Gophers Sweep to Stay Undefeated in 2026

Kelly Lynn/University of Minnesota

After beating the Minnesota State Mavericks on the road, the Gophers headed back to Ridder Arena for their first home game of the year and put on a show for the home crowd, in their series sweep over the Mavericks. 

To kick off the night, it was none other than Gophers Captain Abbey Murphy off a pass from Josefin Bouveng, just over halfway through the first. The goal extended Muphy’s goal streak to six, after coming off back-to-back hat tricks; she now has 10 goals in the last 6 games. 

Not long after, it was Muphy again driving the offensive zone, with a highlight-reel assist, lifting the puck and tapping it back down for herself, then passing through the defender's legs on a one-handed pass to Bella Fanale. 

But the Mavericks would get the last word in the opening frame, with freshman Makayla Moran cutting the Gophers' lead in half. This is her second goal of the series, her fourth of the year. The Mavericks continued that momentum into the second period with junior, Ava Guillemette, just over a minute and a half in, unassisted, tying the game. Not long after, it was Guillemette again, unassisted, to give the Mavericks their first lead of the game. 

They held onto their lead till the second half of the frame, until Ava Lindsay tied it up off a pass from Jamie Nelson. Not long after, the Gophers went on the power play, and it was again Murphy playing it up for Fanale, who got her stick on it to tip it past Hailey Hansen, to take the lead back. The assist marks Murphy’s 50th point this season, now with 28 goals and 22 assists. She’s continuing to make her presence known, ahead of her Olympic debut. 

Brad Rempel/University of Minnesota

In the third period, it was the defence and goaltending that got the spotlight, shutting everything down on both ends. Layla Hemp ended the night with 28 saves for her 6th win this season. While at the other end, Hailey Hansen recorded 30 assists. 

Gophers Continued Faceoff Problem

Again, the Gophers continued to struggle on the faceoffs, winning only 36 of 89. Even though they still struggled on the faceoff, they did increase their winning percentage by 8% from the last game. While they were still able to pull off the win with strong defence and goaltending, had they been on the other side of the one-goal lead, it may have been a different story. This is something the Gophers are going to need to tighten up as they gear up to face Wisconsin at the end of the month. 

Finding Contributions All Over the Ice

One thing the Gophers have continued to do is find contributions from all over the ice. While there are standout players like Murphy and Fanale, they don’t rely solely on them to win games. With the Olympics coming up, some NCAA players are heading to Italy, while the season plays on. The Gophers will be without Abbey Murphy, Nelli Laitenen, and Tereza Plasová as they take on St. Thomas, Ohio State, and Minnesota Duluth.

Kelly Lynn/University of Minnesota

Lucky for the Gophers, they have kept themselves in the top 3, and have a 10-point lead over fourth place, relieving some of the pressure that comes with losing these players. However, based on recent history, the Gophers should still be able to continue their winning ways, relying on other contributors such as Ava Lindsay, Bella Fanale, and Joesfin Bouveng. 

Claudia Staut/University of Minnesota

They are also left with star defender Chloe Primerano after Canada left her off the Olympic roster. So far this season, Primerano has recorded 16 points and been a key part of their defensive efforts. She has represented Canada in several tournaments dating back to 2023, with the most recent in the Rivalry Series. 

Standings 

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are currently ranked 3rd overall in the WCHA, just 2 points behind Ohio State and 5 points behind 1st overall Wisconsin. They are currently 18-4 on the season and 12-4 in the conference. Those four losses came against Minnesota State (x2), Wisconsin and Ohio State.