The Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, February 1st
Chalk Talk – this Saturday, February 4 at 12:30 p.m.
The third and final PPC Chalk Talk of the 2022-2023 season with a member of the Gopher Women's Hockey coaching staff is set for this Saturday, February 4, at 12:30 p.m., prior to the second game of the series against Ohio State. This member-exclusive event will take place in the Ridder Arena weight room (on the upper level) and include a discussion of team strategy & the previous night's game, plus time for a brief question & answer session.
Goals for a Goal – Gopher goal count continues to climb
After netting 7 goals against Minnesota Duluth, including one on the power play, the Gopher Women's Hockey has lit the lamp 134 times in 2022-2023, which includes 27 power play conversions!!
We continue to accept pledges to the Goals for a Goal program, converting each Gopher goal scored during the regular season & postseason into donations to the team for Ridder Arena improvements, 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!!
#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (22-3-2, 19-1-2-1 WCHA)
vs.
#1 Ohio State Buckeyes (24-2-2, 19-2-1-1 WCHA)
Friday, February 3 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 4 at 2:00 p.m.
Ridder Arena
With three weekends to go in the regular-season, the top seed in the WCHA conference playoffs is potentially on the line as current standings-leading Minnesota Golden Gophers host the nationally #1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The top-three battle at Ridder Arena is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, February 3, and will continue at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 4.
Ticket information – Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance for both this weekend's contests against Ohio State and the Border Battle series against Wisconsin (Feb. 10 & 11). Go to z.umn.edu/8d1c to get yours today!!
Last time against Ohio State – On the road in Columbus at the end of October, Minnesota took 4 WCHA standings points from the Buckeyes, getting a 4-2 win before a 4-4 tie with OSU taking the shootout. After Nelli Laitinen opened the scoring for the Gophers, Jenna Buglioni (PP) & Sophie Jaques gave the Buckeyes a 2-1 second intermission lead. But Taylor Heise evened score 18 seconds into the third frame, Peyton Hemp reestablished the Gophers' lead with 9:51 to play, and Abigail Boreen added an insurance goal with 3:31 remaining for a 4-2 victory. In the rematch, Abbey Murphy (PP) and Josefin Bouveng scored 47 seconds apart for Minnesota, but Makenna Webster tallied for the Buckeyes to cut the Gopher lead to 2-1. Murphy pushed the lead back to two (3-1) early in the third period, but OSU rallied with goals by Jennifer Gardiner and Jaques (PP) to knot the score with 7:13 to play. Heise netted her second goal of the weekend, a short-handed tally 66 seconds later, but Jaques converted on the same OSU power play 33 seconds after that. The teams skated the through the remainder of regulation and a 5-minute overtime without additional scoring, completing the game tied 4-4. Going to a shootout, Jaques put the Buckeyes up 1-0 in the 2nd round, Grace Zumwinkle scored in the 3rd round to even things up, but Buglioni lit the lamp in round 4 to take the bonus point in the WCHA standings. Skylar Vetter played both games in net for the Gophers, making a combined 70 saves; Amanda Thiele stopped 28 shots for OSU in the opener, and Raygan Kirk made 27 saves in the rematch. Heise & Murphy finished the series with 3 points apiece (2g, 1a for each), while Catie Skaja and Gracie Ostertag each dished out 3 helpers.
Analyzing the Buckeyes – Ohio State has been the top-ranked team in both national polls since mid-November. Outside of their loss and tie against the Gophers, the only other blemishes on their record were a tie against Colgate and an overtime loss at Minnesota Duluth. They enter this weekend on their own 10-game winning streak.
The Buckeyes feature four veteran players who have each surpassed the 30-point mark this season. Senior Jennifer Gardiner (#12) leads OSU in total scoring with 42 points on 16 goals & 26 assists. Graduate player Sophie Jaques (#18) continues to post ridiculous numbers from a defensive position, tallying a team-high 19 goals while dishing out 18 assists for 37 points. Two other graduate players have each posted 32 points; Emma Maltais (#17) has a team-leading 27 assists while lighting the lamp 5 times herself, while Paetyn Levis (#27) has 18 goals & 14 assists.
Junior netminder Amanda Thiele (#30) has started 14 games for Ohio State this season, posting a 12-1-1 record with 3 shutouts; including one relief appearance, she has an .895 save percentage and a 1.94 goals-against average. Senior Raygan Kirk (#1) is 8-1-1 with two shutouts in her 10 starts, posting a .919 SV% and 1.83 GAA. Fellow senior Quinn Kuntz (#35) is 4-0-0 with two shutouts as a starter, recording a 0.75 GAA and .949 SV%. Freshman Lexington Secreto (#34) has yet to see any official action.
Last weekend for Ohio State – Paetyn Levis recorded 3 goals and an assist, Jennifer Gardiner lit the lamp twice, Sophie Jaques & Riley Brengman each added a goal and an assist, and Madison Bizal dished out 3 helpers at the Buckeyes swept Minnesota State, 6-2 & 4-2. Quinn Kuntz started for OSU on Friday and stopped 15 shots, while Amanda Thiele made 22 saves on Saturday. Claire Butorac led the Mavericks with a goal & two assists, and Lauren Barbro & Alexa Berg combined for 87 saves in the series.
Gophers' winning streak continues with sweep of Minn. Duluth
A two-goal performance by Abbey Murphy on Friday, two goals & an assist from Peyton Hemp and a key third-period tally by Abigail Boreen on Saturday, and a combined 55-save showing by Skylar Vetter fueled the Gopher Women's Hockey team to a weekend sweep of UMD, 3-1 & 4-3.
After a scoreless opening period Friday, Catie Skaja put Minnesota up 1-0 just past the midway point of the second stanza. UMD's Taylor Stewart knotted the score just 37 seconds into the third frame, but Murphy put the Gophers back ahead with 12:04 to play, then added an empty-net insurance goal with 1:21 left. Vetter stopped 31 of 32 shots.
Hemp tallied on a first-period power play on Saturday. The teams traded goals after that; Josefin Bouveng put the Gophers up 2-0 early in the 2nd, but Gabby Krause lit the lamp for the Bulldogs on a power play eight minutes later. Hemp scored again with 6 minutes left in the middle period, but Mannon McMahon again pulled UMD within one, 3-2, three-and-a-half minutes into the third. Boreen gave the Gophers their third two-goal lead, scoring unassisted with 10:29 to play; that was a necessary tally as the Bulldogs got a 6-on-4 power play goal with an extra attacker with 2:30 remaining. That was all that Vetter allowed, though, making 24 saves in total for the win and the weekend sweep.
Emma Soderberg made a combined 55 saves for Minnesota Duluth.
Vetter doubles up on league awards; Bouveng, Zumwinkle also honored
For the second time this season, Gopher sophomore Skylar Vetter was named both WCHA Goaltender of the Week and WCHA Goaltender of the Month at effectively the same time. Vetter posted a perfect 7-0-0 record in January, stopping 127 of 135 shots – including her 55 saves this past weekend against Minnesota Duluth – for a .940 save percentage and 1.20 goals-against average. The weekly award was her sixth this season, while the monthly honor was her third.
Two other Gophers were honored by the league. Freshman Josefin Bouveng was named WCHA Rookie of the Week, the first honor her career, after recording two points – one goal & one assist – and a +2 rating against the Bulldogs. Fifth-year co-captain Grace Zumwinkle was recognized as WCHA Forward of the Month, her sixth monthly award and first this season, after recording a league-high 16 points (8G, 8A) and a +14 plus-minus rating. Zumwinkle became the sixth Gopher to reach the career 100-goal mark and she's now fifth all-time with 105, and her two assists this past weekend put her alone in 10th place on Minnesota's all-time career points list with 195 (105G, 90A).
We send our congratulations to Skylar, Josefin, and Grace on these honors!!
Brown, 4 other GWH alums named to U.S. Rivalry Series roster
Five Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae have been named to the Team USA roster for the final two games of the 2022-2023 Rivalry Series against Canada later this month.
Notably, defender Emily Brown will make her debut with the senior national team. After completing her collegiate career at Minnesota last season, Brown has been playing with Team Sonnet in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), where she has one assist in 11 games.
Brown will be joined by U.S. National Team veterans Hannah Brandt, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein for the February contests. The games are scheduled for Monday, February 20, at Colisée Vidéotron in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and Wednesday, February 22, at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec; puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT for both, with live telvision coverage on NHL Network.
We congratulate and send best wishes to our five Gophers!!
Halldorson honored as State of Hockey Legacy Award recipient
As announced last Wednesday and presented during Hockey Day Minnesota festivities on Saturday, inaugural Gopher Women's Hockey coach Laura Halldorson was named the recipient of the 2023 State of Hockey Legacy Award, given by the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Hockey and Bally Sports North. As noted in the announcement, The State of Hockey Legacy Award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary and long-term contributions to hockey in Minnesota.
In ten seasons on the Gopher bench, Halldorson led the team to a 278-67-22 record (.787), four WCHA regular-season titles (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005), three WCHA Tournament championships (2002, 2004, 2005), and three national championships (2000, 2004 & 2005). She was named American Hockey Coaches Association's Division 1 Coach of the Year three times (1997-98, 2001-02, and 2003-04) and was inducted into the university's M Club Hall of Fame in 2014.
Congratulations, Coach Halldorson!!
Around the WCHA...
All-session tickets for the 2023 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff, being held again at Ridder Arena on March 3 & 4, will go on sale tomorrow, Thursday, February 2, at 10 a.m. CT. Package prices are $37 for reserved chairback seating, $27 for adult general admission, $20 for general admission for seniors, students & youth, and $10 for general admission group seating (groups of 10+). Tickets can be purchased from the U. of M. Ticket Office here or by phone at 1-800-U-GOPHER.
Badgers roll in road sweep of Tommies – Maddy Clough scored for St. Thomas for an early 1-0 lead 4:24 into their series against Wisconsin, but the visitors from Madison netted the next 9 goals en route to a 6-1, 3-0 sweep. Casey O'Brien led the Badgers with 3 goals & 2 assists, Maddi Wheeler added 2 goals & 2 assists, and Cami Kronish & Jane Gervais combined to stop 30 of 31 shots. UST's Alexa Dobchuk made 50 saves on Friday, and Maggie Malecha stopped 36 shots Saturday.
Huskies sweep Beavers – Jenniina Nylund and Addi Scribner both scored on power plays and Jojo Chobak stopped all 32 shots she faced to give St. Cloud State a 2-0 shutout win Friday over Bemidji State. Claire Vekich put the Beavers up 1-0 early in the second period on Saturday, but Scriber knotted the score 7:24 in the third period, Courtney Hall lit the lamp with 3:47 to play, and Sanni Ahola made 25 saves in total for a 2-1 SCSU victory and the weekend sweep. Hannah Hogenson stopped a combined 50 shots for BSU.
This weekend – Bemidji State will host St. Thomas and Minnesota Duluth will visit Minnesota State in series starting with Friday afternoon matinees. St. Cloud State heads to Madison to face Wisconsin starting Friday evening. All three series continue on Saturday afternoon.
Standings (* indicates team has clinched home ice for WCHA quarterfinals):
1. Minnesota* – 59 points (.894 pts%), 19-1-2-1, 1-0 in OT (22-3-2 overall)
2. Ohio State* – 57 points (.864 pts%), 19-2-1-1, 3-1 in OT (24-2-2 overall)
3. Wisconsin* – 50 points (.758 pts%), 16-5-1-0, 1-2 in OT (20-7-1 overall)
4. Minn. Duluth – 39 points (.591 pts%), 13-8-1-0, 3-2 in OT (19-8-1 overall)
5. St. Cloud State – 26 points (.394 pts%), 8-14-0-0, 0-2 in OT (15-14-0 overall)
6. Minnesota State – 22 points (.333 pts%), 7-15-0-0, 0-1 in OT (13-15-0 overall)
7. St. Thomas – 8 points (.121 pts%), 2-19-1-1, 0-0 in OT (7-20-1 overall)
8. Bemidji State – 3 points (.045 pts%), 1-21-0-0, 0-0 in OT (4-23-1 overall)
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