University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Open Second Half Against No. 10 OSU
1/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
GOPHERS BACK IN ACTION
The No. 2 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team resumes action after a 25-day hiatus from action this weekend. The Golden Gophers open the second half of the season hosting the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes, Jan. 8-9 at Ridder Arena. Friday’s game is slated for a 6:07 p.m. start, while Saturday’s contest is at 4:07 p.m.
FOLLOWING THE GOPHERS
This weekend fans can follow the Gophers through an audio stream from the Gold Zone on gophersports.com or through the bigtennetwork.com video stream for $2.99. Live statistics can also be found on gophersports.com.
ON THE DOCKET
Following the OSU series, the Gophers host the U.S. Olympic Team on Tuesday Jan. 12 at Ridder Arena. The Gophers and USA Hockey will also have Krissy (Wendell) Pohl hold a ceremonial puck drop prior to the game. Following a road trip to Bemidji State, Jan. 15-16, Minnesota hosts North Dakota (Jan. 22-23), Minnesota State (Jan. 29-30), at Minnesota Duluth (Feb. 5-6), a home-and-home series against St. Cloud State (Feb. 12-13) and a regular season finale against border rival Wisconsin (Feb. 19-20). Playoff action begins the following weekend with the first round of the WCHA playoffs (Feb. 26-28).
ENTERING THE SECOND HALF
The women’s hockey team enters the second half of the season with a 15-3-2 overall record and an 11-2-1 mark within WCHA play. During the first semester, the Golden Gophers swept seven opponents (five in the WCHA) to take an early lead in the WCHA standings. The Gophers have 24 points in 14 games played, while Minnesota Duluth is second with 21 points (16 conference games played) and Wisconsin is in third with 19 points.
FIRST HALF STATISTICS
In 20 games played, Emily West leads the team in points with 26, while Sarah Erickson is second with 19 and Anne Schleper is third with 16. In all, 18 players tallied a point in the first half, including nine in double digits. West is tied for third in conference scoring with 20 points, while Erickson is tied for fifth with 18 of her 19 points coming in conference action. Megan Bozek leads the WCHA in defenseman scoring with 13 points, while Anne Schleper is ranked third (11) and Kelly Seeler is tied for fifth (8). Noora Räty has been stellar in net for the Gophers during the first half of the season. She leads the WCHA in goals against average (1.12), save percentage (.957) and winning percentage (.864). Nationally, she ranks first in GAA (0.89), second in save percentage (.965) and sixth in winning percentage (.812). In 16 games played, Räty has five shutouts and has allowed just one goal in eight games.
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State enters this weekend’s series with a 9-7-4 overall record and a 6-6-2 mark against WCHA teams. They Buckeyes were back in action last weekend as they defeated Robert Morris, 4-1 and 6-1, respectively. Holding some of the most potent scorers in the conference, the Buckeyes have three in the top 10 for scoring. Freshman forward Hokey Langan leads OSU and the league in scoring with 29 points, while sophomores Natalie Spooner and Laura McIntosh are second on the team with 22. Chelsea Knapp has been in net for 18 of 20 games. During her time, she has held a 7-7-4 record and a 2.89 goals against average. Knapp enters the Minnesota series as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week after earning two wins against Robert Morris last weekend.
MISSING FROM ACTION
Between the two teams, four players will be missing from this series as they compete for their national team. The Gophers will be without Noora Räty and Mira Jalosuo, while OSU will be missing Natalie Spooner and Minttu Tuominen. They are all competing at the MLP Cup in Germany, but will return to their respective teams following this weekend.
