2024-2025 GWH Locker Sponsor selections due September 1
We provide a reminder that "pre-enrollment" for our Locker Sponsorship program is open, as we once again look forward to sponsoring the lockers of all 26 Gopher Women's Hockey players and raise funds for the program. Each sponsorship requires a minimum donation of $600, for which a placard with the sponsor's name is placed on the player's locker and all sponsors are invited to a special event (this season scheduled for January 11).
This year, we ask that you send your top three (3) locker sponsorship preferences to Bob Milligan (milligandanes@gmail.com) by September 1; however, you will not receive an invoice for your donation from the Golden Gopher Fund until after November 1, 2024. See the full GWH roster here.
PPC Board of Directors Meeting – Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 7 pm
The next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is scheduled for Tuesday, September 3 at 7:00 p.m. CT and will be held online on Zoom. PPC board meetings are open to all enrolled club members; 2023-2024 registration will apply for all off-season meetings this summer. This will be the last meeting before the start of the 2024-2025 season. If you are interested in attending, please contact club president Bill Johnson at billjohnson013@gmail.com or vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.
Amanda Kessel named 2024 M Club Hall of Fame inductee,
will not play in PWHL after front office promotion from Penguins
Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Amanda Kessel was named one of eight members of the Gopher Athletics M Club Hall of Fame Class of 2024 yesterday.
Kessel collected a number of honors over her collegiate career with the Gophers, including winning the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Award and three NCAA championships (2012, 2013 & 2016). She was also a two-time All-American, 2013 WCHA Player of the Year, 2011 WCHA Rookie of the Year and 2012-2013 WCHA scoring champion. Her 248 career points and 11 short-handed goals both remain second in the Gopher Women's Hockey records; she is also in the top 10 in several other scoring categories, and she is one of only three players (joining Natalie Darwitz & Krissy Wendell) to exceed the century mark for points in a season when she lit the lamp 46 times and dished out 55 assists in 2012-2013.
As a member of the USA Hockey program, Kessel was a three-time Olympian, winning gold in 2018 and recording 15 points (6g, 9a) in total. Over seven IIHF Women's World Championships, Kessel recorded 59 career points (20g, 39a) and won four gold medals. Professionally, Kessel played two seasons in the NWHL with the New York / Metropolitan Riveters and two years in the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).
However, despite making herself eligible for the 2024 PWHL Draft and being selected 41st overall in the seventh round by Montréal, Kessel will apparently not being playing in the upcoming season, per reporting yesterday by The Hockey News. As part of a broad announcement by the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, Kessel was promoted to be their Manager of Minor League Operations and assistant GM of the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Kessel has spent two previous seasons in the Penguins organization, serving last year as Special Assistant to the General Manager in Pittsburgh.
The M Club Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, September 6, at Williams Arena. We send Amanda congratulations on the honor and also wish her much success in her new position with the Penguins!
Primerano records 5 points for Canada's U-18 Selects; Three Gophers dish out assists in Collegiate Series
Incoming Gopher freshman defender Chloe Primerano was one of two Canadian players to tally five (5) points in last week's U-18 Series in Thorold, Ontario. Primerano lit the lamp twice and dished out an assist in Canada's 4-2 opening win over Team USA Wednesday, then added an assist in their 3-1 win Thursday and another in their 4-3 shootout loss Saturday. She also converted on one of two shootout attempts in the finale.
Gophers Ella Huber (USA) and Gracie Graham (CAN) each recorded an assist in the opening contest of the Collegiate Series, with Huber's helper coming on the game-winning goal for an American 4-3 overtime victory. Canada won the second game Thursday by a 5-3 score to even the series and took a 1-0 lead in Saturday's deciding third contest, but Team USA responded with seven unanswered goals – five on the power play – for a 7-1 win; new Gopher Sydney Morrow dished out a PP assist.
The "senior" national teams for the U.S. and Canada are scheduled to play a five-game Rivalry Series starting in November and continuing in February, before the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship in April in České Budějovice, Czechia. The 2025 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship will be held January 4 through 12 in Vantaa, Finland.
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