University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Gophers Tied for Second in WCHA Preseason Poll; Murphy Earns Preseason All-WCHA Honors
9/8/2025 1:51:00 PM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) announced its 2025-26 Preseason Coaches Poll on Monday, with the University of Minnesota women's hockey team tying for second place in the rankings. Graduate forward Abbey Murphy was also named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team.
The WCHA has produced 22 National Champions in its 26 years of existence. Following Minnesota's 16th Frozen Four appearance last season, the Gophers earned 40 points in the poll, tying NCAA runner-up Ohio State for second place. Defending National Champions Wisconsin was selected as the preseason favorite with 49 points and seven of the eight first-place votes. The Gophers received the remaining first-place vote. Minnesota Duluth followed in fourth with 31 points, while St. Cloud State (24), St. Thomas (17), Minnesota State (16), and Bemidji State (7) rounded out the poll.Â
Murphy, a returning AHCA Second Team All-American, is coming off a standout 2024-25 season in which she continued to establish herself as one college hockey's elite scorers. This marks her second consecutive year being named to the All-WCHA Preseason Team. She enters the upcoming season second among WCHA returners in goals (33) and goals per game (.79), third in total points (65), and tied for first with seven game-winning goals. The Evergreen Park, Illinois native will look to lead the Gopher squad into another competitive season.
Joining Murphy on the six-player Preseason All-WCHA Team are Ohio State's Joy Dunne and Emma Peschel, Wisconsin's Kirsten Simms and Caroline Harvey, and Minnesota Duluth's Ève Gascon.
Minnesota enters the 2025-26 season with a deep and experienced roster, returning a strong core of veteran players alongside a talented incoming class. Under 19th-year head coach Brad Frost, the Gophers will aim to build on last season's NCAA Tournament appearance and Frozen Four finish.
The 2025-26 campaign opens Thursday, September 25 against Boston College at Ridder Arena.
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