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Gophers Set to Face Badgers in Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff Semifinal
3/7/2024 3:00:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 5 ranked Minnesota Gopher women's hockey team (27-8-2) squares off against the No. 2 ranked Wisconsin Badgers (31-5-0) in the Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff semifinals on Friday night at Ridder Arena.
Puck drop is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on B1G+ with live stats available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold took on the Minnesota State Mavericks in the opening round of the WCHA Tournament. In a best two-of-three series, the Gophers fell in the opening game, 5-4, despite a hat trick from Ella Huber. The 'U' bounced back in the next two games, winning 7-1 on Saturday and 3-0 on Sunday to advance to the Final Faceoff. Lucy Morgan collected her third shutout of the season in Sunday's 3-0 win.
Scouting the Badgers
The Badgers won the 2023-24 season series against Minnesota 3-1, outscoring the Gophers 16-9 in those three games. The 'U' looks to bounce back against their border rivals to advance to the championship game for the third straight year and defend their WCHA Tournament Champion title. The Badgers are led by WCHA Forward of the Year, Kirsten Simms. With 29 goals, 38 assists, 67 points and a .230 shot percentage, Simms ranks in the top three in the WCHA in each of the major offensive categories, including leading the conference in points. Defensively, Wisconsin is led by WCHA Defender of the Year Caroline Harvey, who has 33 points in 27 games played. In addition to Harvey and Simms, Casey O'Brien (62), Britta Curl (58), Lacey Eden (52) and Laila Edwards (46) round out the group of Badgers with 30+ points.
WCHA Tournament
After the opening weekend of the WCHA Tournament, all four of the top seeds advanced to the Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff. Top-seeded Ohio State defeated Bemidji state (2-0); No. 2 Wisconsin took down St. Thomas (2-0); Minnesota won against Minnesota State (2-1); and Minnesota Duluth beat St. Cloud State (2-0). The Gophers are the reigning WCHA Tournament champions and look to defend their title in 2024. Ohio State will take on Minnesota Duluth at 1:00 p.m. at Ridder Arena on Friday, Mar. 8. The winner will advance to the championship game to face the winner of Minnesota vs. Wisconsin.
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 Abbey Murphy has led the scoring charge with 33 goals in 37 games this season. Nelli Laitinen, a WCHA Defender of the Year finalist, tallied her 15th 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 29 assists, and has added 17 goals. Bouveng scored nine points in three games against the Mavericks, including five in game two. Ella Huber has 40 points this season thanks to 16 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. Her eight points in three games last weekend against Minnesota State put her at 59 points for the year. She averages 1.59 points per game which is sixth 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 second in goals per game (.89).
Stout Goaltending
Junior Skylar Vetter and fifth-year transfer Lucy Morgan have combined for six shutouts and held opponents to 1.96 goals on average. Morgan is the most recent goalie to earn a shutout, keeping the Minnesota State Mavericks scoreless on Sunday, Mar. 3 to secure the series win.
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).
Tracking Milestones
After tallying three assists and one goal for the weekend against Minnesota State, Madeline Wethington now sits at 97 career points (27g, 70a). Peyton Hemp inched closer to 100 career points with an assist on Mar. 2 against the Mavericks. She now sits at 89 career points (41g, 48a). With seven points last weekend, Ella Huber now has 90 career points (35g, 55a). The Gophers 3-0 shutout win on Sunday marked head coach Brad Frost's 499th career win. The team looks to secure his 500th career victory over the Badgers at Ridder Arena this weekend.
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.
Puck drop is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on B1G+ with live stats available on GopherSports.com.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold took on the Minnesota State Mavericks in the opening round of the WCHA Tournament. In a best two-of-three series, the Gophers fell in the opening game, 5-4, despite a hat trick from Ella Huber. The 'U' bounced back in the next two games, winning 7-1 on Saturday and 3-0 on Sunday to advance to the Final Faceoff. Lucy Morgan collected her third shutout of the season in Sunday's 3-0 win.
Scouting the Badgers
The Badgers won the 2023-24 season series against Minnesota 3-1, outscoring the Gophers 16-9 in those three games. The 'U' looks to bounce back against their border rivals to advance to the championship game for the third straight year and defend their WCHA Tournament Champion title. The Badgers are led by WCHA Forward of the Year, Kirsten Simms. With 29 goals, 38 assists, 67 points and a .230 shot percentage, Simms ranks in the top three in the WCHA in each of the major offensive categories, including leading the conference in points. Defensively, Wisconsin is led by WCHA Defender of the Year Caroline Harvey, who has 33 points in 27 games played. In addition to Harvey and Simms, Casey O'Brien (62), Britta Curl (58), Lacey Eden (52) and Laila Edwards (46) round out the group of Badgers with 30+ points.
WCHA Tournament
After the opening weekend of the WCHA Tournament, all four of the top seeds advanced to the Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff. Top-seeded Ohio State defeated Bemidji state (2-0); No. 2 Wisconsin took down St. Thomas (2-0); Minnesota won against Minnesota State (2-1); and Minnesota Duluth beat St. Cloud State (2-0). The Gophers are the reigning WCHA Tournament champions and look to defend their title in 2024. Ohio State will take on Minnesota Duluth at 1:00 p.m. at Ridder Arena on Friday, Mar. 8. The winner will advance to the championship game to face the winner of Minnesota vs. Wisconsin.
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 Abbey Murphy has led the scoring charge with 33 goals in 37 games this season. Nelli Laitinen, a WCHA Defender of the Year finalist, tallied her 15th 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 29 assists, and has added 17 goals. Bouveng scored nine points in three games against the Mavericks, including five in game two. Ella Huber has 40 points this season thanks to 16 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. Her eight points in three games last weekend against Minnesota State put her at 59 points for the year. She averages 1.59 points per game which is sixth 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 second in goals per game (.89).
Stout Goaltending
Junior Skylar Vetter and fifth-year transfer Lucy Morgan have combined for six shutouts and held opponents to 1.96 goals on average. Morgan is the most recent goalie to earn a shutout, keeping the Minnesota State Mavericks scoreless on Sunday, Mar. 3 to secure the series win.
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).
Tracking Milestones
After tallying three assists and one goal for the weekend against Minnesota State, Madeline Wethington now sits at 97 career points (27g, 70a). Peyton Hemp inched closer to 100 career points with an assist on Mar. 2 against the Mavericks. She now sits at 89 career points (41g, 48a). With seven points last weekend, Ella Huber now has 90 career points (35g, 55a). The Gophers 3-0 shutout win on Sunday marked head coach Brad Frost's 499th career win. The team looks to secure his 500th career victory over the Badgers at Ridder Arena this weekend.
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.
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