University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 16
Potsdam, NY
1:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Clarkson
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
F
/ Women's Hockey
D
/ Women's Hockey
Photo by: Eric Miller
Minnesota Travels to Clarkson for NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal
3/15/2024 11:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 5 ranked Minnesota Gophers women's hockey team (27-9-2) travels to Potsdam, N.Y. this weekend for the NCAA Quarterfinal round against the No. 4 ranked Clarkson University Golden Knights (34-4-2).
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, free of charge. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. ET.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold fell in overtime to the eventual champion Wisconsin Badgers in the WCHA semifinals. After Wisconsin jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the first 38 second, Minnesota answered with two goals of their own in the first. Josefin Bouveng and Ella Huber each tallied a goal to give the 'U' a 2-1 lead after the first period. The Badgers answered in the second, getting one goal from Kirsten Simms to knot the score at two. After more than 16 minutes of play in the final period, Peyton Hemp scored to give the Gophers a 3-2 advantage with less than four minutes to play. However, the Badgers answered with a goal of their own at 19:52 to push the game into overtime, and were able to score one more in the extra period to get the win.
Scouting the Golden Knights
The Golden Knights have six players with 30+ points on the season, led by senior ECAC Defender of the Year, Nichole Gosling, with 37 (14g, 23a). Gosling also leads the team with 59 blocked shots on the season. Fellow senior Michelle Pasiechnyk was named the ECAC Goaltender of the Year after posting a 13-3-1 record with five shutouts and 364 saves. Her 1.23 goals against average ranks fifth in the nation. Head Coach Matt Desrosiers was named ECAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career following an 18-3-1 conference record. As a team, Clarkson ranks sixth in the nation in goals scored with 131, just two behind Minnesota. While the Gophers lead the nation in power play percentage (.370), Clarkson tops all teams in penalty killing percentage (.918). The Golden Knights were on a seven-game win streak before getting shut out on the road by Colgate in the ECAC Championship game.
NCAA Tournament History
The Gophers have made more NCAA Tournament appearances than any other team in the field with 21. Clarkson sits at 12 tournament appearances, fourth-most of all teams. Minnesota has been to the NCAA Tournament in 18 of the last 20 years, including six titles and nine championship game appearances.
All-WCHA Teams
On Feb. 29, the WCHA announced the 2023-24 All-WCHA Teams with three Gophers receiving honors. Junior Abbey Murphy and sophomore Nelli Laitinen earned second-team accolades. Fifth-year senior Madeline Wethington was named to the WCHA Third Team.
Multiple Gopher Contributors
The Maroon and Gold have had various players make an impact this season. Redshirt junior and Patty Kazmaier Top-10 Finalist, Abbey Murphy, has led the scoring charge with 33 goals in 38 games this season. Nelli Laitinen, a WCHA Defender of the Year finalist, tallied her 17th assist of the year last weekend to become the seventh Gopher to have more than 20 points for the season. Josefin Bouveng leads the team with 30 assists, and has added 18 goals. Ella Huber has 41 points this season thanks to 17 goals and 24 assists. In total, 17 different Gophers have scored a goal.
Murphy Magic
Murphy currently sits in the top-10 in the nation in four major offensive categories. With an assist last weekend against Wisconsin, she now sits at 60 points for the year. She averages 1.58 points per game which is seventh in the nation. With seven game-winning goals for the season, Murphy is tied for fourth in the nation in the category. She is first in power play goals (12) and is third in goals per game (.89).
Hats Off to Huber
Junior Ella Huber played a huge role in the Gophers 2-1 series win over Minnesota State to advance to the Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff. In game one, Huber scored a hat trick, the first for the Gophers since Oct. 2023. She added three more points in Saturday's 7-1 win before contributing one more goal in Sunday's 3-0 win. For the weekend, she tallied seven points (5g, 2a). Huber added one goal in Friday's overtime loss to Wisconsin.
Sophomore Success
Sophomores Nelli Laitinen and Josefin Bouveng have turned their play up a notch in their second seasons with the Gophers. Bouveng scored nine points in three games against the Mavericks, including five in game two. She added a goal and an assist in the WCHA Semifinal against Wisconsin. Laitinen added two assists last weekend against the Badgers, giving her 23 points for the year.
Tracking Milestones
With one assists against Wisconsin, Madeline Wethington now sits at 99 career points (27g, 72a). Peyton Hemp inched closer to 100 career points with a goal on Mar. 8. She now sits at 90 career points (42g, 48a). With one goal last weekend, Ella Huber now has 91 career points (36g, 55a). A win against Clarkson would give Head Coach Brad Frost his 500th career win.
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 2023-24.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, free of charge. Puck drop is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT/2:00 p.m. ET.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold fell in overtime to the eventual champion Wisconsin Badgers in the WCHA semifinals. After Wisconsin jumped out to an early lead, scoring in the first 38 second, Minnesota answered with two goals of their own in the first. Josefin Bouveng and Ella Huber each tallied a goal to give the 'U' a 2-1 lead after the first period. The Badgers answered in the second, getting one goal from Kirsten Simms to knot the score at two. After more than 16 minutes of play in the final period, Peyton Hemp scored to give the Gophers a 3-2 advantage with less than four minutes to play. However, the Badgers answered with a goal of their own at 19:52 to push the game into overtime, and were able to score one more in the extra period to get the win.
Scouting the Golden Knights
The Golden Knights have six players with 30+ points on the season, led by senior ECAC Defender of the Year, Nichole Gosling, with 37 (14g, 23a). Gosling also leads the team with 59 blocked shots on the season. Fellow senior Michelle Pasiechnyk was named the ECAC Goaltender of the Year after posting a 13-3-1 record with five shutouts and 364 saves. Her 1.23 goals against average ranks fifth in the nation. Head Coach Matt Desrosiers was named ECAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career following an 18-3-1 conference record. As a team, Clarkson ranks sixth in the nation in goals scored with 131, just two behind Minnesota. While the Gophers lead the nation in power play percentage (.370), Clarkson tops all teams in penalty killing percentage (.918). The Golden Knights were on a seven-game win streak before getting shut out on the road by Colgate in the ECAC Championship game.
NCAA Tournament History
The Gophers have made more NCAA Tournament appearances than any other team in the field with 21. Clarkson sits at 12 tournament appearances, fourth-most of all teams. Minnesota has been to the NCAA Tournament in 18 of the last 20 years, including six titles and nine championship game appearances.
All-WCHA Teams
On Feb. 29, the WCHA announced the 2023-24 All-WCHA Teams with three Gophers receiving honors. Junior Abbey Murphy and sophomore Nelli Laitinen earned second-team accolades. Fifth-year senior Madeline Wethington was named to the WCHA Third Team.
Multiple Gopher Contributors
The Maroon and Gold have had various players make an impact this season. Redshirt junior and Patty Kazmaier Top-10 Finalist, Abbey Murphy, has led the scoring charge with 33 goals in 38 games this season. Nelli Laitinen, a WCHA Defender of the Year finalist, tallied her 17th assist of the year last weekend to become the seventh Gopher to have more than 20 points for the season. Josefin Bouveng leads the team with 30 assists, and has added 18 goals. Ella Huber has 41 points this season thanks to 17 goals and 24 assists. In total, 17 different Gophers have scored a goal.
Murphy Magic
Murphy currently sits in the top-10 in the nation in four major offensive categories. With an assist last weekend against Wisconsin, she now sits at 60 points for the year. She averages 1.58 points per game which is seventh in the nation. With seven game-winning goals for the season, Murphy is tied for fourth in the nation in the category. She is first in power play goals (12) and is third in goals per game (.89).
Hats Off to Huber
Junior Ella Huber played a huge role in the Gophers 2-1 series win over Minnesota State to advance to the Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff. In game one, Huber scored a hat trick, the first for the Gophers since Oct. 2023. She added three more points in Saturday's 7-1 win before contributing one more goal in Sunday's 3-0 win. For the weekend, she tallied seven points (5g, 2a). Huber added one goal in Friday's overtime loss to Wisconsin.
Sophomore Success
Sophomores Nelli Laitinen and Josefin Bouveng have turned their play up a notch in their second seasons with the Gophers. Bouveng scored nine points in three games against the Mavericks, including five in game two. She added a goal and an assist in the WCHA Semifinal against Wisconsin. Laitinen added two assists last weekend against the Badgers, giving her 23 points for the year.
Tracking Milestones
With one assists against Wisconsin, Madeline Wethington now sits at 99 career points (27g, 72a). Peyton Hemp inched closer to 100 career points with a goal on Mar. 8. She now sits at 90 career points (42g, 48a). With one goal last weekend, Ella Huber now has 91 career points (36g, 55a). A win against Clarkson would give Head Coach Brad Frost his 500th career win.
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 2023-24.
Highlights: Gophers 2, Wisconsin 7
Saturday, November 01
Highlights: Gophers 5, Wisconsin 1
Friday, October 31
Highlights: Gophers 3, UMD 2
Saturday, October 25
Highlights: Gophers 4, UMD 0
Friday, October 24