Traffic alert – Busy Friday evening (Oct. 25) at the U.
If you are planning on attending the game against Minnesota State at Ridder Arena this Friday, October 25, please note that several activities are occurring on campus. On the athletics front, both Gopher Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving will be holding their annual Alumni Meet at Jean Freeman Aquatic Center, starting at 5 p.m., and Gopher Men's Hockey will be hosting St. Thomas at 3M Arena at Mariucci with a 5:30 p.m. puck drop. At 6:30 p.m., the 2024 Homecoming Parade along University Avenue will start. We encourage you to allow extra time for getting to campus, parking, and also departing.
Looking ahead... Brunch with the Coaches, January 4
The Power Play Club's annual Brunch with the Coaches returns, scheduled for Saturday, January 4 at 8:45 a.m., before the second day of the East-West Showcase. We will be joined by and hear from the new head coach at Bemidji State University, Beavers alumna Amber Fryklund, plus GWH head coach Brad Frost.
Note: Head Coach Amber Fryklund will be with the U18 team in January and will not be able to be our guest at the Brunch. Assistant Coach Emma Sobieck will be attending the event in her place. Coach Sobieck was an assistant coach at Bemidji State from 2020-2023 and then spent one year as an assistant coach at UMD before coming back to Bemidji this season.
Tickets for the brunch are $30 per person. Cash or checks – made payable to the Power Play Club – are preferred. You can register at the PPC table on the Ridder Arena concourse during Gopher home games through December, or download the form here and mail it in with your payment to the address listed by December 28.
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GWH Friends & Family Online Store now open!!
The University of Minnesota Women's Hockey 2024 Friends and Family Online Store has launched, featuring a variety of clothing and accessories which can and must be personalized. Check it out here. Important note: Use of player names & numbers is restricted to immediate family members; other fans should use their own name. The store is open only through next Tuesday, October 29, at 11:59 p.m. CT. Thank you!!
Goals for a Coal
We continue our call for pledges to the Goals for a Goal program – a pledge-per-goal campaign for additional financial support for the team. Going into the fifth weekend of play, the Gophers have lit the lamp 20 times, including three times on the power play. Use the online form at z.umn.edu/GoalsForAGoal to submit your pledge for each goal scored this year, with the option to double your pledge for power play tallies! Following the conclusion of the season, you will receive an email with your pledge total and giving instructions. Thanks and GO GOPHERS!!
#4/4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3-1, 0-3-1-0 WCHA)
vs. Minnesota State University Mavericks (2-2-0, 0-2-0-0)
Friday, October 25 at 5:00 p.m. – Ridder Arena
Saturday, October 26 at 2:00 p.m. - Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, Mankato
The Gopher Women's Hockey team will play its first home-and-home series of the 2024-2025 season, taking on the Minnesota State University Mavericks. Action begins at Ridder Arena this Friday, October 25, with a special 5:00 p.m. start time. The teams will then relocate to the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato for the rematch on Saturday, October 26, at 2:00 p.m.
Game coverage – Both games will have video streaming through the B1G+ subscription service (Friday / Saturday). Saturday's contest will also be televised in the Twin Cities and surrounding area on Fox 9+ (as the second game of a doubleheader following St. Thomas at St. Cloud State). Both Gopher games will also have free audio play-by-play streaming via GopherSports.com (Friday / Saturday). Live stats will be available via GopherSports.com.
Last year against Minnesota State – The Gophers swept the four-game regular-season series against the Mavericks last year, but three of the contests were one-goal victories, 3-1 & 2-1 last November and 4-3 & 2-1 (OT) in January. The two squads met up again in the 3-vs.-6 pairing of the WCHA Tournament Quarterfinals, with Minnesota State pulling off a 5-4 upset in the first game before the Gophers responded with 7-1 & 3-0 victories in Games 2 and 3 to win the series and end the Mavericks' season.
Across the seven meetings, Josefin Bouveng led Minnesota in total points with 14 on 5 goals & 9 assists. Abbey Murphy was right behind with 5 goals & 8 helpers, while Ella Huber lit the lamp a team-high 6 times while dishing out 5 assists. Seven other Gophers also found the back of the net, and four more registered assists. Jamie Nelson was MSU's scoring leader against Minnesota, netting four goals with two assists, though all six points came in only two of the seven games. Madison Mashuga and Kamryn Van Batavia each added a goal and two assists for the Mavericks.
Between the pipes, Lucy Morgan earned four of the six wins with the one shutout, a .944 save percentage and a 1.25 goals-against average. Skylar Vetter went 2-1-0 in the other three meetings, posting an .892 SV% and 2.34 goals-against average. Minnesota State netminders Suzette Faucher and Hailey Hansen each yielded 12 goals to the Gophers; Hansen got the lone win but posted only an .864 SV% and 4.15 GAA, while Faucher recorded a .909 SV% and 2.96 GAA.
Analyzing the Mavericks – Minnesota State is one of three WCHA programs to feature a new head coach, as MSU alumna and long-time assistant coach Shari (Vogt) Dickerman has taken the helm. Though going 6-1-0 in regular-season non-conference play last season, the Mavs were only 6-22-0 in league action. They have played only four games so far this year, sweeping Long Island to open their schedule but falling twice to St. Thomas.
Junior Whitney Tuttle (#7) has tallied 5 of the Mavericks' 13 totals goals, plus has an assist for six points. Fellow junior Taylor Otremba (#24) is MSU's only other multi-goal scorer with 3, while also dishing out one assist. Grad player Sydney Langseth (#3) and seniors Madison Mashuga (#22) & Claire Vekich (#25) each have a goal and three helpers. Minnesota State's roster includes only three freshmen, none of whom have yet recorded a point.
In net, graduate transfer Jessie McPherson (#91) has joined the Mavericks from Vermont; she is 1-1-0 in her two starts so far this year, posting a .909 save percentage and 2.00 goals-against average. Senior Suzette Faucher (#31) is also 1-1-0 in two start with a .907 SV% and 2.05 GAA. Sophomore Hailey Hansen (#33) now finds herself as MSU's third goaltender after posting a 4-9-0 record with two shutouts, an .885 SV% and a 3.21 GAA as a freshman. Junior Avery Stilwell (#1) remains on the Mavericks roster as the emergency backup.
Last action for Minnesota State – The Mavericks enter the series with the Gophers after being idle this past weekend. Prior to that, they were swept by St. Thomas in a home-and-home series, 4-3 in Mendota Heights and 3-2 in Mankato, despite outshooting the Tommies by a combined 58-44. Whitney Tuttle lit the lamp three times for MSU and Sydney Langseth added a goal & an assist, but the Mavericks never held a lead that weekend.
Gophers swept by Wisconsin; winless streak hits four
Returning home to Ridder Arena did not help the Gopher Women's Hockey team as they were swept by Wisconsin, 5-0 & 4-3, to remain winless in their last four games, all in WCHA play.
The Badgers controlled the opener, holding Minnesota to only 18 shots on goal, all of which were stopped by UW netminder Ava McNaughton. Skylar Vetter kept the Gophers in the game through two periods, stopping 23 of 24 shots, but Wisconsin lit the lamp on four of their first six 3rd-period shots over the opening 7:40 of the stanza. Hannah Clark relieved Vetter for the remainder of the contest, stopping the two shots she faced.
After a scoreless first period of the rematch with Clark between the pipes for the Gophers, Minnesota then found a way to beat McNaughton in the second frame. Sydney Morrow lit the lamp twice in the opening two minutes, the second goal coming on a power play, and Madison Kaiser pushed the Gopher lead to 3-0 at the 8:44 mark of the period. Unfortunately, a power-play tally by Laila Edwards, her second goal of the series, started a Wisconsin comeback. The Gophers took their 3-1 lead into the third, but Lacey Eden netted another Wisconsin PP goal just 35 seconds in, Hannah Halverson knotted the score 4 minutes later, and Casey O'Brien put them ahead with 6:07 to play. McNaughton shut the door on Minnesota the rest of the way, finishing with another 26 saves, while Clark stopped 25 shots. Caroline Harvey assisted on all four Badger goals Saturday to give her five helpers for the weekend, and O'Brien posted a two-goal, two assist series.
Around the WCHA...
Bulldogs shut out Tommies – Minnesota Duluth outshot St. Thomas by a combined 76-46, and UMD netminders Ève Gascon and Tindra Holm stopped everything sent their way. Meanwhile, five different Bulldogs lit the lamp as they swept the series by scores of 3-0 and 2-0. Clara Van Wieran recorded a goal and two assists.
Beavers defeat, tie Lindenwood – Amber Fryklund earned her first win as head coach at Bemidji State as Hailey Armstrong recorded the game-winning goal plus two more insurance tallies for a hat trick in a 6-3 victory over Lindenwood. Isa Goettl's goal 3:56 into the third period after an earlier assist put the Beavers up 3-2 in the rematch, but Molly Henderson lit the lamp for the Lions with 11:46 to play and neither team found the back of the net after that, resulting in a 3-3 tie. Henderson netted the only goal in an exhibition shootout.
SCSU takes two points from OSU – Sanni Ahola made 42 saves for the Huskies Friday, but Joy Dunne & Jordyn Petrie each lit the lamp twice in a 5-1 victory for Ohio State. In the rematch, Brieja Parent and Abby Promersberger scored for St. Cloud State to erase a two-goal deficit and knot the score at 2-2. Jenna Buglioni's power-play goal put the Buckeyes up 3-2 with 2:47 to play, but OSU took a penalty of their own and Dayle Ross knotted things up again for the Huskies with 1:03 remaining. SCSU netminder Emilia Kyrkkö made 6 saves in overtime and 45 for the contest to preserve a 3-3 tie, and Sofianna Sundelin netted the only goal of the subsequent shootout to give St. Cloud State the bonus point.
Ohio State defeats Mercyhurst (last night) – In midweek action, the Buckeyes returned home to Columbus and defeated the visiting Lakers, 5-1, outshooting them 47-15. Amanda Thiele earned her 58th career victory to become OSU's all-time wins leader, stopping the single shot she faced in nearly 24 minutes of action before giving way to backup Genny Klein with a 3-0 lead. Jordyn Petrie led OSU at the other end with a goal and an assist, while Thea Johansson netted Mercyhurst's lone goal.
Upcoming games – Bemidji State and Wisconsin will open the weekend with a Thursday night / Friday night series in Madison. St. Cloud State and St. Thomas will square off in a home-and-home series starting Friday in Mendota Heights. Meanwhile, Ohio State will host the 2024 Women's Ice Breaker Tournament at The Schottenstein Center; the Buckeyes will face Stonehill on Friday, then take on either Cornell or Penn State on Saturday. Minnesota Duluth is idle.
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