When the final buzzer rang out on a chilly Saturday last March, the Gophers women’s hockey team hadn’t done enough.
After battling through four OTs and 5 ½ hours — the second longest game in NCAA history — the Gophers skated off the rink of their NCAA tournament quarterfinal game. Their loss to Clarkson in New York that day was a deflating punctuation to their season and a painful dash of any title hopes. Coach Brad Frost called it heartbreaking.
Enter this season. The No. 3 Gophers (15-5-1) are determined not to let that happen again, especially since Minnesota will host the Women’s Frozen Four at Ridder Arena on March 21 and 23. Luckily, the Gophers have had the type of reliably strong season so far that fans can expect, with the welcome addition of a few new weapons in their arsenal.
“Last year, we weren’t as deep,” Frost said. “We were a team that didn’t have the firepower that we have right now.”
That firepower helped the Gophers sweep No. 4 Minnesota Duluth and No. 15 Connecticut and split with No. 10 St. Cloud State during the first half of the season.
In tough losses against Wisconsin and Ohio State, the only teams slotted higher in the national rankings, the Gophers have still played it close. A struggle to hang on in the final period, however, has left Minnesota 0-3-1 in those games.
A slew of fresh faces on the Gophers squad are a large part of the fight to change that, rolling into Minneapolis as both freshmen and All-American transfers.
The rookies have come in hot. Chloe Primerano, the WCHA preseason Rookie of the Year, has been playing up to the expectations that trailed her to Minneapolis, ranking second on the team in scoring in December and picking up January’s WCHA Defender of the Month honor.
