Daughter of Gophers hockey legends commits to Wisconsin

Emily Pohl, the daughter of Minnesota hockey greats John Pohl and Krissy Wendell-Pohl, will play for the Badgers in college.

Fans inside 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota. | University of Minnesota Athletics

Emily Pohl, one of the top junior girls' hockey players in the country, announced her commitment to the Wisconsin Badgers on Monday.

The junior forward from Hill-Murray in the Twin Cities is the daughter of Gophers greats John Pohl and Krissy Wendell-Pohl, making her commitment to the rival Badgers a bit of a stunner. John and Krissy are also her coaches at Hill-Murray, where she plays alongside her younger sister, Anna Pohl.

Emily had 41 goals and 33 assists as a sophomore last season, helping lead Hil-Murray to a 5-4 double-overtime victory over perennial power Edina in the Minnesota Class 2A state championship game.

John won the Mr. Hockey award as the top senior skater in Minnesota in 1998 while playing for Red Wing HIgh School. Krissy won the Ms. Hockey award in 2000 while attending Park Center High School.

Both went on to star for the Gophers. John played at the University of Minnesota from 1998 to 2002 and helped the Gophers win the national championship during his senior season. Krissy was a Gopher from 2002 to 2005, tallying 106 goals and 131 assists while helping Minnesota win back-to-back national titles in 2004 and 2005.

Krissy won the Patty Katzmeier Award as the nation's top player in 2005, and she went on to become the captain of the American national team that won gold at the 2005 IIHF Women's World Championship. She was also on the 2006 national team that won bronze at the Olympics in Turin, Italy.