University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Head North to Face WCHA Rival UMD Friday and Saturday
1/11/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Jan. 11, 2012
No. 1 Minnesota travels to No. 8 Minnesota Duluth for games Friday and Saturday evenings. Both games will begin at 7 p.m. at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth. The Gophers will play in AMSOIL for the first time, as the arena was not yet open when Minnesota traveled to UMD last season. AMSOIL Arena is the host of the 2012 WCHA Final Faceoff and the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four.
Gophersports.com will carry a free radio broadcast and live blog for both games at Minnesota Duluth. Dan Hamann is the Gophers' play-by-play announcer, in his fourth season with the Gophers. Alyssa Grogan will provide color commentary. A video webcast will be provided by UMD at www.b2tv.com, available on a pay-per-view basis.
Minnesota is listed at No. 1 in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national polls, moving up from the No. 2 spot it had held since October. Minnesota Duluth is ranked No. 8 in both national polls.
The Gophers are fourth in the nation in scoring margin, winning by an average of 3.09 goals. Minnesota has outscored its opponents 95-27 in 22 games this season, including a 59-21 margin against WCHA opponents.
Minnesota is third in the nation and first in the WCHA on the penalty kill. The Gophers are 74-83 (89.2 percent) this season. This week's opponent, Minnesota Duluth, is not far behind, ranking ninth in the nation and fourth in the WCHA at 89-103 (86.4 percent)
The Gophers are averaging just 8.6 penalty minutes per game. Wisconsin is the only WCHA team averaging fewer penalty minutes per game (8.2). Minnesota Duluth ranks second in the WHCA and the nation in penalty minutes, averaging 13.7.
Minnesota has the fewest number of goals allowed in WCHA play, with just 21 goals allowed in 16 WCHA games and 27 goals allowed overall. The next closest team is Wisconsin, with 30 goals allowed, 24 of those coming in WCHA games.
Minnesota ranks first in the nation and first in the WCHA in scoring defense, allowing an average of 1.23 goals per game.
Both Amanda Kessel and Jen Schoullis rank among the top 20 scorers in the WCHA. Kessel is tied for third at 2.05 points per game and ranks third in goals scored at 20. Schoullis is sixth with 1.86 points per game, and is sixth in assists with 24.
Junior defenseman Megan Bozek is tied for first nationally and leads the WCHA in scoring by defensemen with 25 points on the season. She leads the nation in goals by a defenseman with 10. She has surpassed her season totals for goals from her freshman and sophomore seasons, as she scored six goals in each of her first two seasons with the Gophers. Bozek has 72 career points to rank seventh on the Minnesota all-time scoring list for defensemen, and needs just one point to tie Lyndsay Wall (69 points, 2002-05) for seventh place. She is tied with Anya Miller (2004-08) for fifth in Gopher history in goals by a defenseman with 22.
Senior defenseman Anne Schleper has 101 career points (30-71-101) after adding a goal and an assist in last Friday's game against Wisconsin. She is in good company, as only two other defensemen in Gopher women's hockey history have reached the 100-point milestone: Courtney Kennedy, who had 112 career points from 1998-2001, and Winny Brodt, who tallied 134 points from 1998-2003. Schleper ranks third behind Kelledy and Brodt in points, goals, and assists by a defenseman.
Junior goalie Noora Räty has started 21 of 22 games for the Gophers this season. She has 418 saves on the season, with 27 goals allowed. Räty leads the WCHA in goals against average at 1.28, and ranks second nationally in that category. Last Saturday against Wisconsin, Räty recorded her 20th career shutout. She is currently tied with Jody Horak (2002-05) for second on Minnesota's all-time career shutouts list and needs just one shutout to tie the Minnesota career record. The record is currently held by Erica Killewald, who had 21 career shutouts from 1998-2001.
Freshman defenseman Rachel Ramsey ranks fourth in the WCHA in points per game by a freshman. Among defensemen, she ranks second in the conference in freshman scoring. She's averaging 0.59 points per game this season.
UMD is 11-8-1 on the season, and 8-7-1 in WCHA games. The Bulldogs are fourth in the WCHA standings with 26 points. UMD is coming off a bye weekend, its last games were 4-2 and 3-0 victories at Minnesota State Dec. 16-17.
Junior forward Audrey Cournoyer is the top scorer for the Bulldogs with 31 points (13-18-31), with senior forward Haley Irwin not far behind at 30 points (8-22-30). Both Cournoyer and Irwin rank among the top 10 in the WCHA in points per game this season.
Junior Jennifer Harss is the top goalie for UMD, with a goals against average of 2.42 and a .915 save percentage.
Shannon Miller is the head coach of the Bulldogs, in her 13th season. Her career record is 324-95-35 (.714).
Minnesota holds a 30-23-6 lead in the all-time series, including a pair of wins in Minneapolis earlier this season. The Gophers won 4-1 and 3-2 at Ridder Arena on Nov. 3-4. While the Gophers lead the series overall, UMD has a 13-8-2 advantage in games played in Duluth.
