University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
St. Thomas
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No. 3 Gophers Set For Road Series Against St. Thomas
12/5/2024 2:30:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 3 ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey squad (11-4-1, 7-4-1 WCHA) will be back on the ice this weekend for a road series against St. Thomas (5-11-2, 2-9-1 WCHA). The two teams will face off at St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn. on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. CT and on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 6:00 p.m. CT. Fans can watch each matchup live on B1G+.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold are coming off a break after going 1-1 in their home-and-home series against the then-No. 9/10 St. Cloud State. The Gophers took the first game 5-2 at Ridder Arena, during which redshirt-senior forward Abbey Murphy recorded her second-career hat trick. The Huskies then brought the series even with a 3-1 win over Minnesota in St. Cloud.
Scouting the Tommies
Interim head coach Bethany Brausen and the St. Thomas Tommies are coming off two tight games in last weekend's Smashville Showcase. St. Thomas fell in a 5-4 overtime game against No. 6 Clarkson last Friday, then tied No. 12 Penn State 1-1 on Saturday, with Penn State winning the shootout. The Tommies hold a 5-11-2 record on the season so far, going 2-9-1 in conference play. Minnesota holds a 16-0 all-time record against St. Thomas.
Multiple Contributors
The Maroon and Gold have had various players make an impact through the first half of the season. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy leads the team with 24 points (13g-11a). Murphy has notched at least one point in 13 out of the Gophers' 16 games. Following Murphy is fifth-year forward Natalie Mlynkova, who has tallied 17 points (7g-10a) and senior forward Ella Huber, who has recorded 16 points (5g-11a). Junior Sydney Morrow leads Minnesota defenders with ten points on the season (4g-6a), 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 7-2-1 on the season with a .921 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 788-180-64 and is on pace to reach the 800-win mark this season. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy has recorded 83 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 holds a career goal count of 47, and will be looking to reach the 50 mark. Junior defender Nelli Laitinen sits at 49 career points and is on track to reach 50 this season.
WCHA Weekly Honors
Two Gophers have earned WCHA Weekly Awards throughout the 2024-25 season so far: Abbey Murphy (Nov. 18) and Hannah Clark (Nov. 18).
Gophers in International Play
Eight current and one future Gopher student-athletes are set to represent their home countries in the Six Nations Tournament from Dec. 11-15: Peyton Hemp, Ella Huber, Sydney Morrow, and Abbey Murphy (United States); Natalie Mlynkova and Tereza Plosova (Czechia); Nelli Laitinen and Parkkonen (Finland); Josefin Bouveng (Sweden).
Gophers in the Pros
Nine Gopher women's hockey alumnae were rostered (including reserves) across four PWHL squads heading into opening weekend: Hannah Brandt and Emily Brown (Boston Fleet); Taylor Heise, Lucy Morgan, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota Frost); Abigail Boreen (Victoire de Montréal); Olivia Knowles (Toronto Sceptres).
Minnesota Adds Six to the 2025-26 Freshman Class
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).
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.