University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 9
Ridder Arena
2:00 PM
University of Minnesota
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Minnesota Duluth
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Photo by: Craig Lassig
Defending Champion Gophers Set for WCHA Final Faceoff
3/4/2019 1:41:00 PM | Women's Hockey
No. 1 seed Minnesota faces No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth in the WCHA semifinals at 2:07 p.m. CT Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS –The WCHA regular-season champion University of Minnesota women's hockey team (29-4-1) faces No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth (15-15-4) in the semifinal round of the 2019 WCHA Final Faceoff at 2 p.m. CT Saturday at Ridder Arena.
This year marks the 12th time the WCHA Final Faceoff has been held at Ridder Arena. Following the semifinal match-up between the Gophers and Bulldogs, No. 2 seed Wisconsin (30-4-2) will face No. 3 seed Ohio State (20-12-2) in the second semifinal at 5 p.m. CT Saturday. The semifinal winners meet in Sunday's league championship game at 2 p.m. CT.
Free video of the semifinal games will be streamed on WCHA.com; the championship game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports North and FOX Sports Wisconsin and be available online via FOX Sports Go. Fans can also follow along via free audio and live stats at GopherSports.com.
WCHA First Round Rewind: How They Got Here
WCHA regular-season champion Minnesota advanced straight to the WCHA Final Faceoff, and all three WCHA First Round series were decided in two games. No. 2 seed Wisconsin swept St. Cloud State with 5-0 and 8-0 wins while No. 3 seed Ohio State knocked out Minnesota State with 3-2 (OT) and 3-0 wins. No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth swept Bemidji State with 3-2 and 4-3 wins to round out the WCHA Final Faceoff field.
About the WCHA Final Face-Off Field
Minnesota is making its 20th-consecutive appearance in the WCHA semifinals after clinching the regular season title and the Julianne Bye Cup on the final weekend of the regular season. The Badgers, who share the WCHA record of seven league playoff championships with Minnesota, are playing in their ninth-straight WCHA Final Faceoff. The Buckeyes are making back-to-back Final Faceoff semifinal appearances for the first time in program history and are seeking their first Final Faceoff title. The Bulldogs return to the Final Faceoff for the first time since in 2017. The Bulldogs won their fifth, and most recent, Final Faceoff title in 2010.
Gophers at the WCHA Final Faceoff
Minnesota has never not advanced to the league's postseason tournament, and the defending WCHA Final Faceoff champion Gophers own a league-high seven WCHA postseason titles. The Gophers last won the WCHA Final Faceoff in 2018 and won three-straight titles from 2012-2014; the Maroon & Gold also won WCHA postseason titles in 2002, 2004, and 2005. Minnesota has a 48-14-0 all-time mark in WCHA postseason games, including wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin in last year's WCHA Final Faceoff.
About the Series: Gophers vs. Bulldogs
Minnesota owns a 58-28-9 all-time record against Minnesota Duluth in a series that dates back to November 1998. The Gophers are 3-1-1 against the Bulldogs this season, most recently splitting a series at Ridder Arena in early February. Minnesota fell 3-2 in overtime in game one but won 5-3 in game two. The Gophers defeated the Bulldogs by a score of 4-3 in overtime in the semifinal round of the inaugural Minnesota Cup earlier this season, and in October 2018, the Gophers recorded a 5-2 win and a 2-2 (OT) tie on the road in Duluth, Minn. Saturday's game marks the sixth game between UMD and Minnesota this season.
About the Series: Gophers vs. Badgers
The Gophers and Badgers split two series this season with Minnesota winning 1-0 and falling 4-1 on the road in Madison, Wis., in late October before losing 2-1 and winning 3-1 at Ridder Arena in mid-January. Minnesota has a 52-37-11 all-time record against the Badgers in a series dating back to Feb. 1998.
About the Series: Gophers vs. Buckeyes
Minnesota is 3-1-0 against Ohio State this season, most recently earning a road sweep over the Buckeyes with 7-2 and 7-1 wins. Earlier this year, the Gophers and Buckeyes split a series with Minnesota securing a 3-0 win before falling 3-2 in October 2018. Minnesota is 74-12-5 all-time against Ohio State in a series dating back to February 2000.
WCHA Regular-Season Champions
This season Minnesota won the program's 10th WCHA regular-season title in program history and the Gophers' first since the 2014-15 season, wrapping up the regular season with a road sweep at Bemidji State to secure six league points. The Gophers finished with 58 points, two points ahead of runner-up Wisconsin with 56 points.
2019 Senior Salute
The Gophers celebrated their eight seniors Tianna Gunderson, Emma May, Kelly Pannek, Jackie Pieper, Nicole Schammel, Sophie Skarzynski, Sierra Smith, and Taylor Williamson during the team's series with Minnesota State (Feb. 15-16). Over the last four seasons, Minnesota has posted an overall record of 114-27-10 in 149 games from 2015-16 to 2018-19. The Gophers are 75-19-10 in WCHA games over the last four years. Minnesota won the 2016 national championship and took home the 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff title.
Last Time Out: Gophers Sweep Beavers
Minnesota closed out the 2018-19 regular season with 6-3 and 4-3 wins on the road at Bemidji State. Amy Potomak (1g-3a), Sarah Potomak (1g-3a), Patti Marshall (4a), Kelly Pannek (3g), and Taylor Heise (2g-1a) led the Maroon & Gold in scoring against the Beavers, and Alex Gulstene and Sydney Scobee each picked up one win in net for the Gophers.
Spreading the Wealth
Nine Gopher forwards have scored at least nine goals this season and, in total, 19 different skaters have scored goals. Fifteen different Gophers are in double figures for points, and 21 different players have at least one point on the year. Fifteen different players have scored game-winning goals for Minnesota led by five from Taylor Heise.
Nation's Top-Scoring Offense
The Maroon & Gold has the WCHA's top-scoring offense averaging 4.35 goals per game while allowing just 1.79 goals per game. Minnesota's 148 goals for this season is the best in the NCAA. The Gophers had a 14-game winning streak from Nov. 2 to Jan. 12, outscoring opponents, 74-24.
Special Special Teams
The Gophers rank second in the league with a .247 power-play percentage (23-for-93). Meanwhile, the Gophers are third in the WCHA with a penalty kill percentage of .854 (70-for-82).
Scoring Leaders
In 34 games, Nicole Schammel (12g-30a), Grace Zumwinkle (23g-16a), and Taylor Heise (13g-22a) lead the Gophers in scoring. Schammel leads the WCHA with 30 assists while Zumwinkle leads the league with 23 goals, and Heise is second in scoring among WCHA rookies with 35 points. Eleven Gophers have reached the 20-point mark this season.
Offensive Defense
Two Gopher defense rank among the league's top scoring blue-liners. Emily Brown (4g-21a) is second among WCHA defense with 25 points while Patti Marshall (2g-19a) is tied for fourth in scoring among WCHA defense with 21 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 372-68-31. 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 182 points (70g-112a). She is chasing Gigi Marvin in ninth place (87g-108a). Pannek's 112 career assists are tied for sixth in program history as well. She recorded her 100th career assist in Minnesota's season-opener. Meanwhile, Sarah Potomak ranks 28th in program history with 127 career points (43g-84a), trailing 27th-ranked Brittany Francis with 129 career points (39g-90a).
First-Career Goals
Six 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), and Crystalyn Hengler found the back of the net against Ohio State (Jan. 26).
Up Next: NCAA Tournament
The NCAA postseason begins next weekend with the quarterfinal round. Minnesota will learn its NCAA tournament fate when the 2019 NCAA Women's Hockey Selection Show airs live on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. CT Sunday evening.
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.
WCHA Regular Season Trophy Renamed
The WCHA Women's League presented a new regular season championship trophy named in honor of long-time women's hockey advocate Julianne Bye. The Julianne Bye Cup will be awarded yearly to the winner of the WCHA regular season championship beginning this season.
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 returned to Minnesota for her redshirt senior season as an Olympic gold medalist after helping Team USA to gold at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
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 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 12 times, including this season. Ridder Arena has also hosted the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2018.
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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This year marks the 12th time the WCHA Final Faceoff has been held at Ridder Arena. Following the semifinal match-up between the Gophers and Bulldogs, No. 2 seed Wisconsin (30-4-2) will face No. 3 seed Ohio State (20-12-2) in the second semifinal at 5 p.m. CT Saturday. The semifinal winners meet in Sunday's league championship game at 2 p.m. CT.
Free video of the semifinal games will be streamed on WCHA.com; the championship game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports North and FOX Sports Wisconsin and be available online via FOX Sports Go. Fans can also follow along via free audio and live stats at GopherSports.com.
WCHA First Round Rewind: How They Got Here
WCHA regular-season champion Minnesota advanced straight to the WCHA Final Faceoff, and all three WCHA First Round series were decided in two games. No. 2 seed Wisconsin swept St. Cloud State with 5-0 and 8-0 wins while No. 3 seed Ohio State knocked out Minnesota State with 3-2 (OT) and 3-0 wins. No. 4 seed Minnesota Duluth swept Bemidji State with 3-2 and 4-3 wins to round out the WCHA Final Faceoff field.
About the WCHA Final Face-Off Field
Minnesota is making its 20th-consecutive appearance in the WCHA semifinals after clinching the regular season title and the Julianne Bye Cup on the final weekend of the regular season. The Badgers, who share the WCHA record of seven league playoff championships with Minnesota, are playing in their ninth-straight WCHA Final Faceoff. The Buckeyes are making back-to-back Final Faceoff semifinal appearances for the first time in program history and are seeking their first Final Faceoff title. The Bulldogs return to the Final Faceoff for the first time since in 2017. The Bulldogs won their fifth, and most recent, Final Faceoff title in 2010.
Gophers at the WCHA Final Faceoff
Minnesota has never not advanced to the league's postseason tournament, and the defending WCHA Final Faceoff champion Gophers own a league-high seven WCHA postseason titles. The Gophers last won the WCHA Final Faceoff in 2018 and won three-straight titles from 2012-2014; the Maroon & Gold also won WCHA postseason titles in 2002, 2004, and 2005. Minnesota has a 48-14-0 all-time mark in WCHA postseason games, including wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin in last year's WCHA Final Faceoff.
About the Series: Gophers vs. Bulldogs
Minnesota owns a 58-28-9 all-time record against Minnesota Duluth in a series that dates back to November 1998. The Gophers are 3-1-1 against the Bulldogs this season, most recently splitting a series at Ridder Arena in early February. Minnesota fell 3-2 in overtime in game one but won 5-3 in game two. The Gophers defeated the Bulldogs by a score of 4-3 in overtime in the semifinal round of the inaugural Minnesota Cup earlier this season, and in October 2018, the Gophers recorded a 5-2 win and a 2-2 (OT) tie on the road in Duluth, Minn. Saturday's game marks the sixth game between UMD and Minnesota this season.
About the Series: Gophers vs. Badgers
The Gophers and Badgers split two series this season with Minnesota winning 1-0 and falling 4-1 on the road in Madison, Wis., in late October before losing 2-1 and winning 3-1 at Ridder Arena in mid-January. Minnesota has a 52-37-11 all-time record against the Badgers in a series dating back to Feb. 1998.
About the Series: Gophers vs. Buckeyes
Minnesota is 3-1-0 against Ohio State this season, most recently earning a road sweep over the Buckeyes with 7-2 and 7-1 wins. Earlier this year, the Gophers and Buckeyes split a series with Minnesota securing a 3-0 win before falling 3-2 in October 2018. Minnesota is 74-12-5 all-time against Ohio State in a series dating back to February 2000.
WCHA Regular-Season Champions
This season Minnesota won the program's 10th WCHA regular-season title in program history and the Gophers' first since the 2014-15 season, wrapping up the regular season with a road sweep at Bemidji State to secure six league points. The Gophers finished with 58 points, two points ahead of runner-up Wisconsin with 56 points.
2019 Senior Salute
The Gophers celebrated their eight seniors Tianna Gunderson, Emma May, Kelly Pannek, Jackie Pieper, Nicole Schammel, Sophie Skarzynski, Sierra Smith, and Taylor Williamson during the team's series with Minnesota State (Feb. 15-16). Over the last four seasons, Minnesota has posted an overall record of 114-27-10 in 149 games from 2015-16 to 2018-19. The Gophers are 75-19-10 in WCHA games over the last four years. Minnesota won the 2016 national championship and took home the 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff title.
Last Time Out: Gophers Sweep Beavers
Minnesota closed out the 2018-19 regular season with 6-3 and 4-3 wins on the road at Bemidji State. Amy Potomak (1g-3a), Sarah Potomak (1g-3a), Patti Marshall (4a), Kelly Pannek (3g), and Taylor Heise (2g-1a) led the Maroon & Gold in scoring against the Beavers, and Alex Gulstene and Sydney Scobee each picked up one win in net for the Gophers.
Spreading the Wealth
Nine Gopher forwards have scored at least nine goals this season and, in total, 19 different skaters have scored goals. Fifteen different Gophers are in double figures for points, and 21 different players have at least one point on the year. Fifteen different players have scored game-winning goals for Minnesota led by five from Taylor Heise.
Nation's Top-Scoring Offense
The Maroon & Gold has the WCHA's top-scoring offense averaging 4.35 goals per game while allowing just 1.79 goals per game. Minnesota's 148 goals for this season is the best in the NCAA. The Gophers had a 14-game winning streak from Nov. 2 to Jan. 12, outscoring opponents, 74-24.
Special Special Teams
The Gophers rank second in the league with a .247 power-play percentage (23-for-93). Meanwhile, the Gophers are third in the WCHA with a penalty kill percentage of .854 (70-for-82).
Scoring Leaders
In 34 games, Nicole Schammel (12g-30a), Grace Zumwinkle (23g-16a), and Taylor Heise (13g-22a) lead the Gophers in scoring. Schammel leads the WCHA with 30 assists while Zumwinkle leads the league with 23 goals, and Heise is second in scoring among WCHA rookies with 35 points. Eleven Gophers have reached the 20-point mark this season.
Offensive Defense
Two Gopher defense rank among the league's top scoring blue-liners. Emily Brown (4g-21a) is second among WCHA defense with 25 points while Patti Marshall (2g-19a) is tied for fourth in scoring among WCHA defense with 21 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 372-68-31. 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 182 points (70g-112a). She is chasing Gigi Marvin in ninth place (87g-108a). Pannek's 112 career assists are tied for sixth in program history as well. She recorded her 100th career assist in Minnesota's season-opener. Meanwhile, Sarah Potomak ranks 28th in program history with 127 career points (43g-84a), trailing 27th-ranked Brittany Francis with 129 career points (39g-90a).
First-Career Goals
Six 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), and Crystalyn Hengler found the back of the net against Ohio State (Jan. 26).
Up Next: NCAA Tournament
The NCAA postseason begins next weekend with the quarterfinal round. Minnesota will learn its NCAA tournament fate when the 2019 NCAA Women's Hockey Selection Show airs live on NCAA.com at 8 p.m. CT Sunday evening.
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.
WCHA Regular Season Trophy Renamed
The WCHA Women's League presented a new regular season championship trophy named in honor of long-time women's hockey advocate Julianne Bye. The Julianne Bye Cup will be awarded yearly to the winner of the WCHA regular season championship beginning this season.
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 returned to Minnesota for her redshirt senior season as an Olympic gold medalist after helping Team USA to gold at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
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 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 12 times, including this season. Ridder Arena has also hosted the NCAA Women's Frozen Four in 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2018.
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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