The Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, September 28th
Important Notices:
Reminder of University of Minnesota face mask policy
We kindly remind our fellow Gopher Women's Hockey fans that all University of Minnesota faculty, staff, students, and visitors are required to wear a well-fitted face mask which covers the wearer’s nose and mouth, wraps under the chin, and does not have any noticeable gaps at all times when in any enclosed or indoor space on University campuses and properties – including Ridder Arena – regardless of vaccination status. For more information and a list of exceptions, visit the U.'s “Safe Campus” Face Covering Protocol page.
Traffic alert Saturday; Tour of Ridder Arena postponed
All fans coming to Saturday's Gopher Women's Hockey game should note that automotive and pedestrian traffic will be high around the university as the Gopher Men's Hockey team is also in action, with their game at 3M Arena at Mariucci starting at 2:30 p.m. Please allow for extra travel and parking time before the women's game at Ridder Arena at 3:00 p.m.
Also due to the game at Mariucci, Saturday's Tour of Ridder Arena (announced during last week's Chalk Talk) has been postponed and tentatively rescheduled for November 20 before the GWH game against St. Cloud State. We thank you for your understanding.
PPC member registration continues as season begins
As the 25th season of Gopher Women's Hockey gets underway, registration continues for Power Play Club membership as we emphasize our goals of raising money to support the team and building a bigger fan base.
A minimum donation of $50 is required for our basic membership tier, and includes exclusive access to our three in-person Chalk Talk events. Online registration is preferred at give.umn.edu/giveto/powerplayclub; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. To register offline, download the form here and send it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".
Also consider sponsoring a GWH player’s or coach's locker this season through our top membership tier. The donor's name is posted on a nameplate next to the locker, and the donor will have an opportunity to meet with their respective player(s) over Zoom. A minimum $600 donation (per locker) is required. If you are interested, either as a renewing or new Locker Sponsor, please contact Susan "Rennie" McPherson at lockersponsorship@powerplayclub.org.
Watch for a Two-Minute Minor email
with more announcements later this week!!
SEASON OPENER!!
#4/5 Minnesota Golden Gopher vs. #3/3 Ohio State Buckeyes
Friday, October 1 at 7:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, October 2 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Ridder Arena
For the first time since the 2020 WCHA Final Faceoff, fans will be back at Ridder Arena to watch Gopher Women's Hockey as the team hosts a top-five matchup against the third-ranked Ohio State University Buckeyes. The puck drops to start the action on Friday, October 1, at 7:00 p.m. CT and continues on Saturday, October 2, at 3:00 p.m. CT.
Last year against the Buckeyes – Minnesota and Ohio State met for a rare six games in the regular-season. The teams split the first four contests; in Minneapolis in November, the Gophers won 4-0 but the Buckeyes responded with a 2-1 victory, and in Columbus in January, Minnesota again won the opener, 7-4, before Ohio State earned a split with a 3-1 decision. OSU took the season series by sweeping the fifth and sixth games, 2-1 and 3-2, at Ridder Arena in February.
Grace Zumwinkle led the Gophers with 5 goals and an assist, but Abigail Boreen was the only other Minnesota player with multiple goals against the Buckeyes, netting 3. Taylor Heise recorded a goal and 4 assists, while Emily Oden added a goal and 3 helpers. Emma Maltais recorded 3 goals and 5 assists for Ohio State, while Liz Schepers also lit the lamp 3 times while dishing out 2 assists and Tatum Skaggs added two goals and three assists. Between the pipes, Minnesota's Lauren Bench went 2-2 for Minnesota with a .929 save percentage and 2.29 goals-against average, while Makayla Pahl posted a .951 SV% and 2.05 GAA but took two losses; for Ohio State, Andrea Braendli was 3-2 with an .892 SV% and 2.63 GAA, and Amanda Thiele earned a win in her only start against the Gophers, stopping 29 of 30 shots (.967 SV%).
Analyzing Ohio State – The Buckeyes have gone with experience for the 2021-2022 season, bringing in 7 players transferring from other programs but only two new freshmen. They look to continue improving after trips to two of the past three NCAA Frozen Fours and their 2020 WCHA Tournament Championship.
Tatum Skaggs and Emma Maltais are no longer with the program after leading the team with 19 & 16 points, respectively, last season and over 100 points apiece for their collegiate careers. However, a trio of 15-point scorers – junior Jennifer Gardiner (#12), freshman Jenna Buglioni (#10), and graduate Liz Schepers (#21) – are back for the new season; Gardiner and Buglioni each recorded 8 goals and 7 assists last year, while Schepers tallied 6 goals and 9 assists. The team also added graduate transfers Clair DeGeorge (#14), Lexi Templeman (#22), and Emily Curlett (#26); DeGeorge led Bemidji State last season with 5 goals and 7 assists, Templeman was the top scorer at Robert Morris with 7 goals and 23 assists, and Curlett was RMU's top-scoring defender with 6 goals and 10 assists.
Andrea Braendli (#20) returns as the top goaltender for Ohio State after playing for Team Switzerland in the IIHF Women's World Championship last month; she has a collegiate 47-22-7 career record with 12 shutouts, a 1.91 goals-against average, and .930 save percentage. Junior Raygan Kirk (#1) is another transfer from Robert Morris, posting a 23-13-2 career record (with 3 no-decisions), 7 shutouts, a 2.00 GAA and .931 SV%. Sophomore Amanda Thiele (now wearing #30) is back after winning both of her two starts as a freshman last year, stopping 53 of a combined 55 shots in those two games plus one relief appearance. Junior Quinn Kuntz (#35) is the Buckeyes' fourth goaltender, having made two short relief appearances two season ago.
Last weekend: Buckeyes sweep St. Thomas – Ohio State and new Division I program St. Thomas met to open the season this past weekend in Columbus. The debuting Tommies held the Buckeyes scoreless through the first period of the season, but OSU erupted for four goals in the second period of the opener en route to a weekend sweep, 6-0 and 4-1. Fifteen different Buckeyes recorded at least a point in the series; Jenna Buglioni tallied two goals and two assists, while Paetyn Levis added a goal and two assists. Abby Promersberger scored St. Thomas' first-ever goal in D-I play, lighting the lamp in Saturday's second period. Andrea Braendli recorded a 16-save shutout for OSU on Friday, earning her WCHA Goaltender of the Week honors, while Amanda Thiele stopped 14 of 15 shots on Saturday; Alexa Dobchuk made a combined 93 saves for UST.
Analyzing the Gophers – Despite a perfect 9-0-0 record against Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State last season, Minnesota looks to rebound and improve after a 2-8-1 mark against Wisconsin and Ohio State kept them out of the NCAA Tournament.
The Gophers also look to make that improvement without their top two scorers from last season, as Grace Zumwinkle and Abbey Murphy are participating in the U.S. Women's National Team Residency program. A trio of senior forwards – Taylor Heise (#9), Emily Oden (#21), and Abigail Boreen (#22) – lead the way into 2021-2022; Heise had 16 points on 7 goals and 9 assists last year, Oden only lit the lamp twice but dished out a team-leading 12 assists, and Boreen had the most goals among returning players with 8 while adding 3 assists. Graduate defender and team captain Emily Brown (#2) also returns after tallying 12 points on 3 goals and 9 assists in 2020-2021.
In net, Lauren Bench (#35) has also returned to use her extra year of eligibility; she was 9-6-0 last season, her first with Minnesota, and has a career .913 save percentage and 2.42 goals-against average. Junior Makayla Pahl (#33) saw action in 8 games as a sophomore, with 6 starts and a 2-2-1 record (with one no-decision); she has a 1.96 GAA and .927 SV% over her two years. Junior Olivia King (#1) has been limited to a single one-period relief appearance in Bemidji last February, stopping all 4 shots on goal she faced. Freshman Skylar Vetter (#31) joins the team after a stellar high school career with the Lakeville North boys team and gold & silver medals at the IIHF U18 Women's World Championship with Team USA.
Vetter is one of 9 new faces to the Gopher Women's Hockey roster and one of 7 incoming freshman. Senior Savannah Norcross (#27) transferred to Minnesota from Boston College after posting a team-leading 12 goals and 21 points last season for the Eagles. Graduate transfer Olivia Arkell (#11) comes to the Gophers from across town at Division III Hamline University, continuing to play for coaches Natalie Darwitz & Jake Bobrowski. Vetter is joined by Sadie Lindsay (#8), Emily Zumwinkle (#10), Peyton Hemp (#15), Emma Conner (#20), Tristana Tatur (#23), and Ella Huber (#26) in the freshman class; Hemp is the latest Minnesota Ms. Hockey award winner to become a Gopher, while Conner was the Star Tribune's Metro Player of the Year.
Around the WCHA...
Recent action – Casey O'Brien erupted for 6 goals in Wisconsin's opening series of the season, including a four-goal outburst on Saturday, as the Badgers crushed Lindenwood on the road, 8-1 and 10-0; Makenna Webster (2g, 4a) and Sophie Shirley (1g, 5a) each also had 6-point weekends, and Katie Kotlowski lit the lamp 3 times. Brooke Bryant recorded 3 goals and an assist, Claire Butorac added a goal and 3 assists, and Calla Frank posted a 16-save shutout on Friday as Minnesota State also swept a non-conference road series, defeating Merrimack 3-0 and 9-3. In exhibition play, St. Cloud State defeated Bemidji State 2-1 in overtime; Emma Gentry scored with 1:38 remaining in the 3-on-3 extra period.
Upcoming games – Three series will feature Friday evening and Saturday afternoon contests; Minnesota Duluth will open its season on the road at Minnesota State, St. Thomas hosts its first Division I home series against Bemidji State, and St. Cloud State opens its regular season at home with a non-conference matchup against Lindenwood. Meanwhile, Wisconsin will be the second-straight WCHA team to play a non-conference series at Merrimack, with matinee games Friday & Saturday afternoon.
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Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.