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St. Cloud State
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No. 3 Minnesota Begins WCHA Play Against No. 10 St. Cloud State
10/9/2025 10:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 3-ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey team opens WCHA play this weekend with a home-and-home series against No. 10 St. Cloud State. The Gophers and Huskies face off at 5:30 p.m. CT on Friday at Ridder Arena before heading north to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center for a 1:00 p.m. CT puck drop on Saturday in St. Cloud.
Minnesota (4-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) vs. St. Cloud State (3-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)
Date: Oct. 10, 2025
Time: 5:30 p.m. CT
Stream: B1G+
Location: Ridder Arena
Minnesota (4-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) vs. St. Cloud State (3-1-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)
Date: Oct. 11, 2025
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Stream: B1G+/Fox9+
Location: Herb Brooks National Hockey Center
Homecoming Parade / Traffic Advisory
The University of Minnesota will host their annual Homecoming Parade on Friday, October 10. Due to the parade route, University Ave. will be closed to all traffic from approx. 6pm-8pm. Individuals attending the women's hockey game are encouraged to arrive early to avoid the University Ave. road closure. All individuals are encouraged to purchase parking passes in advance. Fans arriving without a parking pass should utilize available parking at the Ski-U-Mah and Victory lots or Oak Street ramp.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold are coming off a hard-fought road series against Boston University. Minnesota opened the weekend with a 5–0 win at Walter Brown Arena, highlighted by Hannah Clark's first shutout of the season (third of her career) and Abbey Murphy's continued multi-goal streak. In game two, the Gophers staged a third-period comeback behind Murphy's second hat trick of the season and Nelli Laitinen's game-winning goal midway through the frame, securing the series sweep.
Scouting the Huskies
St. Cloud State enters the weekend after a week off. Before the break, SCSU had skated to a road split at No. 11 Connecticut. Freshman Julianne Labbe scored the game-winner in a 2–1 victory on Friday, while UConn responded with a 2–1 win on Saturday. The Huskies were picked to finish fifth in the WCHA preseason coaches poll and began the season ranked 13th nationally, but have since climbed to No. 10 in both the USCHO poll and USA Hockey poll. St. Cloud returns four of its top five scorers from last season — Sofianna Sundelin, Alice Sauriol, Laura Zimmerman, and Avery Farrell — while Labbe currently leads the team in goals (2) and ranks second in points (4). Sophomore defender Siiri Yrjölä paces the Huskies with five points (1g–4a). Between the pipes, graduate student Jojo Chobak and sophomore Emilia Kyrkkö have split starts evenly. Chobak owns a 1.01 GAA and .962 save percentage, while Kyrkkö has been equally strong with a 0.50 GAA, .981 save percentage, and both have posted shutouts. The Huskies are helmed by first-year head coach Mira Jalosuo, who joined SCSU after helping guide the Minnesota Frost to back-to-back PWHL Walter Cup titles as an assistant coach.
Murphy Moving Up
With her first-period goal on Saturday, Abbey Murphy passed Grace Zumwinkle for third all-time in career goals at Minnesota. Murphy's hat trick lifted her to 112 career goals, just three shy of Hannah Brandt (115) for second place. She 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 nine goals in four games.
Scoring in Bunches
The Maroon and Gold have proven lethal once they find the back of the net. Through four games this season, Minnesota has strung together goals in quick succession — five goals in 5:05 (7-1 win vs. Boston College), six goals in 4:38 (11-0 win vs. Boston College), two goals in 1:08 (5-0 win at Boston University), and three goals in 4:46 (5-2 win at Boston University).
Murph Repeats
Murphy capped another explosive weekend with a hat trick performance against BU on Oct. 4, totaling five goals and six points on the weekend including one game-winning goal. Her efforts earned her WCHA Forward of the Week honors for the second straight week, marking the second time in her career she's achieved back-to-back weekly awards.
Pucks On, Pucks In
Minnesota has outshot its opponents in all four games this season, holding a dominant 179–86 shot advantage overall. The Gophers' 28 goals through four games mark their highest early-season total since 2022–23, when they scored 30 in the same span.
Gopher Stat Leaders
The Maroon and Gold continue to light up the national stat sheet, featuring four of the top seven point producers in the country: Abbey Murphy (1st, 15), Ava Lindsay (2nd, 9), Bella Fanale (T-4th, 7), and Sydney Morrow (T-7th, 6). Murphy leads all of NCAA women's hockey with nine goals, while Fanale tops all rookies with four. Between the pipes, freshman Layla Hemp ranks first among rookie goaltenders in goals-against average (1.00), save percentage (.962), and shutouts (1). Captain Nelli Laitinen sits second nationally among defenders with three goals, and Lindsay paces the entire NCAA in assists (9).
Early Season Tests
Minnesota began a challenging stretch of 10 games against top-15 opponents last weekend at No. 13 Boston University. The Gophers now face No. 10 St. Cloud State in a home-and-home series before hosting No. 2 Ohio State. The tough slate continues on the road with two games at No. 4/5 Minnesota Duluth, followed by a showdown with top-ranked Wisconsin.
2025-26 Roster Preview
Minnesota returns 14 players from last year's squad, including two-time Top-10 Patty Kazmaier Award finalist Abbey Murphy, who ranked second nationally in goals (33) and fourth in points (65) in 2024-25. On the blue line, Sydney Morrow returns after an All-WCHA Second Team season and top-three finish for WCHA Defender of the Year. Sophomore Chloe Primerano looks to build on a decorated freshman campaign that included WCHA All-Third Team, WCHA All-Rookie Team, USCHO All-Rookie Team, and All-Tournament honors. Up front, Josefin Bouveng recently earned her 100th career point, while Nelli Laitinen is coming off a career-best 19 assists as a junior. In net, sophomore Hannah Clark returns after leading the team with 25 wins and posting 814 saves with a .904 save percentage.
Incoming Impact
Minnesota adds a fresh cast for the 2025-26 season, highlighted by 10 newcomers. The Gophers secured three key transfers from the portal. Sarah Paul, a redshirt senior forward from Princeton, led the nation in goals per game (0.90) and power-play goals (10) last season. Her 28 goals ranked fourth nationally. Jamie Nelson, a graduate forward from Minnesota State, paced the Mavericks with 30 points (8g, 22a). Molly Jordan, a junior defender from Boston College, tallied 24 points (8g, 16a) for the Eagles in 2024-25. Minnesota also welcomes freshman goaltender Layla Hemp, the Jori Jones Award winner and the state of Minnesota's top senior net minder at Minnetonka High School. Additional freshmen include forwards Olivia Kortan, Tereza Plosova, Avery Hovland, Sienna D'Alessandro, and Bella Fanale, along with defender Sydney Bailey.
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 third consecutive week.
Behind the BenchHead coach Brad Frost returns for his 19th season with the Gophers, entering the weekend with a career record of 532-121-42, 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).