Gopher Women's Hockey 2022-23 Season

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The defending WCHA regular season champions will kick off the conference schedule on Oct. 7 at home against Bemidji State.​


The 26th season of Gopher women's hockey includes a 28-game regular-season conference campaign before the Maroon & Gold continue the program's quest for its eighth national title.

In addition to the 28-game regular-season conference slate and the 2022 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Faceoff Classic, the Gophers will participate in two non-conference showcases to round out the full 33-game schedule.

The Gophers will look to build on a season that saw them win the 11th WCHA regular season title in program history and enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 overall seed. Coach Frost returns for his 16th season behind the bench with a veteran roster that includes eight seniors returning for a fifth season.

Minnesota kicks off its conference schedule on Oct. 7-8, hosting Bemidji State at Ridder Arena. Conference action continues with home-and-home series against Minnesota State (Oct. 14-15) and St. Cloud State (Oct. 21-22) before Minnesota travels to Columbus for its first true road series of the season against the Buckeyes (Oct. 28-29).

WCHA play in the first half of the regular season also includes a home series against Minnesota Duluth (Nov. 4-5) and a road series with Wisconsin (Nov. 18-19). Minnesota wraps up play in 2022 with their final home-and-home series with Minnesota State (Dec. 2-3) and St. Cloud State (Dec. 9-10).


The 'U' opens the second half of the conference schedule with a series against St. Thomas for the second straight season (Jan. 13-14) before embarking on the final two road trips of the season at Bemidji State (Jan. 20-21) and Minnesota Duluth (Jan. 27-28). The Gophers host Ohio State (Feb. 3-4) and Wisconsin (Feb. 10-11) before closing out the regular season at St. Thomas (Feb. 17-18).


Minnesota's non-conference portion of the schedule will begin with a Thanksgiving road trip to Henderson, Nev., to compete in the 2022 Vegas Showcase. The Gophers will face Penn State on Nov. 25 before facing either Boston University or Yale on Nov. 26. The Gophers are 17-1-0 all-time against the three potential opponents.

To complete the non-conference schedule, the 'U' will kick off 2023 by hosting the East/West Showcase at Ridder Arena. Minnesota will face Merrimack on Jan. 6 and New Hampshire on Jan. 7. St. Cloud State rounds out the field of four teams and will also face each of the east coast opponents. The Gophers will face Merrimack for the third time in program history and first since 2017, while the team is slated to face New Hampshire for the first time since 2012.


Postseason play begins with the 2023 WCHA Conference Tournament. All eight league teams will be seeded by finish in the WCHA standings with the top four seeds each hosting the bottom four seeds in four, best-of-three quarterfinal series (Feb. 24-26). The four quarterfinal winners will move on to the WCHA Final Faceoff (March 3-4).


About the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Women's League
The Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association will mark its 24th season in 2022-23. The nation's premier women's hockey conference, WCHA member institutions have won a record 19 national championships since the league's inception in 1999 (including 18 of a possible 21 NCAA titles), while producing eight Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winners, 115 All-Americans and numerous Olympic and national team members. The eight-team, NCAA Division I conference consists of: Bemidji State University (Beavers), the University of Minnesota (Golden Gophers), the University of Minnesota Duluth (Bulldogs), Minnesota State University (Mavericks), The Ohio State University (Buckeyes), St. Cloud State University (Huskies), the University of Wisconsin (Badgers) and the University of St. Thomas (Tommies). For more information, visit wcha.com.

--Above information from Gophers news announcements.
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I am eager for Gopher women's hockey to start and think they will have a fantastic season. Go Gophers!
 

Is anyone else on the Gopher Hole excited about Gopher Women's Hockey? They have four players from the Silver Medal team at the World's Championship, who will be playing for the Gophers this fall: Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Nelli Laitinen, and Josefin Bouveng. Heise was the leading scorer and the tournament MVP! They all scored points. Former Gophers had a great tournament too: Amanda Kessel (2nd leading scorer), Sarah Potomak, Hannah Brandt, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Strecklein. (https://gophersports.com/news/2022/...ns-gold-six-earn-silver-at-2022-womens-worlds).
 


Is anyone else on the Gopher Hole excited about Gopher Women's Hockey? They have four players from the Silver Medal team at the World's Championship, who will be playing for the Gophers this fall: Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Nelli Laitinen, and Josefin Bouveng. Heise was the leading scorer and the tournament MVP! They all scored points. Former Gophers had a great tournament too: Amanda Kessel (2nd leading scorer), Sarah Potomak, Hannah Brandt, Kelly Pannek, and Lee Strecklein. (https://gophersports.com/news/2022/...ns-gold-six-earn-silver-at-2022-womens-worlds).
Excitement is always high to start, but we'll see once we face Wisconsin and the defending national champs Ohio State.
 


Shouldn't this be on the Hockey Board?
Yes. I think Women's hockey should be on the Message Board and have their own Forum like Women's basketball. Sadly, all the other Women's sports (Volleyball, Soccer, Softball, etc.) are on the "Other Gopher Sports" board. Women's Hockey and Volleyball are perennial elite programs and should merit Message Boards of their own.
 
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Gopher Women's Hockey Mic'd Up with Catie Skaja​


 




Gopher Taylor Heise tied it up for Team USA!

 






Here are the top 5 moments from the first half!

 

Taylor Heise has been named Player of the Month!

Skylar Vetter has been named Goalie of the Month!

Congrats Gophers!

 


Gophers *trounced* Marrimack 9-0 and New Hampshire 8-1 in East/West Showcase.

Against Marrimack on Friday, Taylor Heise scored a hat trick (3 goals), bringing her season total to 16 goals and an NCAA-best 37 points.

That was her second straight hat trick.




And then the Gophers routed New Hampshire. Grace Zumwinkle scored 2 goals on her way to becoming just the 6th player in program history to score 100 or more goals.





Gophers have strong goaltending and several excellent players.


 
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Gophers *trounced* Marrimack 9-0 and New Hampshire 8-1 in East/West Showcase.

Against Marrimack on Friday, Taylor Heise scored a hat trick (3 goals), bringing her season total to 16 goals and an NCAA-best 37 points.

That was her second straight hat trick.




And then the Gophers routed New Hampshire. Grace Zumwinkle scored 2 goals on her way to becoming just the 6th player in program history to score 100 or more goals.





Gophers have strong goaltending and several excellent players.


Wasn't the Merrimack score 9-2. Vetter lost her shutout streak.
 

Wasn't the Merrimack score 9-2. Vetter lost her shutout streak.

Great catch. Yes. Thank you!


 


A couple of weeks ago they swept MSU-Mankato and dropped one spot. Dominated a couple of East Coast teams and moved up two spots. Also loved seeing Wisconsin get swept and dropping all the way down.
 

Nice 5-0 win Friday against crosstown rival St Thomas.

Strong goaltending, exciting scoring, strong fundamentals... Gophers look good!





"Grace Zumwinkle, one game after getting her 100th career goal, scored two more as the No. 3 Gophers dominated St. Thomas 5-0 on Friday night at Ridder Arena in their seventh consecutive victory. Skylar Vetter made 17 saves for her fifth shutout of the season.

"A good win tonight," coach Brad Frost said after Minnesota improved to 11-0 at home this season. "Another shutout for Skylar who's been playing great. She made some really good saves, especially in the third when we got a bit loose with our coverage.""
 


200th career point for Taylor Heise after her first period assist!



And then this sweet Taylor Heise score!

 

Future Gophers ava lindsay and elly klepinger defeated Finland to win 3rd place at 2023 U18 Women's World, with Gophers assistant coach Jess Scott.





 


Natalie Darwitz promoted to Gophers women's hockey associate head coach​

Darwitz, a former Gophers star and three-time Olympian, is in her third season as a Minnesota assistant.

"In three full seasons at Minnesota, Darwitz has helped guide the Gophers to a 58-15-5 record and two WCHA regular-season titles in 2009 and 2022....

Darwitz, an Eagan, Minn. native, played at the 'U' for three years (2002-05). In that span, she helped the Gophers win back-to-back national championships in 2004 and 2005 and was named 2005 Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player.

Darwitz is also a three-time Olympic medalist (silver in 2002 and 2010 and bronze in 2006) and three-time IIHF World Women's Championships gold medalist."


 







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