March 7, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Monday, March 7, 2021

March 7, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Monday, March 7, 2021

Gophers fall to Wisconsin in WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal;
Badgers defeat Ohio State in OT for 9th conference tournament title

The Gopher Women's Hockey team fell to Wisconsin, 5-3, in the WCHA Final Faceoff semifinals on Saturday. The Badgers then earned a modicum of revenge by defeating Ohio State in a WCHA Playoff Championship rematch, 3-2 in overtime. The win is the 9th conference playoff title in Wisconsin program's history.

In their semifinal game, the Badgers took the initial lead on a first-period goal by Sophie Shirley, then doubled it 7 minutes into the second period when Makenna Webster lit the lamp. The Gophers got on the board just 86 seconds later on an Abbey Murphy goal, but Webster pushed the Wisconsin lead back to two with a power play marker late in the stanza. Amy Potomak put home a rebound goal 1:35 into the third frame, but a bad bounce gave UW's Lacey Eden an open Gopher net to make it 4-2 at the 5:12 mark. Grace Zumwinkle cut Minnesota's deficit to one a third time, scoring with 4:31 remaining, but a Gopher defensive zone clearing attempt in the final minute went awry and the puck deflected off of Lauren Bench into the net; Britta Curl was credited with the goal. Makayla Pahl started between the pipes for Minnesota, making 12 saves over the first 40 minutes, and Bench stopped 6 shots in relief; Wisconsin's Kennedy Blair made 23 saves.

In the second semifinal, Ohio State's Emma Maltais and Minnesota Duluth's Katie Davis traded first-period goals, but the Buckeyes tied an all-time WCHA single-period playoff record with a 5-goal eruption in the second frame, en route to a 7-2 victory. Maltais and linemate Tatum Skaggs each finished with 2 goals and 2 assists in the contest, while Liz Schepers added a goal and 2 helpers.

As mentioned above, the Badgers and Buckeyes net in the title game for the second-straight year, with OSU coming in as the defending champion. Daryl Watts gave Wisconsin two separate one-goal leads, but Jennifer Gardiner and Sophie Jaques responded for Ohio State to even the score both times. Going to overtime tied 2-2, the Badgers' Delaney Drake found a loose puck, tap-passed it to Eden, and Eden blew it past Buckeye goaltender Andrea Brändli just 42 seconds into the extra period to claim the title.

All-Tournament Team – Here's the list of players named to the WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament Team.

F - Daryl Watts, Wisconsin
F - Emma Maltais, Ohio State
F - Lacey Eden, Wisconsin
D - Chayla Edwards, Wisconsin
D - Sophie Jaques, Ohio State
G - Kennedy Blair, Wisconsin
Most Outstanding Player: Daryl Watts

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Minnesota misses out on NCAA Tournament

With the loss to Wisconsin in the WCHA semifinal, the Gopher Women's Hockey season came to an unfortunate conclusion as the team did not receive an invitation to this year's NCAA Tournament. It's the first time the team has not made the field since 2007.

Here's the list of the quarterfinal pairings for this year's tournament. Due to the pandemic, all matchups will take place at Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, PA, site of the Frozen Four. The quarterfinals will occur on Monday and Tuesday, March 15 & 16, while the semifinals and championship schedule has been moved up a day to Thursday and Saturday, March 18 & 20. Video from quarterfinal games will be streamed on NCAA.com.

#1 Northeastern University (20-1-1) vs. Robert Morris
Monday, March 15 at 2 p.m. EDT / 1 p.m. CDT

#4 Colgate (15-6-1) vs. Minnesota Duluth (11-6-0)
Monday, March 15 at 7 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. CDT

#2 Wisconsin (14-3-1) vs. Providence College (12-7-1)
Tuesday, March 15 at 2 p.m. EDT / 1 p.m. CDT

#3 Ohio State (12-6-0) vs. Boston College (14-5-0)
Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. CDT

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Copyright © 2021 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.
Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Power Play Club

March 6, 2021

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, March 5, 2021

Power Play Club

March 6, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Friday, March 5th

Five Gophers named to 2020-2021 All-WCHA teams;
15 Minnesota players earn All-Academic team honors

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association named its All-WCHA teams and its All-Academic Team for the 2020-2021 season on Wednesday. We congratulate the Gopher Women's Hockey players named to the teams:

First Team – senior Grace Zumwinkle
Second Team – senior Emily Brown
Third Team – sophomore Madeline Wethington
All-Rookie Team – freshmen Abbey Murphy & Josey Dunne

WCHA All-Academic Team – Abigail Boreen, Emily Brown, Taylor Heise, Crystalyn Hengler, Olivia King, Olivia Knowles, Emily Oden, Gracie Ostertag, Makayla Pahl, Amy Potomak, Sydney Shearen, Catie Skaja, Taylor Wente, Madeline Wethington, and Grace Zumwinkle

To qualify for the WCHA All-Academic Team, student-athletes must have completed one year of eligibility at their present institution, prior to the current academic year and have a GPA of at least 3.0 for the previous two semesters or three quarters.

The WCHA also announced its end-of-season individual award winners yesterday, with the overall Player of the Year expected to be named later today.

Offensive Player of the Year & Scoring Champion: Daryl Watts, Wisconsin
Defensive Player of the Year: Ashton Bell, Minnesota Duluth
Goaltender of the Year & Goaltending Champion: Emma Söderberg, Minnesota Duluth
Rookie of the Year: Jamie Nelson, Minnesota State
Student-Athlete of the Year: Mak Langei, Bemidji State
Coach of the Year: Mark Johnson, Wisconsin

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Zumwinkle earns WCHA monthly award for February

Prior to being named to the All-WCHA First Team in recognition of her performance over the entire regular season, Gopher Women's Hockey senior Grace Zumwinkle was honored as the WCHA Forward of the Month for February. During the month, Zumwinkle led the league with 11 points, seven goals – including a hat trick on Feb. 19 against Bemidji State, 28 shots on goal, and a +9 rating in six games. She netted at least one goal in five of those six contests. We send our additional congratulations on this award!!

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2021 IIHF Women's World Championship pushed back to May

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and Hockey Canada announced yesterday (Thursday, March 4) that the 2021 Women's World Championship is now scheduled for May 6-16, roughly a month later than its original dates. The tournament will be played in Halifax and Truro, Nova Scotia, the locations that had been selected to host the 2020 tournament before it was cancelled.

Some logistical hurdles have already been overcome, as the national associations for the 10 qualifying teams committed to their participation and held virtual meetings with the IIHF to evaluate the capabilities to travel. That said, final approvals from Canadian federal and provincial authorities still have to be provided, including exemptions to the federal quarantine act.

The announcement from the IIHF indicates it anticipates a limited number of fans may be able to attend games. In a separate letter, Hockey Canada and the Scotiabank Centre indicated that people whom are already ticket holders would be contacted again directly once the specifics of spectator capacities become available.

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PWHPA regional teams take to the ice in Chicago for second showcase

Team adidas and Team Women's Sports Foundation, the respective squads from the Minnesota & New Hampshire regional training hubs of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, head to Chicago for another showcase weekend and two-game series, following the initial showcase of the 2021 Secret® Dream Gap Tour last weekend in the New York-New Jersey area.

Gopher alumna Gigi Marvin recorded a goal and an assist for Team WSF in last Saturday's contest at Protec Ponds Ice Center in Somerset, NJ, but Kelly Pannek dished out an assist as part of a four-goal, third-period rally by Team adidas to win 5-2. Amanda Kessel tallied her own goal and assist for the New Hampshire team as they won Sunday's game at Madison Square Garden, 4-3.

The action this upcoming weekend begins on Saturday, with the same two teams meeting at United Center at 2 p.m. CT The game will be televised live on NBC Sports Network, featuring an all-female broadcast crew. The second contest of the showcase will be played on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. CT at Fifth Third Arena, with live video streaming available at cbcsports.ca

Power Play Club

March 3, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Power Play Club

March 3, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, March 2nd

2021 WCHA Final Face-off at Ridder Arena

Semifinals – Saturday, March 6
#2/1 Wisconsin (1st seed) vs. #4 Minnesota (4th seed) – 1:07 p.m.
#5 Minnesota Duluth (2nd seed) vs. #3 Ohio State (3rd seed) – 5:07 p.m.

Championship – Sunday, March 7 at 2:07 p.m.

The WCHA Final Faceoff returns to Ridder Arena for the sixth-consecutive year. On Saturday, March 6, top-seeded Wisconsin will face the Gopher Women's Hockey team in the first semifinal at 1:07 p.m., while Minnesota Duluth and Ohio State square off at 5:07 p.m. The winners will advance to the WCHA Championship on Sunday, March 7, at 2:07 p.m.

Spectator attendance will be limited to team guests only. No tickets will be available for public sale.

Video and audio streaming – Video of all three Final Faceoff games will be streamed by FloHockey; subscription and schedule information can be found at FloSports.tv, and one-month subscriptions are available. Free, live audio will be available for the Gophers' games through Golden Gophers All-Access.

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How they got here...

Minnesota finishes regular season in fourth place
Though the Gopher Women's Hockey team posted a 9-0-0 record against Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State, their 2-7-1 mark in 10 contests against Wisconsin and Ohio State resulted in a .632 points percentage, only good enough for fourth in the WCHA standings. The Gophers are on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, sitting 6th in the RPI ratings going into this weekend, and may need to win the Final Faceoff for their season to continue to the national quarterfinals. Senior Grace Zumwinkle scored a league-leading 16 goals, tied with 4 game-winning goals, and was second with 23 total points; on a per-game basis, Zumwinkle was second in goals (0.84) and fifth in point (1.21). A nice surprise came from the blueline, as junior Crystalyn Hengler netted a league-high 3 power-play goals. Freshman Abbey Murphy led WCHA rookie scoring, recording 17 points on 7 goals and 10 assists. In net, Lauren Bench posted a 9-5-0 record with .924 save percentage and 2.16 goals-against average, placing 3rd and 4th in the WCHA for those respective metrics (with a minimum of 33% of team minutes played); Makayla Pahl was just below the playing time threshold to qualify for the lists, but went 2-2-1 with a 1.75 GAA and .935 SV%.

Minnesota Duluth benefitted from playing 10 of its 16 regular-season games against BSU, MSU, and SCSU, going 9-1-0 in those games. Combined with a 2-4-0 record against Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Minnesota, the Bulldogs finished 2nd in the league standings with a .708 point percentage. Still, the unbalanced schedule places UMD 9th in the RPI ratings, and they likely need to claim the WCHA Championship to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Junior Emma Söderberg earned the league's Goaltending Champion award with a 1.35 goals-against average and .951 save percentage, playing all but one period of action for the Bulldogs. Senior Anna Klein and junior Gabbie Hughes both posted 21-point seasons, with Klein recording 11 goals and 10 assists while Hughes lit the lamp 10 times and dished out 11 helpers.

Ohio State finished third in WCHA play with a .667 points percentage and 11-5-0 records. The Buckeyes didn't have a losing record against any opponent, splitting 4 games against Wisconsin & 2 against UMD, posting a 4-2-0 record against Minnesota, and sweeping a combined 4 games against Bemidji State & Minnesota State. The Buckeyes took advantage of timely goaltending, yielding no more than 2 goals in each of their 11 wins; junior Andrea Brändli was 9-5-0 in her 14 starts with a 1.91 goals-against average and .923 save percentage, while freshman Amanda Thiele won both of her two starts, posting a 0.90 GAA and .964 SV%. Offensively, five Buckeyes tallied double-digit points, with senior Tatum Skaggs leading the way with 13 (6g, 7a) while freshman Jenna Buglioni lit the lamp 7 times and dished out 5 assists (12 pts).

Wisconsin claimed their second-straight WCHA Regular-Season Championship this past weekend with a split against Minnesota Duluth (more on that shortly). Along with the aforementioned four-game split with Ohio State, a 3-0-1 record against Minnesota, and sweeps of Bemidji State, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State, the Badgers posted a 12-3-1 record and the championship-winning .750 points percentage. Senior and past Patty Kazmaier Award winner Daryl Watts earned the title of WCHA Scoring Champion with 31 points on 15 goals and 16 assists. Junior Sophie Shirley also passed the 20-point mark, tallying 9 goals & 13 assists, while senior Brette Pettet lit the lamp 10 times and added 9 assists. Kennedy Blair played all but one period of action in net for the Badgers, finishing second in the league in both goals-against average and save percentage at 1.59 and .935 (respectively).

Final Faceoff Semifinal Matchups

Minnesota vs. Wisconsin – As mentioned above, the Gophers went 0-3-1 against the Badgers during the regular season, falling 5-0 & 6-3 in Madison and dropping the first game at Ridder Arena 4-3 in OT before coming from behind for a 2-2 tie with a 1-0 shootout win. Grace Zumwinkle was the only Gopher to tally multiple goals across the four games, netting 3 while adding an assist. Amy Potomak recorded a goal and an assist, while Emily Brown and Anne Cherkowski each dished out two helpers. Wisconsin's Daryl Watts found the back of the net 5 times while adding 4 assists, Sophie Shirley added 2 goals with 5 assists, Britta Curl lit the lamp 3 times with an assist, and Brette Pettet recorded 2 goals and 2 helpers. Minnesota's Lauren Bench was tagged for 13 goals in just over 10 periods of action with 68 saves, resulting in a 4.82 goals-against average and .840 save percentage, while Makayla Pahl stopped 29 of 32 shots in 4 periods plus an overtime for a 2.12 GAA and .906 SV%. Kennedy Blair made 109 saves on 117 shots for the Badgers, posting a 1.95 GAA and .932 SV%.

Minnesota Duluth vs. Ohio State – Two low-scoring battles ensued when the Bulldogs and Buckeyes met in Duluth in January. Anna Klein scored in the first period of the weekend opener, Taylor Nelson added an empty-netter in the game's final minute, Gabbie Hughes assisted on both goals, and Emma Söderberg stopped all 34 shots she faced for a 2-0 UMD shutout victory. But despite another 44 saves from Söderberg in the rematch, OSU's Andrea Brändli did her one better with a 32-save shutout effort and an offensive assist on Brooke Bink's second-period goal for a 1-0 Buckeye win and the series split.

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Last weekend in the WCHA...

Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin split – The Bulldogs hosted the Badgers with the WCHA regular-season championship and Julianne Bye Cup on the line. UMD tightened the race for the title with a 4-2 victory on Friday; Gabbie Hughes tallied the game-winning goal and netted a second for insurance, while Emma Söderberg stopped 26 of 28 shots. The Bulldogs put a scare into Wisconsin by taking a 3-1 lead on Saturday, with Hughes lighting the lamp twice more, Anna Klein scoring her second goal of the series, and Söderberg making 29 saves through the first 40 minutes. However, Lacey Eden cut the Badger deficit in half just 23 seconds after Klein's goal, Brette Pettet evened the score with an extra-attacker goal with 1:27 left in regulation, and Daryl Watts tallied her second goal of the game 41 seconds into overtime to claim the conference title.

St. Cloud State sweeps Bemidji State – In the final action of the season for both teams, Jenniina Nylund recorded 2 goals & an assist and Hannah Bates dished out 3 helpers to lead the Huskies to 3-2 (OT) and 4-1 victories over the Beavers. Clair DeGeorge put BSU up 2-1 in the second period on Friday, but Emma Bigham lit the lamp on a third-period power play to even the score and Nylund netted the gamewinner with 53 seconds left in overtime. The Beavers also held a 1-0 lead in Saturday's rematch on a Lydia Passolt tally before the Huskies rattled off the next four goals, and Emma Polusny made 26 saves for the victory.

Final standings – 1. Wisconsin, .750 pts%, 36 points in 16 games (12-3-1-0, 2-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota Duluth, .708, 34 pts in 16 gms (11-5-0-0, 1-2); 3. Ohio State, .667, 32 pts in 16 gms (11-5-0-0, 1-0); 4. Minnesota, .632, 36 pts in 19 gms (11-7-1-1, 0-1); 5. Minnesota State, .333, 20 pts in 20 gms (7-12-1-0, 2-0); 6. St. Cloud State, .325, 18.5 pts in 19 gms (6-12-1-0, 2-1, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. Bemidji State, .208, 12.5 pts in 20 gms (2-16-2-1, 2-5, 1 shootout no-decision).

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Sarah Potomak attending Hockey Canada camp this week

We send congratulations and best wishes to Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Sarah Potomak, who was one of 35 players invited to Hockey Canada's National Women's Team Training Camp, being held this week (March 1-7) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The camp is the second already for the Canadians this calendar year as they prepare to host the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship this spring in Halifax & Truro, N.S.

Power Play Club

February 26, 2021

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, February 26, 2021

Power Play Club

February 26, 2021

The Two Minute Minor
Friday, February 26, 2021

13 Gophers named as 2020-2021 WCHA Scholar-Athletes

Thirteen (13) members of the Gopher Women's Hockey team were named among 85 players honored as WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award winners, announced by the league yesterday.

Minnesota seniors Emily Brown and Taylor Wente (pictured) were honored as Scholar-Athletes for the third time in their collegiate careers, while Taylor Heise and Gracie Ostertag were named as award recipients for the second time. Abigail Boreen, Olivia King, Olivia Knowles, Emily Oden, Makayla Pahl, Sydney Shearen, Catie Skaja, Madeline Wethington, and Grace Zumwinkle round out this year's Gopher honorees.

Per the press release from the league: To earn recognition as a WCHA Scholar-Athlete, league-member student-athletes must have completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current academic year and must also have a grade-point average of at least 3.50 on a 4.0 scale for the previous two semesters or three quarters or may qualify if their overall GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his or her present institution.

Congratulations and good job, ladies!!

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Zumwinkle named as Patty Kazmaier Award Top-10 finalist
while earning more weekly conference recognition

Minnesota senior forward Grace Zumwinkle earned double recognition yesterday for her performances on the ice, both for the season and for her effort this past weekend in Bemidji.

Zumwinkle was named a Top-10 finalist for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, as announced by USA Hockey Foundation. The award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. Zumwinkle leads the nation in goals scored with 16, while placing third in goals-per-game (0.84). She holds the WCHA lead and is tied for second nationally in game-winning goals (4), and her 23 total points are fifth among Division I players.

The top-three finalists will be announced on Thursday, March 18, and the presentation of the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is scheduled for Saturday, March 27.

Meanwhile, Zumwinkle received another honor from the conference, as her 8-point series with four goals and four assists this past weekend against Bemidji State was named the Howies Hockey Tape WCHA Performance of the Week, as announced on Twitter.

Congratulations, Grace!!

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Gopher alumnae to play in PWHPA showcase this weekend,
with live NHL Network TV coverage from MSG on Sunday

The 2021 edition of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association's Secret® Dream Gap Tour is scheduled to begin this weekend, with six Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae listed as participants. Action begins tomorrow (Saturday, 2/27) at Protec Ponds Training Center in Somerset, NJ, before moving to Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday (2/28) for the first women's hockey game to be played at the historic venue.

The contests feature teams from the PWHPA's Minnesota and New Hampshire regional training hubs. Former Gophers Hannah Brandt (MN region), Dani Cameranesi (MN), Amanda Kessel (NH), Gigi Marvin (NH), Kelly Pannek (MN), and Lee Stecklein (MN) have been listed on the team rosters for the weekend. Another Gopher alumna, Mira Jalosuo, is serving as an assistant coach for the Minnesota hub team.

The PWHPA shared three additional pieces of news related to this weekend's showcase. First, it was announced that Sunday's game will be televised live in the U.S. on NHL Network, and on Sportsnet in Canada, at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET. The broadcast will be produced in conjunction with NBC Sports and MSG Network.

Additionally, more team sponsors were named for the Dream Gap Tour, as the PWHPA announced yesterday that the Minnesota region team will be "Team adidas" and the New Hampshire team will be "Team WSF" (Women's Sports Foundation) as part of new corporate partnerships. On top of that, the organization presented its standings points system for U.S. showcase events, featuring points for the final result of each game plus bonus points for specific game events (such as short-handed goals, shutouts, and hat tricks).

We wish all six Gopher representatives and their respective teams good luck!!

Power Play Club

February 24, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Power Play Club

February 24, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Recap: Gophers complete regular season with sweep of Beavers

The Gopher Women's Hockey team concluded their 2020-2021 regular-season schedule with a resounding road sweep of the Bemidji State Beavers, winning by scores of 6-1 and 9-1.

The Gophers started rolling early, as Crystalyn Hengler, Grace Zumwinkle, and Abigail Boreen all lit the lamp in the first 8:37 of Friday's contest. Abbey Murphy extended Minnesota's lead to 4-0 at the 3:58 mark of the second period. Bemidji State's Taylor Nelson found the back of the net later in the second stanza, but Zumwinkle responded with her second goal of the game just 80 seconds later and completed a hat trick with 7 minutes left in regulation.

Another fast start followed for the Gophers on Saturday as Madeline Wethington scored just 48 seconds into the game and Emily Brown made it 2-0 just 86 seconds later. BSU's Paige Anderson responded to make it 2-1 midway through the opening frame, but Murphy and Josey Dunne netted another pair of goals 87 seconds apart before the first intermission. In the second period, Zumwinkle tallied her 4th goal of the series and Hengler added her 2nd. Taylor Heise found the back of the net 21 seconds into the third stanza, and the Gophers added another pair of goals in close succession as Murphy and Amy Potomak lit the lamp just 41 seconds apart; it was Murphy's second goal of the game and 3rd of the weekend.

The Gophers and Beavers each played all three of their respective goaltenders. For Minnesota, Lauren Bench made 15 saves in her return to Bemidji on Friday, Makayla Pahl stopped 6 shots in the first two periods of Saturday's game, and Olivia King made her official collegiate debut, stopping all four shots she faced in one period of work. Kerigan Dowhy started Friday's game for Bemidji State, stopping 15 shots in two periods, and Lexi Baker made 5 saves in the final 20 minutes. Hannah Hogenson started on Saturday, but yielded 4 goals on only 9 shots; Dowhy entered in relief and made another 22 saves over the remainder of the game.
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Zumwinkle, Hengler, Murphy earn conference Player of the Week honors

Three Gophers were honored yesterday by the WCHA for their performances in Bemidji this past weekend. Grace Zumwinkle, Crystalyn Hengler, and Abbey Murphy were respectively named the league's Forward, Defense, and Rookie of the Week after the team's sweep of the Beavers.

Zumwinkle dished out 4 assists to go with her 4 goals, both of which were league highs, for an NCAA-leading 8-point weekend. As noted in the WCHA's press release, this week's honor is the ninth of her career; it's also her second of the season.

Hengler led the NCAA with a +9 plus-minus rating, while being the only WCHA defender to light the lamp twice. Also recording an assist, she tied 3 fellow Gopher blueliners with 3 points apiece. This is the second weekly honor of Hengler's career, with the first coming earlier this season.

In addition to netting 3 goals, Murphy dished out 3 helpers; her 6 points put her second only to Zumwinkle among WCHA players. She led league rookies in all three scoring categories and plus-minus rating, posting a +6. Murphy was previously named Rookie of the Week following the St. Cloud State series in January.

Congratulations Grace, Crystalyn, and Abbey!!!
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Around the WCHA...

While much has been decided for the WCHA playoffs, a lot is still to be determined. We present our "look around the league early" in this week's Penalty Box Post to provide the necessary updates.

Minnesota Duluth sweeps Minnesota State with come-from-behind wins – The MSU Mavericks held third-period leads in both of their road games against UMD, but the Bulldogs scored a pair of late goals in each contest to earn a sweep. Jamie Nelson put Minnesota State up 1-0 in the first period on Saturday, but Gabbie Hughes evened the score for UMD midway through the third and McKenzie Hewett lit the lamp with 4:52 remaining in regulation, resulting in a 2-1 victory. The teams traded goals through the first two periods of Sunday's rematch, and Nelson netted her second goal of the series 3:08 into the third stanza for a 3-2 MSU lead. But Kasundra Betinol netted her first goal of the season on a Bulldogs power play midway through the frame, and Hughes buried the gamewinner with just 3 seconds remaining the regulation for the 4-3 decision.

Upcoming games – The last weekend of the WCHA regular season features a pair of series, both with Friday & Saturday games. In the final action for both teams, Bemidji State will host St. Cloud State at the Sanford Center. Meanwhile, Wisconsin heads north to play at Minnesota Duluth in their only two regular-season meetings. Minnesota State's season is complete, and Ohio State is idle.

Playoff scenarios – With just 4 games remaining on the composite WCHA schedule, the UW-UMD series in Duluth has significant implications on the upcoming Final Faceoff tournament on March 6 & 7 at Ridder Arena, along with the league's regular-season championship.

Minnesota, Minnesota Duluth, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are the confirmed participating teams in the Final Faceoff, but tournament seedings for all four squads are still to be determined. Here's our breakdown of possible scenarios:

If UMD sweeps UW – UMD wins the WCHA title and is the #1 seed, Wisconsin #2, Ohio State #3, and Minnesota #4.
If UMD earns 5 standings points vs. UW – UMD and UW are co-champions, UMD gets the #1 seed (based on head-to-head record), Wisconsin #2, Ohio State #3, and Minnesota #4.
If UMD earns 3 or 4 points vs. UW – Wisconsin wins the WCHA title and is the #1 seed, UMD #2, Ohio State #3, and Minnesota #4.
If UMD earns 2 points vs. UW – Wisconsin is the #1 seed & Minnesota is the #4 seed, while tiebreakers dependent on this weekend's specific game results come into play between UMD and OSU to determine who is #2 and who is #3.
If UMD earns 1 point vs. UW – Wisconsin is the #1 seed, Ohio State #2, UMD #3, and Minnesota #4.
If UW sweeps UMD – Wisconsin is the #1 seed, Ohio State #2, Minnesota #3, and UMD #4.

Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .810 pts%, 34 points in 14 games (11-2-1-0, 1-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota Duluth, .714, 30 pts in 14 gms (10-4-0-0, 1-1); 3. Ohio State, .667, 32 pts in 16 gms (11-5-0-0, 1-0); 4. Minnesota, .632, 36 pts in 19 gms (11-7-1-1, 0-1); 5. Minnesota State, .333, 20 pts in 20 gms (7-12-1-0, 2-0); 6. St. Cloud State, .265, 13.5 pts in 17 gms (4-12-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. Bemidji State, .213, 11.5 pts in 18 gms (2-14-2-1, 2-4, 1 shootout no-decision).
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ESPN announces multi-year agreement to provide coverage of
NCAA D-I Women's Ice Hockey, including 2021 Frozen Four

ESPN announced yesterday a new, multi-year rights agreement for NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey on its family of networks, starting with coverage of the 2021 National Collegiate Women's Frozen Four being played in Erie, PA, on March 18 & 20. The first semifinal game will be streamed on ESPN3, while the second semifinal and the championship game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. All three contests will also be available on the ESPN Mobile App.
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Introducing “The Fan Project” from Sports Innovation Lab

We've heard repeatedly from you, our members and fellow Minnesota Women's Hockey fans, that you want to see more media coverage of the team and the sport. Here's an opportunity to help drive the effort.

The Fan Project is "dedicated to proving to the sports industry that fans want more women's sports." The effort, started by Hockey Hall of Fame member Angela Ruggiero and her company, Sports Innovation Lab, is to collect social media data from fans of women's athletics, parse that data, and generate meaningful and impactful insights that will presented to media companies and executives. Their stated goal indicates, "The more visible that women's sports are, the greater their power is to inspire the next generation. With your data, we'll unlock the power to push executives to increase coverage of women's sports to 10% of all sports coverage in 10 months time."

More details are available on the project's web site, thefanproject.co. Please note that the Power Play Club publicizes this only for informative purposes, and any decision to participate in/with The Fan Project is strictly your own. That said, we point out that both the National Women's Hockey League and the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association are listed as partners of the project.
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Copyright © 2021 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.
Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Power Play Club

February 17, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Power Play Club

February 17, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, February 17, 2021

#4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (.588 pts%, 9-7-1-1, 0-1 in OT)
at Bemidji State Univ. Beavers (.240 pts%, 2-12-2-1*, 2-4 in OT)
Friday, February 19 at 6:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 20 at 3:07 p.m.
Sanford Center, Bemidji

The Gopher Women's Hockey team heads out on the road for its final series of the regular-season, traveling north to face the Bemidji State University Beavers for the first time in 2020-2021. Action at the Sanford Center begins Friday evening, February 19, at 6:07 p.m., and continues Saturday, February 20, at 3:07 p.m.

Video and audio streaming – Video of the games in Bemidji will be streamed by FloHockey; subscription and schedule information can be found at FloSports.tv. While no Gopher audio will be available, the Bemidji State radio broadcasts of both games will be available for free at beaverradionetwork.com.

Last season against Bemidji State – The Gophers swept the season series against the Beavers in 2019-2020, winning 7-1 and 3-0 at Ridder Arena in November and following it up with 4-1 and 6-3 victories in Bemidji last February. Sarah Potomak reached double-digit points against BSU, lighting the lamp 4 times and dishing out 6 assists. Grace Zumwinkle scored twice and added 4 assists for 6 points, while Taylor Heise and Alex Woken each added 3 goals and 2 assists. Reece Hunt scored all three of the Beavers' goals for the hat trick in the fourth head-to-head contest; Haley Mack assisted on all three after also recording a helper in the earlier series. Sydney Scobee played all 240 minutes in goal for the Gophers, stopping 64 of 69 shots for a 1.25 goals-against average and .928 save percentage. Three different BSU netminders saw action. Lauren Bench played the first two periods of the series at Ridder and both games in Bemidji, making 76 saves but yielding 14 goals for a 5.26 GAA and .844 SV%; Lexi Baker relieved Bench in the first contest, stopping 10 of 12 shots in 20 minutes of work; and Kerigan Dowhy stopped 39 of 42 shots (.929 SV%) in the second game in Minneapolis.

Analyzing the Beavers – Bemidji State has the distinction of playing a lot of bonus hockey this season, with 8 of their 16 games going to overtime. The extra periods have also been the only source of their 11.5 conference standings points, as they have an 0-8 record in games decided in regulation but are 2-4-2 in overtime games, including an win and a no-decision (worth a half-point) in their two shootouts.

Offense has been lacking for the Beavers, scoring only a total of 19 goals as a team. No individual player has reached 5 goals or 10 points. Senior Clair DeGeorge (#26) leads the team with 9 points on 4 goals and 5 assists, while sophomore Reece Hunt (#29) has a team-leading 7 helpers but has yet to score herself. Two more seniors – Paige Beebe (#18; 3g, 2a) and Tina Kampa (#11; 5a) – each have 5 points.

After Lauren Bench earned her bachelor's degree from BSU and came to the U. of M. for grad school, senior Kerigan Dowhy (#33) took over as the Beavers' primary goaltender. Dowhy is 2-11-2 in 15 starts, with one shutout, a 2.47 goals-against average, and a .922 save percentage. Freshman Hannah Hogenson (#1) and junior Lexi Baker (#30) have only seen spot duty; Hogenson has one start and one relief appearance but has yielded 8 goals on 62 shots in only 56 minutes of action, while Baker stopped 13 of 15 shots in one period of work.

Last weekend for Bemidji State – A trip to Madison to play top-ranked Wisconsin did not go well for the Beavers. Sixteen different Badgers recorded at least one point, including 2 goals and an assist apiece from Lacey Eden & Sophie Shirley, and Kennedy Blair needed only a combined 18 saves to shut out BSU 4-0 and 7-0. Bemidji State's Kerigan Dowhy made 54 saves in 104 minutes of action but yielded 8 goals, and Hannah Hogenson gave up another 3 goals with only 6 saves over the final 16 minutes.

Gophers swept at home by Ohio State

Ohio State scored a combined 5 goals in the second periods of this past weekend's two games against the Gophers at Ridder Arena, and Buckeyes goaltender Andrea Brändli made 44 saves in the series to sweep Minnesota, 2-1 & 3-2. OSU controlled the first 40 minutes of Friday's game, holding a 30-7 advantage in shots on goal and taking a 2-0 lead on goals by Emma Maltais and Paetyn Levis. The Gophers outshot the Buckeyes in the third period but could only manage an extra-attacker goal by Emily Brown with 51 seconds remaining. Makalya Pahl made 36 saves. In the rematch, Minnesota took its own 2-0 lead when Abigail Boreen and Grace Zumwinkle scored in the first 3:21 of the contest, but Liz Schepers narrowed the Gopher lead to one just 48 seconds into the second stanza and Jennifer Gardiner & Levis scored 53 seconds apart midway through the period to give OSU the lead it would not relinquish. Lauren Bench stopped 20 shots for the Gophers. Amy Potomak and Taylor Heise each recorded two assists in the series.
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International and professional updates...

European national teams return to action – As reported by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), several European national teams have returned to action this month, playing in exhibition "friendly" competition as they prepare for the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship. This included two games the Russia National Team played against the WHL's KRS Vanke Rays and Gopher alumnae Megan Bozek & Noora Räty (Team Russia won both, 1-0 in regulation & 4-3 in a shootout).

The Women's World Championship is currently scheduled for April 7 through 17 in Halifax & Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada. That said, this is subject to change, and the spectator attendance policy has yet to be announced. We will share any news as it becomes available.

PWHPA announces March games in Chicago while 'All Star' team finishes play in Tampa – The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association announced a partnership with a third NHL team, the Chicago Blackhawks, and a pair of games in the Chicago area as part of the Secret® Dream Gap Tour. Action will be hosted at the United Center on Saturday, March 6, and Fifth Third Arena on Sunday, March 7. Additionally, NBCSN will televise live coverage of the March 6 game at 2 p.m. CT with an all-female broadcast crew. The Chicago games will follow the Dream Gap Tour's first contest on February 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. More details about all three days are to be announced.

Meanwhile, the PWHPA 'All-Star' team comprised of players from the Minnesota and New Hampshire Regional Training Hubs is wrapping up the last of its games in the U.S. Premier Hockey League's Hub City Tampa bubble. The team is 1-3-0 since last Wednesday, defeating the Islanders Hockey Club (8-5) but falling to the Northern Cyclones Premier (5-1), Hitmen Premier (4-1), and Twin City Thunder (6-4). Hannah Brandt scored twice against the Islanders, while Gigi Marvin and Amanda Kessel also lit the lamp in that game, and Kessel posted a 4-point performance against the Thunder with a goal and 3 assists. The team concludes its February Florida trip today (Feb. 17) against the Utica Junior Comets at Noon ET / 11:00 a.m. CT at AdventHealth Center Ice; video is available with a subscription on HockeyTV.com.
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Around the WCHA...

Upcoming games – Schedule changes involving both of the other two series planned for this weekend have been announced by the league. First, the series between Ohio State & St. Cloud State has been cancelled after it was reported on Monday that SCSU paused all team activities for seven days due to COVID-19 protocols. Yesterday, Minnesota State's road series at Minnesota Duluth was pushed back by a day; the Mavericks and Bulldogs will now play on Saturday & Sunday, with both games starting at 3:07 p.m. Wisconsin is idle.

Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .810 pts%, 34 points in 14 games (11-2-1-0, 1-1 in OT); 2t. Minnesota Duluth, .667, 24 pts in 12 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-1); Ohio State, .667, 32 pts in 16 gms (11-5-0-0, 1-0); 4. Minnesota, .588, 30 pts in 17 gms (9-7-1-1, 0-1); 5. Minnesota State, .370, 20 pts in 18 gms (7-10-1-0, 2-0); 6. St. Cloud State, .265, 13.5 pts in 17 gms (4-12-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. Bemidji State, .240, 11.5 pts in 16 gms (2-12-2-1, 2-4, 1 shootout no-decision).

Power Play Club

February 10, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Power Play Club

February 10, 2021

Power Play Post
Wednesday, February 10, 2021

#2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (.667 pts%, 9-5-1-1, 0-1 in OT)
vs. #4 Ohio State Buckeyes (.619 pts%, 9-5-0-0, 1-0 in OT)
Friday, February 12 at 4:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 13 at 1:07 p.m.
Ridder Arena

The Gopher Women's Hockey team completes the home portion of its 2020-2021 schedule with unprecedented 5th and 6th regular-season games against the Ohio State Buckeyes, squaring off at Ridder Arena. The teams also get an early start on the weekend as the puck drops on Friday, February 12, at 4:07 p.m., and action continues Saturday, February 13 at 1:07 p.m. CT.

Video and audio streaming – Video from both games will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Free audio streaming will also be available both days through Golden Gophers All-Access, starting roughly 20 minutes before game time. Friday's audio play-by-play will also be simulcast starting at 4:00 p.m. on KFAN+ 96.7FM in the Twin Cities, and on the KFAN+ channel on iHeart.com and the iHeart Radio app.

This season against Ohio State – The Gophers and Buckeyes split each of their two previous series. In November at Ridder Arena to open the regular season, Minnesota took game 1 by a 4-0 score but OSU came back with a 2-1 decision the next day. Just two weeks ago in Columbus, the Gophers again won the first game of the series, 7-4, but were held to a single goal in the rematch and fell to the Buckeyes, 3-1. Grace Zumwinkle leads all Minnesota scorers with 4 goals and an assist in the four contests; Abigail Boreen is the only other Gopher with multiple goals against OSU, having lit the lamp twice, while Taylor Heise & Emily Oden each have a goal & two assists. Emma Maltais, Liz Schepers, and Tatum Skaggs have scored two goals apiece against Minnesota this season; Maltais also dished out 5 assists for 7 points in the four contests, Schepers recorded two helpers for 4 points, and Skaggs also tallied an assist for 3 points. Between the pipes, Lauren Bench played the first 3 games for the Gophers, going 2-1 with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage, while Makayla Pahl stopped 41 of 43 shots – a .953 SV% – on January 30. OSU netminder Andrea Brändli also played the first three games of the season series, posting a 3.39 GAA and .863 SV%, but Amanda Thiele earned the win on Jan. 30 by stopping 29 of 30 shots – a .967 SV%.

Analyzing the Buckeyes – Following their split against Minnesota two weeks ago, Ohio State dropped to #4 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll and also fell to fourth in the WCHA standings (behind Minnesota Duluth). While they maintained their #3 ranking in the USA Hockey Magazine / USA Today poll for an additional week, they fell to #4 after being idle this past weekend.

A trio of Buckeyes are now tied for the team's scoring lead with 11 points apiece. Freshman Jenna Buglioni (#10) has OSU's goal lead with 7 while dishing out 4 assists, senior Tatum Skaggs (#11) increased her season totals to 6 goals and 5 helpers, and sophomore Jennifer Gardiner (#12) has 5 goals and 6 assists. Seniors Liz Schepers (#21; 4g, 6a) and Emma Maltais (#17; 2g, 8a) have each also reached the 10-point mark.

As mentioned prior to their last series, defense and goaltending have been critical for Ohio State. Junior Andrea Brändli (#20) is 7-5-0 in her 12 starts with 2 shutouts, though – following the game on Jan. 29 against the Gophers – her goals-against average increased to 1.98 and her save percentage decreased to .921. Freshman Amanda Thiele (#35) won her both of her two starts and also made one relief appearance; she's stopped 53 of 55 shots for a 0.90 GAA and .964 SV%.
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Gophers “split” Border Battle series against Wisconsin

The Gophers celebrate earning the third point in the WCHA standings with a 1-0 shootout win following a 2-2 tie against Wisconsin on Saturday. Makayla Pahl stopped all three Badger shooters. (Photo courtesy of the U. of M. / GopherSports.com)

Though Minnesota fell 4-3 in overtime to Wisconsin in the opener of their Border Battle series and could only salvage a 2-2 tie in the rematch, a 1-0 shootout win by the Gophers meant that they evenly split the WCHA standings points with the Badgers, taking 3 apiece. Madeline Wethington and Grace Zumwinkle gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead five minutes into the 2nd period on Friday night; Wisconsin's Daryl Watts cut the Gophers' lead to 2-1, but Crystalyn Hengler converted on a power play to push the advantage back to two six minutes into the 3rd stanza. However, Caitlin Schneider scored for the Badgers less than 3 minutes later, Britta Curl knotted the score with an extra-attacker tally with 25.5 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime, and Watts lit the lamp 2:03 into the extra session. Lauren Bench recorded an offensive assist on Wethington's goal but took the loss with 25 saves. Makayla Pahl made the start between the pipes for Minnesota on Saturday, but saw Sophie Shirley and Maddi Wheeler score to give Wisconsin a 2-0 lead in the latter portion of the 2nd period. However, it was the Gophers with the comeback as Abigail Boreen blasted a shot past Badgers goaltender Kennedy Blair 1:33 later, and Zumwinkle got her stick on an Olivia Knowles shot that found the back of the net in the 3rd stanza to knot the score. Another overtime ensued but neither team tallied, resulting in the official tie. Heading to a shootout, Taylor Wente beat Blair in the first round, and that was all Pahl needed as she stopped all three Badger shooters to take the third conference standings point. In regulation and overtime, Pahl made 21 saves. Blair recorded 56 saves in the series.
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NCAA cancels D-III Championships, issues new D-I guidance

The NCAA's Division III Administrative Committee approved the recommendation from the Division III Championships Committee to cancel all winter championships due to low participation numbers among member schools, as announced last Wednesday, February 3. Specifically affected are the championships for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s ice hockey, and wrestling.

As noted in the press release, the D-III Championships Committee determined participation numbers in all nine winter sports are well below the established threshold to provide a national championships experience, necessitating the decision. For ice hockey, the threshold was 70% of normally-participating schools.

Meanwhile, the Division I Council Coordination Committee announced last Thursday the approval of contingency plans to reduce championship bracket sizes for D-I winter and spring sports, along with spring National Collegiate Championships. The contingency plan for team sports comes into play if participation for automatic-qualifying conferences falls to 50% or lower. At this time, men's and women's ice hockey meet the threshold to maintain full brackets for their respective tournaments.
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Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae news...
NWHL suspends season; PWHPA announces game at MSG

The National Women's Hockey League season was interrupted for the second-straight year. The league announced on Twitter and Facebook last Wednesday that, in agreement with the Olympic Regional Development Authority, the remainder of the 2021 NWHL Season and Playoffs in Lake Placid had been suspended. As noted in the announcement, the suspension was due to new positive COVID-19 tests and the resulting safety concerns for the players, their respective staff and the community. We send our thoughts to Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Sydney Baldwin, Winny Brodt Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence, and Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal, all of whom were playing with the Minnesota Whitecaps.

On the flip side, the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association announced last Wednesday a partnership with the NHL's New York Rangers and the playing of the first game of the 2021 Secret® Dream Gap Tour at historic Madison Square Garden. The game is scheduled for Sunday, February 28, at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, though additional details are to be announced. It's the first women's hockey game in history to be played at MSG.

The PWHPA followed that up with an announcement that another "All-Star" team comprised of players from the Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Calgary regional training hubs is headed back to the U.S. Premier Hockey League's "Hub City Tampa" bubble this month. From the press release: “During the course of their stay, the team will face off in five exhibition games against USPHL teams. Four of those games will be against Tier-2 NCDC opponents, while one game will be against the Tier-3 Premier League. In addition to game action, the PWHPA All-Star team will again take part in on-ice practice sessions and off-ice training.”

The All-Star team includes Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Amanda Kessel, Gigi Marvin, Hannah Brandt, and Kelly Pannek. Action begins today – Wednesday, February 10 – when they face the Northern Cyclones Premier team at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT. The schedule for the PWHPA All-Stars is available on the USPHL's website here, video from all 5 contests will be available on the HockeyTV subscription streaming service – with the game on Saturday, Feb. 13 available for free, and The Women's Hockey Tribune will have recaps of all the action.
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Around the WCHA...

St. Cloud State, Minnesota State split – SCSU freshman goaltender Sanni Ahola made 38 saves, including 25 in the third period, and Emma Gentry scored twice en route to a 4-0 shutout victory for the Huskies over MSU in the opening contest of their weekend series. However, four different Mavericks lit the lamp in the rematch, with Kennedy Bobyck recording the game-winning goal, in a 4-2 win over the Huskies and a series split. Laura Kluge also tallied two goals and Taylor Lind dished out 3 assists for St. Cloud State over the weekend.

Upcoming games – Bemidji State and Wisconsin kick off the action this coming weekend with a pair of afternoon games Friday & Saturday in Madison. However, the league announced yesterday that the scheduled series between Minnesota State & Minnesota Duluth in Mankato has been postponed, as MSU has paused all team activities for seven days due to COVID-19 protocols. St. Cloud State is idle.

Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .778 pts%, 28 points in 12 games (9-2-1-0, 1-1 in OT); 2t. Minnesota, .667, 30 pts in 15 gms (9-5-1-1, 0-1); Minnesota Duluth, .667, 24 pts in 12 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-1); 4. Ohio State, .619, 26 pts in 14 gms (9-5-0-0, 1-0); 5. Minnesota State, .370, 20 pts in 18 gms (7-10-1-0, 2-0); 6. Bemidji State, .274, 11.5 pts in 14 gms (2-10-2-1, 2-4, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. St. Cloud State, .265, 13.5 pts in 17 gms (4-12-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision).

Power Play Club

February 3, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Power Play Club

February 3, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, February 3, 2021

PPC / GWH online auction still in the works...

We want to thank everyone for their patience as we work through some unexpected delays in launching our online auction for the 2020-2021 season. We will provide information on auction dates as soon as they are finalized.
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Gophers announce upcoming game time updates

The U. of M. and WCHA announced some game time updates for Minnesota's last four contests of the regular season, as follows...

Friday, February 12 vs. Ohio State – 4:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 13 vs. Ohio State – 1:07 p.m.
Friday, February 19 at Bemidji State – 6:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 20 at Bemidji State – 3:07 p.m.

As always, you can find the the Gophers' full game schedule at gophersports.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/schedule.
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#2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (.692 pts%, 9-4-0-0, 0-0 in OT)
vs. #1 Wisconsin Badgers (.833 pts%, 8-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT)
Friday, February 5 at 6:07 p.m.
Saturday, February 6 at 4:07 p.m.
Ridder Arena

The gauntlet of games against top opposition continues for the Gopher Women's Hockey team, as the #1-ranked Wisconsin Badgers pay a visit to Ridder Arena this weekend. The next round of the Border Battle begins on Friday, February 5, at 6:07 p.m., and continues on Saturday, February 6, at 4:07 p.m.

Video and audio streaming – Video from both games will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Free audio streaming will also be available both days through Golden Gophers All-Access, starting roughly 20 minutes before game time.

Last time against Wisconsin – A trip to Madison for the first Border Battle series of the season three weekends ago did not go well for the Gopher Women's Hockey team, as they were swept by the Badgers, 5-0 and 6-3. Sophie Shirley, Britta Curl, Daryl Watts, and Makenna Webster each tallied a goal and an assist for Wisconsin in the series opener, Dara Greig also scored, and UW's Kennedy Blair stymied Minnesota by stopping all 30 shots she faced. Lauren Bench made 21 saves in two periods of work, but yielded four goals; Makalya Pahl entered in relief for the third period, stopping 8 of 9 shots. The Gophers battled back from a 2-0 deficit in the rematch when Grace Zumwinkle converted a power play and Amy Potomak netted her first goal of the season. Curl put the Badgers back ahead, but Josey Dunne lit the lamp on a wrap-around for Minnesota just 41 seconds later to knot the score at 3-3. Unfortunately, Wisconsin retook the lead again when Watts scored early in the third period, Brette Pettet netted her second goal of the game, and Watts tacked on an empty-netter late for her 6th point of the series (3g, 3a). Bench made 22 saves, while Blair stopped 23 shots. Anne Cherkowski dished out two assists for the Gophers.

Analyzing the Badgers – After sweeping the Gophers and then winning two more games on the road at St. Cloud State, Wisconsin has taken the top spot in the WCHA standings and also the league lead in team scoring (with 3.90 goals per game).

Senior Daryl Watts (#19) has taken the individual national scoring lead, recording 14 points (7g, 7a) over her last 4 games, bringing her season totals to 11 goals, 10 assists, and 21 points. Junior Sophie Shirley (#9) is second in the national points-per-game table, increasing her total to 16 on 6 goals and 10 assists. Seniors Brette Pettet (#20) & Grace Bowlby (#13) are third and fourth in Badger scoring; Pettet has 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points, while Bowlby has dished out 9 assists from the blueline.

Graduate transfer Kennedy Blair (#29) has started all 10 games against for the Badgers, recording 3 shutouts, a 1.35 goals-against average and .950 save percentage. Blair also split a shutout with senior backup Breanna Blesi (#32); Blesi stopped 7 shots in 19 minutes of action two weekends ago, remaining 4-1-0 in 5 career starts and 3 relief appearances with one (solo) shutout, a 1.01 GAA and a .917 SV%. Junior Cami Kronish (#30) and freshman Jane Gervais (#1) have yet to play this season.

Last action for Wisconsin – The Badgers visited St. Cloud State on January 22 & 23 and steamrolled the Huskies in their opening game, 10-0; Daryl Watts recorded a hat trick & 3 assists, and Brette Pettet added her own hat trick & an assist. SCSU had 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the rematch, but Sophie Shirley tallied twice for Wisconsin to even the score both times, Lacey Eden lit the lamp with 1:17 to play, and Watts added an empty-netter for a 4-2 victory and the weekend sweep. Watts finished with 8 points (4g, 4a), Pettet had two assists Saturday for a 6-point series (3g, 3a), and Shirley posted 5 points (3g, 2a).

Minnesota splits with Ohio State in Columbus – Seven different Gophers scored in the opening game of their road series against the Buckeyes, but the contest was back-and-forth into the third period. Taylor Heise's goal with under 10 minutes remaining gave Minnesota a 5-4 lead, Crystalyn Hengler added a power-play insurance goal with 3:16 to go, and Catie Skaja tacked on an empty netter for a 7-4 victory. Abbey Murphy and Grace Zumwinkle each recorded a goal and an assist, and Emily Oden (PP) and Abigail Boreen also lit the lamp. At the defensive end, Lauren Bench made 29 saves. Emma Maltais recorded a point on all four OSU goals, lighting the lamp once and dishing out her career 98th, 99th, and 100th assists; Liz Schepers also had a goal and an assist, and Andrea Brändli made 24 saves. Both teams started their second goaltenders on Saturday, with Makayla Pahl seeing action for Minnesota and Amanda Thiele playing for Ohio State. Pahl made 41 saves, but the Gophers fell behind 2-0 on goals to Tatum Skaggs (PP) and Sara Säkkinen. Boreen netted her second goal of the series 48 seconds after Säkkinen and just before the buzzer ending the second period, but Thiele shut the door in the third stanza, making 29 saves in total, and Maltais tacked on an empty-netter for her 5th point of the weekend and a 3-1 Buckeye win.
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Baldwin joins Whitecaps, who earn #2 seed for NWHL semifinals
Isobel Cup Playoffs Thursday & Friday to be televised on NBCSN

Action for National Women's Hockey League teams both on and off the ice has made things at the league's "bubble" in Lake Placid, NY quite interesting.

Just before the start of the abbreviated season, the Minnesota Whitecaps announced the signing of Gopher alumna Sydney Baldwin via Twitter. The Whitecaps started the campaign 3-0 with wins over Boston (2-1), Toronto (6-5 in a shootout), and Metropolitan (1-0).

The NWHL schedule, however, has been thrown into flux not once, but twice. Due to COVID concerns, Metropolitan withdrew from competition on January 28. The top 3 remaining teams – Connecticut, Minnesota, and Toronto – were named as qualifying for the Isobel Cup Semifinals and scheduled for a round-robin set of games to determine seedings, while Boston and Buffalo were put into a best-of-3 play-in series. Toronto defeated Minnesota, 4-3, in their rematch, and shutout Connecticut 6-0, while Boston came back from a game one upset by Buffalo to win two games to one. However, before Minnesota and Connecticut could square off, the Whale also withdrew from competition, which let both Boston and Buffalo advance.

All this leads to the playoff round starting tomorrow (Thursday, February 4) with the semifinals, pitting 4th-seeded Buffalo against top-seeded Toronto at 5:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. CT, following by 3rd-seeded Boston against 2nd-seeded Minnesota at 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT. Both semifinals games and the Isobel Cup Final on Friday (February 5) at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT will be televised live on NBCSN.

Gophers with the Whitecaps in the NWHL bubble – Baldwin joined fellow Gopher alumnae Winny Brodt Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence, and Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal on the Whitecaps roster. Lorence leads the four skaters with 4 points, all coming on assists, while Baldwin has tallied a goal and two assists for 3 points. Brodt Brown recorded her first goal as an NWHL player, netting the gamewinner against Boston. Defensively, Baldwin, Brodt Brown, and Rosenthal have 5 shot blocks apiece. Between the pipes, Leveille has played almost all the game minutes for the 'Caps, posting the 3-1-0 record with the one shutout, a 2.47 goals-against average and .936 save percentage.
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Around the WCHA...

League announces Final Faceoff format and schedule

The Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced its conference playoff plan yesterday. The 2021 Final Faceoff will be held Saturday & Sunday, March 6-7 at Ridder Arena. However, there will be no quarterfinal round this year, and only the top 4 teams based on points percentage in the final regular-season league standings will qualify directly to the semifinals on March 6. The winners will advance to the March 7 championship, with that game's winner earning the WCHA's automatic berth in the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship. Attendance policies and start times for all three Final Faceoff games will be announced at a later date, though they will be streamed live on FloHockey.tv (with subscription information found at FloSports.tv).

Recent action – Bemidji State played their 4th- and 5th-straight overtime games but came out on the losing end of both, falling to Minnesota State 1-0 and 3-2; Kelsey King recorded two goals and an assist for the Mavericks, including the gamewinner in the opener, and Jessica Kondas netted Saturday's game-winning goal. In Duluth, Gabbie Hughes reached the career 100-point mark with 2 goals and an assist, Anna Klein scored 2 goals and 2 assists, and Emma Söderberg stopped 44 of 45 shots as UMD swept St. Cloud State, 4-1 and 6-0.

Upcoming games – The conference schedule features only one other series as St. Cloud State hosts Minnesota State in a pair of afternoon games on Friday and Saturday. Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, and Ohio State are idle.

Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .833 pts%, 25 points in 10 games (8-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota, .692, 27 pts in 13 gms (9-4-0-0, 0-0); 3. Minnesota Duluth, .667, 24 pts in 12 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-1); 4. Ohio State, .619, 26 pts in 14 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-0); 5. Minnesota State, .354, 17 pts in 16 gms (6-9-1-0, 2-0); 6. Bemidji State, .274, 11.5 pts in 14 gms (2-10-2-1, 2-4, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. St. Cloud State, .233, 10.5 pts in 15 gms (3-11-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision).
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Copyright © 2021 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.
Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Power Play Club

January 26, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Power Play Club

January 26, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Member-only Chalk Talk – Tomorrow (Wed., Jan. 27) at 4 p.m.

Here's one more reminder that an online edition of our Chalk Talks with GWH head coach Brad Frost is scheduled for tomorrow – Wednesday, January 27 – at 4:00 p.m. via Zoom. This is a member-only event for 2020-2021 Power Play Club members, and the Zoom link will be shared to members tomorrow morning.

If you still need to enroll or renew for this season, if you enrolled or renewed your membership earlier this month, or wish to verify your membership status, please contact Laura Halldorson by email at halld002@umn.edu. We are doing our best to document our records accurately, but we are experiencing a lag of roughly a week to process registrations due to the current work-from-home situation.
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Membership registration remains open!! A donation of $50 of more to the Power Play Club Fund at the University of Minnesota Foundation will enroll your household into the PPC for the season. To make your donation online, go to the Power Play Club Fund web page here. If you prefer to submit your donation by check, you can download the registration form here, fill it out, and mail it and your check to Laura Halldorson at the address listed on the form. If you have already enrolled as a Locker Sponsor for 2020-2021, you do not need to register again.
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#2 Minnesota Golden Gophers (.727 pts%, 8-3-0-0, 0-0 in OT)
at #3 Ohio State Univ. Buckeyes (.639 pts%, 8-4-0-0, 1-0 in OT)
Friday, January 29 at 6:07 p.m. ET / 5:07 p.m. CT
Saturday, January 30 at 3:07 p.m. ET / 2:07 p.m. CT
OSU Ice Rink, Columbus

Following a week off, the Gopher Women's Hockey team returns to action with their farthest road trip of the regular season, heading to Columbus, OH, to face the Ohio State Buckeyes at the OSU Ice Rink. The puck drops for the opening game on Friday, January 29, at 6:07 p.m. ET / 5:07 p.m. CT, and action continues Saturday, January 30 at 3:07 p.m. ET / 2:07 p.m. CT.

Video streaming of series on BTN+ – Video from both games will be streamed online via BTN+; subscription packages by conference, school, or sport are available here. Watch our social media accounts for game-specific video links and any updates on audio coverage.

Last time against Ohio State – Despite getting a combined 69 saves from Lauren Bench on 71 shots in her first two games as a Gopher and the team taking 1-0 leads in both contests, Minnesota settled for a series split against the Buckeyes to open the 2020-2021 season, winning 4-0 in game one but falling 2-1 in game two. Bench stopped all 36 shots she faced in the opener for the shutout. Grace Zumwinkle lit the lamp on the first shift of the season just 28 seconds into the contest, Josey Dunne recorded her first goal for the Maroon & Gold in the second period, Zumwinkle netted her second of the game with under 5 minutes to play, and Taylor Wente scored a long empty-netter. In the rematch, Zumwinkle buried her third goal of the weekend to put Minnesota up three minutes into the game, but Liz Schepers knotted the score for Ohio State just 21 seconds later, Tatum Skaggs gave OSU the lead six minutes after that, and goaltender Andrea Brändli shut the Gophers down for the duration. In the series, Anne Cherkowski also recorded her first points as a Gopher with a pair of assists, and Madeline Wethington also dished out two assists. Emma Maltais assisted on both OSU goals, and Brändli recorded a combined 39 saves over the weekend.

Analyzing the Buckeyes – Ohio State enters the upcoming weekend having moved back into third in the WCHA standings while having retained the #3 ranking in the national polls for much of the season. Their four losses on the year include the split with Minnesota, two losses to Wisconsin, and a split two weekends ago at Minnesota Duluth.

Prior to last weekend (more on that shortly), the Buckeyes had only a +1 goal differential on their opponents. Even through their latest series, the OSU power play is only 1-of-23 (4.3%). Scoring has been spread out, with 11 different players lighting the lamp, but only freshman Jenna Buglioni (#10; 6g, 4a) and sophomore Jennifer Gardiner (#12; 4g, 6a) have double-digit points with 10 apiece. Senior Tatum Skaggs (#11) is third in total scoring with 9 points (5g, 4a).

Defense and goaltending have been critical for Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the only Division I or II team to have not yet yielded a power-play goal, posting a perfect 25-for-25 mark on the penalty kill. Junior Andrea Brändli (#20) is 7-4-0 in her 11 starts with 2 shutouts; her goals-against average has dropped to 1.59 this season (compared to 1.89 over her first two years), and she has held steady with a .935 save percentage. Freshman Amanda Thiele (#35) won her only start (against Bemidji State) and also made one relief appearance; she's stopped 24 of 25 shots in 73 minutes of action.

Last weekend for Ohio State – Hosting Minnesota State, the Buckeyes shelled MSU goaltenders with 96 shots on goal while only yielding 51. Tatum Skaggs lit the lamp twice and Andrea Brändli made 25 saves en route to a 3-0 shutout victory in the opener. Seven different Buckeyes scored in the rematch, taking a 5-0 lead and winning 7-2 over the Mavericks for the series sweep; Jennifer Gardiner recorded a goal and two assists, and Jenna Buglioni netted her second goal of the weekend. Kelsey King tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota State.
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Six announced as Minnesota's freshman class of 2021-2022

The Gopher Women's Hockey team introduced six players who signed National Letters of Intent to join the U. of M. family as freshmen for the 2021-2022 season, welcoming...

Emma Conner, forward, Edina, MN (Edina High School)
Peyton Hemp, forward, Andover, MN (Andover High School)
Ella Huber, forward, Northfield, IL (Chicago Mission)
Sadie Lindsay, forward, Minnetonka, MN (Breck School)
Skylar Vetter, goaltender, Lakeville, MN (Lakeville North High School)
Emily Zumwinkle, defense, Excelsior, MN (Breck School)

We send our warmest greetings to all six players. More information about the signees, along with comments from GWH head coach Brad Frost, can be found in last Thursday's press release on GopherSports.com.
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Around the WCHA...

Recent action – A goaltending battle ensued in Bemidji, with BSU goaltender Kerrigan Dowhy stopping 76 of 77 shots, and Minnesota Duluth netminder Emma Söderberg making 34 saves on 35 shots; both games were scoreless through regulation, Mak Langei scored for the Beavers in overtime in the opener, and Nina Jobst-Smith tallied her first collegiate goal for the Bulldogs in the extra period of the rematch for the series split. Wisconsin steamrolled St. Cloud State in their opening game, 10-0, with Daryl Watts recording a hat trick & 3 assists and Brette Pettet adding her own hat trick & an assist; the Huskies had 1-0 and 2-1 leads in the rematch, but Sophie Shirley scored twice for the Badgers to even the score both times, Lacey Eden lit the lamp with 1:17 to play, and Watts added an empty-netter for a 4-2 victory and the weekend sweep. Watts finished with 8 points (4g, 4a), Pettet had two assists Saturday for a 6-point series (3g, 3a), and Shirley posted 5 points (3g, 2a).

Upcoming games – Two other series in the league also both feature Friday evening and Saturday afternoon contests. Bemidji State heads south to Mankato to play Minnesota State, while Minnesota Duluth hosts St. Cloud State. Wisconsin is idle.

Standings – 1. Wisconsin, .833 pts%, 25 points in 10 games (8-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota, .727, 24 pts in 11 gms (8-3-0-0, 0-0); 3. Ohio State, .639, 23 pts in 12 gms (8-4-0-0, 1-0); 4. Minnesota Duluth, .600, 18 pts in 10 gms (6-4-0-0, 1-1); 5. Minnesota State, .310, 13 pts in 14 gms (4-9-1-0, 0-0); 6. St. Cloud State, .269, 10.5 pts in 13 gms (3-9-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. Bemidji State, .264, 9.5 pts in 12 gms (2-8-2-1, 2-2, 1 shootout no-decision).

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

Power Play Club

January 23, 2021

Penalty Box Post - Thursday, January 21, 2021

Power Play Club

January 23, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Thursday, January 21, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Thursday, January 21st

Member-only Chalk Talk – Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 4:00 p.m.

An online edition of our Chalk Talks with GWH head coach Brad Frost is now scheduled for Wednesday, January 27 at 4:00 p.m., and will be held on Zoom. As mentioned last week, topics will include a review of the recent series and a discussion of playing strategy. This is a member-only event for 2020-2021 Power Play Club members. The Zoom link will be shared to members via email that morning.

If you enrolled or renewed your membership this month or wish to verify your membership status, please contact Laura Halldorson by email at halld002@umn.edu. While we are doing our best to document our records accurately, we are experiencing a lag of roughly a week to process registrations due to the current work-from-home situation.

Membership registration remains open!! A donation of $50 of more to the Power Play Club Fund at the University of Minnesota Foundation will enroll your household into the PPC for the season. To make your donation online, go to the Power Play Club Fund web page here. If you prefer to submit your donation by check, you can download the registration form here, fill it out, and mail it and your check to Laura Halldorson at the address listed on the form. If you have already enrolled as a Locker Sponsor for 2020-2021, you do not need to register again.

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Recap... Gophers swept by Wisconsin

A trip to Madison for the Border Battle series against Wisconsin did not go well for the Gopher Women's Hockey team, as they were swept by the Badgers, 5-0 and 6-3.

Four different Badgers – Sophie Shirley, Britta Curl, Daryl Watts, and Makenna Webster – each tallied a goal and an assist in the opening game on Friday, Dara Greig also scored, and UW's Kennedy Blair stymied Minnesota by stopping all 30 shots she faced. Lauren Bench made 21 saves in two periods of work, but yielded four goals; Makalya Pahl entered in relief for the third period, stopping 8 of 9 shots.

Wisconsin again took a two-goal first-period lead on Saturday when Brette Pettet and Lacey Eden lit the lamp. The Gophers battled back, as Grace Zumwinkle converted a power play before the end of the stanza and Amy Potomak netted her first goal of the season early in the second frame. Curl put the Badgers back ahead with a power-play goal, but that lead was short-lived as Josey Dunne scored on a wrap-around for Minnesota just 41 seconds later. Unfortunately, Wisconsin retook the lead again when Watts scored 2:30 into the third period, Pettet added an insurance goal at the 4:50 mark, and Watts tacked on an empty-netter late for her 6th point of the series (3g, 3a). Bench made 22 saves, while Blair stopped 23 shots. Anne Cherkowski dished out two assists for the Gophers.

As a result of the sweep, Wisconsin and Minnesota flipped positions again in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national polls. The Badgers regained the top spot, while the Gophers fell back to #2.

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Around the WCHA...

St. Cloud State gets win and earns tie against Bemidji State, but shootout result vacated by league – The SCSU Huskies earned their third win of the season Friday, defeating BSU 3-1; Paige Beebe initially put the Beavers ahead in the first period, but Nicole Ness and Emma Gentry scored in the second stanza to give the Huskies the lead, and Taylor Lind added an empty-netter to go with an earlier assist.

Saturday's game, however, ended in controversy; Lind & Gentry put SCSU up 2-0 after 20 minutes, and Clair DeGeorge & Taylor Nelson scored for BSU in the 2nd stanza. The game finished as a 2-2 tie after a scoreless third period and overtime. The subsequent shootout appeared to have been won by the Beavers, but it was later determined to have been incorrectly ended after 2 rounds, as it was supposed to go 3 rounds rather than using a "sudden death" round-by-round format. The WCHA announced yesterday that the league's Advisory Council vacated the shootout result and awarded each team 1.5 standings points for the 2-2 tie.

Minnesota Duluth, Ohio State split – The series between UMD and OSU was a goaltending battle. Bulldogs netminder Emma Söderberg stopped all 34 shots she faced in the opener, Anna Klein scored in the first period, and Taylor Anderson added an empty-netter to give Minnesota Duluth a 2-0 victory. Söderberg made another 44 saves in the rematch but yielded a goal to Buckeyes forward Brooke Bink in the second period; that was the difference as OSU goalie Andrea Brändli stopped all 32 shots from the Bulldogs to earn a 1-0 shutout win and the weekend split.

Upcoming games – All six upcoming contests in the league will be played on Friday and Saturday. Wisconsin heads to St. Cloud to face the Huskies in a pair of afternoon games. Ohio State hosts Minnesota State while Minnesota Duluth visits Bemidji State, with both of those series starting Friday evening and continuing Saturday afternoon.

Standings – As noted on the league's standing's page, “points percentage” will be used to determine the postseason seedings and regular-season champion. 1. Wisconsin, .792 pts%, 19 points in 8 games (6-2-0-0, 0-1 in OT); 2. Minnesota, .727, 24 pts in 11 gms (8-3-0-0, 0-0); 3. Minnesota Duluth, .625, 15 pts in 8 gms (5-3-0-0, 0-0); 4. Ohio State, .567, 17 pts in 10 gms (6-4-0-0, 1-0); 5. Minnesota State, .361, 13 pts in 12 gms (4-7-1-0, 0-0); 6. St. Cloud State, .318, 10.5 pts in 11 gms (3-7-1-0, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision); 7. Bemidji State, .271, 6.5 pts in 10 gms (1-7-2-1, 1-1, 1 shootout no-decision).

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