Women's Hockey 2023-24 Season - Part 3: Playoffs

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RrrrrrEaDY tO RUmBLE!

Gophers in the playoffs!




First Round Games (Best of Three Series) at Ridder Arena

March 1:
#6 seed Minnesota State at #3 seed Minnesota, 6:00 p.m. CT

March 2:
#6 seed Minnesota State at #3 seed Minnesota - 3:00 p.m. CT

March 3 (if needed):
#6 seed Minnesota State at #3 seed Minnesota - 3:00 p.m. CT


Best of three. Complete playoff schedule for all WCHA teams at this link:

2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff - Western Collegiate Hockey Association

2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff Information Center The 2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff will be held March 8-9, 2024 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Annually
wcha.com wcha.com


The WCHA is a tough conference with elite teams.

The Minnesota Gophers won the WCHA tournament last season.

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Gophers tickets (low in price) at:

gophersports.com

Gopher Women's Hockey Tickets - Official Minnesota Golden Gopher Tickets - University of Minnesota Athletics

Minnesota Gopher Women's Hockey Tickets SINGLE GAME TICKETS Single game tickets for the 2024-25 season will go on-sale in...
gophersports.com gophersports.com


And then Gophers head to the NCAA tournament, being one of the top teams in the NCAA (4th as of today).

Selection show: Sunday, March 10

www.uscho.com

NCAA National Collegiate women's hockey tournament - USCHO.com | NCAA

2024 bracket Regional semifinals March 14 Regional finals March 16 Semifinals March 22 Championship March 24 Minnesota Duluth 1 UConn 0 (2OT) 7 p.m. ET,
www.uscho.com




www.facebook.com

Minnesota Women's Hockey | Minneapolis MN

Minnesota Women's Hockey, Minneapolis, MN. 23,244 likes · 291 talking about this. The official Facebook page of Golden Gopher Women’s Hockey.
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com


 
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Both Gophers head coaches were really good. Worth a watch.
 

UMD and St Cloud State face each other in the playoffs. Both are defense-with-strong-goaltending teams. In their last series between the two, the first game ended 1-0. The 2nd game was 0-0 after OT, finally decided by a goal in a shootout. UMD has the edge.

Minnesota Gophers are #1 at special teams.

2023-2024 Hockey - Overall Statistics - Western Collegiate Hockey Association

The official 2023-2024 Hockey cumulative statistics for Western Collegiate Hockey Association
wcha.com wcha.com


Out East, UConn won the HockeyEast conference title. Gophers swept UConn earlier this season.

Colgate won the ECAC conference. Minnesota did not play them but beat a good Cornell team 5-1. Clarkson is a strong contender out East. St Lawrence is a potential surprise underdog tournament team, with the way they find a way to win.


www.therinklive.com

Northfield's Ayla Puppe wins Ms. Hockey

Puppe lead the state in goals (61), assists (50) and points (111) this season. She is committed to play at the University of Minnesota in the fall.
www.therinklive.com www.therinklive.com

Northfield's Ayla Puppe wins Ms. Hockey -- Puppe lead the state in goals (61), assists (50) and points (111) this season. She is committed to play at the University of Minnesota in the fall.
 
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Tonight! WCHA RUmBLE!

Playoffs Minnesota Gophers vs Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks.




www.facebook.com

Minnesota Women's Hockey

Postseason begins this weekend as the #Gophers host the Mavericks in the first round of the WCHA Tournament! Series Preview: z.umn.edu/9cjm 🎟: z.umn.edu/9c3j
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com


Three Gophers made All-WCHA honors.

Forward Abbey Murphy (2nd team)

Defense Nelli Laitinen (2nd)

Defense Madeline Wethington (3rd)


Abbey Murphy led the WCHA and NCAA in goals. To me, she is 1st team level.

And yet the WCHA is stacked with elite, olympics talent but only so many spots. Wisconsin and Ohio State players are deserving.

Wethington was pretty good this year. The WCHA is stacked with talent if she's just the 3rd team.
 


It's the postseason and Ridder looks like a ghost town. Yep, the state of hockey alright.
 


They found their offense, but unfortunately they forgot how to play defense. If they lose this series, they don't deserve an NCAA at-large bid.
 

Worst time to have defense breakdowns. Gophers had some highlights-like shots but didn't score on them. Some lapses in passing. Really bad time to have a "what?" night. Abbey Murphy didn't put the puck in with her choice opportunities. Was that a whif on the last attempted shot of the game?

Well there was one good news: Hat trick for Ella Huber! Lauren O'Hara with a goal too.


 



Good thing its a best of 3. Hopefully a HUGE wakeup call.
 

This strange play is representative of how the game went.



Coach Brad Frost:
“We’ve talked a lot this season about what it will take to win in the playoffs, and that’s giving up zero, one or two. We did not tonight. We were sloppy, we lacked detail, we weren’t stopping on pucks. Just all the little things we’re been really good at lately we did not do tonight. And against a hungry, good team that plays us tough all the time, that’s the result.”


Could Vetter she have made another great save or two? Maybe, but why did the Gophers turn it over on other goals and expose Vetter to open sniper shots.

Youth Players
Some of these Gopher players are still young. I was watching the dynamo Ava Lindsay. She's dynamic, exciting. She played quite a bit for a freshman. But she and other underclassmen are still learning where to be and so forth.

In the offseason the Gophers lost around 60% of their scoring to graduation. Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, and Abigail Boreen now play significant pro hockey minutes in the PWHL as rookies. The current Gophers team is not a senior-upper classmen team like Ohio State.


Elsewhere around hockey...

In the Boring Bowl, #8 UMD and #10 St Cloud State skated to a defensive 0-0 tie. Wait! That was the past few games. In this one, UMD rolled over St Cloud State 5-1.

#1 tOSU pasted Bemidji State 10-1. Ohio State is a freakish veteran team favored to win it all.

St Thomas looked competitive against #2 Wisconsin but lost 2-4. St Thomas with 14 blocked shots in the 1st period, 23 total blocks in the game.

#3 Clarkson edged Princeton 3-2. #5 Colgate beat brown 5-1. #6 Cornell beat #9 Quinnipiac. #11 UConn plays today.

#7 St Lawrence beat #13 Yale. Keep an eye on the Cinderella team St Lawrence. They're not that good, but they are.


#4 Gophers are still favored to win this series against Minnesota State.

Gophers, I've seen what you can do. You have played even with, and beat, Wisconsin. Don't hit the snooze button on Minnesota State, a decent team with some dangerous players.


 


Gophers playing like this is an elimination game. Question is can they sustain this to tomorrow and the rest of the tournament if they move on?
 



I am glad they are sparked by yesterday's mishaps.

After one period, Gophwrs pounding Minnesota State.

 



WayOfTheGopher said:
Let me guess, Murphy was involved in that five minute major on both sides.
Click to expand...

Yea, Murphy a d Paddington for MN State.

Now MN state with a major penalty, head shot.

Stats here:

SIDEARMLiveStats

Real time live stats for your favorite team powered by SIDEARM Sports. One location for your team's Stat summaries, Individual stats, Team stats, Team leaders, Play by plays, Split Box scores and more.
gophersports.com gophersports.com
 

Great win. Good all-around play. It would be wonderful if yesterday was a wakeup call and the Gophers play at this level the rest of the season.
 



Productive day for the Gophers yesterday for the lopsided win:

Josefin Bouvang 2 goals and 3 assists.

Abbey Murphy 2 goals and 2 assists.

Madeline Wethington and Ella Huber with 1 goal and 2 assists.

Madison Kaiser with 1 goal.

Taylor Steward with 2 assists.

Peyton Hemp with an assist.

Lucy Morgan in nets with 17 stops.

Gophers made 32 shots on goal and scored 7.



In other news, all top ranked NCAA Division I teams won and advanced except Gophers playing the deciding game today against Minnesota State (Mankato).


Next weekend at Ridder Arena is the
Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff.

2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff - Western Collegiate Hockey Association

2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff Information Center The 2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff will be held March 8-9, 2024 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Annually
wcha.com wcha.com
 

OSU, WI and Gophers safely in. UMD inside the bubble at the moment at #8 in Pairwise. Not sure if they have to win 1 next weekend or not.

Still don't really understand how NCAA settled on 11 teams making the tournament. Seems dumb. If you're doing 11, might as well do 12 so it's a symmetrical bracket.
 
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More news

In the ECAC conference, #3 Clarkson Knights, #5 Colgate Raiders, #7 St Lawrence Saints, and #6 Cornell Big Red advance to the semi-finals games.


ECAC announced First Team honorees:

ecachockey.com

ECAC Hockey Announces First Team All-ECAC Honorees

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. – ECAC Hockey is delighted to reveal the outstanding selection of six remarkable student-athletes for its 2023-24 Women’s All-ECAC First Team, with representation from five esteemed member institutions.
ecachockey.com ecachockey.com


At HockeyEast, Huskies made both sides of the bracket!


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Two different teams are Huskies!

#11 UConn Huskies, Boston College Eagles, #14 Northeastern Huskies, and New Hampshire Wildcats advance to the semi-finals.


Hockey East Names All Star Teams:

hockeyeastonline.com

Hockey East Names 2023-24 Women's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association

League Honors Three All-Star Teams During 22nd Annual Tournament Celebration
hockeyeastonline.com hockeyeastonline.com


#15 Penn State won the CHA tournament.


In the NEWHA Tournament, Franklin Pierce and Stonehill Skyhawks will face each other.
 

Bouveng with a nice scoring chance right in the slot and she decides to pass to Murphy in the corner. What?
 

With 10 minutes left, Gophers have way outshot MSM 29 to 9. Yet only one goal lead still.

The weather is nice this weekend. Plus other Gophers games. Not a weekend for high attendance that requires a ticket purchase. Maybe next weekend against a top rival Wisconsin.
 

Gophers defeat Minnesota State 3-0.

Lucy Morgan with the shutout.

Josefin Bouveng with two goals. She had a productive weekend, including 5 points yesterday.

Ella Huber with one goal. She had a productive weekend including a hat trick.


Gophers far outshot MN State.





Gophers advance to the WCHA tournament semi-finals against Wisconsin with massive firepower. Gophers can play them even.



www.espn.com

2023-24 Women's College Hockey Rankings - ESPN

Find the 2023-24 Women's College Hockey rankings on ESPN, including the Coaches and AP poll for the top 25 Women's College Hockey teams.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

KWIK TRIP WCHA FINAL FACEOFF
Ridder Arena, Minneapolis


2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff - Western Collegiate Hockey Association

2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff Information Center The 2024 Kwik Trip WCHA Final Faceoff will be held March 8-9, 2024 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Annually
wcha.com wcha.com


Friday, March 8, 2024

Semifinal Game 1 – 1:00 p.m. CT - #1 seed Ohio State vs. #4 Minnesota Duluth (OSU is designated home team)

Semifinal Game 2 – 4:30 p.m. CT - #2 seed Wisconsin vs. #3 Minnesota (UW is designated home team)



Saturday, March 9, 2024

Championship Game (Semifinal 1 Winner vs. Semifinal 2 Winner) – 2 p.m. CT


Single-Game Ticket Prices
Semifinal Games (March 8 only):
Adult Reserved: $24.00
Adult General Admission: $17
Senior (62+)/Students (with valid ID)/Youth (Age 12 and under): $14.50
Group (Qty. 10+): $8.50

Championship Game (March 9 only):
Adult Reserved: $27.00
Adult General Admission: $21
Senior (62+)/Students (with valid ID)/Youth (Age 12 and under): $15.50
Group (Qty. 10+): $10

All games will stream live on B1G+. Tickets can be purchased online HERE, in-person at the Ridder Arena Box Office, or by phone at 1-800-U-GOPHER. All tickets purchased in advance will be issued electronically.




Gophers defeated Wisconsin in the tournament last season
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Gophers dropped to #5 from 4. Makes sense. Colgate is in the same range and went undefeated this weekend.

 


WCHA announces positions finalists for players of the year awards.

wcha.com

WCHA Announces Top 3 Award Finalists for Forward, Defender, Goalie & Rookie of the Year

As the Western Collegiate Hockey Association closes out its 25th season of women's hockey competition with the upcoming Kwik Trip Final Faceoff and NCAA tournaments, the conference has announced its three finalists for four of the WCHA's individual awards on Monday, Mar. 4.
wcha.com wcha.com

Minnesota's Nelli Laitinen is a finalist for defense.

"Laitinen had six goals, 11 assists and 51 blocked shots in WCHA play this winter and she scored six goals, 15 assists and 56 blocked shots in overall play for the #5 ranked Gophers this season."



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KwikTrip Final Faceoff tournament talent at the highest level.

Starting with Wisconsin, loaded. They lead the nation in goals (188).

Sophomore Kirsten Simms led the NCAA in scoring (29 goals, 38 assists). Other scoring leaders are the three senior forwards Casey O'Brien (#3), Britta Curl (#5), and Lacy Eden (#11).

Minnesota is not loaded with elite seniors like that. The Gophers are a little younger and coming up after 3 now-professional hockey players graduated last season (Heise, Zumwinkle, Boreen).

Oh, I forgot to mention two more sophomores for Wisconsin named forward Laila Edwards and defender Caroline Harvey (rookie of the year scoring blueliner), both on the scoring board.


About 50%/50% Chance the Gophers Win

We've seen the Gophers play Wisconsin this season about even. Minnesota beat Wisconsin this season. Wisconsin will explode in one game and then barely get beat by Minnesota the next, back and forth.

We'll say Gophers odds are 49.98%.

Gophers are strong at special teams. Earlier this season the offense was moving a little better. They've shifted to a more defensive style.

Minnesota has its own medalists and top talent, just younger than Ohio State (a senior-heavy team) and Wisconsin.

Abbey Murphy led the NCAA in goals. Then Josefin Bouveng and Ella Huber are next for points.

----

The freshman goaltender for UMD is drawing rave reviews for not only a great rookie but the new contender for best goaltender.

UMD faces Ohio State in the tournament. UMD doesn't stand a chance. UMD doesn't have enough firepower.

Ohio State is unbeatable except -- in a crazy ending -- Wisconsin beat them the last game of the season. I'm definitely not a fan of Ohio State.

It's hard for me to describe the way Ohio State plays. I don't have the hockey vocabulary or knowledge.

They skate super well (and fast), usually cohesive, and pass really well. A fast machine of some kind. They are #1.

They don't have a scorer in the top 17 for points or goals. Yea. Go figure.

If your team blows the pass and then do it again, it's going to be a long night.

And Ohio State gets calls. I was talking to a St Thomas family member with gripes about tOSU.


Up next... Gophers versus nation-leading explosive firepower.
 
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