University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Sacred Heart
Players Mentioned
Gophers Blank Sacred Heart, 4-0, to Open Second Half
1/2/2026 6:46:00 PM | Women's Hockey
FAIRFIELD, CONN. – The No. 3-ranked University of Minnesota women's hockey team opened the second half of the 2025–26 season in dominant fashion, blanking Sacred Heart, 4–0, at Martire Family Arena on Friday evening. The Gophers controlled play from start to finish, outshooting the Pioneers and capitalizing on special teams to secure the non-conference victory.
Kendra Distad ignited the scoring early for the Gophers. From behind the cage, Teresa Plosova delivered a centering pass to Distad in the low slot. Distad rifled home the game's opening tally and her third of the season 5:40 into the first period.
The Gophers doubled their advantage with a shorthanded goal at 17:50 of the opening frame. Abbey Murphy intercepted a defense-to-defense pass and broke in alone on the Sacred Heart net. Murphy faked to her backhand before pulling the puck to her forehand and scoring her team-leading 21st goal of the season.
Minnesota outshot Sacred Heart 19–2 in the first period and extended its lead midway through the second. At 8:07, Murphy sent a pass through traffic from the left faceoff circle to Nelli Laitinen, who one-timed the puck from the top of the right circle for her sixth goal of the season as the recently named 2026 Olympians connected for a 3–0 lead.
The Maroon and Gold capped the scoring at 14:04 of the third period. Jamie Nelson dropped a pass to Chloe Primerano just inside Sacred Heart's defensive zone, and Primerano snapped a wrist shot high, far side, off the left post and in. Josefin Bouveng earned the secondary assist, extending her points streak to 18 games.
With the win, Minnesota moves to 15-4-0 (10-4-0 WCHA) while Sacred Heart falls to 5-13-1 (4-9-1 NEWHA).Â
Quotable
"It's good to be back and playing games," said Head Coach Brad Frost. "Getting a win on the road is a great start to 2026 as we try and build our game here for March."
Frost on Gopher Olympians
"I'm super proud of (Nelli Laitinen and Abbey Murphy)," said Frost. There wasn't a ton of drama in our mind on if they were going to make it. Now that it's official, it's pretty special. We're happy for both of them and excited for the opportunity for them to fulfill their dreams."
Notable
- Murphy recorded her sixth career shorthanded goal and Minnesota's fourth of the season.
- The Gophers improved to 18-0-1 in their first game after the New Year under head coach Brad Frost.
- Hannah Clark earned her third shutout of the season.
- Josefin Bouveng extended her point streak to 18 games.
- Minnesota recorded 50-plus shots on goal for the third time this season.
Up Next
Minnesota and Sacred Heart will meet again tomorrow afternoon at Martire Family Arena to close out the first-ever series between the two programs. Puck drop is set for 12:00 p.m. CT, with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
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