University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Minnesota State
Players Mentioned
Maroon & Gold to Host Minnesota State in WCHA Quarterfinals
2/27/2025 3:45:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - This weekend, the fourth-ranked Golden Gopher women's hockey team (25-9-1, 19-8-1 WCHA) will host the Minnesota State Mavericks (13-19-2, 7-19-2 WCHA) at Ridder Arena in the first round of the 2025 WCHA Postseason.
Puck drop in the best-of-three series is set for Friday, Feb. 28 at 6:00 p.m. CT, then Saturday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m. CT. If necessary, a third game will be played on Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m. CT.
Each game will be broadcast on FOX 9+ and streamed on B1G+.
Last season also saw the Gophers and Mavericks facing off in the first round of the WCHA Postseason. Minnesota State upset Minnesota with a 5-4 victory in game one, before the Gophers ultimately won the series with 7-0 and 3-1 victories in the final two games, respectively.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold finished the regular season strong, sweeping No. 6 Minnesota Duluth 3-2, 1-0 at home last weekend. The Gophers secured the third seed in the WCHA Postseason, as well as their sixth consecutive full season (not including the abridged 2020-21 season) with at least 25 wins.
Freshman goaltender Hannah Clark recorded her second-career shutout last Saturday after becoming the first Minnesota goaltender to reach the 20-win mark as a freshman on Friday. Clark was subsequently named WCHA Goaltender of the Week after recording 50 saves and a .962 save percentage in the series against the Bulldogs.
Scouting the Mavericks
Head coach Shari Dickerman and the Minnesota State Mavericks finished out the regular season with a sweep of their own, downing St. Thomas with 8-3, 3-0 victories last weekend. The sixth-seeded Mavericks will take on the third-seeded Gophers in the third series between the two this season. Minnesota is currently on a six-game winning streak against Minnesota State, having won four matchups against the Mavericks this season. In two matchups at Ridder Arena this season, the 'U' has out-scored Minnesota State 16-5.
Multiple Contributors
The Maroon and Gold have had various players make an impact throughout the regular season. Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy leads the team with 52 points (25g-27a). Murphy has notched at least one point in 25 out of the Gophers' 35 games, including 16 multi-point games. Murphy also leads the team with seven game-winning goals. Following Murphy is senior forward Ella Huber, who has recorded 39 points (12g-28a) this season, then fifth-year forward Natalie Mlynkova with 29 points (14g-15a).
Junior Sydney Morrow leads Minnesota defenders with 28 points on the season (10g-18a). Five of Morrow's goals came on the power play, tied for most on the team this season. Following Morrow on the blue line is freshman defender Chloe Primerano with 21 points (4g-17a), then junior defender Nelli Laitinen with 18 points (3g-15a) on the season so far.
Freshman goaltender Hannah Clark holds an 21-7-1 record on the season with a .905 save percentage and 2.29 goals-against average. This season, Clark has tallied the most wins for a Gopher freshman goaltender in program history, and has twice been named WCHA Goaltender of the Week (Nov. 18, Feb. 24).
Milestones on the Horizon
Abbey Murphy has recorded 95 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 49 career goals and is on pace to reach the 50 mark this season. Ava Lindsay has recorded 44 career points, nearing the half-century mark as a sophomore.
WCHA Honors
Five Gophers have earned WCHA Weekly Awards throughout the 2024-25 season so far: Abbey Murphy (Nov. 18, Dec. 9), Hannah Clark (Nov. 18, Feb. 24), Chloe Primerano (Dec. 9, Jan. 20), Sydney Morrow (Jan. 6), and Gracie Graham (Jan. 13).
Additionally, three Minnesota student-athletes have been named WCHA Players of the Month throughout the season: Abbey Murphy (December, January), Chloe Primerano (December), and Sydney Morrow (January).
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.
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.