University of Minnesota Athletics
Photo by: Susan McPherson
Bench Joins Gophers for 2020-21
5/1/2020 10:30:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Goaltender Lauren Bench will join the Maroon & Gold for the upcoming season as she begins graduate school at the University of Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS - The Golden Gopher women's hockey team and head coach Brad Frost are pleased to announce the addition of Lauren Bench, a goaltender from Eagan, Minn., who will join the Maroon & Gold as a graduate student for the 2020-21 season.
Bench completed her undergraduate degree at Bemidji State where she studied Chemistry and competed for the Beavers for four years. Having red-shirted her first season at BSU, Bench has one season of eligibility remaining and is eligible to compete immediately as she begins graduate school.
"Lauren is a proven goaltender at the college level," Frost said. "She has won many big games in the WCHA and knows what it takes. We are excited to have her join our Gopher program as she works toward a masters degree after graduating from Bemidji State this spring."
Bench played in 73 career games at Bemidji State, posting a .912 save percentage and a 2.45 goals against average for her career. After redshirting the 2016-17 season, Bench appeared in 19 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017-18. She then saw the majority of ice time among BSU goaltenders in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, playing in 23 games and posting four shutouts as a redshirt sophomore and, most recently, going 13-16-2 in 31 games with four shutouts as a redshirt junior last season.
The 5-10 goaltender joins the Gophers while she pursues her Master of Education in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Minnesota.
Bench earned All-WCHA Third Team honors in 2018-19 along with picking up six WCHA weekly awards and one WCHA monthly award during her time with the Beavers. She is a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and WCHA All-Academic Team honoree as well. Bench graduated from Burnsville High School, leading the Blaze to a Minnesota State Tournament appearance in 2013-14.
Bench joins seven incoming freshmen to make up the newest class of Gophers for the 2020-21 season as Addie Burton, Anne Cherkowski, Josey Dunne, Tella Jungels, Abbey Murphy, Maggie Nicholson, and Audrey Wethington are set to join the Maroon & Gold as rookies.
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Bench completed her undergraduate degree at Bemidji State where she studied Chemistry and competed for the Beavers for four years. Having red-shirted her first season at BSU, Bench has one season of eligibility remaining and is eligible to compete immediately as she begins graduate school.
"Lauren is a proven goaltender at the college level," Frost said. "She has won many big games in the WCHA and knows what it takes. We are excited to have her join our Gopher program as she works toward a masters degree after graduating from Bemidji State this spring."
Bench played in 73 career games at Bemidji State, posting a .912 save percentage and a 2.45 goals against average for her career. After redshirting the 2016-17 season, Bench appeared in 19 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017-18. She then saw the majority of ice time among BSU goaltenders in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, playing in 23 games and posting four shutouts as a redshirt sophomore and, most recently, going 13-16-2 in 31 games with four shutouts as a redshirt junior last season.
The 5-10 goaltender joins the Gophers while she pursues her Master of Education in Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Minnesota.
Bench earned All-WCHA Third Team honors in 2018-19 along with picking up six WCHA weekly awards and one WCHA monthly award during her time with the Beavers. She is a three-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete and WCHA All-Academic Team honoree as well. Bench graduated from Burnsville High School, leading the Blaze to a Minnesota State Tournament appearance in 2013-14.
Bench joins seven incoming freshmen to make up the newest class of Gophers for the 2020-21 season as Addie Burton, Anne Cherkowski, Josey Dunne, Tella Jungels, Abbey Murphy, Maggie Nicholson, and Audrey Wethington are set to join the Maroon & Gold as rookies.
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