University of Minnesota Athletics
Road Series at St. Cloud State Up Next
1/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 3 Minnesota (20-3-0) at St. Cloud State (11-9-3) | |
| Game 1 | Friday, Jan. 22 | 3 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Saturday, Jan. 23 | 3 p.m. |
| Location | Herb Brooks National Hockey Center | St. Cloud, Minn. |
| Game 1 | Game Day Live | SCSU Video | Free Audio | Live Stats |
| Game 2 | Game Day Live | SCSU Video | Free Audio | Live Stats |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | St. Cloud State |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Jan. 18, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS - No. 3 Minnesota (20-3-0, 15-3-0 WCHA) goes back on the road for a WCHA series at St. Cloud State (11-9-3, 7-8-3-3 WCHA) this weekend. The Gophers and Huskies face off at 3 p.m. CT Friday and Saturday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Fans can follow the action with free audio and live stats at GopherSports.com, along with video at SCSUHuskies.com.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. St. Cloud State
The Gophers are 70-3-2 all-time against St. Cloud State, including three wins this season and 28-straight victories. Minnesota won 7-0 in this year's U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Women's Face-off Classic in addition to earning a 7-0, 11-0 sweep in the Gophers' home-opening series. Kate Schipper (3g-5a), Hannah Brandt (5g-3a), Sarah Potomak (2g-5a), and Dani Cameranesi (3g-4a) have led the Gophers against the Huskies this season.
Scouting the Opponent: St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State (11-9-3, 7-8-3-3 WCHA) is unbeaten in 2016, going 3-0-1-1 in its first two series of the New Year. The Huskies won 4-3 in overtime and recorded a 1-1 tie/2-1 shootout win over Minnesota State to kick off 2016 and most recently recorded a road sweep with a pair of 2-1 wins at Ohio State last weekend.
Senior forward Molly Illikainen leads SCSU with 26 points on 14 goals and 12 assists. Freshman Julie Tylke has 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists while sophomore Brittney Anderson has a team-high 13 assists, adding two goals for 15 points to rank third on the team. Senior goaltender Katie Fitzgerald has a 10-9-3 overall record with a 2.74 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.
Head coach Eric Rud is in his second season behind the SCSU bench, and the Huskies have already surpassed 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 (4g-1a), Jordan Stewart, Julia Tylke (8g-10a) and Suvi Ollikainen (1g-1a), and transfer goaltenders Madeleine Dahl (Union College) and Taylor Crosby (Northeastern).
Last Time Out: Gophers Sweep Mavericks
The Gophers swept Minnesota State with 3-2 and 2-1 wins over the weekend. Megan Wolfe led the Gophers in the series with three points on two goals and one assist, including both game-winners. Kelly Pannek also had three points (1g-2a). Amanda Leveille and Sidney Peters each picked up one win on the weekend.
Game one of the series saw Minnesota receive goals from Kelly Pannek, Dani Cameranesi, and Megan Wolfe along with 23 saves from Amanda Leveille. All three Gopher goals came in the second period, and the Mavericks came within one goal late in the game with a pair of third-period tallies.
In game two against the Mavericks, Megan Wolfe and Lee Stecklein scored third-period goals to lift the Gophers to a 2-1 come-from-behind win. Minnesota State led 1-0 most of the game on a first-period power-play goal by Hannah Davidson, but Stecklein scored the game-tying goal on the power play at 6:22 of the third period and Wolfe scored her second-straight game-winner with 7:33 remaining to give Minnesota its 20th win of the season. The Gophers outshot the Mavericks, 50-8, in the game.
Upcoming Coaching Milestone for Frost
Head coach Brad Frost has tied Laura Halldorson as the winningest coach in Gopher women's hockey history. He enters this weekend's series with an overall record of 278-44-21, matching Halldorson's total of 278 wins (278-67-22).
Leveille Makes Mark in Recordbooks
With one win over the weekend, Amanda Leveille is 15-3-0 this season with four shutouts, bringing her career totals to 26 shutouts and an 84-8-4 mark. She ranks second in Minnesota history in both career shutouts and career wins, trailing only Noora Raty. Leveille's 26 shutouts rank seventh and her 84 wins are seventh in the NCAA career ranks.
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).
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.
Second-Period Scoring
For the season, Minnesota has scored 57 second-period goals, compared to 36 in the first period and 31 in the third period. The Gophers have outscored their opponents 57-12 in the middle frame.
Scoring Leaders
Hannah Brandt (20g-21a), Dani Cameranesi (22g-24a) and Sarah Potomak (9g-31a) are among the nation's top six leading scorers, ranked third, fifth, and sixth in points per game, respectively. Minnesota's offense leads the NCAA at 5.39 goals per game. Potomak leads the nation's rookies in scoring with 1.90 points per game. She leads the nation with 1.48 assists per game as well.
Offensive Defense
As a defensive unit, the Gophers are second in the nation in scoring among defensemen averaging 3.74 points per game. Megan Wolfe ranks fifth in the nation among defensemen with 0.96 points per game and McMillen is ninth at 0.86 points per game.
Power-Play Leaders
The Gophers were three-for-six on the power play over the weekend against Minnesota State and continue to lead the nation at .470 (31/66) on the power play. Dani Cameranesi leads the nation with 10 power-play goals as well.
Gopher Fans are Nation's Best
Minnesota leads the nation in attendance averaging 1,559 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 29-game home unbeaten streak (27-0-2). The Gophers are 75-2-4 in their last 81 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012.
Winning Ways
Minnesota is 150-9-5 in the team's last 164 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-31a), 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).
Up Next: Gophers Remain on the Road
No. 3 Minnesota travels to No. 7 Bemidji State for a national top-10 battle next weekend. The Gophers and Beavers face off at 7 p.m. CT Friday, Jan. 29 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn.
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