Gophers to Host Buckeyes

MINNEAPOLIS – Conference play continues for the No. 3 University of Minnesota (5-0-1, 3-0-1-0 WCHA) as the Golden Gophers host No. 4 Ohio State (5-1-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) this weekend. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. CT on Friday and 3:07 p.m. CT on Saturday at Ridder Arena.

Please note that Saturday's game was originally scheduled for a 4:07 p.m. CT puck drop but has been moved up one hour to begin at 3:07 p.m. CT.

Fans can follow along with both games by watching online via BTN Plus ($) or FloHockey ($); free audio and live stats are available at GopherSports.com.

Faculty & Staff Day, Youth Hockey Day, and Cub Family 4-Pack Tickets
Friday at Ridder Arena is Faculty & Staff Day; University of Minnesota faculty and staff receive discounted tickets. Saturday is Youth Hockey Day at Ridder Arena. Help the Gophers grow the game and attend Saturday's game alongside fellow youth hockey players. Fans can take part in a design-your-own goalie mask station on the concourse during the game. Saturday's game is also a Cub Family 4-Pack game; get four tickets, four hot dogs, four popcorns, four sodas, and $5 off $50 at Cub Foods with the ticket package.

About the Series: Minnesota vs. Ohio State
Minnesota has an all-time record of 71-11-5 against Ohio State dating back to Nov. 1999. Most recently, the Gophers earned a 2-0 win over the Buckeyes in the 2018 WCHA semifinal round after going 0-3-1 against OSU during the regular season. In the WCHA Final Faceoff, Grace Zumwinkle scored both goals and Sidney Peters made 33 saves in her fourth shutout of the season.

Last Time Out: Minnesota Sweeps St. Cloud State
Taylor Heise (2g-2a), Sarah Potomak (2g-1a), Nicole Schammel (1g-2a), Emily Oden (2g), Amy Potomak (1g-1a), Kelly Pannek (1g-1a), and Emily Brown (2a) all recorded multiple points against St. Cloud State last weekend. Heise and S. Potomak both scored two goals and Alex Gulstene made 16 saves in the Gophers' game-one 6-2 win before Oden scored her first two career goals and Sydney Scobee finished with five saves in Minnesota's 4-1 win in game two.

Brad Frost on Ohio State
"We know Ohio State is playing well," head coach Brad Frost said. "They're a top team in the country. We know they're going to be extremely fast and aggressive on the puck. It should be a real good speed game for both teams. We're looking forward to the battles to come."

Traffic Advisory for Saturday
The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced that it will shut down both directions of Interstate 35W, between Highway 62 (Crosstown) and I-94 this weekend. The closure, which will begin Friday night at 10 p.m., and lasts through Monday morning, 5 a.m., is part of an ongoing road construction project on the highway. Fans are encouraged to seek alternate routes or utilize Metro Transit light rail and buses to reach campus this weekend. The Stadium Village light rail stop is located adjacent to TCF Bank Stadium, along with the East Bank station which are both an easy walk to many campus venues.

Scoring Milestones
Kelly Pannek recorded her 100th career assist in Minnesota's season-opener. She is Minnesota's active career scoring leader as her current total of 161 career points (59g-102a) ranks 12th among all-time Gophers. Meanwhile, Sarah Potomak currently ranks 32nd in program history with 113 career points (38g-75a).

First Career Goals
Four Gopher rookies have scored their first collegiate goals as Amy Potomak (Sept. 28) and Taylor Heise (Sept. 29) scored in Minnesota's season-opening weekend while Catie Skaja found the back of the net against Minnesota Duluth (Oct. 5). Most recently, Emily Oden scored her first two career goals against St. Cloud State (Oct. 13).

Immediate Impact
All seven of Minnesota's rookies have seen significant ice time already as Taylor Heise (3g-2a), Amy Potomak (2g-3a), Emily Oden (2g-1a), Catie Skaja, (1g-1a), and Gracie Ostertag have all played in all six games while Abigail Boreen has been in the line-up for four games and Crystalyn Hengler (1a) has played in three games.

Up Next: Border Battle
No. 3 Minnesota travels to No. 2 Wisconsin for the first Border Battle series of the season next weekend. The Gophers and Badgers face off at 2:07 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 27 and 2:07 p.m. CT Sunday, Oct. 28 at LaBahn Arena in Madison, Wis.

Twenty Years of WCHA Women's Hockey
The 2018-19 season marks the league's 20th anniversary season. Throughout the season, the WCHA will celebrate the past, present, and future of college hockey's premier conference.

Home, Sweet Home
The 2018-19 season marks the 17th season of Ridder Arena serving as the home of Gopher women's hockey. Minnesota enters the season with a record of 268-42-21 in home games at Ridder Arena, dating back to the 2002-03 season.

Pannek Serving as Captain
Senior Kelly Pannek is Minnesota's captain this year. Pannek returns to Minnesota for her redshirt senior season as an Olympic gold medalist after helping Team USA to gold at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Gophers Tabbed as League Favorite
Minnesota and Wisconsin tied for the top spot in the 2018-19 WCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll with 33 points apiece. Defending WCHA Final Faceoff champion Minnesota and defending WCHA regular season champion Wisconsin collected all seven first-place votes in the poll as the Badgers had four votes and the Gophers received three. Ohio State earned 24 points to edge Minnesota Duluth by one point and secure the third spot in the poll while Bemidji State (16), St. Cloud State (12), and Minnesota State (6) rounded out this year's poll.

Who's Back?
The Gophers return 17 players from last year's team, including seven seniors. Minnesota returns seven of its top-10 leading scorers from last year, including 2018 WCHA Scoring Champion and team scoring leader Grace Zumwinkle (17g-21a). Nicole Schammel returns after recording a career-high 32 points (17g-15a) last season, and Sophie Skarzynski (8g-19a) was one of the Gophers' top-five leading scorers a year ago as well. Along with 17 returners, the Gophers enjoy the addition of three players who red-shirted the 2017-18 season: U.S. Olympic gold medalist Kelly Pannek and Canada's National Women's Team members Amy Potomak and Sarah Potomak.

Heise Leads Incoming Class
Seven newcomers join the Gophers for the 2018-19 season, made up of six true freshmen and one junior transfer. WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year Taylor Heise (Lake City, Minn./Red Wing HS) leads Minnesota's talented freshmen class, which includes Abigail Boreen (Somerset, Wis./Hill-Murray), Crystalyn Hengler (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie HS), Emily Oden (Edina, Minn./Edina HS), Gracie Ostertag (Shakopee, Minn./Shattuck St. Mary's), and Catie Skaja (New Prague, Minn./New Prague HS) along with Heise. Meanwhile, goaltender Sydney Scobee (Minnetrista, Minn.) joins the Maroon & Gold after spending two years at the University of Vermont where she played in 31 games, posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.59 goals against average.

Frost Enters 12th Season
Head coach Brad Frost returns for his 12th season at the helm of the program with a career coaching record of 343-64-30 (.819 winning percentage) in his first 11 seasons leading the Gophers. Minnesota celebrated Frost's 300th career coaching victory with a road sweep at Ohio State in October 2016.

Season Recap: A Look Back at 2017-18
Minnesota's 2017-18 season came to a close in the NCAA quarterfinal round after the Gophers punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament by winning the program's seventh overall WCHA Final Faceoff title and the team's first since 2013-14. The Gophers posted an overall record of 24-11-3 while going 13-8-3-0 in WCHA action. Minnesota finished third in the WCHA regular season race. Under the leadership of captains Sydney Baldwin and Cara Piazza, Minnesota made the program's 11th-straight and 16th overall appearance in the NCAA postseason. Baldwin collected WCHA Player of the Year, WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, and CCM/AHCA All-American First Team honors while Sidney Peters was selected as this year's recipient of the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award. Six newcomers joined the squad for their first season representing the Maroon & Gold while four seniors capped their collegiate careers in Baldwin, Peters, Piazza, and Caitlin Reilly.

WCHA Final Faceoff Returns to Ridder Arena
Minnesota will serve as host of the WCHA Final Faceoff in each of the next four seasons. The 2019 WCHA Final Faceoff is set for March 9-10, and the league awarded the 2020 through 2022 tournaments to Ridder Arena prior to the start of the 2018-19 season. The decision for the host site for the next three-year championship cycle was made following a vetting process by the league's Postseason Tournament Committee of submitted bids, the committee's subsequent recommendation, and a unanimous vote of approval by the WCHA Women's League Board of Directors. The league's postseason tournament has been held at Ridder Arena 11 times, most recently in 2017-18. Ridder Arena has also hosted the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2018.

Goldy's Kids Club Returns in 2018-19
Youth in 8th grade or under can receive exclusive access to sporting events and Gopher gear. Goldy's Kids Club annual memberships run from July to May and allows members to have exclusive access to select ticket deals and special events. New Goldy's Kids Club memberships are $25 for each child and renewals are $20 for each child. All Goldy's Kids Club members receive free admission to all regular-season Gopher women's hockey home games at Ridder Arena.

Quest for Eighth National Title in 2018-19
Minnesota has won four of the last seven 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 2018-19.

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Baldwin

Abigail Boreen

Emily Brown

Alex Gulstene

Taylor Heise

Crystalyn Hengler

Emily Oden

Gracie Ostertag

Kelly Pannek

Sidney Peters

Cara Piazza

Amy Potomak

Sarah Potomak

Caitlin Reilly

Nicole Schammel

Sydney Scobee

Catie Skaja

Sophie Skarzynski

Grace Zumwinkle