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Gophers, Tommies to Open WCHA Tournament
2/23/2023 2:00:00 PM | Women's Hockey
The winner of the best two-of-three series will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff next weekend at Ridder Arena.
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 4/4 Golden Gopher women's hockey team (25-5-3) hosts St. Thomas (8-25-1) in the first round of the 2023 WCHA Tournament this weekend at Ridder Arena. The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff next weekend at Ridder Arena.
The recommended single game parking area is the University Avenue Ramp, lot C58 will not be available for parking this weekend. Please arrive early as capacity crowds are expected next door when Men's Hockey hosts Ohio State Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 4:30pm. Additional event information can be found here.
Last Time Out
The Gophers closed out the regular season with a road sweep at St. Thomas last weekend in Mendota Heights, Minn. On Friday, the Gophers posted 55 shots, but needed an overtime winner from Abbey Murphy to extend Minnesota's road winning streak to seven games. On Saturday, the Gophers battled to a 4-2 win behind a pair of goals from Abigail Boreen for their 25th win of the season. Skylar Vetter started in goal for Minnesota in both games, stopping 42-of-45 shots in the series.
Scouting the Opposition
The Gophers will go up against St. Thomas (8-25-1) (3-24-1 WCHA) for the second-straight weekend. The Tommies went 0-4-0 against the Gophers this season and were outscored 15-4 in the four matchups. The Tommies are led in scoring by sophomore defender Maddy Clough (6g-7a), and fifth-year forwards Anna Solheim (4g-8a) and Gabby Billing (5g-5a). All-WCHA Second Team goaltender Saskia Maurer made 53 saves in Friday's matchup with Minnesota but did not play on Saturday. The Maroon and Gold swept St. Thomas in the opening round of the WCHA tournament last season with a 4-0 win in game one and a 5-1 win in game two. Minnesota leads the all-time series 10-0-0.
WCHA Tournament
With the regular season coming to a conclusion, the matchups for the first round of the 2023 WCHA Tournament have been set. No. 1 Ohio State will host No. 8 Bemidji State. No. 2 Minnesota will host No. 7 St. Thomas. No. 3 Wisconsin will host No. 6 Minnesota State. No. 4 Minnesota Duluth will host No. 5 St. Cloud State. Each series is a best two-of-three format. The winner of each series will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena next weekend.
All-WCHA Teams
On Thursday morning, the WCHA announced the 2022-23 All-WCHA Teams with six Gophers receiving honors. Fifth-year forwards Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle were named to the All-WCHA First Team. Forwards Abigail Boreen and Abbey Murphy and goaltender Skylar Vetter also represent the Gophers as All-WCHA Third Team selections. Freshman defender Nelli Laitinen was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team.
High-Octane Offense
After adding six goals last weekend, Minnesota continues to rank first in the nation in scoring offense in goals-per-game (4.62). The Gophers have scored 152 goals in 33 games this season with six or more goals in 9 different games. Minnesota has four players at the top of the WCHA in goals as Taylor Heise (25), Abbey Murphy (24), Grace Zumwinkle (22) and Abigail Boreen (21) rank 1-4 in the conference.
Special Teams Success
Minnesota's special teams have been clicking offensively with and without the extra-skater advantage. The Gophers' power play currently ranks second in the nation while converting on 30/108 (.278) power plays this season. Minnesota has scored on the power play in 21-of-33 games this season. The Maroon and Gold also rank first in the nation in shorthanded goals with 9. Taylor Heise is tied for second in the nation with 4 SHG this season.
Scoring Milestones on the Horizon
With an assist on Friday, Grace Zumwinkle became the 10th player in program history to record 200 career points. The fifth-year forward is also sitting on 106 career goals, tied with Krissy Wendell for fourth place in program history. Zumwinkle trails Amanda Kessel for third place by two goals. Fifth-year forward Taylor Heise continues to climb the program ranks as she currently sits in 7th place in program history in points with 217 (92g-125a) in 166 career games. Heise trails Kelly Stephens by two points for sixth place all-time. Her 125 assists rank fifth in program history, trailing Krissy Wendell by six for the next spot in the rankings.
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 467-98-38 record with four national titles and seven conference titles. Associate head coach Natalie Darwitz is back behind the bench for her fourth season and is joined by assistant coach 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.
The recommended single game parking area is the University Avenue Ramp, lot C58 will not be available for parking this weekend. Please arrive early as capacity crowds are expected next door when Men's Hockey hosts Ohio State Friday at 8pm and Saturday at 4:30pm. Additional event information can be found here.
Last Time Out
The Gophers closed out the regular season with a road sweep at St. Thomas last weekend in Mendota Heights, Minn. On Friday, the Gophers posted 55 shots, but needed an overtime winner from Abbey Murphy to extend Minnesota's road winning streak to seven games. On Saturday, the Gophers battled to a 4-2 win behind a pair of goals from Abigail Boreen for their 25th win of the season. Skylar Vetter started in goal for Minnesota in both games, stopping 42-of-45 shots in the series.
Scouting the Opposition
The Gophers will go up against St. Thomas (8-25-1) (3-24-1 WCHA) for the second-straight weekend. The Tommies went 0-4-0 against the Gophers this season and were outscored 15-4 in the four matchups. The Tommies are led in scoring by sophomore defender Maddy Clough (6g-7a), and fifth-year forwards Anna Solheim (4g-8a) and Gabby Billing (5g-5a). All-WCHA Second Team goaltender Saskia Maurer made 53 saves in Friday's matchup with Minnesota but did not play on Saturday. The Maroon and Gold swept St. Thomas in the opening round of the WCHA tournament last season with a 4-0 win in game one and a 5-1 win in game two. Minnesota leads the all-time series 10-0-0.
WCHA Tournament
With the regular season coming to a conclusion, the matchups for the first round of the 2023 WCHA Tournament have been set. No. 1 Ohio State will host No. 8 Bemidji State. No. 2 Minnesota will host No. 7 St. Thomas. No. 3 Wisconsin will host No. 6 Minnesota State. No. 4 Minnesota Duluth will host No. 5 St. Cloud State. Each series is a best two-of-three format. The winner of each series will advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena next weekend.
All-WCHA Teams
On Thursday morning, the WCHA announced the 2022-23 All-WCHA Teams with six Gophers receiving honors. Fifth-year forwards Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle were named to the All-WCHA First Team. Forwards Abigail Boreen and Abbey Murphy and goaltender Skylar Vetter also represent the Gophers as All-WCHA Third Team selections. Freshman defender Nelli Laitinen was named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team.
High-Octane Offense
After adding six goals last weekend, Minnesota continues to rank first in the nation in scoring offense in goals-per-game (4.62). The Gophers have scored 152 goals in 33 games this season with six or more goals in 9 different games. Minnesota has four players at the top of the WCHA in goals as Taylor Heise (25), Abbey Murphy (24), Grace Zumwinkle (22) and Abigail Boreen (21) rank 1-4 in the conference.
Special Teams Success
Minnesota's special teams have been clicking offensively with and without the extra-skater advantage. The Gophers' power play currently ranks second in the nation while converting on 30/108 (.278) power plays this season. Minnesota has scored on the power play in 21-of-33 games this season. The Maroon and Gold also rank first in the nation in shorthanded goals with 9. Taylor Heise is tied for second in the nation with 4 SHG this season.
Scoring Milestones on the Horizon
With an assist on Friday, Grace Zumwinkle became the 10th player in program history to record 200 career points. The fifth-year forward is also sitting on 106 career goals, tied with Krissy Wendell for fourth place in program history. Zumwinkle trails Amanda Kessel for third place by two goals. Fifth-year forward Taylor Heise continues to climb the program ranks as she currently sits in 7th place in program history in points with 217 (92g-125a) in 166 career games. Heise trails Kelly Stephens by two points for sixth place all-time. Her 125 assists rank fifth in program history, trailing Krissy Wendell by six for the next spot in the rankings.
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 467-98-38 record with four national titles and seven conference titles. Associate head coach Natalie Darwitz is back behind the bench for her fourth season and is joined by assistant coach 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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