Photo by: Bjorn Franke
Gophers, Bulldogs Set for Rematch
1/26/2023 3:03:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Minnesota swept Minnesota Duluth at Ridder Arena in November.
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 3/3 Golden Gopher women's hockey team (20-3-2) heads back up north for a series with No. 6/6 Minnesota Duluth (19-6-1) at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. Both games are slated for a 3:00 pm puck drop. Saturday's contest will be televised locally on FOX9+.
Last Time Out
Minnesota continued its winning ways with a sweep over Bemidji State to extend its win streak to ten games. On Friday, the Gophers cruised to a 7-0 win behind a pair of goals from Grace Zumwinkle and Taylor Heise. Senior goaltender Olivia King made four saves in her season debut in the third period. On Saturday, the Maroon and Gold battled for a 4-1 win to secure their eighth WCHA sweep of the season. Zumwinkle, Abbey Murphy, Abigail Boreen and Josefin Bouveng found the back of the net in the win. Skylar Vetter stopped 30-of-31 shots while earning her 16th and 17th win of the season in the series.
Scouting the Opposition
Minnesota Duluth (19-6-1) sits in fourth place in the WCHA with a 13-6-1 conference record. The Bulldogs are currently on a nine-game unbeaten streak including a road sweep of Wisconsin. UMD is led in scoring by fifth-year forwards Gabbie Hughes (7g-27a) and Anneke Linser (16g-10a) and fifth-year defender Ashton Bell (10g-15a). The Bulldogs' fifth-year goaltender Emma Soderberg has posted a 16-6-1 record with a 1.50 GAA and a .923 Sv% across 22 starts this season. Minnesota is 68-32-10 all-time against the Bulldogs after sweeping the first matchup at Ridder Arena in November.
High-Octane Offense
After adding 11 more goals last weekend, Minnesota continues to rank first in the nation in scoring offense as the only team to average over five goals-per-game (5.08). The Gophers have scored 127 goals in 25 games this season with six or more goals in 9 different games this season. Fifth-year forwards Grace Zumwinkle (21) and Taylor Heise (20) rank first in the nation in goals respectively.
Special Teams Success
Minnesota's special teams have been clicking offensively with and without the extra-skater advantage. The Gophers' power play currently ranks second in the nation while converting on 26/84 power plays this season. Minnesota has scored on the power play in 17-of-25 games this season. The Maroon and Gold also lead the nation in shorthanded goals with 8. Taylor Heise is tied for the national lead with 3 SHG this season.
Boreen's Scoring Tear
Fifth-year forward Abigail Boreen has been lighting the lamp at a rapid pace since the start of December. Over her last 10 games, Boreen has scored 12 goals with at least one goal in eight of them. The Somerset, Wis., native currently ranks fourth in the nation in goals-per-game with .74.
Race for the WCHA
Minnesota currently sits in first place in the WCHA regular season standings with a 17-1-2 record (53 points in 20 conference games). The 'U' is two points ahead of Ohio State (51 points in 20 games) in the race for the Julianne Bye Cup. Wisconsin (44 points in 20 conference games) and Minnesota Duluth (39 points in 20 conference games) sit in third and fourth, respectively as the only other WCHA teams with a conference record above .500.
Scoring Milestones on the Horizon
Fifth-year forward Taylor Heise continues to climb the program ranks as she currently sits in 7th place in program history in points with 207 (87g-120a) in 159 career games. Heise trails Kelly Stephens by 12 points for sixth place all-time. Her 120 assists rank sixth in program history, also trailing Stephens by two for the next spot in the rankings. Grace Zumwinkle continues to climb the program's all-time goal list by adding three goals last weekend to pass Natalie Dariwtz for fifth place. The fifth-year forward has 105 career goals, trailing Krissy Wendell for fourth place by one goal and Amanda Kessel for third place by three goals.
Behind the Bench
Head coach Brad Frost is back for his 16th season as the bench boss of Gopher Women's Hockey. Under Frost's guidance, the program has posted a 462-96-37 record with four national titles and seven conference titles. Associate head coach Natalie Darwitz is back behind the bench for her fourth season and is joined by assistant coach Jessica Scott, who served as the program's Director of Operations for the last three seasons.
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 2022-23.
Last Time Out
Minnesota continued its winning ways with a sweep over Bemidji State to extend its win streak to ten games. On Friday, the Gophers cruised to a 7-0 win behind a pair of goals from Grace Zumwinkle and Taylor Heise. Senior goaltender Olivia King made four saves in her season debut in the third period. On Saturday, the Maroon and Gold battled for a 4-1 win to secure their eighth WCHA sweep of the season. Zumwinkle, Abbey Murphy, Abigail Boreen and Josefin Bouveng found the back of the net in the win. Skylar Vetter stopped 30-of-31 shots while earning her 16th and 17th win of the season in the series.
Scouting the Opposition
Minnesota Duluth (19-6-1) sits in fourth place in the WCHA with a 13-6-1 conference record. The Bulldogs are currently on a nine-game unbeaten streak including a road sweep of Wisconsin. UMD is led in scoring by fifth-year forwards Gabbie Hughes (7g-27a) and Anneke Linser (16g-10a) and fifth-year defender Ashton Bell (10g-15a). The Bulldogs' fifth-year goaltender Emma Soderberg has posted a 16-6-1 record with a 1.50 GAA and a .923 Sv% across 22 starts this season. Minnesota is 68-32-10 all-time against the Bulldogs after sweeping the first matchup at Ridder Arena in November.
High-Octane Offense
After adding 11 more goals last weekend, Minnesota continues to rank first in the nation in scoring offense as the only team to average over five goals-per-game (5.08). The Gophers have scored 127 goals in 25 games this season with six or more goals in 9 different games this season. Fifth-year forwards Grace Zumwinkle (21) and Taylor Heise (20) rank first in the nation in goals respectively.
Special Teams Success
Minnesota's special teams have been clicking offensively with and without the extra-skater advantage. The Gophers' power play currently ranks second in the nation while converting on 26/84 power plays this season. Minnesota has scored on the power play in 17-of-25 games this season. The Maroon and Gold also lead the nation in shorthanded goals with 8. Taylor Heise is tied for the national lead with 3 SHG this season.
Boreen's Scoring Tear
Fifth-year forward Abigail Boreen has been lighting the lamp at a rapid pace since the start of December. Over her last 10 games, Boreen has scored 12 goals with at least one goal in eight of them. The Somerset, Wis., native currently ranks fourth in the nation in goals-per-game with .74.
Race for the WCHA
Minnesota currently sits in first place in the WCHA regular season standings with a 17-1-2 record (53 points in 20 conference games). The 'U' is two points ahead of Ohio State (51 points in 20 games) in the race for the Julianne Bye Cup. Wisconsin (44 points in 20 conference games) and Minnesota Duluth (39 points in 20 conference games) sit in third and fourth, respectively as the only other WCHA teams with a conference record above .500.
Scoring Milestones on the Horizon
Fifth-year forward Taylor Heise continues to climb the program ranks as she currently sits in 7th place in program history in points with 207 (87g-120a) in 159 career games. Heise trails Kelly Stephens by 12 points for sixth place all-time. Her 120 assists rank sixth in program history, also trailing Stephens by two for the next spot in the rankings. Grace Zumwinkle continues to climb the program's all-time goal list by adding three goals last weekend to pass Natalie Dariwtz for fifth place. The fifth-year forward has 105 career goals, trailing Krissy Wendell for fourth place by one goal and Amanda Kessel for third place by three goals.
Behind the Bench
Head coach Brad Frost is back for his 16th season as the bench boss of Gopher Women's Hockey. Under Frost's guidance, the program has posted a 462-96-37 record with four national titles and seven conference titles. Associate head coach Natalie Darwitz is back behind the bench for her fourth season and is joined by assistant coach Jessica Scott, who served as the program's Director of Operations for the last three seasons.
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 2022-23.