r/MinnesotaFrost • u/absudrlyhappyinpolis • 4h ago
Solution to your thirst for real hockey
The main PW sub is discussing show tunes. We're clearly desperate. Thankfully for Frost fans, there is a solution. I know I wrote about this last week, but I saw the product tonight at Ridder Arena. Get down there.
Electrifying performance from the #3 Gophers vs. #1 Buckeyes. Win tomorrow at 2pm and the Gophers will be #1 in the country.
Before anything else I want to write that Adrianna Milani\* is the Real Deal. Top recruit has six goals in her first five games (she's 18?) and scored tonight in the first 14 seconds. She and Chloe Primerano\* will anchor a 2030 Team Canada and you can see both of them at Ridder for less than $25 at center ice behind the benches. Great crowd tonight.
Let's break it down! * = PWHL material, the rest is up to you.
The Seniors/Transfers/5 yrs seem motivated to prove they can do this in a Post-Abbey Murphy landscape:
Molly Jordan\* looks great so far: 5 games, 5 points, 7 blocks, +2. She's taken the A on her jersey to heart. Active tonight. Ava Lindsay\* is the leading returning goal scorer; she hasn't scored one yet, but still active: 4 assists, 3 blocks from a FW, +5. Emma Kreisz\* has played in 70+ games in a Gopher logo, +7, 5 blocks. Size, experience put her in the PW. Sarah Paul - I want to put her in the PW based on her size and skill; she's a great add from Princeton, but her injury history means she's probably a late round flier. Madison Kaiser\* has openly stated she wants a role in the PW, preferably as a player first. Having a "C" on a Gopher uniform helps. She was strong tonight. However, she pulled a Britta (I know Curl went to UW, but every Frost fan knows what I'm talking about) taking an unnecessary 5 minute major, with which USA Gold Medalist Joy Dunne punished us. Kaiser came out of the box and was delivered a breakaway that would have resulted in a hat trick. Anyway, for an 'influencer', she plays hard. Ashley Allard, transfer from UConn, received solid minutes tonight. 4 points in 5 games, +3.
Juniors, several of these players can play their way into the PW conversation in the next two seasons:
Chloe Primerano\* - I gather that Canadians are still pissed off that she wasn't on the Milan roster. This appears to be quickly corrected, as she missed a couple Gopher games while training with TC ahead of the IIHFs. Add to her summer fun with the Edmonton Oilers developmental camp... 3 games: 5 points, 3 blocks. A budding superstar in our own backyard. Julia Schalin\, transfer from Mercyhurst, 5 games, 5 points, +5 on the foreign line (Plosova, Kreisz). Her activity puts her on the PW radar. Every Minnesota team needs a Finn. *Lauren Goldsworthy** - how is it possible she's not related to North Stars legend Bill? She transferred from Mankato and logged solid minutes, so there may be plans for her. Carly Humphrey\* is +6, 2 blocks in 5 games. Energetic, smart and calculating earns her a scout. Gracie Graham\* +5, 2 blocks, 2 goals. Her size gets her into the PW regardless of her upside. She seemed locked on Joy Dunne in the third. Her college penalties won't be penalties in the PW. Hannah Clark\* Have you ever faced Olympic Gold Medalist Joy Dunne barreling down at you with the puck through the crease? No, neither have I. Great stuff today from Clark.
Sophomores who skated tonight:
Avery Hovland plays a role, small but active, wins face-offs; the fourth line received minutes tonight vs. the #1 team in our land. Sienna D'Alessandro saw significant ice time. Tereza Plosova\* (someday, Czechs, I know, there are keystrokes) logged serious time with the foreign line (Kreisz, Schalin). Her Olympic + Gopher experience, and size, will get her into the PW in a couple years. Bella Fanale\* is a really important +5 because her opponents are focused on her. Team USA 2030. See her now with 2030 Team Canada opponents Primerano and Milani in your own neighborhood!
Frosh who skated tonight:
Adrianna Milani\* scored her fifth goal in five games fourteen seconds after initial puck drop. She scored her sixth later. She's already the top scorer on the team. She played more at the point and backend zone than I would have guessed, but it also allows her to be creative in space. See her. Shattuck's Sloane Hartmetz\* had solid, significant time. She's small but involved, had a couple groaners from the crowd, but these are important minutes for her. PW upside for Shattuck/Gopher lineage. Rachel Piggott had ice time on more than one occasion tonight! She and Maddie McCullough\* came from Etobicoke in Toronto. McCullough is already becoming a force: 2 goals, +3, 5 blx and that wild potential goal vs Bemidji, expertly handling it out of the air.
Gophers vs. Buckeyes, game 2, Saturday 2pm, Ridder Arena.
