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Battle of Unbeatens: Gophers and Buckeyes Face Off in Top-Three Matchup
10/17/2025 10:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 3-ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey team continues WCHA play this weekend with a marquee matchup against No. 2 Ohio State. The Gophers and Buckeyes square off in a two-game series at Ridder Arena, with puck drops set for 2:00 p.m. CT on both Saturday and Sunday. Both games will stream live on B1G+, with Sunday's contest also airing on FOX9+.
#3 Minnesota (6-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) vs. #2 Ohio State (4-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA)
Date: Oct. 18, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Stream: B1G+
Location: Ridder Arena
#3 Minnesota (4-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) vs. #2 Ohio State (4-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA)
Date: Oct. 19, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Stream: B1G+/Fox9+
Location: Ridder Arena
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold enter this weekend's matchup coming off a home-and-home series sweep of No. 10 St. Cloud State. The Gophers skated to a 4-1 victory on Friday night at Ridder Arena, before heading north for Saturday's game in St. Cloud. Minnesota completed the sweep at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, winning 5-3 Saturday afternoon.
Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State enters the weekend with a perfect 4-0-0 record to start the 2025-26 campaign. The Buckeyes are coming off a series sweep of Bemidji State, skating to a 6-0 shutout win on Friday night before edging the Beavers 2-1 on Saturday. OSU has held steady at No. 2 in both the USA Hockey and USCHO national polls through the season's first five weeks and was voted tied for second with Minnesota in the WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll. Freshman Hilda Svensson and junior Jocelyn Amos lead the Buckeye offense with three goals apiece, while junior forward Joy Dunne and senior defender Emma Peschel were both named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team. In net, Minnesota Duluth transfer Hailey MacLeod has started all four games, posting a perfect 4-0-0 record with a 1.92 goals-against average and a .857 save percentage. Head coach Nadine Muzerall returns for her tenth season behind the bench, holding a 228-81-22 career record and leading the Buckeyes to two national championships during her tenure.
Murphy Moving Up
With her three-goal weekend, Abbey Murphy now sits tied for second all time in goals for the Minnesota Gophers with 115. She is joined by Hannah Brandt at the number two slot all-time, needing just one more goal to claim a solo second. Murphy would need 37 total goals this season to become the Gophers' all-time leader (passing Nadine Muzerall, 139). Off to a blistering start, Murphy leads the nation with 12 goals in six games.
Offense on Overdrive
The Gophers lead all of college hockey with 37 goals through just six games. Minnesota's high-powered offense tops the nation, averaging an impressive 6.17 goals per game.
Apple Picking
The Maroon and Gold also pace the NCAA in assists, tallying 62 helpers on the season. Junior forward Ava Lindsay leads the country with 11 assists and an average of 1.83 per game, facilitating one of the best attacks in college hockey.
Pucks On, Pucks In
Minnesota has outshot its opponents in all six contests, holding a commanding 260–132 shot advantage. The Gophers rank third nationally in total shots on goal and first in shooting percentage (14.2%), combining elite volume with sharp accuracy.
Gopher Stat Leaders
The Maroon and Gold continue to light up the national stat sheet, featuring four of the top 15 point producers in the country: Abbey Murphy (1st, 18), Ava Lindsay (T-5th, 11), Bella Fanale (T-14th, 8), and Sarah Paul (T-14th, 8). Josefin Bouveng and Sydney Morrow also both rank near the top of the nation, currently sitting T-26th with seven points. Hannah Clark ranks second in the nation with a .600 goals against average and a .968 save percentage on the year. Clark is also tied for tops with a 1.000 goalie winning percentage, currently 4-0-0 on the year in net.
Special Teams Specialties
The Gophers continue to excel on special teams, ranking third in the nation in power-play goals (5) and seventh in power-play percentage (.238). Minnesota's penalty kill has been equally strong, sitting eighth nationally (.952) after allowing just one goal while on the kill this season.
Setting the Pace
Minnesota is off to a blazing start in the 2025-26 campaign, opening the season with a perfect 6-0-0 record. It marks the program's best start since 2022-23, when the Gophers began 9-0-1 and remained unbeaten until November 7.
Early Season Tests
Minnesota continued a challenging stretch of 10 games against top-15 opponents last weekend at No. 10 St. Cloud State. The Gophers now face No. 2 Ohio State at home before heading to No. 4/5 Minnesota Duluth. The tough slate continues with a showdown with top-ranked Wisconsin. The Gophers are currently 4-0-0 against ranked teams this season.
Incoming Impact
Minnesota's 2025-26 roster features a fresh wave of talent, highlighted by 10 newcomers who have made an immediate impact. Three of the team's top four goal scorers this season are first-year Gophers. Freshmen Bella Fanale and Tereza Plosova are tied for second on the team with four goals each, while redshirt senior transfer Sarah Paul ranks fourth with three goals and third in assists with five. Junior transfer Molly Jordan has chipped in five points (2g, 3a), and both freshman Sienna D'Alessandro and graduate transfer Jamie Nelson have each tallied four assists.
Leadership Group
Captains Abbey Murphy and Nelli Laitinen both return to wear the 'C' for the second straight season.
National Recognition
The Gophers continue to earn national attention, holding steady at No. 3 in the country for the fifth consecutive week.
Behind the Bench
Head coach Brad Frost returns for his 19th season with the Gophers, entering the weekend with a career record of 534-121-42, four national titles, and seven conference championships. Associate head coach Greg May, assistant coach Mitch Baker, and assistant coach/general manager Jessica Scott also return to the staff.
Quest for Eight
Minnesota continues its pursuit of an eighth national championship, having already claimed seven titles (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016).