University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Ready to Host The WCHA's Best
3/2/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNESOTA SET TO HOST WCHA FINAL FACEOFF
The No. 3/5 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team will compete at the 2011 WCHA FINAL FACEOFF Championships, Friday and Saturday night at Ridder Arena. The Golden Gophers will play the No. 2 seed Minnesota Duluth, Friday at 7 p.m. at Ridder Arena. Wisconsin and North Dakota play each other at 4 p.m., also at Ridder Arena. The winner of each game advances to the championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m.
FINAL FACEOFF FORMAT
MARCH 4, RIDDER ARENA
SEMIFINAL GAME 1 (4:07 P.M.)
No. 4 North Dakota vs No. 1 Wisconsin
SEMIFINAL GAME 2 (7:07 P.M.)
No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 2 Minnesota Duluth
MARCH 5, RIDDER ARENA
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (7:07 P.M.)
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2
FOLLOWING THE GOPHERS
WCHA.com will have a video webcast as Jack Swanson and Laura Halldorson will provide play-by-play and color. Dan Hamann and the Gold Zone will provide the audio for this weekend. A live blog will also be available for the Gopher game at gophersports.com.
WCHA FINAL FACEOFF TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for the 2011 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF championship, set for March 4-5 at Ridder Arena, are on sale through the University of Minnesota Ticket Office (612 624-8080, or 1-800-U-Gopher, or online at Gophersports.com).Three-game session tickets for the women's playoff championship tournament are available at three prices: $20 for a reserved seat, $18 for general admission, and $15 for seniors and youth (age 18 and under). Single session tickets, priced at $15, $12 and $8, will be available on the days of the semifinals and championship game.The two semifinal games will be played on Friday, March 4 at 4:07 pm CT and 7:07 pm CT. The 2011 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF Championship game will be played on Saturday, March 5, at 7:07 pm CT.
GOPHERS IN THE WCHA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Minnesota has won the WCHA tournament championship three times in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The Gophers have played in the WCHA Championship game the last two years. In the WCHA FINAL FACEOFF last year, Minnesota won a double overtime game against Ohio State in the semifinals, 5-4. Laura May scored the game-winner at 3:31 into the double OT. Minnesota lost in the championship game, 3-2, to Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but Sarah Erickson scored a goal late in the first to put the game at 2-1. UMD’s Audrey Cournoyer scored 11:21 for the eventual game-winner. Erickson scored her second goal of the game at 16:28, also in the second, but Minnesota couldn’t catch UMD and was handed the loss. Gopher defenseman Anne Schleper and forward Sarah Erickson were both named to the WCHA All-Tournament Team.
SELECTION SUNDAY
The NCAA and Turner Sports have announced that the National Collegiate Women’s Ice Hockey selection show will be broadcast on broadband via www.NCAA.com. The shows will air, Sunday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m. CT. During that time, the NCAA will announce the eight-team field and the home teams for the top seeds.
PAIRWISE RANKINGS
The Golden Gophers are currently fourth in the PairWise Rankings, a tool generally used for the NCAA committee to determine the NCAA field in March. Wisconsin sits first, followed by Cornell and Boston University. Following Minnesota is Mercyhurst and Minnesota Duluth in a tie for fifth, while Boston College is seventh. North Dakota and Dartmouth are also tied for eighth.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Wisconsin held a conference record of 24-2-2 overall this year as well as 76 conference points to win the regular season championship. The Badgers entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and faced St. Cloud State in the first round. UW defeated the Huskies, 9-3 and 5-1 to earn a spot in the top four. Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota each had 57 points during the regular season. With UMD posting a 2-1-1 record against Minnesota, the Bulldogs held the second seed. They shut out Minnesota State, 3-0 and 5-0 last weekend. Minnesota earned the No. 3 seed and defeated Ohio State 4-2 and 3-2 last weekend at Ridder Arena. North Dakota had a conference record of 16-10-2 mark and had the fourth overall seed. UND won 3-2 in the first game, fell 3-0 in the second and won, 3-2 in overtime Sunday for its first trip to the WCHA Championships.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Since Minnesota last saw Minnesota Duluth, the Bulldogs went on a 10-1-1 record, dating back to January. After a tie and a loss to Minnesota, UMD lost and tied Wisconsin (Jan. 21-22) and are currently on a 10-game win streak. Currently holding a 22-7-3 overall record, UMD is tied for fifth in the PairWise. Leading UMD in scoring is Elin Holmlov with 52 points, followed by Canadian Olympian and Patty Kazmaier nominee Haley Irwin with 47 points. UMD also has Canadian Olympian and Patty Kazmaier nominee Jocelyne Larocque at the blue line, who has 29 points. Kim Martin and Jennifer Harss has split time in net. Martin has played in 19 games (1.34 GAA), while Harss has played in 14 games (1.69 GAA).
AGAINST UMD THIS SEASON
In the third weekend of conference play, Minnesota Duluth handed Minnesota a two-game loss, Oct. 29-30 in Duluth, Minn. The Gophers fell, 3-2 and 4-2 (empty net) for the sweep. In the 4-2 loss, UMD forward Haley Irwin netted a hat trick and a total of four points to provide a win. In the series at Ridder Arena, the Gophers tied UMD, 2-2 (won the shootout) and earned a 3-0 win. On Jan. 14, Minnesota’s Sarah Erickson scored at 7:55, while Brienna Gillanders added a power-play goal for the 1-1 tie after one. Jen Schoullis scored at 12:50 in the second, but UMD’s Katherine Wilson scored a power play goal at 9:33 to tie the game. Anne Schleper solidified the shootout, while UMD was stuffed by Noora Raty on the last attempt. In the Jan. 15 game, Minnesota scored three goals in the second period to win the game. Bethany Brausen, Sarah Erickson and Kelly Terry all scored en route to the win.
AGAINST FINAL FACEOFF TEAMS
Overall, Minnesota went 4-6-0 against the remaining WCHA competitors. The Gophers went 1-2-1 against Wisconsin, 1-2-1 against Minnesota Duluth and 1-3-0 against North Dakota during the regular season.
FINDING THE NET
Since Minnesota’s loss to Wisconsin (1/29), the Gopher line of Amanda Kessel, Sarah Erickson and Jen Schoullis have led the Gophers’ scoring driving with 42 points. In the past eight games, Kessel has contributed 16 points, followed by Erickson with 15 and Schoullis with 11. In that span, the trio also scored five power-play goals, two short-handed goals and four game-winning goals.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Minnesota ranks high nationally in its power-play and penalty kill percentage. Minnesota has converted 35 power-play goals in 151 attempts to post a 23.2 conversion. That number ranks behind Wisconsin (25.8), Cornell (25.7) and Mercyhurst (25.5). On the penalty kill, Minnesota ranks sixth in the country and first in the conference. Killing off 159 of 177 penalties, the Gophers hold an 89.8 penalty kill. Cornell (94.1), Boston University (93.7), New Hampshire (91.7), Mercyhurst (90.8) and Quinnipiac (90.2) only rate higher.
RATY A PATTY KAZMAIER NOMINEE
University of Minnesota sophomore goaltender Noora Räty (Espoo, Finland) has been named a Patty Kazmaier nominee, announced by USA Hockey. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is given to the top Division I women's hockey player. Räty is one of 26 players in contention for the award, which will be given out annually in conjunction with the 2011 Frozen Four in Erie, Pa. It is the second-straight year Räty has been a Gopher nominee and was later named a top-three finalist as a freshman.
The NCAA Division I women's hockey coaches will select the top-10 finalists from among the group of 26 nominees, with the announcement taking place March 3. A 13-member selection committee will choose the three finalists (announced March 10), as well as the award recipient, which will be announced live at the brunch ceremony in Erie on March 19. Of the 26 players nominated, eight are from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Along with the Gophers’ Räty, also included is Wisconsin’s Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker and Hilary Knight, Minnesota Duluth’s Haley Irwin and Jocelyne Larocque and North Dakota’s Jocelyne Lamoureux and Monique Lamoureux-Kolls.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Minnesota holds arguably one of the nation’s best goalies in sophomore Noora Räty (pronounced RAH-too). A returning All-American and Finland’s starting goaltender in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Räty holds a .946 save percentage and a 1.59 goals against average this year. She currently ranks third in the country in save percentage and sixth overall in goals against average.
Räty leads the nation with nine shutouts, setting a school record. On the season, Räty has shut out the likes of Clarkson (Oct. 1), Wayne State (Oct. 9), St. Cloud State (Oct. 22, Oct. 23), Minnesota State (Nov. 19, Jan. 7), Ohio State (Dec. 10), Minnesota Duluth (Jan. 15) and Bemidji State (Feb. 12). She and Jenny Lura also combined for two additional shutouts against Harvard (Nov. 26) and SCSU (Feb. 4). Overall, Räty has 16 shutouts in her career, ranking third in school history.
GOPHERS AND THE WEEKLY CONFERENCE AWARDS
Minnesota collected 11 weekly honors by six individuals this season. Amanda Kessel had four awards (rookie and offensive), while Noora Räty had three (defensive). Anne Schleper (offensive), Megan Bozek (defensive), Kelly Terry (rookie) and Sarah Davis (rookie) all received an award once this year.
REACHING THE CENTURY MARK
Sarah Erickson reached 100 career points last weekend to become the 18th Gopher in school history to accomplish the feat. Erickson entered the WCHA First Round with 97 points. She scored the game-winning goal in Friday’s game and assisted on another. The Roseau, Minn., native then scored Minnesota’s first goal of the game at 10:48 to reach 100. The last Gophers to accomplish the feat was Emily West and Brittany Francis last year. Minnesota’s all-time leader in scorer came from Gopher assistant coach Natalie Darwitz with 246 career points in just 99 games played.
ROOKIE SENSATIONS
Amanda Kessel, Kelly Terry and Sarah Davis have had a great rookie season. Kessel leads the team with 45 points. Kelly Terry is tied for second with 37 points, while Sarah Davis is fourth with 30 points. All three have been integral parts in the Gophers’ success on the power-play and penalty kill as well. Davis also holds a .637 win mark in the faceoff circle.
The No. 3/5 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team will compete at the 2011 WCHA FINAL FACEOFF Championships, Friday and Saturday night at Ridder Arena. The Golden Gophers will play the No. 2 seed Minnesota Duluth, Friday at 7 p.m. at Ridder Arena. Wisconsin and North Dakota play each other at 4 p.m., also at Ridder Arena. The winner of each game advances to the championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m.
FINAL FACEOFF FORMAT
MARCH 4, RIDDER ARENA
SEMIFINAL GAME 1 (4:07 P.M.)
No. 4 North Dakota vs No. 1 Wisconsin
SEMIFINAL GAME 2 (7:07 P.M.)
No. 3 Minnesota vs. No. 2 Minnesota Duluth
MARCH 5, RIDDER ARENA
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (7:07 P.M.)
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2
FOLLOWING THE GOPHERS
WCHA.com will have a video webcast as Jack Swanson and Laura Halldorson will provide play-by-play and color. Dan Hamann and the Gold Zone will provide the audio for this weekend. A live blog will also be available for the Gopher game at gophersports.com.
WCHA FINAL FACEOFF TICKETS ON SALE
Tickets for the 2011 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF championship, set for March 4-5 at Ridder Arena, are on sale through the University of Minnesota Ticket Office (612 624-8080, or 1-800-U-Gopher, or online at Gophersports.com).Three-game session tickets for the women's playoff championship tournament are available at three prices: $20 for a reserved seat, $18 for general admission, and $15 for seniors and youth (age 18 and under). Single session tickets, priced at $15, $12 and $8, will be available on the days of the semifinals and championship game.The two semifinal games will be played on Friday, March 4 at 4:07 pm CT and 7:07 pm CT. The 2011 WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF Championship game will be played on Saturday, March 5, at 7:07 pm CT.
GOPHERS IN THE WCHA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Minnesota has won the WCHA tournament championship three times in 2002, 2004 and 2005. The Gophers have played in the WCHA Championship game the last two years. In the WCHA FINAL FACEOFF last year, Minnesota won a double overtime game against Ohio State in the semifinals, 5-4. Laura May scored the game-winner at 3:31 into the double OT. Minnesota lost in the championship game, 3-2, to Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but Sarah Erickson scored a goal late in the first to put the game at 2-1. UMD’s Audrey Cournoyer scored 11:21 for the eventual game-winner. Erickson scored her second goal of the game at 16:28, also in the second, but Minnesota couldn’t catch UMD and was handed the loss. Gopher defenseman Anne Schleper and forward Sarah Erickson were both named to the WCHA All-Tournament Team.
SELECTION SUNDAY
The NCAA and Turner Sports have announced that the National Collegiate Women’s Ice Hockey selection show will be broadcast on broadband via www.NCAA.com. The shows will air, Sunday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m. CT. During that time, the NCAA will announce the eight-team field and the home teams for the top seeds.
PAIRWISE RANKINGS
The Golden Gophers are currently fourth in the PairWise Rankings, a tool generally used for the NCAA committee to determine the NCAA field in March. Wisconsin sits first, followed by Cornell and Boston University. Following Minnesota is Mercyhurst and Minnesota Duluth in a tie for fifth, while Boston College is seventh. North Dakota and Dartmouth are also tied for eighth.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Wisconsin held a conference record of 24-2-2 overall this year as well as 76 conference points to win the regular season championship. The Badgers entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and faced St. Cloud State in the first round. UW defeated the Huskies, 9-3 and 5-1 to earn a spot in the top four. Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota each had 57 points during the regular season. With UMD posting a 2-1-1 record against Minnesota, the Bulldogs held the second seed. They shut out Minnesota State, 3-0 and 5-0 last weekend. Minnesota earned the No. 3 seed and defeated Ohio State 4-2 and 3-2 last weekend at Ridder Arena. North Dakota had a conference record of 16-10-2 mark and had the fourth overall seed. UND won 3-2 in the first game, fell 3-0 in the second and won, 3-2 in overtime Sunday for its first trip to the WCHA Championships.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Since Minnesota last saw Minnesota Duluth, the Bulldogs went on a 10-1-1 record, dating back to January. After a tie and a loss to Minnesota, UMD lost and tied Wisconsin (Jan. 21-22) and are currently on a 10-game win streak. Currently holding a 22-7-3 overall record, UMD is tied for fifth in the PairWise. Leading UMD in scoring is Elin Holmlov with 52 points, followed by Canadian Olympian and Patty Kazmaier nominee Haley Irwin with 47 points. UMD also has Canadian Olympian and Patty Kazmaier nominee Jocelyne Larocque at the blue line, who has 29 points. Kim Martin and Jennifer Harss has split time in net. Martin has played in 19 games (1.34 GAA), while Harss has played in 14 games (1.69 GAA).
AGAINST UMD THIS SEASON
In the third weekend of conference play, Minnesota Duluth handed Minnesota a two-game loss, Oct. 29-30 in Duluth, Minn. The Gophers fell, 3-2 and 4-2 (empty net) for the sweep. In the 4-2 loss, UMD forward Haley Irwin netted a hat trick and a total of four points to provide a win. In the series at Ridder Arena, the Gophers tied UMD, 2-2 (won the shootout) and earned a 3-0 win. On Jan. 14, Minnesota’s Sarah Erickson scored at 7:55, while Brienna Gillanders added a power-play goal for the 1-1 tie after one. Jen Schoullis scored at 12:50 in the second, but UMD’s Katherine Wilson scored a power play goal at 9:33 to tie the game. Anne Schleper solidified the shootout, while UMD was stuffed by Noora Raty on the last attempt. In the Jan. 15 game, Minnesota scored three goals in the second period to win the game. Bethany Brausen, Sarah Erickson and Kelly Terry all scored en route to the win.
AGAINST FINAL FACEOFF TEAMS
Overall, Minnesota went 4-6-0 against the remaining WCHA competitors. The Gophers went 1-2-1 against Wisconsin, 1-2-1 against Minnesota Duluth and 1-3-0 against North Dakota during the regular season.
FINDING THE NET
Since Minnesota’s loss to Wisconsin (1/29), the Gopher line of Amanda Kessel, Sarah Erickson and Jen Schoullis have led the Gophers’ scoring driving with 42 points. In the past eight games, Kessel has contributed 16 points, followed by Erickson with 15 and Schoullis with 11. In that span, the trio also scored five power-play goals, two short-handed goals and four game-winning goals.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Minnesota ranks high nationally in its power-play and penalty kill percentage. Minnesota has converted 35 power-play goals in 151 attempts to post a 23.2 conversion. That number ranks behind Wisconsin (25.8), Cornell (25.7) and Mercyhurst (25.5). On the penalty kill, Minnesota ranks sixth in the country and first in the conference. Killing off 159 of 177 penalties, the Gophers hold an 89.8 penalty kill. Cornell (94.1), Boston University (93.7), New Hampshire (91.7), Mercyhurst (90.8) and Quinnipiac (90.2) only rate higher.
RATY A PATTY KAZMAIER NOMINEE
University of Minnesota sophomore goaltender Noora Räty (Espoo, Finland) has been named a Patty Kazmaier nominee, announced by USA Hockey. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is given to the top Division I women's hockey player. Räty is one of 26 players in contention for the award, which will be given out annually in conjunction with the 2011 Frozen Four in Erie, Pa. It is the second-straight year Räty has been a Gopher nominee and was later named a top-three finalist as a freshman.
The NCAA Division I women's hockey coaches will select the top-10 finalists from among the group of 26 nominees, with the announcement taking place March 3. A 13-member selection committee will choose the three finalists (announced March 10), as well as the award recipient, which will be announced live at the brunch ceremony in Erie on March 19. Of the 26 players nominated, eight are from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Along with the Gophers’ Räty, also included is Wisconsin’s Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker and Hilary Knight, Minnesota Duluth’s Haley Irwin and Jocelyne Larocque and North Dakota’s Jocelyne Lamoureux and Monique Lamoureux-Kolls.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Minnesota holds arguably one of the nation’s best goalies in sophomore Noora Räty (pronounced RAH-too). A returning All-American and Finland’s starting goaltender in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Räty holds a .946 save percentage and a 1.59 goals against average this year. She currently ranks third in the country in save percentage and sixth overall in goals against average.
Räty leads the nation with nine shutouts, setting a school record. On the season, Räty has shut out the likes of Clarkson (Oct. 1), Wayne State (Oct. 9), St. Cloud State (Oct. 22, Oct. 23), Minnesota State (Nov. 19, Jan. 7), Ohio State (Dec. 10), Minnesota Duluth (Jan. 15) and Bemidji State (Feb. 12). She and Jenny Lura also combined for two additional shutouts against Harvard (Nov. 26) and SCSU (Feb. 4). Overall, Räty has 16 shutouts in her career, ranking third in school history.
GOPHERS AND THE WEEKLY CONFERENCE AWARDS
Minnesota collected 11 weekly honors by six individuals this season. Amanda Kessel had four awards (rookie and offensive), while Noora Räty had three (defensive). Anne Schleper (offensive), Megan Bozek (defensive), Kelly Terry (rookie) and Sarah Davis (rookie) all received an award once this year.
REACHING THE CENTURY MARK
Sarah Erickson reached 100 career points last weekend to become the 18th Gopher in school history to accomplish the feat. Erickson entered the WCHA First Round with 97 points. She scored the game-winning goal in Friday’s game and assisted on another. The Roseau, Minn., native then scored Minnesota’s first goal of the game at 10:48 to reach 100. The last Gophers to accomplish the feat was Emily West and Brittany Francis last year. Minnesota’s all-time leader in scorer came from Gopher assistant coach Natalie Darwitz with 246 career points in just 99 games played.
ROOKIE SENSATIONS
Amanda Kessel, Kelly Terry and Sarah Davis have had a great rookie season. Kessel leads the team with 45 points. Kelly Terry is tied for second with 37 points, while Sarah Davis is fourth with 30 points. All three have been integral parts in the Gophers’ success on the power-play and penalty kill as well. Davis also holds a .637 win mark in the faceoff circle.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's HockeyHighlights: Gophers 2, UMD 3
Friday, February 20
Highlights: Gophers 2, Ohio State 4
Friday, February 13
Highlights: Gophers 1, Ohio State 2
Saturday, February 07
Highlights: Gophers 1, St. Thomas 1
Saturday, February 07