It’s difficult to imagine how a player gets more in the spotlight than the Gophers’ Sarah Potomak was last year when she scored the overtime goal that sent Minnesota to the national championship. But that’s the case for Potomak, who scored three goals and five points as a rookie in the NCAA Tournament.

The sophomore is now taking center stage in the absence of two of the biggest stars to ever wear maroon and gold, Hannah Brandt and Amanda Kessel. It’s been talked about ad nauseam, but that’s a testament to the impact those two had on the program.

The shoes that need filling are large and it will take a team effort, from top-line upperclassmen Dani Cameranesi and Kelly Pannek to freshmen Lindsay Agnew and Alex Woken. Yet, just one year into her collegiate career, Potomak has the potential to be the difference-maker Minnesota needs.

In some ways, the season started relatively quiet start for Potomak, who put up just one goal and four points in her first four games

Last season, her 1.42 points per game ranked eighth in the nation and her 54 points were the eighth most ever by a Gopher rookie. The team needs Potomak to build on that performance as lines start to coalesce and the team looks to quell some slow starts.

Early in her second campaign, she’s delivering.

That extra offense is especially important in a conference rife with outstanding goaltending. Ann-Renee Desbiens and Brittni Mowat are two of the best in the nation. Young netminders like Ohio State’s Kassidy Sauve, Duluth’s Maddie Rooney, St. Cloud’s Janine Alder, and North Dakota’s Lexie Shaw are all off to strong starts. Meanwhile, though the season is young, the Gophers are averaging just 3.2 goals per game in conference play. That’s a good step down from last season’s 5.14.

Since Minnesota’s Oct. 14-15 series against Minnesota-Duluth, Potomak has seen an offensive explosion. She leads the nation with 18 points in 10 games, scoring a game-winning goal in half of those contests.

Sarah Potomak (Photo by Jaylynn Nash for Minnesota Hockey Magazine)

Coach Brad Frost started the season with Potomak at center. It was an experiment. If she could work there, it had the potential to give the Gophers depth that would be difficult for opponents to handle. While Potomak has played center previously for the Canadian national team, it was the first time she’d been given that responsibility with the Gophers.

But in an effort to ignite some offense against Duluth, Frost moved her to wing on the top line with Cameranesi and Pannek, a trio that spent a bit of time together last season when Brandt was injured.  It was the start of Potomak being able to focus on offense and it’s paying dividends for the team.

“I just really felt like we needed to get some scoring, from [Potomak] in particular,” Frost said of reuniting that line. “The first few games we were more of a balanced lineup. We tried to get our top players together here with Pannek, Potomak, and Cameranesi. It seemed to pay off.”

It made the roster top heavy, but it certainly had the desired effect. In her first weekend after the line change, Potomak garnered WCHA Player of the Week honors.

“It felt good. I thought that me and Kelly and Dani blended really well together,” Potomak said after an Oct. 28 win over St. Cloud State. “Center is more of a defensive responsibility. So, when I’m playing wing, I find that I’m more open to producing offense, especially with Kelly as a center. She’s so good there. It makes it easy.”

Lines continue to be tinkered with, but like recent seasons, if you have a top-line powerhouse, things start to sort themselves out.

“You know, in the past, you’ve had Hannah Brandt and Amanda Kessel, so it’s been pretty easy to figure out,” Frost said after an opening weekend tilt against Lindenwood. “Let’s put anybody with them and we’ll go from there. Well, we don’t have Hannah and we don’t have [Kessel], and quite frankly we have a multitude of forwards who are very talented, so a lot of people are getting some different opportunities.”

Potomak has risen to the challenge of her sophomore year in the early going, again proving herself to be an adept skater at both ends of the rink and capable of providing clutch goals. “I don’t feel any additional pressure [this season],” she says. “I just think that there’s an expectation that I show up every day. I’m not a freshman anymore and I know what to expect. I’m just going to do my best to lead the freshmen and contribute everything I can.”

Story originally published in the November, 2016 issue of our digital magazine. For more stories like this, click HERE to view the November issue and subscribe to have future issues delivered directly to your email inbox. 

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It was June 20, 2015. Her named was called out 12th, the third of four University of Minnesota juniors. Though there was no lectern or freshly pressed jersey handed off in front of photographers, it was nonetheless significant. Gopher goaltender Amanda Leveille had been drafted by the Buffalo Beauts in the inaugural National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) draft.

Though the league had yet to play a game, it was historic. It was one of the earliest actions taken by the first North American professional women’s hockey league actually paying athletes. Following Harvard’s Emerance Maschmeyer, Leveille was the second goaltender selected. On April 28, she became the first draft pick to sign a contract in league history.

All that’s left now is the actual season.

“I was really honored,” Leveille says, remembering that day in June. “It was really nice to see that women’s professional hockey was starting up.”

It will be a new experience not just because it’s a professional league or that she will be playing closer to home. The big change may be going from playing on a dynastic team to a franchise that will start the season as underdogs.

For the last four years, she has been backstopping college hockey’s dominant force in Minneapolis. The Gophers won three national titles while she was part of the program, including a 41-0 run her freshman year that was the second of four total national titles in the last five years. The year they didn’t win, they made it to the national championship.

Playing there, she’s rarely had a taste of losing, posting a 98-9-5 record with a .947 save percentage. “I knew the Gophers were a talented team when I came in as a freshman, they had just won a national championship, but I didn’t think we would go 41-0 that season,” she said.

“I remember just looking around the room my freshman season and seeing players like Amanda Kessel, Megan Bozak, Noora Raty, Hannah Brandt and thinking wow these are my teammates, they’re so talented. And then each year [head coach Brad Frost] would recruit very talented players and good people off the ice. We all clicked and the chemistry we had led to a lot of our success.”

The off-ice chemistry proved important to Leveille while she was a part of the program, and it left an impression on her as she started moving toward the next chapter of her career.

“I was a little different than most people on the Gophers,” Leveille said. “I didn’t grow up in-state watching the Gophers like most people did. [Frost] recruited me at the beginning of my senior year of high school. When I came down on an official visit with the team, that’s when I knew it was the perfect fit for me

“The team culture really grabbed me. I wanted to be a part of something the Gophers demonstrated. They’re a very good hockey team, but they also have a high standard of how they want people to act off the ice.”

Those same considerations of team culture and her place in the larger picture came into play as Leveille began determining what her post-collegiate career would hold. “Being a Canadian, I thought I was going to play in the [Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL)] because that had been established, but when I got drafted I felt really honored and thought I should learn more about the program that drafted me.

“[Beauts general manager Ric Seiling] called me and explained a lot to me about the opportunities I would have in Buffalo. That it wouldn’t just be on the ice, but off the ice as well. We talked training and his experience in the NHL, which is something I thought separated him as a coach from other coaches in the NWHL. The location is also ideal for me. It’s right on the border of Canada. My family will be able to watch me play for the first time in four years without any difficulty.”

While getting paid is no doubt alluring — the CWHL does not pay a salary, but does have some compensation — the two leagues are largely split along the border. Canadians play in the CWHL, with a lot of the national team spending the regular season with one of that league’s five clubs. Meanwhile, Americans play in the NWHL (or with the Minnesota Whitecaps), where a majority of the U.S. National team skates during the regular season.

As an Ontario-native, Leveille’s decision wasn’t the obvious route.

“I think both leagues have players that are extremely talented,” she said. “I hope one day the two leagues can join and create something very special for female hockey players. The ’N’ was just a great fit for me at this point.”

That fit will have her battling for the Beauts’ net with U.S. National Team goaltender Brianne McLaughlin, who is returning to Buffalo after having been the team’s starter last season, helping lead them to the Isobel Cup Final where they were swept by the Boston Pride in two close contests.

This season will be a new challenge. The Beauts aren’t the NWHL’s powerhouse, though they have plenty of talent with Kelley Steadman, who was electric in very limited time last season, as well as former Whitecaps defenseman and St. Cloud native Anne Schlepper and former Gopher teammate Megan Bozek. Leveille stands to face some stiff challenges, like the league’s reigning champion Boston Pride, who feature National Team players like Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Brianna Decker and Boston College’s Alex Carpenter. She’ll also face former teammate Amanda Kessel, who is about to become the face of league’s gritty flagship team in New York.

But until those challenges rise, there’s training and the space to be able to step back and appreciate the larger picture.

“When I was a little kid, I used to watch hockey with my dad and dream about playing professional hockey,” said Leveille. “As I grew up I realized that wasn’t a possibility. But now women have the option of playing professional hockey and I think that’s fantastic.

“I want to be a part of a league that will give young girls hope that they can play professional hockey just like their guy peers.”

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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.

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Maryanne Menefee’s two goals lead Minnesota over Minnesota State

MINNEAPOLIS- Maryanne Menefee awoke the Gopher women’s hockey team from a sluggish start Saturday afternoon, sending #2 Minnesota to Grand Forks, North Dakota for a chance to win its fourth consecutive WCHA Final Faceoff title.

After a scoreless first period at Ridder Arena, the junior forward scored twice in a span of 1:43 against Minnesota State. The Gophers, out-shooting the Mavs 33-20 over the final two periods, were able to get three goals in the second period and took over from there.

The team was able to refocus and find reserve energy at home in a 5-1 win over the Mavericks, sending the crowd home with a stick salute and a two game sweep in the best-of-three WCHA first round series.

“Win and advance is kind of the theme here as we get to the playoffs,” Gophers head coach Brad Frost said.

Minnesota (31-2-4, 22-2-4-2 WCHA) goaltender Amanda Leveille made 29 saves with senior Shyler Sletta cleaning up with 5 more in the final 10 minutes.

A night after giving up 10 goals in a shutout loss, Minnesota State (3-32-1, 1-26-1-0 WCHA) allowed a season-low 3 shots in the first period against the WCHA regular season champions. The Mavericks kept Minnesota’s forwards at bay on the outside of the rink, making it easy for senior goaltender Erin Krichiver.

“I feel like that’s happened a few times this year where we just came out not ready and then the coaching staff had to get after us a little bit and definitely push us in the right direction, which we definitely need at some points,” Menefee said.

On the other side of the rink, Leveille and Minnesota survived the period. She nearly matched her Friday total in 20 minutes, making 15 saves and remaining as golden as the team’s Saturday sweaters.

“There were a lot of things that I didn’t need to say, but felt like I needed to,” Frost said about his team turning it around after the first intermission. “Getting out-shot 15-3 against any opponent is not good. So we just talked a lot about heart and passion and being all-in or not. It was mandatory that they picked it up and they did.”

The Gophers came out with more energy and passion in the second, setting the tone early when Rachael Bona found Meghan Lorence in front of the net in the opening minute with a point-blank shot that Krichiver saved.

Her shutout stood until just over 4 minutes into the second period. Sitting in the high slot, Menefee tipped a Megan Wolfe shot past Krichiver to break the deadlock.On her next shift, the Lansing, Michigan native shot the puck through traffic and into the net for her 21^st goal of the season.

“I think (goals) definitely come in bunches (for me) so I’m happy they came tonight,” Menefee said.

Kelly Pannek made it 3-0 Gophers towards the end of the second period when she poked a loose puck into the net for her 13^th goal of the year with 3:48 remaining.

Hannah Brandt scored her 31^st goal of the season 8:46 into the third period when she buried a Kelsey Cline rebound. Seconds later Rachael Bona gave Minnesota a 5-0 lead with a goal on the backdoor before Kathleen Rogan, on her eighth shot of the night, broke a 12 period scoreless streak for the Mavericks.

It was only the 7^th goal given up by Minnesota in the last seven games and also the first-ever goal scored on the senior Sletta, making her 12^th appearance for the Gophers.

“There was one more opportunity to get our senior in who means a lot to our team and that’s what was best for our team at the moment so that’s why I (put Sletta in),” said Frost. “Somebody who came in and wasn’t guaranteed a minute and she still wanted to come and be a Gopher. She’s played a lot than one minute. She’s played many.

“It was unfortunate that that goal went in, but the opportunity for her to play one more time was pretty special for her.”

With the win, Minnesota faces the winner of Bemidji State and Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday March 7 in a WCHA Final Faceoff semifinal. The Beavers and Bulldogs are currently tied at one game apiece with Bemidji State winning 3-2 Friday and UMD taking Saturday’s Game 2 2-0. The third and final game will be played Sunday at 2 p.m. in Duluth.

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Minnesota bounces back on freshman’s three-point effort

MINNEAPOLIS- Saturday’s game at Ridder Arena brought out early the simple lesson of “if at first you don’t score, shoot, shoot some more.”

No one helped adhere to that more than freshman forward Kelly Pannek.

A day after Ohio State (14-11-3, 9-10-3-1 WCHA) came back from two goals down to force a 3-3 tie (Minnesota won the ensuing shootout), the WCHA-leading Gophers (24-1-4, 17-1-4-2 WCHA) felt much better about than having the hollow feeling Friday’s game left.

“No one was happy with the shootout win,” said Pannek, who had three points (1G-2A) to extend her nation-leading first-year total to 38 and was one of three players to have 6 shots Saturday. “We just weren’t satisfied with our play yesterday.”

Minnesota was able to out-work and shut down the Buckeye women’s speed, making the road team skate on their heels in a 3-1 victory.

The Gophers  out-shot Ohio State 17-1 in the first period and 44-17 total. Possessing the puck for long stretches early – doing so despite finishing the game with 9 forwards – Minnesota made the necessary adjustments in the second game of the series to counter OSU’s unique forecheck. The Buckeyes were able to get players in front of rebounds and clear the zone in order to stay in the game.

It took until midway through the second period before coach Brad Frost’s team had breathing room on the scoreboard. Pannek burst the dam open with a shot on a 4-on-1 attempt that went off OSU goaltender Kassidy Sauve and into the net.

“We were just trying a lot of stuff to get the puck on net,” said Pannek. “Especially on rushes, if there are people going something good should happen. There were a lot of rebounds I thought throughout the period and the whole game so we were just focusing on getting pucks to the net.”

Pannek and senior defenseman Rachel Ramsey, who had a pair of assists Saturday, were also both part of Minnesota’s first goal. From her own one blue line to the other, Pannek found sophomore Kate Schipper mid-stride on a breakaway.

She did the rest, scoring her fifth goal of the season on her own rebound 8:57 into the game.

“Great finish there by Schipp,” said Frost. “That was a big goal for her, she needed it. She’s been fighting it a little bit.”

Getting the nod in net in place of Stacy Danczak, Sauve made 23 saves on 24 shots prior to Pannek’s goal in the second period. Hannah Brandt made it 3-0 with 5:10 remaining in the second period when the Vandais Heights, Minn. native needed all of 15 seconds to get her 24^th goal of the season from the face-off dot.

“We’ll take Hannah shooting from there every time,” Frost said.

Sauve’s counterpart in net, Amanda Leveille, made 16 saves Saturday. She was barely tested until early in the third period. The junior goaltender was able to stop a partial shorthanded breakaway by Julia McKinnon. She wasn’t as fortunate minutes later during a stretch of 4-on-4 when Claudia Kepler roofed a misplayed puck in front of Leveille to break the shutout.

The Buckeyes had a chance to make it a one-goal game with two power plays in the third, but Minnesota killed both with Ramsey in the box and without forwards Meghan Lorence and Paige Haley.

Replaced by Schipper on the second line, Lorence did not play past the early shifts a night after getting injured and is day to day. Haley had to be helped off the ice in the third period when she was checked by Sara Schmitt. She will be evaluated further in the coming days.

Losses in the ranks aside, it’s a happier group of players. Minnesota heads to North Dakota next weekend with a 10 point lead in the WCHA standings over Wisconsin and home ice in the playoffs with six regular season games remaining. Even better is that they are doing so with the work ethic and effort shown Saturday.

“Any time you show up on the score sheet you can walk away feeling like you did a good job,” said Pannek. “I thought we did a great job today responding. Everybody was ready to go from the drop of the puck to the final whistle, which was huge for us.”

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