University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Hockey Season Preview
9/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Sept. 26, 2011
As head coach Brad Frost embarks on his fifth season at the helm of the Golden Gopher women's hockey program, he's excited about his squad and what they're capable of accomplishing this season. With 19 returning players and the addition of five strong freshmen, Coach Frost feels his team is primed for an outstanding year.
"This is the deepest team I've had in my four years as head coach," said Frost. "The fact that we have 19 returning players speaks to that depth. We have a senior class full of players with great experience, at the college level as well as the national level with several players having experience with Team USA. I think our freshman class will adapt quickly to the college game and have a lot of success."
Minnesota returns most of its firepower from last season, as 96 percent of last season's scoring returns for 2011-12, including the top 11 scorers from last year's squad. Every game-winning goal from last season was scored by a player returning to the team this season.
With such a deep squad full of talented veterans and skilled newcomers, competition for playing time will be tough. "Competition will be fierce," said Frost. "Three players will be watching the game from the stands every night, so the battle level will be high to earn playing time. The best players will play, so they're each going to have to work hard to be one of the best players."
At forward, the Gophers have 11 returning players, led by seniors Sarah Erickson, Jen Schoullis and Emily West. Erickson and Schoullis combined for 39 goals and 75 points last season. Erickson led the team in game-winning goals with six, while Schoullis was the leader in power play goals with five. West redshirted the 2010-11 season with an injury, but was the team's scoring leader as a junior with 23 goals and 23 assists for 46 points in the 2009-10 season. With two members of the senior class, Schoullis and West, coming in as fifth-year players, Minnesota holds a wealth of experience at the forward position. "Our seniors continue to mature and grow," explained Frost. "They will be great leaders on the ice this season."
Other top returners at forward include Amanda Kessel, Kelly Terry and Sarah Davis. "These three players were strong for us last season, and we will continue to rely on them heavily this year," said Frost. Kessel led the team in scoring as a freshman a year ago, and was named the WCHA Rookie of the Year. Over the summer, she played with Team USA, helping the national team to a perfect 6-0 record at the IIHF Twelve Nations Invitational in Finland last August. Terry and Davis were also among the team's top scorers last season, as Terry scored 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points while Davis tallied 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points.
Minnesota also returns a veteran group of defensemen with six returners. Seniors Kelly Seeler and Anne Schleper return for their fourth season on the ice. Schleper was the top-scoring defenseman for the Gophers last season, notching eight goals and 20 assists for 28 points. Seeler tallied 17 points on five goals and 12 assists, and had the second-highest plus/minus rating on the team at +27. Juniors Megan Bozek and Mira Jalosuo are also top returners for the Gopher defensive corp. Bozek led the team in plus/minus last season with a +33, and scored six goals with 17 assists for 23 points. Mira Jalosuo was also in double-digit points as a defenseman, scoring four goals and eight assists for 12 points. Over the summer, Jalosuo competed with the Finnish National Team at the IIHF Twelve Nations Invitational, helping her team to a 5-3 record in the tournament.
"Our veteran defensemen all took a step up since last season," explained Frost. "We will be stronger defensively than we were last year."
Returning as the number one goalie for Minnesota is two-time All-American Noora Raty. Raty started in 35 of 38 games last season, and will be the Gophers' starting goalie again this season. Raty had a goals against average of 1.77 last year, and a .941 save percentage. With 43 wins in her two seasons at Minnesota, Raty is tied for third on the all-time career wins list. She's also third on the all-time career saves list with 1620 in just two seasons. "Noora is coming off another All-America season, and with Alyssa Grogan and Shyler Sletta to back us up, we feel good about our goaltenders," said Frost.
In addition to the 19 returning players, five freshmen join the squad this season, including three forwards in Stephanie Anderson, Rachael Bona, and Meghan Lorence, a defenseman in Rachel Ramsey and a goaltender in Shyler Sletta. The group joins the Gophers with an impressive set of credentials. Bona, Lorence and Ramsey were all finalists for the Minnesota Ms. Hockey award last season, while Lorence and Anderson were members of the U.S. Under-18 Team that won a silver medal at the 2010 World Championships. Ramsey finished her career as Minnetonka's all-time leading scorer and led her team to the 2011 Class A Minnesota State Championship. Lorence was named the 2011 Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year. Sletta was a finalist for the Let's Play Hockey Senior Goalie award.
While it often takes freshmen some time to adjust to the college game, Coach Frost is impressed with his newcomers so far. "I'm really excited about what the freshmen bring to the table, they are driven and skilled," commented Frost. "Now they just have to prove themselves in game situations."
The preseason poll of WCHA head coaches also shows that Minnesota's freshmen are expected to perform well this season. Meghan Lorence and Rachel Ramsey each received votes for preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year.
The team just started official practice on September 17, so there are only a couple of weeks for the coaches to prepare the team for regular-season play, which begins on September 30 against Union. "We have to hit the ground running and get up to speed as quickly as possible," explained Frost. "I feel good about how the team looks so far, they came back in good shape. I think the returning players feel like we've been close in the past, and they realize it will take just a little bit more to reach our goals. They're working really hard. We will expect to see growth from the team throughout the season."
The team recently voted on captains for the 2011-12 season, and seniors Sarah Erickson and Jen Schoullis got the nod from their teammates to wear the prestigious "C" on their jerseys this season. "I'm very excited to have Jen and Sarah as captains," said Frost. "They've been through this before. The team voted, and it was clear who they wanted as their captains. There were a lot of good choices since our senior class is so strong, and all the seniors will have a leadership role on the team."
This week, the WCHA announced its preseason coaches' poll, and Minnesota was listed at No. 2 behind defending national champion Wisconsin. The Gophers tallied 44 points in the poll and received two first-place votes in the survey of the leagues' eight head coaches. "As the defending national champions with many top players returning, there's no question Wisconsin is the favorite heading into the season. They are the team everyone else is chasing," explained Gopher head coach Brad Frost. "Top to bottom, our league is the strongest in the country. There are no nights off in the WCHA, we will definitely be battle tested by the time our conference season ends."
The Gophers will face four nonconference opponents this season, starting with Union and Syracuse in the opening weekend as the Dutchwomen and the Orange travel to Minneapolis for the East/West Showcase. The season opener against Union will mark the first meeting between the teams. The last time the Gophers faced Syracuse was in the 2009-10 season opener. Minnesota won both games, winning 4-3 the first night and 4-1 the second night. "We are happy to have Union and Syracuse joining us for our opening weekend," said Frost. "It will be a good test for us against teams we don't play often. There are Minnesota natives on both of those teams, so it will be fun to have them come to Ridder Arena."
The Gophers' other nonconference opponents are New Hampshire and Harvard. Minnesota hosts New Hampshire Nov. 18 and 19. Former Gopher assistant coach Jamie Wood is the associate head coach for the Wildcats. "New Hampshire has been one of the Eastern powers over the years," said Frost. "We have a good rivalry with them. One of the best games I've coached at Minnesota was our 2006 NCAA Frozen Four game against UNH."
Harvard is the only nonconference opponent the Gophers will face on the road, with a trip to Boston scheduled just after Thanksgiving. "Harvard has also been one of the top teams in the East, and our games against them have always been tremendous games that are tightly contested. I look forward to playing them again this season."
With a contingent of experienced veterans and the boost the talented freshmen bring to the team, it seems the Golden Gophers are set up for success in 2011-12. The strength of the WCHA teams and the great nonconference opponents will certainly provide passionate competition. Join us at Ridder Arena as we kick off a season that promises excitement in each and every game.
