University of Minnesota Athletics
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Welcome Bulldogs to Ridder Arena
11/3/2022 11:28:00 AM | Women's Hockey
Top-ranked Minnesota to host top-five matchup vs. fifth-ranked Minnesota Duluth this weekend.
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 1 Golden Gopher women's hockey team returns home to take on No. 5 Minnesota Duluth on Friday and Saturday at Ridder Arena. Friday's puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 pm and Saturday's is slated for 2:00 pm.
Besting the Buckeyes
Last weekend, the Gophers travelled to Columbus, Ohio and took four-of-six possible conference points from the then-top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Minnesota tallied three goals in the third period win to 4-2 and hand the Buckeyes their first loss of the season on Friday. On Saturday, neither team could find an overtime winner, resulting in the first tie of the season for the Gophers. Ohio State earned the extra point in the shootout. Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy each tallied two goals in the series. Goaltender Skylar Vetter recorded 70 saves over the weekend, including a career-high 43 on Friday, to move her record this season to 5-0-1. The Gophers moved to 18-2-2 in their last 22 road contests with both losses coming in overtime. Both Vetter and Heise were honored as WCHA weekly award winners on Monday.
Scouting the Bulldogs
No. 5 Minnesota Duluth (7-3-0) is coming off back-to-back series against Ohio State and Wisconsin. After getting swept in Columbus, the Bulldogs earned a split against the Badgers in Duluth. Prior to those series, UMD has recorded a victory over Minnesota State twice, LIU twice, Penn State and St. Lawrence. The Bulldogs are led by fifth-year forward Gabbie Hughes (3g-11a), fifth-year defender Ashton Bell (6g-4a) and senior forward Mannon McMahon (3g-5a). Fifth-year goaltender Emma Soderberg has started all 10 games this season, posting a 7-3-0 record with 1.52 GAA and a .928 Sv%.
Rivalry Week
Last season, the Gophers and Bulldogs split the season series with three wins apiece. The two WCHA rivals split both regular season series in Duluth and Minneapolis. The Gophers defeated Minnesota Duluth 5-1, the largest margin of victory in the season series, to advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship on March 5. The Bulldogs flipped the script with a 2-1 win to advance to the Frozen Four one week later. Minnesota leads the all-time series 66-32-10 with only three regulation losses in the last 24 matchups.
On Top Again
Minnesota, the only unbeaten team in the WCHA, moved into first place in both national polls this week. The Gophers were ranked first from Jan. 31 – March 7 last season. The Maroon and Gold received 18/20 first place votes in the latest USCHO national poll.
Zumwinkle Climbs the Ranks
Fifth-year forward Grace Zumwinkle currently sits at 91 career goals, good for eighth in program history. She trails fellow-Olympian Dani Cameranesi (93) by two goals for seventh. The Excelsior, Minn., native has is tied for the team lead in points (14) and has notched a point in all eight games this season – the only Gopher to do so. After recording 15 shots over the weekend, Zumwinkle now sits in second place in program history in career shots with 667.
WCHA Monthly Honors
Two Gophers were honored with their first WCHA monthly awards after strong performances throughout October. Sophomore Abbey Murphy was named WCHA Forward of the Month after recording 14 points (8g-6a) with four power-play goals. Her 1.75 points-per-game is tied with Zumwinkle for first in the conference. Sophomore Skylar Vetter was named WCHA Goaltender of the Month after posting a 5-0-1 record with a 1.57 GAA and a .935 Sv%. Vetter also notched her second-career shutout on Oct. 14 at Minnesota State.
Scoring Milestones on the Horizon
Fifth-year forward Taylor Heise continues to climb the program ranks as Minnesota's active career scoring leader with 171 career points (71g-100a) in 142 career games. Fifth-year forwards Abigail Boreen (43g-55a), Emily Oden (28g-67a) and Catie Skaja (36g-53a) are the closest active skaters to the century mark.
Behind the Bench
Head coach Brad Frost is back for his 16th season as the bench boss of Gopher Women's Hockey. Under Frost's guidance, the program has posted a 449-93-36 record with four national titles and seven conference titles. Natalie Darwitz is back behind the bench for her fourth season as assistant coach and is joined by newly promoted Jessica Scott, who served as the program's Director of Operations for the last three seasons.
Quest for Eighth National Title
Minnesota has won seven national championships (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016) and looks for a historic eighth title national crown in 2022-23.
Besting the Buckeyes
Last weekend, the Gophers travelled to Columbus, Ohio and took four-of-six possible conference points from the then-top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Minnesota tallied three goals in the third period win to 4-2 and hand the Buckeyes their first loss of the season on Friday. On Saturday, neither team could find an overtime winner, resulting in the first tie of the season for the Gophers. Ohio State earned the extra point in the shootout. Taylor Heise and Abbey Murphy each tallied two goals in the series. Goaltender Skylar Vetter recorded 70 saves over the weekend, including a career-high 43 on Friday, to move her record this season to 5-0-1. The Gophers moved to 18-2-2 in their last 22 road contests with both losses coming in overtime. Both Vetter and Heise were honored as WCHA weekly award winners on Monday.
Scouting the Bulldogs
No. 5 Minnesota Duluth (7-3-0) is coming off back-to-back series against Ohio State and Wisconsin. After getting swept in Columbus, the Bulldogs earned a split against the Badgers in Duluth. Prior to those series, UMD has recorded a victory over Minnesota State twice, LIU twice, Penn State and St. Lawrence. The Bulldogs are led by fifth-year forward Gabbie Hughes (3g-11a), fifth-year defender Ashton Bell (6g-4a) and senior forward Mannon McMahon (3g-5a). Fifth-year goaltender Emma Soderberg has started all 10 games this season, posting a 7-3-0 record with 1.52 GAA and a .928 Sv%.
Rivalry Week
Last season, the Gophers and Bulldogs split the season series with three wins apiece. The two WCHA rivals split both regular season series in Duluth and Minneapolis. The Gophers defeated Minnesota Duluth 5-1, the largest margin of victory in the season series, to advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship on March 5. The Bulldogs flipped the script with a 2-1 win to advance to the Frozen Four one week later. Minnesota leads the all-time series 66-32-10 with only three regulation losses in the last 24 matchups.
On Top Again
Minnesota, the only unbeaten team in the WCHA, moved into first place in both national polls this week. The Gophers were ranked first from Jan. 31 – March 7 last season. The Maroon and Gold received 18/20 first place votes in the latest USCHO national poll.
Zumwinkle Climbs the Ranks
Fifth-year forward Grace Zumwinkle currently sits at 91 career goals, good for eighth in program history. She trails fellow-Olympian Dani Cameranesi (93) by two goals for seventh. The Excelsior, Minn., native has is tied for the team lead in points (14) and has notched a point in all eight games this season – the only Gopher to do so. After recording 15 shots over the weekend, Zumwinkle now sits in second place in program history in career shots with 667.
WCHA Monthly Honors
Two Gophers were honored with their first WCHA monthly awards after strong performances throughout October. Sophomore Abbey Murphy was named WCHA Forward of the Month after recording 14 points (8g-6a) with four power-play goals. Her 1.75 points-per-game is tied with Zumwinkle for first in the conference. Sophomore Skylar Vetter was named WCHA Goaltender of the Month after posting a 5-0-1 record with a 1.57 GAA and a .935 Sv%. Vetter also notched her second-career shutout on Oct. 14 at Minnesota State.
Scoring Milestones on the Horizon
Fifth-year forward Taylor Heise continues to climb the program ranks as Minnesota's active career scoring leader with 171 career points (71g-100a) in 142 career games. Fifth-year forwards Abigail Boreen (43g-55a), Emily Oden (28g-67a) and Catie Skaja (36g-53a) are the closest active skaters to the century mark.
Behind the Bench
Head coach Brad Frost is back for his 16th season as the bench boss of Gopher Women's Hockey. Under Frost's guidance, the program has posted a 449-93-36 record with four national titles and seven conference titles. Natalie Darwitz is back behind the bench for her fourth season as assistant coach and is joined by newly promoted Jessica Scott, who served as the program's Director of Operations for the last three seasons.
Quest for Eighth National Title
Minnesota has won seven national championships (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016) and looks for a historic eighth title national crown in 2022-23.
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