University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, September 28
Ridder Arena
7:07 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Mercyhurst
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No. 3 Gophers to Host No. 10 Mercyhurst
9/26/2018 4:45:00 PM | Women's Hockey
A top-10 match-up awaits as Minnesota hosts Mercyhurst this Friday and Saturday at Ridder Arena.
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 3 University of Minnesota women's hockey team begins the 2018-19 regular season by hosting No. 10 Mercyhurst at Ridder Arena at 7:07 p.m. CT on Friday and 4:07 p.m. CT on Saturday. The Maroon & Gold will honor their 2018 Olympians along with raising the 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff banner prior to Friday's game. Fans can follow along with both games by watching online via BTN Plus ($) or FloSports ($); free audio and live stats are available at GopherSports.com.
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Olympians, Banner Raising, and More
Join the Gophers for an Olympic celebration this Friday night at Ridder Arena. Minnesota will honor the program's Olympians and celebrate their success at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games before and during the team's season-opener against Mercyhurst. Olympians Lee Stecklein (USA) and Mira Jalosuo (Finland) will be in attendance, along with senior Kelly Pannek returning to the ice for the Maroon & Gold. Minnesota will also unveil its 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff banner prior to Friday's game; 2017-18 senior Cara Piazza will reveal the banner. On Saturday night, fans can take advantage of Cub Family 4-Pack tickets; get four tickets, four hot dogs, four popcorns, four sodas, and $5 off $50 at Cub Foods. This weekend is also Wayzata Community Weekend and Plymouth Community Weekend.
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About the Series: Minnesota vs. Mercyhurst
Minnesota is 8-1-0 all-time against Mercyhurst in a series dating back to January 2001. Minnesota won the first six meetings before falling 5-4 in the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal round. Most recently, the Gophers swept Mercyhurst on the road in Erie, Pa., last November. The Gophers won 2-1 in overtime in game one before posting a 5-2 win in game two. Ten players had at least one point in the series led by Taylor Wente (2g-1a), Grace Zumwinkle (1g-2a), Caitlin Reilly (3a), Alex Woken (1g-1a), and Nicole Schammel (1g-1a). Alex Gulstene and Sidney Peters each earned one win in net.
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Gophers Top UBC in Lone Exhibition
The Gophers defeated the UBC Thunderbirds by a score of 8-1 in the program's lone exhibition game of the 2018-19 preseason last weekend. Minnesota received points from 12 different players led by Grace Zumwinkle (1g-2a) and Catie Skaja (2g-1a) along with two points each from Crystalyn Hengler (1g-1a), Katie Robinson (2a), and Sarah Potomak (2a). All four of Minnesota's goaltenders split time in net in the victory.
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Minnesota in Season-Openers
The Gophers are 19-2-0 all-time in season-openers, including a 12-2-0 mark in season-opening games at home. Last season, Minnesota fell to Merrimack by a score of 4-3 at home to open the season. The Gophers went on to split the season-opening series with a 4-1 win in game two.
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Scoring Milestones
Kelly Pannek starts her senior year with 155 career points (56g-99a); her next assist will be her 100th career assist. Pannek is the program's active career scoring leader as her total of 155 career points is tied for 15th among all-time Gophers. Meanwhile, Sarah Potomak begins the season with 107 career points (35g-72a), and she ranks 33rd in Gopher history.
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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.
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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.
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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; she begins her senior year with 155 career points (56g-99a) as a Gopher and is Minnesota's active career scoring leader.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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Olympians, Banner Raising, and More
Join the Gophers for an Olympic celebration this Friday night at Ridder Arena. Minnesota will honor the program's Olympians and celebrate their success at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games before and during the team's season-opener against Mercyhurst. Olympians Lee Stecklein (USA) and Mira Jalosuo (Finland) will be in attendance, along with senior Kelly Pannek returning to the ice for the Maroon & Gold. Minnesota will also unveil its 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff banner prior to Friday's game; 2017-18 senior Cara Piazza will reveal the banner. On Saturday night, fans can take advantage of Cub Family 4-Pack tickets; get four tickets, four hot dogs, four popcorns, four sodas, and $5 off $50 at Cub Foods. This weekend is also Wayzata Community Weekend and Plymouth Community Weekend.
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About the Series: Minnesota vs. Mercyhurst
Minnesota is 8-1-0 all-time against Mercyhurst in a series dating back to January 2001. Minnesota won the first six meetings before falling 5-4 in the 2009 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal round. Most recently, the Gophers swept Mercyhurst on the road in Erie, Pa., last November. The Gophers won 2-1 in overtime in game one before posting a 5-2 win in game two. Ten players had at least one point in the series led by Taylor Wente (2g-1a), Grace Zumwinkle (1g-2a), Caitlin Reilly (3a), Alex Woken (1g-1a), and Nicole Schammel (1g-1a). Alex Gulstene and Sidney Peters each earned one win in net.
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Gophers Top UBC in Lone Exhibition
The Gophers defeated the UBC Thunderbirds by a score of 8-1 in the program's lone exhibition game of the 2018-19 preseason last weekend. Minnesota received points from 12 different players led by Grace Zumwinkle (1g-2a) and Catie Skaja (2g-1a) along with two points each from Crystalyn Hengler (1g-1a), Katie Robinson (2a), and Sarah Potomak (2a). All four of Minnesota's goaltenders split time in net in the victory.
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Minnesota in Season-Openers
The Gophers are 19-2-0 all-time in season-openers, including a 12-2-0 mark in season-opening games at home. Last season, Minnesota fell to Merrimack by a score of 4-3 at home to open the season. The Gophers went on to split the season-opening series with a 4-1 win in game two.
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Scoring Milestones
Kelly Pannek starts her senior year with 155 career points (56g-99a); her next assist will be her 100th career assist. Pannek is the program's active career scoring leader as her total of 155 career points is tied for 15th among all-time Gophers. Meanwhile, Sarah Potomak begins the season with 107 career points (35g-72a), and she ranks 33rd in Gopher history.
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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.
Â
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.
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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; she begins her senior year with 155 career points (56g-99a) as a Gopher and is Minnesota's active career scoring leader.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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