Women’s D-I Championship Chat

Executive editor Tim Brule, arena reporter Scott Bridges, women’s editor Brian Sullivan, D-III women’s editor Matt Rennell, and veteran women’s reporter David De Remer covered the national title game with over 550 fans. Read the recap here. Women’s D-I National Championship

D-III Women’s Finals Preview

Four teams will converge on St. Peter, Minn. this weekend for the 2010 NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championships, hosted by Gustavus Adolphus at the Don Roberts Rink. This marks the first time in the tournament’s nine year history that it will be held in the west after three finals have been held at … Read more

Martin Adds to an Outstanding Tradition

There is one women’s hockey award that year after year goes to the most outstanding player in the clutch. Its honorees have included Olympians, schools’ all-time leader scorers, and all-star goaltenders who have delighted fans one March after another. Does this description refer to the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award? Actually, this is the Women’s Frozen … Read more

The Badger Sparkplug

Erika Lawler has experienced a lot of things in NCAA play in her three seasons at Wisconsin. Until this season, heading to the locker room with her team behind on the scoreboard in the national tourney wasn’t one of them. Now she has found herself in that situation in consecutive games in this season’s tournament, … Read more

Fridfinnson Fills Offensive Void

Heading into Minnesota Duluth’s NCAA semifinal versus New Hampshire, Saara Touminen’s chances of playing with a knee injury were listed as fifty-fifty. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the wrong half of that probability came up on game day. “We just asked everyone to step up and do the best you could,” coach Shannon Miller said. To … Read more

Penalty Killed

In the seasons culminating in 2004 and 2005, Minnesota claimed the WCHA regular season and tournament championships, and the NCAA crown. In 2006, all three of those honors went to the Wisconsin Badgers. One huge reason was the success that the Badger power play had against the Gophers.

Wacker the Attacker

Some trivia questions have surprising answers. Who is the only player to score at even strength in both of the Gophers’ NCAA playoff wins? The answer is not WCHA top scorer Erica McKenzie, WCHA Rookie of the Year Gigi Marvin, or NCAA semifinal star Bobbi Ross. The answer is none other than junior Becky Wacker, … Read more

Explaining Those Empty Seats

Much discussion through the week focused on whether or not other sporting events would attract most of the local sports fans and leave few for the women’s Frozen Four. An NCAA men’s basketball regional at the Metrodome, the state boy’s high school basketball tournament, and a Gopher men’s hockey regional game in Grand Forks, N.D. … Read more

Making A Difference

When she leaves the rink, Wisconsin’s Bobbi-Jo Slusar takes on a different set of responsibilities working with autistic and other special-needs children. Dave Starman can relate.

Hats Off for Ross and Then Some

Bobbi Ross provided one of the greatest individual efforts in NCAA Women’s Frozen Four history during Minnesota’s 5-4 upset of No. 1 UNH Friday night.

Another Tiara for Tia

As Wisconsin’s 10th-leading scorer, Tia Hanson was an unlikely candidate to produce the game-winners in both Badger NCAA tournament games en route to the final. She has provided yet another testament to the depth that Coach Mark Johnson has brought to the program.

Not Your Average Rookie Goalie

It’s an obvious choice — when a team reaches its first Frozen Four, look to a senior with 68 career starts and 48 wins between the pipes, rather than starting a freshman goalie with only 11 college games under her belt. Maybe not, if that freshman is Jessie Vetter. Goalie Jessie Vetter remains amidst the … Read more

Women’s NCAA Semifinal Notebook
St. Lawrence vs. Wisconsin

Ice Sheet One of the bigger factors in the game was the larger dimensions of the ice sheet in Mariucci Arena. Wisconsin had played a handful of games on a larger ice surface while facing WCHA opponents, but St. Lawrence had not played even a minute on the Olympic-sized surface. Jess Moffat stops UW’s Jinelle … Read more

A Hometown ‘Dog

After a slow start, the two-time defending NCAA champion Gophers found their way back home for the 2006 Women’s Frozen Four.

A Fleeting Four Years

In the brief history of NCAA Division-I women’s hockey, few recruiting classes have had a bigger impact than the one that enrolled at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 2002. “I think it’s the most successful senior group that we’ve had in a long time, and maybe ever,” said assistant coach Brad Frost. … Read more

From The Devil You Know
To The Devil You Don’t

Since playing Brown on Nov. 13, Minnesota’s competition has been exclusively WCHA rivals. Over the last two weekends, the Gophers have played their fifth and sixth games against with Minnesota State, followed by their fifth each against both Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin. So when the brackets for the NCAA tournament were announced, the Gophers welcomed the … Read more