The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, October 27th
Bemidji travel notes...
We graciously thank you, our fellow Gopher Women's Hockey fans, for being one of the best-travelling fan bases in the WCHA! We have heard that it is very appreciated by the team.
Given the early start to this coming weekend's games in Bemidji plus the BSU men's hockey team also playing at home on Friday and Saturday evening, the Power Play Club is not planning any gatherings. Thanks for your understanding, and we still hope to see many of you at the Sanford Center for the series between the Gophers & Beavers!
#3/3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-3-0, 3-3-0-0 in WCHA)
at Bemidji State Univ. Beavers (2-3-1, 1-3-0-0 in WCHA)
Friday, October 29 at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 30 at 2:00 p.m.
Sanford Center, Bemidji
Following a successful non-conference road trip to upstate New York, the Gopher Women's Hockey team returns to Minnesota and to WCHA play but heads out on the road again, travelling north to face the Bemidji State University Beavers. Action begins early with the teams opening their series at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 29, and continuing at 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 30, at the Sanford Center.
Last season against the Beavers – Minnesota and Bemidji State played only two games head-to-head in 2020-2021, squaring off at the Sanford Center in the final weekend of the regular season – and the final weekend of the Beavers' season overall. The Gophers scored early and often, taking leads of 4-0 in the series opener and 2-0 in the rematch en route to a weekend sweep by scores of 6-1 and 9-1. Grace Zumwinkle posted an 8-point weekend with 4 goals and 4 assists, Abbey Murphy was close behind with 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points, Crystalyn Hengler had a career-high 3-point series with two goals and an assist, and eleven other Gophers found the scoresheet, with nine of them tallying multiple points apiece. Taylor Nelson and Paige Anderson scored for the Beavers. Zumwinkle, Murphy, and Hengler earned conference honors as the Forward, Rookie, and Defender of the Week (respectively).
In net for Minnesota, Lauren Bench made 15 saves in her return to Bemidji in the opener, Makayla Pahl stopped 6 shots over the first two periods of the rematch, and Olivia King made her official collegiate debut with four saves in one period of work. Kerigan Dowhy started the opener for Bemidji State, stopping 15 shots over two periods, and Lexi Baker made 5 saves in the final 20 minutes. Hannah Hogenson started the rematch but yielded 4 goals on only 9 shots; Dowhy entered in relief and made another 22 saves over the remainder of the game.
Analyzing Bemidji State – The Beavers struggled during the 2020-2021 season, not winning a single game in regulation and finishing last in the WCHA standings with a .208 points percentage on a 2-16-2-1 record, with a 2-5 mark in games decided in overtime. As noted above, their season came to an end following the series against the Gophers.
Bemidji State has started the 2021-2022 year with a 2-3-1 overall mark, going 1-3-0-0 so far in WCHA play after splitting with St. Thomas in Mendota Heights and being swept by Ohio State in Columbus. They played their first home games of the season this past weekend in non-conference action against Clarkson (more on that shortly).
The Beavers are looking to fill a gap after 2020-2021 team scoring leader Clair DeGeorge transferred to Ohio State. Fifth-year player Paige Beebe (#18) and senior Graysen Myers (#23) each have two goals and an assist in BSU's first six games. Junior Reece Hunt (#29) also has three points on a goal and two assists, while sophomore Gabbie Smith (#20) has lit the lamp twice. But sophomore Taylor Nelson (#8) leads the team in total scoring with 4 points on a goal and 3 assists.
Between the pipes for BSU, fifth-year player Kerigan Dowhy (#33) and sophomore Hannah Hogenson (#1) have each started three games this season. Dowhy is 1-2-0 with her lone win coming by shutout; she has a 1.89 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. Hogenson has a 1-1-1 season record with a 1.63 GAA and .938 SV%. Senior Lexi Baker (#30) has played 20 minutes in a relief appearance, stopping 17 of 21 shots. Freshman Abbie Thompson (#35) has not seen any action yet.
Last weekend: Beavers tie, defeat Clarkson – Hosting their first home games of the season, Bemidji State welcomed non-conference opponent Clarkson. After two scoreless periods to start the series opener, Graysen Myers put the Beavers up 1-0 at the 3:31 mark of the third stanza, but Gabrielle David knotted the score for the Golden Knights with 2:13 remaining in regulation and the contest finished in a 1-1 overtime tie; Hannah Hogenson made 24 saves for BSU. The Beavers took a 2-0 lead in the rematch on second-period goals by Myers and Gabbie Smith, with Taylor Nelson assisting on both; Clarkson's Baylee Kirwan cut that lead in half just 25 seconds into the third frame, but Hogenson stopped 14 shots over the final 20 minutes and 28 for the game to preserve a 2-1 Beavers victory.
Gophers topple Colgate – Minnesota leveraged its veteran leadership in its non-conference series on the road against the then-#3 Colgate Raiders. Kalty Kaltounkova's 5-on-3 power-play goal gave the Raiders an initial lead, Amy Potomak and Abigail Boreen scored 22 seconds apart to put Minnesota up 2-1, and Neena Brick lit the lamp for Colgate to knot the score 2-2 before the first intermission. Potomak put the Gophers ahead again midway through the second and Talyor Heise doubled the lead six minutes after that, but Noemi Neubauerova scored on another Colgate power play to make it 4-3 after 40 minutes. However, Emily Oden added an insurance goal in the third stanza for a 5-3 victory, and Makayla Pahl made 26 saves to earn the win. The Gophers took a 2-0 lead through the first two periods of the rematch as Emily Brown netted her first goal of the season and Heise lit the lamp. Colgate's Delani MacKay and Sydney Bard knotted the score 6:30 into the third frame, but Catie Skaja tallied her first goal of the year with 8:13 to play, which was enough for Lauren Bench as she made 31 saves for the 3-2 win and the weekend sweep. Heise (2g, 1a) and Skaja (1g, 2a) each finished with 3 points.
Boreen earns WCHA Forward of the Week honors
Dishing out 3 assists to go with her goal for a 4-point series against Colgate, GWH senior Abigail Boreen was named WCHA Forward of the Week, the first weekly recognition of her collegiate career. The award also marks the second-straight week a Gopher was recognized, following Makayla Pahl's Goaltender of the Week honor. Congratulations, Abigail!!
Frost receives three-year contract extension
Gopher Women's Hockey head coach Brad Frost and the University of Minnesota agreed to terms on a 3-year contract extension through the 2023-2024 season, as announced by the school yesterday (Tuesday, October 26).
Frost is currently in his 15th season as head coach of the Gophers, holding a 418-87-35 record since taking over the program.
Team USA My Why Tour
Kessel scores for Americans, but Canada earns two wins
Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna Amanda Kessel lit the lamp for the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team in pre-Olympic competition against their rivals from Canada but the Canadians won 3-1 on Friday night in Allentown, PA and 3-2 on Monday in Hartford, CT.
The teams traded power-play goals in the first 40 minutes on Friday, with Sarah Fillier scoring for Canada in the first period and Hayley Scamurra knotting the score for the Americans in the second stanza. However, Emily Clark tallied two third-period goals, the second into an empty net. Victoria Bach and Fillier put the Canadians up 2-0 on Monday, but Cayla Barnes cut the U.S. deficit in half before the first intermission and then assisted on Kessel's tying goal in the second period. A late penalty sunk the Americans, though, as Fillier netted her third goal of the two-game set on the resulting power play with 3:58 remaining in regulation.
The two rivals will square off again on Sunday, November 21, at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT in Kingston, Ontario. Before that, Team Canada will travel to Europe for a three-game set against Finland on November 11, 13 & 14.
Around the WCHA...
Recent action – Casey O'Brien tallied Friday's gamewinner and dished out 3 assists, while Nicole LaMantia scored both of Wisconsin's' goals Saturday – including the winner 1:03 into overtime – as the Badgers swept Ohio State, 3-1 and 2-1 (OT). Gabby Rosenthal netted both Buckeye goals in the series, but UW netminder Kennedy Blair stopped the other 52 shots she faced to earn the WCHA Goaltender of the Week award. LaMantia was named the conference's Defender of the Week.
Clara Van Wieren lit the lamp 3 times, Kylie Hanley & Gabbie Hughes each added two goals and an assist, Gabby Krause was honored as WCHA Rookie of Week with a goal and an assist, and UMD outshot St. Thomas 78-28 as the Bulldogs blanked the Tommies, 3-0 and 7-0.
Upcoming games – Two other Friday-Saturday matinee series top the schedule as Minnesota State hosts Wisconsin and St. Thomas travels east for a non-conference matchup against RIT. St. Cloud State visits Ohio State, with their series starting Friday evening and continuing Saturday afternoon.
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