Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Saturday, April 9, 2022

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Saturday, April 9th

PPC Board Notes – Board meeting Tuesday, April 12 at 7 pm;
additional volunteers needed to fill positions

The first meeting of the new term for the Power Play Club Board of Directors – and the first of the 2022 off-season – will be held online via Zoom this coming Tuesday evening, April 12, at 7 p.m. As always, the meeting is open to all enrolled Power Play Club members (2021-2022 membership applies for off-season meetings); if you are interested in attending, please contact PPC vice president Dave Malerich at vicepresident@powerplayclub.org.

We send thanks to Barb Hoese for her service on the PPC Board over the past 5 years, including as the secretary the past two seasons.

We welcome John Conner to the board for a two-year term as a director-at-large. We also welcome back Todd King as treasurer and Susan (Rennie) McPherson & David Lord as directors-at-large for additional two-year terms following their reelection at our Annual Meeting on March 30.

Support GWH through service to the Power Play Club! As we've noted the past year, your help is needed to fulfill several remaining vacancies on the PPC board or to assist with other club responsibilities. As hockey fans, we know that being continually short-handed makes it difficult to be successful! Board meetings occur monthly during the off-season and as-necessary once the new season begins. If you are interested, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

Heise, Hemp named to All-USCHO teams for 2021-2022

Another round of on-ice full-season honors were announced on Friday, April 1, with Gopher Women's Hockey forwards Taylor Heise and Peyton Hemp named as members of U.S. College Hockey Online's All-USCHO teams for 2021-2022.

Heise was named to the All-USCHO First Team while Hemp was honored as a member of the All-USCHO Rookie Team. Congratulations, Taylor and Peyton!!

In earlier, separate announcements, Ohio State's Sophie Jaques was named USCHO's Player of the Year and Mercyhurst’s Vanessa Upson was honored as USCHO’s Rookie of the Year.

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

The Power Play Club does not share its mailing list. Please add news@powerplayclub.org to your address book to keep our messages from going into your Spam/Junk folder. Follow the Power Play Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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 3, 2022


The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, April 3rd

Huber recognized as National Player of the Month for March

University of Minnesota freshman forward Ella Huber was named Rookie of the Month for March by the Hockey Commissioners Association. She is the second Gopher to earn a monthly honor from the organization following two awards for senior Taylor Heise as Player of the Month (Nov. & Feb.). Huber's recognition also follows Peyton Hemp's selection by the HCA as National Rookie of the Year.

Huber's goal against Ohio State in the WCHA Final Faceoff title game was the first of her career in the postseason. As noted in the follow-up press release from the U., she also recorded 11 shots, three blocks, and four faceoff wins in three March contests.

Congratulations, Ella!!

GWH alumna Muzerall honored as USCHO Coach of the Year

We send congratulations as well to Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna Nadine Muzerall who, as the bench boss at the Ohio State University, was named as USCHO's Coach of the Year after leading the Buckeyes to their second WCHA Playoff Championship, their third NCAA Frozen Four appearance, and their first NCAA Championship with a program-high 32 wins.

Through six seasons in Columbus, Muzerall has a career head coaching record of 127-63-17, a .655 winning percentage. Earlier in March, she was named WCHA Coach of the Year for the third time after her team posted a 21-6-0 regular-season conference record.

IIHF U18 World Championship rescheduled to June in Wisconsin
Tickets to games at LaBahn & Capitol Ice Arenas now on sale

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has announced that the 2022 Women's U18 World Championship, which previously had its January schedule of games in Sweden cancelled, will be played on June 6 through 13 in Wisconsin, with games at LaBahn Arena in Madison and Bob Suter’s Capitol Ice Arena in Middleton.

LaBahn Arena will host Group A preliminary round contests – featuring the teams from the United States, Canada, Finland & Sweden – and the playoff round games. Tickets for those contests are now on sale at go.wisc.edu/u18worlds2022, sold on a per day basis (one ticket for both games on a single day). Individual day tickets for all preliminary round, quarterfinal and semifinal game days (June 6-12) are $15 for the general public and $10 for groups, while tickets for June 13, the day of the medal games, are $20 for the general public and $15 for groups.

Capitol Ice Arena will host Group B preliminary round games – featuring the teams from the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany & Slovakia – and the best-2-of-3 relegation round series, with tickets sold at tickets.capitolicearena.com. Preliminary round tickets are also sold on a per day basis for $15 for the general public and $10 for groups; relegation round tickets are $5 per game when purchased in advance.

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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, March 26, 2022

The Two Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Saturday, March 26th

GOLDEN!! Taylor Heise wins 2022 Patty Kazmaier Award!!


University of Minnesota senior forward Taylor Heise has been named the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the best player in NCAA Division I Women's Hockey, as announced by the USA Hockey Foundation on NHL Network.

Leading the nation with 66 points on 29 goals and 37 assists, Heise becomes the third Minnesota Golden Gopher to be honored as a Kazmaier Award winner, joining Krissy Wendell-Pohl (2005) and Amanda Kessel (2013). The award joins Heise's recognition as First Team All-American, WCHA Player of the Year, WCHA Offensive Player of the Year, and WCHA Scoring Champion, along with three WCHA Forward of the Month honors (Nov., Jan., Feb.) and two HCA Player of the Month honors (Nov. and Feb.).

The U. of M. published their announcement of Heise's Kazmaier Award, including comments from Taylor and GWH head coach Brad Frost, here.

As part of her acceptance, Heise indicated that she intends to return to the Gophers for a fifth season this fall.

Congratulations, Taylor!!

PPC All-Member Meeting – Wednesday, March 30 at 7:00 pm;
Volunteers needed to fill board positions

We provide another reminder that all 2021-2022 Power Play Club members are invited to attend the organization's annual meeting this coming Wednesday, March 30th. The meeting is set for 7:00 p.m. As previously noted, the primary order of business will be the election of Board of Directors members, including for the officer positions of secretary and treasurer, but we will also be reviewing club activities over the past year and opening the floor for questions, discussion, and other feedback.

The link for the meeting will be sent out to members on Wednesday morning.

Additionally, volunteers are needed to fulfill several vacancies on the PPC Board of Directors or to assist with other club responsibilities. The board meets monthly during the hockey off-season (starting in April) and as-necessary once the new season begins. If you are interested, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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 Quick Hit - Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Wednesday, March 23rd

PPC All-Member Meeting – next Wednesday, March 30th

All 2021-2022 Power Play Club members are invited to attend the organization's annual meeting next Wednesday, March 30th. The primary order of business will be the election of Board of Directors members, including for the officer positions of secretary and treasurer, but we will also be reviewing club activities over the past year and opening the floor for questions, discussion, and other feedback.

This is expected to be an evening, online meeting via Zoom. We are still working on exact details and will send out updates to enrolled members as those details are finalized.

Ohio State defeats Minnesota Duluth, 3-2 to claim program's first NCAA Championship

We send congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae on their staff – Head Coach Nadine Muzerall, Assistant Coach Emily West, and Director of Hockey Operations Kelsey Cline – following their 3-2 victory over Minnesota Duluth for their program's first NCAA Championship this past Sunday.

The Buckeyes and Bulldogs traded second-period goals by Paetyn Levis (OSU, power play) and Naomi Rogge (UMD), then did it again in the first two minutes of the third stanza when Clair DeGeorge (OSU) and Elizabeth Giguere (UMD) lit the lamp. But Kenzie Hauswirth scored for Ohio State off a Bulldog defender's skate with the game-winning goal with 6:40 to play. OSU goaltender Amanda Thiele earned the victory with 17 saves; UMD's Emma Söderberg stopped 36 shots.

Semifinal recaps:

Minnesota Duluth 2, Northeastern 1, 2OT – Naomi Rogge ended a marathon contest at the 98-minute, 15-second mark to push the Bulldogs past the Huskies and into the National Championship Game. Skylar Irving put Northeastern ahead in the 2nd period, but Taylor Anderson knotted the score for UMD in the third. Emma Söderberg made 46 saves for the Bulldogs, while Aerin Frankel stopped 48 shots for the Huskies.

Ohio State 2, Yale 1 – Tabea Botthof put the Bulldogs up 1-0 early in the second period, but Paetyn Levis netted a power-play goal for the Buckeyes to knot the score, and Jennifer Gardiner put OSU ahead less than 4 minutes later. Ohio State netminder Amanda Thiele made 23 saves for the win, while Yale's Gianna Meloni stopped 38 shots.

All-Tournament Team

  • F – Naomi Rogge, Minnesota Duluth

  • F – Paetyn Levis, Ohio State

  • F – Kenzie Hauswirth, Ohio State

  • D – Sophie Jaques, Ohio State

  • D – Skylar Fontaine, Northeastern

  • G – Emma Söderberg, Minnesota Duluth

  • Most Outstanding Player – Levis

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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 18, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Friday, March 18th

GWH final scoring tally: 169 goals, 21 on the power play

We send another thank you to everyone who has made a pledge for the Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal program. The Gopher Women's Hockey team finished its season with 169 goals, 21 of which came on the power play!!

Invoices have been sent out by the Golden Gopher Fund on how to remit the corresponding donations. If you were expecting an invoice but did not receive one or have any other questions, please contact Laura Halldorson at the GGF.

As we've stated throughout the 2021-2022 season, collected funds will go to support the team's participation in a regular-season tournament in Las Vegas in 2022-2023. More details on our final collection – and all the Power Play Club's fundraising efforts – will be shared when they become available.

Heise named Kazmaier Top 3 Finalist, First-Team All-American


Minnesota Women's Hockey senior forward Taylor Heise celebrated her birthday yesterday – Happy Birthday, Taylor! – with two national recognitions: first being named a Top 3 Finalist for the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award by the USA Hockey Foundation, and then being honored as a 2021-2022 Women's Division I First-Team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association!!

Heise led the country with 66 points on 29 goals and 37 assists in 39 games. Of her 29 goals, five came while the Gophers were short-handed and seven were game-winners. She had already earned honors as the WCHA Player of the Year & Offensive Player of the Year, HCA National Player of the Month in November, three-time WCHA Forward of the Month (Nov., Jan. & Feb.), and a WCHA All-Academic Team honor. Additionally, Heise has participated in multiple volunteer activities.

Heise becomes Minnesota's 12th top-three finalist for the Kazmaier Award, following Grace Zumwinkle last season. She's also the 42nd All-American and 23rd First-Team member in Gopher program history.

As noted in the USA Hockey Foundation announcement, the 2022 Kazmaier Award winner will be announced next Saturday, March 26 during an hour-long special on NHL Network beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT / 11:30 a.m. ET.

Hemp named National Rookie of the Year


Gopher Women's Hockey freshman forward Peyton Hemp was named 2021-2022 National Rookie of the Year on Wednesday by the Hockey Commissioners Association!!

Hemp, already recognized as the WCHA's Rookie of the Year and a three-time league Rookie of the Month (Oct., Nov. & Feb.), recorded 32 points on 12 goals and 20 assists, with a +27 plus-minus rating and five of her goals being game-winners.

Hemp is the third Gopher to win the award since its inception at the end of the 2013-2014 season, joining Dani Cameranesi (2014) and Sarah Potomak (2016).

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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, March 13, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post
Sunday, March 13th


NCAA Quarterfinal: Gophers fall to Minnesota Duluth, 2-1

NCAA Frozen Four – Pegula Ice Arena, University Park, PA
Semifinals – Friday, March 18

#3 Northeastern vs. Minnesota Duluth – 3:30 pm ET / 2:30 pm CT
#1 Ohio State vs. #5 Yale – 7:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm CT
Video from both games streamed for free on ESPN+

Championship – Sunday, March 20 at 4:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm CT
Televised on ESPNU

Minnesota Duluth goaltender Emma Söderberg made 37 saves, holding the Gopher Women's Hockey team to a first-period power-play goal from Abigail Boreen. Mannon McMahon knotted the score for the Bulldogs in the second period and Gabbie Hughes lit the lamp in the third to put UMD ahead. Minnesota could not find an equalizer, falling 2-1 in their NCAA Quarterfinal matchup to bring their season to an end. Lauren Bench made 25 saves.

The Gophers finish with an overall record of 29-9-1.

Minnesota-UMD game recaps...


Other Quarterfinal results...

#1 Ohio State outlasts Quinnipiac in double-overtime, 4-3 – Bobcats goaltender Corinne Schroeder made 73 saves and Taylor House scored a 6-on-4 extra-attacker power-play goal with 1:22 left in regulation to force overtime. However, Clair DeGeorge netted her second goal of the game 2:05 into the second overtime period to send the Buckeyes to the Frozen Four.

#5 Yale advances with 2-1 OT road win over #4 Colgate – The Bulldogs' Vita Poniatovskaia and Raiders' Kaitlyn O'Donohoe scored first-period goals, but that was all either team could muster in regulation. However, Tess Dettling lit the lamp 2:05 into overtime to punch Yale's ticket for the Frozen Four. Gianna Meloni made 28 saves for the Bulldogs for the victory, while Hannah Murphy stopped 20 shots for the Raiders.

#3 Northeastern knocks off Wisconsin, 4-2 – Katy Knoll and Maureen Murphy each tallied a goal & an assist for the Huskies, with Murphy's goal being the eventual gamewinner. Brette Pettet pulled the Badgers within one with a third-period power-play goal, but Northeastern's Alina Mueller netted her own power-play marker for the final margin. Aerin Frankel made 39 saves for the Huskies, while Kennedy Blair stopped 28 shots for the Badgers.

Thank you seniors Lauren Bench, Abigail Boreen, Emily Brown, Kyleigh Hanzlik, Taylor Heise, Crystalyn Hengler, Olivia Knowles, Savannah Norcross, Emily Oden, Gracie Ostertag, Amy Potomak, and Catie Skaja for proudly representing the Gopher Women's Hockey program and the U. of M.!!

We send thanks to the entire GWH team on another great season,
congratulations again on your WCHA Regular-Season Championship,
and we look forward to seeing you in the fall!

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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 - Quick Hit - Friday, March 11, 2022

Penalty Box Post - Quick Hit
Friday, March 11th

NCAA Quarterfinals – Minnesota Duluth at #2 Minnesota
Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. CT – Ridder Arena

The 2nd-seeded Gopher Women's Hockey team will face the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs for a sixth time this season, squaring off in an NCAA Women's Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal / Regional Final at Ridder Arena on Saturday, March 12 – at 2:00 p.m. CT. UMD advanced in the tournament after defeating Harvard, 4-0, in their First Round matchup last night at Ridder.

Gabbie Hughes netted the first three goals against the Crimson, scoring inside the first minute of the 1st period, repeating it inside the first minute of the 2nd stanza, and completing her natural hat trick later in the second. Elizabeth Giguere and Anna Klein combined for 5 assists on those goals. McKenzie Hewett added the Bulldogs' fourth goal in the third, and Emma Söderberg stopped all 27 shots she faced for the shutout. Harvard's Becky Dutton made 26 saves.

Other First Round results...

Wisconsin 3, Clarkson 1 – Maddi Wheeler scored in the first stanza and Daryl Watts doubled the Badger lead on a second-period power play. Nicole Gosling lit the lamp on a extra-attacker goal for the Golden Knights with 2:01 left in regulation, but Delaney Drake hit an empty-netter for Wisconsin with 18 seconds to go. Kennedy Blair made 30 saves for the win, while Clarkson's Amanda Zeglen stopped 22 shots.

Quinnipiac 4, Syracuse 0 – Four different Bobcats lit the lamp, scoring two in the 2nd period and two more in the third. Lexie Adzija led the way with a goal and an assist. Corinne Schroeder stopped all 16 shots she faced for the shutout, while Arielle DeSmet made 26 saves for the Orange.


Other Quarterfinal Saturday matchups...

University of Wisconsin (26-7-4) at #3-seed Northeastern University (30-4-2)
Puck drop at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT

#5-seed Yale University (25-8-1) at #4-seed Colgate (30-7-1)
Puck drop at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT

Quinnipiac University (26-9-3) at #1-seed Ohio State University (29-6-0)
Puck drop at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT

The full interactive bracket can be found here.

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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 - Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, March 9th

Goals for a Goal program continues counting...

We continue asking for assistance supporting Minnesota Women's Hockey's participation in a regular-season tournament in Las Vegas in 2022-2023.

The Power Play Club's Goals for a Goal campaign is collecting pledges for every goal scored by the Gophers, and we again provide a reminder that postseason goals are included in the count this year. Entering NCAA Tournament play, the team has recorded 168 goals, twenty (20) of which have come on the power play!!

There's still time to submit a pledge! We encourage you to do so online, or download the pledge form here and mail it in to the Golden Gopher Fund. The GGF will send out invoices following the completion of the season.

NCAA Tournament – Single-elimination

First Round – Minnesota Duluth (24-11-1) vs. Harvard (22-9-1)
Thursday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m. CT

Quarterfinal – First-round winner (UMD or Harvard)
vs. #2-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers (29-8-1)
Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. CT

Both games at Ridder Arena

After a tough loss in the WCHA Championship Game, the Golden Gophers looks to rebound and advance through the 2022 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Hockey Tournament as the #2 seed, earning a quarterfinal home game. Minnesota Duluth and Harvard will come to Ridder Arena for one of the new First Round games in the expanded 11-team field, playing on Thursday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m. CT. The winner of that contest advances to face Minnesota in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m.

Ticket information – All advanced ticket sales are as all-session packages for both games, and are $15 per seat (both reserved chairbacks & general admission bench seating). They can be purchased online (or use this link) or by calling the U. of M. Ticket Office at 1-800-U-GOPHER.

Video coverage of both games will be free via the web, available on bigtenplus.com, with Thursday's First Round game here and Saturday's quarterfinal here.

Analyzing the Crimson – Despite matching 16-5-1 records in ECAC play in the regular season, Harvard had fewer losses in regulation than Yale & Colgate, giving them the league's regular-season championship. However, things unraveled for the Crimson in the conference playoffs, losing their quarterfinal series at home against 8th-seeded Princeton, two games to one. The Tigers took the opener 4-2, the Crimson evened the series with a 2-1 overtime win, but Princeton pulled off a second upset, 3-2, two Sundays ago.

Senior Becca Gilmore (#15) leads Harvard in total scoring with 45 points, recording a team-high 26 assists while lighting the lamp 19 times herself. Junior Kristin Della Rovere (#11) also reached the 40-point mark on 15 goals and 25 assists. Another junior, Anne Bloomer (#3) holds the Crimson's goal lead with 20 while dishing out 14 assists for 34 points. As a team, Harvard has outscored its opponents 113-68.

Senior goaltender Becky Dutton (#35) is 12-3-1 in her 16 starts, posting 3 shutouts with a 1.99 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. Dutton has split time primarily with junior Lindsay Reed (#29); Reed has 13 starts but only a 7-6-0 record, with 2 shutouts, a 2.40 GAA, and a .912 SV%. Freshman and Minnesota native Alex Pellici started Harvard's other three games, going 3-0-0 with one shutout, a 1.66 GAA, and an .898 SV%.

Minnesota Duluth vs. Harvard preview – The Bulldogs and Crimson are not strangers to each other, having squared off in Cambridge, MA, earlier this season on December 31 & January 1. UMD earned a sweep of their road series, winning 5-2 and 4-3. Gabbie Hughes led the way for Minnesota Duluth with a 4-goal, 2-assist performance, while Elizabeth Giguere also tallied 6 points with a goal & 5 helpers and Anna Klein added 2 goals & 2 assists. Five different Crimson players lit the lamp in the series, with Taze Thompson recording a goal and two assists; Becca Gilmore and Kyra Willoughby each dished out two assists. UMD netminder Emma Söderberg made 46 saves combined over both games; Lindsay Reed stopped 24 shots for Harvard in the opener, and Becky Dutton made 29 saves in the rematch.

Last meeting: Minnesota vs. Harvard – The Gophers and Crimson last met in November 2019 at the Country Classic Tournament in Nashville, TN. Sarah Potomak scored twice for Minnesota, Alex Woken & Abigail Boreen also lit the lamp, and Sydney Scobee stopped all 21 shots she faced to give Minnesota a 4-0 shutout victory. Lindsay Reed made 39 saves for Harvard.

Update: Minnesota vs. Minnesota Duluth – As noted in our email message on Monday, Catie Skaja, Abigail Boreen, and Emily Brown each recorded a goal and an assist, Crystalyn Hengler & Taylor Heise also lit the lamp, and Madeline Wethington dished out 2 helpers as the Gophers defeated the Bulldogs 5-1 in the WCHA semifinals. Elizabeth Giguere scored UMD's lone goal. Lauren Bench made 21 saves for the Gophers, while Jojo Chobak stopped 34 shots for the Bulldogs.

The victory last weekend gave Minnesota a 3 games to 2 advantage over Minnesota Duluth this season. Boreen took the Gophers' scoring lead in the head-to-head competition, posting 3 goals and 3 assists. Peyton Hemp remained with a goal and 4 assists for 5 points, while Audrey Wethington and Taylor Heise each recorded two goals and two assists. Gabbie Hughes and Giguere also each posted 3 goals and 3 assists across the five contests, while Anna Klein recorded a goal and 4 assists. In net, Lauren Bench improved to a 2.49 goals-against average and .891 save percentage against the Bulldogs this year, while Makayla Pahl stopped 24 of 25 shots in her one start. After UMD's Emma Söderberg went 2-2-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .919 SV% against the Gophers in the regular season, Jojo Chobak made 34 saves in the semifinal.

Hemp honored as national Rookie of the Year finalist

Minnesota Women's Hockey freshman forward Peyton Hemp was named one of five finalists for Division I Women's Hockey Rookie of the Year, as announced yesterday by the Hockey Commissioners Association. Hemp was a three-time WCHA Rookie of the Month honoree and led the conference in points and goals among freshmen. She became Minnesota's 10th WCHA Rookie of the Year winner behind 31 points on 12 goals (including 5 gamewinners) and 19 assists in the regular season. Congratulations, Peyton!!

As noted in the HCA's announcement, the award recipient is chosen by a vote of the NCAA D-I schools’ assistant coaches, with one vote per staff. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 16.

Other NCAA Tournament Matchups – First Round

Quinnipiac University (25-9-3) vs. Syracuse University (15-10-6) – at Ohio State
Thursday, March 10 at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT

University of Wisconsin (25-7-4) vs. Clarkson University (22-11-3) – at Northeastern
Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT

Quarterfinals

Wisconsin / Clarkson at #3-seed Northeastern University (30-4-2)
Saturday, March 12 at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT

#5-seed Yale University (25-8-1) at #4-seed Colgate (30-7-1)
Saturday, March 12 at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT

Quinnipiac / Syracuse at #1-seed Ohio State University (29-6-0)
Saturday, March 12 at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT

The full interactive bracket can be found here.

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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 Penalty Box Post - Monday, March 7, 2022

Penalty Box Post
NCAA Bracket Update
Monday, March 7th

Gophers fall to Ohio State in WCHA Final Faceoff Championship

The Gopher Women's Hockey team fell in overtime to Ohio State, 3-2, in the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship yesterday, after defeating Minnesota Duluth 5-1 in the semifinals on Saturday. The Buckeyes claimed their second league playoff title in the past 3 seasons.

In the semis, the Gophers built a 4-0 lead over the Bulldogs early in the third period. Catie Skaja opened the scoring just 51 seconds into the contest, Crystalyn Hengler doubled the lead moments before intermission, Abigail Boreen lit the lamp in the second stanza, and Taylor Heise tallied 14 seconds into the third frame. UMD's Elizabeth Giguere lit the lamp with 16 minutes to play, but Minnesota held firm and Emily Brown tacked on an empty-netter with 2:44 remaining to complete the scoring. Skaja, Boreen, and Brown each finished with a goal and an assist, and Madeline Wethington dished out 2 helpers. Lauren Bench made 21 saves for the Gophers, while Jojo Chobak stopped 34 shots for the Bulldogs.

Ohio State came from behind to defeat Wisconsin in the semifinals, 2-1, with all the scoring occurring in the second period. Sophie Shirley netted the opening goal for the Badgers, but that was all Buckeyes goaltender Amanda Thiele surrendered as she stopped 33 shots in total. Liz Schepers knotted the score for OSU and Gabby Rosenthal put them ahead with the gamewinner. Kennedy Blair made 16 saves for Wisconsin.

After a scoreless first period of the championship game, Abigail Boreen and Peyton Hemp lit the lamp in the second stanza to put Minnesota up 2-0 with 20 minutes remaining in regulation. However, Sara Saekkinen and Sophie Jaques responded with third-period goals for Ohio State to level the score. A penalty on the Gophers late in that period turned into an overtime power play for the Buckeyes, and Jaques scored 23 seconds into the extra period to claim the title. Thiele stopped 32 of 33 shots for OSU, while Bench made 26 saves for the Gophers.

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

  • F - Liz Schepers, Ohio State

  • F - Abigail Boreen, Minnesota

  • F - Sara Saekkinen, Ohio State

  • D - Madeline Wethington, Minnesota

  • D - Sophie Jaques, Ohio State

  • G - Amanda Thiele, Ohio State

  • Most Outstanding Player: Sophie Jaques

NCAA Tournament – Single-elimination

First Round – Minnesota Duluth (24-11-1) vs. Harvard (22-9-1)
Thursday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m. CT

Quarterfinal – First-round winner (UMD or Harvard)
vs. #2-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers (29-8-1)
Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. CT

Both games at Ridder Arena

Despite falling in the WCHA Championship Game, the Golden Gophers qualified for the 2022 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Hockey Tournament as the #2 seed, earning a quarterfinal home game. With the tournament field expanding to 11 teams this season, the bracket now features three First Round contests; Minnesota Duluth and Harvard will come to Ridder Arena for one of those games on Thursday, March 10 at 6:00 p.m. CT, with the winner advancing to face Minnesota in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets will go on sale later today (Monday, 3/7), to Gopher Score members at 11 a.m. CT and to the public at 1 p.m. CT. All advanced sales are as all-session packages for both games. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-U-GOPHER.

More information about these “Minneapolis Regional” games will be shared in our regular issue of the Penalty Box Post on Wednesday.

Other NCAA Tournament Matchups – First Round

Quinnipiac University (25-9-3) vs. Syracuse University (15-10-6) – at Ohio State
Thursday, March 10 at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT

University of Wisconsin (25-7-4) vs. Clarkson University (22-11-3) – at Northeastern
Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT

Quarterfinals

Wisconsin / Clarkson at #3-seed Northeastern University (30-4-2)
Saturday, March 12 at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT

#5-seed Yale University (25-8-1) at #4-seed Colgate (30-7-1)
Saturday, March 12 at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT


Quinnipiac / Syracuse at #1-seed Ohio State University (29-6-0)
Saturday, March 12 at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. C

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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 4, 2022

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Friday, March 4th

Heise named 2021-2022 WCHA Player of the Year, Kazmaier Award Top 10 Finalist & National Player of the Month

Yesterday – Thursday, March 3rd – was quite a day for Minnesota Women's Hockey senior forward Taylor Heise as she picked up a trifecta of league and national honors, highlighted by being named the 2021-2022 WCHA Player of the Year!!

Heise recorded 26 goals & 34 assists for 60 points during the regular season, becoming the first Gopher in five years to reach the 60-point mark. Six of her goals were gamewinners while 4 came short-handed (she netted her fifth shorty in the conference quarterfinals last weekend). She also recorded a +38 plus-minus rating, claimed the league's Player of the Month award three times, and surpassed the career 150-point mark.

Heise becomes the seventh Gopher to be named WCHA Player of the Year, marking the ninth time a Minnesota player has won the award. Sydney Baldwin was the last previous winner from the Gophers, claiming the honor at the end of the 2017-2018 season.

Earlier in the day, Heise was named as a Top-10 finalist for the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award by the USA Hockey Foundation. The award is presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women's hockey, and was previously won by Minnesota's Krissy Wendell (2005) and Amanda Kessel (2013). Heise becomes the 35th Gopher to be named as a finalist for the award, dating back to its inception in 1998. The Top-3 finalists will be announced on March 17, with the award presented on March 26.

That was not the limit of the honors, as Heise was recognized as National Women’s Co-Player of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners Association following her 8-goal, 10-assist performance in February, averaging 2.25 points-per-game and recording a +16 plus-minus rating. Heise is now a two-time honoree this season as she also received the award for the month of November.

WCHA Individual Award Winners

  • Offensive Player of the Year & Scoring Champion: Taylor Heise, Minnesota

  • Defensive Player of the Year: Sophie Jaques, Ohio State

  • Goaltender of the Year: Emma Polusny, St. Cloud State

  • Goaltending Champion: Amanda Thiele, Ohio State

  • Rookie of the Year: Peyton Hemp, Minnesota

  • Coach of the Year: Nadine Muzerall, Ohio State

  • Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year: Sophie Jaques, Ohio State

Six Gopher alumnae to play in USA-Canada “Rivalry Rematch”

The six Minnesota Women's Hockey alumnae who were members of the 2022 U.S. Women's Olympic Team – Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Stecklein – are listed on the preliminary roster for a special USA vs. Canada “Rivalry Rematch” game scheduled for next Saturday, March 12, at 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The event, a partnership of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins and the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), is an unofficial rematch between players from the two Olympic teams. Additionally, two girls hockey clinics are being held at PPG Paints Arena in conjunction with the game.

IIHF announces tentative Women's U18 reschedule, Russia & Belarus suspensions – In a press conference held on February 16 at the Main Media Centre of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif indicated that the 2022 IIHF Women's U18 World Championship, originally scheduled for January in Sweden but canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would be rescheduled for June and played in the United States. Exact dates and locations are still to be announced.

Meanwhile, the organization announced this past Monday, February 28, actions to be taken by IIHF Council following an extra-ordinary meeting of that body held in response to the war in Ukraine. Specifically, all Russian and Belarusian National Teams and Clubs are suspended from participation in every age category for all IIHF competitions or events until further notice, and Russia has been stripped of hosting rights of the 2023 IIHF World Junior (Men's U20) Championship.

Copyright © 2022 Power Play Club, All rights reserved.

Follow the Power Play Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

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.