Goals for a Goal: Gophers on the board with 8 goals
The Gopher Women's Hockey team has lit the lamp 22 times in its opening five games, including 7 times on the power play, and the Power Play Club is asking for your assistance converting them to donations back to the team! Pledge a dollar amount for every goal the Gophers score during the regular season and postseason, with the option to double your pledge for power play goals.
Goals for a Goal pledges can be submitted electronically through this online form. Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!
Power Play Club membership enrollment continues!!
Whether you join the Power Play Club through a basic membership or as a locker sponsor, we want you to enroll for 2023-2024, earning access to our three Chalk Talks with the Gopher Women's Hockey coaching staff and contributing to our fundraising for the team through your tax-deductible enrollment donation.
There is still time to sponsor a player’s or coach’s locker for the season! Locker sponsorships require a minimum of $600 donation. Locker sponsors will have a photo with the player or coach and a special meal with the team. If you wish to sponsor a locker, please contact Rennie McPherson (before donating) at susanmcp58@gmail.com.
You can join our basic membership tier, which includes up to two adults and any children at same address, with a minimum donation of $50. Online registration is preferred at bit.ly/GWH_PPC_2324; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. To register offline, download the form here and send it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".
#4/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-0-0, 3-0-0 WCHA)
at #2/2 Ohio State University Buckeyes (5-1-0, 4-0-0 WCHA)
Friday, October 27 at 6:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, October 28 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. CT
OSU Ice Rink – Columbus, Ohio
Coming off an idle weekend, the Gopher Women's Hockey team flies out to the Eastern Time Zone for a second time in the opening month of the season, heading to Columbus, Ohio for a national top-four showdown against the #2-ranked Ohio State University Buckeyes. The series at the OSU Ice Rink opens Friday, October 27, at 6:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. CT, and continues Saturday, October 28, at 3:00 p.m. ET / 2:00 p.m. CT.
Game coverage – Video from both games will be streamed on the B1G+ subscription service. Free audio play-by-play is available on GopherSports.com for both Friday and Saturday, starting roughly 20 minutes before each contest.
Last season against Ohio State – The Gophers went 3-1-1 against the Buckeyes last year, including a playoff victory. Minnesota took the opener last October in Columbus, 4-2, before the two squads played to a 4-4 tie with OSU earning the shootout win for the bonus point. Meeting at Ridder Arena in early February, the Gophers again won 4-2 but the Buckeyes salvaged a split with a 5-1 victory the next day. But it was Minnesota which took home the WCHA Tournament Championship, its 8th, defeating Ohio State 3-1 in the Final Faceoff title game at Ridder in March. While Taylor Heise led the Gophers in total scoring against OSU with 7 points on 2 goals & 5 assists, Abbey Murphy lit the lamp 5 times and added an assist & Peyton Hemp recorded 3 goals and 3 helpers. Skylar Vetter played every minute between the pipes, posting a 2.76 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. Jennifer Gardiner tallied an OSU-high 6 points (2g, 4a) against Minnesota, while Sophie Jaques (3g, 2a) & Makenna Webster (1g, 4a) each added 5 points and Gabby Rosenthal recorded 3 goals and an assist. Amanda Thiele went 1-2-0 against the Gophers with a 2.76 GAA and .923 SV%, while Raygan Kirk was 0-1-1 with a 3.93 GAA and .862 SV%.
Analyzing the Buckeyes – Ohio State is looking to defend its 2022-2023 WCHA Regular Season Championship, the first for the program, after posting a 23-4-1 (3-2 in OT) conference record, with the lone shootout win, and going 33-6-2 overall but falling to Wisconsin in the NCAA Championship Game. They have started the new year 5-1-0, splitting the opening weekend on the road at then-#4 Colgate – losing 3-2 & winning 3-2 in OT – before sweeping Minnesota Duluth and St. Thomas.
Jennifer Gardiner (#12) is back for her 5th season after posting a team-high 57 points (21g, 36a) last year. Senior Makenna Webster (#8) – a two-sport athlete for OSU – is expected to return following the field hockey season; she recorded 39 points (15g, 24a) on the ice in 2022-2023 despite playing in only 31 of the team's 41 games. The Buckeyes have done some retooling with 6 new transfer players, two of whom are leading the team so far this season; Hannah Bilka (#9) has 4 goals & 6 assists for Ohio State after playing 4 years at Boston College, while Kiara Zanon (#21) has 4 goals and 4 assists in scarlet & gray following three seasons at Penn State. Sophomore Emma Peschel (#7; 2g, 4a) and Gardiner (1g, 5a) each have six points.
One thing that has not changed from last year is Ohio State's goaltending corps. Amanda Thiele (#30) led the Buckeyes in 2022-2023 with a 20-4-1 record, 4 shutouts, a .914 save percentage, and 1.81 goals-against average; now a senior, she has a 2-1-0 record with an .897 SV% and 2.00 GAA. Raygan Kirk (#1) posted an 8-2-1 mark with 2 shutouts, a .912 SV%, and a 2.03 GAA as a junior; she's 3-0-0 to start the new year with one shutout, a .941 SV%, and a 1.32 GAA. Fifth-year backup Quinn Kuntz (#35) was a perfect 5-0-0 in her five starts as a senior, recording 3 shutouts, a minuscule 0.60 GAA, and a .961 SV%; however, she has yet to see any action this season.
Last weekend for Ohio State – A trio of Buckeyes each posted five-point performances in a weekend sweep on the road at St. Thomas, 6-2 & 7-1. Kiara Zanon tallied 3 goals & 2 assists, Hannah Bilka added 2 goals & 3 assists, and Jennifer Gardner lit the lamp once and dished out 4 helpers. Ohio State outshot the Tommies 102-40 in the series, getting a combined 37 saves from Raygan Kirk and Amanda Thiele; the Buckeyes lit the lamp 4 times on their opening 17 shots, chasing UST starting goalie Calla Frank, but Maggie Malecha made 38 saves in relief on Friday and Olivia King stopped another 38 shots on Saturday. Cara Sajevic found the back of the net twice for St. Thomas.
Professional Women's Hockey League unveils official logo
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) unveiled their official league logo in a press release yesterday (Tuesday, October 24). The logo features “a stylized ‘W’ to highlight women, and crossed hockey sticks and a puck that nestle perfectly within the middle of the letterform.”
We continue to follow league news as it prepares for its inaugural season, with training camps scheduled to begin on November 15. Thirteen (13) Gopher alumnae are looking for roster spots, including pre-draft free agents Kelly Pannek (Minnesota) & Lee Stecklein (Minnesota), draftees Taylor Heise (Minnesota), Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota), Hannah Brandt (Boston), Emily Brown (Boston), Amanda Leveille (Minnesota), and Olivia Knowles (Toronto), and camp invitees Lauren Bench (Minnesota), Abigail Boreen (Minnesota), Gigi Marvin (Boston), Savannah Norcross (New York), and Catie Skaja (Minnesota). Patti Marshall has also been invited to Minnesota's training camp, but is not eligible to sign a standard player agreement under current league rules and will be required to start the season as a reserve.
Around the WCHA
St. Cloud State wins Icebreaker with two shutouts – Following two scoreless periods, Katie Kaufman lit the lamp for SCSU 9:27 into the third, Klára Hymlárová added an empty-netter with 39.3 seconds to play, and Sanni Ahola earned her 4th shutout in four starts with 21 saves to upset Northeastern, 2-0. Facing Lindenwood for the Icebreaker championship, Devyn Millwater scored for the Huskies only 11 seconds into the contest, CC Bowlby lit the lamp with a short-handed tally later in the first period, Hymlárová followed with a natural hat trick, and Jojo Chobak stopped all 34 shots she faced for a 5-0 victory.
Minnesota Duluth earns road sweep of Minnesota State – Mary Kate O'Brien recorded two goals & an assist, Gabby Krause lit the lamp twice, and Hailey MacLeod and Ève Gascon stopped a combined 50 of 52 shots as the Bulldogs swept the Mavericks in Mankato, 3-1 & 4-1. Jamie Nelson and Charlotte Akervik scored for MSU, and Lauren Barbro & Suzette Faucher combined for 47 saves.
Wisconsin keeps rolling with sweep of Bemidji State – Beavers netminder Abbie Thompson was named WCHA Goaltender of the Week after a 60-save performance last Friday night, stopping the first 35 shots she faced to keep the Badgers off the board through the first two periods; however, Wisconsin broke through in the third to win 4-0. They followed it up with an 8-1 rout Saturday to complete the weekend sweep. Maddi Wheeler tallied 2 goals & 2 assists, Britta Curl and Kirsten Simms each added two goals & an assist, and Lacey Eden dished out 4 helpers. Hailey Armstrong netted the lone goal for BSU, who were outshot 104-30.
Upcoming games – All eight teams will be in conference action on Friday and Saturday. Bemidji State hosts Minnesota Duluth in a pair of matinee contests, St. Cloud State visits Minnesota State in Mankato, and Wisconsin goes on the road to face St. Thomas.
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