University of Minnesota Athletics
Frozen Four Border Battle Set for Friday
3/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four | |
| Semifinal 1 | Friday, March 20 | 5 p.m. CT | Minnesota vs. Wisconsin |
| Semifinal 2 | Friday, March 20 | 8 p.m. CT | Boston College vs. Harvard |
| Championship | Sunday, March 22 | 3 p.m. CT | Semifinal Winners |
| Location | Ridder Arena | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com (Sold Out) |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Semifinal 1 | NCAA.com Video | |
| Semifinal 2 | NCAA.com Video | |
| Championship | NCAA.com Video | Live Stats |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Boston College | Harvard | Wisconsin |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
March 18, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS - Top-seeded Minnesota (32-3-4) will host WCHA rival and No. 4 seed Wisconsin (29-6-4) in the semifinal round of the 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four at 5 p.m. this Friday at Ridder Arena. The Gophers secured the top seed in the championship for the third-straight season.
No. 2 seed Boston College (34-2-2) and No. 3 seed Harvard (26-5-3) face off in Friday's second semifinal at 8 p.m. CT, and the semifinal winners meet in the national championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday at Ridder Arena.
FROZEN FOUR COVERAGE
All three games will be streamed live at NCAA.com for free, and free audio and live stats will be available at GopherSports.com. Sports Radio 105 FM The Ticket in Minneapolis will air the games in which the Gophers compete as well. The Ticket will join Friday's game in progress following the conclusion of NCAA basketball coverage.
FROZEN FOUR FAN NOTES
NCAA Women's Hockey Frozen Four tickets are currently sold out, but the first 100 students to show their college IDs at the Ridder Arena box office for both the semifinal session and championship game will receive complimentary tickets. If you have any questions, please contact the Gopher Sales & Service Department at 612-624-8080 (option 2).
Red carpet arrivals are scheduled for each team before all three Frozen Four games, and fans are invited to welcome the teams to Ridder Arena. The red carpet arrivals will occur in front of the Ridder Arena main lobby located off 4th Street SE. The first semifinal red carpet arrival is scheduled for 2:30-3 p.m. Friday, followed by the second semifinal arrival from 5:30-6 p.m. Friday. The championship game red carpet arrival is scheduled for 12:30-1 p.m. Sunday.
ABOUT THE 2015 NCAA FROZEN FOUR FIELD
The Gophers punched their ticket to the Frozen Four with a 6-2 win over RIT in the quarterfinal round. Wisconsin defeated Boston University, 5-1; Harvard breezed past Quinnipiac, 5-0, and Boston College knocked off Clarkson, 5-1 in the other three quarterfinal games.
WCHA champion Wisconsin, Hockey East champion Boston University and ECAC champion Harvard joined CHA champion RIT in securing automatic berths to the tournament, and Boston College, Clarkson, Quinnipiac and Minnesota were selected to fill the remaining four places. Minnesota is hosting the Frozen Four at Ridder Arena for the third time in the last six seasons (2010, 2013 and 2015).
ABOUT THE SERIES: MINNESOTA VS. WISCONSIN
Familiar foes Minnesota and Wisconsin are meeting for the fifth time this season, and Friday's game marks the second-straight national semifinal game between the border rivals. Last year, the Gophers rallied past the Badgers in a 5-3 come-from-behind win to advance to the national championship game. Minnesota scored three unanswered goals in the third period, rallying from 3-2 and 1-0 deficits. This year is the fifth meeting between the Gophers and Badgers in the NCAA tournament, and they are 2-2.
The Gophers have a 43-26-9 all-time mark against Wisconsin, including a 3-0-1 mark this season. The Gophers are unbeaten in 15-straight meetings between the two teams. Minnesota earned a road sweep in October before taking five of six league points in a 1-0-1-1 weekend at home in January.
GOPHERS IN THE NCAA POSTSEASON
Minnesota is making its fourth-straight and 11th overall NCAA Frozen Four appearance. This year's appearance marks the program's 13th appearance in the NCAA postseason since 2001, and the Gophers qualified for the tournament for the eighth consecutive year.
The Gophers enter the NCAA Frozen Four with a 9-1-0 record in NCAA games since 2012 and an 18-9-1 record in the NCAA tournament since 2001. Minnesota looks to advance to its fourth-straight national championship game, having won two of the last three national titles before finishing as runners-up last year. The Gophers are in search of their sixth overall national championship (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013).
GOPHER QUICK HITS
- Hannah Brandt is a top-three finalist for the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
- Kelly Pannek is tied for the national scoring lead among rookies with 42 points (13g-29a).
- Dani Cameranesi is closing in on her 100th career point with 99 points (42g-57a).
- Rachel Ramsey needs three assists to tie Megan Bozek (99a) for the most assists by a defenseman in program history.
LAST TIME OUT: GOPHERS TOP RIT TO ADVANCE TO FROZEN FOUR
Behind three points each from Hannah Brandt and Kate Schipper, Minnesota earned a 6-2 win over RIT in the NCAA quarterfinal round last weekend. The Gophers took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission after scoring two goals in the opening five minutes. Minnesota then added two power-play tallies in the second period, and the teams exchanged goals in the third.
GOPHER SENIORS LEAVING LEGACY
The four Gopher seniors, Rachael Bona, Meghan Lorence, Rachel Ramsey and Shyler Sletta, have a program-record .917 winning percentage during their time in Maroon & Gold with a 145-10-7 record. Their 145 wins as a class is the most in program history. 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, three WCHA Final Face-off titles, three WCHA regular-season crowns and two NCAA national titles.
SCORING LEADERS>
Four Gophers have hit the 40-point mark this season, led by Hannah Brandt (32g-38a) and Dani Cameranesi (23g-40a) with over 60 points each, and followed by Maryanne Menefee (22g-21a) and Kelly Pannek (13g-29a). The Gophers' top seven scorers all have over 30 points, and all 18 skaters have at least one point on the year. With 177 goals in 39 games, the Gophers' offense ranks second in the nation, averaging 4.54 goals per game behind Boston College (5.11).
Brandt is third in the nation with 70 points and a 1.84 points per game average. Cameranesi is ranked fourth with 63 points and sixth with 1.66 points per game. Pannek is tied for the national lead among rookies with 42 points (13g-29a). Cameranesi is one point away from her 100th career point as well (42g-57a).
OFFENSIVE DEFENSE
The Gophers rank second in the nation with a 1.18 goals against average, trailing only Wisconsin (1.08), and Minnesota's defensemen lead the nation's blue-liners in scoring, averaging 3.62 points per game. Rachel Ramsey (9g-24a) ranks second in the nation with 0.85 points per game.
LEVEILLE AMONG NATION'S TOP GOALTENDERS
Amanda Leveille ranks third in the nation with a .945 save percentage and second with a .859 winning percentage (26-3-3). She also ranks fourth in the NCAA with a 1.19 goals against average.
POWER PLAY LEADERS
The Gophers have the nation's top power-play unit, converting on 41 of 131 opportunities for a .313 percentage. Milica McMillen and Dani Cameranesi are tied for seventh in the nation with seven power-play goals each.
HOME, SWEET HOME
The Gophers enter the Frozen Four on a 15-game home unbeaten streak (13-0-2). The Gophers are 61-2-4 in their last 67 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012. This season, Minnesota is 17-1-3 at home and ranks second in the nation in home attendance, averaging 1,907 fans per game in 21 games at Ridder Arena.
FROST REACHES 250 CAREER WINS
Head coach Brad Frost earned his 250th career win at the helm of the program with a 7-1 win over Minnesota Duluth (Feb. 13). Frost enters the Frozen Four with a career coaching record of 256-41-21 in his eighth season leading the Gophers.
BRANDT REACHES SCORING MILESTONE
Hannah Brandt became the seventh Gopher to surpass the 200-career point mark, recording her 200th point on an assist in a 4-0 win at St. Cloud State (Jan. 23).
ROOKIES MAKING AN IMPACT
Kelly Pannek is tied for the national lead among rookies with 42 points (13g-29a), and all four Gopher freshman have made their way onto the score sheet this season. Cara Piazza (11g-6a), Sydney Baldwin (5g-6a) and Nina Rodgers (4g-2a) join Pannek to make up the nation's fourth-highest scoring rookie class.
GOPHERS SIGN THREE FOR 2015-16
The Gophers have signed Sarah Potomak (Aldergrove, British Columbia), Sophie Skarzynski (Lake Forest, Ill.) and Taylor Williamson (Edina, Minn.) to attend the University of Minnesota and join the team for the 2015-16 academic year.
###
