University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, November 2
Ridder Arena
6:07 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Bemidji State
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
In-State Battle with Beavers Returns to Ridder Arena
10/29/2018 10:30:00 AM | Women's Hockey
No. 2 Minnesota returns home to host Bemidji State in a WCHA series this Friday and Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS – This weekend, the No. 2 University of Minnesota women's hockey team (7-2-1, 5-2-1-0 WCHA) returns to Ridder Arena when the Golden Gophers host Bemidji State (0-7-1, 0-3-1-0 WCHA) in a WCHA series at 6:07 p.m. CT Friday and 4:07 p.m. CT Saturday.
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.
High School Weekend, Social Media Night, Hockey Mom Day, and More
Minnesota is set to celebrate High School Weekend, Maple Grove Community Weekend, and Brooklyn Park Community Weekend along with holding Social Media Night on Friday and Hockey Mom Day on Saturday. Watch for exclusive ticket discounts and giveaways on social media during Friday's game, and hockey moms in attendance will receive a free Hockey Moms thermos on Saturday.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Bemidji State
Minnesota is 72-9-7 all-time against Bemidji State in a series dating back to November 1998. Most recently, the Gophers split a home series with the Beavers last November, winning 3-2 in overtime in game one before dropping a 4-2 decision in game two. The Maroon & Gold earned a road sweep in Bemidji, Minn., in October 2017 with 3-1 and 4-3 (OT) wins.
Last Time Out: Minnesota Splits with Wisconsin
Last weekend Minnesota recorded a road series split with top-ranked Wisconsin. Emily Brown (1g-1a), Emily Oden (1g), Nicole Schammel (1a), Taylor Wente (1a), and Kelly Pannek (1a) tallied points against the Badgers as Minnesota won 1-0 on Brown's power-play goal and a 27-save shutout from Alex Gulstene in game one before falling 4-1 in game two.
Spreading the Wealth
Six different players have scored game-winning goals for Minnesota led by Emily Brown, whose two goals on the season have both been game-winners. Nineteen different Gophers have already registered at least one point this year.
Special Teams Show Improvement
After starting the season 4-for-27 on the power play and 12-for-17 on the penalty kill, Minnesota was 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill against Wisconsin last weekend.
Scoring Leaders
Through 10 games this season, Nicole Schammel (3g-9a), Grace Zumwinkle (4g-5a), Kelly Pannek (3g-4a), and Patti Marshall (1g-6a) lead the Gophers in scoring. Schammel's 12 points and 1.20 points per game rank third in the WCHA while Marshall ranks second in scoring among WCHA defenseman, averaging 0.70 points per game.
Coaching Milestone
The Gophers' 1-0 win over Wisconsin (Oct. 27) marked the 350th career win for head coach Brad Frost, whose all-time coaching record now stands at 350-66-31. Frost is in his 12th season at the helm of the program.
Scoring Milestones
Kelly Pannek is Minnesota's active career scoring leader as she is tied for 11th among all-time Gophers with 162 points (59g-103a). Pannek recorded her 100th career assist in Minnesota's season-opener. 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), and 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 Amy Potomak (2g-4a), Taylor Heise (3g-2a), Emily Oden (3g-1a), Catie Skaja (2g-1a), and Gracie Ostertag (1a) have all appeared in all 10 games while Abigail Boreen has played in eight games and Crystalyn Hengler (1a) has appeared in seven games.
Pannek and Potomak Selected for Four Nations Cup
Sarah Potomak has been named to Canada's National Women's Team and Kelly Pannek earned a place on the U.S. Women's National Team for the 2018 Four Nations Cup. The tournament is set for Nov. 6-10 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Up Next: Bye Week
Minnesota is off from competition next weekend during the Four Nations Cup, and the Gophers return to action with a second home-and-home series with St. Cloud State Nov. 17-18. The Gophers and Huskies face off in St. Cloud, Minn., at 2:07 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 17 before concluding the series at Ridder Arena at 2:07 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 18.
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 $20 for each child. All Goldy's Kids Club members receive free admission to all regular-season Gopher women's hockey home games at Ridder Arena.
Quest for Eighth National Title in 2018-19
Minnesota has won four of the last seven national championships and has seven national titles overall (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016). The program looks for a historic eighth title national crown in 2018-19.
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Fans can follow along with both games by watching online via BTN Plus ($) or FloHockey ($); free audio and live stats are available at GopherSports.com.
High School Weekend, Social Media Night, Hockey Mom Day, and More
Minnesota is set to celebrate High School Weekend, Maple Grove Community Weekend, and Brooklyn Park Community Weekend along with holding Social Media Night on Friday and Hockey Mom Day on Saturday. Watch for exclusive ticket discounts and giveaways on social media during Friday's game, and hockey moms in attendance will receive a free Hockey Moms thermos on Saturday.
About the Series: Minnesota vs. Bemidji State
Minnesota is 72-9-7 all-time against Bemidji State in a series dating back to November 1998. Most recently, the Gophers split a home series with the Beavers last November, winning 3-2 in overtime in game one before dropping a 4-2 decision in game two. The Maroon & Gold earned a road sweep in Bemidji, Minn., in October 2017 with 3-1 and 4-3 (OT) wins.
Last Time Out: Minnesota Splits with Wisconsin
Last weekend Minnesota recorded a road series split with top-ranked Wisconsin. Emily Brown (1g-1a), Emily Oden (1g), Nicole Schammel (1a), Taylor Wente (1a), and Kelly Pannek (1a) tallied points against the Badgers as Minnesota won 1-0 on Brown's power-play goal and a 27-save shutout from Alex Gulstene in game one before falling 4-1 in game two.
Spreading the Wealth
Six different players have scored game-winning goals for Minnesota led by Emily Brown, whose two goals on the season have both been game-winners. Nineteen different Gophers have already registered at least one point this year.
Special Teams Show Improvement
After starting the season 4-for-27 on the power play and 12-for-17 on the penalty kill, Minnesota was 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill against Wisconsin last weekend.
Scoring Leaders
Through 10 games this season, Nicole Schammel (3g-9a), Grace Zumwinkle (4g-5a), Kelly Pannek (3g-4a), and Patti Marshall (1g-6a) lead the Gophers in scoring. Schammel's 12 points and 1.20 points per game rank third in the WCHA while Marshall ranks second in scoring among WCHA defenseman, averaging 0.70 points per game.
Coaching Milestone
The Gophers' 1-0 win over Wisconsin (Oct. 27) marked the 350th career win for head coach Brad Frost, whose all-time coaching record now stands at 350-66-31. Frost is in his 12th season at the helm of the program.
Scoring Milestones
Kelly Pannek is Minnesota's active career scoring leader as she is tied for 11th among all-time Gophers with 162 points (59g-103a). Pannek recorded her 100th career assist in Minnesota's season-opener. 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), and 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 Amy Potomak (2g-4a), Taylor Heise (3g-2a), Emily Oden (3g-1a), Catie Skaja (2g-1a), and Gracie Ostertag (1a) have all appeared in all 10 games while Abigail Boreen has played in eight games and Crystalyn Hengler (1a) has appeared in seven games.
Pannek and Potomak Selected for Four Nations Cup
Sarah Potomak has been named to Canada's National Women's Team and Kelly Pannek earned a place on the U.S. Women's National Team for the 2018 Four Nations Cup. The tournament is set for Nov. 6-10 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Up Next: Bye Week
Minnesota is off from competition next weekend during the Four Nations Cup, and the Gophers return to action with a second home-and-home series with St. Cloud State Nov. 17-18. The Gophers and Huskies face off in St. Cloud, Minn., at 2:07 p.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 17 before concluding the series at Ridder Arena at 2:07 p.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 18.
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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