Tonight was the Gophers’s home opener. Before puck drop Minnesota raised their 2018 WCHA Tournament Champions banner and honored the 2018 Olympic players at the rink. This included Americans Dani Cameranesi, Lee Stecklein, this year’s Gopher captain Kelly Pannek, along with Finns Mira Jalosuo and Emma Nuutinen.
Twenty-one seconds into the game Nicole Schammel nearly scored with a wrap around attempt, which goaltender Kennedy Blair denied. There was some back and forth with Minnesota making fore shots before the Lakers going buzzing in Minnesota’s zone after a botched Gopher pass. This kept up through Alex Gulstene’s net coming off its moorings and included decent attempts by Summer-Rae Dobson and Sarah Hine up the right side.