University of Minnesota Athletics
WCHA Postseason Begins with Buckeyes
2/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 2 seed Minnesota (29-3-1) vs. No. 7 seed Ohio State (10-23-1) | |
| Game 1 | Friday, Feb. 26 | 7 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Saturday, Feb. 27 | 4 p.m. |
| Game 3 | Sunday, Feb. 28 | 2 p.m. (if necessary) |
| 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 | |
| Game 3 | Game Day Live | BTN Plus Video | Free Audio | |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Ohio State |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Feb. 22, 2016
MINNEAPOLIS - Defending national champion Minnesota (29-3-1, 24-3-1-0 WCHA) begins the 2015-16 postseason with a WCHA First Round best-of-three series against seventh-seeded Ohio State (10-23-1, 6-21-1-1 WCHA) at Ridder Arena this weekend.
The No. 2 seed Gophers and No. 7 seed Buckeyes face off at 7 p.m. CT Friday and 4 p.m. CT Saturday. Game three, if necessary, is set for 2 p.m. CT Sunday. Fans can follow the action with BTN Plus video ($), free audio and live stats at GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out: Gophers Sweep Badgers
The Gophers begin their quest for the program's seventh national title as the nation's No. 2 team after sweeping No. 3 Wisconsin in a border battle series to wrap up the regular season last weekend. Minnesota won 4-0 and 4-3 (OT) over the Badgers at home last weekend. The Gophers cruised to a 4-0 win in game one of the series behind a season-high 35-save shutout from Amanda Leveille and two goals from Amanda Kessel.
In Saturday's 4-3 overtime win, Kelly Pannek (1g-2a) scored the game-winning goal with 54 seconds remaining in overtime to seal the win and series sweep. Kate Schipper (1g-1a), Cara Piazza (1g-1a), and Dani Cameranesi (2a) recorded two points each, and Amanda Leveille made 31 saves in the win. The Gophers took an early 2-0 lead and led 3-1 midway through the second period, but Wisconsin tied the game early in the third period on penalty shot goal by Annie Pankowski. Pannek's game-winner secured the sweep and avenged a Badger sweep in Madison earlier this season.
WCHA First Round Match-Ups
WCHA regular season champion Wisconsin hosts No. 8 seed Minnesota State, No. 7 seed Ohio State plays at No. 2 seed Minnesota, No. 6 seed Minnesota Duluth travels to No. 3 seed Bemidji State, and No. 4 seed North Dakota hosts No. 5 seed St. Cloud State in the four WCHA First Round best-of-three series. The four winners advance to the WCHA Final Face-off at Ridder Arena March 5-6.
Gophers in the WCHA Postseason
Minnesota has won a WCHA-best six tournament titles (2002, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014), joining Minnesota Duluth (2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2010) and Wisconsin (2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015) in combining to win all of 16 postseason championships in WCHA history.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Ohio State
Minnesota enters this weekend's series with a 65-8-3 all-time record against Ohio State. The Gophers are unbeaten in their last 38 games against the Buckeyes at 36-0-2, dating back to February 2008. The series dates back to February 2000, when the Gophers won the first meeting between the two teams, 4-1. This season, Minnesota swept OSU on the road in Columbus, Ohio, in October 2015, winning 7-2 and 11-2, and picked up another sweep at home in January 2016 with 3-1 and 9-0 wins. Sarah Potomak (1g-11a), Dani Cameranesi (6g-5a), Hannah Brandt (3g-5a), Kate Schipper (4g-3a), and Cara Piazza (1g-6a) led the Gophers in four games against the Buckeyes this season.
Scouting the Opponent: Ohio State
Under first-year head coach Jenny Potter, Ohio State (10-23-1, 6-21-1-1 WCHA) ended the regular season with a series split on the road at North Dakota, winning 3-1 in game one before falling 3-2 in game two. The Buckeyes finished seventh in the WCHA regular-season standings, securing 20 league points by going 3-0-1-1 vs. Minnesota State, 2-2-0 vs. North Dakota, and 1-3-0 vs. Minnesota Duluth this season.
Junior forward Claudia Kepler (13g-11a), senior forward Kendall Curtis (13g-9a), and sophomore defenseman Dani Sadek (4g-18a) lead OSU with over 20 points this season. Sophomore goaltender Alex LaMere has seen the majority of ice time for the Buckeyes, going is 8-15-1 with a .897 save percentage and a 3.11 GAA. Meanwhile, senior Stacy Danczak is 2-8-0 with a .848 save percentage and a 4.39 GAA. Sophomore Selena Hunter has seen limited ice time in two games as well.
Last season, the Buckeyes went 17-16-3 overall with a 12-13-3 record in WCHA play and saw their season come to an end by falling 5-2 and 2-1 (OT) to North Dakota in the WCHA First Round. OSU's last appearance at the WCHA Final Face-off came in 2012-13.
Gophers Senior Class Success
Minnesota's five seniors, Hannah Brandt, Brook Garzone, Amanda Kessel, Amanda Leveille, and Milica McMillen, make up the program's most successful class in program history with an overall record of 142-8-6 for a .929 winning percentage and a 100-6-6 mark (.920) in WCHA games from 2012-13 to 2015-16. The Gophers have outscored their opponents 758-176 during the seniors' four years in Maroon and Gold.
Frost Surpasses Coaching Milestone
With Minnesota's 7-0 win over St. Cloud State (Jan. 22), head coach Brad Frost became the winningest coach in Gopher women's hockey history, surpassing Laura Halldorson (278-67-22) for career coaching wins. Frost owns an all-time mark of 287-44-22 heading into this weekend's series against Ohio State.
Leveille Makes Mark in Recordbooks
With two wins over the weekend, Amanda Leveille is 23-3-1 this season with eight shutouts, bringing her career totals to 30 shutouts and a 92-8-5 mark. She ranks second in Minnesota history in both career shutouts and career wins, trailing only Noora Raty (114-17-8 with 43 shutouts). Her 1.18 career goals against average is the best in Minnesota history, and her .946 career save percentage ties the Gophers' program record. Leveille's 92 wins ranks fourth in NCAA history while her 30 shutouts are tied for fourth.
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 44 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 (44), fourth in career points (119) and sixth in career assists (75).
Brandt Continues Climbing in NCAA, WCHA, & Minnesota Ranks
Hannah Brandt is the NCAA's active career scoring leader with 275 career points (114 goals, 161 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 the all-time assists leader and ranks second in career points chasing Jocelyne Lamoureux (285) and fifth in career goals. Among all-time NCAA players, she fourth in points, ninth in goals, and second in assists.
Scoring Leaders
Hannah Brandt (24g-30a), Dani Cameranesi (28g-33a), Sarah Potomak (12g-37a), and Kelly Pannek (21g-24a) are among the nation's top 10 leading scorers, ranked fourth, fifth, seventh, and 10th in points per game, respectively. Minnesota's offense ranks second in the NCAA at 4.94 goals per game. Potomak leads the nation's rookies in scoring with 1.58 points per game. She leads the nation with 1.19 assists per game as well.
Offensive Defense
As a defensive unit, the Gophers are second in the nation in scoring among defensemen averaging 3.58 points per game. Milica McMillen ranks fifth in the nation among defensemen with 0.87 points per game in 31 games and Megan Wolfe is 10th at 0.76 points per game in 33 games.
Power-Play Leaders
The Gophers continue to lead the nation at .472 (42/89) on the power play. Dani Cameranesi leads the nation with 12 power-play goals, which is tied for fourth in Gopher all-time single-season records.
Gopher Fans are Nation's Best
Minnesota maintains its hold on the national attendance lead, averaging 1,574 fans per game. At home at Ridder Arena, the Gophers also lead the NCAA with 2,188 fans per game.
Home, Sweet Home
Minnesota is currently on a 33-game home unbeaten streak (30-0-3). The Gophers are 78-2-5 in their last 85 home games, dating back to Feb. 18, 2012.
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: WCHA Final Face-off
The four WCHA First Round winners will be in action at Ridder Arena next weekend for the 2016 WCHA Final Face-off on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6. Two semifinal games are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday with the winners advancing to meet in Sunday's championship game at 2 p.m.
WCHA Final Face-off tickets 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, and one ticket for the WCHA championship game.
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