University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Maine
Gophers Open Home Slate with East/West Showcase
10/8/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 3-ranked Minnesota women's hockey team hosts Maine and Bemidji State this weekend for the East/West Showcase and its home-opening weekend at Ridder Arena. The Gophers face the Black Bears on Friday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m., before battling the Beavers in a nonconference matchup on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. Both games will stream live on B1G+, with Sunday's contest also airing on FOX9+.
#3 Minnesota (2-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) vs. Maine (1-3-0, 0-0-0 HE)
Date: Oct. 9, 2026
Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Stream: B1G+
Location: Ridder Arena
#3 Minnesota (2-0-0, 2-0-0 WCHA) vs.Bemidji State (0-2-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)
Date: Oct. 11, 2026
Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Stream: B1G+/FOX9+
Location: Ridder Arena
Opengate and New Bag Policy at Ridder Arena
New this year, gate entrance will hold a consistent security clearance in all our Gopher facilities. Please see HERE for prohibited items.
Last Time Out
Minnesota enters the weekend following a season-opening sweep of Bemidji State. The Gophers opened the series with a 5-2 victory on Friday, Oct. 2, before closing out the weekend with a 5-3 win the following afternoon at the Sanford Center.
Scouting the Black Bears
Maine enters the weekend with a 1-3-0 record, dropping a pair of games to then-No. 6 Quinnipiac before most recently splitting a series with St. Lawrence. The Black Bears were picked to finish sixth in Hockey East in the preseason coaches' poll. Maine returns its top five point producers from last season, including leading goal scorer and point producer Isabelle Michaud. Junior forward Stephanie Jacob also returns after recording 10 goals a season ago. Gracie Hanson has gotten off to a strong start this season, tallying five points through four games, while senior Mikayla Boarder has recorded two goals and two assists. Kiia Lahtinen has started all four games in net for the Black Bears, posting a 2.55 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. Alex Gettens enters his first season as Maine's head coach after previous assistant coaching stops at Colgate and Vermont.
Versus the Black Bears
Friday will mark the second meeting between Minnesota and Maine. The teams first met just over 20 years ago on Oct. 6, 2006, with the Gophers earning a 5-2 victory.
Scouting the Beavers
The Beavers are led in both points and goals by sophomore defender Lola Macuiba, who scored in each of Bemidji State's two games against the Gophers last week. Sophia Villanueva started both games for the Beavers, posting a 5.00 goals-against average and an .880 save percentage. Head coach Amber Fryklund is in her third season at the helm of the Bemidji State program and owns a 12-59-4 career record.
Against the Beavers
The Gophers hold a 105-9-7 all-time record against Bemidji State, including a 33-game winning streak. The teams met twice last week, with Minnesota sweeping the series and outscoring the Beavers 10-5.
First Win Feeling
Head coach Greg "Boom" May earned his first career win in his first game at the helm of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Following the victory, May said, "I'm just super happy and super proud. I'm not out there playing, it's up to our players that are out there scoring goals and making saves. I'm so proud to be their coach and extremely excited for them."
First Gopher Goals
Two Maroon and Gold skaters recorded their first career goals over the weekend. Freshman forward Maddie McCullough scored the season-opening goal for the Gophers in Friday's game before adding her second career goal on Saturday. Fellow freshman forward Adrianna Milani also tallied the first two goals of her career in Minnesota's 5-2 victory on Friday.
Hockey Canada Camp
Chloe Primerano and Sarah Paul have been invited to Hockey Canada's selection camp which runs Oct. 7-15 in Quebec City and will help determine Canada's roster for the 2026 IIHF Women's World Championship in November.
Women's Euro Hockey Tour
Tereza Plosová skated in the second leg of the Women's Euro Hockey Tour in Lahti, Finland, last week. Plosová represented Team Czechia alongside former Gopher Natálie Mlýnková. Czechia went 0-3, suffering losses to Finland and Sweden before falling to Switzerland in a shootout. The next leg of the tour is scheduled for Oct. 28-31 in Södertälje, Sweden.
2026-27 Roster Preview
Minnesota returns 17 players from last season, including two of its top three goal scorers in Bella Fanale and Ava Lindsay. Emma Kreisz and Madison Kaiser return at the faceoff dot, while Sarah Paul enters her second season with the Gophers. On defense, junior Chloe Primerano returns after recording her second consecutive 30-point season and a career-high 10 goals in 2025-26. She is joined by Molly Jordan and Gracie Graham, who each recorded at least 15 points last season. In goal, Hannah Clark enters her third season after posting career bests in goals-against average (2.08) and save percentage (.920) last year. Sophomore Layla Hemp returns after recording a 2.14 goals-against average and .912 save percentage as a freshman.
Incoming Impact
Minnesota welcomes nine newcomers, including three key transfers. Julia Schalin arrives from Mercyhurst after recording 63 points on 23 goals and 40 assists during her collegiate career. She also represented Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Defenseman Lauren Goldsworthy joins the Gophers after two seasons at Minnesota State. She recorded a career-high seven goals and 48 blocked shots last season. Ashley Allard transfers from UConn after helping the Huskies win two Hockey East Tournament championships. She posted a career-high 28 points last season and won 61.3 percent of her faceoffs. Minnesota also welcomes six freshmen: Canadians Maddie McCullough, Rachel Piggott and Adrianna Milani, along with Americans Sloane Hartmetz, Katya Sander and Payton Rolli.
National Recognition
Minnesota holds the No. 3 ranking in both the USCHO and USA Hockey national polls for the third consecutive week.
Behind the Bench
Greg "Boom" May was named Minnesota's head coach on March 22, 2026, becoming the third head coach in program history. May previously served as the Gophers' associate head coach from 2023-26, helping Minnesota to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and a 2025 NCAA Frozen Four berth. May also served as head coach at Augsburg from 2021-23, leading the Auggies to two NCAA tournament appearances and the 2022 Frozen Four. He was named MIAC Coach of the Year in 2022. May was an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's U18 National Team that won gold at the 2026 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship. May is joined on staff by General Manager Jessica Scott, assistant coach Marty Sertich, and assistant coaches and former alumni Winny Brodt Brown and Amanda Leveille.
Preseason Honors
Minnesota was picked to finish third in the WCHA preseason coaches' poll. Junior defender Chloe Primerano was named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team, while freshman forward Adrianna Milani was selected as the WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year. Minnesota received 35 points in the poll, behind Ohio State (48) and Wisconsin (44). Primerano recorded a career-high 10 goals and 30 points last season, giving her 61 points through her first two seasons with the Gophers. Milani joins Minnesota after a standout year with Canada's National U18 Team. She led all skaters with nine points (five goals, four assists) during Canada's three-game series against the United States this summer. She also recorded 13 points (10 goals, three assists) at the 2026 U18 Women's World Championship, helping Canada to a silver medal and earning All-Star Team honors.
Quest for Eight
Minnesota begins its pursuit of an eighth national championship after winning seven NCAA titles in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
