intaligent nows; The rebuilt Gophers women’s hockey team will face Ohio State, ranked first, once more.

intaligent nows; The rebuilt Gophers women’s hockey team will face Ohio State, ranked first, once more…

At the beginning of the season, Gophers women’s hockey coach Brad Frost had no idea what to anticipate from his team. Eleven players, including 2022 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Taylor Heise and two-time finalist Grace Zumwinkle, had graduated from the 2023 team that made it to the NCAA Frozen Four.

The Gophers’ first significant test was a series at Ohio State, the national runner-up from the previous year, in October. Despite the Buckeyes’ 4-3 overtime victory and 6-5 victory in regulation, Frost found cause for hope.

“We actually were really encouraged after that because that was at a point in time where we didn’t really know what we had,” he explained.

The Gophers will have two more opportunities to evaluate themselves against the Buckeyes at Ridder Arena, starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. on Friday. The meeting between No. 2 Minnesota (16-3-1, 10-3-1) and top-ranked Ohio State (16-2, 13-1 WCHA) has significant ramifications for both conference and national tournaments.

The WCHA, with defending NCAA champion Wisconsin placed third, leads all other teams in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll. With 37 points, the Buckeyes lead the WCHA by four over the Gophers and six over the Badgers. There are still series between Ohio State and Minnesota versus Wisconsin.

The Gophers’ balanced lineup from the previous season, which saw nine players score 26 points or more, is largely responsible for their team’s success this year. Giving an homage to ‘The Blues Brothers’, this line might also be known as Murph and the Magic Sticks.

Abbey Murphy, a junior right winger, leads the country in goals scored with 22, four more than any other player, and ranks seventh in points scored with 36. She is the cornerstone of a line that also features sophomore left winger Josefin Bouveng (6-17-23), and junior centre Ella Huber (eight goals, 15 assists, 23 points). Together, the three have contributed 38.6% of the team’s assists and 43.9% of the team’s goals.

But according to Frost, the Gophers are not a one-line team.

“Obviously, Abbey Murphy, arguably the best player in the country, is scoring a tonne of goals for us,” he stated. However, we’re also receiving that supplementary scoring. We are putting players in places they have never been in before this year in their time with us, and they have done incredibly well.”

The native of Vassunda, Sweden, Bouveng, is already going to score 39 points this season, surpassing her previous best of 16 points. Huber is on track to reach a record-breaking 14 goals.

The Gophers also are getting strong contributions from junior forward Peyton Hemp (8-9-17), sophomore defenseman Nelli Laitinen (6-9-15) and freshman forwards Emma Kreisz (3-12-15) and Eva Lindsay (7-7-14).

Backing it up are goalies Skylar Vetter, a junior who is 8-3-1 with a 1.91 goals-against average and .934 save percentage in 12 starts, and senior Lucy Morgan, a transfer from St. Lawrence who is 8-0 with a 1.37 GAA and .946 save percentage in eight starts.

“We’ve got two incredible goalies,” Frost said, “and they give us a chance every night

Against the Buckeyes, who surrender 1.5 goals per game on average and average 4.8 goals, they will need them. With 12 players scoring 11 points or more, the Buckeyes are led by forward Jennifer Gardiner (11-12-23).

After 24 years with the programme, Frost remarked, “They’re one of the best women’s hockey teams in my time here.” “They’re relentless on the puck and extremely deep. They’ll be a fantastic test for us since they’re legitimate.”