faced. Marianne Picard tied Friday's game less than six minutes after Sadura's goal, and Casey O'Brien lit the lamp with 37 seconds remaining in overtime, scoring on a rebound. Minnesota Duluth's lead Saturday lasted more than 28 minutes, but Laila Edwards evened the score in the third period and Sarah Wozniewicz netted the game-winning goal 5½ minutes later.

Gophers win Friday, fall Saturday to split with Buckeyes at Ridder

In a hotly contested weekend series at Ridder Arena, the Gopher Women's Hockey had to settle for a split against the Ohio State Buckeyes, winning Friday's game, 3-1, but falling in Saturday's rematch, 7-3.

The series opener remained scoreless after 40 minutes, but Ella Huber converted on a power play just 1:01 into the third period. Huber then doubled the lead at the 7:52 mark and Abbey Murphy pushed the lead to three on another power play 63 seconds later. Former Gopher Emily Zumwinkle lit the lamp for Ohio State with only 2:01 remaining to break up the shutout bid, scoring an extra-attacker goal moments after the Buckeyes had had a 6-on-4 due to a Gopher penalty. Hannah Clark made 25 saves for Minnesota, while Amanda Thiele stopped 19 shots for OSU. Sydney Morrow dished out two assists.

Emma Conner's third goal of the season and two from Peyton Hemp gave the Gophers three different one-goal leads on Saturday, but Sloane Matthews responded each time for the Buckeyes, recording a second-period hat trick and sending the game to the second intermission knotted at 3-3. Ohio State then capitalized on a series of Minnesota penalties, tallying three power-play goals in the first 4:48 of the third period; Mira Jungåker netted the first of those, the eventual game-winner. The Buckeyes tacked on one more with 2:54 to play for the final margin. Clark made another 35 saves for the Gophers, while Hailey MacLeod and Thiele combined for 30 saves for Ohio State. Huber added an assist to her weekend tally to post a 3-point series, while OSU's Makenna Webster had 4 assists across the two games.

Murphy takes sole possession of ninth on GWH career goals list – Netting her 94th goal in the Maroon & Gold, Abbey Murphy moved into sole possession of ninth place on Minnesota Women's Hockey's all-time career goals list, dropping Dani Cameranesi to tenth (with 93 goals). Murphy remains behind both Taylor Heise & Kelly Stephens, who are tied for seventh with 97 collegiate goals.

Wethington earns PNC Achievers Award

Prior to last Friday's game, Gopher fifth-year forward Audrey Wethington was presented a PNC Achievers Award for her excellence in academic achievement, community service, and demonstrating team values, as voted on by her peers and university staff. Congratulations, Audrey!!

Olympic qualifying, Rivalry Series, and other int'l play this week

We provide a reminder that the Gopher Women's Hockey Team will be without forwards Josefin Bouveng & Emma Kreisz in Madison this weekend. Both are competing with their national teams – Sweden and Hungary, respectively – in qualifying tournaments for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Three separate qualifier events begin tomorrow (Thursday, February 6) and run through Sunday (February 9).

Group G: China, France, Japan (host) and Poland
Group H: Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, and Sweden (host)
Group I: Austria, Germany (host), Hungary, and Slovakia

The winners of each of the three groups will advance to the 2026 Olympics in Milan & Cortina, Italy. It is suspected that the highest-ranked of the three second-place teams from the qualifiers will also advance, following the International Ice Hockey Federation Council's decision to not reintegrate Russia & Belarus into its championships for 2025-2026. The United States, Canada, Czechia, Finland, and Switzerland have already qualified for the Winter Games due to their current world rankings, and Italy will also compete as the host nation.

Once again, we congratulate and send wishes of good luck to Josefin & Emma!!

USA-Canada Rivalry Series – We again also wish good luck to Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Taylor Heise & Kelly Pannek as they compete as members of the U.S. Women's National Teamfor the fourth and fifth games of the 2024-2025 Rivalry Series against Canada. The squads will meet tomorrow night (Thursday, February 6) at 7 p.m. Atlantic Time / 5 p.m. Central at Scotiabank Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Saturday, February 8 at 7 p.m. AT / 5 p.m. CT at Credit Union Place in Summerside, P.E.I., and both games will be televised on NHL Network.

Zumwinkle among four scratched from U.S. roster – Unfortunately, Gopher alum Grace Zumwinkle was one of four players announced Monday as being unavailable for this week's Rivalry Series games as USA Hockey named their roster replacements. Zumwinkle has missed a number of games as a member of the PWHL's Minnesota Frost, and we look forward to seeing her back on the ice soon.

Euro Hockey Tour action – As for the other squads already qualified for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the national teams of Czechia, Finland, and Switzerland are also in action this week, competing in the round-robin 3 Nations Tournament as part of the Euro Hockey Tour. The contests are being held tomorrow through Saturday (Feb. 6-8) at Home Credit Arena in Liberec, Czechia.

Around the WCHA

Tommies upset Huskies Saturday for series split – Sofianna Sundelin scored twice with an assist, Alice Sauriol added a goal and two helpers, and Sanni Ahola made 13 saves to earn her 35th career victory and become St. Cloud State's all-time wins leader as they defeated St. Thomas 5-2 on Friday. However, UST netminder Dani Strom stopped 32 of 33 shots Saturday and finished with 60 saves on the weekend; Ella Boerger scored in the second period & assisted on Lauren Stenslie's goal 36 seconds into overtime for a 2-1 upset of the Huskies despite Sundelin's third goal of the series.

Beavers, Mavericks skate to a series split – Whitney Tuttle scored twice in the second period Friday to erase Minnesota State's two-goal deficit against Bemidji State, but Makenna Deering's second goal of the game – and of the season – 21 seconds into overtime gave the Beavers a 3-2 victory. The Mavericks responded Saturday with two goals and an assist from Alexis Paddington and two assists from Tuttle in a 5-1 win for the weekend split.

Gophers, Buckeyes clinch home ice for WCHA First Round – With these results, Minnesota and Ohio State have clinched home ice for the First Round / quarterfinals of the WCHA Conference Tournament, coming up February 28 through March 2. On the flip side, Ohio State fell out of contention for the WCHA Regular-Season Championship.

Upcoming games – The other three league series this week will be played Friday & Saturday. Minnesota State will host St. Cloud State starting with a Friday matinee game, while St. Thomas visits Ohio State and Bemidji State hosts Minnesota Duluth.

Standings (* clinched home ice for WCHA playoff quarterfinals):
1. Wisconsin* – 65 points (.903 pts%), 21-1-2-1, 1-0 in OT (27-1-2 overall)
2. Minnesota* – 48 points (.727 pts%), 16-5-1-0, 1-0 in OT (22-6-1 overall)
3. Ohio State* – 48 points (.667 pts%), 15-6-3-2, 2-0 in OT (21-6-3 overall)
4. Minn. Duluth – 36 points (.545 pts%), 10-10-2-2, 0-2 in OT (15-11-2 overall)
5. St. Cloud State – 29 points (.455 pts%), 8-10-4-1, 1-1 in OT (13-10-5 overall)
6. Minnesota State – 20 points (.303 pts%), 5-16-1-0, 0-4 in OT (11-16-1 overall)
7. St. Thomas – 16 points (.273 pts%), 5-16-1-1, 2-1 in OT (8-18-2 overall)
8. Bemidji State – 8 points (.121 pts%), 3-19-0-0, 1-0 in OT (5-23-1 overall)

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Power Play Club

January 29, 2025

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Power Play Club

January 29, 2025

PPC Chalk Talk – this Saturday, February 1 at 12:30 p.m.

Again, the third and final Power Play Club Chalk Talk of the 2024-2025 season with a member of the GWH coaching staff is scheduled for Saturday, February 1 at 12:30 p.m., before the Gophers host the second game of their series against Ohio State. We will be meeting in the Ridder Arena Weight Room on the upper level across the hall from the suites. This is an exclusive event for enrolled 2024-2025 club members, and we hope to see many of you there!!

GWH Senior Celebration – Thursday, February 20
RSVPs due by Monday, February 10

The 2025 Gopher Women's Hockey Senior Celebration is scheduled for Thursday, February 20, at Club Cambria in Huntington Bank Stadium. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. with the meal and program to begin at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 for adults and $25 for children, with payment collected at the event. RSVPs are due by Monday, February 10 to Ashley Holmes by email at holme965@umn.edu or by text at 612-296-0057. More information is available in the event flyer here.

PPC All-Member Meeting – Saturday, February 22 at 12 p.m.

Goals for a Goal

As the Gopher Women's Hockey team has surpassed the century mark in goals scored this season, we continue to ask for your help to convert each of those goals into a donation back to the team. Enroll in our Goals for a Goal pledge-per-goal program by submitting your pledge at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double the pledge for power play tallies! Through 27 games, Minnesota has lit the lamp 105 times with 23 of those coming on the power play!

#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (21-5-1, 15-4-1-0 WCHA)
vs. #2 Ohio State University Buckeyes (20-5-3, 14-5-3-2 WCHA)
Friday, January 31 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 1 at 2:00 p.m.
Ridder Arena

In a top-three matchup both nationally and in the WCHA league standings, the Gopher Women's Hockey team hosts The Ohio State University Buckeyes at Ridder Arena. The action begins Friday, January 31 at 6:00 p.m. and continues Saturday, February 1 at 2:00 p.m.

Game coverage – Both contests will have video streaming on the B1G+ subscription service (Friday / Saturday). Free audio play-by-play on GopherSports.com continues Friday & Saturday, and live stats can be found here.

Promotions this weekend – The Gopher Women's Hockey team will be celebrating Fan Appreciation Day on Friday with extra t-shirt tosses, in-seat deliveries and more happening throughout the game! Cub Family 4 Pack ticket packages are also available for Friday's contest here. Saturday is Alumni Day and National Girls & Women in Sports Day, and select GWH players will be signing autographs after the game!

Traffic alerts – Multiple Golden Gopher athletic events are scheduled for both Friday and Saturday. In addition to Women's Hockey at 6 p.m. on Friday, both the Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving teams are holding a meet at Freeman Aquatic Center at 5 p.m. and Gopher Men's Hockey is playing at 3M Arena at 7 p.m. Saturday is extra busy, so much so that the university has issued an official Traffic & Parking Advisory, with Gopher Men's Basketball (11 a.m.), Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving (11 a.m.), Women's Hockey (2 p.m.), Gymnastics (4 p.m.), and Men's Hockey (5 p.m.) all competing at home.

This season against Ohio State – The Gopher Women's Hockey team was only able to get one WCHA standings point in their October trip to Columbus, losing to the Buckeyes, 4-3, in the series opener, playing them to a 1-1 tie in the rematch, but falling 2-1 in a seven-round shootout. Minnesota never led in the series despite goals by Abbey Murphy, Emma Kreisz, Gracie Graham & Josefine Bouveng, plus two assists from Nelli Laitinen; Murphy also had an assist and scored in Saturday's shootout. Joy Dunne, Jocelyne Amos, and Jenna Buglioni each tallied a goal and an assist for OSU in Friday's contest, with Buglioni's goal being the eventual game-winner. Jordyn Petrie scored in the first period on Saturday, and Dunne & Amos lit the lamp in the shootout. Skylar Vetter made 21 saves for Minnesota in the opener and Hannah Clark stopped 29 shots through overtime Saturday, while Amanda Thiele played both games for the Buckeyes, making a combined 52 saves.

Analyzing the Buckeyes – On total league points, Ohio State is in a second-place tie with the Gophers at 45; however, because they have played two additional conference games entering this weekend, they trail on points percentage. Still, the Buckeyes have been ranked #2 in the national polls, ahead of #3 Minnesota, for much of the season.

Sophomores Joy Dunne (#16) and Jocelyne Amos (#17) are tied with a team-high 17 goals apiece; Dunne is also OSU's overall scoring leader, adding 19 assists for 36 points, while Amos has 17 assists for 34 points. Grad student Jenna Buglioni (#10) has also eclipsed the 30-point mark, tallying 15 goals & 16 assists. Two others have surpassed the 20-point threshold, as grad student Kiara Zanon (#11) has 10 goals & 16 assists and junior Emma Peschel (#7) has 5 goals & 19 helpers. Also of note, freshman Jordyn Petrie (#19) has lit the lamp 12 times.

Four different goaltenders have seen action for OSU this season. Grad student Amanda Thiele (#30) has started 18 of the Buckeyes' 28 games, posting a 12-4-2 record with one shutout, a 2.04 goals-against average, and an .892 save percentage. Junior Hailey MacLeod (#35), in her first season in Columbus after two years at Minnesota Duluth, is 7-1-1 in her 9 starts with 3 shutouts, a 1.49 GAA, and a .915 SV%. Junior Lexington Secreto (#34) won her lone start of the season against Stonehill in late October, posting a 9-save shutout, while freshman Genny Klein (#1) stopped 13 of 14 shots (.929 SV%) in a 36-minute relief appearance in OSU's first game against Mercyhurst.

Recent action for Ohio State – Early last week, the Buckeyes defeated Mercyhurst on the road, 5-1; Joy Dunne led all scorers with a goal & an assist, and Hailey MacLeod stopped 15 of 16 shots.

Returning to Columbus, Sloane Matthews & Kiara Zanon each tallied two goals & an assist and Dunne added a goal & two assists as the Buckeyes swept Minnesota State, 5-2 & 4-1, outshooting the Mavericks 78-33. Amanda Thiele stopped 13 of 15 shots Friday and MacLeod made 17 saves on 18 shots Saturday for OSU. Taylor Otremba, JuliAnna Gadzik, and Claire Vekich lit the lamp for MSU.

Gophers earn Field Trip Day, Hockey Day MN sweep of Beavers

The Gopher Women's Hockey team benefitted from several nice passes and a three-goal series from Abbey Murphy – including Saturday's game-winner – to sweep Bemidji State, winning Friday's Field Trip Day game 4-1 and Saturday's outdoor Hockey Day Minnesota contest 3-1.

After a scoreless opening period on Friday in front of a Ridder Arena-record crowd of 3,700 spectators, Peyton Hemp buried a pass from Ella Huber in the second stanza and Audrey Wethington did the same off a Sydney Morrow feed in the third. The Beavers cut their deficit in half just over two minutes later with a goal credited to Mya Hendrick, but Murphy scored on a sharp-angle shot with 3:15 to play and added an empty-netter with 41.9 seconds to go. Hannah Clark made 17 saves, while BSU's Eva Filippova stopped 34 shots.

Emma Kreisz scored 7 minutes into Saturday's contest off a crisp pass from Emma Conner. Murphy followed with her third goal of the weekend 3½ minutes later, splitting two Bemidji State defenders on her way to the net. Gracie Graham was the beneficiary of a Peyton Hemp pass, lighting the lamp in the second period to push the Gopher lead to 3-0. Bemidji State's Morgan Smith converted on a 5-on-3 power play, but the Gopher defense held the Beavers to only one shot on goal in the third period and Clark finished with 10 saves for the victory. Kaitlin Groess stopped 35 shots for BSU.

Murphy reaches ninth on GWH career goals list – With her performance against the Beavers, Abbey Murphy improved to ninth on Minnesota Women's Hockey's all-time career goals list, moving into a tie with Dani Cameranesi at 93. She sits behind both Taylor Heise & Kelly Stephens, who are tied for seventh with 97 collegiate goals.

Rosters announced for upcoming international play

Bouveng, Kreisz headed to Olympic qualifying – Current Gopher Women's Hockey forwards Josefin Bouveng & Emma Kreisz were named to their respective national teams to play in final-round Olympic qualification tournaments coming up on February 6-9.

Bouveng was named to Sweden's Women's National Team roster yesterday for the "Group H" qualifier they are hosting in the city of Gävle. They will be facing Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands.

Kreisz was named to the roster of Team Hungary last week. They will be playing in the "Group I" qualifier against Austria, Slovakia, and host nation Germany in the city of Bremerhaven. Before the tournament, they are also scheduled to play the Germans in an exhibition contest in Kassel this Saturday, February 1.

A third qualifier ("Group G") will be hosted by Japan and includes China, France, and Poland.

The winners of each of the three groups will advance to the 2026 Winter Games in Milan & Cortina, Italy. The United States, Canada, Czechia, Finland, Switzerland, and (if reinstated) Russia have already qualified due to their current world rankings, and Italy will also compete as the host nation.

Congratulations and good luck, Josefin & Emma!!

USA-Canada Rivalry Series: GWH alums Heise, Pannek, Zumwinkle named to American roster – Minnesota Women's Hockey alumnae Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, and Grace Zumwinkle, all currently members of the PWHL's Minnesota Frost, were named among 21 players who will comprise the U.S. Women's National Team roster for the fourth and fifth games of the 2024-2025 Rivalry Series against Canada. The squads will meet next Thursday, February 6 at 7 p.m. Atlantic Time / 5 p.m. Central at Scotiabank Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Saturday, February 8 at 7 p.m. AT / 5 p.m. CT at Credit Union Place in Summerside, P.E.I. Tickets are available through Hockey Canada & TicketMaster.ca, and both games will be televised on NHL Network. Canada leads this year's series, winning two of the first three games played in November. Good luck Taylor, Kelly & Grace!!

Around the WCHA...

Brausen named head coach at St. Thomas – The University of St. Thomas named Bethany Brausen as head coach of the Tommies Women's Hockey team on Sunday (January 26), removing the interim tag from her title. She assumed the interim head coaching role in November, and had served as the Tommies top assistant coach or acting head coach since joining the program in 2021. Brausen is a Gopher Women's Hockey alumna and a member of the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Championship teams. We send Bethany our congratulations and best wishes.

Tommies upset Bulldogs... twice – The announcement of Brausen's hiring follows surprising results from Mendota Heights earlier in the weekend. Behind a five-point performance (1g, 4a) from Lauren Stenslie, two goals & an assist by Rylie Bartz, 73 saves from Dani Strom, and game-winning tallies by Ilsa Lindaman & Ella Boerger, St. Thomas came from behind twice to sweep Minnesota Duluth, 3-2 and 4-3 (OT). In Thursday's series opener, Maddie Brown pulled the Tommies even, 2-2, midway through the third period, and Lindman scored with 25.5 seconds remaining. The rematch Friday saw Stenslie net the tying goal in the third period and Boerger lit the lamp 3:05 into overtime. UMD's Mary Kate O'Brien and Danielle Burgen each tallied a goal & an assist in the series and Ève Gascon stopped a combined 37 shots.

Badgers get win, tie, bonus point vs. Huskies – Laney Potter, Cassie Hall, and Lacey Eden each recorded a goal & an assist as Wisconsin defeated St. Cloud State 5-2 Saturday despite a 44-save performance by Sanni Ahola. Ally Qualley gave SCSU a brief lead Sunday, but Eden and Kirsten Simms both converted power plays to put Wisconsin ahead; however, Laura Zimmermann scored for the Huskies 8:42 into the third period, and Emilia Kyrkkö finished with 30 saves for a 2-2 overtime tie. The Badgers earned the bonus point as Simms netted the only goal of the subsequent shootout.

Upcoming games – All four league series this week feature Friday & Saturday contests. Two will start with Friday afternoon games as St. Thomas plays St. Cloud State home-and-home, beginning in St. Cloud, and Bemidji State hosts Minnesota State. Meanwhile, Wisconsin heads north to face Minnesota Duluth.

Standings (* clinched home ice for WCHA playoff quarterfinals):
1. Wisconsin* – 60 points (.909 pts%), 19-1-2-1, 0-0 in OT (25-1-2 overall)
2. Minnesota – 45 points (.750 pts%), 15-4-1-0, 1-0 in OT (21-5-1 overall)
3. Ohio State – 45 points (.682 pts%), 14-5-3-2, 2-0 in OT (20-5-3 overall)
4. Minn. Duluth – 35 points (.583 pts%), 10-8-2-2, 0-1 in OT (15-9-2 overall)
5. St. Cloud State – 25 points (.417 pts%), 7-9-4-1, 1-0 in OT (12-9-5 overall)
6. Minnesota State – 16 points (.267 pts%), 4-15-1-0, 0-3 in OT (10-15-1 overall)
7. St. Thomas – 14 points (.233 pts%), 4-15-1-1, 1-1 in OT (7-17-2 overall)
8. Bemidji State – 6 points (.100 pts%), 2-18-0-0, 0-0 in OT (4-22-1 overall)

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Paula Rice Biever

January 21, 2025

The Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Paula Rice Biever

January 21, 2025

Looking ahead:

PPC Chalk Talk, February 1 at 12:30 p.m.

The third and final Power Play Club Chalk Talk of the 2024-2025 season with a member of the GWH coaching staff is scheduled for Saturday, February 1 at 12:30 p.m., before the Gophers host the second game of their series against Ohio State. We will again be meeting in the Ridder Arena Weight Room, on the upper level across the hall from the suites. This is an exclusive event for enrolled 2024-2025 club members, and we hope to see many of you there!!

Goals for a Goal

The lamp keeps lighting up for the Gopher Women's Hockey team!! With five weekends left in the regular season, Minnesota has tallied 98 goals with twenty-three (23) coming on the power play! Help us convert each of those goals into a donation back to the team by enrolling in our Goals for a Goal pledge-per-goal program. Submit your pledge at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double the pledge for power play tallies! GO GOPHERS!!

Playoff ticket reminders...

2025 WCHA Final Faceoff, March 7-8 in Duluth – All-session packages for the WCHA Final Faceoff, sponsored by Kwik Trip, are now on sale. The tournament will be played at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth on Friday & Saturday, March 7 and 8. Ticket can be purchased through the UMD Ticketmaster site. Reserved seats – primarily from the faceoff dots at one end of the ice to the other, with some handicapped seating on the concourse – are $35 for adults and $25 for youth & seniors, while general admission seating in all other sections is $25 for adults and $20 for youth & seniors. Single-session tickets will go on sale at a later date.

2025 NCAA Frozen Four, March 21 & 23 at Ridder Arena – The University of Minnesota is once again hosting the NCAA Frozen Four in Minneapolis, and tickets are now on sale through the U. of M. Ticket Office. Chairback seating is $50 for adults and $35 for seniors, students & children, while bench seating is $40 for adults and $25 for seniors, students & children. Reduced rate seating for groups of 15 or more is also available. Single-day tickets are also on sale.

#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-5-1, 13-4-1-0 WCHA)
vs. Bemidji State University Beavers (4-20-1, 2-16-0-0 WCHA)

Field Trip Day at Ridder Arena – Friday, January 24 at 12:00 p.m.

Hockey Day Minnesota 2025 - Saturday, January 25 at 11:30 a.m.
Valleyfair Amusement Park – Shakopee

Minnesota and Bemidji State square off in their last two meetings of the 2024-2025 regular season with a pair of special games. The Gophers host their first Field Trip Day at Ridder Arena on Friday, January 24, with puck drop scheduled for 12:00 p.m. The two teams will then take things outside on Saturday, January 25, for Hockey Day Minnesota 2025 at Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee, scheduled for an 11:30 a.m. start.

Ticket information – Friday's Field Trip Day game is sold out; if you are still in need of tickets to the game, you are encouraged to check the SEATGEEK secondary market.

Tickets for Saturday's full slate of Hockey Day Minnesota games can be purchased here and include admission into the Hockey Day Village and Valleyfair itself.

Saturday parking – On-site parking is available for Saturday but on a pre-pay basis only through the Hockey Day MN ticketing site. Two off-site shuttle options are also available: SouthWest Transit is running a $6 round-trip shuttle service from the SouthWest Station in Eden Prairie (with free rides for kids 5 & under and for disabled veterans with ID), while a free shuttle service is will be running from Mystic Lake Casino Hotel at their bus entrance. Maps and more details are available here.

Game coverage – Friday's game will be streamed on the B1G+ subscription service here. Saturday's contest will be televised on Fan Duel Sports North (check with your cable or satellite service provider for availability) and streamed through the FDSN subscription service. Free audio play-by-play on GopherSports.com continues Friday & Saturday, and live stats can be found here.

This season against Bemidji State – The Gophers are 3-0 against the Beavers in 2024-2025, sweeping their early November series in Bemidji, 2-1 & 4-1, and winning the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Faceoff Classic by a 4-1 score on New Year's Day. Natalie Mlynkova has 6 of Minnesota's 10 goals plus an assist against BSU, recording a hat trick and her assist in the Hall of Fame Game. Abbey Murphy (2g, 3a) and Ella Huber (1g, 4a) each have 5 points against the Beavers. In net, Hannah Clark has all three wins, stopping a combined 51 of 54 shots for a 1.02 goals-against average and .944 save percentage, and Sophia Johnson made her collegiate debut in a short relief appearance in Bemidji but did not face an official shot on goal. Izy Fairchild, Morgan Smith, and Kate Johnson lit the lamp for the Beavers, Kaitlin Groess stopped 55 of 61 shots (3.06 GAA, .902 SV%) in the two games at the Sanford Center, and Eva Filippova made 28 saves (.903 SV%) in the third meeting.

Analyzing the Beavers – Bemidji State finds itself still stuck at the bottom of the WCHA standings, only recording a home sweep of St. Thomas in mid-November over their 18 league games. Their other success came in non-conference play, earning a win and tie against Lindenwood in October and their program's biggest come-from-behind victory against Brown earlier this month.

A trio of underclassmen lead the Beavers in scoring, as sophomore Hailey Armstrong (#29), freshman Morgan Smith (#21), and redshirt freshman Isa Goettl (#9) each have 13 points. Armstrong is BSU's goals leader with 8 while dishing out 5 assists, Smith has 7 goals & 6 assists, and Goettl is tied with a team-high 7 assists while lighting the lamp 6 times herself. Sophomore Kate Johnson (#14) also has 7 assists and two goals.

As we noted prior to the Hall of Fame Game, four different goaltenders have seen action for BSU this season. Freshman Kaitlin Groess (#1) is now 3-12-0 in 15 starts, with her goals-against average at 3.36 and her save percentage at .901. Sophomore Eva Filippova (#30) has started four games this month (including the New Year's Day contest against the Gophers) but remains winless at 0-6-0 with a 3.87 GAA and .881 SV%. Freshman Lauren Mooney (#35) is 1-0-1 with the tie against Lindenwood and the win over Brown, posting a 3.36 GAA and .841 SV%. Grad student Josie Bothun (#33) lost her two starts with a 5.88 GAA and .813 SV%, and she has not played since the second weekend of the season.

Last weekend for Bemidji State – St. Cloud State netminder Emilia Kyrkkö made 17 saves and Alice Sauriol dished out assists on goals by Emma Gentry, Sofianna Sundelin (PP), and Siiri Yrjölä (PP) to shut out the Beavers in the weekend opener, 3-0. Izy Fairchild and Isa Goettl lit the lamp to put Bemidji State up 2-0 early in the second period of the rematch, but Yrjölä and Laura Zimmermann converted two more power plays for the Huskies to even the score and Sundelin lit the lamp with just 1:09 remaining in the third period to give SCSU a 3-2 victory and the series sweep. Sauriol recorded two more assists to finish with 5 points. BSU's Kaitlin Groess took Friday's loss despite a 28-save performance, and Eva Filippova stopped 18 shots on Saturday.

Gophers earn home-and-home sweep of Minnesota State

Josefin Bouveng (4g, 3a) & Abbey Murphy (2g, 5a) each recorded 7 points as the Gopher Women's Hockey team completed a home-and-home sweep of Minnesota State, 8-3 and 5-2. Bouveng netted her second career hat trick in Saturday's contest in Mankato.

Josefin opened the scoring Friday just 1:01 into the game. MSU's Bella Shipley lit the lamp eight minutes later to even the score, 1-1, but Emma Kreisz put home a loose puck after a goal-mouth scramble late in the first period to put the Gophers back in the lead. Murphy buried a wrister 20 seconds into the 2nd period, though the Mavericks closed back within one on a goal by Kianna Roeske. But Ella Huber and Chloe Primerano (power play) pushed the Gopher lead to 5-2 at the second intermission and Gracie Graham lit the lamp twice in the third to make it 7-2. Alexis Paddington converted a Minnesota State power play, but Peyton Hemp tacked on a short-handed goal for the final result.

The Gophers got an early power play in the rematch and Bouveng finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play from Primerano & Murphy for a 1-0 lead 1:47 into the first period. Allie Franco scored her second goal of the season before the first intermission, Murphy buried a rebound of a shot by Huber 3:18 into the second period, and Bouveng put home a centering pass from Kreisz to put the Gophers up 4-0. Paddington netted her second power-play goal of the weekend and JuliAnna Gazdik lit the lamp halfway through the 3rd stanza to bring the Mavericks within two. However, with MSU's net empty for an extra attacker, Murphy outraced an MSU defender to negate a potential icing call and found Bouveng for the insurance goal and the hat trick.

Hannah Clark stopped a combined 44 shots for the two wins. Hailey Hansen made 42 saves in just over 5 periods of action for Minnesota State, and Jessie McPherson added 8 saves in a 17-minute relief appearance.

Huber finished with 5 points, recording 4 assists to go with her goal. Primerano & Franco also posted 3-point weekends with two assists apiece to go with their respective goals.

Primerano earns weekly award following return to the Gophers

With her one-goal, two-assist performance this past weekend against Minnesota State, Gopher Women's Hockey defender Chloe Primerano was named WCHA Rookie of the Week. This is the second weekly award for Primerano after she was named Defender of the Week following the December series at St. Thomas. It also marks the fourth-straight weekend of action the Gophers have played resulting in a Player of the Week honor. Congratulations, Chloe!!

Gopher news and notes...

Murphy breaks into GWH Top-10 for goals – Abbey Murphy's two goals against Minnesota State were the 89th and 90th of her Gopher career. In reaching 90, Murphy is now 10th all-time in Minesota Women's Hockey history (passing Ambria Thomas' 89); she now sits 3 behind Dani Cameranesi for ninth place.

Additional milestone watches – With her 7 points against the Mavericks, junior forward Josefine Bouveng has 93 career points (39g, 54a), quickly approaching the century mark! Meanwhile, senior Ella Huber's goal this past Friday was the 44th of her collegiate career as she closes in on the 50-goal mark!

Klepinger named to Dean's List – We give a special shout-out to Gopher Women's Hockey sophomore defender Elly Klepinger upon being named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2024 term!! We provide an apology for overlooking her in last week's Penalty Box Post. Keep up the great work, Elly!!

Around the WCHA...

Buckeyes earn road sweep over Bulldogs – Minnesota Duluth netminder Ève Gascon made a career single-game high 58 saves on Friday and added 44 more on Saturday, but five different players lit the lamp for Ohio State as they earned 3-1 and 2-1 victories in Duluth. Kiara Zanon and Joy Dunne each recorded a goal and an assist for OSU, while Olivia Wallin did the same for UMD.

Badgers trounce Tommies – Laila Edwards posted a 9-point series, including a four-goal, one-assist performance on Saturday, as Wisconsin blew out St. Thomas in Mendota Heights, 6-1 & 11-1. Casey O'Brien (3g, 3a) and Kirsten Simms (6a) each tallied six points over the weekend, and Cassie Hall lit the lamp four times (twice in each game). Lauren Stenslie (PP) and Maddy Clough found the back of the net for UST. With their wins, Wisconsin has already secured home ice to open the WCHA conference playoffs at the end of February.

Upcoming games – Ohio State is in Erie, PA, tonight (Tuesday, 1/21) for their rescheduled non-conference game against Mercyhurst. Following that, this coming weekend's action stretches from Thursday through Sunday: St. Thomas will host Minnesota Duluth to open things up on Thursday night and Friday afternoon, Minnesota State will visit Ohio State for a Friday-Saturday series, and St. Cloud State will travel to Madison to face Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday.

Standings (* clinched home ice for WCHA playoff quarterfinals):
1. Wisconsin* – 55 points (.917 pts%), 18-1-1-0, 0-0 in OT (24-1-1 overall)
2. Minnesota – 39 points (.722 pts%), 13-4-1-0, 1-0 in OT (19-5-1 overall)
3. Ohio State – 39 points (.650 pts%), 12-5-3-2, 2-0 in OT (17-5-3 overall)
4. Minn. Duluth – 34 points (.630 pts%), 10-6-2-2, 0-0 in OT (15-7-2 overall)
5. St. Cloud State – 24 points (.444 pts%), 7-8-3-1, 1-0 in OT (12-8-4 overall)
6. Minnesota State – 16 points (.296 pts%), 4-13-1-0, 0-3 in OT (10-13-1 overall)
7. St. Thomas – 9 points (.167 pts%), 2-15-1-1, 0-1 in OT (5-17-2 overall)
8. Bemidji State – 6 points (.111 pts%), 2-16-0-0, 0-0 in OT (4-20-1 overall)

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Power Play Club

January 15, 2025

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Power Play Club

January 15, 2025

Goals for a Goal

With 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Gopher Women's Hockey team has tallied 85 goals, twenty-one (21) of which have come on the power play! We ask for your help in fundraising for the team through our Goals for a Goal pledge-per-goal program, converting each time the Gophers light the lamp into a donation back to the program. Submit your pledge at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double the pledge for power play tallies! GO GOPHERS!!

Ticket reminders for next two weekends

Cub Family 4 Packs, January 17 – Gopher Women's Hockey is offering Cub Family 4 Packs for this Friday's (Jan. 17) game against Minnesota State at Ridder Arena. For $54, you'll receive 4 game tickets, 4 boxed candy, snacks or popcorn, 4 regular (20 oz.) fountain sodas or bottled waters, PLUS a $5 coupon off $50 at Cub Foods. You can purchase your 4 Pack here.

SOLD OUT!! January 24 Field Trip Day game vs. BSU – The Gopher Women's Hockey "Field Trip Day" game at Ridder Arena against Bemidji State on Friday, January 24 at noon is sold out. If you are still in need of tickets to the game, you are encouraged to check the SEATGEEK secondary market. Those attending the game are encouraged to plan accordingly and arrive early to avoid parking and entry congestion.

Hockey Day Minnesota game vs. Bemidji State, January 25 – The second game of the upcoming series against the Beavers will be played as part of Hockey Day Minnesota on Saturday, January 25 at 11:30 a.m. at Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee. Tickets can be purchased at here. Please note those for Saturday are $79 each, though that covers the full slate of games being played that day plus admission into the Hockey Day Village and Valleyfair itself.

#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (17-5-1, 11-4-1-0 WCHA)
vs. Minnesota State Univ. Mavericks (10-11-1, 4-11-1-0 WCHA)

Friday, January 17, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. – Ridder Arena
Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. - Mayo Clinic Health System Events Center – Mankato

With five games down since the start of the calendar year, the Gopher Women's Hockey team heads into a home-and-home series against the Minnesota State University Mavericks. Action begins at Ridder Arena on Friday, January 17, at 6:00 p.m. before moving to the Mayo Clinic Health System Events Center in Mankato on Saturday, January 18, at 2:00 p.m.

Game coverage – Both contests will have video streaming on the B1G+ subscription service (Friday / Saturday), and Saturday's game will also be televised on Fox 9+. Free audio play-by-play on GopherSports.com continues Friday & Saturday, and live stats can be found here.

Last time against Minnesota State – While the Gophers earned a sweep of their previous series against the Mavericks, also played home-and-home, by scores of 8-2 and 3-2, the contest in Mankato required overtime. Natalie Mlynkova opening the scoring just 43 seconds into Friday's contest at Ridder, her first of four points (2 goals, 2 assists) on the weekend including an assist on Saturday's OT game-winner by Peyton Hemp. Hemp's goal at the 2:01 mark of the extra period Saturday was the third time she lit the lamp in the series, earlier converting a pair of power plays (one in each game). Josefin Bouveng & Abbey Murphy each added a goal and three helpers, Ella Huber tallied a goal and two assists, and Lauren O'Hara, Madison Kaiser, and Ava Lindsay also scored. Hannah Clark made 18 saves Friday, while Skylar Vetter stopped 13 shots Saturday and also earned an offensive assist on Lindsay's goal. Whitney Tuttle and Madison Mashuga each recorded a goal and two assists in the series for MSU, Hailey Hansen made 27 saves Friday, and Jessie McPherson stopped 34 shots Saturday.

Analyzing the Mavericks – Minnesota State has seen some successes throughout this season, including a perfect 6-0 record in non-conference play, 4-1 upsets over both St. Cloud State and Ohio State, a 3-3 tie against UMD and taking the Gophers to overtime. However, they have struggled at times as well, including being swept in their conference opening series against St. Thomas. Their 4-11-1-0 mark in league play is boosted by three of their losses coming in OT, but their 16 points still puts them sixth in the standings.

Senior Madison Mashuga (#22) is MSU's leader in total points (21) and assists (13) while lighting the lamp 8 times herself. Junior Taylor Otremba (#24) joins Mashuga as a 20-point scorer, recording 10 goals and 10 assists. Grad student Jamie Nelson (#10) is third in scoring with 16 points on 6 goals and 10 assists. Junior Whitney Tuttle (#7) holds the Mavericks' lead in goals with 11 – bolstered by a four-goal game two weekends ago at Lindenwood – while dishing out 4 assists for 15 points.

Sophomore Hailey Hansen (#33) has started 14 of MSU's 22 games, posting a 7-6-1 record with 2 shutouts, a 2.61 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. Grad student Jessie McPherson (#91) is 2-3-0 in her 5 starts with a 2.60 GAA and .897 SV%, while senior Suzette Faucher (#31) is 1-2-0 with a shutout in her three starts, posting a 3.05 GAA and .886 SV%. Junior Avery Stilwell (#1) remains listed on the MSU roster as their fourth netminder.

Last weekend for Minnesota State – Hailey Hansen made a combined 92 saves for the Mavericks in their series at Wisconsin, including 50 on Sunday, but they came up short as the Badgers earned a sweep, 6-2 and 3-1. Alexis Paddington led MSU with a goal & an assist, Jamie Nelson dished out two helpers, and Madison Mashuga & Claire Vekich also scored. Lacey Eden recorded 4 points for UW with a goal and an assist in each game, Casey O'Brien added two goals and an assist, Laila Edwards dished out 3 helpers, and Ava McNaughton stopped 47 of 50 shots.

Gophers sweep St. Thomas in return to WCHA play

Emma Kreisz dished out four assists on Friday and Gracie Graham tallied a combined one goal & three assists as the Gopher Women's Hockey team earned a home sweep of the St. Thomas Tommies, 4-2 and 5-1.

Following a scoreless first period in the opening contest, Minnesota lit the lamp in all three facets of play in the second stanza as Audrey Wethington netted her first goal of the season on a power play, Ava Lindsay scored short-handed, and Emma Conner added an even-strength goal. The Tommies closed within 3-2 in the third period on goals by Nora Sauer and Maddie Clough (PP), but they pulled their goaltender for an extra attacker despite being short-handed and Allie Franco tallied her first goal of the season with a power-play empty-netter.

Graham got the Gophers on the board early on Saturday, scoring on the team's first shot on goal just 1:17 into the contest. She follow it up with an assist as Sydney Morrow lit the lamp on the next shot just 46 seconds later, making it 2-0. UST's Nicole Vallario cut Minnesota's lead to 2-1 later in the first period, but Natalie Mlynkova, Abbey Murphy, and Peyton Hemp (PP) found the back of the net in the third for the four-goal victory.

Lindsay had two assists to go with her goal, Nelli Laitinen recorded 3 assists, and Hannah Clark made a combined 34 saves to earn the two wins. Dani Strom stopped 60 shots for the Tommies.

Recognition, recognition, and more recognition...

With her 4-point (1g, 3a) performance this past weekend against St. Thomas, Gopher Women's Hockey freshman Gracie Graham was named WCHA Defender of the Week. It is the first award of her collegiate career. Congratulations, Gracie!!

Gopher Women's Hockey graduate student Audrey Wethington was one of 14 men's and women's players named as nominees for the 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award by the HHA Foundation yesterday. The honor is given to “a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.”

Finalists will be named in February, and the award will be presented during the Men's Frozen Four Weekend on Friday, April 11.

Congratulations, Audrey!!

Back on the ice, we give a shout-out to Gopher freshman Hannah Clark upon being named to the 'Watch List' for 2025 Women's Goalie of the Year by the Hockey Commissioners Association. The initial list is comprised of those with a goals against average of 2.10 or lower or a save percentage of .920 or higher, and will be pared down before the winner is announced in March. Congratulations and good luck, Hannah!!

Finally, we give another shout-out to the entire Gopher Women's Hockey team for their work in the classroom, posting a composite 3.57 grade-point average for the Fall 2024 term! Additionally (named as pictured at right), Krista Parkkonen, Audrey Wethington, Gracie Graham, Maggie Nicholson, and Ayla Puppe recorded perfect 4.0 marks, and they were joined by Allie Franco, Peyton Hemp, Nelli Laitinen, Sydney Morrow, Lauren O'Hara, and Chloe Primerano on the Dean's List!!

Excellent work, ladies!!

IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship wrap-up:
Canada shuts out U.S. for gold; Primerano, Fanale honored

In their only meeting at the 2025 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship, Canada shut out Team USA 3-0 in the Gold Medal Game to claim the title behind a 14-save performance from Marilou Grenier and goals by Caileigh Tiller, Dorothy Copetti & Stryker Zablocki. Goaltender Morgan Stickney made 26 saves for the Americans.

Captaining the Canadian squad, current Gopher defender Chloe Primerano posted 10 points in the tournament on 4 goals and 6 assists. Added with her single-tournament record 16 points (8g, 8a) last year, she became the all-time leader for scoring by a defender in IIHF U18 Women's Wolrd Championship play. Including another 10 points tallied in other competitions, her total of 36 became the new all-time record for the most scored with Canada's U18 Women's National Team.

Future Gopher Bella Fanale, serving as captain of Team USA, was the top-scoring American at the tournament, lighting the lamp 5 times and adding 4 assists for 9 points. Over three U18 Women's Worlds, she finishes with 13 points on 6 goals & 7 assists.

Both Primerano and Fanale were recognized for their play at this year's tournament. Primerano was named the Best Defender, Fanale earned the award as the Best Forward, and both were named to the media's All-Star Team. Congratulations, Chloe & Bella!!

Around the WCHA...

Buckeyes shut out the Beavers – Ohio State goaltenders Amanda Thiele and Hailey MacLeod combined to stop all 30 shots the faced from Bemidji State. Meanwhile, Jocelyne Amos lit the lamp 4 times Friday and dished out 3 assists Saturday for a 7-point series as the Buckeyes posted 6-0 and 4-0 wins for the weekend sweep. Kaitlin Groess made 38 saves for BSU on Friday and Eva Filippova stopped 40 shots Saturday.

Bulldogs shut out the Huskies – Minnesota Duluth netminder Ève Gascon posted back-to-back 24-save clean sheets and Olivia Mobley lit the lamp three times as they swept St. Cloud State by matching 3-0 scores. Emilia Kyrkkö stopped 31 shots for SCSU on Friday and Sanni Ahola made 29 saves Saturday.

Upcoming games – With the other three series also being played this Friday and Saturday, Bemidji State visits St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth hosts Ohio State, and Wisconsin travels to St. Thomas. After the weekend, Ohio State heads to Mercyhurst for a Tuesday night non-conference matchup.

Standings:
1. Wisconsin – 49 points (.907 pts%), 16-1-1-0, 0-0 in OT (22-1-1 overall)
2. Minn. Duluth – 34 points (.708 pts%), 10-4-2-2, 0-0 in OT (15-5-2 overall)
3. Minnesota – 33 points (.688 pts%), 11-4-1-0, 1-0 in OT (17-5-1 overall)
4. Ohio State – 33 points (.611 pts%), 10-5-3-2, 2-0 in OT (15-5-3 overall)
5. St. Cloud State – 18 points (.375 pts%), 5-8-3-1, 1-0 in OT (10-8-4 overall)
6. Minnesota State – 16 points (.333 pts%), 4-11-1-0, 0-3 in OT (10-11-1 overall)
7. St. Thomas – 9 points (.188 pts%), 2-13-1-1, 0-1 in OT (5-15-2 overall)
8. Bemidji State – 6 points (.125 pts%), 2-14-0-0, 0-0 in OT (4-18-1 overall)

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Power Play Club

January 8, 2025

The Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Power Play Club

January 8, 2025

PPC & GWH events this Saturday (January 11)

Locker Sponsor gathering at 8:45 a.m. – Locker Sponsorship tier members of the Power Play Club are reminded that our special event is on Saturday morning. You are asked to arrive in the Ridder Arena lobby no later than 8:45 a.m.

Chalk Talk at 12:30 p.m. – The second of our Power Play Club Chalk Talks with a member of the Gopher Women's Hockey coaching staff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in the Ridder Arena Weight Room (upper level, across the hall from the suites). This is an exclusive event for enrolled 2024-2025 club members. We look forward to seeing many of you there!!

Skate with the Gophers after the game – Spots are still available for the Skate with the Gophers event following Saturday's contest against St. Thomas. Fans are encouraged to attend this fun time with the team, though you must have a ticket to the game and register in advance at z.umn.edu/WHOSkate2025.

Goals for a Goal

As the official booster organization of Gopher Women's Hockey, one of the Power Play Club's primary objectives is to support the team financially, and we need your help!! Our Goals for a Goal pledge-per-goal program converts every goal scored by the Gophers into donations back to the program. Restarting WCHA play, Minnesota has tallied 76 goals, eighteen (18) of which have come on the power play! Submit your pledge at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double the pledge for power play tallies! GO GOPHERS!!

#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (15-5-1, 9-4-1-0 WCHA)
vs. University of St. Thomas Tommies (5-13-2, 2-11-1-1 WCHA)
Friday, January 10, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
Ridder Arena

With non-conference play completed, the Gopher Women's Hockey team will be in WCHA action for the duration of the regular season, starting with a home series against the University of St. Thomas Tommies. The teams square off at Ridder Arena on Friday, January 10, at 6:00 p.m. and continue Saturday, January 11, at 2:00 p.m.

Game coverage – Both contests will have video streaming on the B1G+ subscription service (Friday / Saturday), and Saturday's game will also be televised on Fox 9+. Free audio play-by-play on GopherSports.com continues Friday & Saturday, and live stats can be found here.

Last time against St. Thomas – The Gopher Women's Hockey team had little difficulty at Saint Thomas Ice Arena in their last series before the winter break, sweeping the Tommies 5-0 and 6-2. Josefin Bouveng netted Minnesota's first two goals of the weekend, Abbey Murphy took over with an 8-point series on 3 goals and 5 assists, Chloe Primerano recorded a goal & an assist in each game for a 4-point weekend, Nelli Laitinen and Sydney Morrow each added a goal and two helpers, Ella Huber dished out 3 assists, and Peyton Hemp lit the lamp twice. Rylee Bartz and former Gopher Sadie Lindsay scored for St. Thomas. Hannah Clark needed only 14 saves in the opener to earn her first collegiate shutout and she stopped another 20 shots in the rematch, while Tommies starter Dani Strom made 64 saves in five periods of action and Maggie Malecha added 14 saves in relief.

Analyzing the Tommies – While we documented St. Thomas' multiple changes before the Gophers faced them in December, little has occurred in the interim as the Tommies have not played an official game since then. They remain seventh in the WCHA standings with a 2-11-1-1 record, having a 5-13-2 mark overall.

Sophomore Maddie Brown (#17) continues to lead the Tommies with 9 goals and now 13 total points, tallying an assist against the Gophers in December. Sophomore Cara Sajevic (#7) also dished out an assist in the earlier series, improving her total to 11 points on 5 goals and 6 helpers, while freshman Chloe Boreen (#20) remains at 11 points on four goals and seven assists. With two helpers in the December series, sophomore Keara Parker (#13) improved to 10 points (4g, 6a), while classmate Rylee Bartz (#6) has 9 points (5g, 4a).

With the two losses to Minnesota, freshman Dani Strom (#1) now has a 2-11-2 record, with her goals-against average increasing to 3.51 and her save percentage falling to .898. Grad student Calla Frank (#32) remains 3-1-0 in her four starts, with a 2.00 GAA and .927 SV%. Junior Maggie Malecha (#33) saw her stats improve after stopping 14 of 15 shots in one period of action against the Gophers; she now has a 3.35 GAA and .863 SV%.

Last weekend for St. Thomas – Though not in official action, the Tommies played an exhibition last Saturday against St. Cloud State in St. Louis Park. That said, no game report has been provided by either team.

Gophers rout Brown, fall to Penn State in East/West Showcase

Hosting non-conference competition in the East/West Showcase at Ridder Arena, the Gopher Women's Hockey team posted a 9-1 victory over the Brown Bears Friday, but were upset by the #11/12 Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday, 6-2.

Nelli Laitinen's goal 1:39 into the contest against the Bears got the ball rolling. Peyton Hemp netted her 50th career goal and added 2 assists; Carly Humphrey tallied her first collegiate goal; Natalie Mlynkova lit the lamp twice, her 4th & 5th goals over a two-game span; Abbey Murphy added a goal & 2 helpers; Sydney Morrow tallied a goal & an assist; and Ava Lindsay & Ella Huber each dished out 3 assists. While India McDadi lit the lamp for Brown to break up a shutout bid, Hannah Clark stopped the other 15 shots she faced.

Unfortunately, the game against Penn State went downhill quickly for Minnesota. Though the Gophers held a 12-6 advantage in shots-on-goal after 20 minutes, they found themselves down 4-0 at the intermission. From there, the teams traded goals, with Morrow lighting the lamp both times for Minnesota, the first coming on a power play. Stella Retrum found the back of the net twice for the Nittany Lions, Tessa Janecke added a goal & an assist, and Katie DeSa stopped 32 shots. Clark made 19 saves for the Gophers.

Morrow earns WCHA award; Hemp, Humphrey score milestones

With a combined 4-point (3g, 1a) performance in the East/West Showcase, recording multiple points in each game and netting her 4th & team-high 5th power-play goals of the season, Gopher Women's Hockey junior Sydney Morrow was named WCHA Defender of the Week. It is the first such award of her collegiate career. Congratulations, Sydney!!

As mentioned above, Gopher Women's Hockey senior co-captain Peyton Hemp's goal against Brown was the 50th of her collegiate career! This is the second milestone mark of the season for Hemp after she surpassed the career 100-point mark in November. She now has 106 points with 56 assists to go with her 50 goals. Congratulations, Peyton!!

At the other end of the spectrum, Gopher freshman Carly Humphrey netted her first collegiate goal on Friday against Brown. It was also her first collegiate point, and came in only her 4th game played. Congratulations, Carly!!

IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship update –
Primerano, Fanale lead Canada & USA into elimination round

Current Gopher Women's Hockey defender Chloe Primerano and future Gopher Bella Fanale have captained Teams Canada and USA, respectively, to the top positions of their groups through preliminary round play at the 2025 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship in Vantaa, Finland, placing them at opposite sides of the bracket in the elimination round which begins tomorrow (Thursday, January 9).

Team Canada took the top spot in Group B with wins over Slovakia (6-2), Switzerland (5-1), and Czechia (5-0). Primerano, already holding the record she set last year for most points by a defender in a single U18 Championship (16 points on 8g & 8a), has tallied two goals and a helper in this year's tournament. Her 19 combined points over the two events is a new record for scoring by a defenseman in U18 Women's Worlds competition.

Fanale, who will join the Gophers as a freshman next autumn, leads the American squad with 5 points on 2 goals & 3 assists, currently placing her in a second-place tie for scoring among all players this year. Team USA finished first in Group A without yielding a goal in their three preliminary games, shutting out Japan (6-0), Sweden (3-0), and Finland (5-0).

In the quarterfinals, Team USA will take on Slovakia and current tournament scoring leader Nela Lopusanova (4g, 4a, 8pts) at 5:30 a.m. U.S. Central Time tomorrow, while Canada faces Japan at 12:30 p.m. U.S. Central. The other two games feature Sweden vs. Switzerland and Czechia vs. Finland. Winners will advance to Saturday's semifinals, with the Bronze & Gold Medal Games on Sunday.IIHF U-18 Women's

World Championship update –
Primerano, Fanale lead Canada & USA into elimination round

Current Gopher Women's Hockey defender Chloe Primerano and future Gopher Bella Fanale have captained Teams Canada and USA, respectively, to the top positions of their groups through preliminary round play at the 2025 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship in Vantaa, Finland, placing them at opposite sides of the bracket in the elimination round which begins tomorrow (Thursday, January 9).

Team Canada took the top spot in Group B with wins over Slovakia (6-2), Switzerland (5-1), and Czechia (5-0). Primerano, already holding the record she set last year for most points by a defender in a single U18 Championship (16 points on 8g & 8a), has tallied two goals and a helper in this year's tournament. Her 19 combined points over the two events is a new record for scoring by a defenseman in U18 Women's Worlds competition.

Fanale, who will join the Gophers as a freshman next autumn, leads the American squad with 5 points on 2 goals & 3 assists, currently placing her in a second-place tie for scoring among all players this year. Team USA finished first in Group A without yielding a goal in their three preliminary games, shutting out Japan (6-0), Sweden (3-0), and Finland (5-0).

In the quarterfinals, Team USA will take on Slovakia and current tournament scoring leader Nela Lopusanova (4g, 4a, 8pts) at 5:30 a.m. U.S. Central Time tomorrow, (Thursday, January 9, 2025) while Canada faces Japan at 12:30 p.m. U.S. Central. The other two games feature Sweden vs. Switzerland and Czechia vs. Finland. Winners will advance to Saturday's semifinals, with the Bronze & Gold Medal Games on Sunday.

Around the WCHA...

Beavers also fall to Penn State, defeat Brown – In the other half of the East/West Showcase, Bemidji State could not hold on to a 3-1 lead over the Nittany Lions, falling 6-4. However, they rallied from 4-1 down to Brown to post the largest comeback in their program's history, winning 5-4. Morgan Smith led the Beavers with a combined 5 points on 2 goals & 3 assists, Hailey Armstrong scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals Saturday and dished out two assists, and Isa Goettl added two goals and an assist.

Badgers get win, tie vs. Buckeyes, OSU earns shootout point – Lacey Eden led Wisconsin with two goals & an assist and Ava McNaughton stopped all 18 shots she faced for a 6-0 shutout win over Ohio State in Madison on Thursday. Playing outdoors Saturday in The Frozen Confines game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, the teams traded leads in regulation; Joy Dunne put the Buckeyes up 3-2 at the 2:38 mark of the third period, but Kelly Gorbatenko knotted the score for the Badgers with 5:43 to play, and the contest finished in a 3-3 tie. OSU picked up the shootout point, winning when Jenna Buglioni netted the only goal in 7th round.

Bulldogs sweep Orange in Duluth – Clara Van Wieren tallied 2 goals & 2 assists including Thursday's game-winning goal, Caitlin Kraemer added two goals & an assist including Friday's game-winner, and Olivia Wallin also lit the lamp twice with an assist as Minnesota Duluth swept Syracuse at AMSOIL Arena, 6-2 and 2-1.

Mavericks earn road sweep of Lindenwood – Whitney Tuttle lit the lamp 4 times and Audrey Garton added a goal & 3 assists as Minnesota State routed Lindenwood Friday, 8-1. Alexis Paddington and Taylor Otremba each tallied a goal & an assist Saturday as the Mavericks completed the sweep of the Lions, 4-1. Otremba had 3 helpers in Friday's contest, giving her a five-point weekend.

Upcoming games – Returning to league play throughout the conference, St. Cloud State heads to Columbus to face Ohio State and Minnesota Duluth hosts Bemidji State, with both those series being played Friday & Saturday. Minnesota State visits Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday.

Standings:
1. Wisconsin – 43 points (.896 pts%), 14-1-1-0, 0-0 in OT (20-1-1 overall)
2. Minn. Duluth – 28 points (.667 pts%), 8-4-2-2, 0-0 in OT (13-5-2 overall)
3. Minnesota – 27 points (.643 pts%), 9-4-1-0, 1-0 in OT (15-5-1 overall)
4. Ohio State – 27 points (.563 pts%), 8-5-3-2, 2-0 in OT (13-5-3 overall)
5. St. Cloud State – 18 points (.429 pts%), 5-6-3-1, 1-0 in OT (10-6-4 overall)
6. Minnesota State – 16 points (.381 pts%), 4-9-1-0, 0-3 in OT (10-9-1 overall)
7. St. Thomas – 9 points (.214 pts%), 2-11-1-1, 0-1 in OT (5-13-2 overall)
7. Bemidji State – 6 points (.143 pts%), 2-12-0-0, 0-0 in OT (4-16-1 overall)

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Power Play Club

January 3, 2025

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Friday, January 3, 2025

Power Play Club

January 3, 2025

Murphy, Primerano earn WCHA Player of the Month honors

We send congratulations to Gophers Abbey Murphy and Chloe Primerano for earning honors as WCHA Forward and Defender of the Month for December, respectively. The awards align with their Player of the Week honors received following the series at St. Thomas on December 6 & 7.

Murphy tied her career high in the Friday night game with 5 points on 2 goals & 3 assists, then added her 3rd goal of the series and two more helpers on Saturday to complete an 8-point weekend. Primerano tallied a goal and an assist in each of the two contests to finish with 4 points in the series.

She's baaack! Olivia King returns to Gopher roster

Sixth-year goaltender Olivia King will return to the Gopher Women's Hockey roster for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season after re-signing with the program, as announced by head coach Brad Frost yesterday.

King, a native of Garrison, MN, spent the first four years of her collegiate career with the Maroon & Gold. She transferred to St. Thomas for the 2023-24 season, where she went 5-12-1 with a .873 save percentage and posted a career-high 51 saves on March 2, 2024 against Wisconsin.

King is a four-time WCHA All-Academic Team selection, a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete, and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Welcome back, Olivia!! We look forward to your Gopher return!!

Gopher alumna Morgan signs 10-day contract with MN Frost

In roster news of the professional variety, Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Lucy Morgan signed a 10-day Standard Player Agreement with the PWHL's Minnesota Frost yesterday, ahead of the team's home game last night against Boston. Morgan was dressed for the contest, backing up starting goaltender Nicole Hensley.

Morgan, hailing from Mandan, ND, began the season on the Frost’s Reserve Player List after finishing her collegiate career with the Gophers in 2023-2024. Previously, she played four seasons at St. Lawrence University.

Congratulations and best wishes on this opportunity, Lucy!!

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Power Play Club

January 2, 2025

The Penalty Box Post - January 2, 2025

Power Play Club

January 2, 2025

Goals for a Goal

After the New Year’s Day 2025 contest against Bemidji State, the Gophers have tallied 65 goals this season, fifteen (15) of which have come on the power play! We are still looking for help converting each of those goals into donations back to the team through our Goals for a Goal pledge-per-goal program! Submit your pledge at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double the pledge for power play tallies! GO GOPHERS!!

PPC and GWH Event Reminder Redux...

Brunch with the Coaches this Saturday, January 4 – Registrants for our annual Brunch with the Coaches are reminded that the event will start at 8:45 a.m. Saturday in the 3M Arena at Mariucci Club Room. Enter through the Sundet Lobby on the southwest corner of the arena (closest to the Ridder lobby) and take the elevator to the 3rd floor. We look forward to hearing from Bemidji State University assistant coach Emma Sobieck and Gopher head coach Brad Frost.

Locker Sponsor gathering, January 11 – Locker Sponsorship tier members of the Power Play Club are reminded that our special event is scheduled for Saturday, January 11, before the second game of the series against St. Thomas. You are asked to arrive in the Ridder Arena lobby no later than 8:45 a.m.

Skate with the Gophers, January 11 – Following the Saturday game against St. Thomas, the Skate with the Gophers event returns to the Ridder Arena ice. Fans are encouraged to attend this fun time with the team, though you must have a ticket to the game and register in advance at z.umn.edu/WHOSkate2025

East/West Showcase at Ridder Arena

Friday, January 3
Bemidji State University Beavers (3-15-1)
vs. #11/12 Penn State Univ. Nittany Lions (15-4-1) – 1:00 p.m.
#3/3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-4-1)
vs. Brown University Bears (8-7-1) – 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, January 4
Bemidji State vs. Brown – 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota vs. Penn State – 4:30 p.m.

Coming off of their U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Face-Off Classic victory, the Gopher Women's Hockey team has a short turn-around as they close out regular-season non-conference play, hosting the East/West Showcase at Ridder Arena. The Brown University Bears and Penn State Nittany Lions both make the trip west to Minneapolis, and the Bemidji State Beavers also remain in the Twin Cities. Action begins tomorrow, Friday, January 3, when Bemidji State faces Penn State at 1:00 p.m., followed by Minnesota vs. Brown at 4:30 p.m. Pairings will be swapped on Saturday, January 4, as the Beavers take on the Bears at 1:00 p.m. and the Gophers square off against the Nittany Lions at 4:30 p.m.

Traffic alert – Please note that two other Golden Gopher teams are in home action this weekend. The Men's Hockey team will be hosting Mercyhurst at 3M Arena at Mariucci, with puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday. Gopher Gymnastics is hosting Central Michigan at Maturi Pavilion at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Game coverage – All four women's hockey contests will have video streaming on the B1G+ subscription service, including both Gopher games Friday and Saturday. As usual, Dan Hamann will have his free audio play-by-play on GopherSports.com Friday & Saturday, and live stats can be found here.

Last time against Brown – The Gophers and Bears have not met in over 19 years, with Minnesota earning a weekend sweep at home in November 2005. After Hayley Moore gave Brown a 1-0 first-intermission lead in the opening game, Erica McKenzie erupted for four goals in a 5-1 come-from-behind victory. Jenelle Philipczyk scored on a first-period power play in game two, Whitney Graft added a goal & an assist, and Kim Hanlon needed only 12 saves for a 3-0 shutout win. Across both games, Bobbi Ross tallied six points on a goal & 5 assists, while Gigi Marvin dished out 4 helpers.

Last time against Penn State – The Gophers' history against the Nittany Lions is a bit more recent, having played each other two seasons ago in the Henderson Collegiate Hockey Showcase over Thanksgiving weekend (2022). Maddie Kaiser, Taylor Heise, Peyton Hemp and Grace Zumwinkle put Minnesota up 4-0 at the first intermission. Courtney Correia got Penn State on the board late in the second period, but Skylar Vetter & Mikayla Pahl combined to stop 26 of 27 shots and Ella Huber added a third-period goal for a 5-1 victory. Kaiser & Hemp each added an assist to their respective goals, Crystalyn Hengler dished out two helpers, and Vetter recorded an offensive assist on Heise's goal.

Analyzing the Bears – Brown started this season 6-0-0, including upset wins over Quinnipiac and Princeton. However, they've cooled off since then, going only 2-7-1. They currently sit 9th in the twelve-team ECAC with a 4-7-1 league record.

The Bears have five players in double-figures for points so far. Freshman Monique Lyons (#2) leads the team in total scoring with 12 points on 7 goals & 5 assists. Sophomore Ava DeCoste (#3) has a team-high 8 goals plus 3 assists, while senior Cameron Sikich (#23; 4g, 7a) and junior India McDadi (#26; 3g, 8a) join DeCoste with 11 points apiece. Sophomore Margot Norehad (#18) has added 5 goals & 5 assists (10 points).

Brown lists only two goaltenders on its roster. Sophomore Rory Edwards (#35) has started 10 of their 16 games, going 6-4-0 with a .919 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average. Freshman Anya Zupkofska (#31) got the other six starts, going 2-3-1 with a .915 GAA and 2.12 GAA.

Last action for Brown – A weekend on the road did not go well for the Bears to complete the 2024 portion of its schedule, falling to Rensselaer on December 6 and Union on December 7 by matching 4-1 scores. Each game was 1-1 in the second period with Brown's goals coming from Ava DeCoste & Monique Lyons (PP), but the Engineers and Garnet Chargers each scored 3 unanswered goals in their respective contests to defeat the Bears.

Analyzing the Nittany Lions – Penn State is in charge in the renamed Atlantic Hockey America conference, posting an 8-0-0-0 record in league play. With a 7-4-1 non-conference mark entering the East/West Showcase, they are ranked in both major national polls. However, their current #13 position in the Pairwise Rankings means they will likely need to win the AHA playoff championship to reach the NCAA Tournament.

Penn State is heavily reliant on its junior class. Tessa Janecke (#15), who has played on the (senior) U.S. National Team, leads PSU outright in points (31) and assists (17) while being tied for goals (14). Maddy Christian (#26) joins Janecke with 14 goals, and her 7 assists puts her second in total scoring with 21 points. Katelyn Roberts (#22), is third on the team with 18 points on 5 goals and 13 assists. Kendall Butze (#17; 3g, 14a) and freshman Grace Outwater (#8; 8g, 9a) have 17 points apiece.

The Lions' top-two netminders are also classified as juniors. Katie DeSa (#35) is their primary goaltender, starting 16 of their 20 games; she has a 12-4-0 record with 3 shutouts, a .931 save percentage, and a 1.44 goals-against average. Lauren Barbro (#37), having transferred from Minnesota State, is 3-0-1 in her four starts with a .912 SV% and 2.03 GAA. Grad student Annie Spring (#31) has one 30-minute relief appearance (coming against Stonehill), stopping the 9 shots she faced.

Last action for Penn State – The Nittany Lions finished the 2024 portion of their schedule on the road December 6 & 7 against Mercyhurst, sweeping the Lakers 4-2 and 3-2. In the opener, Maddy Christian put PSU up 2-0, Mercyhurst knotted the score early in the third, but Grace Outwater lit the lamp with 16:02 to play and Tessa Janecke added an insurance goal after two earlier assists. The teams traded goals in the rematch, sending the contest to the third period tied 2-2, but Janecke's second goal of the contest – and 6th point of the series – with 7:54 to play proved to be the difference. Katie DeSa made a combined 73 saves in the series, 35 in game one and 38 in game two, to earn both wins.

Gophers Defeat BSU in U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Game

In front of an announced sell-out crowd, the Gopher Women's Hockey team earned a come-from-behind victory over Bemidji State in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Face-Off Classic last night, winning 4-1 at Hasse Arena in Lakeville.

After an early goal by BSU's Kate Johnson, Natalie Mlynkova knotted the score later in the first period, and the contest remained tied 1-1 after 40 minutes. But Ella Huber lit the lamp on a shot which deflected off a Beaver defender 5:51 into the third period and Mlynkova tallied twice more to complete her first career hat trick. Mlynkova also recorded an assist on Huber's goal to post a career-high 4-point performance, Huber also earned an assist, and Abbey Murphy dished out two helpers. Hannah Clark made 24 saves to earn the victory, while BSU's Eva Filippova stopped 28 shots.

Around the WCHA...

Upcoming games – Ohio State and Wisconsin will square off in a #1-vs.-#2 battle, starting tonight (Thursday) in Madison before playing outside in The Frozen Confines Big Ten Hockey Series at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Saturday. Minnesota Duluth hosts a Thursday-Friday non-conference series against Syracuse, and Minnesota State will make the trip to Missouri to face Lindenwood Friday & Saturday. St. Thomas and St. Cloud State will play an exhibition contest Saturday in St. Louis Park.

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Power Play Club

December 30, 2024

The Penalty Box Post - Monday, December 30, 2024

Power Play Club

December 30, 2024

Goals for a Goal

Entering 2025, the Gophers have tallied 61 goals this season, fifteen (15) of which have come on the power play! We are still looking for help converting each of those goals into donations back to the team through our Goals for a Goal pledge-per-goal program! Submit your pledge at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal, with the option to double the pledge for power play tallies! GO GOPHERS!!

Power Play Club Event Reminders…

Brunch with the Coaches this Saturday (Jan. 4) – Registrants for our annual Brunch with the Coaches are reminded that the event will start at 8:45 a.m. Saturday in the 3M Arena at Mariucci Club Room. Enter through the Sundet Lobby on the southwest corner of the arena (closest to the Ridder lobby) and take the elevator to the 3rd floor. We look forward to hearing from Bemidji State University assistant coach & Beavers alumna Emma Sobieck and Gopher head coach Brad Frost.

Locker Sponsor gathering, January 11 – Locker Sponsorship tier members of the Power Play Club are reminded that our special event is scheduled for Saturday, January 11, before the second game of the series against St. Thomas. You are asked to arrive in the Ridder Arena lobby no later than 8:45 a.m.

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Face-Off Classic
#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-4-1, 9-4-1-0 WCHA)
vs.
Bemidji State University Beavers (3-14-1, 2-12-0-0 WCHA)
Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
Lakeville Hasse Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team and Bemidji State University Beavers lead off the 2025 portion of the season, meeting in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Face-Off Classic, played this year at Lakeville Hasse Arena, 8525 - 215th Street W (County Road 70) in Lakeville, on New Year's Day, this Wednesday, January 1. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Note that, while this game will count in the teams' overall records for the season, it is not a WCHA league game and will not count in the conference standings.

Tickets are still available through the Lakeville Booster Club. Seats are $16.75 each (including fees) and must be purchased online.

Game coverage update: Video streaming will be available for this game through the B1G+ subscription service. Audio play-by-play with Dan Hamann can be found on GopherSports.com. Live stats can be found here.

This season against Bemidji State – At the Sanford Center in Bemidji at the start of November, the Gophers went a combined 4-for-7 on the power play as Natalie Mlynkova and Abbey Murphy each lit the lamp twice with the advantage in 2-1 and 4-1 victories over the Beavers. Mlynkova also scored once at even strength for a three-goal weekend, Murphy added an assist to her two goals, Emma Kreisz found the back of the net as well, Ella Huber dished out 3 assists, and Hannah Clark made 27 saves on a combined 29 shots for the two wins. Izy Fairchild and Morgan Smith each scored for BSU, and Kaitlin Groess stopped 55 shots between the pipes.

Analyzing the Beavers – Bemidji State finds itself at the bottom of the WCHA standings, with their only wins in league play coming in a home series sweep of St. Thomas in mid-November. They also got a win and a tie in non-conference action at Sanford Center against Lindenwood, but they were swept by Robert Morris earlier in the season. They've been outscored 66-28 in all contests, and are also at the bottom of the league rankings in shots-on-goal per game and penalty kill percentage.

Redshirt freshman and former Gopher Isa Goettl (#9) leads the Beavers in total points with 9, coming on 3 goals and 6 assists. Sophomore Hailey Armstrong (#29) is BSU's goals leader with 6 while dishing out a pair of assists for 8 points, while freshman Morgan Smith (#21) also has 8 points on 5 goals & 3 assists. Sophomore Kate Johnson (#14) is fourth in total scoring with 6 points on a goal and 5 helpers.

Four different goaltenders have seen action for Bemidji State. Freshman Kaitlin Groess (#1) has had the majority of ice time, going 3-10-0 in her 13 starts, posting a 3.18 goals-against average and .904 save percentage. Sophomore Eva Filippova (#30) and grad student Josie Bothun (#33) each started two games but are winless; Filippova has a 3.93 GAA and .885 SV%, while Bothun has a 5.88 GAA and .813 SV%. Freshman Lauren Mooney (#35) stopped 21 of 24 shots (.875 SV%) in a 3-3 tie against Lindenwood.

Last action for Bemidji State – Visiting Minnesota State in Mankato on December 13 & 14, the Beavers were on the wrong end of a 5-0 shutout to open the series; Madison Mashuga netted a hat trick for the Mavericks and Hailey Hansen needed only 12 saves for the clean sheet. BSU got its own hat trick from freshman Morgan Smith in the rematch, but they never led as Jamie Nelson & Claire Vekich each lit the lamp twice for MSU and Mackenzie Bourgerie netted the game-winning goal in a 5-3 Mavericks victory and weekend sweep.

Primerano playing with Canada at IIHF U-18 Women's Worlds

We provide a reminder that Gopher Women's Hockey freshman defender Chloe Primerano was named to the roster of Canada's Under-18 Women's National Team which plays at the 2025 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship in Vantaa, Finland, from January 4 through 12.

The U-18 tournament has switched format to two groups of equal strength. Canada will face Slovakia, Switzerland, and Czechia in Group B preliminary round play before the elimination round. Group A features the United States, Finland, Japan, and Sweden.

We again send Chloe best wishes for a good tournament in Finland!!

BSU head coach Fryklund at U-18 Women's Worlds – We also provide a reminder that Bemidji State Beavers head coach Amber Fryklund will be serving as an assistant coach for Team USA at the IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship, and will miss Wednesday's game along with BSU's contests in the East-West Showcase at Ridder Arena this coming weekend.

Upcoming GWH Event and Game Notes...

Skate with the Gophers, January 11 – Following the second game of the series against St. Thomas on Saturday, January 11, the Skate with the Gophers event returns to the Ridder Arena ice. Fans are encouraged to attend this fun time with the team, though you must have a ticket to the game and register in advance at z.umn.edu/WHOSkate2025.

Field Trip Day game (January 24) SOLD OUT – The Gopher Women's Hockey "Field Trip Day" game at Ridder Arena against Bemidji State on Friday, January 24 at noon is sold out. If you are still in need of tickets to the game, you are encouraged to check the SEATGEEK secondary market.

Around the WCHA...

East-West Showcase at Ridder – Following Wednesday's contest in Lakeville, the Gophers and Beavers will relocate to Ridder Arena where they will each face Brown and Penn State in non-conference action on Friday and Saturday. Watch for another issue of the Penalty Box Post on Thursday (Jan. 2) with our preview of the event!

Other upcoming games – Ohio State and Wisconsin will square off in a #1-vs.-#2 battle later this week, starting Thursday in Madison before playing outside in The Friendly Confines Big Ten Hockey Series at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Saturday. Minnesota Duluth will host a Thursday-Friday non-conference series against Syracuse, and Minnesota State will make the trip to Missouri to face Lindenwood Friday & Saturday. St. Thomas and St. Cloud State will play an exhibition contest Saturday in St. Louis Park.

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Power Play Club

December 17, 2024

The Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Power Play Club

December 17, 2024

Last call for Brunch with the Coaches on January 4

We provide one final reminder that ticket orders for the Power Play Club's annual Brunch with the Coaches must be received by Saturday, December 28. The event will be held in the 3M Arena at Mariucci Club Room on Saturday, January 4 at 8:45 a.m., before the second day of the East-West Showcase. We will be joined by and hear from Bemidji State University assistant coach and Beavers alumna Emma Sobieck, plus GWH head coach Brad Frost.

Tickets for the brunch are $30 per person. If you still would like to register, please download the form here and mail it with your payment to the address listed; checks should be made payable to the Power Play Club.

Team USA claims Six Nations Tournament championship
Murphy leads tourney with 9 points, two Player of the Game awards

The U.S. Women's Collegiate Select Team won the championship game of the Euro Hockey Tour's Six Nations Tournament, defeating Canada's National Development Team on Sunday, 5-3.

The American squad claimed the top position in the tournament's Group A with a 4-0 win over host Finland last Wednesday and a 6-2 victory over Switzerland on Thursday. Canada finished atop Group B after holding on to defeat Sweden 2-1 on Wednesday and blanking Czechia, 3-0. The Finns advanced to the semifinals with a 4-0 victory over the Swiss, while the Swedes advanced by defeating the Czechs, 3-0. Team USA shut out Sweden, 5-0, to advance to the title contest, while Canada knocked off Finland, 3-0.

Sweden upset Finland 2-1 in the Bronze Medal Game, while the Czechs claimed 5th Place with a sweep of their two-game series against Switzerland, 2-0 & 3-0.

Gophers at the Six Nations Tournament – We once again send congratulations to all eight Minnesota Women's Hockey representatives playing with their respective national teams, including Americans Peyton Hemp, Abbey Murphy, Ella Huber & Sydney Morrow (pictured at right after winning the championship), Finland's Nelli Laitinen & Krista Parkkonen, and Czechia's Natálie Mlýnková & future Gopher Tereza Plosová.

Murphy found the scoresheet with at least 2 points in each contest, finishing with 5 goals & 4 assists. Her fifth goal of the week was the game-winner in the championship contest, coming with only 4:34 remaining in regulation and just 80 seconds after Canada had tied the score 3-3. Murphy was named Player of the Game in both Team USA's opener against Finland and the finale.

Morrow tallied two points, both coming in the championship game; she assisted on the title-winning goal after scoring her own goal (assisted by Murphy) earlier in the contest. Huber lit the lamp 3 times at the tournament, once in each of Team USA's first three games. Meanwhile, Plosová dished out a pair of assists for Czechia, once in each of the 5th-6th Place games against the Swiss. Hemp, Laitinen, Mlýnková, and Parkkonen did not score.

Kreisz fuels Hungary to 2nd-place finish at 4 Nations event

Not to be overlooked, we send a special shout-out to Gopher sophomore forward Emma Kreisz, who was selected to play on Hungary's Women's National Team for a separate 4 Nations tournament hosted by Denmark last week, with Japan and France also participating. Kreisz netted two critical goals to lead them to a second-place performance at the event.

The Francs, Hungarians, and Japanese all earned regulation victories over the Danes, turning attention to the games between those three squads. France got two goals from Chloé Aurard against Japan, her first in the 3rd period to tie the score at 2-2 and her second to win the game 3-2 in overtime. Kreisz's first goal of the week came against the Francs as she lit the lamp in the second period to knot the score, 2-2; however, after regulation and overtime finished with no additional goals, France took the subsequent shootout (2-0 in 4 rounds) for a 3-2 victory. Battling for the second spot in the standings, bonus hockey was again needed as Hungary and Japan were tied 1-1 at the end of regulation; Kreisz then converted a power play which carried over from the third period, scoring 55 seconds into overtime for a 2-1 victory.

Other international action last week & looking ahead...

Norway, Germany split two-game series – Playing a pair of friendly contests in Füssen, the Norwegian and German Women's National Teams split the series. Norway won 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday as Andrea Dalen netted the game-tying goal in the 3rd period and scored the winning shootout goal. Germany responded with a 4-2 victory Friday as Emily Nix lit the lamp twice.

Slovakia, Netherlands, Poland advance in qualifying for 2026 Winter Olympics – Playing in separate "second round" qualifying tournaments for the 2026 Winter Olympics Games (after first round tournaments were cancelled), the women's national teams from Slovakia, Netherlands, and Poland each finished atop the standings after round-robin play, sending them to the final qualifying tournaments.

Final Olympic qualification in February – Those three teams winning this past week will be among 12 nations competing for the final three spots in the 2026 Olympics in Milano & Cortina, Italy. The three final qualification tournaments with four teams apiece will be played this coming February 6-9, 2025.

"Group G" – China, France, Japan (host) & Poland
"Group H" – Denmark, Netherlands, Norway & Sweden (host)
"Group I" – Austria, Germany (host), Hungary & Slovakia

More details are available on the IIHF website.

Sitting on top of the world rankings following the 2024 Women's World Championship, the United States, Canada, Finland, Czechia, and Switzerland have automatically qualified to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Russia will also qualify if it is reinstated for IIHF-sanctioned tournaments, and Italy will participate as the host nation.

Rivalry Series & Euro Hockey Tour in February – While the Olympic qualifying is occurring, those top-five teams will also be in action. Teams USA & Canada will play the fourth and fifth games of the 2024-2025 Rivalry Series, in (respectively) Halifax, Nova Scotia on February 6 & Summerside, Price Edward Island on February 8; Canada leads this year's series two games to one. Meanwhile, Czechia will host Finland and Switzerland in the next round of the Euro Hockey Tour that same week (February 3-9), though the game site(s) and exact schedule are still to be announced.

Around the WCHA...

Mavericks conclude 2024 with sweep of Beavers – Wrapping up the last WCHA action of the calendar year, Minnesota State opened their home series against Bemidji State with a hat trick from Madison Mashuga and a 12-save shutout performance from Hailey Hansen in a 5-0 victory. BSU got its own hat trick from freshman Morgan Smith in the rematch, but they never led as Jamie Nelson & Claire Vekich each lit the lamp twice and Mackenzie Bourgerie netted the game-winning goal in a 5-3 MSU win.

Happy Holidays!!
The Penalty Box Post will be back after Christmas to preview the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Faceoff Classic between Minnesota and Bemidji State on January 1st!

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