Postgame reception, new Gopher intros Sunday (Oct. 6)
We encourage all Minnesota Women's Hockey fans attending Sunday's (October 6) game against Boston University to stick around afterward as the Power Play Club and team will be having a postgame reception in the lobby of Ridder Arena, featuring the introduction of the 10 new Gophers!! We hope to see many of you both during and after the game against the Terriers!!
PPC membership and exclusive Chalk Talk reminders
Power Play Club registration for the 2024-2025 season remains open!
Locker Sponsor level – Once again, we are looking for additional sponsors so that each player has two for the season. The donor's name is posted on a nameplate next to the locker, and donors will have an opportunity to meet with their respective player(s) at our event in January (with pictures and a team meal). A minimum $600 donation (per locker) is required; if you are interested, please contact Bob Milligan at milligandanes@gmail.com as soon as possible but do not submit a donation at this time; donation instructions for Locker Sponsors will be sent at the start of November.
Basic Membership level – A minimum donation of $50 is required for our basic membership tier. Online registration is preferred at z.umn.edu/PPC24; click the "Make A Gift" button on that page and follow the instructions. To register offline, download the form here and send it in to the listed address, with a check payable to the "University of Minnesota".
Chalk Talk access – Exclusive access to our three in-person Chalk Talk events is included with Power Play Club membership at either level. Come join us pre-game to hear from one of the GWH coaches as we discuss team strategy and the previous contest. The first Chalk Talk for 2024-2025 is scheduled for Saturday, October 19, at 1:30 p.m., prior to the second game of the series against Wisconsin, likely in the Ridder Arena weight room on the suite (upper) level.
Goals for a Goal update: 7 goals and counting!!
Once again, our Goals for a Goal program – a pledge-per-goal campaign – is back for the 2024-2025 season! The team started strongly, lighting the lamp 7 times during its opening series, including once on the power play. Help us convert those goals into donations back to the GWH program by registering your pledge for each one scored this year, with the option to double your pledge for power play tallies. Pledges can be submitted electronically through the online form at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal. Following the conclusion of the season, you will receive an email with your pledge total and giving instructions. Thanks and GO GOPHERS!!
2024-2025 HOME OPENER!!
#2 Minnesota Gophers (2-0) vs. Boston University Terriers (1-0)
Friday, October 4 at 6:00 p.m. (CT)
Sunday, October 6 at 1:00 p.m. (CT)
Ridder Arena
The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey hosts its first home series of 2024-2025 as the Boston University Terriers visit Ridder Arena in non-conference action. The puck will drop this Friday, October 4 at 6:00 p.m. (CT), though the rematch will not be played until Sunday, October 6, at 1:00 p.m. (CT) (due to Gopher Football on Saturday).
Tickets for both games are still available from the U. of M. Ticket Office using this link or by calling them at 1-800-U-GOPHER.
Game coverage – Can't make it to Ridder? Both contests will have video streaming through the B1G+ subscription service (Friday / Sunday), and free audio play-by-play streaming is availble via GopherSports.com (Friday / Sunday). Live stats will also be available via GopherSports.com.
Last time against BU – The Gophers last faced the Terriers in December 2016 in Boston. Despite putting a combined 99 shots on goal and lighting the lamp 10 times, Minnesota had to settle with a weekend split, falling 6-5 in overtime in the second game after winning 5-1 in the opener. The Gophers never led in that second game, trailing 2-0, 4-2, and 5-3 before Kelly Pannek & Lee Stecklein lit the lamp to force overtime; it was Pannek's sixth point of the series after dishing out 5 assists, and Stecklein's second goal of the weekend. However, BU's Natalie Flynn beat Minnesota netminder Sidney Peters 1:40 into OT with her second goal of the game for the upset. Megan Wolfe also hit 5 points in the series for the Gophers on a goal & 4 assists, while Sarah Potomak recorded 2 goals & 2 assists and Kate Schipper added two goals and an assist. Peters finished the weekend with a combined 30 saves, while Terrier goaltender Victoria Hanson made 45 saves in the opener and Erin O'Neill stopped 44 shots in the rematch.
Analyzing the Terriers – This weekend's meetings against the Gophers will be the second and third games for Boston University in a six-day span, having opened their season just last night (Tuesday, Oct. 1; see details below). They are looking to improve on their seventh-place finish in Hockey East last year, posting a 12-14-1 mark in league play and a 14-18-3 record overall; their season ended when they were upset in the opening round of the single-elimination Hockey East Tournament, losing to Holy Cross, 4-2.
One of the objectives for the Terries is to reload their offense after losing three of their top four scorers from 2023-2024. Junior Clara Yuhn (#19) is the top-scoring returner, having posted 22 points on 9 goals and 13 assists last season. Graduate defender Tamara Giaquinto (#23) is a potential offensive threat, tallying 15 points on 5 goals & 10 assists as a senior. BU added a pair of transfers to their attack; junior Riley Walsh (#21) enters as last year's top scorer at Union College with 11 goals & 16 assists, while graduate student Lindsay Bochna (#4) joins BU after collecting 8 goals & 10 assists last year at Providence. Juniors Luisa and Lilli Welcke (#16 & 26, respectively) are two more to watch as both are members of the German National Hockey Team.
Between the pipes, the Terries split time among three different netminders last season, two of whom are back for 2024-2025. Senior Callie Shanahan (#37) went 4-8-1 in 13 starts last year, though two of her wins were shutouts; she posted a 2.20 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. Sophomore Mari Pietersen (#92) started nine games as a freshman, going 5-3-1 and recording a .869 SV% and 2.78 GAA. Senior Emily McDonald (#33) is BU's third goaltender; she has not had any official action, joining the varsity roster last year after playing on the Terriers club team in 2022-2023.
Last night for BU – The Terriers hosted Merrimack at Agganis Arena to open their 2024-2025 campaign. Tamara Giaquinto lit the lamp twice for BU, both on the power play, and added an assist, while Lola Reid (#9) recorded the game-winning goal and two helpers as they defeated the Warriors, 7-1, outshooting them 33-17. Gabi Jones netted the lone PP goal for Merrimack, but Mari Pietersen stopped 16 shots for Boston U.
Frost earns career wins 500 & 501 in sweep of Connecticut
Brad Frost earned his 500th and 501st career victories as a collegiate head coach, all with the Gophers, as they swept the Connecticut Huskies on the road, winning 4-1 and 3-2 (OT). Frost's record improved to 501-109-41 (80.1% winning pct.) over his 17+ year career as Minnesota's bench boss. Congratulations, Coach Frost, on this impressive milestone!!
Minnesota got off to a fast start in the opener Friday, lighting the lamp on 3 of their first 4 shots on goal. Abbey Murphy got the scoring started just 30 seconds into the contest after a long stretch pass from Josefin Bouveng, Emma Kreisz doubled the lead with an unassisted effort less than two minutes later, and Chloe Primerano netted her first collegiate goal on a power play under three minutes after that. Murphy then added her second goal of the game later in the first period to take a 4-0 lead into the intermission. Huskies netminder Tia Chen settled down after the initial flurry, not allowing another goal over the final 40 minutes and finishing with 34 saves, and Megan Woodworth scored for UConn unassisted in the second period. Skylar Vetter made 9 saves for the win.
The Huskies started Megan Warrener between the pipes in the rematch and she held the Gophers at bay over the first two periods, stopping 32 shots during the 40 minutes. Meanwhile, Connecticut took a 1-0 lead on a first-period power-play goal by Riley Grimley. Just 26 seconds into the third stanza, Bouveng scored off a pass by Murphy to tie the contest briefly, but Brianna Ware put the Huskies back up, 2-1, just 21 seconds later. However, Natalie Mlynkova converted a give-and-go with Peyton Hemp to knot the score again, 2-2, with 5:10 left in the period. No further scoring in regulation led to three-on-three overtime, and Murphy split two Huskies during an extended first shift, beating Warrener 49 seconds into the extra period for the win and sweep. Warrener finished with 45 saves, while Vetter made another 11.
For the series, Murphy led the Gophers with her 3 goals and one assist, while Bouveng and Primerano each posted 3-point performances on a goal & 2 assists apiece. Kreisz also dished out an assist on Primerano's goal to go with her own tally.
We send an additional shout-out to freshman Chloe Primerano on tallying her first collegiate goal in Friday's contest against UConn, and to graduate transfer Natalie Mlynkova on netting her first goal as a member of the Golden Gophers on Saturday! Congratulations, ladies!!
Around the WCHA...
Buckeyes earn road sweep of Beavers – Jordan Petrie lit the lamp three times, Makenna Webster (2g, 1a) & Kiara Zanon (1g, 2a) each recorded three points, and Emma Peschel dished out 4 assists as Ohio State swept Bemidji State on the road, 8-2 and 3-0. Hailey Armstrong & Isa Goettl scored for BSU. Saturday's contest saw Hailey MacLeod post a 15-save shutout for the Buckeyes while Beavers netminder Kaitlin Groess stopped 52 of 55 shots.
Wisconsin trounces Lindenwood – Casey O'Brien lit the lamp twice and dished out six assists as the Badgers throttled the Lions 12-0 and 8-1 in Madison. Lacey Eden posted a three-goal, three-assist weekend, while Caroline Harvey (1g, 4a) & Kelly Gorbatenko (2g, 3a) added five points apiece and Marianne Picard recorded three goals and an assist. Zsofia Pazmandi netted the lone goal for Lindenwood, who was outshot by a combined 115-26.
Huskies, Mavericks, Tommies win in exhibition – St. Cloud State, Minnesota State, and St. Thomas each earned exhibition victories over the University of Manitoba Bisons, winning (respectively) 4-1, 6-2, and 9-1.
UMD, Syracuse series postponed – Due to travel cancellations as the result of Hurricane Helene, the non-conference series between Minnesota Duluth and Syracuse was postponed. Per the press release from UMD, the series will be played January 2 & 3.
Upcoming games – In addition to the Golden Gophers, the other seven WCHA squads will all be in non-conference action; however, unlike the Gophers, those will all be Friday-Saturday series. Four teams will be out east: Wisconsin visits Boston College, Minnesota Duluth squares off at Colgate, Ohio State travels to St. Lawrence, and Bemidji State heads to Robert Morries. Meanwhile, Minnesota State hosts Long Island, St. Clud State will get a visit from Mercyhurst, and St. Thomas will host Post University.
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