There is no way to properly honor the success of the University of Minnesota Duluth's women's hockey program over its first decade, but the Bulldogs will sure give it a try this Saturday. UMD -- which hosts Minnesota State University, Mankato this Saturday and Sunday at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center -- will celebrate its 10th Anniversary prior to the puck drop of Saturday's game. Scheduled to make appearances in the red carpet pregame ceremony is UMD Chancellor Katherine A. Martin, Bulldog Athletic Director Bob Nielson, and a host of alumni from the past 11 seasons of UMD women's hockey. Game-time for Saturday's skate is set for 6:07 p.m.m while Sunday's contest is slated for 3:07 p.m.
UMD NOTES VS. MINNESOTA STATE
THE SERIES: The No. 5 Bulldogs own a 35-3-3 all-time record against the Mavericks, including an eight-game winning streak against MSU that dates back to the 2006-07 season. Just a year ago, UMD went 4-0 against Minnesota State, and hasn't lost to the Mavericks in the confines of the DECC since Nov. 18, 2006, a 5-3 setback for UMD.
The two teams last skated together in Mankato, Minn. on Jan. 16-17, a 5-0 win on Jan. 16 and a 6-3 triumph on Jan. 17 for UMD. The Jan. 16 game was perhaps one of the most notable games of the 2008-09 season, as it was early in the first period of this contest that then junior goaltender Kim Martin injured her knee on a fluke play. The injury would keep her off the ice as a Bulldogs for the rest of the season.
LAST WEEK: No. 5 UMD (9-5-0, 7-3-0) climbed into sole possession of second place, and two points out of first in the WCHA with a weekend sweep over Ohio State in Columbus. UMD tripped the Buckeyes in overtime Friday night, scoring just :31 seconds into extra time for the 3-2 win. The Bulldogs had six players who netted points on the night, including Emmanuelle Blais, who notched a goal and an assist, her and senior blueliner Jaime Rasmussen, who scored the game-winning tally. Rookie defenseman Mariia Posa dished out two assists just a week after returning from Team Finland duties at the 2009 Four Nations Cup.
UMD used four second-period goals to ice the Buckeyes 5-3 on Saturday night. Nine players recorded points, while forwards junior Laura Fridfinnson and rookie Vanessa Thibault both scored two goals. Blais dished two assists, including the game-winner, which became the senior's 100th career point, the 12th such player to reach the plateau. The Bulldogs were sent to the penalty box a season-low two times in Saturday's skate, and on the weekend, UMD held the Buckeyes to a 0-of-7 power-play which included a short-handed goal for the Bulldogs in Saturday's game.
POSA NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Just one week after suiting up for Team Finland in the 2009 Four Nations Cup, Mariia Posa suited up for UMD in Columbus, Ohio, and as a result, nabbed this week's WCHA 's Rookie of the Week honors.
The rookie blueliner from Helsinki, Finland had three assists in last weekend's series sweep over Ohio State. Posa had assists in the Bulldogs' first two goals in last Friday (Nov. 13) night's 3-2 overtime win over the host Buckeyes. It was a career-high for the blueliner and Posa was also a +3 in the plus/minus department. Posa then dished an assist on national teammate Saara Tuominen's second period goal in last Saturday (Nov. 14) evening's 5-3 triumph over Ohio State, giving the Bulldogs a four-point road series.
BLAIS MAKES HISTORY WITH 100th CAREER POINT: Senior forward Emmanuells Blais became the 12th player in Bulldog history to become a member of the 100 career-point club last Saturday night.
The native of LaSalle, Quebec, had two assists in UMD's 5-3 win, but it was her assist on Laura Fridfinnson's game-winning goal at 12:08 of the second period that reserved her spot in Bulldog folklore. UMD's leading scorer so far this season with 20 points (9g, 11a), Blais now has 50 goals and 50 assists in 118 career skates.
Blais ranks second in the WCHA and 10th in the NCAA in points per game with a 1.43 average, and has scored two or more points in six games -- or half of UMD's contests -- so far this season.
Blais also becomes the fifth Bulldog player in less than a year to reach the mark, following in the footsteps of current senior captain Saara Tuominen, centralized forwards Elin Holmlov and Haley Irwin, and Sara O'Toole who all reached the 100-point plateau last season. Tuominen, who has played 118 games to date, has accumulated 124 career points (42g, 82a), and holds the No. 6 mark for career assists with 82. Blais owns the No. 8 mark for goals in a career with 50.
Not to be left out, junior forward Laura Fridfinnson is currently resting at 95 career points (49g, 46a) in just 92 games.
SPREADING THE OFFENSIVE WEALTH: Last weekend's series with Ohio State provided the perfect example of UMD's shared offensive load so far this season.
Of the only 15 skaters the Bulldogs currently have on their roster (they have 18 players including the three goaltenders), 11 of those 15 picked up at least a point during the Buckeye series.
In fact of the seven UMD rookies who play out on the ice instead of between the pipes, all but one recorded a point last weekend.
Overall, four Bulldogs have registered 12 or more points in the first 14 games (Emmanuelle Blais, 20, Laura Fridfinnson, 17, Katie Wilson, 12, Jaime Rasmussen, 12), and six have picked up nine or more points in those same contests (Saara Tuominen and Audrey Cournoyer each have nine each, but Tuominen has also only played in 12 games).
UMD has four players ranked in the top-11 for points in the WCHA, and Fridfinnson's three game-winning tallies gives her the most in the league. Blueliner Rasmussen is the top point-getting defenseman with 12 points ((3g, 9a) so far this season.
RASMUSSEN CLIMBS THE CAREER LADDER: Senior defenseman Jaime Rasmussen is rewriting some career offensive marks from the blueline of her own.
The Garden Grove, Calf. native, had a breakout season offensively in 2008-09, scoring nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points. Rasmussen is currently the No. 8 all-time career points by a defenseman with 58 (15g, 43a) in 130 outings. She is now closing in on former Bulldog Myriam Trepanier, who sits No. 7 all-time with 59 points (19g, 40a). Rasmussen also ranks No. 6 for career goals by a blueliner with 15, just one short of the No. 5 marker held by Satu Kiipeli, (who netted 16 between 2000-04), and is sixth all-time in assists from a defenseman with 43.
Rasmussen is also just 14 games away from setting UMD's all-time career games played (144), which was set by Bulldog alum Tawni Mattila last season.
SIGN THEM UP! BULLDOGS INK FIVE DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD: While UMD currently sports one of the smallest rosters it has had in program history, one thing is for certain: the Bulldogs won't have that problem next year.
UMD signed five players for the first signing date of the class of 2010, and with the addition of the five Bulldogs currently centralized with their respective national teams ahead of the Olympics, (Kim Martin, Elin Holmlov, Haley Irwin, Jocelyne Larocque and Pernilla Winberg), the Maroon and Gold will have plenty of depth next season.
The Bulldogs new signees include forward Dana Gallop (Grand Rapids, Minnesota), forward Jamie Kenyon (Sparta, Wisconsin), forward Jenna McParland (Schreiber, Ontario), forward Brienna Gillanders (Kyle, Saskatchewan), and defenseman Noora Jaakkola (Toijala, Finland).
Gallop, a pre-season Ms. Hockey finalist and current Team USA U-18 member, will provide UMD with some offensive pop and a little bit of local flare. The 2009 MN AP All-State selection from Grand Rapids/Greenway, scored 42 points last season as a junior (22g, 20a) and 49 points as a sophomore (20g, 29a), and is a smart, offensive player who owns great puck movement skills.
One of two players with Team USA U-18 experience, Kenyon has spent the past eight seasons playing for the Madison Capitals, where she has been a four-year captain. Kenyon was a member if the U-18 team that won the International World Cup Tournament last January, and is a four-year US National Development Camp participant. Kenyon's older sister, Cyndy, played for the University of Wisconsin.
The 5'10 McParland comes from Toronto Junior Aeros club, and was a member of the U-18 Team Ontario squad that won the gold medal at the Canadian National Championships. McParland netted Most Valuable Player honors after scoring two goals in the gold medal game. A member of Team Canada U-18 Conditioning and Selection Camps, McParland will bring excellent puck control, great size and a goal scoring touch to the Bulldogs next season.
Gillanders, who currently suits up for the Notre Dame Hounds, led the league in scoring two years ago as a member of the Swift Current of the Midget AAA League. A member of the Team Canada U-18 Condidtioning and Selection Camps with McParland, Gillanders played for Team Saskatchewan in the last Canadian National Championships.
Jaakkola is the only addition to the 2010 class to come from outside of North America, and is a member of the U-18 Finnish National Team. A tough defender who is strong and moves the puck well, Jaakola had an assist and a +3 rating in the 2008 IIHF Women's World U-18 Championships.
A DOMINANT DECADE: The Bulldogs will celebrate their 10th Anniversary with a special red carpet celebration prior to their game versus Minnesota State, Mankato on Saturday, Nov. 21. The red carpet ceremony will take place prior to the 6:07 p.m. start, and will feature a banner that will be unveiled and raised to the rafters of the DECC.
Since UMD began NCAA play in 1999-00, it has been the most successful program of the past decade, winning an NCAA-best four NCAA titles (2008, 2003, 2002, 2001) and playing in a record-tying six NCAA Frozen Fours. The Bulldogs have won two regular season WCHA titles and four WCHA Playoff titles, and have made nine NCAA Tournament appearances. With 13 All-American nods to UMD's resume, the Bulldogs also have been home to 19 Winter Olympians (and one Summer Olympian), a number that could reach 23 after February's 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
Currently, the Bulldogs have a WCHA-best 13 players, both current and alums, that will suit up with their respective national teams come this February.
BULLDOG NOTES: Junior forward Laura Fridfinnson, whom is also just five points away from the 100 career point mark with 95 points and is currently the Bulldogs No. 2 scorer with 17 points (7g, 10a), will not dress this weekend due to injury...UMD is 5-1-0 at the DECC so far this season....Senior blueliner Jaime Rasmussen is sitting in fourth in the NCAA among defensemen with 0.86 points per game (3-9=12), while freshman forward Katie Wilson is ranked No. 4 among all rookies with a 0.86 points per game average (5-7=11) in 14 games...UMD has scored 18 of its 41 goals in the second period of play, but has also allowed 15 of 35 goals against them in that same stanza.
ON THE AIR: Fans can listen to the Bulldogs on WGEE 970 AM Friday and Saturday with Tom Hansen, who is in his tenth season covering play-by-play duties for the Maroon and Gold. Pre-game will begin 15 minutes before the puck drops. Bulldog fans can also catch the action online with B2tv Networks at http://www.b2tv.com.
