Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Women’s Notes: Badger Teammates Sit 1-2-3 in Scoring Race
Wisconsin Leads with Four of the Top Five Point Scorers
With only two weeks remaining in the women’s college hockey regular season, much of the nation’s attention will rightfully be directed toward conference races and positioning for the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA’s individual scoring title is up in the air, but it’s likely a Wisconsin Badger will be crowned at the close of the 2024-25 season. The Badgers currently have a trio of scorers leading the country in first, second, and third place. They look to hold those three spots as they did in the 2023-24 season, when the top three scorers in the nation all donned the red and white sweater.
Wisconsin graduate forward Casey O’Brien (Milton, Massachusetts), the country’s only player averaging two points per game, leads with 66 points in 32 contests. Perhaps more impressive, O’Brien has not recorded a single penalty during the 2024-25 campaign. Behind her are two juniors and teammates—forward Laila Edwards (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) and 2024 scoring champion Kirsten Simms (Plymouth, Mich.). Edwards sits in second place with 60 points, with Simms close behind at 54.
One other player has crossed the 50-point threshold: Minnesota senior Abbey Murphy (Evergreen Park, Ill.), who has 51 points in 31 games. Nine players have surpassed the 40-point mark, with two closing in on Murphy—Wisconsin junior Caroline Harvey (Salem, New Hampshire) at 49 and Penn State junior Tessa Janecke (Orangeville, Ill.) at 47.
Princeton forward Mackenzie Alexander (Etobicoke, Ontario) leads all freshmen in scoring with 40 points in 27 games. The next closest freshman is Mercyhurst forward Julia Schalin (Espoo, Finland), with 27 points.
Click HERE to view the complete national leaderboard.
Daily Scoreboard | Weekly Schedule | Composite Schedule | Stat Leaders | Goaltending Leaders
Must Read:
NE Hockey Journal: Girls prep rankings: Phillips Andover makes a big jump into top 5
The Hockey News: Semi-Finalists Named For NCAA’s Women’s Hockey Goaltender of the Year
The Hockey News: Wisconsin Remains Unanimous In National Rankings
The Hockey News: Spooner To Make Long Awaited Return Tonight
The Hockey News: State Of The Nations: A look at the top 20 ranked women’s hockey teams
The Hockey News: Teenagers Make An Impact At 2026 Olympic Qualification Tournaments
The Ice Garden: Q&A with Sanni Ahola, St. Cloud State University’s new program all-time wins leader
The Ice Garden: 2026 Winter Olympics Qualifications Complete
The Ice Garden: Why Emerance Maschmeyer is Team Canada’s Best Goalie
KSTP: Minnesota Girls Section & State Hockey Tournament Central
NHL: Black Girl Hockey Club | Breaking Down Barriers | S2, E7
NHL: Color of Hockey: ‘Rising star’ Koelzer excelling as 1st Black woman coach of NCAA team
PWHL: Weekly Notebook
USCHO: Union hockey standout Friday tabbed winner of 2025 ECAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
USCHO: Weekend Wrap February 10, 2025
USCHO: No. 1 Wisconsin defeats No. 3 Minnesota 8-2, wins WCHA regular-season title
USCHO: Jan. 2025 monthly awards from Hockey Commissioners Association
Must Watch & Hear:
Decision Makers: Doug Derraugh, Cornell
The PodKaz: Ep. 37 First 2 conference champions crowned; final weekend for ECAC chase
The Ride to the Rink: Supporting Yourself & Your Teammates with Kendra Fisher
Our Kids Play Hockey: The Underappreciated Defenseman
Goalie of the Year Semi-Finalists:
The Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association has announced nine semifinalists for the NCAA Women’s Hockey Goalie of the Year Award. Minnesota Duluth’s Ève Gascon (So., Mascouche, Quebec) and Colgate’s Hannah Murphy (Sr., Bradford, Ontario) have earned semifinalist honors for the second consecutive year. The full list of semifinalists:
- Annelies Bergmann (So., Cornell)
- Tia Chan (Gr., UConn)
- Katie DeSa (Jr., Penn State)
- Kaley Doyle (Gr., Quinnipiac)
- Ève Gascon (So., Minnesota Duluth)
- Lisa Jönsson (Fr., Northeastern)
- Ava McNaughton (So., Wisconsin)
- Hannah Murphy (So., Colgate)
- Emma-Sofie Nordström (Jr., St. Lawrence)
Wildcat Weekend:
The New Hampshire Wildcats secured a sweep over conference opponent Merrimack last weekend.
Friday night required extra time, but not much, as the Wildcats netted the OT winner just 39 seconds in. Senior forward Kira Juodikis (LaSalle, Ontario) secured the victory, finishing the game with a goal and an assist. Sophomore forward Sydney Leonard (St. Bonifacius, Minn.) also recorded a goal and an assist.
On Saturday, graduate Sara Boucher (Burlington, Ontario) led the Wildcats with two goals, including a shorthanded tally in the second period. Sophomore goaltender Sedona Blair (Eden Prairie, Minn.) was instrumental in the win, making 32 saves, with 15 of those in the third period alone. Senior defender Marina Alvarez (Center Moriches, N.Y.) netted the eventual game-winning goal on a power play just 25 seconds into the third period.
Long Island’s Milestone:
Graduate forward Carrigan Umpherville (Cross Lake, Manitoba) led the Sharks to a 3-2 win over Franklin Pierce on Friday night. The forward notched her 100th career point just seven minutes into the opening period.
Umpherville holds or shares several records for the Sharks including goals in a game (3), shots in a game (9), power-play goals in a game (2), goals in a season (19), points in a season (33), shots in a season (106), and power-play goals in a season (5).
AHA Spoiler:
Coming into Saturday’s contest, Penn State was a perfect 17-0 in AHA conference play. The Mercyhurst Lakers defeated the Nittany Lions 3-2 in a third-period comeback, handing Penn State its first loss since Nov. 29 and spoiling its perfect AHA record.
Senior forward Vanessa Upson (Stoney Creek, Ontario) led the comeback with a goal and an assist, including the game-winner. Freshman forward Julia Schalin (Espoo, Finland) also tallied a goal and an assist, and graduate goalie Jorden Mattison (Welland, Ontario) made 33 saves on the night.
Fit To Print:
“That was a huge bounce back win from our team tonight, credit to our entire team for their resilience and ability to focus on the areas we needed to improve on from Thursday’s game. Credit to Rosie Brochu for a monster game with two goals and an assist, and McKenzie Cerrato for the game winner. Jane Gervais stood tall in net, especially at the end. It’s time for us to keep the momentum rolling for these last four games.”
–Vermont head coach Jim Plumer on the team’s resilience Saturday to defeat No. 15 Boston College after losing 7-1 on Friday. Senior netminder Jane Gervais (Valcourt, Quebec) stopped all 29 shots to secure her second shutout of the season. (Source: Vermont Athletics)
PWHL Note of the Week:
Teams are nearly halfway through the 30-game season in their quest to dethrone reigning Walter Cup champion, Minnesota.
The top four teams in the PWHL regular-season standings will qualify for the playoffs, starting early May, with the first-place team selecting its semifinal opponent. Like last year, the “Gold Plan” will again award the first draft pick to the non-playoff team that earns the most points after elimination, ensuring all remaining games remain competitive.
The current PWHL standings are:
1. Montreal Victoire (31) 8-3-1-2
2. Minnesota Frost (26) 5-4-3-4
3. Toronto Sceptres (21) 5-1-4-6
4. New York Sirens (20) 4-3-2-5
5. Boston Fleet (17) 3-3-2-5
6. Ottawa Charge (17) 5-0-2-8
Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:
Wisconsin graduate forward Casey O’Brien (Milford, Mass.) surpassed the 250-point career mark. She became the second Badger to reach that milestone along with Hilary Knight (Wisconsin ’13), who tallied 262 points in four years … Boston University notched its 20th win of the season, the first Hockey East school to do so … Maine freshmen goaltender Kiia Lahtinen (Porvoo, Finland) earned her first career shutout on Friday, backstopping the Black Bears to a 2-0 victory over No. 13 Northeastern … Assumption freshmen Heather Ajakie (F., College Grove, Tenn.) recorded her first multi-point game and had two goals and an assist in their split against Saint Anselm … Boston College forward Katie Ham (Jr., Hingham, Mass.) recorded a four-point weekend in their split with Vermont with two goals and two assists … Maine sophomore Lily Fetch (F., Woodbury, Minn.) netted the game winning goal over No. 13 Northeastern to give the Black Bears their first ranked victory of the season.
Postseason Push:
USA Hockey/The Rink Live’s most recent polls, 2/11/2025:
| Rank | Team (First Place) | Last Week’s Rank |
2024-25 Record |
Weeks in Top 20 |
| 1. | University of Wisconsin, 285 (19) | 1 | 29-1-2 | 20 |
| 2. | Ohio State University, 266 | 2 | 23-6-3 | 20 |
| 3. | University of Minnesota, 239 | 3 | 22-8-1 | 20 |
| 4. | Cornell University, 232 | 4 | 19-4-4 | 20 |
| 5. | Colgate University, 201 | 5 | 25-7-0 | 20 |
| 6. | University of Minnesota Duluth, 199 | 6 | 17-11-2 | 20 |
| 7. | St. Lawrence University, 171 | 7 | 18-9-5 | 20 |
| 8. | Clarkson University, 134 | 10 | 20-10-2 | 20 |
| T-9. | Quinnipiac University, 121 | 9 | 18-10-4 | 20 |
| T-9. | Penn State University, 121 | 8 | 26-5-1 | 20 |
| 11. | St. Cloud State University, 108 | 11 | 14-10-6 | 20 |
| 12. | Boston University, 59 | 14 | 20-9-1 | 12 |
| 13. | Princeton University, 56 | 13 | 16-9-2 | 16 |
| 14. | University of Connecticut, 37 | RV | 19-9-2 | 14 |
| 15. | Northeastern University, 33 | 12 | 18-11-1 | 15 |
| Others Receiving Votes: Boston College, 7; Yale University, 3; Minnesota State, 3; Brown University, 2; University of St. Thomas, 2; Mercyhurst University, 1. | ||||
Upcoming Top Matchups:
Friday – No. 11 St. Cloud State at No. 3 Minnesota
Saturday – No. 3 Minnesota at No. 11 St. Cloud State
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Did you know? 97% of NCAA Division I women’s hockey players earn their degree!