“I just followed him to the rink,” Nelli Laitinen said about her older brother, Vili, introducing her to the sport of hockey.

Laitinen was born in the small town of Lohja, Finland. Growing up, she liked to take after her brother; first playing hockey, then taking his number, nine.

The number nine lasted her through the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women’s World Championships. When she came to Minnesota, the number was occupied by Taylor Heise. Promptly, Laitinen changed her number to seven, since her brother also used to wear it.

So far in her first year in Minnesota, the blue-liner has 13 points through 21 games this season.

Missing home
However, there was a more severe adjustment in store for Laitinen: her nearly 4,500-mile move to the United States.

Laitinen said the hardest part of the transition was that “family and friends are gonna stay at home, and you are just not able to see them every day.”

However, Laitinen makes a routine of calling her family back in Finland. She followed up: “you can just get used to it.”

She and her roommate, Swede and fellow northern European Josefin Bouveng, often talk about the cultural differences they have experienced in Minnesota. Laitinen said what she misses most from home is the food.

“You are able to find those things that work for you best,” Laitinen said about finding ways around the difficulties in her transition.

Choosing Minnesota
Similar to how she found what worked best for her in the transition, Laitinen had to find a college team that would suit her.

“I was super, super grateful and excited that I have this experience,” Laitinen said about her time so far in Minnesota.

Before she made her decision, Minnesota Duluth and Ohio State had been top contenders for Laitinen.

“Noora Raty — she was a goalie here a couple years ago — recommended this place [Minnesota] to me,” she said.

Raty is a former Gophers goaltender who, like Laitinen, is from Finland.

Gophers helping Gophers is a common theme. Laitinen said everyone on the Gophers’ roster supported her transition to life in Minnesota. However, two players stood out as her closest friends here.

“I would say Grace and Emily Zumwinkle. They helped me a lot,” Laitinen said. “They have been maybe the closest ones that I have had at this time here.”

The differences in culture at universities in the U.S. compared to Finland are vast, Laitinen said.

“One thing that has a huge difference is the sports side,” she said. “There are no universities in Europe where you can do a sport at this high level.”

An impressive resume
Laitinen is accustomed to playing at a high level.

When speaking on her early hockey career, Laitinen said, “I was playing with boys before I changed to girl’s hockey.”

Along with the change to women’s hockey, Laitinen switched to defense after playing as a forward in the 2017-18 season. She has been playing defense ever since.

She said her time playing boys hockey “was huge for me, especially because women’s hockey, girl’s hockey in Finland is not that big [of a] thing.”

Laitinen’s last year in boy’s hockey was also her last with checking.

“It helped me a lot. Like, coming to big games in [the] national team,” she added.

At just 19, Laitinen represented Finland in the 2022 Winter Olympics. She said it is her greatest accomplishment. With Finland, Laitinen captured a bronze medal and scored seven points in seven games.

Before the Olympics, Laitinen also played in the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championships in Finland. The United States triumphed over Finland in the championship game 2-1 in a shootout.

The game ended in controversy. In the sudden death overtime, Finland’s Petra Nieminen scored what was thought to be the golden goal. Unfortunately for Finland, the referees determined a Finnish player interfered with the American goaltender, making the goal invalid.

The United States would go on to win the game in the shootout and receive the gold medal.

Laitinen said she wishes she could “just play that game again.”

Support systems
When dealing with her challenges and disappointments, Laitinen said she relies on others for support.

“I usually like to talk with my mom, that’s how it always has been,” she said.

Laitinen said she also has an abundance of sources of motivation.

“I see that my teammates are doing hard work. It makes me feel like I need to do the same,” Laitinen said. “I want to do the same because it’s a team sport.”

She has been welcomed into team rituals as well like getting Starbucks before games. Initially, Laitinen said she was iffy about joining her teammates for coffee because Finland does not have Starbucks, so she was not accustomed to the coffee.

“Well, they have like, got me into it now. Which is kind of bad.” She said, laughing. “I spend too much money for that, but it’s okay.”

She can make up her spending with the business and marketing degree she is pursuing.

However, that is more of a long-term goal. For now, Laitinen prefers to focus on the more relevant issues, like the playoffs.

“If we want to get on top of the rankings and start the playoffs from a good spot, we just have to be prepared for them – and be ready,” Laitinen said.

Laitinen and Minnesota look to continue their momentum into the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs, which start Feb. 24.

The Gophers will travel this weekend to Duluth to take on the No. 6 ranked Duluth Bulldogs. Duluth is currently riding a nine-game winning streak, including a sweep over No. 8 Wisconsin and a win over No. 1 Ohio State. Within this nine-game stretch, the Bulldogs have shut out three opponents and scored 39 goals.

The last time these two teams met was in the first week of November when Minnesota swept the Bulldogs in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) matchup. The series saw two high-paced and close games, a 3-2 overtime victory first and then a 5-3 win with the Gophers scoring two goals in 10 seconds.

Duluth will be the highest-ranked opponent the Gophers have faced since No. 5-ranked Yale back in late November. The last time Minnesota took on a ranked opponent was in early December when the Gophers dominated No. 14-ranked St. Cloud State.

The series against the Bulldogs is just the beginning of what seems to be the toughest stretch of the Gophers’ season so far.

After Minnesota takes on Minnesota Duluth, No. 1 Ohio State comes to town.

The Buckeyes have been a force to be reckoned with. They boast a 22-2-2 overall record and a 17-2-1 record within the WCHA. Jennifer Gardiner and Sophie Jaques lead Ohio State’s high-powered offense. Their offensive group averages an impressive 42.15 shots on goal per game and has the best power play in the WCHA with a 32.9% success rate.

Winning this series is crucial for the Gophers because they could reclaim the No. 1 title on the USCHO rankings and build on their lead in first place of the WCHA.

The last time the Buckeyes and the Gophers met was in late October. Minnesota took the first of two games in regulation and the second in a shootout. Following the series win, Minnesota surpassed Ohio State in the USCHO rankings to claim No. 1. Since then, however, the Gophers have fallen to No. 3, while the Buckeyes climbed back to the top.
After dealing with Ohio State, Minnesota will have one final test: Wisconsin.

Minnesota was perfect in WCHA play until they traveled to Madison on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

In the first game of the series, Minnesota prevailed in a shootout thanks to the heroics of Abbey Murphy and Skylar Vetter. Unfortunately, the Gophers’ luck ran out in game two when the Badgers stunned the visitors 4-1. The defeat was Minnesota’s second regulation loss of the season.

Minnesota will have a shot at redemption at the end of this intense stretch when Wisconsin visits Ridder Arena the second weekend of February.

USCHO ranking concerns aside, these three series will be incredibly important for the WCHA playoffs.

A poor performance could lead to Minnesota falling to third in their conference, potentially setting them up with a conference playoff matchup versus St. Cloud State. The Huskies are one of three teams to beat Minnesota in regulation this season and did so in convincing fashion with a 4-1 victory.

This could also affect their standing in the NCAA tournament in March. Minnesota could fail to receive an automatic bid if they don’t win the WCHA playoffs, which may cause them some trouble in the first round of the tournament.

Duluth upset the Gophers in the quarter-finals last season so there is no telling what could happen in the playoffs.

On the upside, a hot streak to close off the regular season could put Minnesota in a prime position to win the WCHA championship and benefit them in the NCAA tournament.

Only time will tell the outcome of this strenuous upcoming schedule and the remainder of the Gophers’ season.

Nov. 26 vs. Yale:
In a defensive collapse in the Henderson Showcase championship, Minnesota fell to former No. 5 Yale by a score of 4-3. The Gophers conceded four goals in the first period, the most goals the team has allowed in a single period this season.

This crushing loss caused Minnesota to fall to fifth place on the USCHO rankings and sixth the following week. Already in a slump following their series loss to Wisconsin in late November, Minnesota’s drop in the rankings seemed warranted.

To kick off December, however, Minnesota swept consecutive Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series to move them back up to No. 5 on the USCHO rankings. Minnesota took down Minnesota State and St. Cloud in those two series and ended 2022 with a statement 9-0 over the former No. 14 St. Cloud Huskies.

Jan. 6 vs. Merrimack:
After a long hiatus, the Gophers opened the New Year with the East and West showcase, first hosting unranked Merrimack.

Nelli Laitinen returned to the Gophers lineup after being sidelined for two months with an injury. Less than seven minutes into the game, Laitinen scored the opening goal on a one-timer for her third goal of the season.

Taylor Heise followed up in the early stages of the second period, stuffing home a rebound in the crease.

A two-goal game quickly became a six-goal game. The Gophers scored four unanswered goals in less than two minutes. The floodgates opened with a Catie Skaja power play goal, which was quickly succeeded by Heise’s second goal of the game. Grace Zumwinkle and Madison Kaiser added to the lead, scoring their 14th and fourth goals of the season, respectively.

In the final two minutes, Heise scored her third goal of the game to complete the hat trick.

Minnesota marched over Merrimack 9-2.

Jan. 7 vs. New Hampshire:
Minnesota hosted unranked New Hampshire at Ridder Arena for a late afternoon matchup the following day.

Skaja opened the scoring less than five minutes in, marking her second goal of the weekend.

On the Gophers’ first power play of the game, senior blue liner Madeline Wethington ripped a one-timer from the point that beat New Hampshire goaltender Ava Boutilier. Wethington’s goal was her first goal of the season.

Late in the second period, Abbey Murphy managed to bury a loose puck to give Minnesota a 5-1 lead. Murphy would later score again for her second goal of the game to extend the lead to 7-1.

The night was not yet over as Zumwinkle would score her second goal of the game and 100th goal of her collegiate career.

Senior Makayla Pahl notched her third win of the season with 15 saves — and even tallied her first assist of the season — as Minnesota pummeled New Hampshire 8-1.

Jan. 13 vs. St. Thomas:
Minnesota faced St. Thomas for the first time this season for an evening game at Ridder Arena.

Despite scoring her 100th collegiate goal in her last game, Zumwinkle was hungry for more, scoring the first two goals of the game. This was her second consecutive game with two goals.

Murphy, Peyton Hemp and Josefin Bouveng would all manage a tally, bringing the final score to 5-0.

Jan. 14 vs. St. Thomas:
Less than a minute into the Gophers’ second game against the Tommies, Abigail Boreen ripped a shot past goaltender Saskia Maurer to give Minnesota an early lead. Heise’s assist on the opening goal gave the fifth-year her 200th collegiate point for the maroon and gold.

St. Thomas tied the game two minutes later, and the game remained deadlocked until the second period.

Heise would notch her second point of the game early in the second period to put Minnesota back on top.

Ella Huber followed, extending the Gophers’ lead to two goals. Skaja’s assist on the goal allowed her to reach 100 collegiate points, marking two individual career milestones in one game for Minnesota.

Boreen sealed the game with her second goal late in the third period, capping off Minnesota’s 4-1 win over St. Thomas.

The Gophers have now swept seven WCHA series and maintain a perfect 12-0 record at home.

Additionally, Minnesota surpassed No. 1 Ohio State in the conference standings. After their recent series victory, the Gophers hold a one-point advantage over the Buckeyes with the same number of games played.

In USCHO’s last two rankings, Minnesota has been listed at No. 3. The Gophers will have a great chance to top the charts in their upcoming series matchups. Minnesota will face three top-five teams in Minnesota-Duluth, Ohio State and Wisconsin in the coming weeks.

With the holiday break approaching, the Gophers women’s hockey team is unofficially at the midpoint of their season.

Minnesota currently boasts a 12-3-2 overall record with an 11-1-2 record in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

On the USCHO.com rankings, Minnesota resides at No. 6, one rank lower than last week. Minnesota was ranked No. 4 at this time in 2021.

The Gophers reside in second place in the WCHA below Ohio State, as they have been for most of the season. Ohio State has two more games played than Minnesota, although the Buckeyes’ point percentage is greater than the Gophers’.

In third place is Wisconsin, which, like Minnesota, has only lost one regulation game in WCHA play. Though the Badgers are in third place, they possess the highest point percentage in the WCHA.

Minnesota met Wisconsin just two and a half weeks ago for their first matchup of the season. In the series, the two teams split one game — though the Gophers won in the shootout — and Wisconsin emerged victorious in the second game.

The Badgers have been on the rise lately, scoring 17 goals in their last two games. The discrepancy between third place Wisconsin and fourth place St. Cloud state is a massive 12 points. With their recent wins over Bemidji State, Wisconsin now has an advantage over Ohio State and Minnesota in terms of point percentage.

The Gophers’ current record is quite similar to their 2021 record. Minnesota was 13-4-1 overall at this time last season. Their current conference record of 11-1-2, however, is superior to their 8-3-1 record at this point last year.

Taylor Heise and Grace Zumwinkle share the top spot for most points on the team, with 25 points each. Redshirt sophomore Abbey Murphy leads the team in goals with 11, topping her previous record of 8 goals in the 2020-21 season.

Goaltender Skylar Vetter already has two shutouts on the season in 16 games played, an improvement from her one shutout in 19 games played last season.

International first-years Josefin Bouveng and Nelli Laitinen have impressed fans so far, scoring nine and eight points, respectively. Other newcomers Madison Kaiser and Allie Franco have also played well. Kaiser has already recorded a multi-point game this season, and Franco recently scored her first collegiate point.

Minnesota’s longest winning streak this season has been seven games — unless the Gophers’ shootout victory over Ohio State is counted as a win, then their streak increases to 10 consecutive wins.

The Gophers have yet to lose two games consecutively, unlike last season when this occurred twice. Minnesota opened and closed the 2021-22 season with two losses.

Minnesota has not been shut out since the 2020-21 season. Their lowest single-game goal performance this season was one goal against St. Cloud on Nov. 7 and Wisconsin on Nov. 20.

Minnesota has already swept five WCHA series this season and looks to increase that number to six in their next series. The Gophers will face recently ranked No. 14 St. Cloud State this weekend for games 18 and 19. The home-and-away series will serve as their last games until 2023. When they return in the new year, Minnesota will host Merrimack and New Hampshire in the East and West Showcase.

Dec. 2 vs. Minnesota State

On Friday, the Gophers hosted the Mavericks at Ridder Arena for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) matchup. The last time these two teams met, Minnesota rang up nine goals against Minnesota State.

Minnesota State opened the scoring in the first period as Kennedy Bobyck jammed home her third goal of the season.

Minnesota would not respond until the second period; Abigail Boreen beat Mankato goaltender Alexa Berg with a far side shot on the power play to tie the game.

Abbey Murphy followed up at the eight minute mark, finishing on the backhand off of her own rebound. Murphy’s tally marked her tenth goal of the season and allowed the Gophers to take a 2-1 lead.

Five minutes later, a breakaway allowed Boreen to score her second goal of the period and extend Minnesota’s lead to two goals.

In the final half of the third period, Audrey Wethington finished on a sneaky drop pass from Ella Huber to deliver the dagger.

Skylar Vetter stopped 24 shots as Minnesota took down Minnesota State 4-1.

Dec. 3 at Minnesota State

Minnesota traveled to Mankato on Saturday to round off the series.

On a Mankato power play, a Mavericks’ turnover sprung Taylor Heise on a breakaway; Heise ripped a shot past Berg to open the scoring on the road.

Heise would score once again, waiting out Berg and lifting a backhander over her left pad to increase the Gophers’ lead to two goals.

Murphy would follow three minutes later, one-timing a feed from Heise on yet another Mankato power play. Murphy’s goal increased the Gophers’ short-handed season tally to six goals.

Boreen opened the third period scoring on a 5-on-3 power play for the Gophers with a snipe past Berg.

Just 24 seconds later, Boreen would score again on the remaining power play for her second goal of the game. This would mark Boreen’s second multi-goal game and period of the season.

In the dying seconds of the game, Huber tacked on one more for good measure, tipping in a shot from Allie Franco. Franco’s assist served as her first collegiate point.

Minnesota absolutely dominated on offense with 50 shots on net, still 10 shots shy of their season best of 60 shots in a single game.

Vetter stopped 14 shots, recording her second shutout of the season en route to Minnesota’s 6-0 win over Mankato. Her incredible performances on Friday and Saturday were recognized in the WCHA’s weekly awards as Vetter received her fourth “Goaltender of the Week” award of this season.

Minnesota now sits at 11-1-2 in the WCHA, still in second behind first place Ohio State.

The Gophers’ WCHA play continues on Friday as Minnesota will host St. Cloud at Ridder Arena. Minnesota looks to avenge their loss from Nov. 7, when St. Cloud handed the Gophers their first loss of the season at the 2022 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Museum Face-Off.

After their Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) loss to No. 2 Wisconsin, Minnesota was demoted from No. 1 to No. 3 on the USCHO.com rankings last week. This was the lowest ranking the Gophers had seen since last season, when they were placed at No. 4 after the season finished.

However, Minnesota’s decline has continued, and the Gophers now sit at No. 5 following their 4-3 defeat versus Yale. The two teams traded places in the rankings; Yale was listed at No. 5 prior to their victory over former No. 3 Minnesota. Now, Yale rests at No. 3, their highest placement of the season.

The last time the Gophers were placed at fifth was Jan. 17. At that time, the team was ranked at fourth and fell to unranked Minnesota State in overtime. Minnesota’s loss allowed Quinnipiac to surpass the Gophers and claim No.4.

Minnesota faces the same situation this year as their recent loss to Yale allowed Quinnipiac to once again overtake the Gophers at fourth place.

The No. 4 Bobcats are a powerhouse; they’ve won 14 out of 15 games played, with 11 of those wins including a victory margin of three or more goals. Quinnipiac sits at first place in the Eastern College Athletic Conference standings, ahead of No. 3 Yale.

As seen with their losses to Wisconsin and Yale, a single loss is detrimental to a team’s standing. It will be difficult for Minnesota to gain on the four teams ranked above them as long as their opposition continues to win.

Minnesota’s recent stretch of games has been their worst of the season, losing three of their last five games. Their three regulation losses are the most amongst the top seven teams on the USCHO.com rankings. No. 6 Colgate and No. 7 Northeastern have two losses each, along with No. 2 Wisconsin.

Since their recent games were a part of a non-conference showcase, Minnesota’s WCHA record was not affected. The Gophers still reside in second place below Ohio State with a 9-1-2 conference record.

Unfortunately for Minnesota, they are currently not scheduled to face either Wisconsin or Ohio State until February, so the Gophers will have to gain ground via winning against other WCHA teams.

Furthermore, Minnesota will not face a ranked opponent until late January when they visit No. 8 Minnesota Duluth. However, this can change as St. Cloud was rather close to receiving No. 15 on this week’s rankings. St. Cloud faces St. Thomas this weekend, and a series win can possibly grant them a spot on USCHO.com’s rankings next week. Until then, the Huskies remain unranked.

The Gophers will look to take advantage of the upcoming schedule against unranked opponents beginning Friday versus Minnesota State.

Nov. 25 vs. Penn State

On Friday, No. 3 ranked Minnesota took on No. 12 Penn State in the Henderson Collegiate Hockey Showcase in Henderson, Nevada.

Madison Kaiser opened the scoring for the Gophers just five minutes into the first period with her third goal of the season.

Taylor Heise would follow up less than three minutes later with a goal assisted by goaltender Skylar Vetter. Vetter’s assist is the first point recorded by a Minnesota goaltender since Feb. 12, when Makayla Pahl tallied an assist against St. Cloud.

Peyton Hemp’s seventh goal of the season would increase the Gophers’ lead to three goals.

Minnesota potted one more before the end of the first period; Grace Zumwinkle scored to put the Gophers up 4-0, reaching her 20th point of the season.

Near the midway point of the second period, Pahl was substituted in for Vetter. Vetter finished the game with a total of nine saves.

Pahl saved the first three shots she faced but was unable to stop Penn State’s Courtney Correia from spoiling the shutout.

The Gophers would receive two power plays in the second period but were unable to capitalize on either one.

Ella Huber tacked on one more goal in the third period, as the Gophers downed the Nittany Lions by a score of 5-1.

Minnesota’s win allowed them to advance to the showcase’s championship game.

Nov. 26 vs. Yale

Minnesota took on the undefeated No. 5 Yale Bulldogs on Saturday night for the first time since Jan. 5, 2020 when the Gophers defeated the Bulldogs 4-1 at Ridder Arena.

The two teams had quite an entertaining first period; a total of six goals were scored within the first twenty minutes of the game.

Yale’s Rebecca Vanstone opened the six-goal period by batting home the puck while it was mid-air less than two minutes in. Ten minutes later, Hemp buried a loose puck on the power play to tie the game at 1-1.

Sadie Lindsay’s forechecking efforts led Huber to take a shot from an odd angle that managed to beat Yale goaltender Pia Dukaric. Huber’s goal came just 35 seconds after Hemp’s tying goal.

Minnesota’s lead was short-lived: Yale’s Emma Seitz scored ten seconds later to tie the game at 2-2.

Amid a net-front scramble in the final minute of the opening frame, Jordan Ray managed to find the puck and slam home her fifth of the year to take the lead for the Bulldogs.

Yale wasn’t done yet, as Carina DiAntonio spotted Claire Dalton open for a one-timer in the slot to extend the Bulldogs’ lead to two goals. Only 12 seconds separated Ray and Dalton’s goals, the quickest two goals Minnesota has allowed all season.

Pahl replaced Vetter in the net following the first period. Vetter had stopped eight shots in her twenty minutes played.

The Gophers were given another power play in the early stages of the second period after Ray took a body checking penalty. Huber managed to beat Dukaric on Minnesota’s fourth shot of the power play, scoring her third goal of the weekend.

Yale mustered just two shots in the second period, both of which Pahl stopped. Minnesota, on the other hand, recorded thirteen shots.

In the final period, the Gophers outshot the Bulldogs once again, but to no avail. Dukaric stopped 29 shots and led Yale to a 4-3 title-clinching win over Minnesota.

Minnesota’s defeat counts as its third loss of the season, while Yale’s eighth win allowed the team to keep its undefeated record.

Minnesota State comes to town on Friday winless against Minnesota; the Gophers managed an astonishing 20 goals in their last series against the Maverick and will now look to replicate their scoring abilities this weekend.