Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Women’s Notes: PSU’s Bothun, Colgate’s Kaltounková Make History

Resounding Road Sweep for Buckeyes; Darwitz Hall-Bound

Two notable women’s college hockey records were re-written last weekend by Penn State senior goaltender Josie Bothun (Wyoming, Minn.) and Colgate senior F Kristýna Kaltounková (Vlasim, Czechia).

Bothun stopped all 20 shots she faced in Friday’s 4-0 win at RIT, setting a new College Hockey America (CHA) record with career shutout No. 20. The previous standard had been held by former RIT standout Ali Binnington (2011-15).

Bothun, the CHA Goaltender of the Week, also earned her 70th career victory the following day to become the third CHA netminder to reach that mark.

Kaltounková racked up four goals over three Colgate wins last week, and her two-goal performance to close out the weekend against Cornell made Raiders history, giving her a school-record 79 career goals. She toppled Heather Murphy’s previous record that had stood since 2002.

The NCAA leader in points (45) and power-play goals (a school-record 11), Kaltounková was named ECAC Forward of the Week on Tuesday for the third time this season.

Bothun and Penn State will host conference foe Syracuse this weekend, while Kaltounková and fourth-ranked Colgate hit the road for a pair of ECAC matchups at No. 6 Quinnipiac and No. 12 Princeton.

Stat Leaders | Goaltending Leaders

Darwitz Headed to Hall:

Hockey legend Natalie Darwitz, who starred collegiately for Minnesota from 2002-05, was announced as one of eight inductees into the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Hall of Fame.

A two-time NCAA champion and three-time Patty Kazmaier Award finalist as a collegian, Darwitz represented the United States 11 straight years from 1999 to 2010. She won three gold medals and five silver medals and the IIHF World Championship and was a three-time Olympic medalist, capturing silver in 2002 and 2010 and bronze in 2006. She now serves as the general manager of PWHL Minnesota.

College Hockey Inc. Adds Director of Women’s Hockey:

College Hockey Inc. announced Tuesday the hiring of Sadie Lundquist as the organization’s first-ever director of women’s hockey. Lundquist, who begins her duties Jan. 22, will lead College Hockey Inc’s efforts to raise the profile and expand the exposure of women’s college hockey.

Lundquist, who lives in Saint Paul, played collegiately at Bemidji State from 2009-13. She led the Beavers in scoring as a junior and served as team captain as a senior.

Women’s Beanpot Underway:

The annual Women’s Beanpot began Tuesday with a semifinals doubleheader at Harvard’s Bright-Landry.

In the matinee, Boston University defeated No. 13 Boston College in a shootout. BU junior G Callie Shanahan (Commerce, Mich.) was perfect during the shootout, and sophomore F Lilli Welcke (Heidelberg, Germany) provided the decisive tally.

In the nightcap, Taze Thompson (Fr., Sherwood Park, Alberta) found the net in the first period and Gwyneth Philips (Gr., Athens, Ohio) registered her 21st career shutout to lift No. 15 Northeastern to a 1-0 victory over Harvard.

For the first time ever, the championship and consolation games at Boston’s TD Garden on Jan. 23. BU and Northeastern will square off in the championship, with Boston College meeting Harvard in the consolation game.

Goalie of the Year Watch List:

The Women’s Hockey Commissioner’s Association recently unveiled its watch list for the 2024 National Women’s Goalie of the Year Award that recognizes the top goaltender in NCAA Division I women’s hockey.

The list of 28 netminders has representation from all five NCAA Division I conferences. The winner will be announced in March during the NCAA Frozen Four. For more details, click HERE.

Whoa-hio State

Top-ranked Ohio State maintained its grip on first place in the WCHA last weekend with an emphatic road sweep at then-No. 2 Minnesota, cruising to 7-0 and 6-1 victories.

OSU freshman Joy Dunne (O’Fallon, Mo.) keyed Friday’s win with a hat trick and four points, while Raygan Kirk (Gr., Ste. Anne, Manitoba) delivered her fourth shutout of the season.

On Saturday, senior F Jenna Buglioni (Port Moody, British Columbia) dished out three assists to reach the 100-point milestone for her career. The victory against her alma mater was also the 178th win behind the Buckeye bench for OSU Head Coach Nadine Muzerall, tying the school record.

Fit To Print:

“It’s awesome that there’s a ton of momentum around women’s hockey. It’s a heck of a lot easier to keep momentum going than it is to build it. I’m excited to just be part of this wave of new opportunities and new, exciting things that we can bring to women’s hockey.”

— College Hockey Inc. Director of Women’s Hockey Sadie Lundquist (Bemidji State ’13), who was named to the new role Tuesday (source: Duluth News Tribune)

PWHL Note of the Week:

Last Friday, the PWHL and NHL announced the rosters for the PWHL 3-on-3 Showcase that will take place Feb. 1 at NHL All-Star Thursday, and all 24 players shared one thing in common: they are all former NCAA players.

Click HERE to see the complete list as well as event details.

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

Lindenwood junior F Morgan Neitzke (Jackson, Mich.) scored her NCAA-leading fourth short-handed goal of the year in Saturday’s 5-3 CHA win at Robert Morris. Neitzke leads the Lions in scoring this season and has already matched the career-high 20 goals and 32 points she established in 2022-23 … Minnesota State freshman G Hailey Hansen (Blaine, Minn.), making just her second NCAA start, notched her first career victory in a 2-1 WCHA win over No. 8 St. Cloud State last Friday … Syracuse graduate G Allie Kelley (East Berne, N.Y.) stopped 89 shots in last weekend’s series at Mercyhurst, the best two-game total this season by a CHA netminder. She also held the previous high of 84, set in October against Merrimack … Wisconsin junior F Sarah Wozniewicz (Cochrane, Alberta) registered her first collegiate hat trick in Saturday’s win over St. Thomas. She also fired a career-high 10 shots on goal.

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CHA | ECAC | Hockey East | NEWHA | WCHA

Did you know? 97% of NCAA Division I women’s hockey players earn their degree!