The Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s ice hockey team plays for the University of Minnesota at the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. The team is one of the members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Division I. The Lady Gophers have won two NCAA Championships as well as a American Women's College Hockey Alliance championships. They have also been Western Collegiate Hockey Association champions five times.[1] In addition to their overall success as a competitive team, the Gophers have also been ranked in the nation's top two teams for attendance since becoming a varsity sport, and the team holds the largest single-game attendance record for women’s collegiate hockey, drawing 6,854 fans for the first Minnesota women's hockey game on November 2, 1997.[2]
In 2004-2005, Minnesota won back-to-back NCAA Ice Hockey Championships. Natalie Darwitz was a three-time All American, and three-time finalist for the Patty Kazmaier award. Darwitz left the program with the career scoring mark at Minnesota in three years and set two NCAA single-season record with 114 points (42 Goals,72 Assists) and most assists in 40 games in her final season.[3]
Coaches
The Gophers have had two head coaches to date: Laura Halldorson and Brad Frost. Halldorson was the head coach for eleven years, from the 1997-1998 season to the 2006-2007 season. Her overall coaching record was 278-67-22 with the Gophers, a winning percentage of .787. During that time, the Gophers won four of their five WCHA championships and all three of their national championships. They averaged 28 wins per season and appeared in eight out of ten national tournaments, reaching seven finals. In addition, the Gophers experienced their best season in 2004-2005 with a 36-2-2 record.[4]
In the 2007-2008 season, Brad Frost became the temporary head coach. He had previously been an assistant coach. In his first year as head coach, Frost led the Gophers to a 21-game winning streak, the second longest streak in the University of Minnesota’s history. The season’s record ended with 27 wins, 7 losses, and 4 ties but also ended with a conference record of 21-5-2 which ranked second in the WCHA. The Gophers made another NCAA regional appearance and post-season Frost was awarded WCHA Coach of the Year. In the 2008-2009 season, his temporary coaching status was lifted and he was named permanent head coach of the Gophers. That same season he led the Gophers to a record of 32-5-3 and to another WCHA championship.[5] The Golden Gophers have had a cross state rivalry with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Gophers handed the Bulldogs their first ever conference loss 4-3 in a sold out game at Pioneer Hall on February 11, 2000. [6]
Team History
Minnesota put its first women's team on the ice, in 1997-98 and Nadine Muzerall, a Canadian who graduated from Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, N.H., was among its initial recruits. [7]
In 2009-10, Noora Räty was just the second freshman to be a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. Räty leads the NCAA in several goaltending categories. She leads the NCAA in goals-against average (1.24), save percentage (.951) and shutouts (7), while ranking third in winning percentage (.792). Her won loss record for the year is 17-3-4. In addition, Raty was the WCHA goaltending champion and earned numerous honours including All-WCHA First Team and All-WCHA Rookie Team. During the season, she was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week four times and WCHA Rookie of the Week on two occasions. She set a school record for most assists in one season by a goaltender (3).
Minnesota Duluth rivalry
Minnesota-Duluth, had been a traditional rival to the Gophers in men's hockey. In 1998, Minnesota Duluth announced that it was going to assemble a women's team for the 1999-2000 season. Duluth gave a three-year, $210,000 contract to Shannon Miller, who coached Canada to the 1998 Olympic final in Nagano. Miller recruited players from Canada, Finland and Sweden, including four Olympians. The rivalry was fuelled when Miller took two players from Minnesota: star forward Jenny Schmidgall, whose 93 points led the nation, and defenseman Brittny Ralph, who would serve as the Bulldogs' captain. In the 1999-2000 season, Duluth would lose just once to the Gophers in their first five meetings, which included a 2-0 Bulldogs victory in the final of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament. [8]
Season by season results
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
Records as of January 19, 2010
Year | Wins | Losses | Ties | Coach | Postseason |
2009-10 | 17 | 3 | 4 | Brad Frost | |
2008-09 | 32 | 5 | 3 | Brad Frost | NCAA Frozen Four |
2007-08 | 27 | 7 | 4 | Brad Frost | NCAA Regionals |
2006-07 | 23 | 12 | 1 | Laura Halldorson | Second, WCHA Tournament |
2005-06 | 29 | 11 | 1 | Laura Halldorson | NCAA Frozen Four |
2004-05 | 36 | 2 | 2 | Laura Halldorson | NCAA Champions |
2003-04 | 30 | 4 | 2 | Laura Halldorson | NCAA Champions |
2002-03 | 27 | 8 | 1 | Laura Halldorson | NCAA Frozen Four |
2001-02 | 28 | 4 | 6 | Laura Halldorson | WCHA Champions, NCAA Frozen Four |
2000-01 | 23 | 9 | 2 | Laura Halldorson | WCHA Champions |
1999-00 | 32 | 6 | 1 | Laura Halldorson | First* |
1998-99 | 29 | 4 | 3 | Laura Halldorson | Third* |
1997-98 | 21 | 7 | 3 | Laura Halldorson | Fourth* |
[9]* AWCHA Tournament from 1999-2000; NCAA took over the national tournament in 2001. From 2001 through 2004, the tournament consisted of a Final Four. The tournament expanded to eight teams in 2005.[10]
Arenas
The Lady Gophers have called two ice rinks home. From their 1997-1998 season to their 2001-2002 season the Lady Gophers shared their home ice with the men’s team at Mariucci Arena. Then in the 2002-2003 season, the Lady Gophers received a rink of their own: Ridder Arena. Ridder Arena is the first and (to date) only arena to be dedicated to a women’s hockey team.
Individual Seasonal Records
Best Plus/Minus Record in a Season: +74
Krissy Wendell 2004-2005[11]
Most Goals in a Season: 49
Nadine Muzerall 1999-2000[12]
Most Assists in a Season: 72
Natalie Darwitz 2004-2005[13]
Most Points in a Season: 114
Natalie Darwitz 2004-2005[14]
Current roster
Number | Name | Position | Height | Class |
1 | Jenny Lura | Goaltender | 5-8 | Junior |
2 | Kelly Seeler | Defence | 5-6 | Sophomore |
3 | Samantha Downey | Forward | 5-9 | Freshman |
4 | Sarah Erickson | Forward | 5-6 | Sophomore |
5 | Laura May | Forward | 5-8 | Junior |
6 | Katie Frischmann | Forward/Defence | 5-5 | Freshman |
7 | Kelli Blankenship | Forward | 5-6 | Senior |
8 | Mira Jalosuo | Defense | 6-0 | Freshman |
9 | Jaimie Horton | Forward | 5-7 | Senior |
10 | Brittany Francis | Forward | 5-7 | Senior |
11 | Becky Kortum | Forward | 5-7 | Freshman |
14 | Chelsey Jones | Forward | 5-8 | Senior |
17 | Emily West | Forward | 5-5 | Junior |
18 | Nikki Ludwigson | Forward | 5-7 | Sophomore |
19 | Megan Bozek | Defence | 5-9 | Freshman |
20 | Alexandra Zebro | Defence | 6-0 | Senior |
22 | Anne Schieper | Defence | 5-10 | Sophomore |
24 | Jen Schoullis | Forward | 5-9 | Junior |
25 | Terra Rasmussen | Forward | 5-7 | Junior |
26 | Michelle Maunu | Defence | 5-6 | Senior |
31 | Alyssa Grogan | Goaltender | 5-6 | Sophomore |
41 | Noora Räty | Goaltender | 5-4 | Freshman |
Scoring leaders
- As of 2009
Name | Years | Games | Goals | Assists | Points |
Natalie Darwitz | 2002-05 | 99 | 102 | 144 | 246 |
Krissy Wendell | 2002-05 | 101 | 106 | 131 | 237 |
Nadine Muzerall | 1997-01 | 129 | 139 | 96 | 235 |
Kelly Stephens | 2001-05 | 148 | 97 | 121 | 218 |
Gigi Marvin | 2005-09 | 152 | 87 | 108 | 195 |
Ronda Curtin | 1999-03 | 147 | 60 | 107 | 167 |
Laura Slominski | 1998-02 | 146 | 65 | 96 | 161 |
LaToya Clarke | 2001-04 | 140 | 67 | 92 | 159 |
Bobbi Ross | 2004-08 | 152 | 75 | 77 | 152 |
Captains
Season | Captains |
1997-98 | Julie Otto, Kris Scholz |
1998-99 | Amber Hegland, Kris Scholz |
1999-00 | Shannon Kennedy, Kris Scholz |
2000-01 | Tracy Engstrom, Kris Scholz |
2001-02 | Tracy Engstrom, Laura Slominski |
2002-03 | Ronda Curtin, Kelsey Bills, Winny Brodt |
2003-04 | Kelsey Bills, La Toya Clarke |
2004-05 | Kelly Stephens, Krissy Wendell |
2005-06 | Andrea Nichols, Chelsey Brodt, Bobbi Ross |
2006-07 | Andrea Nichols, Bobbi Ross |
2007-08 | Bobbi Ross, Whitney Graft |
2008-09 | Melanie Gagnon, Gigi Marvin |
2009-10 | Michelle Maunu |
2010-11 |
Olympians
- The following Gophers players have participated in Olympic Women's hockey.
2002 U.S. Olympic Team
- Natalie Darwitz
- Courtney Kennedy
- Lyndsay Wall
- Krissy Wendell
2006 U.S. Olympic Team
- Natalie Darwitz
- Courtney Kennedy
- Kelly Stephens
- Lyndsay Wall
- Krissy Wendell (2006 Team U.S.A. Captain)[16]
2010 U.S. Olympic Team
- Natalie Darwitz
- Rachel Drazan
- Joeclyne Lamoureux
- Monique Lamoureux
- Gigi Marvin
2010 Finnish Olympic Team
Championships
National
- 2000 – American Women's College Hockey Alliance championship
- 2004 – NCAA championship
- 2005 – NCAA championship
Conference
- 2001
- 2002
- 2004
- 2005
- 2009
Awards and honors
All Americans
Year | Player | Team |
1998 | Nadine Muzerall | (2nd team, Women’s Hockey News) |
1998 | Brittny Ralph | (2nd team, Women’s Hockey News) |
1999 | Courtney Kennedy | (2nd team, AWCHA) |
1999 | Nadine Muzerall | (2nd team, AWCHA) |
1999 | Jenny Schmidgall-Potter | (2nd team, AWCHA) |
2001 | Courtney Kennedy | (1st team, JOFA) |
2002 | Ronda Curtin | (1st team, JOFA) |
2003 | Ronda Curtin | (1st team, JOFA) |
2003 | Natalie Darwitz | (1st team, JOFA) |
2003 | Krissy Wendell | (2nd team, JOFA) |
2004 | Krissy Wendell | (1st team, JOFA) |
2004 | Natalie Darwitz | (2nd team, JOFA) |
2005 | Natalie Darwitz | (1st team CCM) |
2005 | Lyndsay Wall | (1st team CCM) |
2005 | Krissy Wendell | (1st team CCM) |
2005 | Jody Horak | (2nd team CCM) |
2008 | Gigi Marvin | (2nd team, RBK HOCKEY/AHCA) |
2009 | Melanie Gagnon | (2nd team, RBK HOCKEY/AHCA)) |
2009 | Monique Lamoureux | (2nd team, RBK HOCKEY/AHCA) |
2010 | Noora Raty | (1st team, RBK HOCKEY/AHCA) |
2010 | Anne Schleper[17] | (1st team, RBK HOCKEY/AHCA) |
All-WCHA teams
Year | Player | Team |
2000 | Winny Brodt | First-Team All-WCHA |
2000 | Nadine Muzerall | First-Team All-WCHA |
2000 | Nadine Muzerall | First-Team All-WCHA |
2000 | Courtney Kennedy | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2000 | Crystal Nicholas | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2000 | Laura Slominski | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2000 | Ambria Thomas | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2001 | Courtney Kennedy | First-Team All-WCHA |
2001 | Erica Killewald | First-Team All-WCHA |
2001 | Ambria Thomas | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2001 | LaToya Clarke | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2002 | Ronda Curtin | First-Team All-WCHA |
2002 | Jody Horak | First-Team All-WCHA |
2002 | Kelly Stephens | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2003 | Ronda Curtin | First-Team All-WCHA |
2003 | Natalie Darwitz | First-Team All-WCHA |
2003 | Jody Horak | First-Team All-WCHA |
2003 | Krissy Wendell | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2004 | Natalie Darwitz | First-Team All-WCHA |
2004 | Krissy Wendell | First-Team All-WCHA |
2005 | Natalie Darwitz | First-Team All-WCHA |
2005 | Lyndsay Wall | First-Team All-WCHA |
2005 | Krissy Wendell | First-Team All-WCHA |
2005 | Kelly Stephens | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2005 | Jody Horak | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2006 | Erica McKenzie | First-Team All-WCHA |
2006 | Gigi Marvin | Third-Team All-WCHA |
2007 | Gigi Marvin | First-Team All-WCHA |
2007 | Bobbi Ross | Third-Team All-WCHA |
2007 | Melanie Gagnon | Third-Team All-WCHA |
2008 | Gigi Marvin | First-Team All-WCHA |
2008 | Rachael Drazan | First-Team All-WCHA |
2008 | Erica McKenzie | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2008 | Anya MIller | Second-Team All-WCHA |
2008 | Bobbi Ross | Third-Team All-WCHA |
2008 | Melanie Gagnon | Third-Team All-WCHA |
2009 | Melanie Gagnon | First-Team All-WCHA |
2009 | Jocelyne Lamoureux | First-Team All-WCHA |
2009 | Monique Lamoureux | First-Team All-WCHA |
2009 | Rachel Drazan | Third-Team All-WCHA |
2009 | Gigi Marvin | Third-Team All-WCHA |
2009 | Anne Schleper | Third-Team All-WCHA |
2010 | Noora Raty | First-Team All-WCHA |
2010 | Anne Schleper | First-Team All-WCHA |
2010 | Emily West | First-Team All-WCHA |
WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
Year | Player |
2000 | Winny Brodt |
2001 | Courtney Kennedy |
2002 | Ronda Curtin |
2003 | Ronda Curtin |
2009 | Melanie Gagnon |
2010 | Anne Schleper |
WCHA All-Rookie Team
Year | Player |
2003 | Natalie Darwitz |
2003 | Krissy Wendell |
2005 | Bobbi Ross |
2006 | Gigi Marvin |
2006 | Melanie Gagnon |
2006 | Kim Hanlon |
2007 | Michelle Maunu |
2008 | Jenny Lura |
2009 | Jocelyne Lamoureux |
2009 | Monique Lamoureux |
2009 | Anne Schleper |
2010 | Noora Raty |
Kazmaier Award
- Krissy Wendell, Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Winner, 2005[19]
Kazmaier Award Finalists
Year | Player | Rank |
1998 | Nadine Muzerall | (Top 11) |
2000 | Winny Brodt | (Top Ten) |
2001 | Courtney Kennedy | (Top Three) |
2001 | Nadine Muzerall | (Top Ten) |
2002 | Ronda Curtin | (Top Three) |
2002 | Laura Slominski | (Top Ten) |
2003 | Natalie Darwitz | (Top Ten) |
2003 | Krissy Wendell | (Top Ten) |
2004 | Natalie Darwitz | (Top Ten) |
2004 | Krissy Wendell | (Top Ten) |
2005 | Natalie Darwitz | (Top Ten) |
2005 | Krissy Wendell | (Top Ten) |
2008 | Gigi Marvin | (Top Ten) |
2009 | Gigi Marvin | (Top Ten) |
2009 | Monique Lamoureux | (Top Ten) |
2010 | Noora Raty | (Top Three) |
Nominees
- Anne Schleper, 2010 Patty Kazmaier Award nominee[20]
- Emily West, 2010 Patty Kazmaier Award nominee
WCHA honors
- WCHA Goaltending champion
- 2010: Noora Raty
- WCHA Rookie of the Year
- 2003: Natalie Darwitz
- 2005: Bobbi Ross
- 2006: Gigi Marvin
- 2009: Monique Lamoureux
- WCHA Player of the Year
- 2001: Courtney Kennedy
- 2002: Ronda Curtin
- 2004: Krissy Wendell
- 2005: Krissy Wendell
Other
- Kelli Blankenship, 2010 Frozen Four Skills Competition participant[22]
- Laura Halldorson, National Coach of the Year, 2002
- Laura Halldorson, National Coach of the Year, 2004 [23]
- On September 27, 2007, Erica Killewald and Nadine Muzerall were the first women’s hockey players to be inducted into the University of Minnesota’s ‘M’ Club Hall of Fame.[24]
Notable players
|
|
Erica Killewald
Erica Killewald ranks first in career saves (2,385) and shutouts (21), second in wins (73) and sixth in goals-against average (1.88). She also owns four of the top seven winningest seasons for a goaltender. Killewald will be remembered as the winning goaltender for the first ever women’s hockey game at Minnesota. She led Minnesota to an 8-0 win over Augsburg in front of a record crowd at Mariucci Arena on Nov. 2, 1997.
After an 18-win freshman season that saw her finish tied for second in the nation with five shutouts, Killewald led the Golden Gophers to a third-place finish at the 1999 AWCHA National Championship. During that sophomore season, Killewald held opponents to two or fewer goals in 23 of 26 starts and led nation in goals against average (1.24) and save percentage (.947). She would be named the Golden Gophers most improved and most valuable player.
At the 2000 AWCHA National Championship, Killewald stopped 74 of 78 shots in the tournament, and earned most valuable player honors. On the season, she posted a 17-6-1 record, including an 8-0-1 mark in 10 games during the tram’s 21-game unbeaten streak. In a 2-2 tie at archrival Minnesota Duluth, Killewald made 51 saves to set a school record.
Killewald wrapped up her collegiate career in 2000-01 as part of the Golden Gophers first ever WCHA Regular Season Championship. On the season, Kilewald accumulated a 19-8-2 record. She would lead the WCHA in goals-against average (2.12) and save percentage (.914) to earn First Team All-WCHA honors.
During her overall career at Minnesota, Killewald compiled a 73-23-9 career record. Kilewald was also a member of the WCHA All-Academic Team. She would graduate with a degree in kinesiology and is currently a radiologic technologist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
Nadine Muzerall
Nadine Muzerall is Minnesota’s all time leader with 139 career goals, including a record 40 power-play goals. She was a member of the inaugural team of University of Minnesota women’s hockey. In her freshman season, she had a 32-goal, 32-assist performance to earn Women’s Hockey News Second Team All-American, Patty Kazmaier Award Finalist and team most valuable player accolades.
During her 1998-99 sophomore season, Muzerall was named a Second Team AWCHA All-American, and was part of the third-place finish at the 1999 AWCHA National Championship. She compiled totals of 30 goals, 18 assists and 48 points. Her numbers ranked in the top 20 nationally in seven offensive categories.
Muzerall scored the game-winning goal in the 2000 national championship win over Brown (Minnesota would win 4-2) and earned all-tournament honors with three goals and an assist in two games. For the season, Muzerall scored 49 goals, 28 assists and 77 points. Her 49 goals led the nation, power-play goals (16), power-play points (27) and game-winning goals (9). Her 49 goals sit atop the Minnesota season record book. In a 10-0 win over Bemidji State, Muzerall set school records with five goals and seven points. During the season, Muzerall went on a 20-game point streak, earned First Team All-WCHA and Minnesota team most valuable player honors.
Muzerall finished her collegiate career in 2000-01. She was part of the first ever WCHA Regular Season Championship, with contributions of 28 goals and 18 assists. For her efforts, she was named a Patty Kazmaier Award Finalist for the second time in her career. In the Minnesota career record book, Muzerall finished her career first in goals (139), goals-per-game (1.08), power-play goals (40) and shots (726), third in points (235), fourth in plus/minus (+149), fifth in shorthanded goals (4) and sixth in assists (96). She graduated with a degree in family social science. In 2003, she became head coach of the Northfield Mount Hermon School girls’ hockey team in Gill, Massachusetts.
Golden Gophers in professional hockey
Player | Team | League |
Winny Brodt | Minnesota Whitecaps | WWHL |
Andrea Nichols | Minnesota Whitecaps | WWHL |
Allie Sanchez | Minnesota Whitecaps | WWHL |
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41204&SPID=3323&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1362094
- ↑ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/022609aaa.html
- ↑ http://eastonhockey.com/natalie-darwitz.html
- ↑ http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/081407aaa.html
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=263430&Q_SEASON=2008
- ↑ http://www.umdbulldogs.com/viewmoment.php?height=500&width=700&modal=true&id=22
- ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1018813/2/index.htm
- ↑ http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1018813/2/index.htm
- ↑ http://www.uscho.com/stats/teamYxY.php/minnesota-golden-gophers/womens-college-hockey/team,umn/gender,w.html
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41204&SPID=3323&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1362094
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41204&SPID=3323&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=272438
- ↑ http://www.uscho.com/stats/team-overall.php/minnesota-golden-gophers/womens-college-hockey/team,umn/season,20042005/gender,w/sort,PTS.html
- ↑ http://www.uscho.com/stats/team-overall.php/minnesota-golden-gophers/womens-college-hockey/team,umn/season,20042005/gender,w/sort,PTS.html
- ↑ http://www.uscho.com/stats/team-overall.php/minnesota-golden-gophers/womens-college-hockey/team,umn/season,20042005/gender,w/sort,PTS.html
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&SPID=3323&SPSID=38865
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41204&SPID=3323&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=1373625
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%9310_NCAA_Division_I_women%27s_ice_hockey_season#All-America_honors
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41204&SPID=3323&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=272438
- ↑ http://www.usahockey.com/patty_kazmaier/default.aspx?NAV=AF_09&ID=191330
- ↑ http://www.wcha.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/021810aaa.html
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=41204&SPID=3323&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=272438
- ↑ http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/031010aaa.html
- ↑ http://www.bigten.org/sports/wchamp25/spec-rel/080906aar.html
- ↑ http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=923763
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