WCHA Weekly Roundup: Nov. 29-30

Welcome to another roundup. We had five WCHA teams in action this week, all in non-conference play. Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth put up huge offensive numbers in their games, while St. Thomas took part in the Smashville Showcase. Plus, we have a look around the conference, check out the weekly awards, and check in on the Six Nations Tournament rosters.

Series of the week

We have two series of the week this time as both Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth swept their non-conference series with a slew of goals on their end while allowing only one goal each the entire weekend. Let’s take a look!

Series of the Week #1: Wisconsin vs. Maine

The Badgers began the series with a dominating 9-0 win on Friday. Sarah Wozniewicz began the scoring less than five minutes into the game with her unassisted goal. That was followed up with three more goals in the first: Caroline Harvey added two goals while Laila Edwards added another for a 4-0 lead at the end of the first. Wisconsin extended their lead when Kirsten Simms found the back of the net, then added another goal minutes later. Edwards then added a goal with Wisconsin up 8-0 in the third, for her second goal of the night. Edwards, along with fellow juniors Harvey and Simms, ended the night with two goals apiece. Ava McNaughton made 22 saves, while Quinn Kuntz entered the game for the final 15 minutes and made two saves en route to a Badges shutout.

In game two, the Badgers picked up where they left off the night before with a 6-1 win. Simms added her third goal of the weekend less than three minutes into the game. Casey O’Brien then added another goal for her fourth point of the series. The Badgers ended the first once again with a 4-0 lead after another goal from Edwards. Maine finally got on the score sheet in the second period, but it wouldn't be enough as the Badgers added two goals in the third. One goal came from O’Brien for her second of the night, helping her extend her point streak to six games. Harvey got the primary assist on both goals and ended the weekend series with seven points in total.

Series of the Week #2: University of Vermont vs. Minnesota Duluth

Minnesota Duluth hosted the University of Vermont this weekend and shut out the Catamounts in a 4-0 win on Friday. The Bulldogs found the back of the net midway through the period on a goal from Danielle Burgen for the 1-0 lead. Clara Van Wieren scored less than two minutes later to earn her 100th career point and extend the lead to two. While leading 3-0 in the 3rd period, Olivia Mobley scored on the powerplay for her 50th career goal and the win. Eve Gascon earned the shutout, the ninth of her career, after making 19 saves in the game. 

While Friday’s game included milestones, Saturday’s game belonged to rookie Caitlin Kraemer. The freshman recorded her first collegiate career hat trick and helped the Bulldogs to a 9-1 win to sweep the series. Kraemer scored her first goal of the night shorthanded in the second period after intercepting a breakout pass between Vermont players to extend Duluth’s lead 5-1. Her second tally came 10 minutes later on a wrister to give the Bulldogs their second straight four-goal 2nd period. Even with an 8-1 lead, UMD wasn’t finished. Kraemer completed her hat trick with a shot from the same spot as her second goal to give the Bulldogs their ninth goal of the night and her fifth point of the game along with a series sweep. Kraemer is the first Duluth player to record a hat trick for the team in more than 16 years since Katie Wilson did so in 2008. UMD now has a four-game win streak.

Around the Conference:

Five WCHA teams were in action this weekend as Monday’s tilt between Ohio State and Mercyhurst in Pennsylvania was postponed due to severe weather conditions. We will see the Buckeyes return to the ice in January.

Minnesota State visited Dartmouth over the weekend and walked away with a sweep after a 4-0 win Friday and a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday. Goaltender Hailey Hansen, who received weekly honors last week as the WCHA Goaltender of the Week, posted her first shutout of the season after stopping all 32 shots faced, while Whitney Tuttle scored two goals in the win. Saturday’s game was much closer but Mankato managed the win in overtime on a Jenessa Gazdik power play goal with less than a minute left. All three goals from the Mavericks in this game came on the powerplay.

St. Cloud State traveled to New York to face Union. The Huskies trailed 2-0 until the third period when they got on the board and tied the game with goals from Ella Annick and Ally Qualley to force overtime. The game ended as a tie and headed to a shootout with Union walking away with the win. But the story would be different on Saturday as the Huskies looked to split. The Huskies recorded 21 shots on goal in the first period, with one of those shots converting into a goal by Sofianna Sundelin 10 minutes in. In the second period, the Huskies added the game-winning goal from Avery Myers 13 minutes in for her first goal of the season. Union scored with one minute left in the third to cut the lead to one, but it wasn’t enough as the Huskies managed to hold on for the 2-1 win. 

The Tommies had one of the most interesting non-conference series this week as they traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to take part in the Smashville Showcase. In their first game against sixth-ranked Clarkson, the Tommies managed to come back from a two-goal deficit to tie the game late in the third. But the Golden Knights scored the game winner in overtime with only one second remaining for the 5-4 win. In game two, the Tommies faced number 12 Penn State. The game was quiet until the third period when both teams found the back of the net. No team was able to score in overtime, so the teams headed to a shootout tied 1-1, and Penn State won in the seventh round.

Weekly Awards:

WCHA Forward of the Week: Kirsten Simms - Wisconsin

Simms shined in Wisconsin’s series against Maine where she recorded seven points in the two game series. She finished the weekend with four goals and three assists.

WCHA Defender of the Week: Caroline Harvey - Wisconsin

Earning her fifth Defender of the Week honor this season, Caroline Harvey also finished the week with seven points for the Badgers. She recorded two goals and five assists against Maine.

WCHA Goaltender of the Week: Hailey Hansen - Minnesota State

After a strong performance last week, Hailey Hansen picked up where she left off and once again earned Goaltender of the Week honors. She went 2-0-0 to help Minnesota State sweep Dartmouth. Hansen blocked 53 of 55 shots faced and also picked up her first shutout of the season.

WCHA Rookie of the Week: Caitlin Kraemer - Minnesota Duluth

Kraemer had an incredible game against Vermont on Saturday night where she scored her first collegiate hat trick and added two assists to finish with a five point night. This is the third Rookie of the Week honor for the Freshman.

Monthly Awards:

We also had monthly awards drop this week so let’s take a look at the monthly honors handed out by the WCHA.

Forward of the Month: Laila Edwards - Wisconsin

The Badgers went 7-1 in the month in November thanks in part to Edwards’ 17 points this month. She led all WCHA skaters in points total, which came off seven goals and 10 assists.

Defender of the Month: Caroline Harvey - Wisconsin

Harvey earned the Defender of the Month honor for the second month in a row. She ended the month with 15 points and recorded a point in seven of the Badgers’ eight games in November. Harvey also reached a milestone this month when she became the fifth defender in program history to record 100 career points.

Goaltender of the Month: Ava McNaughton - Wisconsin

Another Wisconsin player earned a monthly honor as Ava McNaughton was chosen as the Goaltender of the Month. She recorded six wins and two shutouts this month. She ended with a .956 save percentage and a 6-1-0 record in November.

Rookie of the Month: Caitlin Kraemer - Minnesota Duluth

The Minnesota Duluth freshman recorded her first collegiate hat trick and added two assists for a career-high five points in the Bulldogs’ game against Vermont. She also collected two Rookie of the Week honors and averaged a point per game.

Looking Forward:

Minnesota State hosts top-ranked Wisconsin in Mankato. The Mavericks handed Ohio State a loss just last week and perhaps they have it in them to pull off yet another major upset this season. Minnesota returns to action to face St. Thomas while Minnesota Duluth visits St. Cloud State before both teams head on their holiday break.

Six Nations Tournament Selections:

More players are being announced for the Six Nations Tournament. Finland’s team includes four St. Cloud State Huskies, including goaltender Sanni Ahola, and two Minnesota Golden Gophers, including Nelli Laitinen. Additionally, Laura Zimmermann of St. Cloud and Nicole Vallario of St. Thomas will represent Switzerland. Current Husky Svenja Voigt and current Bulldog Katarina Jobst-Smith are among those that will play for Germany.

A peek into the PWHL:

Congratulations to all the WCHA alumni that kicked off season two of the PWHL this weekend! I am highlighting Grace Zumwinkle’s goal this week because it is the fastest goal in PWHL history. The former Gopher scored 21 seconds into the first game of the season for the Minnesota Frost.

Weekly Scoreboard: 

Friday:

St. Cloud State 2, Union College 2

Wisconsin 9, University of Maine 0

Minnesota State 4, Dartmouth College 0

St. Thomas 4, Clarkson 5 (OT)

University of Vermont 0, Minnesota Duluth 4

Saturday:

St. Thomas 1, Penn State 1

St. Cloud State 2, Union College 1

Wisconsin 6, University of Maine 1

Minnesota State 3, Dartmouth College 2

University of Vermont 1, Minnesota Duluth 9

Full schedule here.