The three-time defending NCAA Division I champion University of Minnesota-Duluth will play eight games against teams who competed in last March's women's Frozen Four -- including a pair of home engagements with the team it defeated for the national title, Harvard -- as part of its 2003-04 hockey schedule.



The Bulldogs, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Shannon Miller, will commence their fifth year of intercollegiate play on Oct. 10-11 when they begin defense of their Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season championship with a two-game series at Minnesota State University-Mankato. UMD's 24-game WCHA schedule also includes four matchups with the University of Minnesota, which competed in the Frozen Four last spring in Duluth. On Nov. 28-29, The Bulldogs will journey to Hanover, NH, for two outings with Dartmouth College (who they upended in the 2003 Frozen Four semifinals) before hosting the University of Wisconsin (Dec. 5-6) and Harvard (Dec. 12-13) to close out 2003. UMD bested Harvard 4-3 in double overtime in last March's historic Frozen Four championship game.

The Bulldogs posted a 31-3-2 overall record in 2002-03 and captured both the WCHA regular season (with a 21-2-1 mark) and playoff crowns.