After weeks away the Gophers finally dropped the puck for game play at Ridder Arena. This time it was against the Minnesota Whitecaps, a professional women’s team composed mostly of former DI players, in an exhibition game that was added at the last minute to the schedule. While the Whitecaps are a team that’s never the same to play twice—large roster varies greatly from game to game thanks to players having other personal and professional commitments that aren’t pressing in the same fashion during DI play—the composition was significantly different thanks to the many missing Olympic team members/hopefuls.
Right off the bat Sydney Baldwin had a shot clink off the post of Whitecaps goaltender Julie Friend’s net.