University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, January 8
Minneapolis, Minn.
4:00 p.m.
at
Minnesota
Photo by: Jenn Fabian
Game Notes - Women's Hockey slated for home-and-home matchup with No. 5 Minnesota
1/6/2022 1:30:00 PM | Women's Hockey
St. Paul, Minn. - St. Thomas women's hockey (4-13-1, 2-11-1 WCHA) is scheduled to face No. 5 Minnesota (14-5-1, 9-4-1 WCHA) for the first time as NCAA Division I opponents. The first game of the series with be played at the Gophers on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 4:00 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Bally Sports North. The second game of the series is slated for a 2:00 p.m. start time on Sunday, Jan. 9 at St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn.
Inaugural Campaign
St. Thomas enters its first season of competition at the NCAA Division I level. The team previously played at the Division III level before making the jump to Division I. The Tommies are being led by a new coaching staff, with head coach Joel Johnson being hired in early June. Johnson brings more than 20 years of coach experience to St. Thomas. Johnson has coached at the collegiate level as well as with USA women's hockey.
Breaking Down the Roster
St. Thomas has 12 newcomers on its roster. Three of the 12 newcomers are transfers and nine are incoming freshmen. The Tommies return 11 student-athletes from the previous season.
Tommies Schedule Talk
The Tommies play a 32-game schedule in 2021-22. 28 of the 32 contests will come against WCHA opponents. St. Thomas will also play non-conference games at RIT and at Lindenwood.
Promersberger Breaks the Ice
Abby Promersberger scored the inaugural goal in team NCAA DI-era history in a 4-1 loss at Ohio State on Sept. 25. Anna Solheim and Megan Cornell added the first two assists in St. Thomas Division I history on Promersberger's goal
Did you Know?
The team has played seven games that have been decided by two points or less this season. The Tommies are 4-2-1 in such games. 12 different skaters have now scored a goal for St. Thomas.
The Tommies in NCAA Stats
The Purple rank 10th in the nation for Penalty Kill Percentage (.882). The team is fifth in team saves with 645 (35.8 per game).
WCHA Teams in the USCHO Poll
Wisconsin (#1), Ohio State (#2), Minnesota (#5), and Minnesota Duluth (#8) all currently sit within the top 10 of the most recent USCHO poll.
Shooters Shoot
Two of the team's four wins have seen the Tommies finish with 30 or more shots in the match. The team's season-high shot output of 38 came in a 3-1 win at RIT on Oct. 29. St. Thomas followed up with a 33-shot showing in a 2-1 win over RIT on Oct. 30.
Last Time Out
The Tommies were swept on the road at Lindenwood, 4-3 in game one, and 4-1 in game two. Nicole Vallario scored or assisted on all four goals in the series for the Toms. St. Thomas rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to push the contest to overtime.
Matching Up with the Gophers
This weekend marks the first meeting between the two opponents. Last time out, the Gophers split a home series against a ranked Minnesota Duluth squad. Taylor Heise leads Minnesota with 14 goals. Heise also leads the team with 17 assists for a team-best 31 points. Minnesota is 8-1-1 away from home, but 5-3-0 within the confines of Ridder Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas women's hockey, follow along on Twitter at @USTwomenhockey and on Instagram at @ustwomenshockey.
UP NEXT
The Tommies are on the road at No. 1 Wisconsin on Saturday, Jan. 15 and Sunday, Jan. 16.
Inaugural Campaign
St. Thomas enters its first season of competition at the NCAA Division I level. The team previously played at the Division III level before making the jump to Division I. The Tommies are being led by a new coaching staff, with head coach Joel Johnson being hired in early June. Johnson brings more than 20 years of coach experience to St. Thomas. Johnson has coached at the collegiate level as well as with USA women's hockey.
Breaking Down the Roster
St. Thomas has 12 newcomers on its roster. Three of the 12 newcomers are transfers and nine are incoming freshmen. The Tommies return 11 student-athletes from the previous season.
Tommies Schedule Talk
The Tommies play a 32-game schedule in 2021-22. 28 of the 32 contests will come against WCHA opponents. St. Thomas will also play non-conference games at RIT and at Lindenwood.
Promersberger Breaks the Ice
Abby Promersberger scored the inaugural goal in team NCAA DI-era history in a 4-1 loss at Ohio State on Sept. 25. Anna Solheim and Megan Cornell added the first two assists in St. Thomas Division I history on Promersberger's goal
Did you Know?
The team has played seven games that have been decided by two points or less this season. The Tommies are 4-2-1 in such games. 12 different skaters have now scored a goal for St. Thomas.
The Tommies in NCAA Stats
The Purple rank 10th in the nation for Penalty Kill Percentage (.882). The team is fifth in team saves with 645 (35.8 per game).
WCHA Teams in the USCHO Poll
Wisconsin (#1), Ohio State (#2), Minnesota (#5), and Minnesota Duluth (#8) all currently sit within the top 10 of the most recent USCHO poll.
Shooters Shoot
Two of the team's four wins have seen the Tommies finish with 30 or more shots in the match. The team's season-high shot output of 38 came in a 3-1 win at RIT on Oct. 29. St. Thomas followed up with a 33-shot showing in a 2-1 win over RIT on Oct. 30.
Last Time Out
The Tommies were swept on the road at Lindenwood, 4-3 in game one, and 4-1 in game two. Nicole Vallario scored or assisted on all four goals in the series for the Toms. St. Thomas rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to push the contest to overtime.
Matching Up with the Gophers
This weekend marks the first meeting between the two opponents. Last time out, the Gophers split a home series against a ranked Minnesota Duluth squad. Taylor Heise leads Minnesota with 14 goals. Heise also leads the team with 17 assists for a team-best 31 points. Minnesota is 8-1-1 away from home, but 5-3-0 within the confines of Ridder Arena.
FOLLOW ALONG
For more information on St. Thomas women's hockey, follow along on Twitter at @USTwomenhockey and on Instagram at @ustwomenshockey.
UP NEXT
The Tommies are on the road at No. 1 Wisconsin on Saturday, Jan. 15 and Sunday, Jan. 16.
Players Mentioned
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