No. 3 Minnesota women’s hockey swept No. 6 Minnesota Duluth in a potential national tournament matchup at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, this season’s Frozen Four site.
The Golden Gophers (22-3-2, 19-2-2 WCHA) took Game 1, 3-1, thanks to a pair of third period goals from Abbey Murphy, both assisted by Grace Zumwinkle.
The Olympic connection for the lead! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/MLR8K2ob4m
— Minnesota Women’s Hockey (@GopherWHockey) January 27, 2023
A back-and-forth Game 2 ended with a 4-3 final that saw the Bulldogs hang in it until the final horn. Peyton Hemp had two goals and an assist for Minnesota, while Josefin Bouveng had a goal and an assist.
Skylar Vetter combined for 55 saves in the series, 24 in Game 1 before 31 in the rematch.
Taylor Anderson had a goal and an assist in the series for Duluth (19-8-1, 13-8-1 WCHA), and Emma Soderberg made 55 saves (20 and 35) across the two games.
With the sweep, the Gophers swept the season series with UMD and extended their winning streak to 12, looking like one of the nation’s strongest contenders right now.
Lucky No. 13 on the year for @peytonhemp! pic.twitter.com/D2LV24FIZd
— Minnesota Women’s Hockey (@GopherWHockey) January 28, 2023
POWER 10: Click or tap here for this week’s women’s college hockey power rankings
Entering the series, the Bulldogs had gone unbeaten in nine straight games (8-0-1), including a 5-4 overtime win against No. 1 Ohio State and an upset sweep of then-No. 3 Wisconsin on the road.
UMD, who fell in the national championship to OSU last season, will have some chances to rack up some wins over the coming month, closing their regular season with series against Minnesota State, St. Cloud State and Bemidji State.
The recent surge gives Minnesota, in search of another deep postseason run, crucial momentum heading into back-to-back series with the defending national champion Buckeyes as well as the Badgers before finishing the regular season against St. Thomas.
