Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Sunday, February 23, 2025
2025 WCHA playoff quarterfinal pairings set; Minnesota to host Minnesota State in best-of-three series
Upon completion of yesterday's games (Saturday, February 22), the Gopher Women's Hockey team finished as the #3 seed for the WCHA playoffs, posting a 19-8-1-0 conference record (1-0 in OT). As a result, the Gophers will face Minnesota State in a best-of-3 conference quarterfinal series at Ridder Arena next weekend, a repeat meeting from last year.
Game times are set for...
Friday, February 28 at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 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 package, and should contact the U. of M. Ticket Office at 1-800-U-GOPHER with any questions or concerns. Tickets for each of the three contests are available to purchase on the ticket office website.
All-session packages and single-session tickets for the 2025 WCHA Final Faceoff, being played at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, are on sale through the UMD Ticketmaster site; please refer to the website for prices.
Game times are set as follows:
Semifinal Game 1: Friday, March 7 at 1:02 p.m. CT
Semifinal Game 2: Friday, March 7 at 4:32 p.m. CT (approximately)
Championship Game: Saturday, March 8 at 2:02 p.m. CT
Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the AMSOIL Arena box office or by phone at 218-726-8595.
2025 NCAA Frozen Four, March 21 & 23 at Ridder Arena – We provide a reminder that the University of Minnesota is hosting the NCAA Frozen Four in Minneapolis, and tickets are on sale through the U. of M. Ticket Office. All-session packages are SOLD OUT, but single-day tickets are still available in limited quantities (standing room only for the semifinals).
Other WCHA quarterfinal pairings...
Best 2-out-of-3 / Friday, Saturday, and (if necessary) Sunday, February 28-March 2
#5-seed St. Cloud State University at #4-seed University of Minnesota Duluth
Friday at 2:00 p.m. CT / Saturday & Sunday at 1:00 p.m. CT
#7-seed University of St. Thomas at #2-seed Ohio State University
Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET / Saturday & Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET
#8-seed Bemidji State University at #1-seed University of Wisconsin
Friday at 7:00 p.m. CT / Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CT / Sunday at 2:00 p.m. CT
More information about the entire WCHA Playoff Tournament is available here.
Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Friday, February 21, 2025
Nine (9) Gophers named WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award winners
Following up on naming its All-Academic Team earlier this week, the WCHA announced its 2024-2025 Scholar-Athlete Award winners featuring 91 student-athletes, including 9 members of the Gopher Women's Hockey team. We send our congratulations to Allie Franco, Peyton Hemp, Elly Klepinger, Nelli Laitinen, Ava Lindsay, Maggie Nicholson, Lauren O'Hara, Skylar Vetter & Audrey Wethington. Again, great job, ladies!!
To qualify, student-athletes must have a GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in their previous two semesters or three quarters and have achieved at least sophomore status in their academic careers. The WCHA Scholar-Athletes are selected with the help of the Faculty Athletic Representatives from each of the member institutions.
Wethington nominated to Allstate/NACDA Good Works Team
Gopher Women's Hockey fifth-year forward Audrey Wethington was named one of 193 nominees for the inaugural AllState / National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Good Works Winter Team, as announced yesterday morning.
The 193 student-athletes, representing five intercollegiate divisions, were nominated by athletics administrators, conference office staff, and coaches. Each nominee was chosen for embodying leadership, service, and character. The full list of nominees can be found here (PDF file).
A distinguished Selection Committee will choose 10 female and 10 male student-athletes from the nominees as the final 2024-2025 Allstate NACDA Good Works Winter Team. Two similar groups for the fall and spring sports seasons will also be selected from their respective nominee lists. These teams “build on the legacy of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®, which has celebrated college football players' good work off the field since 1992.”
We also note that Wethington has played in 166 career games for the Gophers through last weekend, putting her in a tie for 8th in the U. of M. record books. Tonight's contest, her 167th, moves her into a three-way tie for sixth place.
Congratulations on your nomination, Audrey!!
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