Gophers women's hockey earns No. 2 seed for NCAA Tournament

Gophers women's hockey gets No. 2 seed for NCAA Tournament

Brad Frost reacted Sunday after the Gophers women's hockey team got the No. 2 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament following a win over Ohio State to take the WCHA Final Faceoff title.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota women’s hockey team now knows its path on the quest for an eighth national championship.

The Gophers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning the WCHA Final Faceoff over the weekend at Ridder Arena. Minnesota earned the No. 2 overall seed, and will host the Minnesota-Duluth/Clarkson winner Saturday afternoon.

Minnesota (29-5-3) could celebrate after a weekend that couldn’t have gone much better. The Gophers beat Wisconsin 4-2 on Friday, then upset Ohio State, the No. 1 team in the nation, 3-1 to win the WCHA Final Faceoff.

"There was something different about our team this weekend, been waiting to see it and we saw it both Friday and Saturday. The way that they played, the toughness they showed, the care and concern that they had for one another, it was just a total team effort and it had to be against two really good hockey teams," Gophers coach Brad Frost said. "There’s great confidence for our group after winning this championship, now it’s a matter of keeping that going and playing with that same intensity and drive."

The Gophers are making their 20th NCAA Tournament appearance, have won seven national titles and missed the field just three times in the last 23 years.