September 25, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, September 19, 2023

September 25, 2023

Posted on September 25, 2023 due to webmaster unavailability - PPC members received this newsletter via email on September 19th.

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, September 19th

Professional Women's Hockey League Inaugural Draft. - Taylor Heise selected as PWHL's first overall draft pick - Zumwinkle, Brandt, Brown, Leveille, Knowles also drafted

Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Taylor Heise was selected as the #1 overall draft pick by Minnesota in the inaugural Professional Women's Hockey League Draft yesterday afternoon in Toronto, as announced by sports legend and PWHL Advisory Board member Billie Jean King (video courtesy of CBC Sports via YouTube).

Heise was the first of six Gopher alumnae picked in the 15-round draft...

Round 1: Minnesota selected Taylor Heise, pick #1 overall
Round 3: Minnesota selected Grace Zumwinkle, #13 overall
Round 5: Boston selected Hannah Brandt, #27 overall
Round 8: Boston selected Emily Brown, #46 overall
Round 11: Minnesota selected Amanda Leveille, #61 overall
Round 15: Toronto selected Olivia Knowles, #86 overall

The list of all 90 draft selections can be found here. As noted in reporting by The Hockey News, the next step in the process is for draft picks to sign with their respective teams. The draft guarantees each player's rights belong to their team for a two-year period, but players are not obligated to accept a contract nor are teams obligated to offer one. Separately, the six teams in the league will be holding tryouts for undrafted free agents and completing signings to fill out their rosters.

We congratulate Taylor, Grace, Hannah, Emily, Amanda, and Olivia on being drafted, and send best wishes for continued success as they enter this next chapter in their playing careers!!

Copyright © 2023 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 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

September 25, 2023

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit - Thursday, September 14, 2023

Power Play Club

September 25, 2023

Posted on September 25, 2023 due to webmaster unavailability - PPC members received this newsletter via email on September 14th.

Penalty Box Post Quick Hit
Thursday, September 14th

Fourteen Gopher alumnae declare for PWHL Draft on Monday, September 18th

Fourteen (14) alumnae of the Gopher Women's Hockey program were named as having declared their eligibility for the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) Draft, part of a field of 268 players vying for the 90 selections being made next Monday, September 18, in Toronto. The list of Gophers includes:
.

G – Lauren Bench

F – Abigail Boreen

F – Hannah Brandt

D – Emily Brown

F – Taylor Heise

D – Olivia Knowles

G – Amanda Leveille

D – Patti Marshall

F – Gigi Marvin

F – Savannah Norcross

G – Noora Räty

G – Sydney Scobee

F – Catie Skaja

F – Grace Zumwinkle

The draft will be streamed live by CBC Sports on YouTube starting at Noon CT.

Ian Kennedy at The Hockey News reported that some of the 268 players listed may have been granted compassionate circumstance exemptions limiting their availability to particular markets, potentially causing them to be selected lower in the draft or to go unselected.

Additional reporting from Kennedy noted that Amanda Kessel and several other U.S. and Canada National Team players did not register for the draft; Kessel previously indicated her plan to take a year off from playing with Team USA after landing a new front office position with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Sydney Baldwin, another Gopher alumna who recently played in the PHF with the Minnesota Whitecaps, also did not register, likely signaling her retirement from competitive action.

We will continue to watch the news from the PWHL, including Monday's draft activities, and will share announcements of any Gophers selected in the draft via our social media channels (Twitter/X and Facebook).

Power Play Club

September 8, 2023

The Penalty Box Post - Friday, September 8, 2023

Power Play Club

September 8, 2023

The Penalty Box Post
Friday, September 8th

PPC member registration open at all levels!!

Membership enrollment for the the Power Play Club, the official booster organization of University of Minnesota Women's Hockey, is open at all levels for 2023-2024!! Join us in supporting Gopher Women's Hockey in their 27th season of competition, their 25th year as a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Information on how to register can be found on our membership page on powerplayclub.org or this week's earlier enrollment announcement.

GWH single-game tickets ON SALE, promotions announced

Single-game tickets for the 2023-2024 season Gopher Women's Hockey are now on sale; you can buy yours or purchase season tickets here. Additionally, the promotions calendar has also been published, starting with the 2023 WCHA Final Faceoff Champions banner raising and $2 Tuesday concessions special at the regular-season home opener on October 17 against St. Cloud State.

Professional Women's Hockey League free agency... WH alumnae Pannek, Stecklein sign with Minnesota

U.S. National Team members Lee Stecklein and Kelly Pannek became the first two Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae to sign PWHL contracts, coming to terms with the Minnesota franchise during the league's pre-draft free agency period. They will be joined by another Team USA veteran, Northeastern University alumna Kendall Coyne Schofield. The trio was introduced at a press conference Wednesday with Minnesota general manager Natalie Darwitz. (Video courtesy of The Hockey News)

Four of the other five PWHL teams also announced their pre-draft free agent signings over the past three days:

Ottawa – forward Emily Clark, forward Brianne Jenner, goaltender Emerance Maschmeyer
Toronto – defender Renata Fast, forward Sarah Nurse, forward Blayre Turnbull
Boston – goaltender Aerin Frankel, defender Megan Keller, forward Hilary Knight
Montreal – goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens, forward Marie-Philip Poulin, forward Laura Stacey

We will continue to follow additional news from the league, including the announcement of New York's free agent signings, selections from the inaugural draft scheduled for Monday, September 18, and subsequent post-draft signings.

Congratulations, Kelly and Lee, and best wishes in this new opportunity!!

Gophers name Ashley Holmes new Director of Operations

The Gopher Women's Hockey Team and head coach Brad Frost named Ashley Holmes the new Director of Operations in an announcement yesterday. Holmes, an alumna of North Dakota women's hockey (2008-2012), comes to the U. of M. after serving as an assistant coach at Augsburg University since 2014. (Photo courtesy of Augsburg University.)

Holmes succeeds Jessica Scott, who was promoted to full-time assistant coach of the Golden Gophers earlier this summer.

Congratulations and welcome to the Gopher Women's Hockey family, Ashley!!

In memoriam: PPC member Mary (Peterzen) Barlet

It is with sadness that we share the passing of Power Play Club member Mary (Peterzen) Barlet on August 8. Mary, with her husband John, was a regular attendee of Gopher Women's Hockey games both at Ridder Arena and on the road at other WCHA arenas. She was also a supporter of several other sports teams including Golden Gopher Softball, the Minnesota Lynx, and the Minnesota Whitecaps. A Celebration of Life is scheduled for next Saturday, September 16, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, 519 Oak Grove Street, Minneapolis, with visitation at 10:30 a.m. A full obituary can be found here.

We send our deepest condolences to John and their entire family.

Copyright © 2023 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 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

September 2, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, September 2, 2023

Power Play Club

September 2, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Saturday, September 2nd

WCHA announces continued streaming on B1G+ for ‘23-24

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced yesterday that streaming packages for the 2023-2024 season on B1G+ are now available for purchase. All league games plus any non-conference contests hosted by the eight league member school are included in the hockey-specific packages, with pricing starting at $49.99 for the season. As noted, 2022-2023 annual pass members do not need to take any action unless they would like to make changes to their plan or payment within the profile settings.

The step-by-step guide to purchase a B1G+ streaming package is available here.

League shares updated composite schedule – Additionally, the completed composite schedule for the eight WCHA teams was unveiled by the league office on August 17. The schedule is available in both HTML and PDF formats.

Reminder: PPC Board meeting – Tuesday, Sep. 5 at 7:00 p.m.

Here's one more reminder that the final off-season board meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Meetings are open to all enrolled club members; 2022-2023 membership applies during the off-season, and you can attend by contacting club vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.

Natalie Darwitz named GM of Minnesota's PWHL team, will have first pick in league draft on September 18

Gopher Women's Hockey alumna and former assistant coach Natalie Darwitz was named as one of the six team general managers in the Professional Women's Hockey League yesterday, leading Minnesota's franchise. While her first actions will be signing up to three players during the pre-draft free agency period which runs through September 10, she'll also have the first overall pick in the league's draft on September 18 after Minnesota was named as the winner of the draft lottery.

Minnesota will be followed by (in order) Toronto, Boston, New York, Ottawa, and Montreal in the odd-numbered rounds of the draft. The draft is using a snake format, meaning the order of selection will be reversed for even-numbered rounds. Players have until tomorrow – Sunday, September 3 – to declare themselves eligible for the draft.

Darwitz took questions from the media following the general manager announcement. (Video courtesy of The Hockey News.)

As mentioned this past Wednesday, we will continue to follow additional league announcements – particularly with respect to updates on Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae – as they are made.

Copyright © 2023 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 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

August 30, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor: An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Power Play Club

August 30, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, August 30th

Kessel announces year away from U.S. National Team

In an article on NHL.com featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins' two new hires as special assistants to president of hockey operations & general manager Kyle Dubas, one of those new assistants – Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Amanda Kessel – announced her intention to take a year off from playing with the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team. Kessel indicated that the time away from Team USA will allow her to focus on her new responsibilities with the Penguins and provide time to train in preparation for the inaugural season of the new Professional Women's Hockey League.

We wish Amanda continued success in all her endeavors!!

Professional Women's Hockey League officially launches; Minnesota named as one of six locations for charter teams

The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) was officially introduced yesterday, August 29, with a press release on its new website www.thepwhl.com and the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). As part of that introduction, the league named the markets for its foundational first six teams: Boston, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and the New York City area.

A number of details about the new league were also shared yesterday:

The 2023-2024 PWHL schedule will feature 24 regular season games per team, with that schedule to be announced in the coming months. Note that, in separate reporting, it was indicated that some games may occur in neutral site markets or arenas.
Each team may sign up to three free agents in a ten-day window between September 1 & 10. Following that, a 15-round draft will occur on September 18 in Toronto. Additional free agent signings will take place after the draft to fill team rosters.
Training camps will begin in November.

The league's new handle on X is @thepwhlofficial, and a new Facebook page www.facebook.com/thepwhlofficial also launched. An account for each team was created on X, with the Minnesota squad having the handle @pwhl_minnesota.

Home arenas for all six teams along with their nicknames and uniform schemes are still to be announced.

We will continue to follow league announcements, particularly with respect to updates on Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae, as they are made.

Power Play Club

August 28, 2023

The Penalty Box Post - Monday, August 28, 2023

Power Play Club

August 28, 2023

The Penalty Box Post
Monday, August 28th

PPC Locker Sponsor registration continuing!!

The Power Play Club's Locker Sponsor program is a significant fundraising campaign to support the University of Minnesota Women's Hockey Team through donations to the Gopher Women's Hockey Enhancement Fund. With a minimum tax-deductible donation of $600 (per locker), donors get a photo with their player or coach and a meal with the team on a game day (tentatively set for January 13, 2024), plus Power Play Club membership and its base benefits. Registration is continuing for the 2023-2024 season, and we need your support to sponsor the lockers of all 26 Gopher players!

If you are interested in sponsoring a player's or coach's locker, please contact Rennie McPherson at susanmcp58@gmail.com. If you are signing up as a first-time Locker Sponsor or need a new player or coach this coming season, please provide FIVE names of players and/or coaches you are interested in sponsoring; the current team roster – including the incoming players – can be found at gophersports.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/roster. Please do not send in any money or make a contribution at this time; you will receive an email in September with instructions on how to pay.

PPC Board meeting – Tuesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m.

The next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is scheduled for Tuesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m. It will be held online over Zoom, and is the final off-season board meeting before the puck drops on the 2023-2024 season. Meetings are open to all enrolled club members; 2022-2023 membership applies during the off-season, and you can attend by contacting club vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.

August USA-Canadian series in Lake Placid ... Americans sweep Collegiate Series; Canadians take U18 games

The 2023 U.S. Women's Collegiate Select Team defeated the Canadian counterparts in all three games between the two squads earlier this month in Lake Placid, New York, winning 4-1, 4-3 & 4-3. Kirsten Simms led the Americans with 4 goals and 2 assists, while Kiara Zanon added 3 goals and an assist and Casey O'Brien added a goal and 3 helpers. Canada's scoring was spread out, with Jocelyn Amos lighting the lamp twice. Gopher Women's Hockey defender Madeline Wethington played in all three games for Team USA but did not record a point. Between the pipes, Gwyneth Philips earned the first two wins for the Americans, stopping 40 of 44 shots (.909 SV%, 2.00 GAA), while Amanda Thiele and Jojo Chobak split time in the finale, combining for 14 saves. Canadian netminder Hannah Murphy made 61 saves over two starts (.884 SV%, 4.00 GAA), and Eve Gascon stopped 27 of 31 shots (.871 SV%) in her one game. Across all three contests, Team USA held a shots-on-goal advantage of 100-61.

Canada's 2023 Women's Under-18 Select Team was dominant in their three-game series against Team USA, winning 4-0, 6-1 & 5-2, holding a 108-46 shots-on-goal edge. Caitlin Kraemer led the Canadians with 5 points on a goal and 4 assists, while Sienna Dalessandro added two goals and an assist; Mary Derrenbacher, Kassidy Carmichael, and Josie St. Martin lit the lamp for the Americans. Both programs will now begin preparations for the 2024 IIHF Women's Under-18 World Championship, scheduled for January 6-14 in Zug, Switzerland.

2023 IIHF Women's World Championship Division I Group A ... Host China, Denmark earn promotion to Top Division for 2024

China's Women's National Team, playing on home ice in Shenzhen, won all five of their round-robin games at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship Division I Group A tournament this past week, earning promotion to the top division 2024 Women's World Championship next April in Utica, New York. It will be the first appearance at the top level for the Chinese since 2009.

Denmark, Austria, and the Netherlands finished with 9 points apiece on matching 3-0-0-2 (W-OTW-OTL-L) records. With the three tied squads also each going 1-1 in the contests played between them, the Danes earned promotion to the top division thanks to a +4 goal differential in those three games.

China and Denmark will join Sweden, Japan, and Germany in Group B of the top division in Utica. Group A will include the United States, Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, and Finland.

Slovakia went winless in the 2023 Division I Group A tournament and is relegated to Division I Group B for 2024. The nations competing at the 2024 Division I Group A tournament will include France & Hungary after their relegation from the top division, plus Austria, Netherlands, Norway, and newly-promoted South Korea.

Other international action in Europe...

Czechia tops host Finland, Sweden in 3 Nations tournament

Playing in the double-round-robin 3 Nations Tournament in Vierumäki and Lahti, Finland, the Czech National Women's Hockey Team rebounded from an opening-day 5-4 loss to the host Finns, winning the rematch 6-2 and sweeping Sweden 4-3 & 3-2 to finish atop the standings with a 3-1 record. Finland posted a 2-2 record after also splitting their games against the Swedes, winning 2-0 but then falling 4-1.

A pair of Gopher Women's Hockey players each found their name on the scoresheet as Finland's Nelli Laitinen netted a power-play goal and Sweden's Josefin Bouveng lit the lamp in the tournament. Czech veterans Denisa Křížová (5g, 1a) and Michaela Pejzlová (1g, 5a) led the competition with 6 points apiece.

Our thanks to the Finland Ice Hockey Federation for the tournament reporting.

Switzerland goes 2-0 in Four Nations competition

Hosting France, Hungary, and Germany in the city of Kloten, the Swiss National Women's Hockey Team won the two games it played this past week, defeating the Hungarians 4-1 and the French 4-1.

The Germans had a tough showing. Competing without a number of their 2023 Women's World Championship players, they fell to both France (1-0) and Hungary (4-0). Things then took a worse turn as their squad was hit by illness, forcing the cancellation of their scheduled game against the Swiss.

The Hungarian National Team finished the round-robin tournament with a 2-1 record after defeating France 3-2 on Saturday.

North American women's professional league update ... Trademarks filed for “Professional Women's Hockey League”

As reported by Ian Kennedy on X (formerly Twitter), “Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL)” was trademarked as the name of the new North American league on July 19, and was additionally trademarked for memorabilia and other branding purposes on August 19.

Writing for The Hockey News, Kennedy additionally noted that promotional period contracts for players in the PWHPA this past season end this Thursday, August 31, allowing the new league to begin signing, drafting, and placing them.

We will continue to monitor the new league's developments.

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 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

August 14, 2023

The Penalty Box Post - Monday, August 14, 2023

Power Play Club

August 14, 2023

The Penalty Box Post
Monday, August 14th

PPC Locker Sponsor registration continues for 2023-2024!!

Registration is continuing for the Power Play Club's Locker Sponsorship program for the 2023-2024 season, and we need your support to sponsor the lockers of all 26 Gopher players! Member benefits include broader Power Play Club membership, a photo with your player or coach, and a meal with the team on a game day (tentatively set for January 13, 2024). Locker sponsorships require a minimum tax-deductible donation of $600.00 (per locker), with all funds going to the Gopher Women's Hockey Enhancement Fund to support the team.

If you are interested in sponsoring a player's or coach's locker, please contact Rennie McPherson at susanmcp58@gmail.com. If you are signing up as a first-time Locker Sponsor or need a new player or coach this coming season, please provide FIVE names of players and/or coaches you are interested in sponsoring; the current team roster – including the incoming players – can be found at gophersports.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/roster. Please do not send in any money or make a contribution at this time; you will receive an email in September with instructions on how to pay.

Madeline Wethington named to U.S. Collegiate Select Team
Americans to face Canadian counterparts three times this week

We send congratulations to Gopher Women's Hockey fifth-year defender Madeline Wethington after she was named to the 23-player roster of the 2023 U.S. Collegiate Select Team, as announced yesterday (August 13) by USA Hockey. The announcement comes following the Women's National Festival last week in Lake Placid, New York, and marks Wethington's second-straight year being selected for the team.

USA Hockey also announced a 24-player roster for the 2023 U.S. Under-18 Select Team. Each squad will now face its respective Canadian counterpart in a three-game series at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, with the Collegiate Selects playing on the 1980 Rink and the Under-18 Selects facing off on the 1932 Rink.

Collegiate Select Series game schedule & viewing details

Wednesday, August 16 at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT
Thursday, August 17 at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT
Saturday, August 19 at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT

All three Collegiate Series games plus the three Under-18 Series contests (schedule here) will be streamed on the USAHockeyTV.com paid subscription service.

GWH alumnae news ... West named Director of Hockey Operations at Colorado College

Gopher Women's Hockey alumna Emily West was named Director of Hockey Operations at Colorado College, as announced by the school on Wednesday, August 9. West joins the Tigers men's hockey staff in her hometown of Colorado Springs after serving as an assistant coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes women from 2019 through 2022 and as the American Development Model manager for female hockey at USA Hockey from 2017 to 2019. (Photo courtesy of Colorado College.)

West played five seasons with the Gophers (2007-2012) and was a three-year co-captain, being named a Top Ten Finalist for the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. In her final game in Maroon & Gold, she scored the game-winning goal on a penalty shot in Minnesota's 4-2 victory over Wisconsin to claim the 2012 NCAA Championship. She finished her collegiate career with 158 points on 82 goals and 76 assists.

Congratulations on the new opportunity, Emily!!

NCAA removes video reviews for too many players

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a proposal removing having too many players on the ice as reviewable by video following a goal on the ensuing play, as announced by the organization last Thursday, August 10. As noted in the press release, “NCAA Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Rules Committee members made the recommendation due to significant confusion with several parts of the rule last season, namely the threshold of a ‘gained advantage.’”

We will continue to monitor news for further rule change and clarification announcements as the new season approaches.

Power Play Club

July 19, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Power Play Club

July 19, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, July 19th

PPC Locker Sponsor registration open for ‘23-‘24 season!

Once again, registration is now open for the Power Play Club's Locker Sponsorship program for the 2023-2024 season! Member benefits include broader Power Play Club membership, a photo with your player, and a meal with your player and the team on a game day (tentatively set for January 13, 2024). Locker sponsorships require a minimum tax-deductible donation of $600.00 (per locker), with all funds going to the Gopher Women's Hockey Enhancement Fund to support the team.

If you are interested in sponsoring a player's or coach's locker, please contact Rennie McPherson at susanmcp58@gmail.com. If you are signing up as a first-time Locker Sponsor or need a new player or coach this coming season, please provide FIVE names of players and/or coaches you are interested in sponsoring, as we try to make sure that each player is sponsored before doubling and tripling up; the current team roster – including the incoming players – can be found at gophersports.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/roster. Please do not send in any money or make a contribution at this time; you will receive an email in September with instructions on how to pay.

Next PPC Board meeting – Tuesday, August 8 at 7:00 p.m.

The next meeting of the Power Play Club Board of Directors is scheduled for Tuesday, August 8 at 7:00 p.m. This will be an online meeting held over Zoom. Board meetings are open to all enrolled club members; 2022-2023 membership applies during the off-season, and you can attend by contacting club vice president Dave Malerich at dmalerich@yahoo.com.

Record 22 GWH players earn Academic All-Big Ten honors

A Gopher Women's Hockey record 22 team members were named Monday among 125 University of Minnesota student-athletes earning Academic All-Big Ten conference honors for Spring 2023. They join 193 honorees recognized earlier in the academic year.

We send congratulations to Emma Conner, Josey Dunne, Taylor Heise, Peyton Hemp, Crystalyn Hengler, Ella Huber, Olivia King, Sadie Lindsay, Abbey Murphy, Maggie Nicholson, Savannah Norcross, Lizi Norton, Emily Oden, Gracie Ostertag, Makayla Pahl, Catie Skaja, Tristana Tatur, Skylar Vetter, Audrey Wethington, Madeline Wethington, Emily Zumwinkle, and Grace Zumwinkle on this accomplishment!!

To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten merits, student-athletes must be on a varsity team, have been enrolled full time at the institution for a minimum of 12 months and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

Heise nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year award

2022-2023 Gopher Women's Hockey fifth-year forward Taylor Heise was named as one of two U. of M. nominees for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year award. She is joined by Gopher Track & Field's Amira Young in representing the school.

As noted in the announcement from the U., each nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2023. More details on the next steps in the selection process are also included in the press release.

Congratulations and best wishes, Taylor!!

Power Play Club

July 13, 2023

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Power Play Club

July 13, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Wednesday, July 12th

PPC Locker Sponsor registration open for ‘23-‘24 season!

Locker sponsorships are now available for the 2023-2024 season! Locker sponsorships require a minimum tax-deductible donation of $600.00 (per locker), with all funds going to the Gopher Women's Hockey Enhancement Fund to support the team.

Member benefits include the Power Play Club membership, a photo with your player, and meal with your player and the team on a game day (tentatively set for January 13, 2024).

GWH fans who are interested in sponsoring a player's or coach's locker should contact Rennie McPherson at susanmcp58@gmail.com. If you are signing up as a first-time Locker Sponsor or need a new player or coach this coming season, please provide FIVE names of players and/or coaches you are interested in sponsoring, as we try to make sure that each player is sponsored before doubling and tripling up; the current team roster – including the incoming players – can be found at gophersports.com/sports/womens-ice-hockey/roster. Please do not send in any money or make a contribution at this time; you will receive an email in September with instructions on how to pay.

Eleven Gophers invited to USA Hockey Women’s Nat’l Festival
U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select roster to be named at Festival conclusion

Current Minnesota Women's Hockey players Peyton Hemp, Madison Kaiser, Abbey Murphy, Skylar Vetter & Madeline Wethington and alumnae Emily Brown, Taylor Heise, Amanda Kessel, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein & Grace Zumwinkle were all named yesterday among 77 invitees to the 2023 USA Hockey Women's National Festival, being held August 7 through 13 at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, NY. At the conclusion of the Festival, the roster for the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Select Team will be named, and they will play three games against their Canadian counterparts over August 16 through 19 in Lake Placid.

Another 32 Under-18 players will be announced as invitees to the Festival upon completion of the USA Hockey-BioSteel Girls Under-18 Select Player Development Camp later this month. Again at the Festival's conclusion, the roster of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team will be named and they'll also play Canada on August 16-19.

We send congratulations to our 11 Gopher representatives on their invitations, and wishes of good luck to our current collegians as they look to make the Collegiate Select Team!!

Wroblewski to continue as U.S. Women’s National Team head coach through 2026 – USA Hockey also announced Monday that John Wroblewski will remain head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team through the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, after first being named to that position in June 2022. Most recently, Wroblewski coached the team to the 2023 Women's World Championship gold medal following a silver medal performance at the 2022 Worlds. He also has head coaching experience with the 2017 U.S. Under-18 Men’s National team and USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program.

Copyright © 2023 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.

Power Play Club

July 8, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Saturday, July 8, 2023

Power Play Club

July 8, 2023

The Two-Minute Minor
An edition of the Penalty Box Post
Saturday, July 8th

GWH names new Associate Head Coach, assistants for 2023-2024

Gopher Women's Hockey and head coach Brad Frost named Greg "Boom" May as the team's Associate Head Coach and Mitch Baker & Jess Scott as Assistant Coaches for the 2023-2024 season yesterday, filling out his bench staff.

May comes to the U. after two seasons as the head coach of the Augsburg University Auggies men's hockey team, taking them to the NCAA Division III Tournament both years and amassing a 41-15-2 record. Prior to his time there, he was the Director of Hockey Operation for the Gopher Men's Hockey team in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.

Baker joins the Gopher Women's Hockey team following serving as head coach of the girls' U19 head coach at Shattuck-St. Mary's School in Faribault since 2021, posting a 71% winning percentage and claiming the USA Hockey High School National Championship in 2023. Baker served as an assistant coach of the Union College women's hockey team before that, joining the staff of the Dutchwomen in 2016.

Scott becomes a full-time assistant at Minnesota after four years as the team's Director of Hockey Operations and serving last season as Interim Assistant Coach. Before joining the Gophers, she coached the Wayzata High School girls' hockey team for three seasons, earning honors as Class AA head coach of the year in 2018 and back-to-back Section 6AA coach of the year in 2018 & 2019. More recently, Scott also served as the Director of Hockey Operations for the United States U18 Women's National Team which won the silver medal at the 2022 U18 IIHF World Championships and bronze in 2023.

We send our welcome to Coaches May and Baker as they join the Gopher Women's Hockey family, and congratulations to Coach Scott on the new title!! We look forward to seeing all three on the bench this fall!!

Copyright © 2023 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.