Will the sixth time be the charm for Minnesota??
For the second time in three seasons the Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s hockey team is in the Frozen Four and will face the most familiar of opponents in the Semifinals. Minnesota. Wisconsin. Gophers. Badgers. This is what women’s college hockey is all about. And for the sixth time this season the two traditional powers of the sport will face one another with a chance to play for a NCAA Championship on the line. Just like it was in 2023.
Minnesota hasn’t come out on the best side of those recent battles with the badgers. Wisconsin is 5-0 this season against the Gophers with the closest matchup in the series coming in the WCHA Final Faceoff Championship Game where the Badgers scored with 25 seconds left in regulation to win 4-3. Of course when these two teams faced off in 2023 in the Frozen Four semifinals the game would go to overtime before Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey ended the game with just over four minutes left in the OT period to send the Badgers to the title game where thy would defeat Ohio State to win their 7th NCAA Championship to take the lead over the Gophers 7 to 6. Minnesota is due.
But due means nothing if you don’t play well enough. This Wisconsin squad is arguably the best the sport has seen since the Gophers Undefeated 2012-13 team. Wisconsin has lost only one game all season—to #2 Ohio State in November. They have all three Patty Kazmaier Award finalists, with one to receive the award on Saturday. That doesn’t include one of the best goalies in the nation in Eva McNaughton. This Badger team is stacked, and if Minnesota wants to pull off the upset. they will need to play their best game of the season.
We know Abbey Murphy will pull her weight. The Gopher senior scored twice in their quarterfinal win last Saturday against Colgate and now ranks 6th all time in Gopher history with 103 career goals. But she can’t do it alone. Minnesota will need play from their second and third lines. The Badgers are good, and they are deep. But Minnesota can get scoring three lines deep as well. The Gophers defenders are solid three pairs deep. Minnesota can keep up with this Badger squad if they play up to the level they are capable of. It’s just whether they can finally get over the hump.
There would be nothing sweeter than eliminating one of the best Wisconsin teams ever on your home ice to earn a chance to win a championship. Now, they just need to find a way to make it happen.
The winner will advance to the NCAA Championship Game on Sunday afternoon and will face either #2 Ohio State or #3 Cornell. The Buckeyes are looking to make their fourth consecutive title game where they have won two of the last three NCAA Championships. Cornell has played for a NCAA Championship just once losing in triple OT to Minnesota-Duluth in 2010. That also was on the Ridder Arena ice.
It will be almost a decade to the date of the Gophers 6th NCAA Championship on the Ridder Arena ice in 2015. Who did they beat in the NCAA Semifinal? You allready know the answer. Better Dead than Red. Now do it again.
HOW TO WATCH:
NCAA Women’s Frozen Four
#3 Cornell Big Red vs #2 Ohio State Buckeyes 4PM
#4 Minnesota Golden Gophers vs #1 Wisconsin Badgers 7:30 PM
Where: Ridder Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Stream: ESPN+