The University of Minnesota Duluth will be strongly represented at the XX Winter Olympic Games this winter in Turino, Italy. The Bulldogs have 10 present, past, and newly signed women's hockey players at the winter games playing for six different nations.

UMD had five former team members and one current named to their respective national teams to participate at the games before today’s announcement of the Finnish Olympic Team. The current Bulldog member who have made their national teams are freshman F Michaela Lanzl (German Olympic Team) and F Mari Pehkonen (Finnish Olympic Team).

Lanzl, a rookie forward for UMD, is no stranger to Olympic competition. She was on the 2002 German Olympic Team at the age of 19. The Geretsreid, Germany native, is fourth on the NCAA charts for rookie scoring. So far during the 2005-2006 season she has complied 26 points (16-10=25) and leads the country with eight power-play goals.

Pehkonen has played in all but one game for the Bulldogs this season. The Tampere, Finland native, has garnered six goals and four assists for 10 total points, including one game-winning goal for UMD.

Former Bulldog skaters who had already earned spots at the Olympics are Jenny Potter (United States Olympic Team), Caroline Ouellette (Canadian Olympic Team), Patricia Sautter-Elsmore (Swiss Olympic Team), Maria Rooth (Swedish Olympic Team), and Erika Holst (Swedish Olympic Team). Potter, Rooth, and Holst will be making their third trips to the Winter Olympics, while Ouellette will be making her second and Sautter-Elsmore her first.

Besides Pehkonen the Finnish National Team added former Bulldogs Satu Kiipeli and Nora Tallus to their roster. Also making the squad is Saara Tuominen, who signed with UMD earlier this season. Tuominen will join the Bulldogs starting in the 2006-2007 campaign.

The 10 UMD players that made their respective national teams, join the ranks of former Bulldog teammates who have played in past Olympic Games. Former Olympic players include; Hanne Sikio (2002) and Tuula Puputti (1998, 2002) from Finland, and Kristina Petrovskaia (2002) from Russia.

The UMD Bulldogs will also be represented in the Olympic Staff as assistant coach Ira Turunen will be the Chief of Athlete Services at Torino Esposizino Arena. Turunen will be responsible for overseeing a volunteer staff that will be assistant team equipment managers.