The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, January 11th
Brunch with the Coaches reminder – Saturday at 9:45 a.m.
For those of you who registered for our Brunch with the Coaches event this Saturday, January 14, here's a reminder that it begins at 9:45 a.m. in the Club Room at 3M Arena at Mariucci. Enter the arena at the Sundet Lobby on the southwest corner of the building and take the elevator or stairs to the 3rd floor. We look forward to seeing you there and hearing from University of St. Thomas head coach Joel Johnson and Gophers head coach Brad Frost!!
Goals for a Goal – Gophers blast past 100-goal mark
Following another big weekend, Gopher Women's Hockey has netted 107 goals over 21 games, including converting 21 power plays. Pledge to convert each goal scored during the regular season & postseason into donations to the team for Ridder Arena improvements through our Goals for a Goal program, with the option to double your pledge for power play goals.
To make a pledge, fill out this online form (preferred) or download the PDF version, print it, and mail it in to the listed address. After the postseason, you will receive an email with your pledge total and giving instructions. All contributions are tax-deductible donations to the Golden Gopher Fund.
#3/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (16-3-2, 13-1-2-1 WCHA)
vs. University of St. Thomas Tommies (7-14-1, 2-13-1-1 WCHA)
Friday, January 13 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 14 at 2:00 p.m.
Both games at Ridder Arena
After concluding their regular-season non-conference slate of games, the Gopher Women's Hockey team returns to WCHA league action against their new cross-town rivals, the University of St. Thomas Tommies. Action at Ridder Arena starts Friday, January 13, at 6:00 p.m. and continues Saturday, January 14, at 2:00 p.m.
Minnesota last year against St. Thomas – The Gophers rolled to a four-game regular-season sweep of the Tommies, winning 8-0 & 8-2 in January and back-to-back 7-1 scores in February. That was immediately followed by a WCHA quarterfinal rematch which Minnesota won by scores of 4-0 & 5-1. The goal counts weren't the only lopsided stats as the Gophers held a 328-81 shot advantage. Abigail Boreen & Taylor Heise led the Gophers with 15 points apiece, with Boreen tallying 7 goals & 8 assists while Heise added 6 goals & 9 assists. Savannah Norcross recorded 9 points on 4 goals & 5 assists, while Catie Skaja and Amy Potomak each posted 8 points on 4 goals & 4 assists. Lauren Bench stopped 49 of 53 shots across 4 games (1.00 GAA, .925 SV%), while Skylar Vetter made 27 saves on 28 shots in the other 2 contests (0.50 GAA, .964 SV%). Luci Bianchi netted two goals for the Tommies, while Lauren Stenslie added a goal & an assist and Abby Promersberger dished out two helpers. Between the pipes for UST, Alexa Dobchuk started 5 of the games, making 221 saves with a 7.08 goals-against average and .870 save percentage, Saskia Maurer made 52 saves on 57 shots (.912 SV%) in the final contest, and Erin Cooley made 3 relief appearance with 16 saves on 17 shots over nearly 27 minutes of action (2.31 GAA, .941 SV%).
Analyzing the Tommies – Following a 3-14-0 start to their season, 0-13-0 in WCHA play, St. Thomas enters this weekend on a 4-game winning and 5-game undefeated streak. Included in that streak was their first-ever WCHA league series sweep, topping Bemidji State in December, which moved the Tommies into 7th place in the conference standings.
After four seasons at Dartmouth, graduate transfer Gabby Billing (#18) returned home to the state of Minnesota; the Rogers native is tied for the UST scoring lead with 9 points, coming on 5 goals & 4 assists. Sophomore defender Maddy Clough (#2) also has 9 points on 4 goals & 5 assists. Grad student Anna Solheim (#19) is the Tommies' assist leader with 7 while also netting one goal of her own for 8 points, while senior Maija Almich (#5) has a team-high 7 goals.
Sophomore goaltender Saskia Maurer (#29) is 4-7-1 with 2 shutouts in her 12 starts, posting a .917 save percentage and 2.63 goals-against average. Senior Alex Dobchuk (#30) has a 2-7-0 record 9 starts, recording an .886 SV% and 4.13 GAA. Freshman Maggie Malecha (#33) earned a 28-save victory over Bemidji State in her first collegiate start; including 3 relief appearances, she has a .924 SV% and 2.50 GAA.
Last weekend for St. Thomas – Lauren Stenslie, Gabby Billing, and Allie Monrean each lit the lamp twice to fuel the Tommies to a weekend sweep of RIT, 5-1 & 3-0 in Mendota Heights. Alexa Dobchuk stopped 18 of 19 shots in the opener and Saskia Maurer posted the 24-save shutout in the rematch. Emma Roland netted the lone goal for the Tigers. Four of the eight UST goals were unassisted.
Gophers rout Merrimack, New Hampshire – Minnesota had little difficulty in its return to action following the holiday break, winning both games in the East/West Showcase, 9-2 over Merrimack and 8-1 over New Hampshire. Eighteen different Gophers earned a point and ten of them lit the lamp over the two contests; even goaltender Makayla Pahl got in on the action with an assist. Grace Zumwinkle led the way; following a goal against the Warriors on Friday, she posted a career-high 6 points on Saturday with 2 goals & 4 assists. Taylor Heise netted four goals, tallying a hat trick on Friday, her second in as many games. Abbey Murphy posted 5 points with 2 goals and 2 assists Saturday after an assist on Friday. Abigail Boreen (1g-3a), Catie Skaja (2g-2a), and Ella Huber (1g-3a) each recorded four points, while Nelli Laitinen (1g-2a), Madeline Wethington (1g-2a), Emily Oden (3a), and Emily Zumwinkle (3a) each added three points. Wethington's goal was her first of the season. Madison Kaiser and Peyton Hemp also lit the lamp. Between the pipes, Skylar Vetter made 14 saves for the victory over the Warriors, but saw her shutout streak ended after 261 minutes, 30 seconds, the 3rd longest run in Minnesota program history; meanwhile, Pahl stopped 15 of 16 shots for the win over the Wildcats, her first start since mid-October.
Milestones Achieved, Milestones Approached...
Grace Zumwinkle nets 100th career goal, earns league honor!!
Netting her 3rd goal of the weekend with 1:02 remaining in game against New Hampshire, Gopher Women's Hockey fifth-year forward Grace Zumwinkle became the 6th player in program history to reach the 100 career goal mark!! She joins Nadine Muzerall (139), Hannah Brandt (115), Amanda Kessel (108), Krissy Wendell (106), and Natalie Darwitz (102). Zumwinkle also set a new program record for career shots on goal, now with 735 and counting, surpassing Muzerall's 726.
On top of her 3 goals, Zumwinkle dished out 4 assists. Her 7-point performance in the East/West Showcase earned her honors as WCHA Forward of the Week, the ninth weekly award of her collegiate career!! She also posted a +5 plus-minus rating over the two games.
Congratulations, Grace!!
Heise, Skaja approach major career points marks
Two more Gopher Women's Hockey fifth-year forwards are nearing key milestones for career points...
Taylor Heise currently sits at 198 points on 84 goals and 114 assists. She is 9th on Minnesota's career overall scoring list, trailing Dani Cameranesi and Ambria Thomas for seventh (201). Heise's assist total has her in a three-way tie for sixth in that scoring category, matching Sarah Potomak and Kelly Pannek.
Catie Skaja currently sits at 99 points (40g-59a) after her 2-goal, 2-assist performance this past weekend.
Catching up from last week...
Heise, Vetter recognized as National Players of the Month
Gopher Women's Hockey fifth-year forward Taylor Heise and sophomore netminder Skylar Vetter were named National Women's Player & Goaltender of the Month, respectively, for December by the Hockey Commissioners Association last Wednesday.
Heise posted 15 points on 5 goals and 10 assists over just four games, including 2 goals & 4 assists against Minnesota State and a 3-goal, 6-assist series against St. Cloud State.
Vetter yielded just one goal with 67 saves in those four contests, earning 3 shutouts and giving her a 0.25 goals-against average and .985 save percentage during the month.
Darwitz promoted to Minnesota's Associate Head Coach
The University of Minnesota and Gopher Women's Hockey head coach Brad Frost announced last Wednesday the promotion of Natalie Darwitz to Associate Head Coach of the team.
Darwitz is in her fourth year on the Gopher bench, having originally joined the coaching staff for the 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 seasons before returning in 2021. Prior to her joining the Gophers most-recently, she was head coach of the Division III Hamline University Pipers in St. Paul, leading them to the D-III Frozen Four in 2018 and a national runner-up finish in 2019.
Long-time GWH followers remember Darwitz as wearing the Maroon & Gold on the ice from 2002 to 2005, earning back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005 and being named 2005 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player. In the 2004-05 season, Darwitz set an NCAA single-season record with 114 points and was named Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year. The three-time All-American currently ranks third in program history in points (246), first in points per game (2.48), fifth in goals (102), second in assists (144), and first in assists per game (1.45).
Congratulations and wishes of continued success, Coach Darwitz!!
Klepinger, Lindsay, Team USA win first two at U18 Worlds
Incoming 2023-2024 Gopher freshmen Elly Klepinger & Ava Lindsay and the rest of the U.S. Women's U18 National Team have earned a quarterfinal bye at the 2023 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship being held in Östersund, Sweden, following a 6-3 victory over the Swedes and an 8-1 win over Finland.
Lindsay has a goal & an assist in the two tournament games, while Klepinger also has an assist.
Canada has also earned a quarterfinal bye after defeating Finland (8-0) and Sweden (4-2). The Americans and Canadians will face each other in the final preliminary round game today (Wednesday, January 11) at 8 p.m. local time / 1 p.m. U.S. Central Time, with the contest televised live on NHL Network. The winner earns the top seed for the elimination round. More information is available on the tournament website here, with additional updates from USA Hockey at teamusa.usahockey.com/2023u18wwc.
Around the WCHA...
Bulldogs stun Badgers with sweep in Madison – Casey O'Brien put Wisconsin up 1-0 in the opener of their series against Minnesota Duluth, but UMD goaltender Emma Soderberg became a brick wall after that, stopping the other 44 shots she faced in that game. Anneke Linser, Katie Davis, and Gabbie Hughes lit the lamp for the 3-1 come-from-behind win. Soderberg was perfect with another 28 saves in the rematch, and Linser's third-period goal was enough for a 1-0 victory and the first series sweep by the Bulldogs over the Badgers since the 2012-2013 season and first in Madison since 2007-2008.
Huskies win two in East/West Showcase – In the other half of the East/West Showcase, Klára Hymlárová tallied 3 power play goals, Allie Cornelius scored twice, and Courtney Hall dished out 3 assists as St. Cloud State defeated New Hampshire 3-0 and Merrimack 3-1. Jojo Chobak stopped all 24 shots she faced against UNH.
Minnesota State rolls past Lindenwood – Taylor Otremba posted a 5-point performance with 2 goals & 3 assists, Madison Mashuga added a goal & 3 assists, and Lauren Barbro stopped 37 shots as the Mavericks shut out the Lions on the road, 8-0, in the opener. Brooke Bryant tallied two goals & an assist as MSU completed the weekend sweep with a 5-2 victory.
This weekend – WCHA teams are in action with in-league games for the remaining 6 weeks of the regular season. All series this weekend are being played Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, featuring Wisconsin facing Ohio State in Columbus. Meanwhile, Minnesota Duluth hosts Bemidji State and St. Cloud State visits Minnesota State.
Standings:
1t. Minnesota – 41 points (.854 pts%), 13-1-2-1, 1-0 in OT (16-3-2 overall)
Ohio State – 41 points (.854 pts%), 13-2-1-1, 1-1 in OT (18-2-2 overall)
3. Wisconsin – 37 points (.771 pts%), 12-3-1-0, 1-1 in OT (16-5-1 overall)
4. Minn. Duluth – 27 points (.562 pts%), 9-6-1-0, 3-2 in OT (15-6-1 overall)
5. St. Cloud State – 19 points (.396 pts%), 6-10-0-0, 0-1 in OT (13-10-0 overall)
6. Minnesota State – 16 points (.333 pts%), 5-11-0-0, 0-1 in OT (11-11-0 overall)
7. St. Thomas – 8 points (.167 pts%), 2-13-1-1, 0-0 in OT (7-14-1 overall)
8. Bemidji State – 3 points (.062 pts%), 1-15-0-0, 0-0 in OT (4-17-1 overall)
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