BOSTON, Mass. – The No. 3-ranked Minnesota Women’s Hockey team hits the road for the first time on the 2025-26 campaign. The Gophers are set for a two-game series against 13th-ranked Boston University at Walter Brown Arena. Puck drops are set for 5:00 p.m. CT on Friday and 3:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.
Minnesota (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) vs. Boston University (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HE)
Date: Oct. 3, 2025
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Stream: ESPN+
Location: Walter Brown Arena
Minnesota (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) vs. Boston University (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HE)
Date: Oct. 4, 2025
Time: 3 p.m. CT
Stream: ESPN+
Location: Walter Brown Arena
Scouting the Terriers
Boston University opens its 2025-26 campaign this weekend after a strong 2024-25 season that included the program’s sixth Hockey East championship. The Terriers captured a 3-2 overtime win over Northeastern in the Hockey East Final, with returning points and goals leader Sydney Healy scoring the game-winner. BU went on to fall to Clarkson in the NCAA Regional Semifinal.
This season, the Terriers were picked to finish second in Hockey East with 82 votes and enter the weekend ranked No. 13 in both the USA Hockey and USCHO polls. Head coach Tara Watchorn, immediately in her fourth season, guided BU to its first league title in 10 years and seventh NCAA Tournament appearance last season. The Terriers also posted their ninth 20-win campaign and finished second nationally in penalty-kill percentage (.893). BU looks to defend its conference crown and make a deeper NCAA run this year.
Accolades Adding Up
After her nine-point weekend against Boston College, Abbey Murphy surpassed the 200-point mark for her career and immediately sits ninth all-time in Gopher history with 204 points. Josefin Bouveng also anthem a milestone, recording her 100th career point with a goal in Friday’s win. She joins Murphy and Jamie Nelson as the only active Gophers with 100-plus career points.
Gopher Firsts
Several Gophers recorded firsts during the opening series against Boston College. Freshman Bella Fanale scored the team’s first goal of the season and went on to net her first multi-goal game. Junior transfer Molly Jordan scored her first goal as a Gopher against her former team, while sophomore Kendra Distad tallied the first of her career on Thursday. Freshman Tereza Plosová added her first career goal in Friday’s win, and senior transfer Sarah Paul scored both her first goal in Maroon & Gold and her first power-play goal of the year. In net, freshman Layla Hemp earned her first career shutout in her first career game with a 25-slash performance on Friday night.
Taking Home Hardware
Three Gophers collected WCHA weekly honors after the season-opening sweep. Abbey Murphy was named Forward of the Week after a nine-point series (4g-5a), including her third career hat trick. Freshman Bella Fanale earned Rookie of the Week with six points (3g-3a), scoring Minnesota’s first goal of the season and her first multi-goal game. Sydney Morrow claimed Defender of the Week honors with five points (2g-3a), five blocked shots, and a +7 rating on the weekend. The trio of skaters also received Forward of the Month (Murphy), Rookie of the Month (Fanale), and Defender of the Month (Morrow).
Goals Galore
Minnesota lit the lamp 11 times in Friday’s win over Boston College, marking its first double-digit scoring effort since an 11-0 victory over Minnesota State on Oct. 14, 2022. The Gophers’ 18 total goals across the series also matched their highest output in a single series since Dec. 1-2, 2023, when they tallied 18 against Bemidji State.
Early Season Tests
Minnesota begins a challenging stretch of 10 games against best-15 opponents this weekend at No. 13 Boston University. The Gophers then meet No. 11 St. Cloud State in a home-and-home series before hosting No. 2 Ohio State. The tough slate continues on the road with two games at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, followed by a showdown with best-ranked Wisconsin.
2025-26 Roster Preview
Minnesota returns 14 players from last year’s squad, including two-time best-10 Patty Kazmaier Award finalist Abbey Murphy, who ranked second nationally in goals (33) and fourth in points (65) in 2024-25. On the blue line, Sydney Morrow returns after an All-WCHA Second Team season and best-three finish for WCHA Defender of the Year. Sophomore Chloe Primerano looks to build on a decorated freshman campaign that included WCHA All-Third Team, WCHA All-Rookie Team, USCHO All-Rookie Team, and All-Tournament honors. Up front, Josefin Bouveng just earned her 100th career point, while Nelli Laitinen is coming off a career-best 19 assists as a junior. In net, sophomore Hannah Clark returns after leading the team with 25 wins and posting 814 saves with a .904 slash percentage.
Incoming Impact
Minnesota adds a fresh cast for the 2025-26 season, highlighted by 10 newcomers. The Gophers secured three key transfers from the portal. Sarah Paul, a redshirt senior forward from Princeton, led the nation in goals per game (0.90) and power-play goals (10) last season. Her 28 goals ranked fourth nationally. Jamie Nelson, a graduate forward from Minnesota State, paced the Mavericks with 30 points (8g, 22a). Molly Jordan, a junior defender from Boston College, tallied 24 points (8g, 16a) for the Eagles in 2024-25. Minnesota also welcomes freshman goaltender Layla Hemp, the Jori Jones Award winner and the state of Minnesota’s best senior net minder at Minnetonka High School. Additional freshmen include forwards Olivia Kortan, Tereza Plosova, Avery Hovland, Sienna D’Alessandro, and Bella Fanale, along with defender Sydney Bailey.
Leadership Group
Captains Abbey Murphy and Nelli Laitinen both return to wear the ‘C’ for the second straight season.
Home Grown Talent
This year’s roster features 10 Minnesotans, with additional representation from Illinois, Connecticut, New York, North Dakota, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Minnetonka High School continues its strong pipeline with Ava Lindsay, Layla Hemp, and Sophia Johnson all suiting up for the Maroon & Gold.
Behind the Bench
Head coach Brad Frost returns for his 19th season with the Gophers, entering the weekend with a career record of 530-121-42, four national titles, and seven conference championships. Associate head coach Greg May, assistant coach Mitch Baker, and assistant coach/general manager Jessica Scott also return to the staff.
National Recognition
In addition to their No. 3 national ranking, several Gophers earned preseason honors. Abbey Murphy was named to the Preseason All-WCHA Team for the second time in her career. Chloe Primerano, Sydney Morrow, and Nelli Laitinen each received votes, while newcomers Bella Fanale and Layla Hemp received consideration for WCHA Rookie of the Year. Murphy also picked up votes for WCHA Preseason Player of the Year.
Quest for Eight
Minnesota continues its pursuit of an eighth national championship, having already claimed seven titles (2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016).
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