Power Play Club

Locker Sponsor update – Invoices coming soon

We thank all of our fellow club members who have committed to be Locker Sponsors for the 2024-2025 season! Sponsors are encouraged to watch their email inboxes, as sponsorship donation invoices including remittance instructions are expected next week (week of November 3). Your support of the Gopher Women's Hockey team through this program is very much appreciated!!

Looking ahead... Brunch with the Coaches, January 4

The Power Play Club's annual Brunch with the Coaches returns, scheduled for Saturday, January 4 at 8:45 a.m., before the second day of the East-West Showcase. We will be joined by and hear from Bemidji State University assistant coach and Beavers alumna Emma Sobieck, plus GWH head coach Brad Frost.

Tickets for the brunch are $30 per person. Cash or checks – made payable to the Power Play Club – are preferred. You can register at the PPC table on the Ridder Arena concourse during Gopher home games through December, or download the form here and mail it in with your payment to the address listed by December 28.

Goals for a Goal

Lighting the lamp 11 times last weekend, including two power-play conversions, the Gophers have tallied 31 goals this season, with five (5) coming on the power play! Help us with a conversion of our own, turning those goals into donations to the GWH program through our Goals for a Goal pledge-per-goal program! 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!!

#3/3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3-1, 2-3-1-0 WCHA)
at Bemidji State University Beavers (1-8-1, 0-6-0-0)
Friday, November 1 at 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 2 at 2:00 p.m.
Sanford Center – Bemidji

The Gopher Women's Hockey team heads back out on the road, travelling northward to face the Bemidji State University Beavers at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, the first two of five scheduled meetings this season. The series begins with a Friday afternoon matinee on November 1 at 3:00 p.m., then continues on Saturday, November 2 at 2:00 p.m.

Game coverage – Both games will have video streaming through the B1G+ subscription service (Friday / Saturday). Saturday's contest will also be televised in the Twin Cities and surrounding area on Fox 9+. Free audio play-by-play for both games will be streamed (Friday / Saturday) and live stats will be available via GopherSports.com.

Last year against Bemidji State – The Gophers took care of business in their four-game sweep of the Beavers last year. Offense was the story for Minnesota last December in 9-2 & 9-1 victories at Ridder Arena. Scores were tighter when the teams met in Bemidji in January, but the Gophers still earned 2-0 & 3-1 wins.

Abbey Murphy was Minnesota's scoring leader against BSU, posting 8 points on 4 goals and 4 assists (all coming in the two games at Ridder). Ava Lindsay also lit the lamp 4 times and dished out 3 assists, while Peyton Hemp added 2 goals and 5 helpers. Four others – Josefin Bouveng (4g, 2a), Emma Kreisz (2g, 4a), and Ella Huber (1g, 5a) – each tallied 6 points. Bemidji State's line of Genevieve Hendrickson, Talya Hendrickson, and Kate Johnson accounted for all their scoring in the December series, each recording a goal and assisting on the other two.

Between the pipes, Skylar Vetter & Lucy Morgan each started two games, though Morgan also made a brief relief appearance in the first contest as Vetter resolved an equipment issue. Vetter stopped 41 of 44 shots in her two appearances for a .932 save percentage and 1.54 goals-against average. Morgan made 49 saves on 50 shots, earning one shutout and recording a .980 SV% and 0.49 GAA. Abbie Thompson saw 4 periods of action for Bemidji State in the series in Minneapolis, yielding 11 goals on 63 shots (.825 SV%, 8.25 GAA), while Eva Filippova appeared in all four games (starting three), allowing 12 goals on 102 shots (.882 SV%, 4.62 GAA).

Analyzing the Beavers – After a tough 2023-2024 season which saw Bemidji State finish with a 4-30-2 overall record and a last-place 3-24-1 mark in WCHA play, Jim Scanlon announced his departure as head coach, turning the reins over to BSU alumna Amber Fryklund, a long-time assistant. Unfortunately for the Beavers, they continue to struggle, going only 1-8-1 so far this year with their only success coming in a non-conference series against Lindenwood. They've been outscored 36-14 across all games (24-2 in WCHA action) and are still looking for their first standings point in league play (after six games).

Part of the Beavers' scoring drought stems from the graduation of four of their top five players from last season. Sophomore Hailey Armstrong (#29) and redshirt freshman (and former Gopher) Isa Goettl (#9) each have five points in their first 10 games this year; Armstrong has a team-high four goals plus an assist, while Goettl has 3 goals and 2 helpers. Sophomore Riley Reeves (#18; 2g, 2a) and freshman Morgan Smith (#21; 1g, 3a) have four points apiece.

Bemidji State's goaltending corps has gone through a makeover as well. Only sophomore Eva Filippova (#30) remains from last year's roster, but despite starting 20 of their 36 games during her freshman season and posting team bests in goals-against average (4.31) and save percentage (.880) with a 4-15-1 record and one shutout, she has yet to play in 2024-2025. Rather, freshman Kaitlin Groess (#1) has come in to be the primary netminder for the Beavers so far this year, earning the team's lone win in seven starts (1-6-0) while posting a 2.88 GAA and .916 SV%. Josie Bothun (#33) joined the BSU roster as a graduate transfer from Penn State; she's 0-2-0 in her two starts, yielding 12 goals on 64 shots (5.88 GAA, .813 SV%). Another freshman, Lauren Mooney (#35), stopped 21 of 24 shots (.875 SV%) in a 3-3 overtime tie against Lindenwood.

Last action for Bemidji State – For the second time this year, the Beavers were shut out in both games of a road series, being swept by Wisconsin, 4-0 & 6-0. Lacey Eden tallied two goals and an assist, and Cassie Hall and Kirsten Simms each added a goal & three helpers for the Badgers. Ava McNaughton needed only 21 saves (combined) to earn both shutouts, while Kaitlin Groess stopped 77 shots for BSU.

Gophers sweep Mavericks, earn program's 500th WCHA victory

Though only playing one of two games at Ridder Arena, Homecoming weekend at the U. was good for the Gopher Women's Hockey team as they swept a home-and-home series against Minnesota State, winning 8-2 and 3-2 (OT).

Natalie Mlynkova contributed on both ends of the series, opening the scoring Friday just 43 seconds into the contest and assisting on Saturday's overtime game-winner by Peyton Hemp; Mlynkova led the Gophers with 2 goals and 2 assists against the Mavericks. Hemp's OT goal at the 2:01 mark of the extra period Saturday was the third time she lit the lamp in the series, earlier converting a pair of power plays (one in each game). Josefin Bouveng & Abbey Murphy each added a goal and three helpers, Ella Huber tallied a goal and two assists, and Lauren O'Hara, Madison Kaiser, and Ava Lindsay also scored. Saturday's win was in a come-from-behind fashion; trailing 2-1 past the midway point of the third, Lindsay corralled a long stretch pass from Sydney Morrow and put the puck past MSU goalie Jessie McPherson to knot the score and force the overtime. Hannah Clark made 18 saves Friday, while Skylar Vetter stopped 13 shots Saturday and also earned an offensive assist on Lindsay's goal. Whitney Tuttle and Madison Mashuga each recorded a goal and two assists in the series for Minnesota State, Hailey Hansen made 27 saves Friday, and McPherson stopped 34 shots Saturday.

Friday's victory over the Mavericks was the 500th for the Gopher Women's Hockey program in WCHA league play. After Saturday's win, Minnesota has a 501-110-50 record all-time in conference action. We congratulate current GWH head coach Brad Frost, inaugural head coach Laura Halldorson, and all Gopher players past and present who contributed to this milestone achievement!

Primerano named to Canadian roster for Rivalry Series

We send congratulations and wishes of good luck to Minnesota Women's Hockey freshman defender Chloe Primerano upon being named to the Canada Women's National Hockey Team roster for the upcoming Rivalry Series games against Team USA. Primerano is the youngest member of the Canadian lineup for the games at Tech CU Arena in San Jose, CA, next Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. CT; the Maverik Center in West Valley, UT, on Friday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. CT; and Idaho Central Arena in Boise, ID, on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. CT.

We provide a reminder that current Gopher forward Abbey Murphy and alumnae Taylor Heise, Kelly Pannek, and Grace Zumwinkle were selected to the U.S. National Team roster for next week's games.

We'll have another look at the Rivalry Series in next week's Penalty Box Post. For those considering travelling to the games, tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster; links for the individual games can be found on the USA Hockey website. NHL Network will have television coverage of all three contests.

Around the WCHA...

Ohio State wins Icebreaker Tournament – Two very different games both resulted in Buckeye victories to claim the Icebreaker Tournament championship. OSU dominated the Stonehill College Skyhawks 11-0 in the semifinal round Friday, outshooting them 72-9; they then scored seven times on only 25 shots in a 7-3 victory over Cornell in Saturday's title game. Joy Dunne led Ohio State with 3 goals & 3 assists, Sloane Matthews added 2 goals and 4 helpers, and Jocelyne Amos (3g, 2a), Maddie Wheeler (1g, 4a) and Kiara Zanon (1g, 4a) each tallied 5 points.

Tommies take two points from Huskies – A week after claiming two WCHA standings points from Ohio State, St. Cloud State yielded two points to St. Thomas this past weekend. The teams played to a 1-1 tie on Friday; Maddie Brown put UST up 1-0 in the second period, but Avery Farrell knotted the score for SCSU in the third. After a scoreless overtime, the Tommies won the subsequent shootout, 3-2 in six rounds, with Haley Maxwell netting the deciding goal. In Saturday's rematch, Abby Promersberger scored for St. Cloud State against her former team, and Laura Zimmermann & Greta Henderson pushed the lead to 3-0 in the third; Chloe Boreen scored on a late St. Thomas power play, but they fell 3-1. SCSU netminder Emilia Kyrkkö stopped 42 of 44 shots across the two contests, while UST's Dani Strom made a combined 59 saves on 63 shots.

Upcoming games – All eight teams are in league play with action Friday & Saturday. St. Thomas hosts Ohio State, Wisconsin visits St. Cloud State, and Minnesota Duluth heads to Mankato to face Minnesota State.

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.