The Penalty Box Post
Thursday, February 3rd
Reminder: Vaccine attendance mandate in effect
We provide a reminder to all Gopher Women's Hockey fans planning on attending either one of this weekend's games that the University of Minnesota's temporary vaccination policy is now in effect. Per the policy announcement...
Current U. of M. students, faculty and staff need to show a valid UCard as proof of compliance with the University's already established vaccine policy to gain entry to events.
For all others, individuals ages five and older must show proof of vaccination or a negative, third-party COVID-19 test taken in the previous 72 hours, plus a photo ID with a matching name for anyone 18+, to enter the events. At-home, self-read tests do not meet the requirement as proof of a negative COVID-19 test result.
Please refer to the policy documentation for a list of frequently-asked questions and additional details.
Goals for a Goal – Gophers add another 6 to season total!!
Our Goals for a Goal campaign collects pledges for every goal scored by the Gophers throughout the regular season and postseason, with an option to double your pledge for power-play tallies, to support the squad's participation in a regular-season tournament in Las Vegas in 2022-2023. Through last weekend, the team increased its season total to-date to 116 goals, with sixteen (16) of those coming on the power play!!
We encourage you to make your pledge online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund.
Looking ahead – Time change for Feb. 11 game at St. Cloud
Please note that the Gophers' away game at St. Cloud State on Friday, February 11, has had its start time moved up. It will now be a matinee contest with a 3 p.m. puck drop. We still look forward to seeing many of our fellow fans there!
#1 Minnesota Golden Gophers (20-7-1, 15-6-1-1 WCHA)
vs. Bemidji State Univ. Beavers (10-13-3, 7-13-2-0 WCHA)
Friday, February 4 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, Feburary 5 at 4:00 p.m.
Ridder Arena
Following a hard-fought split on the road, the Minnesota Women's Hockey team returns to Ridder Arena for a pair of games against the Bemidji State University Beavers. Action begins tomorrow night – Friday, February 4 – at 6 p.m., and continues on Saturday, February 5 at 4 p.m.
Last time against Bemidji State – The Gophers earned the 699th and 700th victories in program history with a sweep of the Beavers, 5-2 and 3-2, at the Sanford Center at the end of October.
Amy Potomak lit the lamp twice for Minnesota in the opener, Audrey Wethington tallied the eventual game-winning goal, and Abigail Boreen and Ella Huber also scored. Paige Beebe and Lydia Passolt scored for Bemidji State. Skylar Vetter earned her first collegiate victory with 21 saves, while BSU's Hannah Hogenson stopped 52 shots. Boreen and Huber each netted their second goal of the series in the rematch and Peyton Hemp tallied the gamewinner in the second period. Clair Vekich & Greyson Myers lit the lamp for the Beavers, but Lauren Bench, playing in her final Sandford Center game, stopped 25 shots for the Gopher win. Hogenson made another 33 saves. Taylor Heise led all players with 4 points, dishing out a pair of assists in each game; Hemp recorded two assists on Friday before her goal on Saturday, and Emily Oden had 3 assists in the series. Myers also posted a 3-point series for the Beavers, with two assists Friday before lighting the lamp Saturday.
Analyzing the Beavers – Bemidji State currently sits sixth in the WCHA standings with a 7-13-2-0 conference record; they are 3-0-1 in non-conference action for a 10-13-3 overall record. The Beavers earned a tie and a win against Clarkson in October and Hannah Hogenson made 56 saves in a 0-0 tie at Wisconsin in November; on the flip side, they lost to St. Thomas in their second game of the season.
Junior Reece Hunt (#29) is the Beavers' overall scoring leader with 17 points and also the assists leader with 11. Fifth-year player Paige Beebe (#18) has lit the lamp a team-high 8 times while dishing out 7 assists for 15 points, while senior Graysen Myers (#23) is third in scoring with 14 points on 5 goals and 9 assists. Freshman Claire Vekich (#15; 7g, 5a) and sophomore Taylor Nelson (#8; 4g, 8a) round out BSU's top five with 12 points apiece.
Sophomore goaltender Hannah Hogenson (#1) has seen the most action for Bemidji State, appearing in 19 games; she has an 8-8-3 record in those games with one shutout, a 2.93 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. Fifth-year netminder Kerigan Dowhy (#33) has a 1.61 GAA, a .943 SV%, and 2 shutouts in her 6 starts, but only a 2-4-0 record in those contests. Senior Lexi Baker (#30) has one start and one relief appearance, going 0-1-0 and yielding 8 goals on 37 shots in 43 minutes of action. Freshman Abbie Thompson (#35) has entered two games in relief, yielding 5 goals on 31 shots in 45 minutes of work.
Last action for Bemidji State – Hosting St. Thomas at the Sanford Center, the Beavers trailed 2-0 after a pair of first-period power-play goals by the Tommies. However, BSU outscored UST 8-1 over the remainder of the series, winning 4-3 and 4-0 for the weekend sweep. Claire Vekich earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors for her two-goal, one-assist performance, while Reece Hunt added a goal & two assists and Claudia Verkerke & Taylor Nelson each recorded a goal and an assist. Brieja Parent lit the lamp twice for the Tommies. Hannah Hogenson won the opener for the Beavers with 18 saves & Kerigan Dowhy followed it up with a 20-save shutout in the rematch; UST's Alexa Dobchuk made a combined 61 saves in the series.
Gophers earn 4 points in Columbus – In its second-straight weekend against a top-four rival, Minnesota split with Ohio State on the road, falling to the Buckeyes 2-1 in overtime before winning 5-3 in the rematch. However, with the first game being tied after regulation, the Gophers earned 4 WCHA standings points in the series.
Following a scoreless first period to start the weekend, Taylor Heise skated in on a 2-on-1 rush in the second period and took the shot herself, putting Minnesota up 1-0. However, Madison Bizal capitalized on a 4-on-3 power play to knot the score for the Buckeyes in the third frame, forcing overtime. The Gophers couldn't find their own 4-on-3 PP goal at the start of the extra session, and OSU's Liz Schepers lit the lamp with 1:31 to go. Lauren Bench made 30 saves for the Gophers, while Amanda Thiele stopped 36 shots for OSU.
Paetyn Levis put the Buckeyes ahead early in the rematch, but Minnesota struck for 4 goals in a 6-minute, 12-second span of the second period; Maggie Nicholson netted the first goal of her collegiate career, and Heise scored on both sides of a Madeline Wethington goal. Ohio State cut the Gopher lead to 4-3 with 9:11 to play on goals by Sophie Jaques and Schepers, but Audrey Wethington hit an empty-netter with 1:31 to go to seal the victory for the Maroon & Gold. Makayla Pahl earned her eighth win of the season with 32 saves, while Thiele stopped 23 shots.
Abigail Boreen dished out 3 assists for the Gophers. In addition to her own goal, Jaques assisted on the other four scored by the Buckeyes for a 5-point series.
Around the WCHA...
Last weekend – St. Cloud State's Emma Polusny stopped 54 of 55 shots and Olivia Cvar scored 26 seconds into their game against Wisconsin, but Makenna Webster lit the lamp on a third-period Badger power play and the two teams finished in a 1-1 tie. Nicole LaMantia netted the only goal of the subsequent shootout to give UW the third standings point. Webster netted her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th goals of the series for a hat trick in the rematch, and Kennedy Blair posted an 18-save shutout in a 4-0 Wisconsin victory. Daryl Watts assisted on all four Webster goals.
Gabbie Hughes posted a 6-point series on a goal and 5 assists, Elizabeth Giguere lit the lamp a combined 3 times, and Clara Van Wieran tallied both game-winning goals as Minnesota Duluth swept Minnesota State, 4-2 and 5-3. Brittyn Fleming, Taylor Wemple, and Charlotte Akervik each scored a goal and an assist while Kelsey King dished out 3 helpers for the Mavericks.
The schedule also featured a pair of make-up games. Daryl Watts scored the game-winning goal and tacked on an empty-netter as Wisconsin defeated St. Thomas, 3-1, on Monday night despite a 47-save performance from UST netminder Alexa Dobchuk and a breakaway tally by Luci Bianchi. Five different Bulldogs lit the lamp Tuesday afternoon, with Elizabeth Giguere recording a goal and two assists, as they defeated St. Cloud State, 5-1; Dayle Ross netted her first collegiate goal for the Huskies.
Upcoming games – Two other weekend series feature Friday and Saturday action, as Ohio State visits Minnesota State and Wisconsin hosts Minnesota Duluth. St. Cloud State and St. Thomas square off in a home-and-home series, starting Saturday in St. Cloud before moving to Mendota Heights on Sunday. The Huskies then host the Buckeyes in an afternoon matinee make-up game on Tuesday (February 8).
Standings:
1. Wisconsin – .762 pts%, 15-3-3-2, 2-0 in OT, 48 points (20-3-4 overall)
2. Minnesota – .758 pts%, 15-6-1-1, 0-3 in OT, 50 points (20-7-1 overall)
3. Ohio State – .750 pts%, 15-5-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 45 points (19-5-0 overall)
4. Minnesota Duluth – .667 pts%, 14-7-0-0, 1-1 in OT, 42 points (17-8-0 overall)
5. Minnesota State – .394 pts%, 8-13-1-1, 1-1 in OT, 26 points (12-13-1 overall)
6. Bemidji State – .333 pts%, 7-13-2-0, 1-0 in OT, 22 points (10-13-3 overall)
7. St. Cloud State – .211 pts%, 3-14-2-1, 1-1 in OT, 12 points (8-15-2 overall)
8. St. Thomas – .111 pts%, 2-18-1-0, 0-0 in OT, 7 points (4-20-1 overall)
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