University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Travel East to Face Tigers
11/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 2 Minnesota (12-1-2) at Princeton (6-4-1, 4-3-0 ECAC) | |
| Game 1 | Saturday, Nov. 29 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Game 2 | Sunday, Nov. 30 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Location | Hobey Baker Rink | Princeton, N.J. |
| Game 1 | Game Day Live | Ivy League Digital Network ($) | Free Audio | Live Stats |
| Game 2 | Game Day Live | Ivy League Digital Network ($) | Free Audio | Live Stats |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Princeton |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Nov. 26, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS - No. 2 Minnesota (12-1-2, 9-1-2-0 WCHA) travels to Princeton (6-4-1, 4-3-0 ECAC Hockey) for a non-conference series this Saturday and Sunday. Puck drop is set for 1 p.m. CT both days. Free audio and live stats will be available at GopherSports.com, and both games will be streamed online via the Ivy League Digital Network (subscription required).
ABOUT THE SERIES: MINNESOTA VS. PRINCETON
Minnesota owns a 6-0-1 all-time mark against Princeton. Last season, the Gophers swept the Tigers at Ridder Arena, winning 6-0 and 9-1. Before that, the teams hadn't met since the 2006 NCAA Regional, which Minnesota won 4-0. The first-ever meeting was a 6-1 road win for the Gophers on Nov. 29, 1997.
Last year, Hannah Brandt (2g-3a), Kelly Terry (2g-3a), Rachael Bona (4a), Sarah Davis (2g-2a), Meghan Lorence (1g-3a) and Dani Cameranesi (2g-2a) led Minnesota against Princeton. Cameranesi led the Gophers with three points in the team's 6-0 win before nine different Gophers scored in the 9-1 victory.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: PRINCETON TIGERS
Princeton (6-4-1, 4-3-0 ECAC Hockey) enters this weekend's series looking to end a three-game losing streak. The Tigers have dropped their last three games 7-3 to St. Lawrence, 3-2 to Clarkson and, most recently, 2-0 to Mercyhurst. Princeton started the season by winning six of their first eight games (6-1-1). The only common opponent between the Gophers and Tigers so far this year is Penn State; Princeton split a series in October, falling 2-1 before winning 4-1.
Twelve Tigers have at least one goal this season. Sophomores Kelsey Koelzer (3g-9a) and Molly Contini (6g-5a) lead Princeton in scoring. Koelzer ranks third in the nation for scoring among defensemen with 1.09 points per game; she is also 12th in the nation with 0.82 assists per game. Meanwhile, junior Cristin Shanahan (4g-2a) is tied for third in the nation with three game-winning goals in 11 games. The Tigers have five freshmen on their roster led by forward Kiersten Falck (1g-7a), who ranks 16th in the NCAA with 0.73 points per game.
Junior goaltender Kimberly Newell has appeared in 10 games for the Tigers with a 5-4-1 record and a .917 save percentage; her 2.29 goals against average ranks 17th in the nation. Freshman Alysia DaSilva (1-0-0) and senior Ashley Holt each appeared in one game so far this year as well.
GOPHER QUICK HITS
- Dani Cameranesi has five goals in the last three games, including her second hat trick of the season last weekend against the Mavericks.
- Sydney Baldwin recorded her first collegiate point with an assist in Minnesota's 4-0 win over Minnesota State Saturday.
- Hannah Brandt leads the WCHA and ranks third in the nation with 24 points.
- Kelly Pannek scored her first career hat trick in Minnesota's 5-0 win over St. Cloud State.
LAST TIME OUT: GOPHERS WIN THREE GAMES IN FOUR DAYS
Last weekend, the Gophers earned a sweep over Minnesota State in a home-and-home series. Minnesota earned a 5-1 victory on the road in Mankato before picking up its fourth shutout of the season with a 4-0 win at home last Saturday. Hannah Brandt (2g-3a) and Dani Cameranesi (4g) led the Gophers, combining for nine points in the series. All three Gopher goaltenders saw two periods of action against the Mavericks as well.
Minnesota outshot Minnesota State, 109-29, in the two games. Amanda Leveille started the weekend in net for Minnesota with 14 saves in the first two periods Friday, and Shyler Sletta stopped the lone shot she faced in Friday's third period. Sletta and Sidney Peters then split time in game two of the series as Peters made eight saves in two periods and Sletta made five stops in Saturday's third period.
The Gophers then defeated St. Cloud State, 5-0, in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Faceoff Classic Monday night. Kelly Pannek led the way with her first career hat trick, and Amanda Leveille recorded 19 saves in her third shutout of the season.
HOME, SWEET HOME
The Gophers are 49-2-2 in their last 53 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012. This season, Minnesota leads the nation in home attendance, averaging 2,008 fans per game in seven home games.
OFFENSIVE DEFENSE
The Gophers' defensemen lead the WCHA blue-liners in scoring, averaging 3.40 points per game. McMillen (7g-8a) is tied for fourth in the nation and leads the WCHA defensemen with 15 points in 15 games for a 1.00 points per game average this year. Fellow Gopher blue-liners Rachel Ramsey (2g-10a) and Lee Stecklein (11a) are among the WCHA's top five defensive scorers as well.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Seventeen of Minnesota's 18 skaters have registered at least one point this season, including all four Gopher rookies led by Kelly Pannek's 11 points (4g-7a).
Nine Gophers are in double-figures for scoring, led by Hannah Brandt (12g-12a), Dani Cameranesi (14g-7a) and Rachael Bona (3g-13a). Brandt and Cameranesi lead the WCHA and rank among the nation's top 10 scorers with 1.71 points per game and 1.50 points per game, respectively. Cameranesi's 14 goals lead the WCHA and rank second in the nation. Bona leads the team and ranks fifth in the nation with 13 assists.
With 60 goals in 15 games, the Gophers' offense ranks second in the WCHA and third in the nation, averaging 4.00 goals per game. Meanwhile, Minnesota's 1.20 goals against average leads the WCHA and is fourth in the NCAA behind Quinnipiac (0.46), Boston College (0.93) and Mercyhurst (1.12).
LEVEILLE LEADS WCHA GOALTENDERS
Goaltender Amanda Leveille leads the WCHA and ranks sixth in the nation with a 1.36 goals against average. Her .942 save percentage is second in the league and seventh in the NCAA. She also leads the WCHA with a .875 winning percentage (10-1-1). Leveille recently earned her 50th career win with the Gophers' 5-1 win against Minnesota State (Nov. 21); she currently owns a career-record of 51-3-2.
SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
Milica McMillen and Dani Cameranesi are tied for the national lead with five power-play goals each this season. The Gophers have the nation's second-ranked power-play unit (trailing only Harvard, which is two-for-five), converting on 21-of-61 opportunities for a .344 percentage. Minnesota is fifth in the WCHA and tied for ninth in the nation with a .885 penalty kill percentage (46-for-52).
SENIOR CLASS BOASTS IMPRESSIVE WINNING PERCENTAGE
Minnesota's senior class of Rachael Bona, Meghan Lorence, Rachel Ramsey, Shyler Sletta owns a 125-8-5 overall record for a .924 winning percentage during their time in Maroon & Gold, including a 12-1-2 mark this season.
WINNING WAYS
Minnesota is 107-4-4 in the team's last 115 games, a stretch that included an NCAA-record 62-game winning streak (Feb. 28, 2012 through Nov. 17, 2013).
ROOKIES FINDING THEIR WAY
All four Gopher freshmen have made their debuts in Maroon & Gold and recorded their first collegiate points. Kelly Pannek (4g-7a) ranks third in scoring among WCHA rookies, averaging 0.73 points per game, and Cara Piazza (3g-3a), Nina Rodgers (1a) and Sydney Baldwin (1a) have made their way onto the score sheet as well.
QUARTET SERVING AS GOPHER CAPTAINS
Minnesota's captains this season are seniors Rachael Bona and Rachel Ramsey, and senior Meghan Lorence and sophomore Lee Stecklein are serving as assistant captains.
UP NEXT: GOPHERS RETURN HOME TO HOST HUSKIES
Minnesota hosts St. Cloud State at Ridder Arena in its final series of 2014. The Gophers and Huskies face off at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6. Free audio and live stats will be available at GopherSports.com, and both games will be streamed online via BTN Plus (subscription required).
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