University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
St. Cloud State
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The ‘U’ to Face No. 11 St. Cloud State in Home & Home Series
2/13/2025 6:32:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - This weekend, the third-ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey team (22-8-1, 16-7-1 WCHA) is set to take on the eleventh-ranked St. Cloud State Huskies (14-10-6, 9-10-5 WCHA) in the Gophers' penultimate series of the regular season.
Puck drop is set for Friday, Feb. 14 at 6:00 p.m. CT at Ridder Arena, then Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3:00 p.m. CT at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.
Both games also will be streamed live on B1G+.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold are coming off their final road series of the 2024-25 regular season, dropping both games last weekend against the No. 1-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.
Playing Host in WCHA Quarterfinals
With 48 conference points, Minnesota officially clinched home ice for the first round of the WCHA Playoffs. The best-of-three series at Ridder Arena is set for Feb. 28 at 6:00 p.m. CT, March 1 at 2 p.m., and, if necessary, March 2 at 3 p.m. CT.
Scouting the Huskies
Head coach Brian Idalski and the No. 11 St. Cloud State Huskies went 1-0-1 in their series against the (RV) Minnesota State Mavericks last weekend. St. Cloud took Friday's game 3-1 before Minnesota State claimed the extra WCHA point in Saturday's 2-2 tie.
This weekend will mark the second series between the Gophers and the Huskies in the 2024-25 season. The two teams previously faced off in a home-and-home series on Nov. 22-23. Minnesota won the contest at Ridder Arena 5-2, while St. Cloud State upset the Maroon & Gold 3-1 at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Multiple Contributors
The Maroon and Gold have had various players make an impact throughout the season. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy leads the team with 51 points (24g-26a). Murphy has notched at least one point in 24 out of the Gophers' 31 games, including 16 multi-point games. She ranks fourth in the nation in points and points per game (1.65). Following Murphy is senior forward Ella Huber, who has recorded 37 points (10g-27a) this season, then fifth-year forward Natalie Mlynkova with 28 points (13g-15a). Junior Sydney Morrow leads Minnesota defenders with 25 points on the season (10g-15a), with five of her goals coming on the power play, tied for most on the team this season. Following Morrow is freshman defender Chloe Primerano with 18 points (4g-14a), then junior defender Nelli Laitinen with 16 points (3g-13a) on the season so far.
Freshman goaltender Hannah Clark holds an 18-6-1 record on the season with a .901 save percentage. Heading into this weekend's matchup, Clark ranks sixth in the nation in goaltender winning percentage (0.740).
Milestones on the Horizon
The University of Minnesota women's hockey program sits at an all-time overall record of 799-184-64 and looks to become the first WCHA team ever to reach 800 program-win mark this weekend. Abbey Murphy has recorded 94 career goals, ninth all-time in program history, and is in pursuit of the century mark. Josefin Bouveng is also in pursuit of a triple digit milestone, sitting at 93 career points. Ella Huber has tallied 47 career goals and is on pace to reach the 50 mark this season. Ava Lindsay has recorded 41 career points, nearing the half-century mark as a sophomore.
WCHA Honors
Abbey Murphy and Sydney Morrow were named January's WCHA Forward of the Month and Defender of the Month, respectively. This marked the second-straight month for which a pair of Gophers earned conference honors, as Murphy and Chloe Primerano took home December's WCHA Forward and Defender of the Month honors, respectively.
Five Gophers have earned WCHA Weekly Awards throughout the 2024-25 season so far: forward Abbey Murphy (Nov. 18, Dec. 9), goaltender Hannah Clark (Nov. 18), defender Chloe Primerano (Dec. 9, Jan. 20), defender Sydney Morrow (Jan. 6), and defender Gracie Graham (Jan. 13).
National Honors
Abbey Murphy was named National Player of the Month by the Hockey Commissioners Association in back-to-back months (December, January). She became the first Gopher to earn multiple National Player of the Month honors in one season since Taylor Heise during the 2022-23 season.
Gophers in International Play
Junior forward Josefin Bouveng and sophomore forward Emma Kreisz both competed in last week's IIHF Olympic Qualifying tournaments in Europe. Bouveng and the Swedish national squad went undefeated in their pool, officially clinching a 2026 Winter Olympics bid.
Last week, Minnesota alumnae Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek both suited up with Team USA in the final two games of the 2024-25 Rivalry Series against Canada. The United States won the first game 2-1 in a shootout before falling 3-1 in the final game.
Gophers in the Pros
Nine Gopher women's hockey alumnae are rostered (including reserves) across four PWHL squads: Hannah Brandt and Emily Brown (Boston Fleet); Taylor Heise, Lucy Morgan, Kelly Pannek, Lee Stecklein, and Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota Frost); Abigail Boreen (Victoire de Montréal); Olivia Knowles (New York Sirens)..
Minnesota Adds Six to the 2025-26 Freshman Class
Head coach Brad Frost and the Golden Gopher women's hockey program announced the addition of six incoming student-athletes to the 2025-26 signing class: defender Sydney Bailey (Rogers, Minn.), forward Sienna D'Alessandro (Pointe-Claire, Quebec), forward Bella Fanale (Webster, N.Y.), goaltender Layla Hemp (Chanhassen, Minn.), forward Avery Hovland (West Fargo, N.D.), and forward Tereza Plosova (Šimonovice, Czechia).
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 2024-25.