Nicole: In case you missed it in the first Wednesday Women of the year, the format is a little different this year. I’ll be joined by guest writers throughout the season to share their unique insight. This week I’m joined by Nate Wells (or as he lives in my head and conversations, Gopher State Nate), a freelance journalist from Minnesota who has covered women’s college hockey for The Athletic, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and a large number of outlets over the last decade and who I feel like I’ve been talking to about the WCHA and Gopher women’s hockey since I started writing about women’s college hockey.
Welcome Nate and thanks for joining me!
Nate: The honor is all mine! I’m a longtime reader of this column through its various iterations. It’s nice to be able to contribute our press box discussions on the record for once.
Nicole: Jumping right in, I saw a tweet this week asking if it was time for a change in staff in Minneapolis because the Gophers are ranked #6, which I’m pretty sure was in earnest. I know the comment was made by someone who doesn’t really pay close attention to women’s college hockey, so I’m not taking it seriously, but I felt like it made for a good jumping off point to talk about the tough stretch Minnesota just came through, how many Very Good teams there are this season and maybe an assessment of the State of the Gophers right now.
(For the record, no, I don’t think there’s a need for a change behind the bench for Minnesota. This is probably the best team they’ve had in recent memory.)
Nate: Expectations will always be extremely high in Dinkytown, which is a challenge Minnesota’s players take on each season. That happens after consistent success and a four national championship in a five year dynasty. Still, the sky is not falling as we end 2022.
On paper, I would agree with you, Nicole. This is the best team Brad Frost has had in several seasons. Any coach would be happy with adding four Olympians (Joefin Bouveng, Nelli Laitinen, Abbey Murphy, and Grace Zumwinkle) to a team that won the WCHA regular season and was the second-overall seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Add in the reigning Patty Kazmaier Award winner in Taylor Heise, who ends the weekend leading the nation in points, along with several players taking a step forward, and the Gophers are a Very Good team with depth.
However, as you mentioned, Minnesota is not alone in being a Very Good team. We’ve been lucky in the first half of the season to witness the rise of several programs, along with some traditional powers keeping pace. The gap continues to tighten, which has manifested with Minnesota in losses to Yale, Wisconsin, and St. Cloud State getting its first victory over the Gophers since 2009. More schools can play with the top-five teams and win without a goalie stealing a game. Each weekend seems to feature at least one or two head-turning scores.
It has not been the easiest first half with the number of new and returning players finding chemistry. The depth has been tested to the point where a top-six forward in Emily Oden is playing in a top-four defender position. Heise and Zumwinkle continue to be two of the top forwards in college hockey. Each possesses the ability to make their linemates better. Seeing Skylar Vetter be the top goaltender she appeared to be developing as a U-18 World Championship MVP is a delight.
As far as the current State of the Gophers, I am buying, even before last weekend’s results against the Huskies. Minnesota, as a program, is in a better spot than it was 2-3 years ago. The Gophers have some quality wins and looked the best against Ohio State as anyone all season, but that’s mixed with some disappointing results that the best teams learn from as the season continues. Outside of the St. Cloud State loss, none of Minnesota’s results were poor performances.
Would it be nice if Minnesota was ranked higher than #6? Sure. Does it bother me? No. The top-seven teams in this week’s USCHO poll all have three or fewer losses.
How are you approaching the top of the rankings as we reach the end of the first half?
Nicole: I try not to put too much stock in rankings overall, but definitely before the winter break and this year, with the expanded field and so many top tier teams, there’s been much more volatility in position week to week. This may be just me, but I’m still trying to figure out how to approach the polls. Generally, I use a mix of looking at the body of work and the most recent results. Generally, if a team loses, I’m going to shift them down and if a team gets a big win, I’m going to shift them up. What has happened quite a bit this year is a team dropping spots after sweeping a weekend, usually because teams ranked just below them get a “bigger” win and are rewarded for it by being moved up.
Monday afternoons have become my favorite time of the week because of the conversations, comments and chatter that come when the week’s new poll is published. I love that there are so many invested fans that have opinions and hot takes about how the poll should shake out.
Nate: I’m glad I’m not the only one who can’t get enough of Monday afternoon discussions. It’s never been better or healthier for the sport.
I’m also glad at the end of the day the best team will be decided on the ice because coming up with a top-10 or top-15 list everyone agrees upon seems to be a fool’s errand. Between the records, body of work, and recent performances, separating the teams at the top of the poll is harder than any I can remember in recent years. Each week seems to add even more nuance to the discussion.
Quinnipiac had an opportunity this past weekend to make a clear argument with its series against Providence. Instead, they created more questions than answers in the split. Before the Bobcats, it was Yale and Ohio State. The more we learn about these teams, the more intrigued I am about how March will unfold.
One benefit of the expanded rankings to 15 teams is seeing schools like Penn State, Connecticut, and St. Cloud State be rewarded for first-half success and get ranked. All three can claim big-time wins. Getting the opportunity to spend time on Monday afternoons discussing the lower half of the poll, which matters more now that the NCAA Tournament field is expanded to 11 teams, is another benefit.
Nicole: Your point about Minnesota looking the best of anyone who’s faced Ohio State so far is a good one. That tells me a lot more about what to expect from them in March than the St. Cloud loss. As you said, the sky is not falling.
But speaking of St. Cloud, I know you’re excited to talk about the Huskies. I did a column last week highlighting some of what they’ve done so far, but am curious what you’ve liked about their play at this point in the season.
I specifically wanted to ask about Brian Idalski. I don’t want to throw any shade on any of the folks that came before him, but do want to talk about what it is about Brian that gets teams to respond so well to his style.
I mentioned this in the column, but thought it was so telling that he apparently went into his interview specifically talking about the close games they had lost. It’s not surprising Brian focused on that, but I also love it as a thing the Huskies could work on and make a difference with in the short term.
What other stamps of Idalski’s influence do you think we’ll see? Do you think it’s realistic to think that SCSU could follow the path of UND to become a team pushing the top 4 and finishing in the top half of the standings regularly or is that too daunting of a task now with OSU in the mix?
Nate: One of the things which stands out about St.Cloud State is, despite the first-half success, it’s not yet an Idalski team. In a way, that makes the Huskies’ first half all the more impressive.
That is not to say he, along with associate head coach Jinelle Siergiej and assistant Mira Jalosuo, has yet to put his touch on SCSU. St. Cloud State is an undefeated 10-0-0 against teams outside the WCHA top-four. Turning those one-goal losses into wins is huge. In previous years, we’ve seen St. Cloud State come up short or be unable to close out series consistently. For every sweep against a team outside the WCHA top-four, SCSU were swept once or twice.
Brian Idalski was able to take a North Dakota program that struggled in its early years and turn it into one that regularly challenged Wisconsin and Minnesota. He is already getting the most of his players. It’s not a single line, something that has been the case in past years. Five Huskies already have more than 11 points, which matches all the total from all of last season. Both Sanni Ahola and Jojo Chobak are steering the ship in goal, but are not being over relied upon to steal games.
To answer your question about Idalski’s influence and where St. Cloud State can go from here, the middle of the WCHA is better than it has ever been. We haven’t discussed Minnesota State, but several points made here can also be made for the Mavericks and the job John Harrington is doing with his program. There is work to be done to unseat a top-four team consistently given Ohio State’s ascendance. Getting one win against Minnesota and taking Wisconsin to OT is a start, though.
I’m curious to see where St. Cloud State goes with recruiting, as some of the paths Idalski took at North Dakota have been taken over by other schools. (Related: I would not have been surprised if North Dakota won a national championship by now if the program continued.) Combining top players with his style of play should be an intriguing second act and one I’m excited to follow along watching SCSU.
Nicole: Exactly – there is so much attention put on the top four teams, but St. Cloud and Minnesota State have been two of my favorite teams to watch so far. Things evened out a bit for the Mavericks, but they were pushing those top four teams early on and getting votes despite losing because they were such close games.
I love an upset and I love seeing teams on the come up, so seeing teams like St. Cloud and Minnesota State playing in a way that shows consistent, program-wide improvement is so edifying. And with the caliber of player we’re seeing commit to these teams regularly, things should only continue to improve.
One thing I wanted to make sure to ask you about is in regard to Ohio State. Something you’ve said that I really found interesting was about OSU thriving in their role as the team to beat.
The Buckeyes really fed off a (sometimes self-created) narrative of being the underdog who got no respect. There was a consistent chip on their shoulder and they really challenged themselves to prove everyone wrong. Whether or not they were actually underdogs is absolutely beside the point, honestly. They believed it and used it as motivation. And it worked for them.
I think it would have been fair to question how they would handle being at the head of the pack and needing to rely on a different motivator, but it was probably also silly to ever doubt Nadine Muzerall.
Nate: Never say a game is over until the final whistle. Never doubt Nadine Muzerall. These are college hockey certainties.
Ohio State is not the first team to go full Rodney Dangerfield and find a way to motivate itself. Even though one can make an argument that the Buckeyes were the favorites entering last season, that only adds to the job Muzerall has done turning the Buckeyes program from one that had three head coaches in as many years into a national champion.
Getting to the mountaintop – especially in a sport where nearly 25 years in the number of national championship programs can be counted on one hand – is an accomplishment in itself. Staying there is another. In the first half as reigning national champions, OSU does not look like it has missed a beat taking on its next challenge. So often when giving up a goal, the Buckeyes come back the next shift and turn the game on its head. That is the mark of a national championship-winning team.
Part of that may be the veteran presence and how many juniors and seniors return from last year’s champs (in addition to Emma Maltais). Sophie Jaques might be playing better than she did last year, which is no easy feat for the Patty Kazmaier Award finalist. At the same time, it’s not just the seniors. Rookie Sloane Matthews is someone who stands out when I watch the Buckeyes.
While OSU is thriving in its role as the hunted, the rest of the WCHA hunters are close behind. No one should sleep on the four games between Ohio State and Wisconsin in the second half. Minnesota Duluth already played all four regular-season games against the Buckeyes and played better against the team who ended its own national title dreams, eventually being rewarded with an OT win.
Nicole: That felt like a big game for the Bulldogs and it makes this past weekend’s result even more head scratching.
Of course, after accepting that Minnesota’s loss to St. Cloud didn’t mean it was time to panic, I probably need to be as equanimous about UMD’s tie and shootout loss to St. Thomas on Saturday.
But while it’s not panic-inducing, it still isn’t great for the Bulldogs, who have the worst record of the top four teams in the WCHA against the other three and are lingering toward the bottom of the pool of teams who’ll make the NCAA tournament.
First off, way to go Tommies. Those were their first conference points of the year. That’s the kind of game they can really build off of and I’m sad for their sakes that it came right before break and they won’t be able to carry that confidence and momentum immediately into another set of games.
You mentioned that OT win for UMD, but we could talk about a whole lot of bonus hockey when it comes to Minnesota Duluth. Do you have any theories on why the Bulldogs seem nearly incapable of finishing a game in regulation?
Nate: One thing for sure? Bulldogs fans are getting their money’s worth this season with seven of the first 20 games heading to OT.
My guess as to why Minnesota Duluth, who currently has played the third-toughest schedule in college hockey, is seeing the extra period so much has to do with playing tough opponents and getting the best from the teams outside the WCHA’s top-four. For many years this was North Dakota’s spot – how many times did we watch the Fighting Hawks beat Minnesota or Wisconsin and then lose the following week? Now it seems to be UMD in that role. As the league gets better, it’s tough to win on an off night. I think we’re seeing that more this season.
The lack of consistency is maddening. Minnesota Duluth has the talent with a top forward in Gabbie Hughes and the most consistent goaltender in Emma Soderberg. Taking away a shooting percentage that should progress closer to the mean later in the season, UMD continues to be a team that at its best can win a national championship. We almost saw it last year from a similar spot in the Pairwise to where the Bulldogs sit now.
Having an 11-team NCAA Tournament gives more breathing room for the third and fourth-place WCHA teams, which puts the sport in a new spot. Bad losses and OT ties are not punished as much. I do wonder how this will affect the NCAA Tournament in the near future given even in the recent past it was easy to figure three or four of the year’s Frozen Four teams in September. Those days are done.
And I’d be remiss to not congratulate the Tommies as well for getting the tie and not only gaining points from Minnesota Duluth, but Saskia Maurer stopping a penalty shot in regulation and winning the shootout.
Nicole: Heading east, let’s talk about the Badgers’, whose first six games after the break are part of why I’m not putting too much stock in the rankings and numbers yet. They have not played Ohio State at all yet this year and before they can take on the Buckeyes, they’ll have two games in Connecticut against Quinnipiac. They faced off in an incredibly close series last New Year’s and I’m looking forward to the redux this year.
There will still be more than two months left in the season, but that series has the feel of being make or break for Wisconsin, who have yet to live up to the full potential of their roster. Arlan always said Wisconsin is a team that builds throughout the season and times their peak perfectly. After some recent flat outings against Minnesota and a tendency to struggle after bye weeks, I thought the Badgers looked good in those games against the Gophers a few weeks back and didn’t succumb to some of their regular pitfalls
It has felt a bit to me like the Badgers haven’t quite found a way to make all their very good pieces and parts work together and end up with a sum greater than the parts. What’s your feel on Wisconsin’s ceiling? We’re at the break, so I’m going to make you rank the top four teams here. Who do you see as having the advantage and is most likely to come out ahead of the others?
Nate: Before I rank, can I say we have really spoiled with non-conference matchups this season? Schools are going above and beyond to play top competition in locales across the country. We’re all winners.
A few seasons ago, I got the chance to watch Minnesota play Yale at the Whale. Now the teams played each other as top-ten foes in Las Vegas that showcased both the sport and the Bulldogs’ growth. Wisconsin faces Quinnipiac, who nationally might be the most intriguing team in the country, Ohio State played Colgate (and faces Cornell this weekend), and UMD faced Harvard and had that interesting three-team tournament with St. Lawrence and Penn State.
Right now, I would rank Ohio State 1, Wisconsin 2, Minnesota 3, Minnesota Duluth 4. The gap between 1-3 is close with UMD a little further back. After a few seasons where the gap was spread out more between 1-4, it feels closer. Wisconsin got the better of Minnesota, who got the better of Ohio State, who got the better of Minnesota Duluth.
This can and probably will change as the season continues. Ohio State is the closest to the most complete team among the WCHA top-four. Minnesota, to me, has the higher ceiling. However, Wisconsin is more likely to reach theirs as February and March draw near.
In hindsight, it makes sense that Wisconsin would need more time to get all its parts on the same page. The opening loss to Penn State on a night with no other game also played a role in a perception that can be hard to shake, fair or not.
You watch more Wisconsin than anyone so I’ll defer to you as to where the Badgers are in their journey to peaking at the right time. The series against Minnesota showed a preview as to how Mark Johnson can bring in Jesse Compher and KK Harvey to complement an already deep lineup. (Related: Is Casey O’Brien the most underrated player in the WCHA? ) It was technically a shootout loss, but I was impressed in the opening game with how Wisconsin battled back after trailing for the entire third period. That continued the next afternoon in the win.
This time of year is one where I start to pay attention to how teams respond to adversity. What lessons do players take away from poor performances? Which adjustments are made? Wisconsin opens the second half with a tough schedule, but has the opportunity to find its identity and be a scary team down the stretch.
That goes for several teams, both inside the WCHA and across the nation with a multitude of fantastic conference races. With so many veterans playing an extra year, star players with name value, and newcomers making their own, the sport is at a really fun place right now.
Nicole: I wrote a whole paragraph in which I argued for the ceiling of both Wisconsin and Ohio State and just deleted it because it ultimately doesn’t matter and the moral of the story is hat we are absolutely spoiled this season in particular, with the bonus year and the players returned from centralization.
I usually say this in response to some boneheaded comment about women’s sports/hockey from a troglodyte, but honestly, imagine not watching women’s college hockey. Absolutely thrilled that could not be me.
(Related: shoutout to both Hockey East and the ECAC for having their games on ESPN+, where the feeds are always great and the price tag is reasonable. I’m also thrilled with the WCHA/BTN+ package. The feeds are sometimes more of a struggle, but at least everyone’s games are in one place. It’s relatively easy and inexpensive to watch all this great hockey.)
We’ve covered a lot of WCHA ground, but since this is the last thing I’m posting until the new year, it seems a good time to talk about the best players. You mentioned UW’s Casey O’Brien as underrated in the WCHA. I’d add Colgate’s Danielle Serdachny as a player who has not gotten enough attention. Vermont’s Natálie Mlýnková has been one of my favorite players to watch so far this season, particularly in combination with Theresa Schafzahl. My other favorite pair is Olivia Mobley and Shay Maloney at Quinnipiac. None of them have the big name recognition, but they’re playing some beautiful hockey and making huge impacts for their teams.
One more player that has been electric is Makenna Webster at Ohio State. She transferred from Wisconsin to become a two sport athlete at OSU. She missed a number of early games to finish out the field hockey season, so her point totals aren’t going to be among the top, but goodness did she make an immediate impact on an already very talented hockey team.
I would have given Sophie Jaques the Patty last season, so it’s probably no surprise that she’s at the top of my list so far this year. I’d also include Izzy Daniel from Cornell in my top ten. The shortened Ivy schedule may have kept her off some folks’ radar, but she and teammate Gillis Frechette are third in points per game. I think Heise will get another shot, though I have to admit that I’ve been more impressed by Grace Zumwinkle than Taylor so far and she’d be my choice if I had to narrow it down to one Gopher. Alina Müller and Katy Knoll of Northeastern are making good cases. Knoll is second in the country (behind Jaques) with 15 goals.
Yale’s Pia Dukaric and Providence’s Sandra Abstreiter are my top goalies so far. I really like Logan Angers at Quinnipiac, as well, but I don’t think the Goaltender of the Year Award will go to anyone who splits time.
When it comes to rookies, Penn State’s Tessa Janecke had the early lead, but Wisconsin’s KK Harvey is definitely making her own case. Both are such stellar two-way players that any other player will really need a convincing case for me to think they can usurp them. Mercyhurst’s Thea Johansson and Providence’s Reichen Kirchmair are on my radar, as is Stonehill’s Alexis Petford.
I’ll stop there so that you also have something to talk about. Sorry! But do you have any arguments against my picks or did I leave anyone out that you think needs to be getting consideration?
Nate: Is it too late to rehash our regular Taylor Heise-Sophie Jaques 2022 Patty Kazmaier discussion? No? It’s not? Both would have been worthy choices. To me, what Heise was able to do raising her linemates to her level in ways that complemented her stats.
However, for 2023, right now I would put Jaques at the top of my list. The Patty Kazmaier is a subjective award, one we often wonder what it takes for a defender to win. If a repeat performance, one that is even better on both ends of the ice to help keep Ohio State on top, does not change some minds, that is an answer.
Heise is also proving to be in the mix, as this year looks to be similar to the past few in where the reigning winner likely finds herself in the top-10. She won’t be the only familiar name, as several other top-3 finalists (hello Alina Müller, Gabbie Hughes, and Grace Zumwinkle) continue to play and make heavy contributions to their team.
When discussing names that should be recognized more, the first three who came to mind were Serdachny, along with the Quinnipiac duo of Mobley and Maloney. Both Bobcats are heralded – Mobley is the rare Minnesota Ms. Hockey who went to play out East – yet their impact goes beyond the stats any time I watch QU. Northeastern’s Maureen Murphy, who missed out on the top-10 last year despite being the nation’s leading goal scorer at the time, is another among the large list of Huskies. Only Jaques has more goals per game than her. It’s also difficult to choose one from Clarkson, but Gabrielle David would be my pick.
I agree with you that Dukaric and Abstreiter are the goalies to watch right now for Goaltender of the Year. Gwyneth Phillips coming in after three years backing up Aerin Frankel and not missing a beat is one of the more impressive stories. I also agree about goalie platoons making it difficult for others to get in the conversation – Colgate’s Kayla Osborne and Hannah Murphy are another duo who combined would be up there.
The recurring theme seems to be the number of upperclassmen. More than ever, the extra year of eligibility combined with Olympic returnees makes these lists very veteran-heavy. We haven’t even brought up Princeton’s Sarah Fillier and St. Lawrence’s Julia Gosling to end 2022, which would have been crazy to think about at the beginning of the year. Same with Boston College’s Hannah Bilka.
Still, it’s great to see new names emerge and underclassmen make an impact. That is the one constant. Everyone eventually graduates, even if it seems like some have been there since Lee Stecklein and the Lamoureuxs. Each year new players replace and make their own names.
Both Janecke and Harvey are living up to the extremely high expectations placed upon them as rookies. Right now, I would give the nod for Rookie of the Year to Janecke given what she has meant to an upward Penn State program that continues to reach new highs. She is asked and relied upon more than Harvey is at Wisconsin. However, I would not be surprised to see KK take over as the season goes along and the Badgers try to peak at the right time. This is only the first half of the season. There is one more still to go.
