The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Monday, February 20th
Ohio State claims WCHA Championship & Julianne Bye Cup;
Gophers to face St. Thomas in best-of-three quarterfinal series
With a 3-1 victory over Wisconsin yesterday, the Ohio State Buckeyes women's hockey team won their first WCHA Regular-Season Championship and the Julianne Bye Cup for 2022-2023.
Minnesota finished as the #2 seed for the WCHA Playoffs, posting a 22-3-3-1 conference record (2-0 in OT). As a result, the Gophers will face St. Thomas again in a best-of-3 conference quarterfinal series at Ridder Arena next weekend, marking the second-straight year that the two teams will square off in the first round after playing each other at the end of the regular season.
Game times are set for...
Friday, February 24 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 26 at 2:00 p.m. (if necessary)
We'll have more details with our full series preview in our regular Penalty Box Post later this week.
Season ticket holders should have received tickets for the quarterfinal series as part of their plan, and should contact the U. of M. ticket office at 1-800-U-GOPHER with any questions or concerns. Fans looking to purchase tickets for any of the three contests are encouraged to watch the team's social media accounts – Facebook and Twitter – for updates on availability.
All-Session tickets for the 2023 WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena are on sale through the U. of M. Ticket Office. The tickets are $37 for reserved chairback seats, $27 for adult general admission bench seating, and $20 for senior and student/youth general admission seats. Groups of 10 or more can also get general admission seating for $10 per person.
Game times are set as follows:
Semifinal Game 1: Friday, March 3 at 1:00 p.m. CT
Semifinal Game 2: Friday, March 3 at 5:00 p.m. CT (approximately)
Championship Game: Saturday, March 4 at 2:00 p.m. CT
Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the 3M Arena at Mariucci Box Offices or by phone at 1-800-U-GOPHER. All tickets purchased in advance will be issued electronically. Single-day tickets will go on sale next Monday, February 27.
Rivalry Series resumes tonight, concludes Wednesday
We provide a reminder that the final two games of the 2022-2023 Rivalry Series between the U.S. and Canada Women's National Hockey Teams are scheduled for tonight (Monday, Feb. 20) and Wednesday (Feb. 22) in Quebec. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, with live television coverage on NHL Network.
We again send wishes of good luck to the six Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae called up to the national team rosters for these two contests: Hannah Brandt (USA), Emily Brown (USA), Amanda Kessel (USA), Kelly Pannek (USA), Sarah Potomak (CAN), and Lee Stecklein (USA).
Gopher alumna Taylor Wente signs with MN Whitecaps
We also send congratulations and wishes of good luck to Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Taylor Wente, who signed with the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation for the remainder of the 2022-2023 season.
Wente becomes the fifth Gopher playing in the PHF this year, all with the Whitecaps, joining Sydney Baldwin, Olivia Knowles, Amanda Leveille, and Patti Marshall (though, as noted in the press release, Leveille was placed on long-term injured reserve).
Other WCHA Quarterfinal Pairings...
Best 2-out-of-3 / Friday, Saturday, and (if necessary) Sunday, February 24-26
#5-seed St. Cloud State University at #4-seed University of Minnesota Duluth
Friday at 3:00 p.m. CT / Saturday at 5:00 p.m. CT / Sunday at 3:00 p.m. CT
#8-seed Bemidji State University at #1-seed Ohio State University
Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET / Saturday & Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET
#6-seed Minnesota State University at #3-seed University of Wisconsin
Friday at 7:00 p.m. CT / Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT / Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT
More information from the league is available here.
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