University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Hockey 10-Year Anniversary
10/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
National Champions: 2000 2004 2005
WCHA Regular Season Champions: 2001 2002 2004 2005
WCHA Playoff Champions: 2002 2004 2005
16 All-Americans
16 First-Team All-WCHA selections
4 WCHA Player of the Year awards
1 Patty Kazmaier Award Winner & 12 Finalists
Women’s Hockey Timeline
October 31, 1995: University of Minnesota women’s athletics announces that women’s hockey will become a varsity sport.
October 23, 1996: Laura Halldorson is announced at the first Minnesota women’s hockey coach in school history.
May 27, 1997: Laura Halldorson announces her first recruiting class, bringing in 15 student-athletes.
1997-98 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
October 13, 1997: Gophers hold their first official practice in school history.
November 2, 1997: Gophers competes in the inaugural game against Augsburg in front of 6,854 fans. Senior team captain Julie Otto fittingly scored the first goal in Gopher women’s hockey history, just 1:55 into the first period. The Gophers won their first game in school history with an 8-0 victory over the Auggies.
November 28, 1997: Earned first Division I win in the game against Providence at the Princeton Thanksgiving Invitational. The Gophers defeated Providence, 5-4 and won the tournament with a 6-1 win over host school Princeton on Nov. 29.
February 18, 1998: Minnesota earns its first Patty Kazmaier Award finalist in Nadine Muzerall.
March 20-21, 1998: Finished fourth overall at the AWCHA Championships in Boston, Mass.
March 29, 1998: First All-Americans in school history were named in Nadine Muzerall and Brittny Ralph.
April 10, 1998: Laura Halldorson earns her first of the national coach of the year honors, becoming the American Hockey Coaches’ Association Coach of the Year.
1998-99 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
March 26-27, 1999: The University of Minnesota hosts its first women’s hockey national championship in Mariucci Arena.
March 27, 1999: After falling to New Hampshire, 3-2, in overtime in the AWCHA semifinal, the Gophers won their first playoff game.
April 29, 1999: Western Collegiate Hockey Association established its women’s league in a unanimous decision.
1999-2000 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
October 15, 1999: Gophers compete in their first WCHA game in a 10-1 win over St. Cloud State and follow on Oct. 16 with their first conference sweep in another 10-1 decision over the Huskies.
March 2, 2000: Gophers compete in their first WCHA playoff game in a 10-0 defeat over Minnesota State University, Mankato in Bloomington, Minn. The Gophers eventually fall in the championship game to Minnesota Duluth, 4-2 on March 4.
March 24, 2000: The Gophers defeat Minnesota Duluth, 3-2, to advance to the AWCHA national championship game. After Nadine Muzerall scored two goals to tie the game, 2-2, Tracy Engstrom scored a power-play goal at 13:15 in the third to provide the game-winning goal.
March 25, 2000: The Gophers win their first national championship by defeating Brown, 4-2. Courtney Kennedy, Laura Slominski, Nadine Muzerall and Winny Brodt all scored goals en route for the win. Goalie Erica Killewald was named the most valuable of the tournament, while Brodt, Kennedy and Muzerall earned all-tournament honors. The Gophers’ national championship became the first national championship by a woman’s team at the University of Minnesota.
Women’s Hockey Becomes an NCAA-Sanctioned Sport in the 2000-01 season.
2000-01 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
March 25, 2001: Gophers win their first WCHA regular season championship with a 3-1 win over Wisconsin.
March 7, 2001: Courtney Kennedy becomes the Gophers’ first WCHA Player of the Year. She was also named the WCHA Defensive Player of Year.
March 10, 2001: Gophers graduate its first recruiting class, playing in their final game at the WCHA Championships.
March 23 & 25, 2001: University of Minnesota hosts the inaugural Women’s Frozen Four in Mariucci Arena.
2001-02 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
November 2, 2001-February 16, 2002: The Gophers hold the their longest season unbeaten streak in school history at 24 straight games. During that time, Minnesota held a 21-0-3 record.
February 24, 2002: Gophers win their second WCHA regular season championship.
March 9, 2002: Gophers win first WCHA tournament championship in a 3-2 win over Wisconsin in Blaine, Minn. Kelly Stephens scored the game-winning goal.
March 22 & 24, 2002: Gophers compete in their first NCAA Frozen Four and tied for third overall. The Maroon and Gold fell to Brown on March 22, 2-1, and tied Niagara, 2-2 on March 24. Kelly Stephens was the first Gopher to be named to an NCAA All-Tournament Team.
2002-03 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
October 19, 2002: The Gophers play in their first game in the new facility, Ridder Arena, in front of 3,239 fans. Minnesota won the game 8-0 over St. Cloud State. Jerilyn Glenn scored the first goal in Ridder Arena at 4:16 in the first period.
2003-04 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
March 5, 2004: Gophers win their third WCHA regular season title with a 3-1 win over St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, Minn.
March 14, 2004: Gophers win their second WCHA tournament championship with a 4-2 win over Minnesota Duluth. Kelly Stephens scored two goals, while Krissy Wendell and Kelsey Bills each scored a goal for the win.
March 26, 2004: Gophers defeat Dartmouth, 5-1, to advance to the NCAA Championship game. Krissy Wendell scored three goals and assisted on another, while Kelly Stephens scored two goals in the win. The win over Dartmouth marked the Gophers’ first win in NCAA championship history.
March 28, 2004: The Gophers win their second national championship and first NCAA-sanctioned championship in a 6-2 defeat over Harvard. Natalie Darwitz scored a hat trick, while Andrea Nichols, Kelly Stephens and Krissy Wendell each scored a goal. Wendell was named the championships’ most outstanding player, while Darwitz, Stephens, Jody Horak and Allie Sanchez were named to the all-tournament team. The Gophers finished the season 30-4-2.
May 19, 2004: The Gopher women’s hockey team makes it first of two appearances at the White House and recognized by President George W. Bush.
2004-05 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
February 20, 2005: With a 3-0 win over Minnesota State, the Gophers clinched their fourth WCHA regular season championship with its best conference record of 25-1-2.
March 6, 2005: The Gophers earned their third tournament championship with a 3-2 overtime victory over Wisconsin. Krissy Wendell scored the power-play, game-winning goal in just 19 seconds into the overtime.
March 18, 2005: The Gophers compete in the first NCAA regional game, as the NCAA advanced the championship to an eight-team field. Minnesota won 6-1 over Providence at Ridder Arena.
March 25, 2005: Minnesota advances to its second straight NCAA Championship game with a 7-2 win over Dartmouth. Minnesota’s top line of Natalie Darwitz, Kelly Stephens and Krissy Wendell combined for 12 points in the win.
March 26, 2005: Krissy Wendell becomes the first Gopher to win the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which is given to the top women’s hockey player in the nation.
March 27, 2005: Natalie Darwitz scored the game-winning goal with 1:08 remaining in the game for a 4-3 win over Harvard and the program’s third national championship. The Gophers won back-to-back championships and finished the season with an impressive 36-2-2 record. Darwitz earned most outstanding player honors, while Lyndsay Wall and Krissy Wendell earned all-tournament honors.
2005-06 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
March 24 & 26, 2006: The University of Minnesota hosts its second NCAA Frozen Four and its third national championship.
March 24 & 26, 2006: The Gophers defeated New Hampshire, 5-4, to advance to their third-straight NCAA Championship game. Bobbi Ross held a record-setting game when she scored four goals. One of Ross’ goals came on a penalty shot, which was the first made in school history. The Gophers fell to Wisconsin, 3-0, in the championship game to become the nation’s runner-up team.
2006-07 Gopher Women's Hockey Team Photo
August 10, 2007: After 11 years at the University of Minnesota, head coach Laura Halldorson steps down as head coach. Associate head coach Brad Frost takes over at the helm of the program.
October 27, 2007: Gophers celebrate their 10-year anniversary in a game against Minnesota Duluth.
