Tonight starts the Gopher Women’s Hockey Team’s run for a third consecutive National Championship and their fifth in six seasons at Ridder Arena. The 2016-17 Gophers will still have several familiar faces, but in their most important position, its time for an arguably relatively untested junior to take the next step in her development.
The Gophers start the 2016-17 season as the #2 team in the nation, trailing only arch-rival Wisconsin. The Badgers were also predicted to win the WCHA this season, and they do on paper return the better team. But Minnesota knows that championships are not won on paper, but on ice.