University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Gophers to Face Buckeyes in WCHA Final Faceoff Semifinal
3/6/2025 12:00:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - The fourth-ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey team (27-10-1, 19-8-1 WCHA) will face the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (27-6-3, 19-6-3 WCHA) in the semifinal round of the 2025 WCHA Final Faceoff on Friday, seeking to advance to Saturday's championship game.
Puck drop on Friday is set for 4:30Â p.m. CT at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. The game will be broadcast on FOX 9+ and streamed on B1G+.
Last Time Out
The Maroon and Gold advanced to their 26th consecutive WCHA Final Faceoff after defeating Minnesota State in a best-of-three series last weekend.
The Gophers claimed the first game with a resounding 6-1 win, before the Mavericks brought the series even with a 5-4 double overtime victory in game two. Minnesota bounced back with a 6-2 win in game three, scoring a season-high five goals in the second period to ultimately advance.
Scouting the Buckeyes
Last weekend, head coach Nadine Muzerall and the Ohio State Buckeyes took down the St. Thomas Tommies in two games during the first round of the WCHA Postseason. Ohio State defeated St. Thomas in each of the first two games of the best-of-three series, first 5-1 on Friday, then 4-1 on Saturday.
The second-seeded Buckeyes took eight points from the third-seeded Gophers during the season after earning two wins and a shootout win. In the most recent series at Ridder Arena, the teams split, with Minnesota winning 3-1 in the opener and Ohio State winning the second game of the series with a 7-3 victory.Â
Multiple Contributors
The Maroon and Gold have had various players make an impact throughout the 2024-25 season.Â
Redshirt-senior Abbey Murphy leads the team with 59 points (29g-30a). Murphy has notched at least one point in 28 out of the Gophers' 38 games, including 19 multi-point games. Murphy also leads the team with seven game-winning goals. Following Murphy is senior forward Ella Huber, who has recorded a career-high 44 points (14g-30a) this season, then both fifth-year forward Natalie Mlynkova and senior forward Peyton Hemp with 31 points (15g-16a) each.Â
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 26 points (4g-22a), then junior defender Nelli Laitinen with 21 points (3g-18a) on the season so far.
Freshman goaltender Hannah Clark holds an 23-8-1 record on the season with a .907 save percentage and 2.25 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 99 career goals, seventh 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 95 career points. Ava Lindsay has recorded 48 career points, nearing the half-century mark as a sophomore.
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.
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, and looks to become the fourth-ever Gopher to take home the award. Previous Maroon & Gold winners of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award were Krissy Wendell in 2005, Amanda Kessel in 2013, and Taylor Heise in 2022.
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.