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No. 2 Minnesota Set for Home-and-Home Against Minnesota State
11/20/2025 10:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 2 University of Minnesota women's hockey team returns to action with a home-and-home series against Minnesota State this weekend. The Gophers host game one on Friday, Nov. 21 at 6:00 p.m. CT at Ridder Arena before traveling to Mankato on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. puck drop at Mayo Clinic HSEC. Friday's action will be streamed live on B1G+ with Saturday's contest airing on FOX9+.
#2 Minnesota Gophers (12-2-0, 8-2-0 WCHA) vs Minnesota State Mavericks (6-7-1, 2-7-1 WCHA)
Date: Nov. 21, 2025
Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Stream: B1G+
Location: Ridder Arena
#2 Minnesota Gophers (12-2-0, 8-2-0 WCHA) vs Minnesota State Mavericks (6-7-1, 2-7-1 WCHA)
Date: Nov. 22, 2025
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Stream: FOX9+
Location: Mayo Clinic HSEC
Last Time Out
Minnesota enters the weekend following a dominant sweep of Bemidji State. The Gophers opened the series with a 6-2 win during their second annual Field Trip Day on Friday, Nov. 14 at 3M Arena at Mariucci, before closing the weekend with a decisive 9-2 victory on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Ridder Arena.
Scouting the Mavericks
Minnesota State sits sixth in the WCHA standings with a 6-7-1 overall record and a 2-7-1 mark in conference play. The Mavericks are coming off two losses at No. 3 Ohio State, falling 5-2 on Friday and 7-3 on Saturday in Columbus. MSU brings a balanced offensive attack, featuring five skaters with four goals each. Junior defender Lauren Zawoyski leads the team with 10 points (1g, 9a), the only Maverick in double digits so far. In net, junior goaltender Hailey Hansen owns a .907 save percentage and 3.07 goals against average and is tied for 10th nationally with 340 total saves. Head coach and former Maverick goaltender Shari Dickerman is in her second full season behind the bench.
Inside the Series
Minnesota leads the all-time series 116-6-3. Head coach Brad Frost owns a 74-3-0 record against the Mavericks, while Dickerman enters the weekend 1-6-0 versus the Gophers. The teams last met in the WCHA First Round a season ago, when Minnesota advanced with 6-1 and 6-2 victories to win the series 2-1.
Everybody Eats
Minnesota featured eight different goal scorers in last Saturday's win over Bemidji State, marking the first time eight Gophers scored in a game since a 9-1 win over the Beavers on Feb. 20, 2021.
Points, Points, Points
Senior forward Josefin Bouveng continues to light up the scoresheet, extending her point streak to 13 straight games with a one-goal, three-assist series effort against Bemidji State.
Best of the Best
Graduate forward Abbey Murphy and sophomore goaltender Hannah Clark were named Hockey Commissioners Association National Players of the Month for September–October. Murphy was recognized as Co-National Forward of the Month after leading the NCAA with 24 points (15g–9a), while Clark earned National Goaltender of the Month honors with an 8-1-0 record, .955 save percentage, and 1.32 GAA. Murphy collected her second career HCA award, while Clark became the first Gopher netminder to claim the national honor since Skylar Vetter (Dec. 2022).
International Stars Shine
Murphy and Gopher alumna Taylor Heise powered Team USA to a 4-1 win over Team Canada in the opening game of the 2025 Rivalry Series in Cleveland on Nov. 6. Murphy netted a natural hat trick, while Heise added a goal and three assists. Freshman defender Chloe Primerano represented Team Canada in the matchup, while Josefin Bouveng (Sweden) and Tereza Plosova (Czechia) skated in the Women's Euro Hockey Tour in Ängelholm, Sweden, during Minnesota's bye week.
Offense on Overdrive
Minnesota's potent offense ranks second in the nation with 73 goals through 14 games this season, averaging 5.21 goals per game.
Apple Picking
The Gophers rank second nationally with 124 assists. Ava Lindsay leads both the nation and the team with 17, while Josefin Bouveng and Abbey Murphy are tied for sixth with 13 each. Sydney Morrow (10), Madison Kaiser (9), and Jamie Nelson (9) also rank among the NCAA's top 25 in assists.
Productive Blue Line
Minnesota's defense continues to drive offense, as Morrow ranks third nationally among defenders with 15 points, followed closely by Nelli Laitinen in fifth with 13. Laitinen and Morrow also rank second among defenders with five goals.
Gopher Stat Leaders
Seven Gophers rank among the nation's top 30 scorers: Murphy (1st, 30 pts), Lindsay (T-5th, 22), Bouveng (T-7th, 20), Morrow (T-24th, 15), Fanale (T-31st, 14), Nelson (T-37th, 13), and Laitinen (T-37th, 13). Murphy leads the WCHA in shots (97) and ranks third in plus/minus (+20). Clark stands top-20 nationally in all major goaltending categories with a .933 save percentage (19th) and 1.88 GAA (16th).
Big-Time Player, Big-Time Plays
Murphy has recorded three game-winning goals this season, tied for third in the nation. With her next game winning goal, she will pass Krissy Wendell and Nadine Muzerall (24) for most all-time in program history.
Pucks On, Pucks In
The Gophers have outshot opponents 556–375 while leading the WCHA with a 13% shooting percentage.
Frost Climbs the Ranks
Head coach Brad Frost has moved into fourth place all-time in NCAA women's hockey wins, passing Mike Carroll and now sitting at 540 career victories.
Iron Sharpens Iron
Minnesota wrapped up a grueling 10-game stretch against ranked opponents before its bye week, skating to an 8-2-0 record that included wins over No. 1 Wisconsin and then-No. 2 Ohio State.
Special Teams Strength
Minnesota's special teams continue to shine, ranking seventh nationally on the power play (.268) and ninth in total power-play goals (11). The Gophers' penalty kill is also among the nation's best at .857.
National Recognition
Following the bye week, the Gophers remain the No. 2 team in the nation for the third consecutive week. Minnesota received first place votes in both the USA Hockey and USCHO polls for the first time this season.
Leadership Group
Captains Abbey Murphy and Nelli Laitinen both return to wear the 'C' for the second straight season.
Behind the Bench
Head coach Brad Frost returns for his 19th season with the Gophers, entering the weekend with a career record of 540-123-42, 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).