Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Member-only Chalk Talk – Tomorrow (Wed., Jan. 27) at 4 p.m.
Here's one more reminder that an online edition of our Chalk Talks with GWH head coach Brad Frost is scheduled for tomorrow – Wednesday, January 27 – at 4:00 p.m. via Zoom. This is a member-only event for 2020-2021 Power Play Club members, and the Zoom link will be shared to members tomorrow morning.
If you still need to enroll or renew for this season, if you enrolled or renewed your membership earlier this month, or wish to verify your membership status, please contact Laura Halldorson by email at halld002@umn.edu. We are doing our best to document our records accurately, but we are experiencing a lag of roughly a week to process registrations due to the current work-from-home situation.
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Membership registration remains open!! A donation of $50 of more to the Power Play Club Fund at the University of Minnesota Foundation will enroll your household into the PPC for the season. To make your donation online, go to the Power Play Club Fund web page here. If you prefer to submit your donation by check, you can download the registration form here, fill it out, and mail it and your check to Laura Halldorson at the address listed on the form. If you have already enrolled as a Locker Sponsor for 2020-2021, you do not need to register again.
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#2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (.727 pts%, 8-3-0-0, 0-0 in OT)
at #3 Ohio State Univ. Buckeyes (.639 pts%, 8-4-0-0, 1-0 in OT)
Friday, January 29 at 6:07 p.m. ET / 5:07 p.m. CT
Saturday, January 30 at 3:07 p.m. ET / 2:07 p.m. CT
OSU Ice Rink, Columbus
Following a week off, the Gopher Women's Hockey team returns to action with their farthest road trip of the regular season, heading to Columbus, OH, to face the Ohio State Buckeyes at the OSU Ice Rink. The puck drops for the opening game on Friday, January 29, at 6:07 p.m. ET / 5:07 p.m. CT, and action continues Saturday, January 30 at 3:07 p.m. ET / 2:07 p.m. CT.
Video streaming of series on BTN+ – Video from both games will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Watch our social media accounts for game-specific video links and any updates on audio coverage.
Last time against Ohio State – Despite getting a combined 69 saves from Lauren Bench on 71 shots in her first two games as a Gopher and the team taking 1-0 leads in both contests, Minnesota settled for a series split against the Buckeyes to open the 2020-2021 season, winning 4-0 in game one but falling 2-1 in game two. Bench stopped all 36 shots she faced in the opener for the shutout. Grace Zumwinkle lit the lamp on the first shift of the season just 28 seconds into the contest, Josey Dunne recorded her first goal for the Maroon & Gold in the second period, Zumwinkle netted her second of the game with under 5 minutes to play, and Taylor Wente scored a long empty-netter. In the rematch, Zumwinkle buried her third goal of the weekend to put Minnesota up three minutes into the game, but Liz Schepers knotted the score for Ohio State just 21 seconds later, Tatum Skaggs gave OSU the lead six minutes after that, and goaltender Andrea Brändli shut the Gophers down for the duration. In the series, Anne Cherkowski also recorded her first points as a Gopher with a pair of assists, and Madeline Wethington also dished out two assists. Emma Maltais assisted on both OSU goals, and Brändli recorded a combined 39 saves over the weekend.
Analyzing the Buckeyes – Ohio State enters the upcoming weekend having moved back into third in the WCHA standings while having retained the #3 ranking in the national polls for much of the season. Their four losses on the year include the split with Minnesota, two losses to Wisconsin, and a split two weekends ago at Minnesota Duluth.
Prior to last weekend (more on that shortly), the Buckeyes had only a +1 goal differential on their opponents. Even through their latest series, the OSU power play is only 1-of-23 (4.3%). Scoring has been spread out, with 11 different players lighting the lamp, but only freshman Jenna Buglioni (#10; 6g, 4a) and sophomore Jennifer Gardiner (#12; 4g, 6a) have double-digit points with 10 apiece. Senior Tatum Skaggs (#11) is third in total scoring with 9 points (5g, 4a).
Defense and goaltending have been critical for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the only Division I or II team to have not yet yielded a power-play goal, posting a perfect 25-for-25 mark on the penalty kill. Junior Andrea Brändli (#20) is 7-4-0 in her 11 starts with 2 shutouts; her goals-against average has dropped to 1.59 this season (compared to 1.89 over her first two years), and she has held steady with a .935 save percentage. Freshman Amanda Thiele (#35) won her only start (against Bemidji State) and also made one relief appearance; she's stopped 24 of 25 shots in 73 minutes of action.
Last weekend for Ohio State – Hosting Minnesota State, the Buckeyes shelled MSU goaltenders with 96 shots on goal while only yielding 51. Tatum Skaggs lit the lamp twice and Andrea Brändli made 25 saves en route to a 3-0 shutout victory in the opener. Seven different Buckeyes scored in the rematch, taking a 5-0 lead and winning 7-2 over the Mavericks for the series sweep; Jennifer Gardiner recorded a goal and two assists, and Jenna Buglioni netted her second goal of the weekend. Kelsey King tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota State.
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Six announced as Minnesota's freshman class of 2021-2022
The Gopher Women's Hockey team introduced six players who signed National Letters of Intent to join the U. of M. family as freshmen for the 2021-2022 season, welcoming...
Emma Conner, forward, Edina, MN (Edina High School)
Peyton Hemp, forward, Andover, MN (Andover High School)
Ella Huber, forward, Northfield, IL (Chicago Mission)
Sadie Lindsay, forward, Minnetonka, MN (Breck School)
Skylar Vetter, goaltender, Lakeville, MN (Lakeville North High School)
Emily Zumwinkle, defense, Excelsior, MN (Breck School)
We send our warmest greetings to all six players. More information about the signees, along with comments from GWH head coach Brad Frost, can be found in last Thursday's press release on GopherSports.com.
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Around the WCHA...
Recent action – A goaltending battle ensued in Bemidji, with BSU goaltender Kerrigan Dowhy stopping 76 of 77 shots, and Minnesota Duluth netminder Emma Söderberg making 34 saves on 35 shots; both games were scoreless through regulation, Mak Langei scored for the Beavers in overtime in the opener, and Nina Jobst-Smith tallied her first collegiate goal for the Bulldogs in the extra period of the rematch for the series split. Wisconsin steamrolled St. Cloud State in their opening game, 10-0, with Daryl Watts recording a hat trick & 3 assists and Brette Pettet adding her own hat trick & an assist; the Huskies had 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the rematch, but Sophie Shirley scored twice for the Badgers to even the score both times, Lacey Eden lit the lamp with 1:17 to play, and Watts added an empty-netter for a 4-2 victory and the weekend sweep. Watts finished with 8 points (4g, 4a), Pettet had two assists Saturday for a 6-point series (3g, 3a), and Shirley posted 5 points (3g, 2a).
Upcoming games – Two other series in the league also both feature Friday evening and Saturday afternoon contests. Bemidji State heads south to Mankato to play Minnesota State, while Minnesota Duluth hosts St. Cloud State. Wisconsin is idle.
Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .833 pts%, 25 points in 10 games (8-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota, .727, 24 pts in 11 gms (8-3-0-0, 0-0); 3. Ohio State, .639, 23 pts in 12 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-0); 4. Minnesota Duluth, .600, 18 pts in 10 gms (6-4-0-0, 1-1); 5. Minnesota State, .310, 13 pts in 14 gms (4-9-1-0, 0-0); 6. St. Cloud State, .269, 10.5 pts in 13 gms (3-9-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. Bemidji State, .264, 9.5 pts in 12 gms (2-8-2-1, 2-2, 1 shootout no-decision).
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