SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Over 200 miles away from Minneapolis, Gophers fans were still present for the NCAA regional round.

Fans were treated to an intense matchup as the No. 7 Gophers defeated the No. 11 University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks 3-2 with a third-period rally on Thursday.

Gophers graduate forward Jaxon Nelson took the opening draw at Denny Sanford Premier Center. The native of Magnolia, Minnesota — a town less than 40 minutes from the arena — received a loud cheer from the crowd when his name was announced before the game.

The game began with early physicality and a few shots on goal. Omaha’s offense forced a scoring chance, but Gophers goaltender Justen Close shut down the attempt to keep the game scoreless.

Moments later, Gophers graduate forward Bryce Brodzinski was sent to the penalty box for a slashing infraction to give the Mavericks a power play.

Despite Omaha’s crowd chanting the song “Shots” by LMFAO, the Mavericks could not crack one against Close as the Gophers’ killed the power play.

Sophomore defender Ryan Chesley delivered a hard check to Mavericks forward Jack Randl, who lost his helmet from the collision. Chesley was initially called for an elbowing penalty, but Omaha challenged for head contact and the Gophers received a five-minute major penalty. 

“Seven minutes of penalty killing in the first 24 minutes put us in a hole,” said Gophers head coach Bob Motzko.

The Mavericks started the second period with four minutes left remaining on the player advantage.

Minnesota maintained a tight box to force Omaha’s power play to the outside, but Mavericks defender Joaquim Lemay fired a shot from the point past Close to open the scoring early in the second period.

Omaha’s crowd roared through the first five minutes of the second period as the Mavericks dominated play. However, Close was able to keep the score 1-0 by making a handful of saves.

Near the seven-minute mark of the middle frame, the Gophers created a chance in front of the Mavericks’ goal and drew a cross-checking penalty for their first power play of the night.

Despite a few chances from the Gophers’ second unit, Omaha managed to kill the penalty. Immediately after, sophomore forward John Mittelstadt and Omaha forward Brock Bremer were sent to the penalty box for coincidental minor penalties.

The four-on-four saw a lacrosse-style scoring attempt from Omaha and numerous odd-man rushes but no goals to complement the action.

Before heading into their final regular season series against Michigan, Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said that despite a drought in scoring, freshman forward Jimmy Clark had been playing well. At the time, Clark had yet to score since a late November series against Michigan State.

“He’s ready to jump on that score sheet again,” Motzko said in late February at a press conference. “It’s going to come because he’s been doing so many good things for us.”

When intensity ramped up as play returned to even strength against Omaha, Clark tied the game late in the second period with a short-side shot.

“He’s such a good player,” Motzko said after the game. “He’s going to be a big-time college player.”

Gophers sophomore forward Connor Kurth, who assisted on Clark’s goal, said the successful penalty kills gave the team momentum.

“We’ve got a lot of great [penalty] killers up front,” Kurth said. “Every time they do their job they give us a big spark.”

Despite the flare in motivation after the Gophers’ goal, the Mavericks reclaimed the lead five minutes into the third period as forward Ty Mueller tapped in a pass from Randl.

The building grew increasingly tense as time waned in the close contest. 

With chances going both ways, Brodinzski found Nelson alone in front of Omaha’s goal and he buried the game-tying goal near the midway mark of the third period. Again, the crowd roared for Nelson and provided a boost of energy for the Gophers.

Omaha called a timeout with four and a half minutes remaining after an icing call that warranted a Gophers’ offensive zone faceoff in an attempt to impede Minnesota’s momentum.

The Gophers controlled play after the faceoff, leading to Brodzinski finding Nelson again to bury the go-ahead goal for Minnesota.

The Mavericks came incredibly close to tying the game with an extra attacker, but the Gophers’ defense and Close managed to smother Omaha’s scoring opportunities. 

Minnesota held on to claim a 3-2 victory over Omaha and advance to play No. 2 Boston University on Saturday with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line.

Nelson said having many friends and family to support him created a great atmosphere. 

“It means a lot having the support from the community,” Nelson said. “It makes it a lot easier to go out there and play.”

Motzko had a lot of praise for Nelson after the game and said he was proud of his progression.

“He should get an NHL deal with the way he’s been playing for the last two months,” Motzko said.

Gopher women’s hockey lost four of their five top scorers entering this season with the departures of Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Abigail Boreen and Catie Skaja. The one player who remained from the top five scorers was redshirt junior Abbey Murphy.

Murphy’s record-setting season ended with her having tallied 11 points in Minnesota’s five postseason games. She surpassed her career-best of 29 goals from last season and did so in six fewer games, scoring her 30th goal in a 1-1 tie against Minnesota-Duluth on Feb. 23. 

Murphy factored into the Gophers’ final two goals of the season in their 3-2 quadruple-overtime and season-ending loss to Clarkson last weekend.

“Nobody has higher expectations for themselves than Murph,” Gophers head coach Brad Frost said.

Murphy is from Evergreen Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and said she modeled her game after NHL players like former Chicago Blackhawks Andrew Shaw and Ryan Hartman because she liked their grit and fierce playstyle.

Murphy’s competitive spirit was nurtured in a family with a wrestler as a brother and an ex-Marine as a father.

“That’s how I grew up,” Murphy said. “I learned it from them and learned from my parents.”

Junior forward Ella Huber, Murphy’s linemate, said Murphy has been a competitive and aggressive player since their time playing youth hockey together on the Chicago Mission.

“She’s a gritty little player,” Huber said. “You add talent to that and she’s unstoppable.”

While at Minnesota, Murphy’s competitive spirit stretched off the ice and into the world of recruiting. As an underclassman, Murphy encouraged Huber to join her during Huber’s final year on the Mission.

“She was always knocking on my door being like, ‘Hey, come to Minnesota,’” Huber said.

Junior forward and Gophers captain Peyton Hemp said Murphy often does not need her teammates to motivate her.

“She’s all in,” Hemp said. “She’s very self-motivated and can do a lot of that on her own.”

Murphy said she is not superstitious. Instead, she listens to music before games to calm her nerves.

Her routine proved to be effective as she was able to reach 33 goals this season, four more than last year, and accounted for a quarter of the team’s goals.

“I just want to do anything I can to help my team succeed,” Murphy said. “That’s goal number one, just to contribute as much as I can.”

Last season, Heise accounted for 17% of the team’s scoring, the most of any player on that roster. The last time a Gophers player accounted for 25% or more of the scoring was in the 2020-21 season when Zumwinkle tallied 17 of the team’s 65 goals.

The nation’s leading goal-scorer is also leading the country in penalties with 45 penalties and 118 penalty minutes this season, doubling her penalty minutes from last season.

“I had a goal to not get as many penalty minutes and look how that went,” Murphy said. “That will be another goal for a new year.”

Graduate defender Madeline Wethington said Murphy’s competitive nature extends to practices, which helps the team improve.

“I am so happy that I’ve had the opportunity to play with her because you don’t want to play against her,” Wethington said.

Huber and sophomore forward Josefin Bouveng, Murphy’s other linemate, also saw significant improvements to their statistics this season. Huber recorded a career-high 42 points while Bouveng had 50 points and a team-leading 31 assists.

Huber said that with the departure of last year’s talents, she and her linemates recognized they had to step up to fill the gaps. The Gophers’ top line of Murphy, Huber and Bouveng accounted for over half of the Gophers’ 135 goals this season.

“We split them up a little bit throughout the year to try and get others going and we were able to do that,” Frost said. “Ultimately, those three together have great chemistry.”

The No. 6-ranked Gophers men’s hockey team faced the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten semifinals on Saturday night and lost 2-1.

Minnesota and Michigan went head to head in front of a sold-out 3M Arena at Mariucci after two consecutive years of facing each other in the Big Ten championship game, both of which Michigan left victorious.

The Gophers created three scoring opportunities early in the first period, exciting the student section behind Michigan goaltender Jake Barczewski.

Michigan forward Kienan Draper opened the scoring a little over three minutes into the first period after burying a rebound past graduate goaltender Justen Close to make it 1-0, Wolverines. 

Michigan forward Luca Fantilli scored three minutes later, but the goal was overturned as the play was determined to be offside.

Close shut down two prime scoring chances from Michigan forwards Garrett Schifsky and Josh Eernisse in the later stages of the first period, keeping the score’s margin in slight favor of Michigan.

Minnesota freshman forward Jimmy Clark said early goals cause a large momentum shift, like Michigan’s first goal at the beginning of the game did.

“We didn’t manage the puck very well,” Clark said.

Minnesota was trapped in their defensive zone through the beginning of the second period as they were forced to defend the Wolverines’ pressing offense.

Close stopped several scoring chances, but Michigan’s persistent offense drew a hooking penalty and gave the Wolverines the first power play of the evening. Close prevented Michigan from scoring on the power play and the Gophers’ successful penalty kill earned a roar from the crowd.

In the late stages of the second period, Michigan forward Rutger McGroarty’s defensive break-up led to a breakaway for his teammate, Gavin Brindley, who then extended the Wolverines’ lead to 2-0 and silenced the Mariucci crowd.

Michigan controlled play throughout the second period, only allowing five shots on goal. Minnesota relied on Close to suppress the Wolverines’ offensive flurry as he made 16 saves in the middle frame.

Freshman forward Oliver Moore drew an interference penalty on a zone entry in the opening minutes of the third period and sent Minnesota to their only power play of the evening. 

After an unsuccessful power play, the Gophers had a scoring chance from sophomore defender Ryan Chesley but the shot was gloved by Barczewski.

In the final two minutes of the game, sophomore forward Jimmy Snuggerud sniped a shot past Barczewski to cut Michigan’s lead in half. However, the Gophers’ late push was not enough to overcome the deficit as the Wolverines went on to win.

With the win, Michigan eliminated Minnesota from the Big Ten tournament on home ice for the third straight year. The Wolverines will advance to the championship against Michigan State next Saturday.

Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said the Wolverines had a more passive game in the third period compared to their offensive play style throughout the first two periods. 

“We spent too much time having to defend,” Motzko said. 

Motzko added the team needed a play to jumpstart the team’s offense, but it never came. He said the team was not connecting on passes and “iced the puck” too many times. 

“A pretty good hockey team, we’re playing,” Motzko said. “They weren’t going to give it to us.”

The loss to Michigan was Minnesota’s last home game at Mariucci of the season. Graduate forward Bryce Brodzinski said he knew this was going to be his final home game but did not give much attention to it.

“It’s just another game and you got to win every single game regardless of where we’re playing,” Brodzinski said. 

Brodzinski said he will miss the crowd at Mariucci and, for the past two and a half years, the crowds were unbelievable.

“It’s one of the best fan bases in college hockey,” Brodzinski said.

Gophers women’s hockey face the No. 4 Clarkson Golden Knights in Potsdam, New York in an NCAA tournament regional round game on Saturday afternoon. 

The four regional matchups are on Saturday, with the winners advancing to play in the Frozen Four in Durham, New Hampshire. The NCAA tournament is a single-elimination game format, meaning a loss would end the Gophers’ season.

Clarkson is a member of the ECAC Hockey conference and has not played a non-conference game against a WCHA opponent this season. 

The Golden Knights finished second in the ECAC regular season standings and in the conference postseason tournament. The Gophers ranked third in the WCHA standings but were eliminated in the semifinals of the postseason tournament.

The last time Minnesota faced Clarkson was in 2017 when the Golden Knights defeated the Gophers 4-3 in the Frozen Four. Clarkson went on to win the national championship that season.

Minnesota head coach Brad Frost said it is exciting for the players to play unfamiliar non-conference opponents. 

“We don’t know them as well as we know teams in our league,” Frost said. “They don’t know us that well, either.”

Frost said Clarkson is comfortable playing in low-scoring games and acknowledged Clarkson’s strong defense. The Golden Knights have allowed the least amount of goals and hold the best penalty kill percentage in the NCAA. 

Minnesota’s most recent game was a 4-3 overtime defeat in the WCHA Final Faceoff against the eventual tournament champion, No. 2 Wisconsin. The Gophers’ season was extended, as they received a bid as the fifth seed in the NCAA tournament last Sunday.

“We’re doing those little things that it takes to win at this time of year,” Frost said.

Gophers captain and junior forward Peyton Hemp said the simple tasks, such as getting shots on goal and picking up rebounds, will help Minnesota overcome Clarkson’s defense.

“I feel like discipline is huge,” Hemp said. “Whether that’s staying out of the box and not retaliating or staying structured in the ‘D-zone,’ I think that’s going to be huge for us. It’s just sticking with the details.”

The Gophers lead the WCHA in penalty minutes, taking an average of approximately four penalties per game. Minnesota committed five penalties in their most recent game against Wisconsin.

Graduate defender Madeline Wethington said this is her first time playing an away game for the NCAA tournament regional round.

“Obviously, we would have loved to have it at Ridder [Arena], especially for a final game for myself,” Wethington said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a new opportunity.”

Wethington said playing a non-conference team in Clarkson means playing a different style than against conference opponents such as Wisconsin or Minnesota State. She added the Gophers cannot be discouraged by the Golden Knights’ defensive pressure.

“We might not score in the first five minutes of the game but if we continue to do the right things and put ourselves in a good position, eventually, we’ll have success,” Wethington said.

Wethington added minor mistakes such as not blocking shots can be costly, especially against teams like Ohio State and Wisconsin.

“They’re going to capitalize on those and they’re going to take advantage of your mistakes,” Wethington said.

Last weekend, Minnesota led Wisconsin late in the third period until the Badgers scored the game-tying goal with eight seconds left and eventually won in overtime. Wethington said the Gophers’ ability to have a close game with a top team like Wisconsin gives her confidence. 

“If that tells you something, that means that we can compete,” Wethington said. “We put ourselves in a really good position to win the game.”

Gophers fans got a glimpse of men’s hockey’s new faces in their Sunday night win over Bemidji State at 3M Arena at Mariucci. 

Minnesota took to the recently renovated ice at 3M Arena at Mariucci with some new jerseys and faces. First-years Sam Rinzel, Oliver Moore, Max Rud, Jimmy Clark and Axel Begley made their debuts in the maroon and gold in the exhibition game.

Though the game does not count toward the Gophers’ record, it provided an opportunity to get a sense of the new team.

Freshmen show off talent

Just two freshmen appeared in the Gophers forward group on Sunday night: Moore and Clark. 

Moore received a lot of attention from the student section, even before the puck dropped. A roar came from the student section when Moore’s name was called in the pregame lineups. 

He generated scoring opportunities while the Gophers’ offensive efforts were being rubbed out by Bemidji State’s defense early on. Moore put up the opening and closing goals against the Beavers.

Gophers head coach Bob Motzko said Clark played a “really good” game in the post-game press conference. Though Clark recorded no points, he won nine of 11 faceoffs and showed hustle in his efforts.

On the back end, Sam Rinzel’s offensive game stood out. He recorded three shots on goal and was inches away from scoring during the third period.

Rinzel, using his 6-foot-4 frame to protect the puck, jumped into plays in the offensive zone and generated a few scoring chances for the Gophers.

Offensive depth from the returners

Minnesota’s sophomore-dominated lineup saw players filling new roles in the exhibition game. 

Sophomore Garrett Pinoniemi started the game on a line with graduates Jaxon Nelson and Bryce Brodzinski. Pinoniemi shuffled through the lineup in the second period but moved back to his original line in the third period.

Brodzinski scored from below the goal line for the Gophers’ third goal of the game.

Pinoniemi showed solid hustle on both sides of the puck and helped set up Brodzinski’s goal. Motzko said Pinoniemi has shown great improvement from last year. 

Ryan Chesley and Luke Mittelstadt had some great plays as a defensive pairing. The two were active in the offensive zone as well, holding pucks in at the blue line.

Sophomores Connor Kurth and Brody Lamb provided significant offense on a line together with junior Rhett Pitlick. Lamb stepped in to play center in the exhibition game and won 11 of 18 faceoffs.

“I don’t know the last time [Lamb] played center, but he did a great job on the dot and in the ‘D’ zone,” Kurth said.

Pitlick tallied two goals in the contest and Kurth had the primary assist on both of them. Pitlick and Kurth received first and second stars of the game, respectively.

Graduate goaltender Justen Close kept Bemidji State off the board in the first period, making some key saves in the process. Close’s ability to recover to make consecutive saves will play a major role early on in the season as the Gophers shuffle through defensive pairings.

Sophomore Zach Wiese came in during the second period to replace Close. Motzko said Wiese played great and was happy to have him in goal.

On a line with Moore, sophomore Jimmy Snuggerud and senior Mason Nevers put up most of the Gophers’ offense at the beginning of the game. The three were able to generate line rushes consistently.

Nevers left the game in the third period after taking a hit to the head. Motzko was unhappy with the hit, which resulted in a major penalty and ejection for Bemidji forward Liam Engström. 

“That was a dirty hit and we’ll lose [Nevers] now for a little bit,” Motzko said.

Nevers had an assist on Moore’s first goal of the game.

To be improved

The Gophers started the game on their heels as they were peppered with offense from Bemidji. Close made an incredible save on a two-on-one rush in the opening minute of the game.

The Gophers had some difficulty moving the puck through the defensive and neutral zone. Kurth thought the defensive zone was the hardest thing for the new team to implement.

“It’s just a different speed,” Kurth said. “You got to adjust early.”

Minnesota’s defense improved throughout the game and the team began to dominate in waves in the second and third periods.

A defensive breakdown on a power play in the third period, however, led to a shorthanded goal for Bemidji.

Kurth, who played significant time on the power play in the game, said the power play is different without players like Jackson LaCombe, Matthew Knies and Logan Cooley. 

“I think we’ll establish some chemistry and find our own rhythm,” Kurth said.

Similarly, Pitlick said there is room for improvements to be made.

“I think we’re finding our way,” Pitlick said. “We’ve still got some space to improve, but I thought we did well.”

The Gophers play their first regular season game on Friday night against St. Thomas at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel are two of Gophers men’s hockey’s newcomers who not only both play for the Gophers but were also drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). 

Moore was drafted 19th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft this past summer, while Rinzel was selected 25th overall a year prior.

Minnesota Daily: What were your general thoughts and reactions on getting drafted?

Sam Rinzel: “For me, it was an unbelievable experience, especially when you’re able to go to it and be in that experience. I think for me, COVID was kind of in the way a little bit, but thankfully, I was able to go … It’s a whirlwind and it goes by really fast, but it was a pretty cool experience.”

Oliver Moore: “Just being able to talk to general managers and talk to teams was a really cool experience. I think just being at the draft with my family, my friends, my coaches, everyone who’s helped me get to that point … Something that was just as exciting for them as it was for me. Also, speaking of Sam and I being both drafted, I remember it was like probably 10-15 minutes after, I was scrolling on my phone a little bit and I remembered that [Rinzel] was also drafted.”

Daily: Was there anyone in particular during the draft process that stood out to you?

Rinzel: “I’ll just say, friends and family. It’s pretty cool to see the support that I’m able to get. I cherish my family a lot, so I think being able to see all those texts and all that support and love that I’m able to get is pretty special for me.”

Moore: “I’ll say the same thing. Obviously, my friends and family, coaches. Some players that I played with along the way reached out as well. Some players in the NHL reached out, too. The whole process was cool.”

Daily: Why did you choose to come to the University of Minnesota?

Rinzel: “It was always my dream school when I was younger. Ever since I was going to games when I was younger with my family, being able to watch Casey Mittelstadt and all those guys coming through. You look at other schools and then you come here and you see the culture, you see the facilities, all the coaches and how it’s run. It’s pretty hard to say no when you see it all for yourself.”

Moore: “Being in Minnesota growing up watching the University of Minnesota. But just the culture that they have here, the culture that they are building, the entire University and being a student here is something that intrigued me. These first couple weeks have reassured me why I picked here. It’s a great spot.”

Daily: Did you ever play against each other in juniors?

Moore: “We did one time. I remember [Rinzel] danced me a couple of times as well … I think we were both committed — I was recently committed to the ‘U.’”

Rinzel: “We lost, so…”

Their teams met back in Sept. 2022 when Moore and the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) took on Rinzel’s Waterloo Black Hawks. The USNTDP came out on top, winning 3-2. 

Daily: Do you talk with [Jimmy] “Snuggy” Snuggerud, since he’s a St. Louis Blues draft pick?

Rinzel: “Yeah, for sure. Growing up with Snuggy and playing with him when I was younger — I’ve known him for a long time. I think being able to come here and you know a bunch of guys, a bunch of Minnesota guys, you create friends and best buddies pretty quickly. So, it can be a pretty special bond that you’re able to get.”

Moore: “I got to know him a little on the national program team as well. He’s a great guy and he’s definitely someone that I think all of the freshmen can come to.”

Daily: Did you have anyone that you played with in juniors or growing up that you’re now going to face in the Big Ten or NCAA?

Rinzel: “Yeah, obviously a lot of guys that I played on my junior team with Waterloo. Some guys are in the Big Ten and other schools like Michigan State and Ohio State. So you know you’re going to see those guys again and you’re going to do your best to get those wins over them.”

Moore: “These last two years, I met a lot of really good friends and created a special bond with the people at the national team development program … We got a couple of guys at Michigan State and Wisconsin … I’m really looking forward to that.”

Daily: Did you guys try any of the food staples in Chicago?

Rinzel: “I got good Chipotle.”

Moore: “When I was younger, I’d go there and try [deep dish pizza].”

Daily: Who do you think is going to be the team leader in goals this year?

Communications Director of Gophers Hockey Scott Slarks sarcastically chimed in with his vote, goalie Justen Close.

Rinzel: “Closer? I don’t know.”

Moore: “Snuggs?”

Rinzel: “Snuggs can rip the pill, Brodzy [Bryce Brodzinski] can rip the pill.”

Moore: “We’ve got a lot of guys that can score goals.”

Daily: Where do you see yourself in the near future?

Moore: “Having a great couple of years here in Minnesota, trying to win the national championship. Every day, just putting in the work to try to do that first and then hopefully move on to the NHL one day.”

Rinzel: “I think getting one percent better every day and trying to focus on what we’re doing now here. Like [Moore] said, trying to win a national championship here.”

Only one Gophers men’s hockey team has won the national championship after losing in the title game the season before. That was the 1975-76 season, a part of the Herb Brooks era that saw three national championships in seven years.

Since then, four men’s hockey teams have lost in the title game.

Jaxon Nelson was recently named a captain of the men’s hockey team for his fifth and final season with the Gophers. Nelson was on the ice when Quinnipiac forward Jacob Quillian deposited the game-winning goal into the Gophers’ net.

“Honestly, I don’t really think we were missing anything,” Nelson said. “Our defensive core was the best in the country. Our forward group was probably also the best in the country. We had a great goalie with Justen [Close].”

Mason Nevers, an alternate captain in his fourth season with the Gophers, was also on the ice for the game-winning goal.

Nevers said the key bounces were not in the Gophers’ favor in that game, but that was five months ago and the Gophers want to focus on the present.

“It’s September and you can’t really win a championship right now,” Nevers said.

Similarly, Nelson mentioned a saying from head coach Bob Motzko. “You can’t win championships in the early months of the season, but you can lose them,” he said. 

“I think we’re going to fly under the radar a little bit at the beginning of the year,” Nelson said.

The Gophers had some major departures after last season. Offensive talents Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies have both gone on to pursue professional careers.

Newcomers like Oliver Moore and Jimmy Clark look to step up and fill those vacant positions. 

Bryce Brodzinski, a graduate student and an alternate captain for the Gophers, said Moore is a tough player to play against.

“He’s insanely fun to play with because you get the puck in a lot of spots that you wouldn’t expect it sometimes,” Brodzinski said. “He’s also not very fun to play with. If you give it [the puck] to him, you’re playing catch up for the rest of the shift.”

Graduate goaltender Justen Close said he was impressed with how well the new group of freshmen work together both on and off the ice.

Nelson said even with a freshman-heavy team last season, they were still in a position to win a national championship.

The team will return 18 players from last year’s roster, 10 of which are now sophomores.

Nevers said this year’s forward group will be the deepest he has been a part of. The experience the team gained in last season’s playoff run will be an advantage for them, he added. 

Minnesota’s veteran defensive core also saw major departures with Brock Faber, Ryan Johnson and Jackson LaCombe moving on from the team. 

Nevers said their defense last year generated a lot of offense for the team. With the new core, he said the forwards can be a little more offensive-minded while their new defensemen adjust.

The Gophers’ blue line will see additions of Sam Rinzel, Max Rud and Alex Begley. Nevers said this defensive group will be more focused on remaining positionally sound and playing simple to begin the season rather than focusing on providing offense.

Brodzinski had a lot of praise for last year’s leadership group and believes this year’s captains can build off of last year’s group. 

“Faber was probably the best captain I’ve ever had,” Brodzinski said. 

Nevers said he picked up some leadership qualities from Faber over the years, including how to take a less vocal approach and to lead by example.

Leadership will be a large part of this Gophers team as they look to start another journey to the national championship.

The Frozen Four being at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul this season is certainly present in the players’ minds.

“It almost feels like we’re supposed to be there,” Nelson said.

Every skater on the Gophers’ roster is a Minnesota native. It is a dream for the team to play at Xcel, but they “can’t look too far ahead,” Nevers said.

The Gophers will start their trek back to the Frozen Four on Oct. 13 in a regular-season matchup against St. Thomas.

“It’s not about a single moment, it’s about a movement,” legendary tennis player Billie Jean King said at the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) draft.

Six Gophers alumni look to contribute to that movement after being drafted to the PWHL on Monday.

Headlining the group is Taylor Heise, the first overall pick of the draft made by Minnesota’s PWHL franchise. The other notable Gophers drafted were Emily Brown and Olivia Knowles, who were selected at 46th and 86th overall respectively. Brown was selected by Boston’s PWHL franchise and Knowles was selected by Toronto’s PWHL franchise.

“It is nice that women’s hockey is a feasible option to continue,” Knowles said.

Before the existence of the PWHL, players coming out of college had two options for playing professional hockey: the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) and the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF).

However, those avenues were never a guarantee, according to Knowles. The PHF did not have binding language in their pre-draft documents, whereas the PWHL does.

Thus, in the PHF, players were able to leave their teams and play elsewhere.

Heise said the PHF and PWHPA provided the pathway for the new league to exist. With only one league now, there’s no more inequality of support split between the two leagues.

“I’m just glad that we’re all going to be able to find the successes of women’s hockey together instead of separately,” Heise said. “Separate [leagues] means that the NHL [National Hockey League] would have to pick a side to be on and that’s a hard sell.”

Additionally, with the new PWHL, there is only one avenue for players, consolidating the top talents into one pool.

“There are great, great hockey players that went undrafted because there’s only six teams right now,” Knowles said.

Six teams may be a limitation now, but Heise said she sees an expansion in the near future. Plans for the PWHL were unveiled in late August, just a few months after the PHF folded. Heise, Knowles and Brown said they were surprised when the PHF shutdown occurred.

Some players used their PHF contracts to buy cars or townhouses. When the league folded, it caused some players to have financial difficulties, according to Knowles. As a response, the PWHL will provide opportunities for players such as health benefits and stipends for housing.

Brown is optimistic about the future of the PWHL and sees it becoming the pinnacle of women’s hockey. To contribute to the movement, the former Gophers drafted all look to provide support for young girls who play hockey.

“Growing up, I didn’t really know what was ahead for me,” Knowles said. “I hope that we’re able to create a clear vision and clear goals for young girls.”

The three see the PWHL as providing opportunities for young players and others coming out of college. They gave credit to the Gophers and their positive support system for the opportunity to play in the new league. Knowles said she chose to play for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the PHF because of how welcomed she felt when playing with the Gophers.

“Not only when we won, even when we lost, we still got the attention that we deserve,” Heise said. “Those who either don’t necessarily give us the benefit of the doubt or the credit are usually the people who don’t quite understand why we do what we do.”

Knowles said she is excited to play for the women’s hockey community in Toronto since it is comparable to that of Minnesota. A native of Campbell River, British Columbia, Knowles had to play in the boy’s hockey division growing up due to the lack of competitive opportunities in the girl’s division.

“No one in my family played hockey, so I didn’t have older siblings’ games to go to,” Brown said. “I wanted to watch the best girls in the world and that was at the University of Minnesota.”

Fans can catch Heise, Brown and Knowles playing for their respective teams starting January 2024 when the PWHL season kicks off.

With two Frozen Four appearances, a Final Faceoff championship, more than 100 wins, almost 800 combined point, and many more accolades across five seasons, the 2018-19 Gophers women’s hockey freshman class is quite decorated.

Since debuting in a 2018 home series against Mercyhurst, Minnesota hockey fans have witnessed the talent of now fifth-years Taylor Heise, Emily Oden, Abigail Boreen, Catie Skaja, Gracie Ostertag and Crystalyn Hengler.

An incredible bond rooted in Minnesota hockey 

“I mean, words can’t even describe our bond,” Boreen said about her relationship with her freshman class.

Despite being the only one of the six not from Minnesota, Boreen is still inseparable from her freshman class.

“I consider us all from Minnesota,” Oden said. “Some of us grew up together.”

Oden played with Skaja and Hengler on the first women’s Minnesota Made Machine team. The three played together when they were just eight years old. A decade later, the three would find themselves playing together once again with the Gophers

“It’s so special because we came from just learning how to do inside edges to playing Division 1 together,” Oden continued.

“You can’t even explain it to people; when you get to wake up with the people that you love every day, and the people that support you and the people that do the things you do — it’s definitely an unreal feeling,” Heise said.

Heise roomed with Hengler in the 17th Avenue Residence Hall during their first year at Minnesota.

“It definitely brought us closer,” she said.

Similarly, Boreen roomed with Skaja in 17th, which helped in building their relationship as well.

Oden and Ostertag roomed together both their freshman year and when they played for the under-18 United States team. Representing the United States together wasn’t their first time sharing the ice, however. The two played on the same OS Hockey team when they were younger.

Homegrown players coming to the ‘U’

The Minnesota homegrown aspect of Gophers hockey is what the players believe separates their program from others.

“You’ve either played with them or played against them,” Hengler said.

“We’re the state of hockey, so being able to play for one of the best teams in the country is just such an honor in itself,” Oden said.
Growing up around the ‘U’ permitted easy access to women’s hockey games when the players were younger.

“I remember when I was about seven or eight, my mom brought me to a game,” Skaja said. “I was like: ‘I’m coming here.’”

Evidently, Skaja’s dream would come true, working her way up to playing on a line with Heise and Boreen in her fifth year.

“They’re definitely two of my best friends that I see and talk to on a daily basis,” Heise described her relationship with her linemates.

“A big thing for me was just being close to home,” Hengler said about her decision to come to Minnesota. “The culture as well, just the players that were there when I was touring; they were very welcoming.”

Back when they were freshmen

While mentors in their fifth years, the role models once had to learn the ropes themselves.

Sophie Skarzynski was a popular response when asked who mentored players on the 2018-19 freshman class.

“She’s the most outgoing person I’ve ever met in my life,” Oden said about Skarzynski. “She really just took all the freshmen under her wing.

Skarzynski was a senior in the 2018-19 season. Being a defender, she helped Hengler improve her defensive skills, among other things.

“Whether it was hockey stuff or lifestyle or school stuff, she helped me with anything,” Hengler added about Skarzynski.

Another blue liner that benefited from Skarzynski’s presence was Ostertag.

“She cared about the relationships that she fostered with teammates and brought the energy every day,” Ostertag said. “I’ll never forget when she invited my entire class over to her house for dinner, right in the beginning of the season when we didn’t know anyone. And she may not know it, but for us, that meant a lot to us.”

Taylor Williamson received a lot of praise as well. Heise said Williamson brought her a lot closer to why she plays the sport.

The next generation of talent

When looking down this past season’s top scorers on the Gophers roster, fifth-years occupy the top four of the five spots. Just one name belongs to an underclassman.

“I mean, Abbey Murphy, she’s already kind of made a name for herself,” Hengler stated about a player she’s excited to see develop.

“She’s someone that’s got somehow three years of college left, like, I don’t know how,” Heise said about Murphy. “I’m kind of jealous, she’s already got a world championship under her belt and an Olympics.”

Another name that came up in the conversation was Ella Huber.

“I could just see her drive each and every day,” Skaja said about Huber. “She’s probably one of the hardest workers and goes above and beyond.”

Peyton Hemp received recognition as well.

“I’m excited to see what she’s gonna bring to the table and help the team succeed in the next two years,” Hengler said about Hemp.

Ostertag said Emma Conner is someone she is excited to see develop.

“We both have similar experiences and the fact that we both tore our ACLs, so just to see kind of her recovery process,” Ostertag commented on Conner. She said “It’s going to be something that’s really special” when Conner returns.

Those are just a few of the many bright spots Gopher fans have to look forward to in the coming seasons.

“We have a great class coming in. I think they are gonna make tremendous impacts on the ice right away,” Boreen expressed. “We have a great returning class as well, they will make great strides and impacts on the ice, too.”

Favorite memories on and off the ice

Through their five years, there are plenty of individual games to look back on.

“Winning the WCHA [Western Collegiate Hockey Association] tournament,” Ostertag said. “I think for us, that was kind of a big statement.”

Boreen also said taking the WCHA title was one of her greatest memories. “Just that feeling in the locker room, that excitement. We all deserved it,” Boreen stated.

Hengler and Skaja both said one of their favorite memories was playing in the 2020 Hockey Day Minnesota game against Ohio State. The Gophers emerged victorious in the outdoor game, winning 2-1 at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis.

“I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was so much fun, especially playing Ohio [State], too,” Skaja described the experience.

Yet, some of their best memories together occurred off the ice.

Oden briefly spoke about her cabin up north in McGregor, Minnesota. “We just hang out, play music at the tiki bar. It’s awesome,” Oden said about the times she spent with her class at her cabin.

Heise said one of her favorite memories as a Gopher was formed during her freshman year at a Superbowl party. Singing songs together and wearing “these ugly neon t-shirts,” as Heise describes, was something she fondly remembers: a small-scale experience that ended up being significant in the end.

Moving on from Gophers hockey

Unfortunately, the time has come for the fifth-years to decide what’s the next step in their journey.

The future for the six of them is up in the air. However, some are leaning towards continuing with hockey in one way or another.

Heise, already having played for the United States, says she plans on continuing to represent her country on the ice.

“I will be playing professionally,” Heise said. “Not sure what that looks like yet, but I will announce it when it happens.”

With the warmer weather starting to roll around, there’s a degree of uncertainty in the air.

“I feel like we’re kind of all in the midst of figuring out what we’re gonna do,” Ostertag said about her future. “For me, I know that coaching hockey is definitely somewhere in my future.”

Skaja and Oden both said they were debating joining the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation.

“As of now, I’m also debating hanging them up and working full-time,” Oden stated. If she chooses to retire from hockey, she said she plans on pursuing a career in sales.

Hengler said she’s been job searching since the season ended. “I still have more school with the sport management master’s program that I’m doing,” Hengler described her situation. “So as of right now, just finishing up this semester, and then trying to look for a job,” she said were the next steps in her journey.

Like Hengler, Boreen is also pursuing a career away from playing hockey, planning to continue at the University by pursuing a doctorate of pharmacy degree.
Soon, the six will go their separate ways in terms of their careers. However, they’ll always share the same background as Gophers.

The six hope for the best for the future of the Gophers hockey program.

“It’s cliché, but really enjoy your time,” Boreen gave as advice to underclassmen.

Gophers rival Iowa visited Minneapolis on Friday and Saturday to take on the Gophers at Siebert Field. Last season, the Hawkeyes swept the Gophers in a mid-April series.

The two teams had contrasting records entering the series. Minnesota was 9-22 while Iowa was 23-8.

Minnesota’s record continued to suffer after the weekend, dropping two out of three games to Iowa.

April 14, Game 1

The first two games of the series were a part of a double header, with the first game on Friday afternoon and the second at night.

Minnesota dominated the opening game. After conceding the first three runs in the top of the third inning, the Gophers stormed back in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 7-3 lead.

It began with a Riley Swenson double-down to help Brady Counsell score, followed by Jake Perry being walked on loaded bases so Kris Hokenson could score. Weber Neels hit a single to allow Brett Bateman and Swenson to score, giving the Gophers a 4-3 lead.

The Gophers continued their dominant inning as Perry scored after Ike Mezzenga hit a single to left center and Counsell singled to left field, allowing Mezzenga and Neels to score.

Minnesota extended their lead to 12-3 by the bottom of the eighth inning. Counsell’s double allowed Mezzenga to score, Brady Jurgella’s single permitted Counsell and Merila to score and finally, Bateman’s single allowed Jurgella to score.

The score remained 12-3 as the Hawkeye’s failed to score in the top of the ninth inning and the Gophers claimed the opening win of the series.

April 14, Game 2

Minnesota struggled to put up numbers in the back end of the double header.

Iowa recorded the first runs again, jumping out to a 4-0 lead by the third inning.

The Gophers responded with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the third and fourth innings. Neels hit a single to center to allow Bateman to score and Jurgella scored off of a sacrifice hit.

However, that’s all the scoring Minnesota would do on Friday night, falling 7-2 in the second game of the series.

April 15, Game 3

Saturday afternoon’s rainy weather was indicative of the outcome for the Gophers.

Iowa opened with 5 runs in the top of the second inning.

The two teams traded a couple of runs in the second, third and fourth innings, and Minnesota closed the gap to 6-4.

Iowa, however, was relentless, reaching double digits in the top of the sixth inning.

The onslaught continued as the Hawkeyes reached 18 runs by the top of the eighth inning.

Minnesota was dominated in the 18-4 loss, allowing the most runs since a 17-9 loss in February 2022 to Florida Atlantic.

Now, the Gophers sit at 10-24 overall on the season, with a 4-5 record in the Big Ten. At this point last season, Minnesota was 10-23 overall and coming off of a sweep at the hands of Iowa.

There has been improvement, though, as the Gophers currently have four wins in Big Ten conference play thus far, compared to last season when they only had one win after the Iowa series.

Minnesota concluded last season’s conference play with just six wins, so at four so far this season, they’re already close to surpassing that number.

The Gophers visit a struggling Illinois next weekend in Champaign, Illinois, with eyes of tying or transcending last season’s Big Ten win total.