The Two Minute Minor
Friday, February 26, 2021
13 Gophers named as 2020-2021 WCHA Scholar-Athletes
Thirteen (13) members of the Gopher Women's Hockey team were named among 85 players honored as WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award winners, announced by the league yesterday.
Minnesota seniors Emily Brown and Taylor Wente (pictured) were honored as Scholar-Athletes for the third time in their collegiate careers, while Taylor Heise and Gracie Ostertag were named as award recipients for the second time. Abigail Boreen, Olivia King, Olivia Knowles, Emily Oden, Makayla Pahl, Sydney Shearen, Catie Skaja, Madeline Wethington, and Grace Zumwinkle round out this year's Gopher honorees.
Per the press release from the league: To earn recognition as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, league-member student-athletes must have completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current academic year and must also have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale for the previous two semesters or three quarters or may qualify if their overall GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his or her present institution.
Congratulations and good job, ladies!!
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Zumwinkle named as Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 finalist
while earning more weekly conference recognition
Minnesota senior forward Grace Zumwinkle earned double recognition yesterday for her performances on the ice, both for the season and for her effort this past weekend in Bemidji.
Zumwinkle was named a Top-10 finalist for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, as announced by USA Hockey Foundation. The award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Zumwinkle leads the nation in goals scored with 16, while placing third in goals-per-game (0.84). She holds the WCHA lead and is tied for second nationally in game-winning goals (4), and her 23 total points are fifth among Division I players.
The top-three finalists will be announced on Thursday, March 18, and the presentation of the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is scheduled for Saturday, March 27.
Meanwhile, Zumwinkle received another honor from the conference, as her 8-point series with four goals and four assists this past weekend against Bemidji State was named the Howies Hockey Tape WCHA Performance of the Week, as announced on Twitter.
Congratulations, Grace!!
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Gopher alumnae to play in PWHPA showcase this weekend,
with live NHL Network TV coverage from MSG on Sunday
The 2021 edition of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association's Secret® Dream Gap Tour is scheduled to begin this weekend, with six Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae listed as participants. Action begins tomorrow (Saturday, 2/27) at Protec Ponds Training Center in Somerset, NJ, before moving to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday (2/28) for the first women's hockey game to be played at the historic venue.
The contests feature teams from the PWHPA's Minnesota and New Hampshire regional training hubs. Former Gophers Hannah Brandt (MN region), Dani Cameranesi (MN), Amanda Kessel (NH), Gigi Marvin (NH), Kelly Pannek (MN), and Lee Stecklein (MN) have been listed on the team rosters for the weekend. Another Gopher alumna, Mira Jalosuo, is serving as an assistant coach for the Minnesota hub team.
The PWHPA shared three additional pieces of news related to this weekend's showcase. First, it was announced that Sunday's game will be televised live in the U.S. on NHL Network, and on Sportsnet in Canada, at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET. The broadcast will be produced in conjunction with NBC Sports and MSG Network.
Additionally, more team sponsors were named for the Dream Gap Tour, as the PWHPA announced yesterday that the Minnesota region team will be "Team adidas" and the New Hampshire team will be "Team WSF" (Women's Sports Foundation) as part of new corporate partnerships. On top of that, the organization presented its standings points system for U.S. showcase events, featuring points for the final result of each game plus bonus points for specific game events (such as short-handed goals, shutouts, and hat tricks).
We wish all six Gopher representatives and their respective teams good luck!!
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