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.
