Gopher Women's Hockey: Minnesota Claims Seventh WCHA Regular Season Title

Amanda Kessel scored two goals and Noora Raty earned her NCAA-record 101st win as the No. 1 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team beat No. 10 Minnesota Duluth to clinch its seventh WCHA regular season title. The Golden Gophers (27-0-0, 21-0-0 WCHA) sit atop the standings with 63 points and will host WCHA First Round games in March. With the win, they extended their NCAA-record winning streak to 35 games.

Becky Kortum put the Gophers ahead of the Bulldogs (13-9-3, 12-8-1 WCHA) early with a shorthanded goal at 3:45. The Bulldogs’ pass into the zone went right to Lee Stecklein, who passed it back down the ice. Kortum, who was just coming in off the bench, followed the puck into the zone and scored on a breakaway.

Kessel scored her NCAA-leading 35th goal of the season to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead at 8:04 in the second. Megan Bozek passed to Hannah Brandt, who found Kessel with a behind-the-back pass.

The Gophers went up 3-0 early in the third when Sarah Davis flipped a high shot past UMD’s goaltender after being set up by Bethany Brausen. Then Kessel added a second goal after passing back and forth down the ice with Brandt. Milica McMillen made it 5-0 on a goal set up by Kessel and Davis.

Räty made 24 saves and the Gophers killed four penalties to preserve the shutout. Räty’s 37th career shutout gives her sole possession of the NCAA record for career wins. She broke former Mercyhurst goalie Hillary Pattenden’s record of 100. Räty now stands two shutouts away from tying the NCAA record in that category.

The Gophers and Bulldogs will conclude their season series tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. at Ridder Arena, and the game will be live on the Big Ten Network.

**Courtesy Cory Hall & University of Minnesota Athletic Department

Hope they can keep the momentum going. Playing 7 games with the championship already in hand is a rare situation.

Looking like running the table is becoming a possibility. Whether they can do it or not remains to be seen. But this is as dominating a college team, in any sport, as I've probably ever seen. It's getting to the point now where opposing teams are patting themselves on the back for staying with the Gophers for parts of the game because that's as close as they're getting to actually beating them. By all accounts, UMD played very well this weekend and still got swept to the tune of 11-2 in two games.

One thing is for sure: This team is an absolute juggernaut and it will take something truly special to knock them off this year.

Is there anywhere to watch video highlights of games?

MRJ said:

Looking like running the table is becoming a possibility. Whether they can do it or not remains to be seen. But this is as dominating a college team, in any sport, as I've probably ever seen. It's getting to the point now where opposing teams are patting themselves on the back for staying with the Gophers for parts of the game because that's as close as they're getting to actually beating them. By all accounts, UMD played very well this weekend and still got swept to the tune of 11-2 in two games.

One thing is for sure: This team is an absolute juggernaut and it will take something truly special to knock them off this year.

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I'm as wary about counting chickens before they hatch as anyone, but as far as the regular season goes, we should be able to do it.
We are 6-0 against our remaining three opponents this year, and have beat them by the following combined scores:
OSU: 15-2
BSU: 10-1
SCSU: 11-1

The closest any of those teams have played us is a 4 goal loss. I recognize there is no such thing as a sure thing in sports, but if our girls play anywhere near their A-game for the rest of the way, this should (knock on wood) be a perfect regular season.

Ignorant question here. Are the women moving to a B1G hockey conference next year or are they staying in the WCHA?

Go Gophers!!

Go Gophers!!

Gold Vision said:

Ignorant question here. Are the women moving to a B1G hockey conference next year or are they staying in the WCHA?

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I am almost certain they are staying put in the WCHA. I don't believe there are enough programs to have B1G women's hockey.

Gold Vision said:

Ignorant question here. Are the women moving to a B1G hockey conference next year or are they staying in the WCHA?

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They staying in the WCHA, there is no big 10 hockey conference. Not enough teams.

bleedsmaroonandgold said:

I'm as wary about counting chickens before they hatch as anyone, but as far as the regular season goes, we should be able to do it.
We are 6-0 against our remaining three opponents this year, and have beat them by the following combined scores:
OSU: 15-2
BSU: 10-1
SCSU: 11-1

The closest any of those teams have played us is a 4 goal loss. I recognize there is no such thing as a sure thing in sports, but if our girls play anywhere near their A-game for the rest of the way, this should (knock on wood) be a perfect regular season.

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I'm with ya. I like their chances as well. I'm defnintely most concerned about this two games with Ohio State this weekend. After that, I really don't think that Bemidji State or St. Cloud have anything near to the horses required to get the job done. Ohio State has some nice top end players on their team; just enough to raise an eyebrow or two and possibly make it tough.

Having said that, this team has more than answered the bell against tough squads on the road this year. That last sweep of Wisconsin on the Badgers' home rink was very impressive. Like you, I don't like too get ahead of myself with stuff like this. But I think there is definitely a good chance that the team is sitting at 34-0-0 at the end of the regular season.

The stat from the UMD game on Saturday that jumps out at me: 6 goals by 6 players. That, my friends, is depth.

The Gophs won today, 72 seconds away from going to a shootout (which would have been a tie as far as the NCAA concerned and spoiled our perfect record). A series at the last place team in the conference is all that separates us from the perfect regular season. It will also be our last trip away from Ridder. Great for the Gophers rewarding their season ticket holders, who got to see a perfect home regular season.