2025–26 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey season

2025–26 Minnesota Golden Gophers
women's ice hockey season
ConferenceWCHA
Home iceRidder Arena
Rankings
USCHO.com3
USA Hockey3
Record
Overall12–4–0
Conference8–4–0
Home6–2–0
Road6–2–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachBrad Frost (19th season)[1]
Assistant coachesGreg May[1]
Jessica Scott[1]
Mitch Baker[1]
Captain(s)Abbey Murphy
Nelli Laitinen
Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey seasons
« 2024–25 2026–27 »

The 2025–26 Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey season represented the University of Minnesota during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season.

Offseason

Departing players

Players who left the Gophers after last season
Player Position Class Destination
Emma Connor Forward Graduate Boston College[2]
Peyton Hemp Forward Graduated Ottawa Charge[3][4]
Ella Huber Forward Graduated Boston Fleet[3][4]
Olivia King Goaltender Graduated
Elly Klepinger Defender Junior Bemidji State[5]
Kate Kosobud Defender Sophomore Minnesota Duluth[6]
Natálie Mlýnková Forward Graduated Montreal Victoire[3][4]
Maggie Nicholson Defender Graduated
Lauren O'Hara Forward Sophomore Vermont[7]
Krista Parkkonen Defender Senior Minnesota Duluth[8]
Ayla Puppe Forward Sophomore Minnesota State
Audrey Wethington Forward Graduated
Skylar Vetter Goaltender Graduated

Players drafted

Professional Women's Hockey League[3][4]
Round Player Position Team
2 Ella Huber F Boston Fleet[9][10]
2 Natálie Mlýnková F Montreal Victoire
4 Peyton Hemp F Ottawa Charge

Recruiting

Players who joined the Gophers since last season
Player Position Nationality Notes
Sydney Bailey Defender  United States Rogers High School[11]
Sienna D'Alessandro Forward  Canada John Abbott College
Canada U-18 Women's National Team[11]
Bella Fanale Forward  United States Bishop Kearney High School
USA U-18 Women's National Team[11]
Layla Hemp Goaltender  United States Minnetonka High School
USA U-18 Women's National Team[11]
Avery Hovland Forward  United States North American Hockey Academy[11]
Molly Jordan Defender  United States Transfer from Boston College[12]
Jamie Nelson Forward  United States Transfer from Minnesota State[13]
Sarah Paul Forward  Canada Transfer from Princeton[14]
Tereza Plosová Forward  Czech Republic Djurgårdens IF
Czech Republic National Team[11]

Roster

As of September 6, 2025[15]
No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height DoB Hometown Previous team
1 Layla Hemp Freshman G 5' 7" (1.7 m) 2006-07-05 Chanhassen, Minnesota Minnetonka High School
3 Olivia Kortan Freshman F 5' 4" (1.63 m) 2006-11-29 Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead High School
5 Sydney Bailey Freshman D 5' 7" (1.7 m) 2007-05-26 Rogers, Minnesota Rogers High School
6 Molly Jordan Junior D 5' 6" (1.68 m) 2005-02-18 Berlin, Connecticut Boston College (HEA)
7 Nelli Laitinen (C) Senior D 5' 7" (1.7 m) 2002-04-29 Lohja, Finland Kiekko-Espoo
8 Chloe Primerano Sophomore D 5' 8" (1.73 m) 2007-01-02 North Vancouver, British Columbia RINK-Kelowna
9 Ava Lindsay Junior F 5' 6" (1.68 m) 2005-02-20 Minnetonka, Minnesota Minnetonka High School
10 Jamie Nelson Graduate F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 2002-06-13 Andover, Minnesota Minnesota State (WCHA)
11 Josefin Bouveng Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 2001-05-15 Vassunda, Sweden Brynäs IF
12 Avery Hovland Freshman F West Fargo, North Dakota North American Hockey Academy
13 Emma Kreisz Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 2003-09-02 Budapest, Hungary Stanstead College
14 Sienna D'Alessandro Freshman F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 2006-01-05 Pointe-Claire, Quebec John Abbott College
16 Allie Franco Senior F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 2004-01-27 Oakdale, Minnesota Hill-Murray School
17 Kendra Distad Sophomore F 5' 6" (1.68 m) 2006-02-25 Burnsville, Minnesota Minnetonka High School
18 Abbey Murphy (C) Graduate (RS) F 5' 5" (1.65 m) 2002-04-14 Evergreen Park, Illinois Chicago Mission
19 Sarah Paul Senior (RS) F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 2003-07-20 Kelowna, British Columbia Princeton (ECAC)
22 Tereza Plosová Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 2006-07-05 Liberec, Czech Republic Djurgårdens IF (SDHL)
24 Carly Humphrey Sophomore D 5' 7" (1.7 m) 2006-03-03 Elk River, Minnesota Elk River High School
29 Madison Kaiser Senior F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 2004-07-10 Ham Lake, Minnesota Holy Family Catholic High School
32 Sydney Morrow Senior D 5' 7" (1.7 m) 2004-04-12 Darien, Connecticut Shattuck-Saint Mary's
35 Sophia Johnson Senior G 5' 8" (1.73 m) 2004-04-16 Minnetonka, Minnesota Minnetonka High School
47 Gracie Graham Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 2006-01-09 Kelowna, British Columbia RINK-Kelowna
56 Hannah Clark Sophomore G 5' 9" (1.75 m) 2006-05-12 Oshawa, Ontario Etobicoke Dolphins
97 Bella Fanale Freshman F 5' 5" (1.65 m) 2007-05-19 Webster, New York Bishop Kearney Selects

Standings

2025–26 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings
Conference Overall
GP W L T OTW OTL SOW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#2 Ohio State 12 11 1 0 1 0 0 32 54 20 14 13 1 0 68 27
#1 Wisconsin 12 10 1 1 1 0 1 31 63 20 16 14 1 1 85 21
#3 Minnesota 12 8 4 0 0 0 0 24 47 32 16 12 4 0 75 35
#6 Minnesota Duluth 12 6 6 0 0 0 0 18 30 31 16 10 6 0 47 37
#15 Minnesota State 12 4 7 1 0 1 1 15 21 38 16 8 7 1 36 43
St. Thomas 12 3 9 0 2 3 0 10 23 43 18 8 10 0 53 56
#14 St. Cloud State 12 2 9 1 1 2 0 8 33 48 16 5 10 1 46 51
Bemidji State 12 2 9 1 1 0 0 6 17 56 14 4 9 1 24 57
Championship: March 7, 2026
† indicates conference regular season champion; * indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com; updated November 25, 2025
Source: WCHA

Regular season

Schedule

Source[16]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site Decision Result Attendance Record Ref
Regular season
September 25 6:00 Boston College* #3 Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN Clark W 7–1  1133 1–0–0 [Recap 1]
September 26 6:00 Boston College* #3 Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN Hemp W 11–0  1721 2–0–0 [Recap 2]
October 3 5:00 at #13 Boston University* #3 Walter Brown Arena • Boston, MA Clark W 5–0  803 3–0–0 [Recap 3]
October 4 3:00 at #13 Boston University* #3 Walter Brown Arena • Boston, MA Hemp W 5–2  707 4–0–0 [Recap 4]
October 10 5:30 #10 St. Cloud State #3 Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN Clark W 4–1  1506 5–0–0 (1–0–0) [Recap 5]
October 11 1:00 at #10 St. Cloud State #3 Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, MN Clark W 5–3  523 6–0–0 (2–0–0) [Recap 6]
October 18 2:00 #2 Ohio State #3 Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN Clark L 1–4  2880 6–1–0 (2–1–0) [Recap 7]
October 19 2:00 #2 Ohio State #3 Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN Clark W 6–3  1642 7–1–0 (3–1–0) [Recap 8]
October 24 6:02 at #4 Minnesota Duluth #3 AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, MN Clark W 4–0  981 8–1–0 (4–1–0) [Recap 9]
October 25 3:02 at #4 Minnesota Duluth #3 AMSOIL Arena • Duluth, MN Clark W 3–2  1075 9–1–0 (5–1–0) [Recap 10]
October 31 6:00 at #1 Wisconsin #3 LaBahn Arena • Madison, WI Clark W 5–1  2273 10–1–0 (6–1–0) [Recap 11]
November 1 2:00 at #1 Wisconsin #3 LaBahn Arena • Madison, WI Clark L 2–7  2273 10–2–0 (6–2–0) [Recap 12]
November 14 12:00 Bemidji State #2 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, MN Clark W 6–2  5218 11–2–0 (7–2–0) [Recap 13]
November 15 2:00 Bemidji State #2 Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN Hemp W 9–2  1683 12–2–0 (8–2–0) [Recap 14]
November 21 6:00 Minnesota State #2 Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN Clark L 1–3  2201 12–3–0 (8–3–0) [Recap 15]
November 22 2:00 at Minnesota State #2 Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, MN Hemp L 1–4  363 12–4–0 (8–4–0) [Recap 16]
December 5 2:00 at St. Thomas #3 Lee & Penny Anderson Arena • St. Paul, MN Clark W 5–3  751 13–4–0 (9–4–0) [Recap 17]
December 6 2:00 St. Thomas #3 Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN Hemp W 4–1  2238 14–4–0 (10–4–0)
January 2 4:00 at Sacred Heart* Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, CT tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 3 12:00 at Sacred Heart* Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, CT tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 9 6:00 at Minnesota State Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 10 7:30 Minnesota State Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 16 tbd at Bemidji State Sanford Center • Bemidji, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 17 tbd at Bemidji State Sanford Center • Bemidji, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 23 6:00 at St. Cloud State Herb Brooks National Hockey Center • St. Cloud, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 24 2:00 St. Cloud State Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 30 6:00 Wisconsin Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
January 31 2:00 Wisconsin Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
February 6 6:00 St. Thomas Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
February 7 2:00 St. Thomas* Lee and Penny Anderson Arena • St. Paul, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
February 13 tbd at Ohio State Ohio State University Ice Rink • Columbus, OH tbd  –  x –– (––)
February 14 tbd at Ohio State Ohio State University Ice Rink • Columbus, OH tbd  –  x –– (––)
February 20 6:00 Minnesota Duluth Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
February 21 2:00 Minnesota Duluth Ridder Arena • Minneapolis, MN tbd  –  x –– (––)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll.


Scoring statistics

Regular season
Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Abbey Murphy F 18 20 14 34 45
Josefin Bouveng F 18 10 14 24 8
Ava Lindsay F 17 5 8 23 4
Sydney Morrow D 18 6 12 18 12
Jamie Nelson F 18 5 12 17 2
Nelli Laitinen D 18 5 11 16 2
Bella Fanale F 18 7 8 15 9
Madison Kaiser F 18 4 11 15 16
Emma Kreisz F 18 4 8 12 10
Tereza Plosová F 18 5 4 9 4
Chloe Primerano D 13 3 6 9 18
Sarah Paul F 8 3 5 8 2
Molly Jordan D 18 2 5 7 4
Sienna D'Alessandro F 18 1 6 7 2
Gracie Graham D 17 0 7 7 22
Kendra Distad F 18 2 1 3 0
Sydney Bailey D 9 1 0 1 0
Allie Franco F 18 1 0 1 6
Avery Hovland F 14 0 1 1 0
Carly Humphrey D 18 0 1 1 2
Olivia Kortan F 6 0 0 0 0
Total 18 84 144 228 172

[17]

Goaltending statistics

Regular season
Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Hannah Clark 13 724:47 10 3 0 24 315 2 .929 1.99
Layla Hemp 7 348:16 4 1 0 12 116 1 .906 2.07
Sophia Johnson 1 2:53 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .00
Total 21 1080:00 14 4 0 39 431 3 .911 2.17

[17]

Awards and honors

  • Abbey Murphy was named WCHA Forward of the Week for the week of September 29, 2025.[18][19]
  • Sydney Morrow was named WCHA Defender of the Week for the week of September 29, 2025.[18][19]
  • Bella Fanale was named WCHA Rookie of the Week for the week of September 29, 2025.[18][19]
  • Murphy was named WCHA Forward of the Month for the month of September.[20][21]
  • Morrow was named WCHA Defender of the Month for the month of September.[20][21]
  • Fanale was named WCHA Rookie of the Month for the month of September.[20][21]
  • Murphy was named WCHA Forward of the Week for the week of October 6, 2025.[22][23]
  • Hannah Clark was named WCHA Goaltender of the Week for the week of October 13, 2025.[24][25]

Rankings

Main article: 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey rankings
Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Final
USCHO[1] 3 – 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 3 –
USA Hockey[2] 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 3

Notes

1.^ USCHO publishes Preseason, 21 weeks of in-season rankings, and a Final ranking.
2.^ USA Hockey publishes Preseason, 24 weeks of in-season rankings, and a Final ranking.

Milestones

Regular season
September 25, 2025[26] Bella Fanale First collegiate goal
Kendra Distad First collegiate goal
Molly Jordan First goal with Minnesota
September 26, 2025[27] Abbey Murphy 200th career point
Josefin Bouveng 100th career point
Tereza Plosová First collegiate goal
Layla Hemp First collegiate start
First collegiate shutout
October 19, 2025[28] Jamie Nelson First goal with Minnesota
October 31, 2025[29][30] Abbey Murphy 100th career assist
Sienna D'Alessandro First collegiate goal
November 15, 2025[31] Sydney Bailey First collegiate goal
Avery Hovland First collegiate point
December 5, 2025[32] Josefin Bouveng 50th career point
December 6, 2025[33] Abbey Murphy 26th career game-winning goal (program record)

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Women's Hockey Coaching Staff". GopherSports.com. University of Minnesota. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  2. ^ "2025-26 Women's Hockey Roster". bceagles.com. June 23, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "2025 PWHL Draft". www.thepwhl.com. June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "Three Gophers Selected in 2025 PWHL Draft". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  5. ^ "Welcome to Bemidji, Elly! 🦫🦫". instagram.com. April 14, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  6. ^ "Minnesota Defender Kate Kosobud to Join UMD Women's Hockey". fox21online.com. April 1, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  7. ^ "𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃 ✍🏼 Welcome to Catamount Country, Lauren O'Hara ‼️ O'Hara comes to Vermont after playing in 77 total games over two seasons for the Minnesota Gophers! #802Hockey #LetsRally". instagram.com. May 22, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  8. ^ "Swedish, Finnish national team players transfer to UMD". duluthnewstribune.com. April 29, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  9. ^ "Boston signs second round pick Ella Huber". Professional Women's Hockey League. August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  10. ^ Kennedy, Ian (August 13, 2025). "Fleet Sign Ella Huber To Two-Year Deal". TheHockeyNews.com. The Hockey News. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  11. ^ a b c d e f "The 'U' Adds Six to 2025-26 Freshman Class". November 14, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  12. ^ "Minnesota Adds Transfer Molly Jordan to 2025-26 Roster". May 8, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  13. ^ "'U' Adds Transfer Jamie Nelson to 2025-26 Roster". gophersports.com. April 4, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  14. ^ "Gophers Add Transfer Sarah Paul to 2025-26 Roster". May 9, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  15. ^ "2025–26 Women's Hockey Roster". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  16. ^ "2025–26 Women's Hockey Schedule". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Women's Hockey Cumulative Statistics". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c "Minnesota's Trio of Murphy, Morrow & Fanale, Minnesota Duluth's Gascon Earn WCHA Weekly Awards Presented by OS Hockey". wcha.com. September 29, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  19. ^ a b c "Murphy, Morrow, Fanale Earn WCHA Weekly Awards". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  20. ^ a b c "Minnesota Trio Earn Monthly Honors". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  21. ^ a b c "Minnesota's Murphy, Morrow & Fanale, Minnesota State's Hansen Earn WCHA September Players of the Month Honors Presented By Sterling Trophy Awards & Engraving". wcha.com. October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  22. ^ "Minnesota's Murphy, Ohio State's Svensson Join Wisconsin's Edwards & McNaughton to Claim WCHA Weekly Awards Presented by OS Hockey". wcha.com. October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  23. ^ Women's Hockey (October 6, 2025). "Murphy Repeats as WCHA Forward of the Week". GopherSports.com. University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  24. ^ "Wisconsin's Harvey & Simms, Minnesota's Clark, St. Cloud State's Mikaelyan Awarded WCHA Weekly Awards Presented by OS Hockey". wcha.com. October 13, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  25. ^ "Clark Tabbed WCHA Goaltender of the Week". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  26. ^ "Gophers Skate to 7-1 Victory in Season Opener Against Boston College". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  27. ^ "Murphy Notches 200th Point; Gophers Complete Sweep of Boston College". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  28. ^ "Gophers Top No. 2 Ohio State, 6–3, in Series Finale". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  29. ^ "Gophers Top Top-Ranked Wisconsin in Madison". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  30. ^ Hockey (October 31, 2025). "WCHA Recap – Oct. 31". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Retrieved October 31, 2025. The final day of action in October was highlighted by six Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams earning points in the WCHA standings.
  31. ^ "Eight Gophers Score to Cap Off Series Sweep of Bemidji State". University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  32. ^ Women's Hockey (December 5, 2025). "Third Period Powers Minnesota Past St. Thomas". GopherSports.com. University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  33. ^ Women's Hockey (December 6, 2025). "Gophers Roll Tommies to Wrap 2025". GopherSports.com. University of Minnesota Athletics. Retrieved December 7, 2025.

Recaps

  1. ^ "Boston College vs Minnesota". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. September 25, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
  2. ^ "Boston College vs Minnesota". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. September 26, 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
  3. ^ "Minnesota at Boston University". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  4. ^ "Minnesota at Boston University". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 4, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  5. ^ "St. Cloud State vs Minnesota". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 10, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
  6. ^ "Minnesota vs St. Cloud State". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  7. ^ "Ohio State vs Minnesota". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 18, 2025. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Ohio State vs Minnesota". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  9. ^ "Minnesota vs Minnesota Duluth". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 24, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2025.
  10. ^ "Minnesota vs Minnesota Duluth". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 25, 2025. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
  11. ^ "Minnesota vs Wisconsin". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. October 31, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  12. ^ "Minnesota vs Wisconsin". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. November 1, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "Bemidji State vs Minnesota". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. November 14, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  14. ^ "Bemidji State vs Minnesota". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. November 15, 2025. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  15. ^ "Minnesota State vs Minnesota". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. November 21, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  16. ^ "Minnesota vs Minnesota State". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. November 22, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  17. ^ "Minnesota vs St. Thomas". WCHA.com. Western Collegiate Hockey Association. December 5, 2025. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
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