University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
St. Cloud State
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The ‘U’ to Play Home-and-Home Series Against St. Cloud State
11/21/2024 5:11:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 3 ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey squad (10-3-1, 6-3-1 WCHA) will be back on the ice this weekend for a home-and-home series against No. 9/10 St. Cloud State (8-4-2, 4-4-1 WCHA). The two teams will face off at Ridder Arena on Friday, Nov. 22 at 6:00 p.m. CT, then at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 3:00 p.m. CT. Fans can watch each matchup live on B1G+.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold are coming off a sweep of No. 4 Minnesota Duluth on the road, moving to a six-game win streak. The No. 3 Gophers notched a 4-1 victory on Friday and a 3-2 victory on Saturday. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy tallied five points (1g-4a) against the Bulldogs, her most in a series this season. Murphy also notched her 150th career point on her first assist in Saturday's win. Minnesota's 18 conference points moved the program to third in the WCHA season standings.
Scouting the Huskies
Head coach Brian Idalski and the No. 9/10 St. Cloud State Huskies are coming off a 1-1 series against Minnesota State. The Huskies dropped last Friday's matchup in a 4-1 game, but then bounced back with a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday. Minnesota holds a 106-4-4 record over St. Cloud State and are 8-1-1 in the last 10 matchups.
WCHA Weekly Awards
After stellar performances in last weekend's sweep of No. 4 Minnesota Duluth, redshirt-senior forward Abbey Murphy and freshman goaltender Hannah Clark became the first Gophers of the season to earn WCHA weekly honors. Murphy's Forward of the Week distinction comes after a five point (1g-4a) performance, punctuated by her reaching of 150 career points. Clark earned the Goaltender of the Week nod after notching a season and career-high 58 series saves, recording a .950 save percentage over the weekend.
Multiple Contributors
The Maroon and Gold have had various players make an impact through the first 14 games of the season. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy leads the team with 21 points (10g-11a). Murphy has notched at least one point in 12 out of the Gophers' 14 games. Following Murphy is fifth-year forward Natalie Mlynkova, who has tallied 15 points (6g-9a). Junior Sydney Morrow leads Minnesota defenders with nine points on the season (4g-5a), with two of her goals coming on the power play. Following Morrow is freshman Chloe Primerano with seven points (1g-6a) on the season so far. Freshman goaltender Hannah Clark holds a record 6-1-1 on the season with a .924 save percentage. Junior goaltender Sophia Johnson made her collegiate debut between the pipes in the third period of Minnesota's Nov. 2 victory over Bemidji State.
Milestones on the Horizon
The University of Minnesota women's hockey program sits at an all-time overall record of 787-179-64 and is on pace to reach the 800-win mark this season. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy has recorded 80 career goals and will be in pursuit of the century mark this season after leading the nation in scores (33) in 2023-24. Senior forward Peyton Hemp will seek to reach triple digits in career points this season, having tallied 98 points through her 129 games in Maroon and Gold. Hemp also holds a career goal count of 47, and will be looking to reach the 50 mark. Junior defender Nelli Laitinen sits at 47 career points and is on track to reach 50 career points this season.
Minnesota Adds Six to the 2025-26 Freshman Class
On Thursday, head coach Brad Frost and the Golden Gopher women's hockey program announced the addition of six incoming student-athletes to the 2025-26 signing class: defender Sydney Bailey (Rogers, Minn.), forward Sienna D'Alessandro (Pointe-Claire, Quebec), forward Bella Fanale (Webster, N.Y.), goaltender Layla Hemp (Chanhassen, Minn.), forward Avery Hovland (West Fargo, N.D.), and forward Tereza Plosova (Šimonovice, Czechia).
Annual Teddy Bear Toss
Friday's matchup between the Gophers and the Huskies will feature the annual Teddy Bear Toss, presented by White Bear Mitsubishi. Fans can bring and toss teddy bears onto the ice during the first intermission, with all bears collected on the ice to be donated to M Health Fairview Children's Hospital.
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.