The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, December 21st
Happy Holidays!!
Locker Sponsor event – Saturday, January 7
ATTENTION ALL LOCKER SPONSORS!! Please reserve the date of January 7th in your calendar for photos and a meal with your sponsoree. The event will take place prior to the East-West Classic at Ridder Arena. The approximately start time will be 11:30 a.m. for photos, with lunch to follow.
STAY TUNED to your email for more information. If you know that you will be unavailable that day, please contact Rennie McPherson at lockersponsorship@powerplayclub.org.
We are looking forward to seeing you on January 7th!
Brunch with the Coaches – Saturday, January 14 at 9:45 a.m.
We also look forward to seeing many of you at our Brunch with the Coaches event on Saturday, January 14, with former Gopher associate head coach & current University of St. Thomas head coach Joel Johnson and our own Brad Frost. The brunch will start at 9:45 a.m. in the 3M Arena at Mariucci Club Room. Tickets are $30 per person, and registrations must be received by Friday, January 6. Download the registration form here (PDF file) and return it with a check made out to the "Power Play Club" to the PPC table on the Ridder Arena concourse, or send it by mail to the address listed.
Recap: Canada sweeps December Rivalry Series games
Team USA sees overall series lead shrink to 3 games to 2 with two to play
Canada's Women's National Hockey Team closed the deficit to their American counterparts to 3 games to 2 in the 2022-2023 Rivalry Series, winning 3-2 last Thursday night in Henderson, NV, and 3-2 in overtime on Monday in Los Angeles.
Amanda Kessel gave Team USA a 1-0 first intermission lead on Thursday, but Canada took a 2-1 advantage with second-period goals by Jamie Lee Rattray and Blayre Turnbull. Hilary Knight evened the score for the Americans 6:21 into the third period, but Sarah Nurse netted the game-winning goal from a sharp angle with 4:56 to play.
Monday's contest followed a similar script. Team USA took the initial lead as Kessel assisted on Cayla Barnes' first period goal, Laura Stacey & Sarah Fillier (power play) lit the lamp in the second stanza to put the Canadians ahead, and Taylor Heise responded in the third to tie things up for the U.S. This time the contest went to overtime, and Danielle Serdachny netted her first goal in international play 2:16 into the extra period to give Canada the win.
Canada will host the final two games in the series, expected to occur in February. Locations and exact dates are TBD.
Gophers in the Rivalry Series – Amanda Kessel leads the Gopher contingent at the Rivalry Series; prior to her goal and assist in the December games, she also posted an assist in the third November game to give her a total of 3 points. Kelly Pannek dished out a pair of assists during the November games, Hannah Brandt lit the lamp in the series opener, Taylor Heise scored on Monday, and Lee Stecklein recorded an assist on November 20. Abbey Murphy & Grace Zumwinkle did not score in their appearances in the December games.
Brampton, ON, to host 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship;
Tournament will run April 5 through 16
Hockey Canada and the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) announced last Thursday that Brampton, Ontario, will host the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship, scheduled for Wednesday, April 5, through Sunday, April 16, 2023. As noted in the press release, the tournament was last played in the Greater Toronto Area in 2000.
The individual game schedule and ticket information will be announced in January. In the interim, fans are encouraged to register on the priority ticket list here.
Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae update...
Lee Stecklein leads the Gopher alumnae playing in the 2022-2023 Secret® Dream Gap Tour in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA); she also leads all defenders in the association with 8 points for Team Harvey's, coming on a goal and 7 assists. Sarah Potomak has 2 goals and 2 assists with Team adidas, Hannah Brandt has 2 goals and an assist while Emily Brown has an assist for Team Sonnet, and Kelly Pannek has an assist for Team Scotiabank. Team Harvey's currently leads the Secret® Dream Gap Tour standings with 21 points on a 5-3-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record.
Looking at the Premier Hockey Federation, specifically the Minnesota Whitecaps, Patti Marshall has been solid on defense, recording 9 points in 10 games, with 2 goals and 7 assists. Olivia Knowles has two points in her rookie season, tallying a goal & an assist, while Sydney Baldwin has an assist. Amanda Leveille continues to be a stalwart between the pipes, seeing all the action for the Whitecaps this season and posting a 4-4-2 (W-L-OTL) record with a 2.72 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. The 'Caps are currently third in the seven-team PHF with that same 4-4-2 record (14 points), though other teams currently below them in standings have games in hand.
Across the pond, Noora Räty has seen action for HPK in the Naisten Liiga (Women's League) in her native Finland. Appearing in 7 of the team's 28 games this season, Räty has a 3-3 record (W-L in games decided in regulation) plus a shootout victory, a 1.74 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. HPK currently sits fourth in the league with 49 points on a 14-3-1-10 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record.
Around the WCHA...
Tommies sweep Beavers amid several "firsts" – Makenna Deering's first-period goal Friday put Bemidji State up 1-0 on the road at St. Thomas, but that was the only lead they would have in the series; the Tommies scored three unanswered goals to win 3-1 and followed it with a 5-2 victory Saturday for their first-ever sweep of a WCHA league series. The Tommies had several other "firsts" on the weekend; Isabel Lippai netted her first goal at the Division I level, Kate Haug tallied her first collegiate goal after two earlier assists Saturday for the first 3-point game by a UST player in a WCHA series, and Maggie Malecha stopped 28 of 30 shots in her first collegiate start for the win on Saturday.
Ohio State sweeps Cornell in top-ten series – Gabby Rosenthal and Makenna Webster each recorded 2 goals & 2 assists and Jennifer Gardiner added a goal and two assists as the top-ranked Buckeyes defeated the #10 Big Red on the road, 4-3 & 4-0. OSU outshot Cornell 82-33 in the series, including 48-12 in the second game.
Minnesota State earns sweep of Long Island – Kelsey King exploded for 4 goals and an assist Friday, then added her fifth goal & sixth point of the weekend Saturday as the Mavericks swept the Sharks, 8-1 & 5-1. Alexis Paddington added three goals and an assist for MSU, while Jamie Nelson dished out 5 helpers.
Looking ahead – After a brief break this coming weekend, more non-conference action on the road concludes 2022 and opens 2023. Ohio State will head west to face Lindenwood on December 30 & 31, while Wisconsin travels east for a top-five matchup on December 31 & January 1 at Quinnipiac.
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