Gophers women’s hockey welcomes No. 2 Ohio State for a showdown series — and maybe some history

Postseason play still is a month and four more WCHA regular-season series away, but you might not know it when No. 2 Ohio State plays the No. 3 Gophers in a weekend series at Ridder Arena.

“It’s not playoff time,” Gophers coach Brad Frost said. “But it’s going to certainly feel like it here this weekend.”

Frost’s Gophers have a 21-5-1 overall record and a six-game winning streak over St. Thomas, Minnesota State Mankato and Bemidji State, including an outdoor 3-1 victory over the Beavers on Saturday at Valleyfair in Shakopee for Hockey Day Minnesota.

They’re also two victories away from the program’s 800th win. The Gophers could reach that milestone with a sweep this weekend, on Saturday’s Alumni Day.

“It’s going to be special if we can get those two wins, for all the alumni that have come before us,” said Gophers forward Audrey Wethington, a graduate student headed for medical school after this season.

The Gophers tied Ohio State 1-1 and lost 4-3 in an October series at Columbus. Frost calls his team wiser and improved nearly four months later, although he acknowledges the defending NCAA champion Buckeyes probably are, too.

“It’s about execution at this point,” Frost said. “We’ve formed our identity. We know who we are. We know who our team is. There’s no doubt this is a confident group. Now it’s about executing at a high level, every shift that you’re out there.”

Ohio State has won two of the last three NCAA titles. They beat Wisconsin 1-0 for last season’s title, one year after the Badgers beat the Buckeyes by a 1-0 score. Ohio State beat Minnesota Duluth 3-2 in the 2022 championship game.

The Buckeyes and Gophers both have 45 points in WCHA play, 15 points behind the runaway first-place Badgers.

After this, the Gophers go to Wisconsin before they finish the regular season with home series against St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth. Then the focus will turn toward the WCHA playoffs and NCAA tournament, with the Frozen Four slated for March 21 and 23 at Ridder Arena.

“Ohio State has been one of the top two teams here in the country the last few years, so they’ll be a tough beat for sure,” Frost said. “It’s not going to define our season one way or another, but it is No. 2 versus No. 3, you know? Every point matters right now in the WCHA for sure. And there’s national implications as well.”

Wethington is going through something of a gantlet for the last time, now that her collegiate career is ticking away.

A candidate for the national Hockey Humanitarian award, Wethington has played big games against Ohio State, Wisconsin and others before. These upcoming games are different because they could be her last ones.

“It’s really exciting just because we’re going to play the best of the best, back-to-back,” Wethington said. “It’s definitely going to ramp up here. Our group has been preparing for it in practice this week. I’m really excited, and I know the group is, too. There’s a sense of belief in our team, which I think is going to be really important as we move forward.”

The Gophers, in their 28th season, notched their 797th and 798th all-time victories last weekend in the sweep over Bemidji State. Laura Halldorson won two NCAA titles in her 10 years coaching the Gophers. Frost has won four in the 18 seasons since. The program’s winning percentage is nearly .800 with the record at 798-181-64.

“A lot of really good players have come through the doors here at Mariucci Arena and Ridder Arena,” Frost said. “The players that have come before our current players made just a huge difference. Laura Halldorson starting the program with her national championships and the players she recruited. It speaks volumes to everybody, a multitude of people, that have been involved with it.”