University of Minnesota Athletics
Future Gophers Earn Multiple Accolades
4/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - The Golden Gophers’ six incoming freshmen for the 2017-18 season had a successful 2016-17 season before heading to the University of Minnesota, winning a variety of individual and team awards.
Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn.), Taylor Wente (Maple Grove, Minn.), Emily Brown (Blaine, Minn.), Alex Gulstene (Vancouver, British Columbia), Olivia Knowles (Campbell River, British Columbia), and Amy Potomak (Aldergrove, British Columbia) are set to make their college debuts in the 2017-18 season.
The group won multiple regional and national awards and competed at the international level in the U-18 World Championships in the 2016-17 season. Zumwinkle, Wente, Gulstene, Knowles, and Potomak all competed at the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championships for their respective countries.
Zumwinkle, Wente, and Gulstene took home gold for the United States, while Knowles and Potomak earned a silver medal with Canada.
Brown, Wente, and Zumwinkle played high school hockey in Minnesota, and each of them earned awards from the Minnesota State High School League. All three were named Athena Award recipients, which is awarded to senior female athletes for their athletic achievements. The trio were also all-state honorees. The three were named to the All-USA Girls Hockey Team as well; Brown and Wente made the second team, while Zumwinkle was a first-team honoree along with being named the 2017 All-USA Girls Hockey Player of the Year.
At the 2017 Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, Brown received the Herb Brooks Award, which is given to one hockey player in the state who most exemplifies the values, characteristics, and traits of Herb Brooks. Zumwinkle was named Ms. Hockey, which is given to the most valuable player in the league, as well.
Zumwinkle also earned multiple other honors, including being named the Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year.
Gulstene, Knowles, and Potomak all competed in the CSSHL for the 2016-17 season. Gulstene and Knowles, who both played for Okanagan Hockey Academy, won the league championship. Potomak and the Pursuit of Excellence Academy were the runners-up at the tournament.
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