University of Minnesota Athletics

MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 3/4 Golden Gopher women's hockey team will face No. 1 Wisconsin in Minnesota's first WCHA home series of the season. The two teams will take the ice at Ridder Arena on Friday, October 19th at 6:00 p.m. CT and Saturday, October 19th at 3:00 p.m. CT. Fans can watch Friday's game on B1G+ and Saturday's game on Big Ten Network.

Out last time
The Gophers experienced their first WCHA conference game last weekend on the road against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Maroon and Gold went 0-1-1 in the series, losing the first game 4-3 and tying the second game 1-1. He was a rookie goalie in Saturday's tie Hannah Clark made her second career start and made 29 saves with 30 SOG. Ohio State won Saturday's shootout to secure the additional conference point. The Gophers have a record of 4-1-1 (0-1-1 WCHA) heading into their matchup against the Badgers.

Scout the badgers
Head coach Mark Johnson and the No. 1-ranked Wisconsin Badgers earned their first two conference wins of the season, defeating then-No. 1-ranked Minnesota-Duluth twice in their two-game series last weekend. Wisconsin holds a record of 6-0-0 (2-0-0 WCHA) on the season so far and leads the nation with 127 team points (46g-81a) through its first six games. The Gophers hold a record of 57-52-16 against the Badgers. In the last series between the two at Ridder Arena, each team needed a game.

Multiple contributors
The Maroon and Gold had several players make an impact through the first six games of the season. Redshirt senior Abbey Murphy Leads the team with 9 points (6g-3a), including at least one point in every game. Murphy's six goals are the most in the nation. Murphy is followed by the junior striker Josefin Bouvengwho has scored 6 points (2g-4a) this season so far and is in his fifth year Natalie Mlynkovawho achieved 5 points (1g-4a). Senior goalkeeper Skylar Vetter has started the season 3-1-0 and has a save percentage of .881. Freshman goalkeeper Hannah Clark holds a record of 1-0-1 with a .932 save percentage in her first two collegiate starts.

Attack the net
The No. 2 Golden Gophers have outscored their opponents 209-103 through the first six games of the season, with Minnesota averaging 34.8 SOG per game. Ten different Maroon and Gold student-athletes have scored at least one goal so far this season.

Maroon and gold premieres
Freshman defender Gracie Graham scored her first Maroon and Gold goal in last Friday's game at Ohio State. Freshman goalkeeper Hannah Clark made her first WCHA conference start in last Saturday's game in Columbus, where she made 29 saves and posted a .967 save percentage in the 1-1 tie.

Milestones on the horizon
The University of Minnesota women's hockey program has an all-time WCHA conference record of 499-108-50 and will attempt to become the first team in WCHA history to surpass 500 conference wins. The program also has an overall record of 781-177-64 and is on pace to reach the 800-win mark. Redshirt senior Abbey Murphy has scored 76 goals in his career and is aiming for the century mark this season after leading the nation with 33 goals in the 2023-24 season. Seniors Peyton Hemp And Ella Huber will attempt to reach triple-digit career points this season after averaging 93 and 95 career points respectively. Senior goalkeeper Skylar Vetter has 48 career wins and needed just five more to tie Sydney Peters (53) for the fifth-most wins in program history. Vetter also recorded 12 career shutouts and needed one more to tie Kim Hanlon (13) for sixth-most in program history.

Striving for an eighth national title
Minnesota has won seven national championships (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016) and is seeking a historic eighth national title in 2024-25.