University of Minnesota Athletics
Professional Hockey Comes to Ridder Arena
12/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Dec. 10, 2015
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MINNEAPOLIS -- Professional women's hockey is coming to Ridder Arena this weekend when the Minnesota Whitecaps and Boston Pride face off at 6 p.m. CT Saturday and 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
The two-game series is considered the first time professional women's hockey will be played in the state of Minnesota, and both teams include former NCAA and Olympic women's hockey stars. Saturday's game will be televised live on KSTC45 locally and will also be available nationally on the New England Sports Network (NESN).
Former Gophers Becky Kortum, Winny Brown, Rachael Bona, Katie Frischmann, Sarah Erickson, Bethany Brausen, Mira Jalosuo, Meghan Lorence, Anne Schleper, Kelly Seeler, Kim Hanlon and Chelsey Rosenthal are on the Whitecaps' roster. Meanwhile, fellow Gopher alum and U.S. Olympian Gigi Marvin is a member of the Boston Pride.
Tickets are $5 each with children 12 and under receiving free admission. Tickets can be purchased online through the Gopher Ticket Office or by calling 612-624-8080 or 1-800-U-GOPHER. Whitecaps players will be available for autographs after both games, and Pride players will be available for autographs after Saturday's game. All seating is general admission, and Ridder Arena's doors will open one hour prior to game time.
The Minnesota Whitecaps are an elite, post-collegiate women's hockey team originally founded in 2004 by University of Minnesota Gopher alums Winny and Chelsey Brodt (last names now Brown and Rosenthal, respectively) along with their father Jack, as well as Dwayne and Jenny Schmidgall (now Potter). The Whitecaps were a franchise in the Western Women's Hockey League. Since 2010-11, the team has operated as an independent team playing various exhibition games each year. The team is coached by Robb Stauber, a Hobey Baker Award winner, former NHL player, and current assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Team. He is assisted by Jack Brodt and Shivaun Siegl.
The Boston Pride is part of a new four-team professional women's hockey league called the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), currently in its first season. The other teams in the league include the New York Riveters, Connecticut Whale, and Buffalo Beauts. The Pride is coached by Bobby Jay, a former U.S. Women's Olympic Team and National Team coach.
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