University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers to Face Huskies in Hall of Fame Game
12/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 3 Minnesota (15-3-0) vs. St. Cloud State (8-8-2) | |
| Game Info | Friday, Dec. 11 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Location | Roseville Skating Center | Roseville, Minn. |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Coverage | Game Day Live | CTV Channel 14 Stream | Free Audio | |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | St. Cloud State |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Dec. 7, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS - No. 3 Minnesota (15-3-0, 11-3-0 WCHA) faces St. Cloud State (8-8-2, 4-8-2-2 WCHA) in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Faceoff Classic this Friday at the Roseville Skating Center. Puck drop between the Gophers and Huskies is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
The game will be broadcast live on CTV Channel 14 and streamed online at ctv15.org, produced by the North Suburban Access Corporation (NSAC), serving the city of Roseville. Free audio and live stats will be available at GopherSports.com as well.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. St. Cloud State
Minnesota enters this weekend's game with a 69-3-2 all-time record against St. Cloud State. The Gophers have won the last 27 meetings between the two teams, most recently earning a 7-0, 11-0 sweep over the Huskies in early October this season. Twelve Gophers recorded points in the series, led by Kate Shipper (1g-5a), Sarah Potomak (2g-4a), Hannah Brandt (4g-1a), Kelly Pannek (3g-2a) and Dani Cameranesi (2g-3a).
About the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Faceoff Classic
The Gophers and Huskies are participating in their second U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Faceoff Classic in as many years. Last year's HOF game saw the Gophers earn a 5-0 win over the Huskies behind a hat trick from Kelly Pannek and a 19-save shutout by Amanda Leveille at Braemar Arena in Edina, Minn.
This year's game will take place at the Roseville Skating Center in Roseville, Minn. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with puck drop set for 6:37 p.m. Parking is limited, so fans are encouraged to car pool and arrive early. The Roseville Skating Center is located at 2661 Civic Center Drive, Roseville, MN 55113.
Tickets may be purchased through the Gopher Ticket Office or online at MyGopherSports.com, priced at $7 for adults and $4 for youth and seniors. Groups of 10 or more can receive a group ticket rate of $3. All tickets are general admission. Gopher women's hockey season ticket holders should contact the Gopher Ticket Office at 1-800-U-GOPHER or 612-624-8080 (Option 2) with questions.
Scouting the Opponent: St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State (8-8-2, 4-8-2-2 WCHA) saw a program-record seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1-1) come to an end last weekend with a tie/shootout win and a loss on the road at Minnesota Duluth. Entering the series at UMD, the Huskies had swept Minnesota State, Ohio State, and Lindenwood to string together six-straight victories.
Senior forward Molly Illikainen leads SCSU with 22 points on 12 goals and 10 assists. Sophomore Brittney Anderson has a team-high 11 assists, adding two goals for 13 points, while freshman forward Julie Tylke also lands among the team's top three scorers with 13 points on six goals and seven assists. Senior goaltender Katie Fitzgerald has a 7-8-2 overall record with a 2.81 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
Head coach Eric Rud is in his second season behind the SCSU bench, and the Huskies have already matched their win total from a year ago, when they posted an 8-28-1 overall record and went 5-22-1 in WCHA play.
St. Cloud State added eight newcomers this season: freshmen forwards Ivy Dynek, Megan Lalor, Hannah Potrykus (2g-1a), Jordan Stewart, Julia Tylke (6g-7a) and Suvi Ollikainen (1g-1a), and transfer goaltenders Madeleine Dahl (Union College) and Taylor Crosby (Northeastern).
Last Time Out: Gophers Fall in Border Battle
The Gophers dropped two games on the road at Wisconsin last weekend. Minnesota fell 3-2 in overtime in game one and lost 3-1 in game two. Brook Garzone, Milica McMillen and Sarah Potomak scored Minnesota's goals. Amanda Leveille made 24 saves in each game, and Wisconsin outshot the Gophers in each contest.
Brandt Becomes Gophers' Career Leader in Points & Assists
Hannah Brandt became the Gopher women's hockey program career points leader following a five-goal effort in an 8-3 win over Bemidji State (Nov. 14). Brandt's five-goal effort began with her 100th career goal as she became the fourth Gopher women's hockey player all-time to reach 100 career goals. She scored a natural hat trick before adding two third-period tallies. Brandt's fifth goal of the game marked her 247th career point, pushing her past Natalie Darwitz (246 career points on 102 goals, 144 assists) as Minnesota's all-time career-points leader. Brandt's five goals also tied a Minnesota program record for most goals scored in a single game, matching the record held by Nadine Muzerall, who scored five goals against Bemidji State on Jan. 22, 2000.
Brandt has also secured Minnesota's program record for career assists. In the Gophers' 6-3 win over Yale (Nov. 20), Brandt's second assist of the game moved her into first all-time in career assists. She surpassed Natalie Darwitz's total of 144 career assists.
Hannah Brandt is the NCAA's active career scoring leader with 259 career points (109 goals, 150 assists). She is Minnesota's career leader in both points and assists and is second in Gopher history in career goals, trailing only Nadine Muzerall (139). Among all-time WCHA players, Brandt ranks fourth in career points, sixth in career goals, and third in career assists. Among NCAA players, she is seventh in points, 11th in goals, and fourth in assists.
Upcoming Coaching Milestone for Frost
Head coach Brad Frost is close to becoming the winningest coach in Gopher women's hockey history. He enters this weekend's game against St. Cloud State with an overall record of 273-44-21, closing in on Laura Halldorson's career coaching record of 278-67-22.
Second-Period Scoring
For the season, Minnesota has scored 47 second-period goals, compared to 28 in the first period and 25 in the third period. The Gophers have outscored their opponents 47-11 in the middle frame.
Scoring Leaders
Dani Cameranesi (18g-21a), Sarah Potomak (8g-26a) and Hannah Brandt (19g-19a) are among the nation's top five leading scorers, ranked third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Minnesota's offense leads the NCAA at 5.56 goals per game, and the Gophers' top four scorers rank among the nation's top 10. Potomak leads the nation's rookies in scoring with 2.12 points per game along with leading the nation with 1.62 assists per game.
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 is tied for second in career goals (41) and ranks sixth in both career points (109) and career assists (68). She needs just six goals to tie Bozek's program record (47).
Offensive Defense
Megan Wolfe and Milica McMillen are tied for seventh in the nation in scoring among defensemen, averaging 0.94 points per game. As a defensive unit, the Gophers are third in the nation in scoring among defensemen averaging 3.78 points per game.
Pannek's Point Streak Ends
Kelly Pannek saw a team-leading 19-game point streak come to an end on Saturday. Pannek recorded points in 17-straight games to open the 2015-16 season, and her point streak dated back to the 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four semifinal game against Wisconsin on March 20, 2015.
Power-Play Leaders
Minnesota's power-play leads the nation at .453 (24/53) on the power play, and Dani Cameranesi leads the nation with eight power-play goals.
Gopher Fans are Nation's Best
Minnesota leads the nation in attendance averaging 1,501 fans per game. At home at Ridder Arena, the Gophers average an NCAA-best 1,944 fans per game as well.
Home, Sweet Home
Minnesota is currently on a 25-game home unbeaten streak (23-0-2). The Gophers are 71-2-4 in their last 77 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012.
Winning Ways
Minnesota is 145-9-5 in the team's last 159 games, a stretch that includes an NCAA-record 62-game winning streak (Feb. 28, 2012 through Nov. 17, 2013).
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.
New perks of being a Gopher Women's Hockey Youth VIP Season Pass holder this season include exclusive in-game giveaways and the opportunity for parents, family members, and others to purchase VIP guest passes for a reduced rate from the standard single-game ticket price. VIP pass holder guests can purchase their ticket at the game or by calling the Gopher Fan Relations Office at 612-624-8080.
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).
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.
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.
Duo Serving as Team Captains
Senior Hannah Brandt and junior Lee Stecklein have been named Minnesota's captains this season. Brandt is in her first season as a team captain, and Stecklein was an assistant captain last year.
Up Next: Exhibition vs. Minnesota Whitecaps
Minnesota is off for nearly a month for the holiday break. The Gophers return to the ice at Ridder Arena to host the Minnesota Whitecaps in an exhibition game on Wednesday, Jan. 6 before hosting Ohio State (Jan. 9-10) and Minnesota State (Jan. 16-17) to kick off the second half of the season in 2016.
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