University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, February 19
4:00 PM
University of Minnesota
26-7-1, 21-6-1
7
vs
1
St. Thomas
5-25-1, 3-23-1
1
2
3
F
St. Thomas (MN)
1
0
0
1
Minnesota
3
1
3
7
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Win WCHA Regular-Season Title
2/19/2022 8:02:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Minnesota defeats St. Thomas, 7-1 to clinch the program’s 11th regular-season conference title.
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 1 Golden Gopher women's hockey team defeated St. Thomas, 7-1 at Ridder Arena on Saturday evening to earn the program's 11th conference regular season title and clinch the No. 1 in the WCHA tournament. After starting the season 1-3, Minnesota posted a 25-4-1 record to climb to the top of the nation's premier conference. It is the first conference title for the 'U' since 2018-19.
Minnesota (26-7-1, 21-6-1 WCHA) saw senior day filled with freshmen highlights. Freshman forward Peyton Hemp kicked the scoring off with her 12th goal of the season less than two minutes in. After St. Thomas (5-25-1, 3-23-1 WCHA) evened things seven minutes later, it was Taylor Heise who put the Gophers in front with her 26th goal and 60th point on the season. Freshman Ella Huber tallied the next goals for her first multi-goal game of her career. Seniors Savannah Norcross, who scored twice, and Emily Oden each notched goals to secure the victory.
Minnesota's sixth-year senior, Lauren Bench, stopped 11 shots to earn her 11th victory of the season and 20th with the Maroon and Gold. St. Thomas' Dobchuk made 59 saves in the defeat.
Quotable
"Just an incredible way to honor our seniors," said head coach Brad Frost. "They've given their heart and soul to our team and our program. We're so thankful for all of them. To win the Julianne Bye Cup and the WCHA regular-season championship is really special. It's a very, very hard trophy to win – especially in our league. We're really happy for them and our group. We're going to celebrate that and look forward to the playoffs coming up."
Notable
Minnesota claims the WCHA regular season title for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Taylor Heise became the first Gopher since Kelly Pannek in 2016-17 to record 60 points in a single season. Her 60 points was the most in the nation and Minnesota's first regular-season scoring champion since Pannek. Her 26 goals was tied for the most in the nation with Wisconsin's Daryl Watts.
Up Next
The Gophers and Tommies will meet in the first round of the WCHA Tournament, which begins next weekend. The winner of the best 2-of-3 series will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff the following weekend at Ridder Arena.
Minnesota (26-7-1, 21-6-1 WCHA) saw senior day filled with freshmen highlights. Freshman forward Peyton Hemp kicked the scoring off with her 12th goal of the season less than two minutes in. After St. Thomas (5-25-1, 3-23-1 WCHA) evened things seven minutes later, it was Taylor Heise who put the Gophers in front with her 26th goal and 60th point on the season. Freshman Ella Huber tallied the next goals for her first multi-goal game of her career. Seniors Savannah Norcross, who scored twice, and Emily Oden each notched goals to secure the victory.
Minnesota's sixth-year senior, Lauren Bench, stopped 11 shots to earn her 11th victory of the season and 20th with the Maroon and Gold. St. Thomas' Dobchuk made 59 saves in the defeat.
Quotable
"Just an incredible way to honor our seniors," said head coach Brad Frost. "They've given their heart and soul to our team and our program. We're so thankful for all of them. To win the Julianne Bye Cup and the WCHA regular-season championship is really special. It's a very, very hard trophy to win – especially in our league. We're really happy for them and our group. We're going to celebrate that and look forward to the playoffs coming up."
Notable
Minnesota claims the WCHA regular season title for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Taylor Heise became the first Gopher since Kelly Pannek in 2016-17 to record 60 points in a single season. Her 60 points was the most in the nation and Minnesota's first regular-season scoring champion since Pannek. Her 26 goals was tied for the most in the nation with Wisconsin's Daryl Watts.
Up Next
The Gophers and Tommies will meet in the first round of the WCHA Tournament, which begins next weekend. The winner of the best 2-of-3 series will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff the following weekend at Ridder Arena.
Team Stats
UST
MIN
Shots
12
66
PPG
0
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
2
1
Penalty Mins
4
2
Faceoffs Won
21
44
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
3
Goals
2
Sh
7
A
1
+/-
1
Goals
2
Sh
6
A
0
+/-
4
Goals
1
Sh
10
A
1
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's HockeyF
/ Women's HockeyF
/ Women's HockeyF
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Wednesday, June 25
Natalie Mlynkova Drafted by Montreal
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Peyton Hemp Drafted by Ottawa
Tuesday, June 24
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Friday, May 16