The post Dinkytown Dynasty appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Minneapolis – Amanda Kessel played her final collegiate game at Ridder Arena Saturday, then offered a few postgame observations that left most of her teammates with moist eyes.

“Kess had a few people in tears,” fellow senior Hannah Brandt commented. “Maybe more than a few.”

Kessel, a 24-year-old senior who had missed 18 months because of concussion symptoms before surprisingly returning to the University of Minnesota women’s hockey team six weeks ago, capped her days at Ridder in high style with a hat trick.

Her play lifted the Gophers to a 6-2 NCAA quarterfinal victory over Princeton in front of 2,468 Ridder Arena customers, ushering the Gophers into the Frozen Four for the fifth consecutive season.

Amanda Kessel (MHM Photo / Carson Mark)

Then she stood in front of her teammates and told them what a joy it has been to play for the Gophers for 3 ½ seasons, how fortunate she considered herself to be back in uniform and how much it means to the program to gun for a second consecutive NCAA title and fourth in five seasons.

Not only did she tally the winning goal late in the first period, but her hat trick was her first as a Gopher since Jan. 18, 2013.

“Pretty awesome,” she said.

Gophers coach Brad Frost, who raised his record at Minnesota to 291-45-22, said it has been a thrill to have Kessel back on a team that was already considered one of the best in the nation.

“She has just been a great leader for us the last six weeks,” Frost said. “Here’s a kid who thought her hockey career was over and now she’s got a second shot at it, so you can see the passion that she’s played with. … It is emotional to see her out there and see her competing once again.”

The Patty Kazmaier Award winner as college women’s hockey player of the year three seasons ago before her one-year term with the U.S. Olympic team, Kessel finished with three goals, one assist and seven of the Gophers’ shots as the home team outshot Princeton 43-27.

Strangely, however, Minnesota will advance to the Frozen Four as an underdog, seeded No. 3 in the nation. The Gophers needed Saturday’s win to earn a replay of Border Battle hostilities with Wisconsin, which stunned the Gophers 1-0 in the WCHA playoff finale a week earlier.

The two will collide Friday at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

“In my opinion,” Brandt said, “there’s nothing better than a Minnesota-Wisconsin game.”

There was little doubt throughout the afternoon that the Gophers, who have a 33-4-1 record, would take care of Princeton (22-9-2). Even after the Tigers scored just 29 seconds into the first period, this game was tilted toward Minnesota.

Hannah Brandt (MHM Photo / Carson Mark)

Brandt’s 25th goal at the 4:07 mark of the period tied the score, and Kessel drilled a short-handed breakaway to put her team in front 1:14 later, then tallied on a power play at the 17:35 mark for what proved to be the winning goal.

Teammate Nina Rogers sidled up to Kessel after the first period and said she might bring a hat to the bench for the second, just in case. Kessel laughed that off, but plenty of fans in the crowd obliged by tossing hats on the ice when Kessel’s third goal made it 6-1 late in the second period.

Frost downplayed whether or not his team will be an underdog in the semifinals at New Hampshire.

“The expectations are so high within our program,” he explained that fans say, “If you don’t get to the Frozen Four, what happened? What’s wrong? As a coach, you just hope and pray that you get your team as prepared as possible and they play well, like they did tonight.

“Now it’s candy as you go to the Frozen Four. You give yourself a shot, and that’s all you can ask for.”

This will be the fourth Frozen Four in four seasons for Brandt, who broke out of a slight slump with a goal and two assists. Along with a goal and an assist from Sarah Potomak and Kessel’s four points, Minnesota’s top line produced nine points.

Those three were “all over the score sheet,” Frost said, and it enabled Minnesota to be all over Princeton.

The post Going Out in Style appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Amanda Kessel’s rise from the couch and back to the ice

For someone who has won collegiate national titles and a silver medal at the Olympics, Amanda Kessel has seen some pretty dark days over the last year and a half.

“I don’t think anyone knows what that’s like, unless you’ve had a concussion,” Kessel told me by phone. “It’s very depressing. No one really understands, they can’t see anything.”

To understand what she’s been through, you have to go back to September of 2014, when she was forced to stop playing hockey and withdraw from the University of Minnesota. Just a year earlier she had won the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation’s top women’s college hockey player.

But Kessel sustained a concussion while training with Team USA before the 2014 Olympics. While she played in the games in Sochi, afterwards her condition never improved. It got so bad that she could no longer play the game she loved.

“(It was) by far the toughest two years of my life.”

Kessel had seen more doctors than she could count, but the symptoms would just not subside. Her activity was minimal, her involvement in hockey even less.

“I honestly didn’t even pay attention to hockey too much, because it was just too hard on me,” she explained.

As hard as it was, the fighter in Kessel never backed down. Even facing what she assumed to be the inevitable, she never gave up hope that she could return.

“In the back of my head I always knew I still want to play hockey but I was unsure I would.”

But in August of 2015, things turned around thanks to Kessel’s willingness to see yet another specialist. Dr. Michael Collins, from the University of Pittsburgh, specializes in sports related concussions. His idea for treatment was completely different. Instead of sitting back and being, what Kessel called a “couch potato,” he opted for a more aggressive approach which called for “pushing back” against the symptoms instead of succumbing to them.

“He told me, ‘You’re OK. You’re gonna get healthy and you’re going to play hockey again,’” Kessel said. “And I think that I needed that.”

The treatment worked. According to Kessel, within a month she started to feel better. She started going to school and feeling more normal than she had in a long time and skating on her own. All the while, Kessel’s father was in contact with Gopher women’s hockey coach Brad Frost to let him know about the new treatment and the success she had been having with it.

Amanda Kessel takes in her surroundings in her first game back in maroon and gold on Friday, Feb 5. (Photo by Nick Wosika)

She continued to ramp up her activity. In December she began skating with the team while her coach made sure to keep her safe.

“That first week or two we had her in a red (non-contact) jersey,” Frost recalls of Kessel’s return to the ice. “We just wanted her to work her way back the best she could and see where it went from there.”

Where it went was to a place Kessel could hardly have imagined it going just a few months earlier. In January the program announced Kessel would rejoin the team for its final 16 games. It was biggest and most exciting victory of her young and promising career.

“I was a completely different person,” Kessel recalls. “Hockey and my competitiveness was a big part of who I was. So I didn’t really feel like myself for the past two years and to get that back it was a huge part of me.”

Amanda Kessel became a Gopher again last Friday night against rival North Dakota. It was her first collegiate hockey game in more than two years. Naturally the moment she set foot on the ice for the first time, was one she’ll not soon forget.

“It put a huge smile on my face,” Kessel said. “I was excited. In shock, but excited. The fans were unbelievable with their support. It was loud in there.”

She had two assists in her debut but admits it’s going to take some time before she feels completely normal on the ice again.

“It’s just that game shape. Different plays and how they develop and finding your sweet spot. Those things take a little time to get back.”

However, this time she has a plan for getting those things back. Instead of just having hope that one day she’ll wake up and all will be better, this time she can practice and work at it — getting her slowly back to the player she was. The player that so many believed to be one of the greatest that the game had seen in a long time.

Kessel has the rest of this season with the Gophers and then her shortened college career is done. She hopes to once again play in the next Olympics in 2018 and maybe even try her hand at women’s professional hockey. Still there is a part of her that feels cheated.

Kessel lost two years of a college career that had her on track to be one of the best in school history. But any feelings of bitterness have now faded, replaced by the elation of getting hockey back and making her whole again.

“It was more tough when I wasn’t playing,” Kessel said. “Now that I am back I am just grateful. Even with only 12 or 14 games left, I am just grateful that I get to have the opportunity to be here.”

The post Schwartz: Fighting back appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

University of Minnesota release:

MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota women’s hockey head coach Brad Frost announced today that Amanda Kessel will not return to the Gophers’ lineup this season because of lingering concussion symptoms due to injuries sustained as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team.

“I’ve had an unforgettable experience at the University of Minnesota thus far, so I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to return to the team this year,” Kessel said. “It’s obviously a difficult decision and one that I’ve taken time to come to terms with. As someone who has played through a lot of injuries, it wasn’t until suffering a concussion that I fully understood the importance of being 100% healthy when I’m on the ice. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case right now.

“My number one priority is my health, and I hope that I’ll be able to return to the ice in the future. I want to thank my coaches, teammates and everyone at the University for their support.”

Kessel has worked with doctors and specialists at the Carrick Brain Center in Atlanta, Ga., and has determined that dedicating all of her time to her recovery is in her best interest at this point.

“We obviously wish we could have Amanda with us this year, but her health is everyone’s top priority,” Frost said. “She has come to the difficult conclusion to focus solely on her treatment at this time. We understand and support her decision and hope she fully recovers. She will always have a place in our locker room, and we will continue to support her.”

Kessel missed the 2013-14 Gopher women’s hockey season while training with and competing for Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Kessel and the U.S. brought home silver medals after falling to Canada in the gold-medal game.

In her first three seasons with the Gophers, Kessel amassed 97 goals and 134 assists. She ranks fourth among Gophers all-time with 231 career points. Kessel was named the 2013 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner and led Minnesota to its fifth national title and a perfect 41-0-0 season as a junior in 2012-13. She expected to return to the University for her senior year with the Gophers this season but has put her return to hockey on hold while seeking a full recovery.

The post Kessel to Miss 2014-15 Season appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Featured Image:
Team USA’s Anne Schleper heads up ice against Team Canada.
(USA Hockey Photo)

USA Hockey announced today that members of the Minnesota contingent of its Women’s Olympic Team have made a major equipment donation to some of the state’s youth hockey associations through the USA Hockey OneGoal program. Each designated association will receive 12 full sets of gear on behalf of current and former Gopher players prepping for their gold-medal pursuit in Sochi, Russia next month.

The players and their chosen associations are:

• Anne Schleper – DinoMights (Minneapolis)
• Amanda Kessel – North Metro Youth Hockey Association (Minneapolis and northern suburbs)
• Gigi Marvin – Warroad Youth Hockey Association
• Lee Stecklein – Roseville Area Youth Hockey Association

The donations are among 300 total sets of OneGoal starter equipment Team USA contributed to youth associations across the country. Former Gopher defenseman, and Illinois native, Megan Bozek made her donation to Chicago Blackhawks Youth Hockey.

“The Olympic dream began in many of these local hockey associations for our athletes and they never forget it,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey in a release. “With the OneGoal program, they have an opportunity to help inspire a new generation of kids, while also saluting the people who helped them chase their Olympic dream.”

OneGoal is a nonprofit organization comprised of a coalition the National Hockey League (NHL), the NHL Players Association (NHLPA), the NHL Alumni Association, USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, rinks, Easton-Bell, Reebok-CCM, Bauer, retailers, and many others across North America who are involved with hockey.

The mission of OneGoal is to remove a barrier which prevents kids not only from trying hockey, but remaining in the game. The program was established to give as many kids as possible the chance to play by reducing the cost burden many parents face in equipping their children which factors highly in their decision to allow them to participate.

Schleper, who will be playing in her first Olympic Winter Games,  is happy to give back to the Dino Mights, an organization for which she has served as a volunteer.

“Every time I had the opportunity to volunteer there, I was immediately filled with laughter and joy,” she said. “I hope my donation becomes a great blessing to them and can help contribute to the wonderful standards they encourage every single day in their kids.

“Hockey gave me a way and a voice; all these kids need is an opportunity for the same.”

Scott Harman, executive director of the South Minneapolis-based Dino Mights, a physical, academic, social, and spiritual youth development program which utilizes hockey as an incentive for kids to succeed, said Schleper’s generosity will have a tremendous impact on his organization’s ability to promote hockey’s growth in the inner city.

“These are kids who come from families that don’t know about hockey, their parents didn’t play hockey and many of them are recent immigrants,” Harman said. “For us to be able to go visit those homes and say, ‘we’d like you to play hockey and guess what? Because of Anne Schleper, you get to have a brand new hockey bag, brand new shin guards and the whole deal,’ that’s just going to make it even better.”

“We’re really thankful and it makes us excited to cheer for Anne in the Olympics,” he added.

The kits come in two sizes—small and large—designed for players aged four to eight-years-old and include the following:

• Shoulder Pads
• Pants
• Elbow Pads
• Shin Guards
• Gloves
• Adjustable Helmet w/ Cage
• Player Bag

The kits are modestly priced at $76.00 each but, to keep costs down, the minimum purchase is four sets and subsequent kits must be purchased in sets of four as well. Sticks are also available for $10.00 each sold in sets of six with a minimum purchase of two sets.

For those interested in purchasing and donating sets of gear to their own association or even another community where the need may be greater, visit OneGoal’s website. Time is limited, however, as the OneGoal program comes to an end Feb. 15 with equipment delivery taking place June/July 2014.

The post Gold-Medal Gifting appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Amanda Kessel produced big numbers on a record-setting night for the Gophers (Photo: WCHA.com)

Led by Amanda Kessel’s five-point effort (2 goals, 3 assists), the University of Minnesota women’s hockey team rolled to a 9-1 win over Minnesota State (4-8-2, 2-6-2-1 WCHA) at Ridder Arena and into the NCAA record books. The undefeated Gophers (14-0-0, 10-0-0 WCHA) won their 22nd straight game dating back to Feb. 18 to set a new NCAA record for consecutive victories, eclipsing the previous record of 21 set by Harvard University between Jan. 4 and March 15, 2008.

Senior defenseman Megan Bozek also scored twice while junior forward Kelly Terry chipped in four assists to an offensive machine which did not get started until the game’s second half.

Charging and interference penalties committed by Minnesota’s Sara Davis and Hanna Brandt, respectively, late in the first period gave the Mavericks a 5-on-3 advantage. Just 22 seconds later, MSU capitalized when Lauren Smith took advantage of prone Gopher goaltender, Noora Räty, to tie the game 1-1 and, in the process, score the first opening-period goal allowed by Minnesota this season.

That is how it remained until Bozek’s goal at 10:54 of the second period put the Gophers back up by a goal and opened the floodgates. Minnesota would go on to score seven more goals over the game’s next 22:24 to complete the record-setting rout.

“We set the record with this year’s team, but last year’s team was a big part of it as well,” Minnesota coach Brad Frost said, acknowledging the contribution of the 2011-12 Gophers who won their final eight games en route to an NCAA title. “Obviously winning the national championship last year was special—this doesn’t rank up quite as high as that —but this is a pretty neat thing for our program.

“It’s pretty remarkable to win 22 games in a row.”

Bozek added, “Not many people can say that they’ve [set] an NCAA record; it’s been a good start to the year, I’d say.”

In case you were wondering, Harvard finished 32-2-0 in 2008 but did not capture the NCAA championship as the Crimson dropped a 4-1 decision to Wisconsin in the Frozen Four semifinals. Two nights later, Minnesota-Duluth defeated the Badgers 4-0 for its fourth NCAA title.

. . . . . 

Elsewhere in the WCHA …

No. 10 North Dakota (6-5-0, 5-4-0-0 WCHA) received goals from Allison Parizek, Michelle Karvinen, and Monique Lamoureux aided by a pair of Jocelyne Lamoureux assists to defeat Bemidji State 3-1 in Saturday night’s season opener between the regional rivals at the Sanford Center. The Beavers (2-7-2, 1-5-1-0 WCHA) benefited from senior forward Emily Erickson‘s first goal of the year but it wasn’t enough to prevent BSU’s fifth straight loss to North Dakota dating back to a 3-2 victory on Nov. 26, 2011. The two teams will meet again on Sunday afternoon at 2 pm at the Sanford Center.

. . . . . 

Minnesota-Duluth’s Tea Villila battles with St. Cloud State’s Haylea Schmid during UMD’s 4-1 win. (Photo: Tom Nelson, St. Cloud State Athletics)

For the second time in as many days, the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs skated to a 4-1 win over the St. Cloud State Huskies at the National Hockey Center. Jenna McParland‘s second goal of the series at 7:51 of the first period proved to be the difference and extended UMD’s unbeaten streak over SCSU to 11 games. The Bulldogs (5-6-1, 4-5-1 WCHA) outshot the Huskies (4-9-1, 2-8-0 WCHA) by a 36-29 margin and went 2-of-6 on the power play while holding St. Cloud State scoreless in two attempts.

. . . . .

Minnesota native Taylor Kuehl‘s (Minnetrista) two goals led the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-4-0, 8-4-0 WCHA) to a 3-1 win over the Wisconsin Badgers (8-4-2-, 4-4-2-2 WCHA) to split the series in Columbus, Ohio.

The post Gophers establish new NCAA victory mark in win over Minnesota State appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

WCHA Women

Amanda Kessel

University of Minnesota forward Amanda Kesselscored her team and nation-leading 15th goal of the season to go with 3 assists leading  No. 1 Minnesota to a sweep at Minnesota Duluth and capture the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week award. The junior from Madison, Wis. assisted on both game winning goals. It is the second such honor for Kessel who also won on Oct. 3.

Hanna Brandt

Gopher forward Hanna Brandt‘s four assists in Duluth earned the freshman from Vadnais Heights, Minn. her third (Oct. 3 and Oct. 24) WCHA Rookie of the Week award. the four points raise her overall season total to 33, good for tops in the nation and one point ahead of Kessel.

Here’s the link to the full release.

Hockey East Women

Lexi Slattery

Defenseman Lexi Slattery of Lino Lakes, Minn. scored her first collegiate goal and added an assist in helping her Providence College team to a series sweep at Maine and earn the Hockey East Rookie of the Week award. Slattery now has six points (1-5–6) through 10 games played for the Friars this season.

Here’s the link to the full release.

WCHA Men

Zach Palmquist

Minnesota State’s one-goal loss and upset win over then No. 2 Minnesota was recognized by the league with a pair of awards. Mavericks defenseman Zach Palmquist captured WCHA Defensive Player of the Week honors. The sophomore from South St. Paul, Minn. registered a power-play goal in Friday’s 3-2 loss and an assist in Saturday’s 5-3 MSU win while helping hold the Gophers to just two even-strength goals in the series.

Dylan Margonari

On the strength of his first career goal, which just happened to be a game winner, Minnesota State forward Dylan Margonari is the WCHA’s Rookie of the Week. The freshman forward from Greensburg, Pa. scored at 16:19 of the third period on Saturday to lift the Mavericks to a 4-3 lead on their way to a 5-3 win.

Here’s the link to the full release.

CCHA Men

Anders Lee

With three goals and an assist in a split with Western Michigan, Notre Dame captain Anders Lee was named CCHA Offensive Player of the Week. The junior forward from Edina, Minn. was not shy about firing the puck in releasing 12 shots over the weekend and Lee also finished with a +4 plus/minus rating in the series.
Here’s the link to the full release.

The post Honoring this week’s top performers appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.

Megan Bozek scored three goals in a Minnesota sweep of UMD in Duluth. (Photo: WCHA.com)

No. 1 Minnesota (12-0-0, 8-0-0 WCHA) at Minnesota-Duluth (3-6-1, 2-5-1 WCHA)

Friday: UM 4  UMD 1
Saturday: UM 4  UMD o

Minnesota extended its winning streak to 18 games in sweeping Minnesota Duluth on the road for the first time since Oct. 26-27, 2007. Freshman Maryanne Menefee scored twice while fellow rookie, Hannah Brandt, and  junior Amanda Kessel each added a pair of assists toward Friday’s win. UMD junior forward, Jamie Kenyon, scored the lone goal of the series for the Bulldogs early in the third period but Gopher goalie Noora Räty stopped all 23 other  UMD shots in the opener. Minnesota-Duluth goaltender, Kayla Black made 23 of her series total of 52 saves on Friday.

In Saturday’s finale, Senior defenseman, Megan Bozek, scored twice–her second and third goals of the series–and Räty made 17 saves in shutting out the Bulldogs. Brandt added two more assists to maintain her team and national points lead at 33 (12-21–33) while Kessel scored her team-leading 15th goal of the season, which also leads the nation. In addition, Bozek’s 18 points (6-12–18) tops all Division I defensemen.

Minnesota State (4-6-2, 2-4-2 WCHA) at Wisconsin (7-3-2, 3-3-2 WCHA)

Friday: UW 2  MSU 0
Saturday: UW 5 MSU 0

Wisconsin goaltender Alex Rigsby, last week’s WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, extended her shutout streak to 189 minutes in blanking the Mavericks twice in Madison. With the exception goaltender Danielle Butters‘ 72 saves in the series, not much went right for MSU in two games at LaBahn Arena. Warroad’s Karley Sylvester contributed an assist in each game for the Badgers.

No. 10 Ohio State (9-3-0, 7-3-0 WCHA) at St. Cloud State (2-7-1, 2-6-0 WCHA)

Friday: OSU 3  SCSU 2
Saturday: OSU 4 SCSU 2

With a goal on Friday and a pair of assists on Saturday,  Ohio State sophomore forward Taylor Kuehl–and reigning WCHA Offensive Player of the Week–of Minnetrista, Minn. helped lead the Buckeyes to a sweep of the Huskies in St. Cloud. Edina’s Ellie Sitek recorded her first goal of the season early in the third period of the series opener but OSU answered just over six minutes later on a Tina Hollwell goal which would become the game winner. SCSU goaltender Julie Friend of Minnetonka took the loss on Friday despite her 32-save effort.

Audrey Hamner had a goal and an assist in Saturday’s loss at home to Ohio State (Photo: St. Cloud State University Athletics)

Andover’s Alex Nelson got the Huskies on the board first on Saturday and a late second-period goal by Audrey Hamner of Wyoming, Minn. gave St. Cloud State a 2-1 lead heading into the third, but Ohio State countered with a trio of third-period goals to put the game away. Kuehl assisted on Hollowell’s empty-net goal at the 19 minute mark to seal the sweep for the Buckeyes.

No. 4 Clarkson (8-2-0, 2-0-0 ECAC) at No. 9 North Dakota (5-5-0, 4-4-0 WCHA)

Friday: CU 3  UND 1
Saturday: UND 3  CU 2

North Dakota freshman goaltender Shelby Amsely-Benzie of Warroad made 23 saves to earn her second win of the season and help UND salvage a split in its non-conference series with visiting Clarkson University on Saturday. Mary Loken, a senior forward from Roseau, assisted on Jocelyne Lamoureux‘s 100th collegiate goal at 3:16 of the second period in the win.

The post WCHA women’s weekend recap appeared first on Minnesota Hockey Magazine.