University of Minnesota Athletics
Road Series at Ohio State Up Next
1/16/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
| No. 5 Minnesota (17-6-2) at No. 7 Ohio State (15-5-4) | |
| Game 1 | Friday, Jan. 19 | 5 p.m. CT |
| Game 2 | Saturday, Jan. 20 | 2 p.m. CT |
| Location | OSU Ice Rink | Columbus, Ohio |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com (Home Games) |
| Game 1 | Game Day Live | OSU Video | Free Audio | |
| Game 2 | Game Day Live | OSU Video | Free Audio | |
| Official Sites | Minnesota | Ohio State |
| Social Media | @GopherWHockey | Facebook | Instagram |
Jan. 16, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 5 Golden Gopher women's hockey team returns to WCHA action this week when the team travels to Columbus, Ohio, for a series with the Buckeyes on Friday, Jan. 19 and Saturday, Jan. 20.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Ohio State
Minnesota enters this weekend's series with an all-time record of 70-9-5 against Ohio State. The Gophers fell 3-2 and tied 5-5 (OT) in the first meeting with OSU this season back in October at Ridder Arena. The Gophers were led by Caitlin Reilly (2g-1a), Alex Woken (1g-2a), and Sydney Baldwin (3a) in the series, and Alex Gulstene played both games in net, combining for 60 saves on 68 shots faced.
Scouting the Buckeyes
No. 7 Ohio State (15-5-4, 8-2-4-3 WCHA) enters this weekend's series on a three-game winning streak, most recently sweeping Robert Morris with 5-0 and 5-2 wins in non-conference action. Before that, the Buckeyes split a series with Penn State to resume play after the holiday break with a 5-1 loss and a 2-0 win. OSU is currently third in the WCHA standings with 31 points behind Wisconsin (42 points) and Minnesota (32 points) with two games in hand over the Gophers.
Freshmen forwards Emma Maltais (10g-20a) and Tatum Skaggs (15g-11a) lead the Buckeyes in scoring with over 25 points each on the season. Seven other Buckeyes are also in double figures for scoring. OSU averages 3.17 goals per game while allowing 2.25 goals against per game. Junior goaltender Kassidy Sauve has played in 22 games with a 13-5-4 record for the Buckeyes. Her .929 save percentage ranks fourth in the WCHA and 11th in the nation. She also has a 2.15 goals against average, good for fifth in the league and 23rd in the NCAA.
Last Time Out: Gophers Conclude Non-Conference Play
Minnesota (17-6-2, 10-4-2-0 WCHA) wrapped up its non-conference slate with three games last week. Minnesota defeated St. Cloud State, 2-1, outside of league play before splitting a series against Hockey East foe Vermont with a 4-2 loss and a 6-1 win. Nicole Schammel (3g-1a), Taylor Wente (1g-2a), Cara Piazza (1g-2a), Olivia Knowles (1g-2a), and Sydney Baldwin (2g) led the Gophers in the team's three games last week.
Twenty Years of Gopher Women's Hockey
Minnesota enters this week's series with Ohio State with an all-time program record of 614-126-51. 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.
Road Warriors
Minnesota brings a perfect road record into this weekend's series at Ohio State. The Gophers are 10-0-0 on the road this season with first half sweeps at Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, Mercyhurst, and Lindenwood.
Career-High Scoring
Nicole Schammel (14g-10a), Sophie Skarzynski (6g-15a), Caitlin Reilly (8g-12a), Alex Woken (7g-9a), Patti Marshall (1g-13a), and Kippin Keller (2g-8a) have already reached career highs for scoring this season.
Notable Notes
• Minnesota is 14-0-1 this season when leading at the second intermission.
• Caitlin Reilly leads Minnesota with seven multi-point games while Nicole Schammel has a team-best three multi-goal games this season.
• Cara Piazza is tied for third in the nation with four game-winning goals this season. More than half of Piazza's goals on the season are game-winners as she has 18 points (7g-11a) in 25 games.
Offensive Defensemen
Sydney Baldwin (6g-15a), Olivia Knowles (6g-8a), and Patti Marshall (1g-13a) are among the WCHA's top-scoring defensemen. Baldwin leads the WCHA and is seventh in the nation with 0.84 points per game while Knowles and Marshall are tied for sixth in the league and 35th in the NCAA at 0.56 points per game.
Immediate Impact
All five of Minnesota's freshmen are seeing significant ice time with all four skaters picking up their first collegiate goals and goaltender Alex Gulstene playing in 11 games (7-1-1). Grace Zumwinkle (11g-16a) leads the team in scoring while Taylor Wente (9g-9a), Olivia Knowles (6g-8a), and Emily Brown (2g-5a) have all registered points on the year.
WCHA's Best Special Teams
Minnesota leads the WCHA and ranks sixth in the NCAA on the power play, converting on 24.4 percent of attempts at 19-for-78. The Gophers also lead the league and rank fifth in the nation at 89.9 percent (62-for-69) on the penalty kill.
Scoring Milestone
Sydney Baldwin recorded her 50th career point with an assist against Merrimack (Sept. 29). She is tied for third on the team with 21 points (6g-15a) on the season, and her career total stands at 70 career points with 18 goals and 52 assists.
Johnson Leads U.S. Under 18 Squad to Gold
Associate head coach Joel Johnson led the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team to its fourth-straight gold medal at the IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship in Dmitrov, Russia, last week. Gopher signees Taylor Heise and Gracie Ostertag won their third-straight gold medals representing the U.S. as well.
Home, Sweet Home
Including a 7-6-2 mark at home to start 2017-18, the Gophers have compiled a record of 117-12-12 in home games at Ridder Arena dating back to 2011-12.
Up Next: Girls Youth Hockey Night & Senior Celebration Next Weekend
The Gophers host Minnesota State in their final home series of the regular season next Friday, Jan. 26 and Saturday, Jan. 27. Friday's game is Girls Youth Hockey Night, and Minnesota will honor its four seniors, Sydney Baldwin, Sidney Peters, Cara Piazza, and Caitlin Reilly prior to Saturday's game for their Senior Night.
Gophers Sign Six for 2018-19
Head coach Brad Frost and the Gophers are pleased to welcome six student-athletes for the 2018-19 season. Abigail Boreen (Somerset, Wis./Hill-Murray School), Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minn./Red Wing High School), Crystalyn Hengler (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie High School), Emily Oden (Edina, Minn./Edina High School), Gracie Ostertag (Shakopee, Minn./Shattuck St. Mary's School), and Catie Skaja (New Prague, Minn./New Prague Senior High School) make up the newest class of Gophers.
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.
Eight Gophers Headed to Olympic Games
Six players with Gopher ties were named to the 2018 U.S. Women's Olympic Team in senior Kelly Pannek, Hannah Brandt ('16), Dani Cameranesi ('17), Amanda Kessel ('16), Gigi Marvin ('09), and Lee Stecklein ('17). Alumnae Noora Räty ('13) and Mira Jalosuo ('13) are expected to represent Finland at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games as well. Megan Bozek (USA), Sarah Potomak (Canada), and Amy Potomak (Canada) were centralized with their respective national teams in preparation for the Olympic Games but were not selected for the final Olympic rosters.
Marvin leads the USA Gophers in making her third Olympic Games appearance after earning silver at both the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, B.C., and the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Kessel and Stecklein also return to the line-up for the Red, White, and Blue after earning silver in 2014. Brandt, Cameranesi, and Pannek are making their Olympic debuts.
The PyeongChang Games kick off in South Korea on Friday, Feb. 9 and conclude Thursday, Feb. 25. The women's ice hockey competition begins Sunday, Feb. 11 at the Kwandong Hockey Centre in the PyeongChang Coastal Cluster. The gold-medal game will be held Monday, Feb. 22 at the Gangneung Hockey Centre. The U.S. and Finland join Canada and Russia in competing in Group A.
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. All-tournament ticket packages for the 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff, to be held Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4, are now on sale.
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. Ticket packages are on sale now and include tickets to both national semifinals on Friday, March 16 and the national championship game on Sunday, March 18. Single-session tickets will go on sale at a later date, subject to availability. Ridder Arena hosted the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
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, is a Minnetonka, Minn., native. Piazza hails from Darien, Ill., and is studying mechanical engineering; she is the first Illinois native to captain the team since Megan Bozek in 2012-13.
Who's New?
WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, Minn.) leads Minnesota's talented freshmen class, which also includes defense Emily Brown (Blaine, Minn.), goaltender Alex Gulstene (Vancouver, B.C.), defense 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. Freshman Amy Potomak (Aldergrove, B.C.) joins the Gophers for the spring semester, but she is expected to red shirt the season after beginning the year centralized with Canada's National Women's team in preparation for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
Who's Back?
Minnesota's 2017-18 roster includes 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.
Gophers Tabbed as League Favorite
Minnesota was named the WCHA preseason favorite heading into the 2017-18 season. The Gophers collected four first-place votes and 34 points in the annual poll of the league's seven head coaches. The Gophers edged back-to-back defending WCHA champion Wisconsin by one point. 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.
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.
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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