Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, January 5, 2020
GAME ADDED – Special three-game series
#2 Univ. of Minn. Golden Gophers (5-1-0-0, 0-0 in OT)
vs. St. Cloud State Univ. Huskies (2-4-0-0, 1-1 in OT)
Thursday, January 7 at 3:07 p.m.
Saturday, January 9 at 4:07 p.m.
Ridder Arena
Sunday, January 10 at 3:07 p.m.
Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, St. Cloud
WCHA adds 3rd game to series – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced this past Sunday that the Minnesota and St. Cloud State women's hockey teams will play a third game this week, actually preceding the two previously-scheduled contests. The Gophers and Huskies will open their series with a weekday matinee at 3:07 p.m. on Thursday, January 7, at Ridder Arena. The two teams will have a day off before resuming on Saturday, January 9, at 4:07 p.m., also at Ridder, then will relocate to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud for the finale on Sunday, January 10 at 3:07 p.m.
Video streaming & audio information – BTN+ will provide streaming video of the games on January 7 & 9 at Ridder Arena; subscription packages are available here. Both of those games will also feature free streaming audio on Golden Gophers All-Access on GopherSports.com.
Video of Sunday's game (Jan. 10) in St. Cloud will be streamed by FloHockey; subscription and schedule information can be found at FloSports.tv. No audio coverage from that game is expected, but we will post any changes to this on our Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Last year against St. Cloud State – In addition to four regular-season meetings, the Gophers and Huskies also faced each other in the WCHA Quarterfinals. Minnesota swept all six games, winning 3-0 and 4-2 at Ridder Arena in October 2019, 4-1 and 3-0 in St. Cloud last January, and 4-2 and 7-3 in the two playoff contests. The Gophers also outshot the Huskies by a combined 256-117, including 110-32 in the playoff round. Grace Zumwinkle led Minnesota with 10 points against SCSU, lighting the lamp 4 times – including a hat trick on February 29 – and dishing out 6 assists. Taylor Heise added 8 points (3g, 5a), and Emily Brown tallied 7 points (3g, 4a). In total, 11 different Gophers netted a goal, and five others each recorded at least one assist. Twelve (12) Huskies recorded at least one point across the six games; Klára Hymlárová led them with 4 points on a goal and 3 assists, Abby Thiessen added a goal and two assists, and Dana Rasmussen was the only multi-goal scorer against the Gophers, netting two. Between the pipes, Sydney Scobee played all six games in their entirety, stopping 109 of 117 shots for a .932 save percentage and 1.33 goals-against average. St. Cloud State's Emma Polusny also played all 18 periods, posting a .906 SV% but a 4.08 GAA.
Analyzing the Huskies – Through 6 games, the Huskies' two victories already match their conference win total for the entirety of last season. Their 6 points in the current standings are only just behind the 7 the picked up a year ago. On the basis of standings points per game, their 1.00 average is fifth best in the WCHA so far this year.
Despite the improvement in its win-loss record, SCSU has been outscored 18-9 in their six contests, averaging only 1.50 goals per game on the offensive side. Junior Jenniina Nylund (#18) has 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points, all of which are (or are tied for) team highs. Freshman Emma Gentry (#20) has only played three of the team's six games, recording 2 goals and an assist, while sophomore Klára Hymlárová (#12) has a goal and two assists.
Goaltender Emma Polusny (#32) is an experienced senior, having started 70 games prior to this season. However, she has started only 3 of the 6 games for the Huskies this year, going 1-2-0 with a .922 save percentage and 2.85 goals-against average. Polusny has been splitting time with Finnish freshman Sanni Ahola (#1); Ahola shut out Minnesota State in her collegiate dubut with a 37-save performance, but she's lost her other two starts so far, posting a .902 SV% and 3.17 GAA across the three games. Junior Karlie Ries (#30) is the Huskies' emergency goaltender, having played only 8 minutes of mop-up work in a blowout loss to Wisconsin last year.
Last action for St. Cloud State – The Huskies have not been in action since December 11, but their series on the road against Bemidji State featured the first two overtime games in WCHA play since the change to a 3-on-3 format for the extra period immediately following regulation. The teams split the two contests, both by 3-2 scores, with Emma Gentry scoring the gamewinner for the Huskies in the first game and Clair DeGeorge netting the deciding goal for the Beavers in the rematch. Gentry earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors for her 2-goal, 1-assist performance in series, DeGeorge led all scorers with 3 goals and an assist, and SCSU's Jenniina Nylund added two goals and an assist.
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Gopher alumnae and professional news...
PWHPA All-Star Team update – As mentioned last week, the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) has created a 24-player All-Star Team which is participating in the U.S. Premier Hockey League's “Hub City Tampa” that starts today. The PWHPA All-Stars include Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Nicole Schammel, Kelly Pannek, Hannah Brandt, Gigi Marvin, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, and Lee Stecklein.
An article from The Women's Hockey Tribune noted that the six-game schedule for the PWHPA All-Star Team begins on Thursday, January 7. Per the article, all six contests will have live video streaming on the HockeyTV subscription service (listed times are Eastern), with live scoring and postgame box scores available on the USPHL’s website for each game as well; we will provide links on our social media channels as they become available.
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Around the WCHA...
Recent action – Ohio State cruised to a series sweep of Bemidji State, winning 4-1 and 7-1; Buckeyes freshman Jenna Buglioni led the way with 3 goals and 3 assists, while Jennifer Gardiner added 3 goals and 2 assists, and Tatum Skaggs tacked on 2 goals and an assist. Wisconsin also earned a weekend sweep over Minnesota State, but needed a third-period goal in each game to win 3-2 and 1-0; Daryl Watts and Brette Pettet netted the game-winning goals, while Grace Bowlby dished out three assists in the opener. Kennedy Blair needed only 39 saves to earn both wins and Sunday's shutout, while MSU's Calla Frank stopped a combined 64 shots.
Upcoming games – Two other series in the league both feature Friday and Saturday afternoon contests. Bemidji State hosts Minnesota State, while Ohio State travels to Madison to face Wisconsin. Minnesota Duluth is idle.
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