University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Colgate
Players Mentioned
The ‘U’ to Host Colgate in NCAA Regionals
3/14/2025 2:25:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - The fourth-seeded University of Minnesota women's hockey team (28-11-1, 19-8-1 WCHA) will host the fifth-seeded Colgate Raiders (30-8-0, 18-4-0 ECAC) in the quarterfinal round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Hockey Tournament.
Puck drop at Ridder Arena is set for Saturday, March 15 at 2:00 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Gophers seek to advance to the Frozen Four, which will also be held at Ridder Arena, for the 16th time in program history.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold are coming off an appearance in the 2025 WCHA Final Faceoff Championship in Duluth, Minn. last weekend.
No. 4 Minnesota faced top-ranked Wisconsin for the conference postseason title, ultimately falling 4-3 after the Badgers scored the deciding goal with under 30 seconds to play in the third period.
The Gophers had advanced to the championship round after upsetting No. 2 Ohio State 6-2 in the semifinals.
Abbey Murphy and Chloe Primerano were each named to the WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament Team. Murphy led the team with four points (2g-2a) over the weekend, while Primerano led Minnesota defenders with three points (1g-2a).
Scouting the Raiders
Last weekend, first-year head coach Stefan Decosse and the No. 5 Colgate Raiders fell 5-1 to No. 3 Cornell in the ECAC Championship game. The Raiders boast a top-ten Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award finalist in fifth-year forward Kristýna Kaltounková, who leads the NCAA with 111 active career goals and ranks top-five nationally with 26 goals and .72 goals per game.
The Gophers and Raiders have faced off nine times all-time (all during the regular season), with Minnesota holding an 8-1 record. Colgate notched their first win against the 'U' in the most recent matchup between the two programs, taking down the Gophers 2-1 in the 2021 Smashville Showcase final.
Multiple Contributors
The Maroon and Gold have had various players make an impact throughout the 2024-25 season.
Redshirt-senior and captain Abbey Murphy leads the nation with 31 goals this season, and ranks fourth in points with 63, a career-high for the Evergreen Park, Ill. native. Murphy has notched at least one point in 30 out of the Gophers' 40 games, including 20 multi-point games. Murphy also leads the team with seven game-winning goals and six power play goals.
Following Murphy is senior forward and fellow captain Ella Huber, who has recorded a career-high 47 points (15g-32a) this season, then fifth-year forward Natalie Mlynkova with 33 points (16g-17a).
Junior Sydney Morrow and freshman Chloe Primerano co-lead Minnesota defenders with 29 points on the season (10g-19a and 5g-24a, respectively). Five of Morrow's goals came on the power play. Following Morrow and Primerano on the blue line is junior defender and captain Nelli Laitinen with 21 points (3g-18a) on the season so far.
Freshman goaltender Hannah Clark holds an 24-9-1 record on the season with a .906 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average. This season, Clark has tallied the most wins for a Gopher freshman goaltender in program history.
Milestones on the Horizon
Abbey Murphy has recorded 101 career goals, seventh all-time in program history, and is in pursuit of tying Natalie Darwitz' 102 mark. Josefin Bouveng is also in pursuit of a triple digit milestone, sitting at 97 career points. Pending her appearance in Saturday's matchup, Audrey Wethington will set a new program record with 174 career games played, passing her sister, Madeline Wethington, and Taylor Heise for the top spot.
WCHA Honors
Several Gophers have tallied numerous conference accolades throughout the 2024-25 season.
Abbey Murphy and Sydney Morrow were each named to the All-WCHA Second Team, Chloe Primerano was named to both the All-WCHA Third Team and WCHA All-Rookie Team, and Gracie Graham was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team. Murphy and Primerano were also each named to the WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament Team.
Additionally, Sydney Morrow was selected as a WCHA Defender of the Year Finalist, Chloe Primerano was selected as a WCHA Rookie of the Year Finalist, and Audrey Wethington was selected as a WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Finalist.
Five Gophers earned WCHA Weekly Awards throughout the regular season: 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).
Three Minnesota student-athletes have been named WCHA Players of the Month: Abbey Murphy (December, January), Chloe Primerano (December), and Sydney Morrow (January).
Murphy Magic Sweeps Nation
For the second-straight season, Abbey Murphy was selected as a Top-10 Finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. She is the 39th Gopher to be named a finalist.
Additionally, this season 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.