A little less than a year ago the University of Minnesota Gopher Women’s Hockey team finished the year on top of NCAA D-I Women’s Hockey with its third title and first since 2006.  Now, they enter the Frozen Four as the most dominant team Women’s College Hockey has ever seen.

Want evidence of the team’s dominance? This is the first year that all three Patty Kazmaier Award finalists (presented annually to the top player in NCAA D-I women’s ice hockey) come from the same university:  Amanda Kessel, Megan Bozek and Noora Raty.

Amanda Kessel

The junior forward from Madison, Wisconsin leads the NCAA in goals (43), assists (51), points (94), shorthanded goals (5), and is second in game-winning goals (8).  Over 32 games this season, she posted three or more points in 20 games, four or more points in eleven different games, and was never held off the score sheet. 

Megan Bozek

Bozek, a team captain, anchored the Gophers’ nation leading defensive corps.  A native of Buffalo Grove, Ill., she was the only defenseman to make the top ten candidates for the Patty Kaz and has a chance to be only the second defenseman to win the award. Bozek finished the season second in defenseman scoring (52), sixth in assists (34) and tenth in assists per game (0.94).

Noora Raty

In her fourth year as the Gophers’ starting goaltender, Raty (Espoo, Finland) has had a record breaking season of her own.  She has set new NCAA records for career shutouts (40), season shutouts (15), and season wins (33).  On top of those records, she finished the season first in goals against average (0.92) and save percentage (.956).

Although none of these three finalists are from Minnesota, there is little doubt this year’s Frozen Four will be a celebration of girls’ & women’s hockey in Minnesota.  After all, twelve of the 22 players on the roster are from Minnesota, including eight previous Ms. Hockey finalists and three Ms. Hockey Award recipients.  Hannah Brandt (2012 Mrs. Hockey) finished the season with 77 points to lead the NCAA in rookie scoring.

Even more impressive than the individual stats is what the University of Minnesota has accomplished as a team. The Golden Gophers lead the NCAA in team offense (5.37 GPG), team defense (0.76  GAA), power play percentage (31.95), shorthanded goals (13) and are tied for second in penalty killing (92.5).  That is not mention a win streak of 44 consecutive games (previous record was 21; Harvard) and an undefeated season to this point.

The Golden Gophers will need to play their best in order to finish out this historic season with another championship.  If they can, Gophers will cement their place as the best women’s college hockey team ever and can do so on home ice. 

The 2013 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four will be hosted at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, MN on March 22 and 24.  The semifinals will be played back-to-back starting at 6 pm on Friday, March 22.  The championship game will be held at 4 pm on Sunday, March 24. 

Other events taking place over the weekend include the Patty Kazmaier Award ceremony, try hockey clinics, and a USA Hockey coaching symposium. Don’t miss out on what may prove to be a truly historic weekend in girls’ and women’s hockey.

Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be presented at a brunch ceremony on Saturday, March 23 at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota campus. For ticket information, visit www.pattykaz.com.

Try Hockey Clinics

On Sunday, March 24, Parade Ice Garden in Minneapolis will host a Women’s Try Hockey Clinic (flyer link) from 9:30 -10:30 am and a Girls’ Try Hockey Clinic (flyer link) from 10:45 – 11:45 am. Both clinics are free and equipment will be provided. They are primarily designed for girls and women who have never played ice hockey before. The Girls’ Try Hockey Clinic is open to girls ages 6-10.

To register for the girls’ clinic, go to www.pattykaz.com/clinics. For the women’s clinic, send an email to katieh@usahockey.org with your name, contact information, birth date, shoe size, and dominant hand.

USA Coaching Symposium

USA Hockey will be hosting a Girls’/Women’s Coaching Symposium (flyer link) during the Frozen Four this year.  The clinic will be specialized for coaches of female players 12U and up.  All coaches in attendance will receive CEP credit one level higher than their current certification up to Level 4.  Reserve your seat now (link to registration) with the $150 entry fee that includes a ticket to all three NCAA Division I Women’s Frozen Four games.

Photo credit to University of Minnesota Athletics and the WCHA.