University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, January 18
Ridder Arena
7:07 PM
University of Minnesota
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Wisconsin
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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Return Home for Border Battle
1/15/2019 5:20:00 PM | Women's Hockey
No. 2 Minnesota hosts top-ranked Wisconsin at Ridder Arena this Friday and Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota (21-2-1, 11-2-1-0 WCHA) returns home to Ridder Arena for the second Border Battle series of the season as the Gophers host Wisconsin (20-2-0, 10-2-0 WCHA) this week. The Gophers and Badgers face off at 7:07 p.m. CT Friday and 4:07 p.m. CT Saturday.
Fans can follow along by watching online via BTN Plus or FloHockey, and free audio and live stats are available at GopherSports.com.
Border Battle Promotions
The Border Battle series is Edina Community Weekend at Ridder Arena. Edina, Minn., natives Emily Oden, Jackie Pieper, and Taylor Williamson will be signing autographs after Saturday's game. Use the promo code WHO18EdinaCommunityWeekend for discounted tickets.
Friday's game features a Love Your Melon ticket package; for $30 fans can receive a game ticket and an exclusive Gopher Love Your Melon beanie. The first 2,000 fans in attendance on Friday will receive a light stick, and University of Minnesota students are eligible to win an exclusive lounger.
Meanwhile, Saturday's game is a gold out and all fans are encouraged to wear gold to support the Gophers. Saturday is also Goldy's Kids Club Day at Ridder Arena. In addition, University of Minnesota students are eligible to enter to win a Gopher hockey jersey.
Silent Auction Returns this Weekend
Minnesota's Power Play Club will be hosting its annual silent auction this weekend. Fans are invited to stop by the table on the concourse during both games; there will be a set of items for Friday and for Saturday, so bidders will find out if they won at the end of each game. Items include a suite at Ridder Arena when Minnesota hosts Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 3, coffee with coach Brad Frost, an autographed hockey stick from Minnesota's 41-0 team in 2012-13, and more.
About the Series: Gophers vs. Badgers
Minnesota owns an all-time record of 51-36-11 against Wisconsin. The Gophers and Badgers split a series in Madison, Wis., in October 2018 with Minnesota winning game one 1-0 on a power-play goal by Emily Brown and a 27-save shutout from Alex Gulstene before falling 4-1 in game two.
Last Time Out: Gophers Sweep Mavericks
The Gophers returned to WCHA action with a road sweep at Minnesota State last weekend, winning 5-1 and 6-3. Taylor Heise (4a), Amy Potomak (2g-1a), Emily Oden (1g-2a) led the Maroon & Gold against the Mavericks, and nine Gophers recorded multiple points in the series. Alex Gulstene and Sydney Scobee each picked up one win in net.
Spreading the Wealth
Nine Gopher forwards have scored at least six goals this season and, in total, 18 different skaters have scored goals. Twelve different Gophers are in double figures for points, and 21 different players have at least one point on the year. Twelve different players have scored game-winning goals for Minnesota led by four from Taylor Heise.
Pick Up Where You Left Off
The Gophers enter this weekend's series on a 14-game winning streak, during which they have outscored their opponents, 74-24. The Maroon & Gold average 5.29 goals per game while allowing just 1.71 goals per game over the team's last 14 games.
Special Teams Show Improvement
The Gophers rank second in the WCHA with a .226 power play percentage this season, going 14-for-62 on the power play. In 14 games since Nov. 1, Minnesota is 9-for-31 on the power play (.290), also good for second in the league. During the same stretch, Minnesota is 33-for-37 for the league's second-best penalty kill at .892.
Scoring Leaders
Through 24 games this season, Nicole Schammel (6g-23a) and Grace Zumwinkle (18g-11a) lead Minnesota with 29 points apiece. Taylor Heise (9g-16a) and Kelly Pannek (11g-9a) have both reached the 20-point mark this season as well. Zumwinkle leads the league with 18 goals while Schammel leads the WCHA with 23 assists. Emily Brown (4g-15a) leads WCHA defense with four goals and is tied for the lead among the league's blue-liners with 19 points while Patti Marshall (2g-12a) ranks fourth in scoring among WCHA defense with 14 points. Meanwhile, Taylor Heise (9g-16a) leads WCHA rookies with 25 points.
Coaching Milestone
Earlier this season, 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 364-66-31. 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 ranks 10th among all-time Gophers with 175 points (67g-108a). She is chasing Gigi Marvin in ninth place (87g-108a). Pannek's 108 career assists are tied for seventh in program history as well. She recorded her 100th career assist in Minnesota's season-opener. Meanwhile, Sarah Potomak is 31st in program history with 116 career points (39g-77a), trailing 30th-ranked Milica McMillen with 120 career points (44g-76a).
First-Career Goals
Five 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). Abigail Boreen netted her first collegiate goal against St. Cloud State (Nov. 17).
Up Next: On the Road Again
Minnesota travels to Columbus, Ohio, for its second series of the regular season with No. 5 Ohio State next week. The Gophers and Buckeyes face off at OSU Ice Rink at 5:07 p.m. CT Friday, Jan. 25 and 2:07 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 26. Earlier this season, the Gophers split a series with Ohio State at Ridder Arena, winning 3-0 before falling 3-2.
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.
Nationwide Gophers
After Minnesota played in the Windjammer Classic (Nov. 23-24), Vermont is now the 14th state where the Gophers have competed in program history: Connecticut, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Gophers Medal at Four Nations Cup
Kelly Pannek joined Gopher alums Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, and Gigi Marvin in winning gold with the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2018 Four Nations Cup. Fellow Gophers alumna Noora Raty won bronze with Finland in the tournament, while redshirt junior Sarah Potomak was named to Canada's National Women's Team for the tournament but was unable to participate due to injury.
Home, Sweet Home
The 2018-19 season marks the 17th season of Ridder Arena serving as the home of Gopher women's hockey. Minnesota entered 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.
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. Sydney 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.
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 by watching online via BTN Plus or FloHockey, and free audio and live stats are available at GopherSports.com.
Border Battle Promotions
The Border Battle series is Edina Community Weekend at Ridder Arena. Edina, Minn., natives Emily Oden, Jackie Pieper, and Taylor Williamson will be signing autographs after Saturday's game. Use the promo code WHO18EdinaCommunityWeekend for discounted tickets.
Friday's game features a Love Your Melon ticket package; for $30 fans can receive a game ticket and an exclusive Gopher Love Your Melon beanie. The first 2,000 fans in attendance on Friday will receive a light stick, and University of Minnesota students are eligible to win an exclusive lounger.
Meanwhile, Saturday's game is a gold out and all fans are encouraged to wear gold to support the Gophers. Saturday is also Goldy's Kids Club Day at Ridder Arena. In addition, University of Minnesota students are eligible to enter to win a Gopher hockey jersey.
Silent Auction Returns this Weekend
Minnesota's Power Play Club will be hosting its annual silent auction this weekend. Fans are invited to stop by the table on the concourse during both games; there will be a set of items for Friday and for Saturday, so bidders will find out if they won at the end of each game. Items include a suite at Ridder Arena when Minnesota hosts Minnesota Duluth on Feb. 3, coffee with coach Brad Frost, an autographed hockey stick from Minnesota's 41-0 team in 2012-13, and more.
About the Series: Gophers vs. Badgers
Minnesota owns an all-time record of 51-36-11 against Wisconsin. The Gophers and Badgers split a series in Madison, Wis., in October 2018 with Minnesota winning game one 1-0 on a power-play goal by Emily Brown and a 27-save shutout from Alex Gulstene before falling 4-1 in game two.
Last Time Out: Gophers Sweep Mavericks
The Gophers returned to WCHA action with a road sweep at Minnesota State last weekend, winning 5-1 and 6-3. Taylor Heise (4a), Amy Potomak (2g-1a), Emily Oden (1g-2a) led the Maroon & Gold against the Mavericks, and nine Gophers recorded multiple points in the series. Alex Gulstene and Sydney Scobee each picked up one win in net.
Spreading the Wealth
Nine Gopher forwards have scored at least six goals this season and, in total, 18 different skaters have scored goals. Twelve different Gophers are in double figures for points, and 21 different players have at least one point on the year. Twelve different players have scored game-winning goals for Minnesota led by four from Taylor Heise.
Pick Up Where You Left Off
The Gophers enter this weekend's series on a 14-game winning streak, during which they have outscored their opponents, 74-24. The Maroon & Gold average 5.29 goals per game while allowing just 1.71 goals per game over the team's last 14 games.
Special Teams Show Improvement
The Gophers rank second in the WCHA with a .226 power play percentage this season, going 14-for-62 on the power play. In 14 games since Nov. 1, Minnesota is 9-for-31 on the power play (.290), also good for second in the league. During the same stretch, Minnesota is 33-for-37 for the league's second-best penalty kill at .892.
Scoring Leaders
Through 24 games this season, Nicole Schammel (6g-23a) and Grace Zumwinkle (18g-11a) lead Minnesota with 29 points apiece. Taylor Heise (9g-16a) and Kelly Pannek (11g-9a) have both reached the 20-point mark this season as well. Zumwinkle leads the league with 18 goals while Schammel leads the WCHA with 23 assists. Emily Brown (4g-15a) leads WCHA defense with four goals and is tied for the lead among the league's blue-liners with 19 points while Patti Marshall (2g-12a) ranks fourth in scoring among WCHA defense with 14 points. Meanwhile, Taylor Heise (9g-16a) leads WCHA rookies with 25 points.
Coaching Milestone
Earlier this season, 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 364-66-31. 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 ranks 10th among all-time Gophers with 175 points (67g-108a). She is chasing Gigi Marvin in ninth place (87g-108a). Pannek's 108 career assists are tied for seventh in program history as well. She recorded her 100th career assist in Minnesota's season-opener. Meanwhile, Sarah Potomak is 31st in program history with 116 career points (39g-77a), trailing 30th-ranked Milica McMillen with 120 career points (44g-76a).
First-Career Goals
Five 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). Abigail Boreen netted her first collegiate goal against St. Cloud State (Nov. 17).
Up Next: On the Road Again
Minnesota travels to Columbus, Ohio, for its second series of the regular season with No. 5 Ohio State next week. The Gophers and Buckeyes face off at OSU Ice Rink at 5:07 p.m. CT Friday, Jan. 25 and 2:07 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 26. Earlier this season, the Gophers split a series with Ohio State at Ridder Arena, winning 3-0 before falling 3-2.
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.
Nationwide Gophers
After Minnesota played in the Windjammer Classic (Nov. 23-24), Vermont is now the 14th state where the Gophers have competed in program history: Connecticut, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Gophers Medal at Four Nations Cup
Kelly Pannek joined Gopher alums Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, and Gigi Marvin in winning gold with the U.S. Women's National Team at the 2018 Four Nations Cup. Fellow Gophers alumna Noora Raty won bronze with Finland in the tournament, while redshirt junior Sarah Potomak was named to Canada's National Women's Team for the tournament but was unable to participate due to injury.
Home, Sweet Home
The 2018-19 season marks the 17th season of Ridder Arena serving as the home of Gopher women's hockey. Minnesota entered 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.
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. Sydney 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.
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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