University of Minnesota Athletics
Non-Conference Road Series Up Next
11/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 6 Minnesota at Lindenwood | |
| Game 1 | Saturday, Nov. 25 | 2 p.m. |
| Game 2 | Sunday, Nov. 26 | 2 p.m. |
| Location | Lindenwood Ice Arena | Wentzville, Mo. |
| Game 1 | Game Day Live | CHA Digital Network Video ($) | Free Audio | Live Stats |
| Game 2 | Game Day Live | CHA Digital Network Video ($) | Free Audio | Live Stats |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Lindenwood |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Nov. 20, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 6 Golden Gopher women's hockey team is back on the road for a non-conference series at Lindenwood. Puck drop is set for 2 p.m. CT both Saturday and Sunday at Lindenwood Ice Arena in Wentzville, Mo.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Lindenwood
Minnesota is 2-0-0 all-time against Lindenwood after sweeping the Lions at Ridder Arena in the team's 2016-17 season-opening series with 3-0 and 6-2 wins. This weekend marks the first meeting between the teams in St. Charles, Mo.
Scouting the Lions
Lindenwood (2-7-1, 2-4-0 CHA) enters this week's series after topping Lindenwood-Belleville 7-0 in an exhibition game last week. The Lions' lone wins on the season came over Mercyhurst and RIT. Most recently in NCAA action, Lindenwood dropped a two-game series to Robert Morris.
The Gophers and Lions have played three common opponents this season, Wisconsin, Minnesota State, and Mercyhurst. Minnesota is 4-2-0 against these three teams while Lindenwood is 1-4-1 with a 3-2 win over Mercyhurst and a 2-2 overtime tie with Minnesota State.
Sophomore forwards Taylor Girard (6g-6) and Cierra Paisley (3g-5a) and sophomore defense Courtney Ganske (6a) lead Lindenwood in scoring through 10 games this year. Junior Jolene deBruyn has played eight games in net for Lindenwood with a 1-5-1 record, a .906 save percentage, and a 3.34 goals against average while senior Sarah McGall has seen time in four games with a 1-2-0 record, a .873 save percentage, and a 3.18 goals against average.
Last Time Out: Gophers Sweep Huskies
Minnesota (11-4-1, 8-3-1-0 WCHA) extended its current winning streak to six games with a WCHA sweep over St. Cloud State last week. The Gophers won 3-0 in game one behind a two-goal effort from Alex Woken and a 14-save shutout from Sidney Peters. Minnesota then won 4-3 in game two after the teams combined for six third-period goals. Nicole Schammel scored twice, including netting Minnesota's game-winner, and Alex Gulstene made 18 saves in net. For the series, Schammel (3g) led the Gophers and 10 different players had at least one point.
Road Warriors
The Gophers bring an eight-game road winning streak into this weekend's series at Lindenwood with sweeps at Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, and Mercyhurst. Minnesota is perfect in road games this season at 8-0-0.
Notable Notes
- Minnesota is 10-0-0 this season when leading at the second intermission.
- Nicole Schammel has eight points (6g-2a) during a team-best seven game point streak.
- All four rookie skaters have now scored their first career goals as Gophers after Emily Brown scored against St. Cloud State.
- Sidney Peters is tied for fifth in program history with 13 career shutouts.
Offensive Defensemen
Sydney Baldwin (3g-13a) and Patti Marshall (1g-11a) are among the WCHA's top-scoring defensemen. Baldwin leads the WCHA and is tied for fifth in the nation with 1.00 points per game while Marshall is third in the league and tied for 15th in the NCAA at 0.75 points per game.
Immediate Impact
All five of Minnesota's freshmen have seen significant ice time already this season with all four skaters picking up their first collegiate goals and goaltender Alex Gulstene playing in seven games (5-1-1), and Grace Zumwinkle (7g-10a), Olivia Knowles (2g-6a), Taylor Wente (6g-5a), and Emily Brown (1g-4a) have all registered points on the year.
WCHA's Best Special Teams
Minnesota leads the WCHA and ranks fifth in the NCAA on the power play, converting on 24.5 percent of attempts at 13-for-53. The Gophers also lead the league and rank sixth in the nation at 89.1 percent (41-for-46) on the penalty kill. Grace Zumwinkle is tied for second in the NCAA with five power-play goals this season.
Clutch Scoring
Senior Cara Piazza is tied for second in the NCAA with three game-winning goals.
Scoring Milestone
Sydney Baldwin recorded her 50th career point with an assist against Merrimack (Sept. 29). She is second on the team with 16 points (3g-13a) on the season, and her career total stands at 65 career points with 15 goals and 50 assists.
Twenty Years of Gopher Women's Hockey
The Gophers enter this weekend's series with Lindenwood with an all-time program record of 608-124-50. The 2017-18 season marks the 21st season in Gopher women's hockey history, and Minnesota secured the program's 599th and 600th all-time wins on the road at Bemidji State earlier this season.
Up Next: Gophers Return Home for Two Series
Minnesota closes out the first half of the season with two series at home. The Gophers host Bemidji State at Ridder Arena next Friday and Saturday before welcoming Minnesota Duluth to Minneapolis (Dec. 8-9) in the team's final series of 2017.
Gophers Tabbed as League Favorite
Minnesota has been named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's preseason favorite heading into the 2017-18 season. The Gophers collected four first-place votes and 34 points in the annual preseason poll of the league's seven head coaches.
The Gophers edged back-to-back defending WCHA champion Wisconsin by one point in the league's preseason poll as the Badgers posted 33 points with three first-place votes. Minnesota Duluth and Ohio State tied for third in the poll with 23 points each while Bemidji State (14 points), St. Cloud State (11 points), and Minnesota State (9 points) rounded out the poll.
Frost Enters Second Decade
Head coach Brad Frost is back for his 11th season at the helm of the program with a career record of 319-53-27 in his first 10 seasons. Last season, the Gophers celebrated Frost's 300th career coaching victory with a road sweep at Ohio State in October 2016.
Duo Serving as Captains
Seniors Sydney Baldwin and Cara Piazza are serving as the Gophers' co-captains this year. The duo was part of back-to-back national championship teams their freshmen and sophomore years at the University of Minnesota, and they have helped the program advance to three-straight NCAA Frozen Fours.
Baldwin, a health services management and human resources development major, the Minnetonka, Minn., native is a two-time WCHA All-Academic Team and Academic All-Big Ten team honoree along with earning WCHA Scholar Athlete accolades this past season. Piazza is a two-time WCHA Scholar Athlete, WCHA All-Academic Team, and Academic All-Big Ten Team honoree who is studying mechanical engineering. The Darien, Ill., product is the first Illinois native to captain the team since Megan Bozek in 2012-13.
Zumwinkle Leads Incoming Class
WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn.) leads Minnesota's talented freshmen class, which also includes defenseman Emily Brown (Blaine, Minn.), goaltender Alex Gulstene (Vancouver, B.C.), defenseman Olivia Knowles (Campbell River, B.C.), and forward Taylor Wente (Maple Grove, Minn.). Junior forward Jackie Pieper (Edina, Minn.), who spent three years at Merrimack College, rounds out Minnesota's newcomers.
Who's Back?
Minnesota returns 16 players from last year's team, which advanced to the program's sixth-straight NCAA Frozen Four. Co-captains Sydney Baldwin and Cara Piazza and fellow seniors Sidney Peters and Caitlin Reilly lead this year's team.
Pannek and Potomak Centralized with National Teams
In addition to losing six seniors to graduation last spring, the 2017-18 Gophers are without the services of senior Kelly Pannek and junior Sarah Potomak, who are currently centralized with the U.S. Women's National Team and Canadian National Women's Team, respectively, in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.
In total, 11 current and former Gophers are Olympic hopefuls. Seven players with Golden Gopher ties are among the 23 players named to the 2017-18 U.S. Women's National Team in Pannek, Megan Bozek ('13), Hannah Brandt ('16), Dani Cameranesi ('17), Amanda Kessel ('16), Gigi Marvin ('09), Lee Stecklein ('17). 2017-18 signee Amy Potomak joins older sister Sarah in being centralized with Canada's National Women's Team, and Noora Raty ('13) and Mira Jalosuo ('13) are expected to represent Finland in the 2018 Olympic Games as well.
Season Recap: A Look Back at 2016-17
Minnesota's 2016-17 season came to a close in the semifinal round of the 2017 NCAA Women's Frozen Four. The Gophers posted an overall record of 26-8-5 while going 19-4-5 in WCHA play. Minnesota finished as WCHA regular season runner-up for the second-straight year and tied for third at the WCHA Final Face-Off. Under the leadership of senior captains Lee Stecklein, Dani Cameranesi, and Kate Schipper, Minnesota produced two of the nation's top-10 scorers, multiple All-Americans for the sixth-straight year, a program-record 17 WCHA All-Academic Team honorees, and the NCAA's second-ranked power-play.
Gophers in the NCAA Tournament
Minnesota made its 10th-straight and 15th overall appearance in the NCAA postseason last year. The Gophers saw their streak of NCAA title game appearances come to an end at five but made the program's sixth-straight and 13th overall appearance at the Frozen Four. Since 2011-12, the Gophers are 15-2-0 in NCAA games. Minnesota owns an all-time record of 24-10-1 in NCAA tournament games since 2000-01 as well.
WCHA Final Faceoff, NCAA Frozen Four Return to Ridder Arena
Minnesota will once again serve as host of the WCHA Final Faceoff in 2017-18, marking the 11th time the league's postseason tournament has been held at Ridder Arena. The NCAA Women's Frozen Four also returns to Ridder Arena this season, marking the fourth time the national championship will be played on the Gophers' home ice. Ridder Arena hosted the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
Quest for Eighth National Title in 2017-18
Despite falling short of a third-straight national title in 2017, Minnesota has still won four of the last six national championships and has seven national titles overall (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016). The program looks for a historic eighth title national crown in 2017-18.
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