University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
G
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
G
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
G
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
2018 WCHA Champions
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Season in Review: Look Back at 2017-18
6/27/2018 3:23:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Take a look back at the 21st season of Gopher Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – The University of Minnesota women's hockey team's 2017-18 season came to a close in the NCAA quarterfinal round after the Golden 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 No. 6 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 seniors 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 repping the Maroon & Gold while four seniors capped off their collegiate careers.
2018 Senior Salute
From 2014-15 to 2017-18, the four Gopher seniors, Sydney Baldwin, Cara Piazza, Sidney Peters, and Caitlin Reilly, led Minnesota to a 119-26-13 overall record. In WCHA games, the seniors were 78-17-13. The class made three NCAA Frozen Four appearances and won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2015 and 2016. The Gophers were WCHA regular-season champions in 2015, and the seniors added a WCHA Final Faceoff title to their resume this season after being WCHA tournament runners-up in 2016.
Gophers in the NCAA Postseason
Minnesota made its 11th-straight and 16th overall appearance in the NCAA postseason. The Gophers have won four of the last seven national championships, and Minnesota has only missed the NCAA tournament twice in its 18-year history. Overall, the Gophers are 24-11-1 in NCAA tournament games since 2000-01. The Gophers fell to Wisconsin by a score of 4-0 in the NCAA quarterfinal round this season, falling to 10-3 all-time in NCAA quarterfinal games since the tournament expanded to eight teams in 2005.
Gophers Win WCHA Final Faceoff
Minnesota won the program's seventh WCHA postseason tournament this season. The Gophers' 2018 Final Faceoff title was the Gophers' first since 2014. The Maroon & Gold won three-straight titles in 2012, 2013, and 2014 and took home WCHA postseason crowns in 2002, 2004, and 2005. Minnesota owns a 48-14-0 all-time mark in WCHA postseason games, including four postseason wins in 2017-18.
Sidney Peters led Minnesota at the WCHA Final Faceoff by making 64 saves on 65 shots faced and earning WCHA Final Faceoff Most Outstanding Player honors. Sydney Baldwin, Taylor Williamson, and Grace Zumwinkle joined Peters on the all-tournament team as Minnesota defeated Ohio State, 2-0, and Wisconsin, 3-1, in the WCHA tournament. Zumwinkle (2g-1a), Taylor Wente (1g-2a), Olivia Knowles (2a), and Nicole Schammel (1g-1a) led the Gophers on the score sheet.
NCAA Frozen Four Returns to Ridder Arena
The 2018 NCAA Women's Frozen Four took place at Ridder Arena, marking the fourth time the national championship has been played on the Gophers' home ice. Clarkson defeated Colgate by a score of 2-1 to win the NCAA crown after the Golden Knights knocked off Ohio State 1-0 in the semifinal round. Colgate advanced to its first NCAA title game by defeating Wisconsin, 4-3 in overtime, in the other semifinal game. Ridder Arena also hosted the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
Twenty Years of Gopher Women's Hockey
The 2017-18 season marked the 21st season in Gopher women's hockey history. Minnesota ended the season with an all-time program record of 621-131-52. The Gophers secured the program's 599th and 600th all-time wins on the road at Bemidji State in October 2017.
Eight Gophers Medal at Olympic Games
Eight players with Gopher ties won medals at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Senior Kelly Pannek and alumnae Hannah Brandt ('16), Dani Cameranesi ('17), Amanda Kessel ('16), Gigi Marvin ('09), and Lee Stecklein ('17) won gold with 2018 U.S. Women's Olympic Team, and alumnae Noora Räty ('13) and Mira Jalosuo ('13) won bronze with Team Finland.
Road Warriors
Minnesota opened the season with a perfect 10-0-0 road record over the first half of the regular season, earning sweeps at Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, Mercyhurst, and Lindenwood. The Gophers wrapped up the season with a mark of 11-5-1 in road games.
Home, Sweet Home
Including a 13-6-2 mark at home in 2017-18, the Gophers have compiled a record of 123-12-12 in home games at Ridder Arena dating back to 2011-12. Overall, Minnesota is 268-42-21 in 16 seasons at Ridder Arena for a .841 winning percentage at home.
Career-High Scoring
Sydney Baldwin (12g-20a), Nicole Schammel (17g-15a), Sophie Skarzynski (8g-19a), Caitlin Reilly (9g-17a), Alex Woken (10g-12a), Patti Marshall (2g-15a), Lindsay Agnew (5g-8a), and Kippin Keller (2g-8a) all set career highs for scoring this season.
Offensive Defensemen
For the season, Sydney Baldwin (12g-20a) led WCHA defensemen and ranked third in the NCAA with 0.84 points per game. Her 24 career goals rank tied for seventh among all-time Minnesota defensemen. Olivia Knowles (7g-13a) and Patti Marshall (2g-15a) ranked among the WCHA's top-scoring defensemen as well; Knowles (0.53 points per game) and Marshall (0.45 points per game) rank eighth and tied for 10th, respectively, among WCHA blue-liners.
Immediate Impact
All five of Minnesota's freshmen saw significant ice time with all four skaters picking up their first collegiate goals and goaltender Alex Gulstene playing in 13 games (7-2-2) as rookies. Grace Zumwinkle (17g-21a) led the team in scoring while Taylor Wente (11g-14a), Olivia Knowles (7g-13a), and Emily Brown (4g-8a) all registered points on the year.
Peters Named Hockey Humanitarian Award Recipient
Senior goaltender Sidney Peters was named the 2018 Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient, marking the 23rd honoree in the award's history, which dates back to 1996. The 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.
Peters' contributions on the ice and in the classroom are only topped by her impact in the community over the past five years. She logged over 830 volunteer hours with various community outreach volunteer activities during her Gopher career. A certified Emergency Medical Technician, Peters spent significant time volunteering with the University of Minnesota EMS and the Rush-Copley Emergency Department in Aurora, Ill., near her hometown of Geneva, Ill., along with traveling to Haiti during the summer of 2016 with Project Medishare. She also combined her love of hockey with her faith in volunteering as the head goalie coach for Hockey Ministries International at the organization's camp in Chicago for two years as well.
A fifth-year senior, Peters was a four-year letter winner for the University of Minnesota and appeared in 82 games with a career record of 53-17-6. After seeing limited playing time her first two seasons in uniform, Peters backstopped the Gophers to an NCAA Frozen Four berth last season. Her 53 wins, 16 shutouts, 1.65 goals against average, and 1,464 total saves all rank fifth among all-time Gopher goaltenders. Peters ranks sixth in program history with a .921 career save percentage. A four-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, WCHA All-Academic, and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Peters graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Kinesiology and has been accepted into medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences where she will serve in the Air Force.
Scoring Milestone
Sydney Baldwin recorded her 50th career point with an assist against Merrimack (Sept. 29) in the team's 2017-18 season-opener. She tied for second on the team with 32 points (12g-20a) on the season closed out her career with 81 career points with 24 goals and 57 assists, ranked tied for seventh in career goals and tied for 10th in career points among all-time Gopher blue-liners.
Baldwin Named All-American, Patty Kaz Finalist
Sydney Baldwin was honored as a 2018 CCM Hockey Division I Women's Ice Hockey First Team All-American this season, earning her first career award and the 40th All-America award in program history. She was also selected as a top-10 finalist for the 2018 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, marking the 11th-straight season the Gophers have had at least one finalist for the nation's top individual award. Minnesota has now had 19 different players honored as Patty Kazmaier finalists a total of 32 times.
WCHA Awards Show
Four Gophers were honored with All-WCHA accolades this season. Sydney Baldwin earned a place on the All-WCHA First Team along with being selected as WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. Grace Zumwinkle was the first freshman to be crowned the WCHA Scoring Champion since 2009-10 after leading the league with 27 points (11g-16a) in 24 WCHA games; she also joined Baldwin on the All-WCHA First Team. Caitlin Reilly was chosen as a member of the All-WCHA Second Team while Olivia Knowles joined Zumwinkle on the WCHA All-Rookie Team as well.
Postseason Peak
Despite falling short of an NCAA Frozen Four appearance, Minnesota peaked in the postseason, outscoring its opponents 14-7 during five postseason games led by the line of Nicole Schammel (3g-2a), Grace Zumwinkle (3g-1a), and Taylor Wente (1g-3a). In five 2018 postseason games, Sidney Peters ranked sixth among NCAA goaltenders with a .952 save percentage and eighth with a 1.40 goals against average.
Frost Enters Second Decade
The 2017-18 season marked head coach Brad Frost's 11th season at the helm of the program. He wrapped up the year with a career record of 343-64-30. Last season, the Gophers celebrated Frost's 300th career coaching victory with a road sweep at Ohio State in October 2016.
Gophers Add Seven for 2018-19
Six freshmen and one junior transfer are set to join the Gophers 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 incoming freshmen while goaltender Sydney Scobee (Minnetrista, Minn.) joins the Maroon & Gold after spending two years at the University of Vermont.
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, in January 2018. Gopher signees Taylor Heise and Gracie Ostertag won their third-straight gold medals representing the U.S. as well.
Quest for Eighth National Title in 2018-19
Minnesota will begin the 2018-19 season having won four of the last seven national championships. The program owns seven national titles overall (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016) and will look for a historic eighth title national crown in 2017-18.
###
Under the leadership of seniors 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 repping the Maroon & Gold while four seniors capped off their collegiate careers.
2018 Senior Salute
From 2014-15 to 2017-18, the four Gopher seniors, Sydney Baldwin, Cara Piazza, Sidney Peters, and Caitlin Reilly, led Minnesota to a 119-26-13 overall record. In WCHA games, the seniors were 78-17-13. The class made three NCAA Frozen Four appearances and won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2015 and 2016. The Gophers were WCHA regular-season champions in 2015, and the seniors added a WCHA Final Faceoff title to their resume this season after being WCHA tournament runners-up in 2016.
Gophers in the NCAA Postseason
Minnesota made its 11th-straight and 16th overall appearance in the NCAA postseason. The Gophers have won four of the last seven national championships, and Minnesota has only missed the NCAA tournament twice in its 18-year history. Overall, the Gophers are 24-11-1 in NCAA tournament games since 2000-01. The Gophers fell to Wisconsin by a score of 4-0 in the NCAA quarterfinal round this season, falling to 10-3 all-time in NCAA quarterfinal games since the tournament expanded to eight teams in 2005.
Gophers Win WCHA Final Faceoff
Minnesota won the program's seventh WCHA postseason tournament this season. The Gophers' 2018 Final Faceoff title was the Gophers' first since 2014. The Maroon & Gold won three-straight titles in 2012, 2013, and 2014 and took home WCHA postseason crowns in 2002, 2004, and 2005. Minnesota owns a 48-14-0 all-time mark in WCHA postseason games, including four postseason wins in 2017-18.
Sidney Peters led Minnesota at the WCHA Final Faceoff by making 64 saves on 65 shots faced and earning WCHA Final Faceoff Most Outstanding Player honors. Sydney Baldwin, Taylor Williamson, and Grace Zumwinkle joined Peters on the all-tournament team as Minnesota defeated Ohio State, 2-0, and Wisconsin, 3-1, in the WCHA tournament. Zumwinkle (2g-1a), Taylor Wente (1g-2a), Olivia Knowles (2a), and Nicole Schammel (1g-1a) led the Gophers on the score sheet.
NCAA Frozen Four Returns to Ridder Arena
The 2018 NCAA Women's Frozen Four took place at Ridder Arena, marking the fourth time the national championship has been played on the Gophers' home ice. Clarkson defeated Colgate by a score of 2-1 to win the NCAA crown after the Golden Knights knocked off Ohio State 1-0 in the semifinal round. Colgate advanced to its first NCAA title game by defeating Wisconsin, 4-3 in overtime, in the other semifinal game. Ridder Arena also hosted the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
Twenty Years of Gopher Women's Hockey
The 2017-18 season marked the 21st season in Gopher women's hockey history. Minnesota ended the season with an all-time program record of 621-131-52. The Gophers secured the program's 599th and 600th all-time wins on the road at Bemidji State in October 2017.
Eight Gophers Medal at Olympic Games
Eight players with Gopher ties won medals at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Senior Kelly Pannek and alumnae Hannah Brandt ('16), Dani Cameranesi ('17), Amanda Kessel ('16), Gigi Marvin ('09), and Lee Stecklein ('17) won gold with 2018 U.S. Women's Olympic Team, and alumnae Noora Räty ('13) and Mira Jalosuo ('13) won bronze with Team Finland.
Road Warriors
Minnesota opened the season with a perfect 10-0-0 road record over the first half of the regular season, earning sweeps at Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State, Mercyhurst, and Lindenwood. The Gophers wrapped up the season with a mark of 11-5-1 in road games.
Home, Sweet Home
Including a 13-6-2 mark at home in 2017-18, the Gophers have compiled a record of 123-12-12 in home games at Ridder Arena dating back to 2011-12. Overall, Minnesota is 268-42-21 in 16 seasons at Ridder Arena for a .841 winning percentage at home.
Career-High Scoring
Sydney Baldwin (12g-20a), Nicole Schammel (17g-15a), Sophie Skarzynski (8g-19a), Caitlin Reilly (9g-17a), Alex Woken (10g-12a), Patti Marshall (2g-15a), Lindsay Agnew (5g-8a), and Kippin Keller (2g-8a) all set career highs for scoring this season.
Offensive Defensemen
For the season, Sydney Baldwin (12g-20a) led WCHA defensemen and ranked third in the NCAA with 0.84 points per game. Her 24 career goals rank tied for seventh among all-time Minnesota defensemen. Olivia Knowles (7g-13a) and Patti Marshall (2g-15a) ranked among the WCHA's top-scoring defensemen as well; Knowles (0.53 points per game) and Marshall (0.45 points per game) rank eighth and tied for 10th, respectively, among WCHA blue-liners.
Immediate Impact
All five of Minnesota's freshmen saw significant ice time with all four skaters picking up their first collegiate goals and goaltender Alex Gulstene playing in 13 games (7-2-2) as rookies. Grace Zumwinkle (17g-21a) led the team in scoring while Taylor Wente (11g-14a), Olivia Knowles (7g-13a), and Emily Brown (4g-8a) all registered points on the year.
Peters Named Hockey Humanitarian Award Recipient
Senior goaltender Sidney Peters was named the 2018 Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient, marking the 23rd honoree in the award's history, which dates back to 1996. The 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.
Peters' contributions on the ice and in the classroom are only topped by her impact in the community over the past five years. She logged over 830 volunteer hours with various community outreach volunteer activities during her Gopher career. A certified Emergency Medical Technician, Peters spent significant time volunteering with the University of Minnesota EMS and the Rush-Copley Emergency Department in Aurora, Ill., near her hometown of Geneva, Ill., along with traveling to Haiti during the summer of 2016 with Project Medishare. She also combined her love of hockey with her faith in volunteering as the head goalie coach for Hockey Ministries International at the organization's camp in Chicago for two years as well.
A fifth-year senior, Peters was a four-year letter winner for the University of Minnesota and appeared in 82 games with a career record of 53-17-6. After seeing limited playing time her first two seasons in uniform, Peters backstopped the Gophers to an NCAA Frozen Four berth last season. Her 53 wins, 16 shutouts, 1.65 goals against average, and 1,464 total saves all rank fifth among all-time Gopher goaltenders. Peters ranks sixth in program history with a .921 career save percentage. A four-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, WCHA All-Academic, and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Peters graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Kinesiology and has been accepted into medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences where she will serve in the Air Force.
Scoring Milestone
Sydney Baldwin recorded her 50th career point with an assist against Merrimack (Sept. 29) in the team's 2017-18 season-opener. She tied for second on the team with 32 points (12g-20a) on the season closed out her career with 81 career points with 24 goals and 57 assists, ranked tied for seventh in career goals and tied for 10th in career points among all-time Gopher blue-liners.
Baldwin Named All-American, Patty Kaz Finalist
Sydney Baldwin was honored as a 2018 CCM Hockey Division I Women's Ice Hockey First Team All-American this season, earning her first career award and the 40th All-America award in program history. She was also selected as a top-10 finalist for the 2018 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, marking the 11th-straight season the Gophers have had at least one finalist for the nation's top individual award. Minnesota has now had 19 different players honored as Patty Kazmaier finalists a total of 32 times.
WCHA Awards Show
Four Gophers were honored with All-WCHA accolades this season. Sydney Baldwin earned a place on the All-WCHA First Team along with being selected as WCHA Player of the Year and WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. Grace Zumwinkle was the first freshman to be crowned the WCHA Scoring Champion since 2009-10 after leading the league with 27 points (11g-16a) in 24 WCHA games; she also joined Baldwin on the All-WCHA First Team. Caitlin Reilly was chosen as a member of the All-WCHA Second Team while Olivia Knowles joined Zumwinkle on the WCHA All-Rookie Team as well.
Postseason Peak
Despite falling short of an NCAA Frozen Four appearance, Minnesota peaked in the postseason, outscoring its opponents 14-7 during five postseason games led by the line of Nicole Schammel (3g-2a), Grace Zumwinkle (3g-1a), and Taylor Wente (1g-3a). In five 2018 postseason games, Sidney Peters ranked sixth among NCAA goaltenders with a .952 save percentage and eighth with a 1.40 goals against average.
Frost Enters Second Decade
The 2017-18 season marked head coach Brad Frost's 11th season at the helm of the program. He wrapped up the year with a career record of 343-64-30. Last season, the Gophers celebrated Frost's 300th career coaching victory with a road sweep at Ohio State in October 2016.
Gophers Add Seven for 2018-19
Six freshmen and one junior transfer are set to join the Gophers 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 incoming freshmen while goaltender Sydney Scobee (Minnetrista, Minn.) joins the Maroon & Gold after spending two years at the University of Vermont.
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, in January 2018. Gopher signees Taylor Heise and Gracie Ostertag won their third-straight gold medals representing the U.S. as well.
Quest for Eighth National Title in 2018-19
Minnesota will begin the 2018-19 season having won four of the last seven national championships. The program owns seven national titles overall (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016) and will look for a historic eighth title national crown in 2017-18.
###
WCHA Postseason Hype
Monday, March 02
Highlights: Gophers 6, St. Cloud State 1
Sunday, March 01
Highlights: Gophers 4, St. Cloud State 1
Saturday, February 28
Abbey Murphy Breaks Goals Record
Saturday, February 28