The Minnesota Gophers women’s hockey team is back in the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time since 2019 after they defeated Minnesota-Duluth 3-0 Saturday.
Played at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, the second-seeded Gophers got a huge effort from goalie Skylar Vetter, who shutout the Bulldogs with 30 saves, including 14 in the third period. It was Vetter’s eighth shutout of the season.
Madeline Wethington broke the seal on the scoring when she found the back of the net at 10:39 of the second period. The game stayed 1-0 until Minnesota’s Abby Murphy scored just over 3 minutes into the third period and then Minnesota put the game away on Catie Skaja’s goal at 10:18 of the final period.
The Gophers will face Wisconsin in the Frozen Four national semifinals on Friday, March 17 at 8 p.m. CST. The Frozen Four is being hosted by Duluth, with games played at Amsoil Arena.
Wisconsin went 2-0-2 against Minnesota during the regular season, with Minnesota responding with a win to knock the Badgers out of the WCHA semifinals.
Ohio State and Northeastern will meet in the other national semifinal. The NCAA championship game is set for Sunday, March 19.
