Power Play Club

Chalk Talk – this Saturday, October 19 at 1:30 p.m.
Here's one more reminder that all enrolled Power Play Club members are invited to join us at the first of our club-exclusive Chalk Talks this Saturday, October 19, at 1:30 p.m. in the Ridder Arena weight room on the suite (upper) level. We will hear from one of the GWH coaches as we discuss team strategy and the previous night's contest against Wisconsin.

PPC membership remains open for 2024-2025 season
Speaking of membership enrollment, you can still register for the Power Play Club at either level for the 2024-2025 season.

We are still looking for additional Locker Sponsors! You can have your name placed on a player's or coach's locker and attend a special meal with the team in January by committing to a minimum $600 donation (per locker) and contacting Bob Milligan at milligandanes@gmail.com as soon as possible (though do not submit a donation at this time).

Or you can sign-up for a Basic Membership with a minimum donation of $50, enrolling online at z.umn.edu/PPC24; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. Offline registration is also available by downloading the form here and sending it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".

Goals for a Goal
We are also looking for additional pledges to the Goals for a Goal program – a pledge-per-goal campaign for additional financial support for the team. Entering this weekend's Border Battle, the Gophers have lit the lamp 17 times, including twice on the power play. Use the online form at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal to submit your pledge for each goal scored this year, with the option to double your pledge for power play tallies! Following the conclusion of the season, you will receive an email with your pledge total and giving instructions. Thanks and GO GOPHERS!!

Border Battle!
#3/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-1-1, 0-1-1-0 WCHA)
vs.
#1/1 Wisconsin Badgers (6-0-0, 2-0-0-0)
Friday, October 18 at 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, October 19 at 3:00 p.m. (CT)
Ridder Arena

The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey team returns to Ridder Arena for the first of two Border Battle series this season, squaring off against the top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. The puck will drop tomorrow evening, Friday, October 18 at 6:00 p.m., and action continues on Saturday, October 19, at 3:00 p.m.

Milestone watch continues – The Golden Gophers are still looking for their 500th WCHA victory all-time. Minnesota has a 499-108-50 record in league play through last weekend.

Beach Towel Ticket Package (Friday) – A special Goldy Gopher beach towel ticket package is still available for tomorrow evening's (Friday, 10/18) game against Wisconsin. The package is $17 per ticket (plus fees), and can be ordered here.

Game coverage – Friday's game will have video streaming through the B1G+ subscription service here, and Saturday's contest will be televised on Big Ten Network; check with your cable or satellite TV provider for availability. Both games will have free audio play-by-play streaming via GopherSports.com (Friday / Saturday). Live stats will also be available via GopherSports.com.

Last year against Wisconsin – The Gophers and Badgers split their series at Ridder Arena last December, with Minnesota taking the opener, 5-3, and Wisconsin responding the next day, 5-1. However, the Gophers earned only one standings point in Madison in February, falling 4-3 in OT and 4-0. The two squads met a fifth time in the WCHA Final Faceoff semifinals, with the Badgers again winning 4-3 in OT.

Josefin Bouveng was Minnesota's high scorer against Wisconsin, tallying six points on four goals & two assists. Abbey Murphy (2g, 3a) and Nelli Laitinen (1g, 4a) each added five points, but no other Gopher recorded more than two points. Kirsten Simms led the Badgers, hitting a double-digit point total across the five contests with 6 goals and 4 assists. Lacey Eden added 7 points with 4 goals & 3 assists, and Casey O'Brien tallied 5 points (2g, 3a). In net for the Gophers, Skylar Vetter made 105 saves across three of the games but yielded 13 goals, posting an .890 save percentage and 4.12 goals-against average; Lucy Morgan earned the win in the first contest, but recorded only an .896 SV% and 3.50 GAA in her two starts. Minnesota tagged UW netminder Jane Gervais for 8 goals on 51 shots in her two starts – a 3.99 GAA and an .843 SV%, but Ava McNaughton earned three wins with a 1.29 GAA and .938 SV%, stopping 60 of 64 shots.

Analyzing the Badgers – After finishing second in the 2023-2024 WCHA regular season standings, upsetting Ohio State for the league's Final Faceoff Championship, and completing last year as NCAA runner-up, Wisconsin was #1 in the USA Hockey / The Rink Live preseason poll. They have gotten off to a hot start to the new season, lighting the lamp 46 times in just six games and becoming the unanimous #1 team in both national rankings.

Fifth-year player Casey O'Brien (#26) is the Badgers' points and assists leader early on with 17 & 12, respectively, plus 5 goals of her own. Junior Laila Edwards (#10) is tied with a team-high 6 goals; her 7 assists put her second in total scoring with 13 points. Redshirt senior Lacey Eden (#6) also has 6 goals plus 6 assists; she is tied with junior Caroline Harvey (#4; 4g, 8a) and sophomore Kelly Gorbatenko (#7; 3g, 9a) at 12 points apiece.

Sophomore Ava McNaughton (#30) has been the Badgers' starter for all six games so far this year; she has one shutout, a 1.13 goals-against average, and a .942 save percentage. Redshirt sophomore Chloe Baker (#32) and graduate transfer Quinn Kuntz (#35) have each seen a period of relief action, both against Lindenwood. Baker made 5 saves in their season opener, only her second official collegiate appearance. Kuntz stopped 3 shots in the rematch against the Lions; previously as an Ohio State Buckeye, she was 5-0-0 in her five starts in 2022-2023 with three shutouts, but only saw one period of action (against Bemidji State) last season.

Last weekend for Wisconsin – A top-five matchup against Minnesota Duluth in Madison remained one-sided as the Badgers swept the Bulldogs, 5-1 & 7-3. Laney Potter, Laila Edwards, and Cassie Hall each tallied two goals & two assists, Caroline Harvey added a goal & three helpers, and Maggie Scannell lit the lamp twice and dished out an assist. Ava McNaughton stopped 53 of 57 shots to earn both victories. Olivia Mobley scored twice for UMD in game two of the series.

Gophers lose to Ohio State in opener, tie Buckeyes in rematch
A trip to Columbus turned into a tough weekend for the Gopher Women's Hockey team. Minnesota lost to Ohio State, 4-3, in the series opener. They played the Buckeyes to a 1-1 tie in the rematch, but OSU took the "bonus" WCHA standings point with a 2-1 result in a seven-round shootout.

The Buckeyes took an early lead on Friday as Joy Dunne scored 3:28 into the contest, but Abbey Murphy lit the lamp just 96 second later to knot the score. However, Jocelyne Amos put Ohio State back in the lead just before the first intermission and Kiara Zanon doubled OSU's advantage with a second-period power-play goal. Emma Kreisz cut the Gophers' deficit to 3-2 at the 2:16 mark of the third stanza, but Jenna Buglioni pushed the Buckeye lead back to two with another power-play goal four minutes later. A extra-attacker tally by Gracie Graham with 9.5 seconds was not enough as OSU controlled the subsequent faceoff to run out the clock. Skylar Vetter made 21 saves for Minnesota, while Amanda Thiele stopped 24 shots for Ohio State.

Minnesota again found themselves down a goal early in the rematch as OSU's Jordyn Petrie lit the lamp at the 4:08 mark of the first period; however, that was the only goal yielded by Hannah Clark as she stopped 29 shots, including five in overtime. The Gophers trailed for nearly 40 minutes before Josefin Bouveng evened the score with a rebound goal early in the third period. Thiele made 28 saves for the Buckeyes, resulting in the 1-1 tie. Going to the shootout, Dunne put the Buckeyes up 1-0 after round 1, but Murphy knotted it up in round 3; after three more rounds without a goal on either side, Amos gave Ohio State the extra point, scoring in round 7.

We recognize freshman defender Gracie Graham (pictured) for scoring her first collegiate goal last Friday in Columbus! Congratulations, Gracie!!

Around the WCHA...

Tommies sweep Mavericks in home-and-home series – Cara Sajevic lit the lamp twice Friday, Chloe Boreen recorded a goal & two assists over the weekend, and Calla Frank stopped 53 of a combined 58 shots as St. Thomas defeated Minnesota State, 4-3 in Mendota Heights and 3-2 in Mankato. Whitney Tuttle netted three of MSU's five goals.

SCSU shuts out BSU – Alice Sauriol tallied both game-winning goals for St. Cloud State, Friday's coming short-handed and unassisted, and assisted on an empty-netter. Meanwhile, Huskies goaltenders Sanni Ahola and Emilia Kyrkkö stopped all 31 shots they faced in the series to sweep Bemidji State, 1-0 and 2-0. Beavers netminder Kaitlin Groess made a combined 47 saves in the series.

Upcoming games – In Friday and Saturday action, Minnesota Duluth hosts St. Thomas in a matinee series, Ohio State goes on the road to face St. Cloud State, and Bemidji State hosts Lindenwood in non-conference play. Next Tuesday (10/22), the Buckeyes will host a non-conference game against Mercyhurst, the first half of a home-and-home series (to be concluded in December). Minnesota State is idle.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on X at x.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on X at x.com/GopherWHockey.