University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota to Battle Harvard for NCAA Crown
3/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| 2015 NCAA National Championship | |
| Championship | Sunday, March 22 | 3 p.m. CT | Minnesota vs. Harvard |
| Location | Ridder Arena | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com (Sold Out) |
| Travel | Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels |
| Championship | Game Day Live | NCAA.com Video | Audio | |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Harvard |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
March 21, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS - Top-seeded Minnesota (33-3-4) faces No. 3 seed Harvard (27-5-3) in the 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four national championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday at Ridder Arena. The Gophers advanced to their fourth-straight NCAA title game and entered the Frozen Four as the No. 1 seed for the third-straight season.
FROZEN FOUR COVERAGE
The national championship game 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 title game locally as well. Minnesota is hosting the Frozen Four at Ridder Arena (3,400) for the third time in the last six seasons (2010, 2013 and 2015).
FROZEN FOUR FAN NOTES
Minnesota fans are invited to gather for a pregame pep rally prior to the championship game. Gopher fans should gather in the Mariucci Arena lobby at 12:30 p.m. CT Sunday. Minnesota director of athletics Norwood Teague and head coach Brad Frost will address the fans during the pep rally, which will also include appearances by the team, the Minnesota band and Goldy.
The first 100 students to show their college IDs at the Ridder Arena box office prior to Sunday's game will receive complimentary tickets, beginning at 2 p.m. CT Sunday when the box office opens. Please contact the Gopher Sales & Service Department at 612-624-8080 (option 2) with any questions.
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 advanced to the Frozen Four with a 5-1 win over Boston University; Harvard breezed past Quinnipiac, 5-0, and Boston College knocked off Clarkson, 5-1 in the other three quarterfinal games.
Top-seeded Minnesota defeated fourth-seeded Wisconsin, 3-1, in Friday's first semifinal to secure the Gophers' fourth-straight NCAA championship game appearance. Meanwhile, Harvard upset second-seeded Boston College, 2-1, in the second semifinal game.
ABOUT THE SERIES: MINNESOTA VS. HARVARD
Minnesota owns a 12-5-1 overall record against Harvard, most recently sweeping the Crimson on the road with 2-1 and 7-3 wins in Cambridge, Mass., in Nov. 2011. The 2015 NCAA championship game marks a rematch of the 2004 and 2005 national title games. The Gophers defeated the Crimson in both games, winning their second and third national crowns. Minnesota is 2-1-0 all-time against Harvard in postseason play.
2004 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP REWIND: MINNESOTA 6, HARVARD 2
The teams exchanged a pair of goals before the Gophers then rattled off four goals in the third period for a 6-2 win, marking the first NCAA championship for any women's sport at the University of Minnesota.
2005 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP REWIND: MINNESOTA 4, HARVARD 3
The Gophers faced Harvard for the second straight time in the NCAA championship game. Minnesota took a 3-0 lead, only to have the Crimson battle back and tie the game. It looked as if the two teams were headed into overtime, but Natalie Darwitz scored the game-winner with 1:08 remaining to secure the program's third national title.
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 have qualified for the tournament for the eighth consecutive year.
The Gophers entered the 2015 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 has advanced 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) and own a 5-2 record in national championship games.
GOPHER QUICK HITS
- Hannah Brandt was a top-three finalist for the 2015 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
- Kelly Pannek is tied for the national scoring lead among rookies with 43 points (14g-29a).
- Dani Cameranesi recorded her 100th career point (42g-58a) in Friday's win over Wisconsin.
- Rachel Ramsey needs three assists to tie Megan Bozek (99a) for the most assists by a defenseman in program history.
LAST TIME OUT: GOPHERS ADVANCE WITH 3-1 WIN OVER BADGERS
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 Friday evening. Junior Amanda Leveille made 34 saves, and fellow juniors Hannah Brandt and Maryanne Menefee recorded three points each to lead Minnesota. Wisconsin took a 1-0 lead, but the Gophers responded with three unanswered goals to secure the win.
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 146-10-7 record. Their 146 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 are set to make their fourth appearance in the national championship game along with accumulating three WCHA Final Face-off titles, three WCHA regular-season crowns and two NCAA national titles.
OFFENSIVE DEFENSE
The Gophers rank second in the nation with a 1.18 goals against average, trailing only Wisconsin (1.12), and Minnesota's defensemen lead the nation's blue-liners in scoring, averaging 3.55 points per game. Rachel Ramsey (9g-24a) ranks third in the nation with 0.82 points per game.
SCORING LEADERS
Four Gophers have hit the 40-point mark this season, led by Hannah Brandt (33g-40a) and Dani Cameranesi (23g-41a) with over 60 points each, and followed by Maryanne Menefee (23g-23a) and Kelly Pannek (14g-29a). The Gophers' top seven scorers all have over 30 points, and all 18 skaters have at least one point on the year.
Brandt is second in the nation with 73 points and third with 1.87 points per game, while Cameranesi is ranked fourth with 64 points and seventh with 1.64 points per game. Pannek is tied for the national lead among rookies with 43 points (14g-29a) as well. With 180 goals in 40 games, the Gophers' offense ranks second in the nation, averaging 4.50 goals per game behind Boston College (5.00).
LEVEILLE AMONG NATION'S TOP GOALTENDERS
Amanda Leveille ranks second in the nation with a .946 save percentage and a .864 winning percentage (27-3-3). She is also third in the nation with a 1.18 goals against average.
POWER PLAY LEADERS
The Gophers have the nation's top power-play unit, converting on 42 of 133 opportunities for a .316 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 national championship game on a 16-game home unbeaten streak (14-0-2). Minnesota is 129-6-5 in the team's last 140 games, a stretch that includes an NCAA-record 62-game winning streak (Feb. 28, 2012 through Nov. 17, 2013). The Gophers are 62-2-4 in their last 68 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012. This season, Minnesota is 18-1-3 at home and leads the nation in attendance, averaging 1,589 fans per game and 1,975 fans per home game.
FROST SURPASSES 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 national championship with a career coaching record of 257-41-21 in his eighth season leading the Gophers.
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Minnesota has scored 29 goals in the final two minutes of a period this season, including 16 goals in the final 60 seconds. Dani Cameranesi has scored seven of the 29 late goals, including two goals with 19:59 on the clock. Five of the 16 goals in the final 60 seconds have been scored at 19:50 or later.
ROAD UNBEATEN STREAK ENDS AT 56 GAMES
Minnesota's 3-0 loss to North Dakota (Feb. 6) 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, the Gophers are 65-3-1 since Jan. 14, 2012.
GOPHERS REACH SCORING MILESTONES
Hannah Brandt became the seventh Gopher to surpass the 200-career point mark, registering her 200th point on an assist in the Gophers' 4-0 win over St. Cloud State (Jan. 23). Meanwhile, Meghan Lorence registered her 100th career point with a power-play goal against Bemidji State (Feb. 21), and Dani Cameranesi (42g-58a) picked up her 100th point in Maroon & Gold with an assist against Wisconsin (March 20). Milica McMillen (35g-57a) is also approaching the century mark for career scoring.
ROOKIES MAKING AN IMPACT
Kelly Pannek is tied for the national lead among rookies with 43 points (14g-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.
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