University of Minnesota Athletics
Top-Five Matchup Pits Gophers vs. Beavers
11/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 3 Minnesota (9-1-0) vs. No. 5 Bemidji State (10-2-2) | |
| Game 1 | Friday, Nov. 13 | 7 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Saturday, Nov. 14 | 4 p.m. |
| Location | Ridder Arena | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Game 1 | Game Day Live | BTN Plus Video | Free Audio | |
| Game 2 | Game Day Live | BTN Plus Video | Free Audio | |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Bemidji State |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Nov. 9, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS - No. 3 Minnesota (9-1-0, 7-1-0 WCHA) returns to action to host No. 5 Bemidji State (10-2-2, 7-2-1-0 WCHA) at Ridder Arena at 7 p.m. CT Friday and 4 p.m. CT Saturday.
Weekend Promotions: Gold Rush, Student Tour & More
Fans are encouraged to wear gold to Friday's game as part of the Gophers' Gold Rush, and fans will receive free gold rally towels while supplies last. Friday also marks a stop on the Gopher Sports Student Tour. All University of Minnesota students who attend Friday's game can join in the Gold Rush with free gold metallic earbuds and a free Gopher power bank in addition to free pizza and drinks. In addition, Youth VIP Season Pass members will receive free gold foam fingers while supplies last.
Saturday, fans with either a men's or women's ticket from the Gophers' basketball's double-header will receive free admission. Minnesota's annual Skate with the Gophers event is scheduled to take place following Saturday's game, and Goldy's Kids Club members are invited to attend Saturday's game as a part of the exclusive year-long membership benefits.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Bemidji State
Minnesota is 60-6-7 all-time against Bemidji State. Last season, the Gophers and Beavers were even at 2-2-1 in five meetings. Most recently, BSU earned a 1-0 win over Minnesota in the WCHA Final Face-off semifinal game. The Gophers swept a road series in Feb. 2015, winning 3-2 and 4-2, but went 0-1-1 with a shootout loss at home earlier in the season. Dani Cameranesi (3g-2a) and Hannah Brandt (1g-2a) led the Gophers against the Beavers last season.
Scouting the Opponent: Bemidji State
No. 5 Bemidji State (10-2-2, 7-2-1-0 WCHA) enters this weekend's series with the Beavers' highest national ranking in program history. BSU climbed one spot to No. 5 in the USCHO.com national poll after sweeping Ohio State on the road last weekend. The Beavers bring a four-game winning streak into the weekend with recent wins over St. Cloud State in addition to a sweep at OSU.
BSU was picked to finish fourth in the 2015 WCHA preseason poll under second-year head coach Jim Scanlan. Last season, the Beavers set a new school record with 21 wins at 21-17-1 overall, posting a 13-14-1-1 WCHA mark to finish fifth in the regular season standings. Bemidji State returned its top three scorers from a year ago in seniors Kaitlyn Tougas, Stephanie Anderson, and Ivana Bilic, along with All-American junior goaltender Brittni Mowat.
In 14 games this season, Tougas leads BSU with 10 points (1g-9a), while Anderson's five goals are tops on the team. In total, 15 Beavers have at least one point on the season with 13 different goal scorers. Behind Anderson, senior Hanna Moher (4g-5a) and junior Lauren Miller (4g-4a) are second with four goals each. Mowat has seen the majority of time in net, appearing in 13 games with a 10-2-1 overall record. Her .961 save percentage is third in the nation, and her 1.06 goals against average ranks fifth in the NCAA. Sophomore Erin Deters has seen action in one game, a 4-4 tie with Robert Morris in the team's second game of the season.
Seven Gophers Medal at Four Nations Cup
Seven Gophers represented their respective countries at the 2015 Four Nations Cup. Megan Bozek (1g), Gigi Marvin, and Anne Schleper won gold with the U.S. Women's National Team, which defeated Canada, 3-2 in overtime for the championship. Sarah Potomak (1a) joined former Gopher Sarah Davis (1a) in taking home silver with Canada, and alumni Mira Jalosuo and Noora Raty earned bronze with Finland in a 3-2 overtime win over Sweden.
Last Time Out: Gophers Split at UND
In its most recent series, Minnesota split a series on the road at North Dakota Oct. 29-30. Minnesota won 5-1 in game one before falling 4-3 in game two of the series. Hannah Brandt (3a), Cara Piazza (3a), Kate Schipper (1g-2a), and Kelly Pannek (1g-2a) led Minnesota in the series with three points each.
The Gophers used a three-goal first period to put away game one early before adding a single goal in both the second and third periods. UND made it 4-1 early in the third period with a power-play goal before Megan Wolfe responded to make it 5-1 less than four minutes later. The Gophers outshot UND, 24-19, and Amanda Leveille made 18 saves. UND's lone goal was scored by Becca Kohler.
In game two, North Dakota scored three second-period goals to take a 3-1 lead. Minnesota rallied in the third period but could not tally the equalizer. Dani Cameranesi (1g-1a) and Hannah Brandt (2a) each had multiple points in the loss, and Amanda Leveille made a season-high 27 saves.
Second-Period Scoring
For the season, Minnesota has scored 30 second-period goals, compared to 15 in the first period and 17 in the third period. The Gophers have outscored their opponents, 30-5, in the middle frame.
NCAA's Rookie Scoring Leader
Sarah Potomak leads the nation's rookies in scoring with 2.38 points per game. She is third among all players in points per game and leads all players with 1.88 assists per game.
Career Record Watch: Brandt Poised to Make History
Hannah Brandt is the NCAA's active career scoring leader with 242 career points (99 goals, 143 assists). She ranks second in Minnesota history and ninth in NCAA history. Brandt needs just five more points to surpass Natalie Darwitz (246 points) as the Gophers' all-time career points leader and two more assists to surpass Darwitz (144 assists) as the Gophers' all-time career assists leader. Brandt is also one goal away from becoming the fourth Gopher in program history to reach 100 career goals.
McMillen Sets Scoring Milestone
Milica McMillen became the sixth Gopher defensemen in program history to surpass 100-career points, joining Megan Bozek (146), Winny Brodt (134), Rachel Ramsey (130), Anne Schleper (114), and Courtney Kennedy (112). She recorded her 100th-career point in Minnesota's 5-2 win over Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 23). Among all-time Gopher defensemen, McMillen ranks third in career goals (39), sixth in career points (103) and seventh in career assists (64).
Offensive Defense
Megan Wolfe and Milica McMillen are tied for fourth in the nation in scoring among defensemen, averaging 1.10 points per game. As a defensive unit, the Gophers rank third in the nation in scoring among defense-men averaging 4.20 points per game.
Point Streaks
Kelly Pannek extended her team-leading point streak to 12 games, dating back to the 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four semifinal game against Wisconsin on March 20, 2015. Meanwhile, Cara Piazza also has points in each of Minnesota's 10 games so far this season. Sarah Potomak has at least one point in each of the eight games she has played as well.
Power-Play Leaders
The Gophers lead the nation at .452 (14/31) on the power play. Dani Cameranesi is tied for the national lead with four power-play goals, and Milica McMillen and Kelly Pannek are tied for third in the NCAA with three each.
Youth VIP Season Pass Returns for 2015-16
The Gopher Women's Hockey Youth VIP Season Pass is again available this season. This program provides girls and boys in eighth grade or under with free admission to all regular season Gopher women's hockey games at Ridder Arena. Registration for the Youth VIP Season Pass is available now.
WCHA Final Face-off Returns to Ridder Arena
The 2016 WCHA Final Face-Off will be held March 5-6 at Ridder Arena, and all-tournament ticket packages are on sale now. All-tournament packages are priced at $20 (general admission bench for seniors/students and youth), $25 (general admission bench for adults) and $35 (reserved chairback). Packages include two tickets - one ticket for Saturday, March 5 which includes access to both semifinal games (at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. CT, respectively) and one ticket for the WCHA championship game Sunday, March 6 (2 p.m. CT).
Gopher Fans are Nation's Best
Minnesota leads the nation in attendance averaging 1,429 fans per game. At home at Ridder Arena, the Gophers average an NCAA-best 1,959 fans per game as well.
Home, Sweet Home
Minnesota is currently on a 21-game home unbeaten streak (19-0-2). The Gophers are 67-2-4 in their last 73 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012. Overall, Minnesota is 139-7-5 in the team's last 151 games, a stretch that includes an NCAA-record 62-game winning streak (Feb. 28, 2012 through Nov. 17, 2013).
Coaching Milestone on the Horizon
The 2015-16 season marks Brad Frost's ninth season as the head coach of the Gophers. Frost began his ninth year at the helm with an overall record of 258-41-21 (.839). At 9-1-0 so far this season, Frost needs just 12 more wins to surpass Laura Halldorson (278-67-22) as the winningest coach in Gopher women's hockey history.
Gophers Add Nine Newcomers
Minnesota has added nine newcomers for 2015-16, made up of seven true freshmen and two transfers. The newest Gophers are Anna Barlow (South St. Paul, Minn.), Tianna Gunderson (Roseau, Minn.), Emma May (Eagan, Minn.), Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C.), Caitlin Reilly (Chanhassen, Minn.), Sophie Skarzynski (Lake Forest, Ill.), Nicole Schammel (Red Wing, Minn.), Sierra Smith (Stillwater, Minn.), and Taylor Williamson (Edina, Minn.). Reilly, a transfer from Penn State, and Schammel, a transfer from Minnesota State, join the Maroon & Gold as sophomores. Schammel will sit out the 2015-16 season due to WCHA in-league transfer rules.
A Look at the 2015-16 Schedule
Minnesota's 2015-16 schedule features two exhibition games against the Minnesota Whitecaps, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, an always-challenging WCHA slate, and the return of the WCHA Final Face-off to Ridder Arena. In addition to Penn State, the Gophers' non-conference schedule also includes a series against Yale at Ridder Arena Nov. 20-21.
Looking Back at Minnesota's Sixth National Title
Minnesota capped its 2014-15 season by winning the program's third NCAA title in the last four years and its sixth overall national crown. The Gophers finished the season with an overall record of 34-3-4. Last season's Gophers also captured the program's ninth WCHA regular-season title.
Top-seeded Minnesota defeated No. 3 seed Harvard by a score of 4-1 in the 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four national championship game at Ridder Arena. Minnesota advanced to its fourth-straight NCAA title game with a 3-1 win over fourth-seeded Wisconsin in front of a sold-out crowd at Ridder Arena in the Frozen Four semifinal round.
Up Next: Minnesota Hosts Yale
Minnesota remains at home to host Yale (1-4-1, 1-2-1 ECAC) in a non-conference series next weekend. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. CT Friday, Nov. 20. Game time on Saturday, Nov. 21 is still to be announced.
###
