If a puck happens to get past Skylar Vetter — even during practice — the sophomore goalie for the Gophers women's hockey team quickly sweeps the evidence from the cage, disposing of it to the nearest corner, seemingly to make sure no others follow.
"She doesn't like any pucks in her net,'' Gophers coach Brad Frost said. "She doesn't like giving 'em up. She battles and competes on every single puck in practice.''
It's not only in practice.
Vetter, a sophomore from Lakeville, is the backbone of a deep and talented Gophers team that aspires to advance to its first NCAA Frozen Four since 2019 and win its first national championship since 2016.
Friday and Saturday at Ridder Arena, she and her teammates will gauge themselves against defending national champion Ohio State in a series that will help determine the WCHA titlist.
"I've been saying it for a while: I feel like it's kind of like playoffs before playoffs,'' said Vetter, whose third-ranked Gophers face the top-ranked Buckeyes amid a stretch that started with a sweep of Minnesota Duluth and concludes with a home set against Wisconsin. "It's a nice, little test to have.''
Vetter on Tuesday was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Month for the third time this season. On Thursday, the Hockey Commissioners Association named her a top-10 finalist for national goaltender of the year.
She went 7-0 with a 1.20 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in January, running her season stats to 19-3-2 with a 1.70 GAA and .927 save percentage.