The Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, November 21st
Upcoming Events
Chalk Talk – Saturday, December 2 at 12:30 p.m. – Our popular Chalk Talks are back for another season! Join us for the first of these in 2023-2024 with a member of the GWH coaching staff as we review and discuss team strategy and the team's performance the previous night. We will be meeting in the Ridder Arena weight room, across the hall from the suite seating upstairs. This is an exclusive event for enrolled PPC members and we look forward to seeing many of you there.
Tour of Ridder – Saturday, December 9 at 1:00 p.m. – You've heard us talk about it for Give to the Max Day; now join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of Ridder Arena and see the updates to the lower level and other areas. The tour will start in the ticket lobby roughly an hour before game time. This, too, is an exclusive event for enrolled PPC members.
Teddy Bear Toss on December 9 – As we enter the holiday season, Gopher Women's Hockey and the Power Play Club encourage you to pick up a teddy bear (or two, or three...) for the annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by White Bear Mitsubishi! Bring a new stuffed animal in a bag to the game on Saturday, December 9, against Wisconsin, and you'll have an opportunity to toss it onto the ice during the intermission. All bears tossed will be donated to the Masonic Children's Hospital.
Brunch with the Coaches – Saturday, January 6 at 9:45 a.m. – Join us early in the new year as we welcome University of Connecticut women's hockey head coach Chris MacKenzie (pictured) and our own Brad Frost. We look forward to hearing from Coach MacKenzie about playing in an eastern conference and battling for a league title & an NCAA Tournament berth. The brunch location is still being finalized, but tickets will be $30 per person and registration will open next week.
Enroll in the Power Play Club for 2023-2024!!
With our Chalk Talk & Tour of Ridder events approaching, we want you to join us in supporting the Gopher Women's Hockey team as a member of the Power Play Club!
This is your last opportunity to sponsor a player’s or coach’s locker for the season with a minimum of $600 donation. A plaque with your name will be affixed to a player's or coach's locker and you'll receive an invitation to our January event where we'll get a photo of you with that player or coach and have a pregame meal with the team. If you wish to sponsor a locker, please contact Rennie McPherson as soon as possible (and before donating) at susanmcp58@gmail.com.
Registration also remains open for our basic membership tier, which includes up to two adults and any children at same address and requires 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".
Goals for a Goal: Gophers increase total to 41 with 13 on PP
The Gopher Women's Hockey team has scored 41 goals in its first eleven games, with 13 of those coming on the power play! You can help us convert those goals into donations back to the team by registering for the Goals for a Goal program. 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!!
D1 In DC Showcase - MedStar Capitals Iceplex – Arlington, Virginia
Friday, November 24
#4 Minnesota (9-2-0) vs. Harvard (1-8-1) – 1 pm ET / Noon CT
St. Thomas (5-10-0) vs. #8 Cornell (10-2-1) – 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT
Saturday, November 25
St. Thomas Tommies vs. Harvard Crimson – 1 pm ET / Noon CT
Minnesota Gophers vs. Cornell Big Red – 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT
Following a big rivalry series sweep, the Minnesota Women's Hockey team heads east one more time in the regular season. They and the St. Thomas Tommies will spend Thanksgiving weekend in the greater Washington, DC area and will each face the Harvard University Crimson & Cornell University Big Red of the ECAC in the D1 In DC Showcase at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia. Action starts Friday, November 24, with the Gophers facing the Crimson at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT, followed by the Tommies and Big Red at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT. Pairings will switch on Saturday, November 25, with the Tommies taking on the Crimson at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT and a top-ten matchup between the Gophers and Big Red at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT.
Ticket information – Tickets for the entire showcase or for single days – Friday or Saturday – are available through the Washington Pride Youth Hockey Association here.
Game coverage – Due to the neutral site location of the showcase, no video is expected this coming weekend. That said, free audio play-by-play for Minnesota's games will be available on GopherSports.com for both Friday against Harvard and Saturday vs. Cornell, starting 15 to 20 minutes before each contest.
Last time against Harvard – The Gophers and Crimson met Thanksgiving weekend four years ago in the Country Classic showcase in Nashville. Sarah Potomak lit the lamp twice, Alex Woken & Abigail Boreen also scored, and Sydney Scobee posted a 21-save shutout for a 4-0 Minnesota victory. Lindsay Reed stopped 39 shots for Harvard.
Analyzing the Crimson – Under new head coach Laura Bellamy, a Harvard alumna, the Crimson started with a 0-8-1 record, all in ECAC conference play, and were outscored 39-13 over those nine games. They earned their first victory of the season a week ago in non-conference action (more on that momentarily).
Senior Shannon Hollands (#22) leads Harvard in total scoring with six points on 2 goals & 4 assists. Junior Gabi Davidson Adams (#26) is their goal leader but only with three; she also has two assists for 5 points. First-year player Zoe Boosamra (#12) also has five points on a goal & 4 assists, and is the Crimson's plus-minus leader at +5.
Junior goaltender Alex Pellicci (#27) has started all 10 games this season, posting a 3.92 goals-against average and .879 save percentage. Fellow junior Daisy Boynton (#30) has made 3 relief appearances for nearly 78 minutes of combined action; she's stopped 39 of 45 shots for a 4.63 GAA and .867 SV%. Sophomore Emily Davidson (#31) has not seen any action so far this year.
Last action for Harvard – As mentioned above, the Crimson earned their first victory of the season last Tuesday night (November 14) against cross-town opponent Boston University, 3-1. Kayley Crawford & Gabi Davidson Adams each recorded a goal and an assist as they built a 3-0 lead. Alex Pellicci stopped 30 of 31 shots to earn the win.
Last time against Cornell – The Gophers and Big Red last squared off in the 2019 NCAA Semifinals in Hamden, CT. Nicole Schammel scored on a second-period power play, Sarah Potomak tacked on an empty-netter, and Alex Gulstene posted a 15-save shutout for a 2-0 Minnesota win. Marlene Boissonnault stopped 25 shots for Cornell.
Analyzing the Big Red – Cornell got off to a program-best 10-0-1 record this season, earning a #6 ranking in both national polls last week, but suffered their first two losses of the year this past weekend (more on those shortly). Their 6-2-0 mark in ECAC conference play has them third in the league standings, and they've outscored all opponents by a combined 52-22.
Senior Izzy Daniel (#22) – a Minnesota native and Blake School alumna – has already surpassed the 30-point mark with 12 goals & 19 assists, leading Cornell in all three scoring categories. Another Blake alumna, junior Lily Delianedis (#21), has 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points. Fellow junior Katie Chan (#26) also has 17 points on 7 goals & 10 assists.
The Big Red have turned to freshman Annelies Bergmann (#43) to be their primary goaltender; she's 7-2-1 in her 10 starts with a a 1.70 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. Senior Deanna Fraser (#1) is a perfect 3-0-0 in the games she's started, earning one shutout with a 1.34 GAA and .926 SV%. Juniors Brynn DuLac (#31) and Belle Mende (#48) have yet to play this season.
Last action for Cornell – Hosting a pair of ranked opponents, the Big Red fell to then-#9 Quinnipiac, 3-1, on Friday and to #13 Princeton, 4-3, on Saturday, despite outshooting both. Cornell trailed the Bobcats 2-0 after two periods before Kaitlin Jockims scored short-handed to make it a 2-1 game; unfortunately they got no closer and Quinnipiac added an empty-netter. Jockims also netted the opening goal against the Tigers, but the teams battled to a 3-3 tie midway through the third period before Sarah Paul lit the lamp for Princeton with 6:37 to play. Annelies Bergmann made a combined 30 saves for Cornell and Izzy Daniel dished out 3 assists.
Gophers earn road sweep of Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota collected all six WCHA standings points with back-to-back 3-1 victories over UMD, never trailing in the weekend series at AMSOIL Arena. While the Bulldogs took a 14-4 shots-on-goal advantage after the first 20 minutes of the opener, the game remained scoreless. However, Abbey Murphy buried a one-timer on a second-period power play. Hanna Baskin evened the score for the Bulldogs 9:13 into the third period, but Taylor Stewart – in her first game in Duluth since transferring from UMD to the Gophers – lit the lamp less than two minutes later to restore the lead, Peyton Hemp added an empty-netter, and Skylar Vetter stopped 32 of 33 shots for the win. After another scoreless first period in the rematch, Ella Huber completed a nice passing play from Murphy & Josefin Bouveng to again put Minnesota ahead. Later in the period, Murphy got free on a short-handed breakaway; her first shot was stopped, but she collected the rebound, spun, and scored for a 2-0 lead. Gabby Krause pulled the Bulldogs within one in the third stanza, but Hemp netted the Gophers' second shorty of the game 47 seconds later for the final margin and Lucy Morgan made 28 saves on 29 shots. Bouveng & Audrey Wethington each dished out two assists in the series. UMD netminder Ève Gascon recorded a combined 62 saves in the two contests.
Around the WCHA
MSU coach Harrington takes medical leave – Minnesota State University announced yesterday that women's hockey head coach John Harrington is taking a leave of absence to undergo hip surgery. We send him best wishes for a successful procedure and speedy recovery. In the interim, MSU alumna and long-time Mavericks assistant coach Shari (Vogt) Dickerson was named Associate Head Coach and Acting Head Coach while Harrington is away.
Beavers and Mavericks exchange overtime victories – Meanwhile, Bemidji State and Minnesota State each earned their first victory in conference play this season, coming against each other in overtime as the Beavers won 3-2 on Friday and the Mavericks took Saturday's game, also 3-2. Jamie Nelson lit the lamp twice for MSU in the opener to erase a 2-0 deficit and force OT, but BSU's Taylor Nelson scored 14 seconds into the extra period for the victory. Each team held a one-goal lead in regulation of Saturday's contest before Jamie Nelson netted her third goal of the series for the Mavericks 40 seconds into overtime. For the Beavers, Hailey Armstrong recorded goals in each game and Khloe Lund added a goal & two assists.
Buckeyes sweep Badgers in Columbus – Ohio State forward Jenn Gardiner lit the lamp 3 times, twice on the power play, Hannah Bilka netted an overtime gamewinner with an assist to Gardiner, and OSU goaltenders Raygan Kirk & Amanda Thiele stopped a combined 40 of 41 shots to sweep Wisconsin, 3-0 and 2-1 (OT), taking 5 of 6 points in the WCHA standings. Kirk posted the 19-save shutout on Friday. Cassie Hall scored the Badgers' lone goal, and Jane Gervais & Ava McNaughton combined for 59 saves.
Huskies shut out Tommies in home-and-home series – St. Cloud State goaltenders Sanni Ahola & Jojo Chobak needed only a combined 28 saves to earn a pair of shutouts of St. Thomas, 1-0 and 2-0. Avery Myers, Maddy Peterson, and Emma Gentry lit the lamp for SCSU. UST netminders Calla Frank and Olivia King stopped 70 of 73 shots in the series.
Upcoming games – The slate of holiday weekend contests features non-conference action. In a pair of Friday-Saturday series, Ohio State will host St. Lawrence and Minnesota Duluth will host Colgate. Minnesota State will play in the Smashville Showcase, facing Robert Morris on Saturday and Boston University on Sunday. Bemidji State, St. Cloud State, and Wisconsin are idle.
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