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Maroon & Gold Set to Host No. 1 Wisconsin in First Home WCHA Series
10/17/2024 4:40:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 3/4 ranked Golden Gopher women's hockey squad is set to match up against No. 1 Wisconsin in Minnesota's first home WCHA series of the season. The two teams will take the ice at Ridder Arena on Friday, Oct. 19 at 6:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, Oct. 19 at 3:00 p.m. CT. Fans can catch Friday's game on B1G+ and Saturday's game on Big Ten Network.
Last Time Out
The Gophers saw their first WCHA conference action last weekend against the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road. The Maroon and Gold went 0-1-1 in the series, dropping the first game 4-3 and tying the second game 1-1. In Saturday's tie game, freshman goaltender Hannah Clark made her second career start, making 29 saves on 30 SOG. Ohio State won Saturday's shootout, securing the extra conference point. The Gophers hold a record of 4-1-1 (0-1-1 WCHA) heading into their matchup against the Badgers.
Scouting the Badgers
Head coach Mark Johnson and the No. 1 ranked Wisconsin Badgers are coming off their first two conference wins of the season, defeating then-No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth twice in their two-game series last weekend. Wisconsin holds a 6-0-0 (2-0-0 WCHA) record throughout the season so far, leading the nation in team points with 127 (46g-81a) through the first six games. The Gophers hold a 57-52-16 all-time record against the Badgers. The most recent series between the two at Ridder Arena saw each team take one game.
Multiple Contributors
The Maroon and Gold had various players make an impact through the first six games of the season. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy leads the team with 9 points (6g-3a), including at least one point in each game. Murphy's six goals are tied for most in the nation. Following Murphy is junior forward Josefin Bouveng, who has registered 6 points (2g-4a) through the season so far, and fifth-year Natalie Mlynkova, who has tallied 5 points (1g-4a). Senior goaltender Skylar Vetter has gone 3-1-0 to start the season with a .881 save percentage. Freshman goaltender Hannah Clark holds a record 1-0-1 with a .932 save percentage through her first two collegiate starts.
Attacking the Net
The No. 2 Golden Gophers have outshot opponents 209-103 through their first six games of the season, with Minnesota averaging 34.8 SOG per game. Ten different Maroon and Gold student-athletes have notched at least one goal on the season so far.
Maroon and Gold Firsts
Freshman defender Gracie Graham tallied her first goal in Maroon and Gold in last Friday's matchup at Ohio State. Freshman goaltender Hannah Clark made her first WCHA conference start in last Saturday's game in Columbus, making 29 saves and recording a save percentage of .967 in the 1-1 tie.
Milestones on the Horizon
The University of Minnesota women's hockey program sits at an all-time WCHA conference record of 499-108-50 and will look to become the first team in WCHA history to break beyond 500 conference wins. The program also has an all-time overall record of 781-177-64 and is on pace to reach the 800-win mark. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy has recorded 76 career goals and will be in pursuit of the century mark this season after leading the nation in scores (33) in 2023-24. Seniors Peyton Hemp and Ella Huber will seek to reach triple digits in career points this season, having tallied 93 and 95 career points, respectively, so far. Senior goaltender Skylar Vetter has 48 career wins, only needing five more to tie Sydney Peters (53) for fifth-most in program history. Vetter has also recorded 12 career shutouts, needing one more to tie Kim Hanlon (13) for sixth-most in program history.
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 2024-25.