Brunch with the Coaches & Skate with the Gophers Reminders
We provide a final reminder for a pair of events scheduled for Saturday, January 6 (two weeks from today) as the Gopher Women's Hockey team hosts the UConn Huskies. Registration deadlines are approaching for both activities.
Brunch with the Coaches at 9:45 a.m. – Join us in the 3M Arena at Mariucci Club Room 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 Hockey East and battling for a league title & an NCAA Tournament berth. At the holiday break, the Huskies are tied atop the Hockey East standings. Register by mail by next Saturday, December 30 using the downloadable form (PDF) available here and sending it in to the listed address. Tickets are $30 per person and Power Play Club membership is not required.
Skate with the Gophers after the game – Skate with the Gophers returns following the 2 p.m. contest against the Huskies. Stick around to skate on the Ridder ice, play games on the concourse and get autographs from Gopher players. All participants must register here by Friday, December 29. Attendance at the game is required.
Canada wins Rivalry Series Game 4, still trails U.S. 3 games to 1; Sweden, Hungary win international tournaments at home
Playing Game 4 of the 2023-2024 Rivalry Series, Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna Kelly Pannek set up American teammate Megan Keller for a short-handed goal to open the scoring, and Alex Carpenter pushed Team USA's lead to 2-0. However, Danielle Serdachney & Ella Shelton lit the lamp for Team Canada in the third period to knot the score 2-2. After a scoreless overtime, Marie-Philip Poulin was the only skater to find the back of the net in a five-round shootout to give the Canadians a 3-2 victory, narrowing the U.S. lead in the series to 3 games to 1. Games 5, 6 and 7 will be played in February, with the finale on Sunday, February 11 occurring at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (tickets available here).
Sweden won its first tournament since 2016, taking the Five Nations Cup / Euro Hockey Tour event they hosted in the city of Falun. The Swedes finished with a 3-0-1-0 (W-OTW-OTL-L) record and 10 points, ahead of 8 points for Czechia, 6 apiece for Switzerland and Finland, and winless Germany. Current Gopher Josefin Bouveng finished with a goal and an assist and a +2 plus-minus rating for Sweden, while Minnesota teammate Nelli Laitinen netted a power-play goal for Finland.
In more international action, Hungary claimed the top spot in the Four Nations Tournament they hosted in Budapest, topping Japan, France, and Slovakia. The Hungarians, Japanese, and French all finished with 2-0-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) records, but the hosts had the best goal differential in the contests between the three teams. Gopher freshman Emma Kreisz dished out a pair of assists in Hungary's tournament-opening 4-0 shutout of Slovakia.
Gopher recruit Distad headed to U18 Women's World Championship with Team USA – We send congratulations to incoming 2024-2025 Gopher freshman Kendra Distad, who was named to the American roster for the 2024 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship in early November. As we shared earlier this month, future Gophers Hannah Clark and Gracie Graham have been named to Canada's U18 team. We wish Distad and again wish Clark & Graham good luck at the tournament, which runs January 6 through 14 in Zug, Switzerland.
Williamson earns National Girls & Women in Sports Day honor
Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Taylor Williamson was named 2024 recipient of the National Girls and Women in Sports Day-Minnesota Wilma Rudolph Courage Award, “presented to girls and women who courageously overcame physical challenges in their success and pursuit of sports to help ensure future opportunities for girls and women, regardless of their physical abilities,” as announced by the Minnesota Coalition for Women in Athletic Leadership last Friday, December 15.
During her time at the U. of M., Williamson was first diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst on her brain and then with myasthenia gravis (MG), an incurable disease. Though both ailments took her out of the Gopher lineup for some time, she battled through both and returned to the ice to complete her collegiate career. Following her playing days, she's helped establish a Myasthenia Gravis and MDA Center of Excellence for people and families in Minnesota suffering from the disease, and she and her father Dean have raised nearly $250,000.
Williamson is one of fifteen individuals or groups selected as 2024 National Girls and Women in Sports Day-Minnesota honorees. They will be recognized at the National Girls & Women in Sports Day-MN Celebration on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. Exhibits will open at 11 a.m. and the honoree event will begin at 12 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Congratulations, Taylor!! We wish you continued success in your efforts!!
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