University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Remain Home to Host Mavericks
1/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 3 Minnesota (18-3-0) vs. Minnesota State (3-17-2) | |
| Game 1 | Saturday, Jan. 16 | 2 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Sunday, Jan. 17 | 2 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 State |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Jan. 11, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS - No. 3 Minnesota (18-3-0, 13-3-0 WCHA) hosts Minnesota State (3-17-2, 0-15-1-0 WCHA) in a WCHA series at Ridder Arena this Saturday and Sunday. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. CT both days, and fans can follow the action via BTN Plus video (subscription required), free audio, and live stats at GopherSports.com.
High School Weekend, Jersey Day Highlight Weekend
The Gophers' series with Minnesota State marks the team's annual High School Weekend. Game one of the series with the Mavericks is also Jersey Day. All fans are encouraged to wear a hockey jersey to Saturday's game. Let's see how many different teams we can represent at Ridder Arena!
Saturday's game also features a VIP Guest Pass giveaway. All Gopher Women's Hockey Youth VIP Season Pass members receive two complimentary guest passes for the game. Tickets must be purchased online and in advance; more information will be available at MyGopherSports.com.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Minnesota State
The Gophers are 73-3-3 all-time against Minnesota State, including 28-straight wins. Earlier this season, Minnesota won 11-1 and 2-1 over the Mavericks on the road in Mankato, Minn. Sarah Potomak (2g-5a), Dani Cameranesi (3g-3a), and Hannah Brandt (3g-2a) led the Gophers in the series, while Amanda Leveille and Sidney Peters each earned one win in net. The all-time series between the two teams dates back to Nov. 1998.
Scouting the Opponent: Minnesota State
Under first-year head coach John Harrington, Minnesota State (3-17-2, 0-15-1-0 WCHA) enters this weekend's series after a 0-1-1-0 weekend against St. Cloud State. The Mavericks tied the Huskies, 1-1 but lost a shootout in game one and then fell 4-3 in overtime in game two of the league series. The Mavericks' three wins on the season so far were a 3-0 win over Union (Sept. 26), a 4-2 win at RIT (Oct. 3), and a 3-2 victory over Lindenwood (Jan. 3) to start off 2016.
In 19 games this season, senior forward Katie Johnson leads Minnesota State with 16 points on three goals and 13 assists. Sophomore forward Hannah Davidson is close behind with 15 points on a team-high six goals and nine assists. In total, 20 Mavericks have at least one point on the season with 13 different goal scorers.
Minnesota State's opponents average 3.59 goals per game. Junior Brianna Quade has played all 22 games in net, going 3-16-2. She has a .896 save percentage and a 3.25 goals against average. Sophomore Kathryn Bidulka has seen action in two games, making 24 saves on 31 shots.
Last Time Out: Gophers Sweep Buckeyes
The Gophers swept Ohio State with 3-1 and 9-0 wins over the weekend. Sarah Potomak led Minnesota with four points in the series (1g-3a) while Lee Stecklein (2g-1a), Kate Schipper (2g-1a), Kelly Pannek (3g), Dani Cameranesi (2g-1a) all had multiple goals against the Buckeyes. Amanda Leveille earned both wins in net, making 18 saves in game one before splitting time with Sidney Peters to shut out the Buckeyes in game two.
HOF Game Stats Reinstated
The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Faceoff Classic between Minnesota and St. Cloud State played on Friday, Dec. 11, has been reinstated as a countable game. The Gophers defeated the Huskies, 7-0, behind three points from Hannah Brandt (1g-2a), two goals from Kate Schipper, and a 12-save shutout by Amanda Leveille.
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 series with an overall record of 276-44-21, closing in on Laura Halldorson's career coaching record of 278-67-22.
Leveille Makes Mark in Recordbooks
With two wins over the weekend, Amanda Leveille is 14-3-0 this season with four shutouts, bringing her career totals to 26 shutouts and an 83-8-4 mark. Her 26 shutouts rank second in Minnesota history, and she is tied for second among all-time Gopher goaltenders with 83 career wins. Leveille's 26 shutouts rank seventh and her 83 wins are tied for eighth in the NCAA career ranks.
Brandt Continues Climbing in NCAA, Minnesota Ranks
Hannah Brandt is the NCAA's active career scoring leader with 262 career points (110 goals, 152 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 is tied for third in career points, sixth in career goals, and tied for second in career assists. Among all-time NCAA players, she is tied for sixth in points, 11th in goals, and tied for third in assists.
McMillen Closing in on Scoring Record
Milica McMillen is closing in on the Gophers' program record for career goals by a defenseman. She currently ranks second all-time with 42 goals, trailing only Megan Bozek's total of 47 career goals.
Earlier this season, 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 second in career goals (42) and ranks sixth in both career points (111) and career assists (69).
Second-Period Scoring
For the season, Minnesota has scored 54 second-period goals, compared to 36 in the first period and 29 in the third period. The Gophers have outscored their opponents 54-12 in the middle frame.
Scoring Leaders
Linemates Hannah Brandt (20g-21a), Dani Cameranesi (21g-23a) and Sarah Potomak (9g-30a) are among the nation's top five leading scorers, ranked third, fourth, and fifth in points per game, respectively. Minnesota's offense leads the NCAA at 5.67 goals per game. Potomak leads the nation's rookies in scoring with 2.05 points per game. She leads the nation with 1.58 assists per game as well.
Offensive Defense
This season, Milica McMillen ranks sixth in the nation among defensemen with 0.95 points per game, and Megan Wolfe is close behind her tied for eighth with 0.90 points per game. As a defensive unit, the Gophers are second in the nation in scoring among defensemen averaging 3.90 points per game.
Power-Play Leaders
Minnesota's power play has led the nation all season, currently topping the NCAA at .467 (28/60) on the power play. Dani Cameranesi leads the nation with nine power-play goals as well.
Gopher Fans are Nation's Best
Minnesota leads the nation in attendance averaging 1,533 fans per game. At home at Ridder Arena, the Gophers average an NCAA-best 1,966 fans per game as well.
Home, Sweet Home
Minnesota is currently on a 27-game home unbeaten streak (25-0-2). The Gophers are 73-2-4 in their last 79 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012.
Winning Ways
Minnesota is 148-9-5 in the team's last 162 games, a stretch that includes an NCAA-record 62-game winning streak (Feb. 28, 2012 through Nov. 17, 2013).
Nine Newcomers Contributing
Minnesota added nine newcomers for the 2015-16 season, 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. Of the nine players, Potomak (9g-30a), Williamson (2g-8a), Reilly (4g-4a), Skarzynski (1g-3a), Barlow (1g-1a), and Gunderson (2a) have all made their way onto the score sheet.
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.
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.
Looking Back at Minnesota's Sixth National Title
Minnesota capped its 2014-15 season by winning the program's third NCAA title in the last four years and its sixth overall national crown. The Gophers finished the season with an overall record of 34-3-4. Last season's Gophers also captured the program's ninth WCHA regular-season title.
Top-seeded Minnesota defeated No. 3 seed Harvard by a score of 4-1 in the 2015 NCAA Women's Frozen Four national championship game at Ridder Arena. 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 in the Frozen Four semifinal round.
Up Next: Gophers Travel to St. Cloud State
Minnesota goes back on the road for a WCHA series at St. Cloud State next weekend. The Gophers and Huskies face off at 3 p.m. CT Friday, Jan. 22 and Saturday, Jan. 23 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
###
