University of Minnesota Athletics
No. 2 Gophers Set to Host No. 6 Bulldogs
2/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 2 Minnesota (25-2-4) vs. No. 6 UMD (17-8-5) | |
| Game 1 | Friday, Feb. 13 | 7 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Saturday, Feb. 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 | Minnesota Duluth |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Feb. 11, 2015
Minnesota Game Notes 
| UMD Game Notes
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 2 Minnesota women's hockey team (25-2-4, 18-2-4-2 WCHA) returns home to Ridder Arena to host No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (17-8-5, 12-8-4-2 WCHA) at 7 p.m. CT Friday and 4 p.m. CT Saturday.
Subscription video via BTN Plus, free audio and live stats will be available at GopherSports.com for both games, and Saturday's game will air live on Sports Radio 105 FM The Ticket in Minneapolis.
The Gophers are pleased to offer two Valentine's Day promotions this weekend. Fans can enjoy buy one, get one free general admission tickets to Saturday's game, and young fans can receive a Gopher t-shirt and a Valentine signed by their favorite women's hockey player.
The Gophers will honor their four seniors, Rachael Bona, Meghan Lorence, Rachel Ramsey and Shyler Sletta, prior to Saturday's game against the Bulldogs as well.
ABOUT THE SERIES: MINNESOTA VS. MINNESOTA DULUTH
The Gophers are 42-24-7 all-time against Minnesota Duluth, including a 3-0 win and 3-3 overtime tie (shootout loss) to the Bulldogs on the road in the second week of the season. Dani Cameranesi (1g-3a) and Hannah Brandt (4g) led the Gophers in the series. Minnesota's seniors are 15-1-0 against UMD during their four years with the program.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: NO. 6 MINNESOTA DULUTH
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (17-8-5, 12-8-4-2 WCHA) enters this weekend's series on a four-game winless streak (0-2-2). Most recently, the Bulldogs fell 5-0 and tied 0-0 (shootout loss) on the road at Wisconsin. UMD also lost and tied against North Dakota Jan. 30-31. The Bulldogs are currently in third place in the WCHA with a 12-8-4-2 record and 42 points, just one point in front of North Dakota in fourth.
Minnesota Duluth has nine players in double-figures for scoring led by senior forward Zoe Hickel (16g-12a) and sophomore forward Ashleigh Brykaliuk (14g-14a), who are tied for the team lead with 28 points each. Hickel has recorded five goals and seven assists in her last nine outings. Sophomore defenseman Lara Stalder is close behind with 27 points (9g-18a). Stalder also leads the WCHA blue-liners in scoring.
UMD is the sixth-most penalized team in the country, averaging 9.9 penalty minutes per game. The Bulldogs' penalty kill is 102-for-120 (85.0 percent). Meanwhile, the Minnesota Duluth power play is 24-for-122 (19.7 percent). Brigette Lacquette and Brykaliuk both have a team-high five power-play goals.
Junior goaltender Kayla Black (16-8-5) ranks seventh in the nation with a .938 save percentage and ranks 10th in the NCAA with a 1.62 goals against average. Her nine shutouts are second in the WCHA and third in the NCAA. Fellow junior Karissa Grapp has seen action in net in five games, and freshman Evelina Suonpää made her first career appearance in UMD's last game, allowing two goals in two periods against the Badgers.
GOPHER QUICK HITS
- Hannah Brandt leads the WCHA and is second in the nation with 58 points (25g-33a).
- Kelly Pannek leads the nation's rookies with 38 points (11g-27a) and a 1.23 points per game average.
- Meghan Lorence is closing in on her 100th point, entering this weekend's series with 96 career points (47g-49a).
- Amanda Leveille ranks second in the WCHA with a 1.25 goals against average.
LAST TIME OUT: GOPHERS SPLIT AT NORTH DAKOTA
Minnesota enters this weekend's series after a road split at North Dakota last weekend. The Gophers fell 3-0 last Friday before earning the series split with a 3-1 win on Saturday. Kate Schipper had two assists in the 3-1 victory, and Dani Cameranesi, Hannah Brandt and Rachel Ramsey scored goals.
SENIOR SALUTE
The Gophers will honor their four seniors, Rachael Bona, Meghan Lorence, Rachel Ramsey and Shyler Sletta, prior to Saturday's game against the Bulldogs. The class has a program-record .919 winning percentage during their time in Maroon & Gold with a 138-9-7 record. They are one win shy of matching the most wins by a senior class, a record held by the Class of 2014 at 139-17-5.
The four seniors have combined for 360 points (136 goals, 224 assists), and Bona and Ramsey have never missed a game. The most decorated class of Gophers to come through the program, they have three appearances in the national championship game and three WCHA Final Face-off titles, along with two NCAA national titles and two WCHA regular season crowns.
FROZEN FOUR RETURNS TO RIDDER ARENA
The 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four will be held at Ridder Arena March 20 and 22, and tickets are entirely sold out. Fans interested in being put on a waitlist should additional tickets be made available should contact the Gopher Sales & Service Department at 612-624-8080 (option 2).
BALANCED SCORING
Five Gophers have cracked the 30-point mark this season, led by Hannah Brandt (25g-33a), Dani Cameranesi (18g-30a) and Kelly Pannek (11g-27a). Maryanne Menefee (16g-16a) and Rachael Bona (12g-20a) round out the Gophers' top-five scorers. Thirteen Gophers are in double-figures for scoring, and all 18 skaters have at least one point. Furthermore, 16 players have scored at least one goal.
With 140 goals in 31 games, the Gophers' offense leads the WCHA and ranks second in the nation, averaging 4.52 goals per game behind Boston College (5.31). Meanwhile, Minnesota's 1.19 goals against average is second in the WCHA and ranks fourth in the NCAA behind Quinnipiac (1.07), Wisconsin (1.07) and Boston College (1.17).
TICKETS ON SALE FOR WCHA FIRST ROUND
Minnesota will host a best-of-three league series at Ridder Arena to begin the 2015 postseason Feb. 27 through March 1. With four regular-season WCHA games remaining, the Gophers cannot finish lower than second in the conference standings. Minnesota will host either St. Cloud State or Minnesota State in the first round. The best-of-three series is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. Game three, if necessary, is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday, March 1.
GOPHERS CHASING NINTH WCHA REGULAR SEASON TITLE
Minnesota leads the WCHA with 60 points, followed by Wisconsin (55 points), Minnesota Duluth (42) and North Dakota (41). Fifth-place Ohio State (37) and sixth-place Bemidji State (35) are still fighting for top-four finishes. The Gophers and Badgers are the only teams that remain in contention for the league title. The top six teams have four games and 12 league points remaining, and St. Cloud State (11) and Minnesota State (4) both have five league games to play.
FROST MILESTONE ON THE HORIZON
Brad Frost is closing in on his 250th career win as the Gophers' head coach. Entering this weekend's series against Minnesota Duluth, Frost owns a career mark of 249-40-21 for a .837 winning percentage.
NCAA-RECORD ROAD UNBEATEN STREAK ENDS AT 56 GAMES
Minnesota's 3-0 loss to North Dakota last weekend was the team's first road loss since a 4-2 loss at Minnesota Duluth on Jan. 13, 2012. The Gophers were unbeaten (55-0-1) in 56-straight true road games (not including neutral-site games). Including all games away from Ridder Arena, Minnesota is now 63-2-1 since Jan. 14, 2012.
LISTEN TO GOPHER WOMEN'S HOCKEY ON 105 FM THE TICKET
Sports Radio 105 FM The Ticket in Minneapolis will broadcast the team's remaining Saturday regular-season games locally on 105.1, 105.3 and 105.7 FM. The postseason radio broadcast schedule is still being finalized.
POSTSEASON ON THE HORIZON
The Gophers have just two regular-season series remaining, hosting Minnesota Duluth this weekend before closing out the regular season at Bemidji State (Feb. 20-21). The postseason kicks off with the WCHA First Round Feb. 27 through March 1 before the 2015 WCHA FINAL FACEOFF hosted by North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., March 7-8. The NCAA quarterfinal round is set for March 13-15, and the 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four returns to Ridder Arena March 20 and 22.
UP NEXT: GOPHERS CLOSE OUT REGULAR SEASON IN BEMIDJI
Minnesota wraps up the 2014-15 regular season on the road in Bemidji, Minn., next weekend. Puck drop between the Beavers and Gophers is set for 2 p.m. CT Friday, Feb. 20 and 2 p.m. CT Saturday, Feb. 21.
BSU will provide subscription video at BSUBeavers.com, and free audio and live stats will be available at GopherSports.com for both games. Saturday's game will also air live on Sports Radio 105 FM The Ticket in Minneapolis.
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