The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, January 26
Goals for a Goal – Gophers light the lamp 6 more times!!
The Gopher Women's Hockey team increased its season scoring total to-date to 110 goals!! Sixteen (16) of those have come on the power play!!
We again ask for your assistance to support the squad's participation in a tournament in Las Vegas in the 2022-2023 regular season. Our Goals for a Goal campaign collects pledges for every goal scored throughout the regular season and postseason. The program includes an option to double your pledge for power-play tallies. We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund.
GWH online auction begins Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. CT
The Power Play Club is partnering with the Golden Gopher Fund at the U. of M. to host the Gopher Women's Hockey Online Auction, aligning with the program's 25th season celebration! The auction opens on Tuesday, February 1 at 10 a.m. CT and runs through Monday, February 7 at 7 p.m. CT.
The auction features 25 great items to bid on, including...
Team-signed gold jerseys - one from this season and one from last season;
A signed stick and signed helmet from this year's team;
Autographed items from past GWH teams, including the 2012-13, 2014-15, and 2015-16 NCAA Champions;
Signed and framed photos of several past Gopher greats, including 2022 Olympians Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Kelly Pannek & Lee Stecklein, plus former Olympians Krissy Wendell, Natalie Darwitz, and Gigi Marvin.
A link to the auction will be shared on our social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter) on the 1st.
#2/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-6-1, 14-5-1-1 WCHA)
at
#3/2 Ohio State Buckeyes (18-4-0, 14-4-0-0 WCHA)
Friday, January 28 at 6:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, January 29 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. CT
OSU Ice Rink, Columbus, OH
Coming out of one big rivalry series, the Gopher Women's Hockey team heads out on the road for another, traveling to Columbus, OH, for a top-four battle against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The action begins Friday, January 28, at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT and continues on Saturday, January 29, at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT at the OSU Ice Rink.
Last time against Ohio State – The opening of the 25th season of Minnesota Women's Hockey saw the Gophers on the wrong end of a series sweep, falling to the Buckeyes 4-2 and 4-1 at Ridder Arena. Peyton Hemp tallied her first goal in the Maroon & Gold to give the Gophers the lead 5:34 into the season opener. However, Clair DeGeorge knotted the score for OSU on a power play later in the first period, and Jenna Buglioni & DeGeorge lit the lamp in the second stanza for a 3-1 advantage. Taylor Heise pulled the Gophers within one late, scoring with an extra attacker with 2:03 to play, but Paetyn Levis tallied into an empty net for the Buckeyes 51 seconds later. Emily Brown assisted on both Gopher goals. In the rematch, Ohio State built a 3-0 lead after two periods, with Sophie Jaques converting twice on power plays and Jennifer Gardiner also scoring. Amy Potomak netted a between-the-legs breakaway goal in the third to cut the Minnesota defecit to 3-1, but Buglioni responded with an insurance goal for OSU. Jaques was named WCHA Defender of the Week, while OSU's Andrea Braendli earned the WCHA Goaltender of the Week honor after stopping 62 of 65 shots. Lauren Bench made 22 saves for Minnesota on Friday night, while Skylar Vetter stopped 27 shots in her collegiate debut on Saturday.
Analyzing the Buckeyes – With the WCHA switching to points percentage to set the conference standings, a split this past weekend (more on that momentarily) put Ohio State in sole possession of first place in the league. The Buckeyes are 18-4-0 overall and 14-4-0 in WCHA conference play, with their losses coming at the hands of Wisconsin (2) and Minnesota Duluth (2).
A defender – senior Sophie Jaques (#18) – leads Ohio State in all three scoring categories, recording 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points, claiming five WCHA Defender of the Week and two Defender of the Month awards in the process. On the forward lines, junior Jennifer Gardiner (#12; 12g, 22a) & sophomore Jenna Buglioni (#10; 12g, 20a) are second and third in total scoring with 34 and 32 points, respectively, while seniors Paetyn Levis (#27) & Gabby Rosenthal (#15) have each netted 13 goals.
Senior Andrea Braendli (#20) has seen the most action between the pipes for the Buckeyes, going 9-3-0 with a one shutout, .924 save percentage and 1.84 goals-against average; however, OSU is currently playing without her as she attends the Olympics on Team Switzerland. Sophomore Amanda Thiele (#30) has appeared in 10 games, posting a 6-1-0 record with 2 shutouts, a 1.06 GAA and .944 SV%. Junior Raygan Kirk (#1) is 3-0-0, recording a 1.50 GAA and .852 SV%, and fellow junior Quinn Kuntz (#35) stopped all 7 shots she faced in 30 minutes of action across two relief appearances.
Last action for Ohio State – While the Buckeyes were without their primary netminder due to the Olympics, the same held true for the visiting UMD Bulldogs. Instead, Amanda Thiele (OSU) and Jojo Chobak (UMD) started both games, with the first contest being a goaltender battle. Thiele and Chobak each made 27 saves as the game remained scoreless into its final minute, but Kylie Hanley lit the lamp with 32 seconds remaining for a 1-0 Minnesota Duluth victory. The Buckeyes took a 2-0 first-period lead in the rematch on goals by Jenna Buglioni & Sophie Jaques. OSU's Clair DeGeorge and UMD's McKenzie Hewett scored third-period goals 14 seconds apart, but Thiele made another 18 saves for a 3-1 Ohio State win and a series split. Chobak stopped 38 shots in the loss.
Gophers sweep top-ranked Wisconsin
Minnesota earned its first series sweep of Wisconsin since February 2016 and the Badgers suffered the first sweep against them in almost 4 years as the Gophers earned 2-1 and 4-3 victories at Ridder Arena.
Gopher goaltender Makayla Pahl had the standout performance of the opener, making 40 saves in the contest. Madeline Wethington scored the opening goal with 6:22 left in the second period. Daryl Watts tied the game for the Badgers with 11:32 to play, but Amy Potomak untied it with the game-winning goal with 2:34 to go, scoring on a 2-on-1 rush after a pass from Audrey Wethington. Audrey finished with two assists, also recording a helper on her sister's goal. Kennedy Blair made 20 saves between the pipes for Wisconsin.
The rematch saw a wild 5-goal first period. Brette Pettet gave UW an early lead, but Crystalyn Hengler evened the score 96 seconds later. Wisconsin went ahead again when Caitlin Schneider scored, but Ella Huber responded 14 seconds later and Catie Skaja put the Gophers ahead 70 seconds after that, 3-2. Taylor Heise pushed the lead to 4-2 in the second period. Pettet pulled the Badgers within one early in the third, but the Gopher defense held tight and Lauren Bench made 30 saves to earn the win. Blair stopped 21 shots for the Badgers. Skaja and Heise each had an assist to go with their respective goals, and Abigail Boreen dished out 3 helpers.
Heise, Huber earn conference weekly honors!!
Senior Taylor Heise and freshman Ella Huber were the latest Gopher Women's Hockey players honored by the WCHA as they were named Forward & Rookie of the Week, respectively, for their performances in the series against Wisconsin. Heise's award is her first weekly recognition of the year, though she was named November's Forward of the Month. Huber's honor is the first of her collegiate career.
Congratulations, Taylor and Ella!!
Gophers sign Swedish Olympian Bouveng for 2022-2023
Minnesota Women's Hockey and head coach Brad Frost announced Monday the signing of 2022 Sweden Olympic Team forward Josefin Bouveng as the fourth member of the incoming Gopher class of 2022-2023, joining Allie Franco, Madison Kaiser, and Nelli Laitinen. Bouveng becomes the first Swedish and fourth European player to join the program.
Bouveng is also 10th player with Gopher ties to be participating in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing after she recorded 2 goals and 3 assists over 3 games in an Olympic qualifying tournament in November. Prior to joining the senior national team, she participated in three U18 Women's World Championships, claiming a silver medal in 2018, and won a gold medal with Team Sweden at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.
Bouveng is in her fifth year in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). Currently in her second season with Brynäs IF, she has recorded 17 goals and 19 assists through 21 games.
Best wishes at the Olympics, Josefin, and welcome to the Gopher family!!
Around the WCHA...
Last weekend – Olivia Cvar lit the lamp twice for St. Cloud State to give the Huskies a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Bemidji State on Friday. In the rematch, the Beavers salvaged a split after Gabbie Smith netted her second goal of the weekend to take a 2-0 lead and they held on for their own 2-1 win.
Brittyn Fleming netted three goals and Charlotte Akervik & Kelsey Kind each added a goal and 3 assists as Minnesota State swept St. Thomas, 4-1 in Mendota Heights and 3-1 in their Hockey Day Minnesota outdoor game at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato. Emerald Kelley earned a win in her first career start for the Mavericks on Friday, making 11 saves. Emma Larson and Anna Erickson scored for the Tommies, and Alexa Dobchuk stopped a combined 74 shots.
Upcoming games – In the three other conference series, all with Friday and Saturday games, Minnesota State visits Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin visits St. Cloud State, and Bemidji State hosts St. Thomas. The schedule also features a pair of make-up games early next week, as Wisconsin visits St. Thomas on Monday night and St. Cloud State hosts Minnesota Duluth in a Tuesday afternoon matinee.
Standings:
1. Ohio State – .796 pts%, 14-4-0-0, 0-1 in OT, 43 points (18-4-0 overall)
2. Minnesota – .767 pts%, 14-5-1-1, 0-2 in OT, 46 points (19-6-1 overall)
3. Wisconsin – .741 pts%, 13-3-2-1, 2-0 in OT, 40 points (18-3-3 overall)
4. Minnesota Duluth – .611 pts%, 11-7-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 33 points (14-8-0 overall)
5. Minnesota State – .433 pts%, 8-11-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 26 points (12-11-1 overall)
6. Bemidji State – .267 pts%, 5-13-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 16 points (8-13-3 overall)
7. St. Cloud State – .229 pts%, 3-12-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 11 points (8-13-1 overall)
8. St. Thomas – .130 pts%, 2-15-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 7 points (4-17-1 overall).
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