No. 1 Gophers women's hockey team opens Thursday-Saturday series with St. Thomas

Series preview: Gophers women's hockey vs. St. Thomas

7 p.m. Thursday at St. Thomas Ice Arena, Mendota Heights; 4 p.m. Saturday at Ridder Arena. Stream: BTN Plus both games.

Gophers update: Top-ranked Minnesota (24-7-1, 19-6-1 WCHA) faces the Tommies in a home-and-home series with a chance to secure its 11th WCHA regular-season title. The Gophers, who lead the conference with 62 points and a .795 points percentage, would accomplish that feat with a pair of victories over St. Thomas, a team they swept 8-0 and 8-2 in early January. Second-ranked Ohio State and No. 3 Wisconsin are tied for second in the conference with a .760 points percentage and face each other on Friday and Saturday with a chance to grab the conference title should the Gophers falter. Because the Buckeyes and Badgers will play one fewer conference game than the Gophers, the WCHA is using points percentage in determining its standings. … Senior F Taylor Heise leads the nation in scoring with 55 points on 23 goals and 32 assists. She is two points ahead of Wisconsin forward Daryl Watts (25-28-53). Senior F Abigail Boreen (20-26-46) is tied for eighth nationally in scoring.

Tommies update: In its first season as a Division I program, St. Thomas (5-23-1, 3-21-1) sits in last place in the WCHA, seven points behind seventh-place St. Cloud State. Highlights for the Tommies this season have been a 2-1-1 record against St. Cloud State and a victory at Bemidji State. … Freshman F Abby Promersberger leads the Tommies with 12 points on five goals and seven assists. Junior F Allie Monrean (5-6-11) and senior F Anna Solheim (2-8-10) are close behind. … First-year Tommies coach and former Gophers assistant Joel Johnson is coaching the United States in the Beijing Olympics. Assistant coach Bethany Brausen, also a former Gophers assistant, is leading the Tommies in his place.