University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, February 25
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
27-7-1
4
vs
0
St. Thomas
5-26-1
1
2
3
F
St. Thomas (MN)
0
0
0
0
Minnesota
1
2
1
4
Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Gophers Defeat Tommies in Game One
2/25/2022 9:17:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Minnesota shutout St. Thomas 4-0 to win the first game of its WCHA quarterfinal series.
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 1 Golden Gopher women's hockey team kicked off the postseason with a 4-0 win over St. Thomas on Friday night at Ridder Arena. With a win tomorrow, Minnesota would advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff the following weekend, also at Ridder Arena.
Minnesota (27-7-1) dominated play from start to finish to blank St. Thomas for the second time this season. The Gophers cruised to their eighth straight thanks to goals from Audrey Wethington in the first, Taylor Heise and Abigail Boreen in the second, and Amy Potomak in the third. The 'U' dominated in shots on goal, outshooting the Tommies 53-9 throughout the contest. For the second time this season, Minnesota held St. Thomas shot-less for an entire period, as it did so in the second period tonight.
Lauren Bench earned her third shutout of the season after stopping all nine shots faced. The sixth-year senior now has 12 wins on the season and 21 with the Gophers. Alexa Dobchuk was exceptional for the Tommies, stopping 49 shots to keep the game tight.
Quotable
"A good game tonight," said head coach Brad Frost. "Playoff hockey gets tougher and we're proud of our team. We controlled the play and had a bunch of quality chances. [Dobchuk] played really, really well. Overall, a good win and a series lead. We're looking forward to tomorrow and getting back after it."
Notable
Fifth-year defender Olivia Knowles tied the program record for games played with 164. All three members of Minnesota's third forward line recorded two points in the victory – Savannah Norcross (2a), Amy Potomak (1g-1a), Audrey Wethington (1g-1a). The Gophers move to 5-0 against St. Thomas this season, outscoring the WCHA newcomers 34-4. The Maroon and Gold did not allow a shot on goal for 26:43 in a span from 1:08 left in the first period to 5:35 into the third period.
Up Next
The Gophers and Tommies will meet for game two tomorrow at 4:00 pm at Ridder Arena. The winner of the best 2-of-3 series will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff the following weekend at Ridder Arena.
Minnesota (27-7-1) dominated play from start to finish to blank St. Thomas for the second time this season. The Gophers cruised to their eighth straight thanks to goals from Audrey Wethington in the first, Taylor Heise and Abigail Boreen in the second, and Amy Potomak in the third. The 'U' dominated in shots on goal, outshooting the Tommies 53-9 throughout the contest. For the second time this season, Minnesota held St. Thomas shot-less for an entire period, as it did so in the second period tonight.
Lauren Bench earned her third shutout of the season after stopping all nine shots faced. The sixth-year senior now has 12 wins on the season and 21 with the Gophers. Alexa Dobchuk was exceptional for the Tommies, stopping 49 shots to keep the game tight.
Quotable
"A good game tonight," said head coach Brad Frost. "Playoff hockey gets tougher and we're proud of our team. We controlled the play and had a bunch of quality chances. [Dobchuk] played really, really well. Overall, a good win and a series lead. We're looking forward to tomorrow and getting back after it."
Notable
Fifth-year defender Olivia Knowles tied the program record for games played with 164. All three members of Minnesota's third forward line recorded two points in the victory – Savannah Norcross (2a), Amy Potomak (1g-1a), Audrey Wethington (1g-1a). The Gophers move to 5-0 against St. Thomas this season, outscoring the WCHA newcomers 34-4. The Maroon and Gold did not allow a shot on goal for 26:43 in a span from 1:08 left in the first period to 5:35 into the third period.
Up Next
The Gophers and Tommies will meet for game two tomorrow at 4:00 pm at Ridder Arena. 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
9
53
PPG
0
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
3
6
Penalty Mins
6
12
Faceoffs Won
15
57
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
7
A
1
+/-
1
Goals
1
Sh
4
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
1
+/-
2
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's HockeyF
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's HockeyF
/ Women's HockeyF
/ Women's HockeyF
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