The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, May 9, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, May 9th

PWHPA announces new St. Louis dates, first Canadian showcase

The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) published two big press releases in the past week, first announcing that the St. Louis stop of the Secret® Dream Gap Tour will be held May 16 & 17, then promoting their organization's first Canadian showcase later this month in Calgary.

The St. Louis showcase, being held in partnership with the NHL's St. Louis Blues, was originally scheduled for April 11 & 12 but then postponed due to COVID concerns. It will feature Team adidas from the Minnesota regional training hub and Team Women's Sports Foundation from the New Hampshire hub. The first game will take place on Sunday, May 16 at 12 p.m. CT at Centene Community Ice Center, and will be webcast on cbc.ca. The showcase will conclude on Monday, May 17 with a 6 p.m. CT puck drop at Enterprise Center, home of the Blues, and will be televised in the U.S. on NBCSN.

Team adidas holds an 8-2 standings points advantage over four previous games between the two squads in the battle for the U.S. Secret® Cup Championship, posting a 3-1 win-loss record with 2 bonus points for reaching 5 goals twice. Six Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae have been involved in the showcases to-date, with Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein playing for Team adidas, and Amanda Kessel & Gigi Marvin in action for Team WSF.

North of the border, a round-robin competition featuring Team Scotiabank (Calgary regional hub), Team Sonnet (Toronto) and Team Bauer (Montreal) will be held on May 24 through 30 in Calgary. The showcase includes a partnership with Sportsnet, which will deliver exclusive English-language TV and streaming coverage of the event. It is further supported by the NHL's Calgary Flames, who are providing financial assistance and access to various organizational resources. An exact game and full broadcast schedule will be released at a later date, but the three teams will play a total of six round-robin contests (with each team appearing in four games), followed by the top two squads playing a championship game for the Canadian Secret® Cup. Team Scotiabank includes a connection to Gopher Women's Hockey in the form of alumna

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St. Thomas announces women's hockey coaching change

In a brief press release published this past Thursday (May 6), the University of St. Thomas announced that Tom Palkowski will not be returning as head coach of its women's hockey team for the 2021-2022 season, as the program moves into NCAA Division I and WCHA competition. Palkowski amassed a 220-99-40 record over 14 seasons as the coach of the Tommies.

Per press release, “assistant coach Marty Sertich will serve in an interim capacity while a national search for the next head coach is conducted. This search will begin immediately.”

We will share additional information as it becomes available.

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Reminder: PPC Board of Directors meeting – Wednesday, May 12 at 7 p.m.
Board to meet with Coach Frost via online web conference

We add this reminder that the next Power Play Club Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. As with all board meetings over the past year, the meeting will be held online via Zoom. GWH head coach Brad Frost will join the board members to provide his thoughts and ideas, and to receive the board's feedback to him.

Board meetings are open to all club members (2020-2021 membership applies this off-season). If you wish to participate in the conversation, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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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.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Monday, May 3, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Monday, May 3rd

Leveille named NWHL Goaltender of the Year with Whitecaps

Amanda Leveille, a three-time NCAA champion with the Gopher Women's Hockey Team (twice as the championship game starter) and two-time Isobel Cup Champion, added her second award as the NWHL's Goaltender of the Year as part of the league's annual awards presentation this past Wednesday, April 28.

Leveille was also recognized as the Minnesota Whitecaps' recipient of a 2021 NWHL Foundation Award “for actively applying the core values of hockey to her community as well as growing and improving hockey culture.”

Leveille was 3-1-0 in her four starts in the very abbreviated 2021 NWHL regular season, stopping 147 of the 157 shots she faced for a .936 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against average. She followed it up with a 44-save shutout performance in a 7-0 Whitecaps semifinal victory over Connecticut. though took a 4-3 loss with 26 saves in the 2021 Isobel Cup Final against Boston.

Congratulations, Amanda, on another great season!!

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IIHF announces new dates for Women's World Championship

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Council, after “a conference call with the participating teams,” rescheduled the 2021 Women's World Championship tournament for August 20 through 31, with a venue to be determined. The announcement this past Friday, April 30, came just over a week after the tournament's May schedule in Halifax & Truro, Nova Scotia, was cancelled by the provincial government.

The announcement indicates that the IIHF will continue partnering with Hockey Canada to select a new tournament venue, which will be named the in coming weeks.

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Next PPC Board of Directors meeting – Wednesday, May 12 at 7 p.m.
Board to meet with Coach Frost via online web conference

The next Power Play Club Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, at 7 p.m. As with all board meetings over the past year, the May meeting will be held online via Zoom. The directors will be meeting with GWH head coach Brad Frost to get his thoughts and ideas, and to provide their feedback to him.

Board meetings are open to all club members (2020-2021 membership applies this off-season). If you wish to participate in the conversation, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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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.

Penalty Box Quick Hit - Thursday, April 22, 2021

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Thursday, April 22nd

2021 IIHF Women's World Championship cancelled
Provincial government of Nova Scotia asserts COVID-19 safety concerns

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and Hockey Canada announced yesterday that the 2021 Women's World Championship has been cancelled by the provincial government of Nova Scotia “due to concerns over safety risks associated with COVID-19.” This marks the second-straight year the tournament, scheduled to be hosted in the cities of Halifax & Truro, has been called off.

As noted in the announcement, the IIHF & Hockey Canada are in the process of determining if the tournament may be held later in 2021, at an alternative location.

Hockey Canada published statements from its leadership and IIHF executives regarding the decision. “We strongly believe the top women’s hockey players in the world deserve the opportunity to compete for a world championship this season, and we will explore all options to make that happen in Canada later this year,” said Dean McIntosh, HC vice-president of events and properties.

USA Hockey also posted a statement on Twitter, saying “We respect the concern for the health and safety of everyone involved and share the heartbreak of our athletes and staff who put so much into preparing for the World Championship. We will remain optimistic for the tournament to be conducted this summer as the IIHF and Hockey Canada explore alternative dates and locations.”

We will continue to monitor this and will share additional news as it becomes available. As previously reported, the U.S. National Team's tournament roster included Gopher Women's Hockey representatives Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle. Meanwhile, Sarah and Amy Potomak were attending the Canada National Team's Evaluation Camp – in Halifax – in an effort to make that team's World Championship roster.

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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.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, April 17, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Saturday, April 17th

Johnson named interim head coach of U.S. Women's Nat'l Team

Gopher Women's Hockey associate head coach Joel Johnson has been named interim head coach of the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team going into the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship, as announced by USA Hockey yesterday.

Johnson succeeds Bob Corkum, who led the team since the 2018-2019 season.

Johnson has worked with USA Hockey for several years. As noted in the announcement, he was head coach of the U.S. Under-18 Women’s National Team as they won four-straight gold medals (2015-18) at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship. Following that, he served as head coach of the U.S. Under-22 Women’s Select Team at the 2018 U22 Series vs. Canada in Calgary.

Congrats & good luck, Coach Johnson!!

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Potomak sisters participating at Hockey Canada evaluation camp

Meanwhile, north of the border, GWH alumna Sarah Potomak and current Gopher redshirt junior Amy Potomak are attending Hockey Canada's Women's National Team Evaluation Camp after being named this past Monday among 47 invitees, with whom they are vying for World Championship roster spots.

The camp is being held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, one of the host cities for the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship. It began this past Wednesday, April 14, and runs through Thursday, April 22, at which point the Canada National Team roster for the WWC is expected to be announced.

Congratulations on the invitations & good luck, Sarah & Amy!!

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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.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Sunday, April 11, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, April 11th

Incoming freshman Hemp named 2021 Minnesota Ms. Hockey

Incoming Gopher Women's Hockey freshman Peyton Hemp, currently a senior at Andover High School, was named the 2021 Minnesota Ms. Hockey, as announced on Twitter by Let's Play Hockey and recapped by David LaVaque on MNGirlsHockeyHub.com.

Hemp completed the season with 80 points on 34 goals and 46 assists, leading the Andover Huskies to a Class 2A state tournament runner-up finish. She compiled 253 points with 118 goals and 135 assists in 108 games over her four-year high school career.

Hemp will join Taylor Heise and Madeline Wethington as Ms. Hockey award winners playing with the Gophers this fall. Congratulations, Peyton!!
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PWHPA showcase in St. Louis postponed

The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) announced late Friday that their showcase series in St. Louis, Missouri, scheduled for today & tomorrow (Sunday & Monday, April 11-12), has been postponed due to COVID exposure to one of the teams. The event was going to feature the fifth and sixth games between Team adidas from the organization's Minnesota regional training hub and Team Women's Sports Foundation from the New Hampshire region.

As noted in the postponement announcement shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, tickets for the games will be honored for new dates, which are to be determined.

The published rosters for the two teams include six Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae, with Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein on Team adidas, and Amanda Kessel & Gigi Marvin on Team Women's Sports Foundation. Another former Gopher, Mira Jalosuo, is serving as an assistant coach for Team adidas.
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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.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, April 6, 2021

The Two Minute Minor
An Edition of the Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, April 6

Reminder – annual PPC All-Member Meeting
Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 7) at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom

Here's an additional reminder for 2020-2021 Power Play Club members to join us on Zoom tomorrow evening (Wednesday, April 7) at 7:00 p.m. for the club's annual All-Member Meeting. The primary order of business will be to elect officers and directors for 2-year terms which will run through March 2023, but we will also use the meeting as a feedback session to discuss the recently-completed season and what we can do better going forward. The Zoom link will be sent by email to members tomorrow morning.
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Zumwinkle named to 2020-2021 All-USCHO Second Team

Gopher Women's Hockey senior Grace Zumwinkle earned another honor last week, being named as a member of the All-USCHO Second Team as announced by U.S. College Hockey Online on Friday.

Zumwinkle had previously earned recognition as a Top 3 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award and had been named a Second Team CCM/AHCA All-American and All-WCHA First Team member. She has also been named to the U.S. National Team roster for next month's IIHF Women's World Championship.

We send our congratulations and wishes of good luck going forward!!
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Maple Grove's Tatur named as 2021-2022 GWH freshman

The incoming Gopher Women's Hockey freshman class of 2021-2022 expanded to seven this past Thursday as head coach Brad Frost announced the signing of Maple Grove, MN, native Tristana Tatur. She joins Emma Conner, Peyton Hemp, Ella Huber, Sadie Lindsay, Skylar Vetter, and Emily Zumwinkle in the newest class of Gophers.

Playing for Maple Grove Senior High School, Tatur was a three-time all-conference and two-time all-section and all-area honoree, and helped the Crimson to back-to-back Minnesota Class AA state tournament appearances as a sophomore and junior. As a senior, she was named an all-state selection. She has also attended USA Hockey national development camps, and intends to major in Business and Marketing Education at the U. of M.

Welcome, Tristana!! We look forward to seeing you in action this fall!!
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IIHF Women's World Championship game schedule released

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) last week released the schedule of games for the 2021 Women's World Championship, which runs from May 6 through 16 in Halifax & Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada.

The host Canadians will open the tournament against Finland on the evening of the 6th at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. That contest will be preceded by the United States vs. Switzerland, while the fifth team in Group A – Russia – will play their first game on May 7. Group B, featuring the national teams of Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, and Japan, will play at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro. The preliminary round runs through May 11, and all five Group A teams and the top 3 Group B finishers will advance to the quarterfinals on May 13, with the semifinals on the 15th and the Bronze & Gold Medal Games on the 16th.

As noted in the release from the IIHF, there will be no promoted nor relegated teams this year since no lower division tournaments are being played. That said, a consolation bracket of the teams losing in the quarterfinals will be played to determine the fifth Group A team for the next Women's World Championship.
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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.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, March 31, 2021

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, March 31st

Seven Gophers named to U.S. National Team roster for 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship in May

2020-2021 Gopher Women's Hockey senior Grace Zumwinkle and six (6) Minnesota alumnae – Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek & Lee Stecklein – have been named to the U.S. Women’s National Team roster for the upcoming IIHF Women's World Championship, in Halifax & Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada from May 6 through 16.

The roster announcement concludes USA Hockey's Evaluation Camp, held at the National Sports Center in Blaine. As with the camp, we also add a shout-out to three members of the GWH staff supporting the national team: assistant coach Joel Johnson, head human performance coach Cal Dietz, and equipment manager Brent Proulx.

Team USA enters the World Championship as the 5-time defending champions, along with claiming the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. They will compete in Group A against host Canada, Finland, Russia, and Switzerland, though the finalized game schedule is TBA. All five Group A teams will advance to the Elimination Round, along with the top 3 teams from Group B consisting of Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, and Japan. Halifax & Truro were scheduled to host the 2020 tournament before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Incoming Gopher Vetter invited to USA Hockey goaltending camp

In addition to naming the team roster for the Women's World Championship, USA Hockey on Monday named 12 invitees to its three-day high performance goaltending camp which started yesterday at the National Sports Center. Among the invitees is former USA U-18 National Team netminder and incoming 2021-2022 Gopher freshman Skylar Vetter.

We send congratulations to Skylar on the invitation, and look forward to seeing her in the Maroon & Gold this fall!!
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Gopher recruits Conner, Hemp named MN Ms. Hockey finalists

Following the news in the first half of last week that incoming 2021-2022 Gopher Women's Hockey freshman Emma Conner and Peyton Hemp were named as Top 10 semifinalists for the 2021 Minnesota Ms. Hockey award, both advanced as Top 5 finalists announced by Let's Play Hockey this past Friday. Both had also been honored by the Star Tribune as members of its All-Metro First Team last week.

The Ms. Hockey winner will be announced during a broadcast this coming Tuesday, April 6. We send wishes of good luck to both Emma and Peyton.

Northeastern goaltender Frankel named Kazmaier Award winner

Northeaster University senior goaltender Aerin Frankel was named as the recipient of the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award last Saturday, presented by the USA Hockey Foundation. Frankel led NCAA Division I women's hockey in all the major statistics, completing the season with a 0.81 goals-against average, a .965 save percentage, 9 shutouts, and a .891 winning percentage with a record of 20-2-1. Frankel is the fourth goaltender to win the award in its 24-year history.

Frankel, a native of New York state, remains busy in the early off-season, participating in the USA Hockey goaltending camp and being named as one of the three netminders on Team USA's Women's World Championship roster.
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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.

Penalty Box Post - Thursday, March 25, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Thursday, March 25, 2021

Reminder – annual PPC All-Member Meeting
Wednesday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom

We remind 2020-2021 Power Play Club members to join us on Zoom on Wednesday evening, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. for the club's annual All-Member Meeting. The primary order of business will be to elect officers and directors for 2-year terms which will run through March 2023, but we will also use the meeting as a feedback session to discuss the recently-completed season and what we can do better going forward. The Zoom link will be sent by email to members on the morning of the 7th.

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Zumwinkle named CCM/AHCA Second Team All-American

Gopher Women's Hockey senior forward and co-captain Grace Zumwinkle earned another honor last Friday as she was named a CCM/AHCA Second Team All-American, as announced by the American Hockey Coaches Association. Zumwinkle becomes the 41st All-American in Minnesota Women's Hockey program history.

As reported last week, Zumwinkle is also a Top-3 finalist for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. The recipient of that award will be revealed this Saturday, March 27, as part of a special broadcast on NHL Network.
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Gopher recruit Emma Conner named Metro Player of the Year
Future teammate Peyton Hemp also named to Strib's All-Metro First Team

Edina High School senior and incoming 2021-2022 Gopher Women's Hockey freshman Emma Connor was honored Monday as the Star Tribune's 2021 Metro Player of the Year. Conner has 32 goals and 11 assists for 43 points in 19 games for the Hornets this season. (Photo by Jerry Holt, Star Tribune)

Conner was joined on the Star Tribune's All-Metro First Team by future Gopher teammate Peyton Hemp, who has 75 points on 33 goals and 42 assists for Andover High School.

We also send congratulations and wishes of good luck to Conner and Hemp, as they were both named semifinalists for Minnesota's 2021 Ms. Hockey by Let's Play Hockey on Monday. The top five finalists for the award will be announced tomorrow, Friday, March 26.
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Whitecaps, GWH alumnae head into NWHL Isobel Cup semifinals
MN vs. Connecticut Friday at 7 p.m. CT, after Toronto vs. Boston at 4 p.m. CT

We send more wishes of good luck to Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Winny Brodt Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence and Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal as they head into the National Women's Hockey League's Isobel Cup Playoffs, being played at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, MA. All four were named to the playoff roster of the 2nd-seeded Minnesota Whitecaps, who will be facing the #3 Connecticut Whale in the second semifinal at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT tomorrow night, Friday, March 26.

Top-seeded Toronto will play #4-seed Boston in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT on the 26th. The Isobel Cup Final is scheduled for Saturday, March 27, at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT. All three games will be televised live on NBCSN, featuring an all-female broadcast team.
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NCAA Championship: Wisconsin 2, Northeastern 1, OT

A low-scoring affair ensued when the top-seeded Northeastern Huskies and #2 Wisconsin Badgers met in the championship game of the 2021 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Hockey Tournament.

After over 50 minutes of scoreless action, the Badgers struck first when Makenna Webster buried a rebound with exactly 9 minutes remaining in the third period. But the Huskies' Chloé Aurard responded just 39 seconds later, beating Wisconsin goaltender Kennedy Blair with a shot into the far upper corner, glove side. Neither team was able to light the lamp again in regulation, sending the contest to overtime.

In the extra session, Wisconsin's Daryl Watts – stationed behind the Northeastern net – threw the puck out front. It ricocheted off a Huskies defender and into the goal for the national championship winner at the 3:16 mark, giving the Badgers their 6th title in program history.

Blair made 24 saves for the Badgers. Aerin Frankel stopped 35 shots for the Huskies.

All-Tournament Team: G - Aerin Frankel (Northeastern), D - Ashton Bell (Minnesota Duluth), D - Skylar Fontaine (Northeastern), F - Alina Mueller (Northeastern), F - Caitlin Schneider (Wisconsin), F - Makenna Webster (Wisconsin)

Most Outstanding Player: Webster
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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.

Penalty Box Post - Friday, March 19, 2021

Penalty Box Post
Friday, March 19, 2021

Zumwinkle named as Top-3 finalist for 2021 Patty Kazmaier Award;
Northeastern's Frankel, Wisconsin's Watts also honored

Gopher Women's Hockey senior forward and co-captain Grace Zumwinkle was honored yesterday as the USA Hockey Foundation named her as a Top-3 finalist for the 2021 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which is presented to the top Division I women's ice hockey player. Zumwinkle is joined as a finalist by Northeastern goaltender Aerin Frankel and Wisconsin forward Daryl Watts.

As noted in the announcement, Zumwinkle was tied for the NCAA lead with 17 goals, while placing second in goals-per-game (0.85) and tying for second in game-winning goals (prior to yesterday's NCAA semifinals).

The winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be revealed on Saturday, March 27, as part of a special broadcast on NHL Network.

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Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association names Goalie & Rookie of the Year – In addition to being a Patty Kazmaier Top-3 finalist, Northeastern's Aerin Frankel was honored as the inaugural Goalie of the Year, announced by the WHCA on Wednesday. Through the NCAA quarterfinal round, Frankel led the nation in save percentage (.969), goals-against average (0.71), wins (19) and shutouts (9).

Penn State freshman forward Kiara Zanon was honored as the Women’s College Hockey Rookie of the Year, as chosen in a vote the nation’s assistant coaches from a ballot consisting of each conference's Rookie of the Year. Zanon led all NCAA first-year players with 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points. She was a Top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award.

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Northeastern, Wisconsin advance to NCAA Championship Game
Puck drop March 20 at 7:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm CT, televised on ESPNU

The top two seeds in the 2021 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Hockey Tournament – the #1 Northeastern University Huskies and #2 University of Wisconsin Badgers – have advanced to tomorrow night's National Championship Game. Action is set for 7:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm CT at Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, PA, with live television coverage on ESPNU.

The teams met just 14 months ago at the championship game of the in-season Battle at the Burgh tournament in Pittsburgh. In a wild contest which saw Wisconsin hold a 55-40 shots on goal advantage, the game went to overtime and Caitlin Schneider scored on a power play with a minute left in the extra session for a 4-3 Badgers victory. Only UW's Brette Pettet & Sophie Shirley recorded multiple points, dishing out two assists apiece. Kristen Campbell made 37 saves for the Badgers, while Aerin Frankel stopped 51 shots for the Huskies.

Here are our summaries of the NCAA Tournament action leading up to the title game.

Quarterfinals
#1 Northeastern 5, #8 Robert Morris 1 – Skylar Fontaine scored twice, including the game-winning goal, and also had an assist, while Chloé Aurard and Alina Mueller each added a goal and an assist for the Huskies, who outshot the Colonials 46-21. Emily Curlett netted the lone goal for RMU on a power play.

#5 Minnesota Duluth 1, #4 Colgate 0, OT – In a goaltending battle, UMD's Emma Söderberg stopped all 30 shots she faced. She was matched through regulation by the Raiders' Kayle Osborne, but Ashton Bell scored at the 6:39 mark of overtime on the Bulldogs' 30th shot on goal.

#2 Wisconsin 3, #7 Providence 0 – The Badgers held the Friars without a first-period shot on goal and only 12 for the contest. Brette Pettet scored in the first stanza and Sophie Shirley lit the lamp twice in the third, despite 41 saves from Providence goaltender Sandra Abstreiter.

#3 Ohio State 3, #6 Boston College 1 – After shots were 5-5 at the first intermission and the Eagles led 1-0 on a Savannah Norcross goal, the Buckeyes came out firing, outshooting BC 43-7 over the final 40 minutes. Jenna Buglioni knotted the score on a power play and Brooke Bink put OSU ahead in the second period, and Gabby Rosenthal added an insurance goal in the final frame.

Semifinals
#1 Northeastern 3, #5 Minnesota Duluth 2, OT – Mannon McMahon and Taylor Anderson lit the lamp in the second period to put the Bulldogs up 2-0, but Maureen Murphy capitalized on a Huskies 5-on-3 power play 42 seconds into the third stanza and Katy Knoll knotted the score less than 5 minutes later. Emma Söderberg made 44 saves for UMD, including 11 in overtime, and the game appeared to be headed to a second extra session, but Northeastern's Skylar Fontaine intercepted a pass at the offensive blue line and took a shot which floated over Söderberg and into the net with 27 seconds left in the first OT.

#2 Wisconsin 4, #3 Ohio State 2 – Makenna Webster opened the scoring just 1:19 into the contest, and Casey O'Brien & Caitlin Schneider each recorded a goal and two assists to put the Badgers up 3-0 in the second period. Gabby Rosenthal and Sara Säkkinen scored for Ohio State to cut the Wisconsin lead to 3-2, but Daryl Watts tacked on an empty-netter with 14 seconds remaining. Kennedy Blair made 37 saves for the victory.

Live updates from the tournament can be found on NCAA.com.

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PWHPA announces next showcase in St. Louis, April 11 & 12

The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association announced yesterday a new partnership with the NHL's St. Louis Blues, who will host the organization's third showcase of the 2021 Secret® Dream Gap Tour. The event will include games between Team adidas from the Minnesota region and Team Women's Sports Foundation from the New Hampshire region, played on Sunday, April 11 at Centene Community Ice Center at 5 p.m. CT, and Monday, April 12 with a 6 p.m. CT puck drop at Enterprise Center, home of the Blues.

Both teams participating in the showcase include Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae, with Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein playing for Team adidas (Minnesota), and Amanda Kessel & Gigi Marvin dressing for Team WSF (New Hampshire).

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St. Thomas concludes final D-III season before move to WCHA

The University of St. Thomas women's hockey team saw its pandemic-shortened Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference season come to an end this past Sunday, also concluding the program's tenure in the MIAC and at the Division III level. The Tommies will make the move to Division I next season, joining the Western Collegiate Hockey Association as that conference's eighth team.

As noted in the post-season recap from UST, the Tommie women have played 588 games over 23 seasons, with 362 all-time victories, 174 losses and 52 ties – a .660 win percentage. They went 6-2 in the recently-finished year, wrapping up play with a 3-0 victory over St. Mary's. Head coach Tom Palkowski has compiled a 220-99-40 record at St. Thomas over 14 seasons, with two Division III Frozen Four appearances.

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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.

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Friday, March 12, 2021

The Two Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Friday, March 12, 2021

SAVE THE DATE – annual PPC All-Member Meeting
Wednesday, April 7 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom

All 2020-2021 Power Play Club members are invited to join us on Zoom on Wednesday evening, April 7, at 7:00 p.m. for the club's annual All-Member Meeting. The primary order of business will be to elect officers and directors for 2-year terms which will run through March 2023, but we will also use the meeting as a feedback session to discuss the recently-completed season and what we can do better going forward. The Zoom link will be sent by email to members on the morning of the 7th.
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Board of Directors Meeting, April 14 – The first meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors for the 2021-2022 season will be held the following Wednesday evening, April 14th, also via Zoom. Board meetings are open to all PPC members; please contact club president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org if you wish to attend.
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Ten Gophers invited to U.S. National Team Evaluation Camp
Camp runs March 24-30 before IIHF World Championship in May

Ten (10) current and former Gopher Women's Hockey players were named among the roster of 46 invitees to the U.S. Women’s National Team Evaluation Camp, announced yesterday by USA Hockey. The camp runs March 24 through 30 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, and is part of the process for selecting the roster of players that will comprise Team USA at the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship in Halifax & Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada from May 6 through 16.

We send our congratulations to current (2020-2021) Gophers Emily Brown, Taylor Heise, Abbey Murphy & Grace Zumwinkle, and Minnesota alumnae Hannah Brandt, Megan Bozek, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek & Lee Stecklein on being invited to the camp. We wish all ten good luck as they vie for spots on World Championship roster.

We also add a shout-out to three members of the GWH staff supporting the national team: assistant coach Joel Johnson, head human performance coach Cal Dietz, and equipment manager Brent Proulx.
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NWHL announces schedule to complete Isobel Cup Playoffs
Semifinals to be played March 26 & Championship on March 27

The National Women's Hockey League announced Monday that the Isobel Cup Playoffs will resume and be completed on March 26 & 27, following the suspension of league play in early February due to COVID-19 concerns. The semifinal and championship rounds will be played at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, MA, with all three contests televised live on NBCSN.

Top-seeded Toronto will play #4-seed Boston in the first semifinal at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT on the 26th. The 2nd-seeded Minnesota Whitecaps will face #3 Connecticut in the second semifinal at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT. The Isobel Cup Final is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT on the 27th.

We wish good luck to Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae Sydney Baldwin, Winny Brodt Brown, Amanda Leveille, Meghan Lorence and Chelsey (Brodt) Rosenthal, all of whom are playing with the Whitecaps.
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