University of Minnesota Athletics
Familiar Foe Awaits Gophers
3/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| NCAA Quarterfinal: No. 5 Minnesota at No. 3 Minnesota Duluth | |
| Game Info | Saturday, March 11 | 2:37 p.m. CT |
| Location | AMSOIL Arena | Duluth, Minn. |
| Tickets | TicketMaster.com | UMD Ticket Office |
| Coverage | Game Day Live | Free Video | Free Audio | Live Stats |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Minnesota Duluth |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram | #GWH | #Gophers |
March 6, 2017
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota continues its quest for a third-straight NCAA national championship in the NCAA quarterfinal round this weekend. The Gophers travel to Duluth, Minn., for a rematch of last weekend's WCHA Final Face-Off semifinal with Minnesota Duluth. Game time is set for 2:37 p.m. CT Saturday at UMD's AMSOIL Arena.
About the NCAA Tournament Field
The Gophers (25-7-5) secured one of four at-large berths to the 2017 NCAA Women's Hockey Championship, joining No. 3 seed Minnesota Duluth, St. Lawrence, and Cornell to make up the at-large selections. Postseason conference tournament winners No. 1 seed Wisconsin (WCHA), No. 2 seed Clarkson (ECAC Hockey), No. 4 seed Boston College (Hockey East), and Robert Morris (College Hockey America) all secured automatic berths and round out the tournament field.
Along with the Bulldogs hosting the Gophers, Wisconsin hosts Robert Morris, Clarkson hosts Cornell, and Boston College hosts St. Lawrence in quarterfinal action. All four games are set for Saturday afternoon, and the four winnings teams will advance to the 2017 NCAA Women's Frozen Four co-hosted by the St. Louis Sports Commission and Lindenwood University at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., March 17-19.
No. 5 Minnesota is making its 10th-straight and 15th overall appearance in the NCAA postseason. The Gophers have won four of the last five national championships, and Minnesota has advanced to five straight NCAA title games. The Gophers are in search of their 13th Frozen Four appearance, eighth national title overall, and a historic third consecutive NCAA crown.
Meanwhile, No. 3 Minnesota Duluth returns to the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2010-11 season. The Bulldogs are hosting an NCAA quarterfinal game for the first time since 2009-10. Minnesota Duluth has won five NCAA titles (2001, 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2010).
NCAA Quarterfinal Coverage
Saturday's quarterfinal game will be streamed for free online at www.nchc.tv along with having free audio at GopherSports.com. Live stats will be available at UMDBulldogs.com as well.
Gophers in NCAA Quarterfinal Games
Minnesota is 9-2-0 all-time in NCAA quarterfinal games since the tournament expanded to eight teams in 2005. The last time Minnesota traveled for an NCAA quarterfinal match-up was during the 2010-11 season; the Gophers dropped a 4-1 decision on the road at Boston College. Overall, the Gophers are 23-9-1 in NCAA tournament games since 2000-01.
About the Match-Up: Minnesota vs. Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota is 51-27-7 in 85 games all-time against Minnesota Duluth in a series dating back to November 1998. The Gophers are 2-3-0 against the Bulldogs this season, but Minnesota had a 21-game unbeaten streak (20-0-1) against the Bulldogs from Jan. 2012 to Oct. 2016. Each team earned a sweep on its home ice during the regular season before Saturday's double-overtime battle.
The Gophers and Bulldogs have only met once in the NCAA postseason. Minnesota dropped a 3-2 decision to UMD in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal round in 2010, and the Bulldogs went on to win the national title. The teams also met in the national semifinal round in 2000, which saw Minnesota win 3-2 on the way to its AWCHA national title.
Last Time Out: Gophers, Bulldogs Battle in 2OT Thriller
The Gophers finished in a tie for third at the WCHA Final Face-Off last weekend. Minnesota battled Minnesota Duluth in the longest WCHA Final Face-Off game in league history at 91 minutes, 29 seconds but fell 2-1 in double overtime. Sarah Potomak scored Minnesota's lone goal, and Sidney Peters made a career-high 39 saves. Minnesota Duluth used a goal by Lara Stalder to end the game at the 11:29 mark of the second overtime after regulation ended in a 1-1 tie behind a pair of second-period goals from UMD's Katerina Mrazova and Potomak. Maddie Rooney finished with 62 saves for the Bulldogs as the Gophers outshot the Bulldogs, 63-41, for the game.
Cameranesi Returns to Gopher Lineup
Last weekend, the Gophers enjoyed the return of senior forward Dani Cameranesi, who missed 17 of 19 games from Dec. 4 to Feb. 26 due to injury. Cameranesi tied a Minnesota program record with 14 shots on goal in the WCHA Final Face-Off semifinal against Minnesota Duluth. Earlier this season, Cameranesi became the eighth Gopher all-time to reach 200 career points this season, reaching the milestone on Dec. 3. She is Gophers' active career scoring leader with 201 career points (93g-108a) to tie for seventh in Minnesota history. Cameranesi's 93 goals are seventh in Gopher women's hockey history, her 108 assists are tied for seventh, and her 32 power-play goals are tied for third all-time.
2017 Senior Class
The Gophers are led by six seniors: Dani Cameranesi, Kelsey Cline, Paige Haley, Kate Schipper, Lee Stecklein, and Megan Wolfe. From 2013-14 to 2016-17, the Gophers have an overall record of 132-16-11, which is good for a .865 winning percentage, as well as a WCHA record of 91-10-11. The senior class has combined for a total of 540 points during their time at the University of Minnesota, scoring 176 goals and adding 364 assists.
Home, Sweet Home
Including a mark of 15-2-3 in 2016-17, the Gophers have compiled a record of 110-6-10 in home games at Ridder Arena dating back to the 2011-12 season. Since 2011-12, Minnesota has a .913 winning percentage at home.
Pannek and Potomak Named Patty Kaz Finalists
Junior forward Kelly Pannek and sophomore forward Sarah Potomak were named top-10 finalists for the 2017 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Pannek enters the NCAA postseason as the nation's scoring leader with 60 points (19g-41a). She also leads the NCAA with 1.11 assists per game and 41 total assists. Pannek has at least one point in 30 of Minnesota's 37 games this season, and she recorded 44 points (14g-30a) during a 20-game point streak from Oct. 14 to Jan. 20. Seven of her 19 goals are game-winners. Meanwhile, Sarah Potomak (19g-32a) is eighth in the NCAA with 1.42 points per game, and her 0.89 assists per game ranks sixth.
Offensive Defensemen
Seniors Lee Stecklein (4g-20a) and Megan Wolfe (6g-17a) are two of the NCAA's top-scoring defensemen. Stecklein ranks fourth in the nation and leads WCHA blue-liners with 0.71 points per game while Wolfe is tied for eighth in the NCAA at 0.66 points per game.
Special Teams Play
Minnesota's power play leads the WCHA and is second in the NCAA at 25-for-103 (24.3 percent) this season. Kelly Pannek's team-high six power-play goals are tied for fifth in the NCAA and lead the WCHA. Minnesota leads the nation in fewest penalty minutes per game at 5.8 minutes per game in 37 games. Minnesota's penalty kill ranks sixth in the NCAA at 90-for-100 for 90.0 percent.
First Goal, Best Goal
The Gophers are 19-1-2 when scoring the first goal of the game this season while going 6-6-2 when giving up the first goal. In addition, Minnesota is 18-0-2 when leading after two periods.
Gopher Rookies Contribute
All six of Minnesota's freshmen have found their way on to the scoresheet for the Maroon & Gold this season. Kippin Keller (1g-1a) scored her first career goal in the Gophers' 2-1 win at St. Cloud State (Jan. 27). Patti Marshall (2g-10a) has played in all 37 games this season, and Katie Robinson (3g-1a) scored her first career goal against Minnesota State (Jan. 8). Lindsay Agnew (3g-4a) has played in 36 games, missing one game while competing with Canada's National Women's Development Team. Freshman goaltender Serena D'Angelo has appeared in five games, and Alex Woken (1g-3a) appeared in the first 15 games of the year before being sidelined due to injury.
Century Mark Scoring
Three Gophers have reached the 100-career point mark this season: junior Kelly Pannek (Oct. 15), senior Kate Schipper (Dec. 3), and sophomore Sarah Potomak (Feb. 11). The trio makes up the 32nd, 33rd, and 34th Gophers in program history to reach the career scoring milestone. In addition, Lee Stecklein is just seven points away from becoming the 35th Gopher and seventh Gopher defensemen to reach 100 career points.
Frost Secures 300th Win
Head coach Brad Frost secured his 300th career coaching victory with the Gophers' road sweep at Ohio State earlier this season (Oct. 21-22). He enters the NCAA postseason with an all-time mark of 318-52-27. This year marks Frost's 10th season at the helm of the Gophers. Last season Frost became the winningest coach in Gopher women's hockey history, surpassing Laura Halldorson (278-67-22) for career coaching wins.
Stecklein Named Hockey Humanitarian Award Nominee
Senior defenseman Lee Stecklein is one of 15 nominees for the 2017 Hockey Humanitarian Award. Award is presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen - a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.
Johnson Honored by AHCA
The American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) has honored Gophers associate head coach Joel Johnson at the 2017 recipient of the AHCA Women's Hockey Assistant Coach Award. Johnson will be recognized during the 2017 AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla., in April. Johnson has been a member of the University of Minnesota women's hockey coaching staff for 12 years, including two stints from 1999-2004 and again in 2010 to the present. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2014 and has been on staff for six of Minnesota's seven national titles. Under Johnson's direction, five Gopher defensemen have represented their countries in the Olympic Games, and he has coached seven Gopher defensemen to All-American accolades. He is one of the top defensive coaches in the country.
Gophers Add Six for 2017-18
The Gophers and head coach Brad Frost have announced the addition of six incoming players to join the University of Minnesota women's hockey team for the 2017-18 season. Emily Brown (Blaine, Minn.), Alex Gulstene (Vancouver, British Columbia), Olivia Knowles (Campbell River, British Columbia), Amy Potomak (Aldergrove British Columbia), Taylor Wente (Maple Grove, Minn.), and Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn.) make up the newest class of Gophers. Zumwinkle was named the 2017 Minnesota Ms. Hockey award recipient, and Brown took home the 2017 Class AA Herb Brooks Award.
Future Gophers Medal at U-18 World Championship
Five future Gophers took home medals at the 2017 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship in Prerov and Zlin, Czech Republic last week. Alex Gulstene (Vancouver, British Columbia), Taylor Wente (Plymouth, Minn.), and Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn.) won gold with the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team under the direction of Gophers associate head coach Joel Johnson, and Amy Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C.) and Olivia Knowles (Campbell River, B.C.) earned silver with Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team.
Five Gophers Representatives Medal at Nations Cup
Gopher alums Mira Jalosuo and Noora Raty won gold with Finland while current Gophers Sarah Potomak and Lindsay Agnew joined Minnesota alumna Sarah Davis in taking home silver with Canada's National Women's Development Team at this year's Nations Cup, which took place in Füssen, Germany and Telfs, Austria.
Six Gophers Medal at Four Nations Cup
All six Golden Gopher representatives took home medals at the 2016 Four Nations Cup. Lee Stecklein, Hannah Brandt, Megan Bozek, and Anne Schleper won gold with the U.S. Women's National Team while Sarah Davis took home silver with Canada's National Women's Team as the rivals met in the gold-medal game. Meanwhile, Noora Raty and Finland won 2-1 over Sweden for bronze in Vierumäki, Finland.
Duo Named to Canada's World Championship Roster
University of Minnesota alum Sarah Davis and sophomore Sarah Potomak have been selected to represent Canada's National Women's Team at the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship this spring.
Nine Alumni Continue Careers
Nine Gopher alumni are continuing their hockey careers by playing professional hockey in the NWHL and CWHL this season: Gigi Marvin (Boston Pride, NWHL), Megan Bozek (Buffalo Beauts, NWHL), Anne Schleper (Buffalo Beauts, NWHL), Jordyn Burns (Buffalo Beauts, NWHL), Amanda Leveille (Buffalo Beauts, NWHL), Amanda Kessel (New York Riveters, NWHL), Milica McMillen (New York Riveters, NWHL), Sarah Davis (Calgary Inferno, CWHL), and Kelly Terry (Toronto Furies, CWHL).
Minnesota Looks for Eighth National Title
Minnesota won back-to-back titles for the third time in program history by defeating Boston College, 3-1, in the 2016 NCAA championship game. The game marked the Gophers' fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA title game. Minnesota has won four of the last five national titles and seven national titles overall (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016) and looks for a historic eighth title and third-consecutive national crown in 2017.
Gopher Fans are Nation's Best
The Gophers have been the nation's attendance leader for four-straight years, most recently averaging 1,671 fans per game last year. At home at Ridder Arena, the Gophers also led the NCAA with 2,125 fans per game in 2015-16. Minnesota looks to lead the nation in attendance for the fifth-straight year on its quest for the program's eighth national championship.
Up Next: NCAA Frozen Four
The winners of Saturday's four NCAA quarterfinal games advance to the 2017 NCAA Women's Frozen Four co-hosted by the St. Louis Sports Commission and Lindenwood University at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., Friday, March 17 through Sunday, March 19.
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