The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, October 12th
#2/2 Minnesota Gophers (2-0-0, 2-0-0 in WCHA)
vs. Minnesota State Univ. Mavericks (0-4-0, 0-4-0 in WCHA)
Friday, October 14 at 3:00 p.m. CT
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center – Mankato
Saturday, October 15 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Ridder Arena
The Gopher Women's Hockey team gets its first road test of the 2022-2023 season on the front half of a home-and-home series against the Minnesota State University Mavericks. It's also a matinee start as the puck will drop at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 14, at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato. The action will return to Ridder Arena on Saturday, October 15, starting at 2:00 p.m.
SATURDAY TRAFFIC ALERT!! We encourage our fellow fans to please allow time for additional vehicular and pedestrian traffic on campus on Saturday afternoon as the Gopher Volleyball team is also in home action at Maturi Pavilion, with their match starting at 3 p.m.
Last season against Minnesota State – The Gophers faced the Mavericks in a pair of home-and-home series last season. The Maroon & Gold earned a sweep in the October games, winning 3-0 at Ridder and 6-2 in Mankato. They also took the first game of the January series, 7-2 at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, but MSU won the next day at Ridder Arena, 5-4 in overtime. Sixteen (16) different Gophers recorded a point over the four contests; Amy Potomak led the way with 7 points, scoring all five of her goals (including a hat trick) and one of her two assists in Mankato. Taylor Heise lit the lamp twice and added 4 assists against the Mavericks, while Ella Huber dished out 6 helpers and Madeline Wethington tallied two goals & three assists. Makayla Pahl saw a majority of the action between the pipes for the Gophers, going 2-1-0 with a shutout while stopping 45 of 49 shots for a .918 save percentage and 1.68 goals-against average; Skylar Vetter played a combined four periods over the two contests in Mankato, earning a win in her one start and posting a 1.50 GAA and .939 SV%, but Lauren Bench was roughed up in her brief appearance, yielding 3 goals on only 8 shots against in one period of work. For Minnesota State, Kelsey King tallied 6 points against the Gophers, lighting the lamp twice and dishing out 4 assists, while Kennedy Bobyck also tallied two goals and added two assists. Calla Frank saw all the action guarding the Mavericks' crease, recording a 4.92 GAA and .894 SV% over the four meetings.
About the Mavericks – Minnesota State finished the 2021-2022 regular season fifth in the WCHA with a 10-17-1 league record (1-1 in overtime, 1-0 in the shootout), though they swept Merrimack and Lindenwood in non-conference play. After finishing 26 points behind Minnesota Duluth in the conference standings and losing to be Bulldogs 5-4 in the first game of their league quarterfinal series, they earned a 3-1 upset victory in game 2 to forced a deciding third game. However, MSU's season came to an end with a 3-2 overtime loss in that contest.
The Mavericks' 2022-2023 campaign has started with a very tough schedule. They are 0-4 after being swept at home by Ohio State and on the road at Minnesota Duluth. The only bright spot is that they picked up a point in the WCHA standings by taking the first game against the Bulldogs to overtime.
MSU looks to improve despite losing their top scorer from last year, Brittyn Fleming, to graduation and the Minnesota Whitecaps. A trio of seniors return as the second, third, and fourth scorers from last year's squad; Kelsey King (#20) recorded 41 points on 18 goals and 23 assists, Kennedy Bobyck (#12) tallied 28 points on 9 goals and 19 assists, and Charlotte Akervik (#8) added 25 points on 8 goals and 17 assists from the blue line. Bobyck leads the Mavericks with 3 points (1G, 2A) in their first four games of 2022-2023.
The Mavs roster features three goaltenders who saw action for them in 2021-2022 plus a transfer. Senior Calla Frank (#77) was 10-15-1 in her 26 starts last year, posting an .892 save percentage and 3.45 goals-against average. Junior Lauren Barbro (#37) stopped 27 of 30 shots to win in her only appearance last season; over her first two years, she has a 2-2-0 record with a 3.45 GAA and .874 SV%. Another junior, Emerald Kelley (#55), saw her only career action last season, winning her lone start and making a one-period relief appearance, posting a 2.25 GAA and .870 SV%. Senior Alexa Berg (#1) returned to Minnesota, joining the Mavericks as a graduate transfer after 4 seasons at Division III Norwich University where she posted a career 27-12-2 record with a 1.49 GAA and .932 SV%. Barbro & Berg have split the opening four games for Minnesota State, with Barbro stopping 70 of 74 shots (2.02 GAA, .946 SV%) and Berg making 79 saves on 86 shots (3.53 GAA, .919 SV%).
Minnesota State falls twice in Duluth – The Mavericks' third game of the regular season wound up much like their first two, taking a loss after holding a lead. Kennedy Bobyck gave MSU a 1-0 lead at Minnesota Duluth with a first-period shorthanded goal, but UMD's Kylie Hanley knotted the score just over 8 minutes later and – after a scoreless second and third periods – Ashton Bell lit the lamp for the Bulldogs 14 seconds into overtime for the 2-1 result. MSU never led in the rematch, as Taylor Anderson & Gabby Krause put UMD up 2-0 in the first period and Emma Söderberg made 10 saves to shut out the Mavericks by that score.
Gophers sweep opening weekend vs. Bemidji State – Abigail Boreen, Peyton Hemp & Abbey Murphy each lit the lamp twice on Friday, Lizi Norton, Grace Zumwinkle, Catie Skaja, and Emily Oden found the back of the net on Saturday, and Minnesota outshot Bemidji State 83-33 en route to 6-0 and 4-1 victories. Taylor Heise led all scorers with 4 assists, two in each contest, while Boreen & Murphy each added an assist to their goals and Madeline Wethington dished out 3 helpers. Makayla Pahl stopped all 17 shots she faced for a shutout in the opener, while Skylar Vetter made 15 saves on 16 shots in the rematch. BSU's Kate Boland scored their only goal in the second period of Saturday's contest, and Hannah Hogenson made a combined 73 saves over the weekend.
Zumwinkle reaches milestone 150th career point – With an assist on Friday and the game-winning goal on Saturday, Gopher fifth-year Grace Zumwinkle reached 150 points for her collegiate career, recording 85 goals and 65 assists!! Zumwinkle is already 10th on Minnesota's all-time goal-scoring list and has now closed within two of Gigi Marvin for 9th place (87 goals). Congratulations, Grace!!
Bouveng, Laitinen, Norton get first points as Gophers – We give shout-outs to freshmen Josefin Bouveng & Nelli Laitinen as they each recorded two assists in the series against Bemidji State, their first collegiate points, and to fifth-year Lizi Norton for lighting the lamp on Saturday with her first goal as a Gopher!! Congratulations, ladies!!
Around the WCHA...
Buckeyes sweep Huskies in Columbus – Paetyn Levis posted a six-point series with 2 goals and 4 assists, and Sloane Matthews & Sophie Jaques each lit the lamp 3 times to lead Ohio State to a weekend sweep of St. Cloud State, 5-2 and 6-2. Jenniina Nylund scored twice for SCSU.
Wisconsin cruises to sweep of St. Thomas – Eleven (11) different Badgers lit the lamp en route to sweeping the Tommies in Madison, 5-0 and 9-1. Sarah Wozniewicz and Nicole LaMantia each tallied two goals & two assists, and Carolyn Harvey added a goal & 3 assists. Gabby Billing, a graduate transfer from Dartmouth, tallied her first goal as a Tommie, but Wisconsin outshot UST 97-29 in the series.
Upcoming games – St. Thomas will host a rare Friday afternoon-Saturday evening series against Franklin Pierce in non-conference action, Wisconsin will visit St. Cloud State on Friday evening & Saturday afternoon, and Bemidji State will host a Saturday-Sunday series against Ohio State. Minnesota Duluth is idle.
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