The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, January 18th
Goals for a Goal – Gophers continue to light the lamp
Tallying nine goals this past weekend with two of those coming on the power play, the Gopher Women's Hockey has lit the lamp 116 times so far this season, which includes 23 power play conversions!!
We thank those of you who have submitted a pledge for our Goals for a Goal program to convert each goal scored during the regular season & postseason into donations to the team for Ridder Arena improvements. Every amount is appreciated. 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.
We also continue requesting additional pledges, with the option to double the per-goal amount 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. Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!
Book launch: “Break Point” reviews history behind Title IX
As we celebrate 50 years of Gopher women's athletics at the varsity level, the University of Minnesota Press and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport are pleased to sponsor the book launch of Break Point: Two Minnesota Athletes and the Road to Title IX by Sheri Brenden. The launch event will be held on Tuesday, January 24 at 6:00 p.m. in the Little Theater at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka.
As noted in the event announcement, Brenden dug into the historical record to uncover the details of a 1972 gender equity lawsuit. She pieced together the athletic experience of two girls trying to compete on their high school teams—one was her sister, Peggy Brenden, a St. Cloud tennis player, and the other Toni St. Pierre, a Hopkins cross-country athlete. Their lawsuit would break ground for Title IX.
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required at z.umn.edu/12423. Cream & Amber Bookstore will have copies of the book available for purchase.
#3/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (18-3-2, 15-1-2-1 WCHA)
vs.
Bemidji State University Beavers (4-19-1, 1-17-0-0 WCHA)
Friday, January 20 at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, January 21 at 2:00 p.m.
Sanford Center – Bemidji
Looking to extend its current 8-game winning streak, the Gopher Women's Hockey team heads out on its first road trip of 2023, traveling north to face the Bemidji State University Beavers at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. Action starts early with an afternoon matinee on Friday, January 20, at 3:00 p.m. and continues Saturday, January 21, at 2:00 p.m.
Television coverage Saturday – As with several past in-league road series, Saturday's game will be televised on FOX 9+ in the Twin Cities. To find your FOX 9+ channel number, click here.
Last time against Bemidji State – The Gophers opened the 2022-2023 regular season at home against the Beavers in early October. Abigail Boreen, Peyton Hemp & Abbey Murphy each lit the lamp twice in the opener, Lizi Norton, Grace Zumwinkle, Catie Skaja, and Emily Oden found the back of the net in game two, and Minnesota outshot Bemidji State 83-33 en route to 6-0 and 4-1 victories. Taylor Heise led all scorers with 4 points, dishing out two assists in each contest, while Boreen & Murphy each added an assist to their goals and Madeline Wethington recorded 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. Kate Boland scored the Beavers' only goal, and Hannah Hogenson made a combined 73 saves in the series.
Analyzing the Beavers – Bemidji State got the season underway with a 2-1-1 start in non-conference play, but they've gone 1-17-0-0 in WCHA action, getting only a 2-1 home win over Minnesota State in late October and leaving them in eighth place in the league standings. Across all games, they've been outscored 98-28.
Freshman Raeley Carney (#10) and sophomore Claire Vekich (#15) each have a team-high 3 goals; Carney is one of five Beavers with 5 points apiece. Sophomore defender Adriana Van De Leest (#24) has a team-leading 7 points, all coming on assists, while classmate Shelby Breiland (#7) is second in total scoring with 6 points on 2 goals & 4 assists.
Junior Hannah Hogenson (#1) has been BSU's primary goaltender, starting 21 of their 24 games; she is 3-17-1 with an .874 save percentage and 4.19 goals-against average. Sophomore Abbey Thompson (#35) is 1-2-0 in her three starts; combined with a pair of relief appearances, she has an .828 SV% and 5.80 GAA. Freshman Madison Faucher's (#33) only appearance was a 20-minute relief effort at Ohio State in November in which she stopped 9 of 11 shots.
Last weekend for Bemidji State – The Beavers' current skid extended to 6 games with 8-1 & 5-0 losses at Minnesota Duluth. Senior Reece Hunt netted their lone goal. Anneke Linser led UMD with 3 goals & 2 assists, Clara Van Wieran tallied two goals and an assist, Taylor Anderson lit the lamp twice, and Gabbie Hughes and Nina Jobst-Smith each added a goal & 3 assists. The Bulldogs outshot the Beavers by a combined 71-20.
Gophers sweep St. Thomas; Heise, Skaja reach career milestones
Grace Zumwinkle continues climb up Minnesota's goal-scoring list
Seven different Gopher Women's Hockey players lit the lamp and Skylar Vetter stopped 28 of the 29 shots she faced, earning her 5th shutout of the season, as Minnesota swept St. Thomas 5-0 & 4-1 at Ridder Arena.
Grace Zumwinkle's two first-period goals on Friday moved her into a 5th-place tie with Natalie Darwitz on Minnesota's career goal-scoring list (102). Abbey Murphy led all scorers in the contest with 3 points on a goal & two assists, Nelli Laitinen dished out two helpers, and Peyton Hemp & Josefin Bouveng also found the back of the net. Also having recorded an assist on Friday, Taylor Heise tallied the game-winning goal and two helpers on Saturday, becoming the 9th player in Gopher Women's Hockey program history to reach 200 career points. Abigail Boreen lit the lamp twice and Ella Huber also scored. Maddy Clough netted the lone goal for the Tommies.
With her 4-point weekend, Heise moved into 7th place in the Gopher career points list with 202, surpassing Dani Cameranesi & Ambria Thomas (201 each). Her three helpers in the series put her alone in 6th on the program's career assist list at 117. Meanwhile, Catie Skaja also hit a milestone with her 100th career point, earning an assist on Huber's goal on Saturday.
Klepinger, Lindsay, Team USA claim bronze at U18 Worlds
The U.S. Women's U18 National Team, including incoming 2023-2024 Gopher freshmen Elly Klepinger & Ava Lindsay, claimed the bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship held in Östersund, Sweden, with a 5-0 victory over Finland after having been upset by Sweden, 2-1, in the semifinals.
The Americans fell to Canada 3-1 in their final preliminary round game but still earned a quarterfinal bye after earlier wins over both the Finns and Swedes. Sweden defeated Slovakia in the quarterfinals, 6-1, while Finland topped Czechia, 3-2. Canada squeaked by Finland in the semifinals, 3-2 in overtime, then cruised to a 10-0 blowout of the Swedes in the Gold Medal Game.
Klepinger and Lindsay finished the tournament with 3 points apiece; Lindsay recorded a goal & two assists, while Klepinger dished out 3 helpers and had a +4 plus-minus rating. We congratulate them both along with Gopher Women's Hockey assistant coach Jess Scott, who was serving as director of hockey operations for Team USA.
St. Thomas announces record gift for new on-campus arena
The University of St. Thomas announced yesterday a $75 million lead naming gift from Lee and Penny Anderson to construct a multiuse, on-campus arena in St. Paul that will be home to its men’s and women’s hockey and basketball programs. The Andersons are long-standing benefactors to the school, having made a large gift previously, though this new contribution is a record in St. Thomas' history. (Artist's rendering courtesy of the University of St. Thomas.)
As noted in the press release, designs are still being finalized for the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena. The gift announced yesterday kicks off fundraising to raise $131 million for the venue, with total project costs estimated to be $175 million. The university is looking to break ground on the new facility in 2024, with a target opening of fall 2025. The published site plan image accompanying the gift announcement shows the arena's location as just west of Cretin Avenue at the end of Grand Avenue, behind the Anderson Parking Ramp; three existing buildings would be demolished to make way for the new venue.
Elsewhere around the WCHA...
Buckeyes sweep Badgers in Columbus – For the second-straight weekend, Wisconsin took the initial lead of a WCHA series but were shut down after that. Lacey Eden lit the lamp for the Badgers in the first period Friday at Ohio State, but Jenna Buglioni evened the score for the Buckeyes in the second stanza and, after a scoreless third frame, Sophie Jaques netted the overtime gamewinner for OSU with 39 seconds left in the extra period. Raygan Kirk made 27 saves for the win, while Cami Kronish took the loss despite stopping 34 shots. Paetyn Levis recorded a hat trick, Emma Maltais tallied a goal & two assists, Makenna Webster dished out 4 helpers, and Amanda Thiele needed only 17 saves to earn a 5-0 shutout victory for Ohio State Saturday and the weekend sweep. Jane Gervais made 34 saves for Wisconsin, who saw their skid extend to five games.
Mavericks overtake the Huskies with weekend sweep – Sydney Langseth recorded 2 goals & 2 assists, Claire Butorac added a goal & three assists, and Lauren Barbro and Alexa Berg stopped a combined 41 of 43 shots as Minnesota State swept St. Cloud State, 3-1 & 4-1, in Mankato, moving past the Huskies in the league standings. Svenja Voigt and Avery Myers scored for SCSU.
This weekend – Top-ranked Ohio State travels west for a Friday-Saturday matinee series at St. Cloud State, while Minnesota State visits Wisconsin and St. Thomas hosts Minnesota Duluth on Saturday & Sunday. Sunday's UMD-UST game will be broadcast on Bally Sports North.
Standings:
1. Minnesota – 47 points (.870 pts%), 15-1-2-1, 1-0 in OT (18-3-2 overall)
2. Ohio State – 46 points (.852 pts%), 15-2-1-1, 2-1 in OT (20-2-2 overall)
3. Wisconsin – 38 points (.704 pts%), 12-5-1-0, 1-2 in OT (16-7-1 overall)
4. Minn. Duluth – 33 points (.611 pts%), 11-6-1-0, 3-2 in OT (17-6-1 overall)
5. Minnesota State – 22 points (.407 pts%), 7-11-0-0, 0-1 in OT (13-11-0 overall)
6. St. Cloud State – 19 points (.352 pts%), 6-12-0-0, 0-1 in OT (13-12-0 overall)
7. St. Thomas – 8 points (.148 pts%), 2-15-1-1, 0-0 in OT (7-16-1 overall)
8. Bemidji State – 3 points (.056 pts%), 1-17-0-0, 0-0 in OT (4-19-1 overall)
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