“It was kind of a funny costume, making fun of myself,” said Schammel, whose costume entailed being taped up with fragile stickers and a handwritten sign across her chest saying, “Millennial. I’m offended.” It got some laughs among her unoffended, millennial teammates.
They were dressed up as well. #6 Minnesota, coming off two losses to Wisconsin and being swept at home by anyone for the first time in seven years, chose to celebrate Halloween and practice all at once. The afternoon saw an entire lineup of costumed characters.
— Minnesota W Hockey (@GopherWHockey) October 31, 2017
Head coach Brad Frost, who led practice as Batman, made the decision last week.
“We said win or lose, we’re going to do this. Find costumes that you can skate and we’re going to have some fun,” he said. “Good timing for it; especially without a weekend off in the whole first half.”
Normally, only the team's coaches are in costumes for Halloween. This year it extended to the players as they are known to go in costume for Gopher volleyball games.
There were Teletubbies and Cubbies. Four found sumo wrestler costumes. Sophomores Lindsay Agnew and Patti Marshall went to practice dressed up as one another, with the Canadian Agnew wearing an American Marshall Team USA sweater, and vice versa.
— Minnesota W Hockey (@GopherWHockey) October 31, 2017
They all agreed associate head coach Joel Johnson’s 7 foot tall skating dinosaur was the best. (According to Frost, he’s worn it before.)
“I walked onto the ice and I see sumo wrestlers and Batman and dinosaurs, so it definitely did have a fun energy to the practice,” said senior Sydney Baldwin.
While the costumed practice helped lighten the mood, the Gophers continue to take their preparation seriously. Minnesota (5-4-1, 4-3-1-0 WCHA) goes to Mankato this weekend to face Minnesota State in WCHA play.
Facing a setback with the two losses to Wisconsin, there is a balance between the two.
“I think we, to a certain extent, need to be hard on ourselves and realize that there are some areas we need to focus on and get better at. It’s all about the process, about getting better each day and each game,” Baldwin said. “So I think that will be something we will keep in mind going forward.”
This weekend marks another step in the process, Schammel said. Minnesota came back to tie the top-ranked Badgers three times without taking a lead. Defensively, goaltender Sidney Peters kept the fast-skating and high-scoring Wisconsin offense at bay, giving the Gophers a chance.
Neither was perfect, however, and the difference between winning and losing is as close as Schammel, who is fourth on the team with three goals in 10 games, getting saved in overtime before Wisconsin scored Saturday.
For her, the weekend also also means a series against the team the redshirt junior played her freshman year before transferring to Minnesota. On Friday and Saturday, Schammel will be dressed up in maroon and gold as a millennial trying to win two games.
“It’s always fun to play my old team and go back to Mankato. I don’t get to go down there very much anymore, don’t have much of a reason to go back,” she said. “It’s always kind of an emotional weekend for me.”
Minnesota (5-4-1, 4-3-1-0 WCHA) at Minnesota State (2-5-1, 1-3-0-0 WCHA)
Dates: Friday November 3rd-Saturday November 4th
Times: 7:00 pm Friday, 3:00 pm Saturday
Location: Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato, MN
Stream: Minnesota State website
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