She came to the University of Minnesota Duluth best known as the player who scored the winning shootout goal for Sweden against Team USA during the 2006 Olympic semifinal game. Now in the midst of her junior campaign with another Olympic experience in her bag, Pernilla Winberg wants nothing more than to be a part of Bulldog history.
“I chose to come to UMD for a variety of reasons,” recalls Winberg. “One of the main reasons was my good friends and Sweden teammates Kim Martin and Elin Holmlov were current roster members and other Swedish teammates Maria Rooth and Erika Holst were former players. UMD had just won the NCAA Championship the year before my arrival, so I knew they had a strong team and would be in contention to win which is something every player wants to be a part of. I heard Coach Miller was an outstanding coach and I wanted to be a part of her team.”
Winberg's vast international experience (she was Sweden's youngest player on the 2006 Olympic squad) helped her acclimate to NCAA play her rookie season. The Malmo, Sweden native compiled 41 points (14-26=41), a 1.10 points per game average in her first season as a Bulldog in 2008-09, which included a trip to the NCAA Frozen Four in Boston.
Outside of hockey, however, Winberg struggled initially with her English skills.
“It was actually quite hard for me,” said Winberg. “I was very uncomfortable and shy with my English skills, so it was quite difficult relying on English as my first language and having all my classed taught in something that wasn't my native tongue.”
To make matters more challenging, Winberg spent the 2009-10 season centralized with Team Sweden ahead of the 2010 Olympics instead of back in Duluth. In what would have been her sophomore year, the Bulldogs won their second NCAA title in three years.
“It was a little different rejoining the team after a year back in Sweden,” said Winberg. During my year in Sweden I could just focus on my game and nothing else, all hockey all the time basically. Coming back to Duluth I had to rework my English skills and not just for speaking but for life in general. It also took a little adjusting going back into a strict school routine and doing homework daily after being out of school for an entire year. I always feel comfortable on the ice whether it's in Sweden or Minnesota, so that didn't take a whole lot of adjusting.”
Winberg returned to the defending NCAA champions last season, but her numbers dropped from her freshmen year (13-21=34). The Bulldogs then made a NCAA quarterfinal exit before Winberg and UMD could get back to the NCAA Frozen Four to defend their title.
“I consider every win a highlight and on the opposite end of the spectrum the low point would be falling short of making the Frozen Four tournament last season,” said Winberg. “My biggest goal is to win a national champiosnhip before my career is over.”
“Pernilla came to us as a very talented player and our goal is to help her become the best team player she can be,” said UMD head coach Shannon Miller. “Her former UMD and Olympics experience, coupled with the fact that we are hosting the two biggest events in women's hockey, should be enough to propel her toward consistent greatness. For our team to be successful this year and for Pernilla to reach her potential and realize her dreams, she needs to become consistently good throughout the season so when it matters most she can be great.”
With the comfort of finally playing in back-to-back seasons in Duluth with UMD, Winberg is finally settled in and aware of what she can bring to the Bulldogs. Winberg lost longtime linemate Elin Holmlov -- who doubles as a linemate when Winberg is on Team Sweden -- to graduation but has retained the services of senior forward Haley Irwin. Irwin and Winberg have shared first line duties since Winberg's rookie season, and the forward has scored three goals and added four assists for seven points in her first six games this year. Now sitting at 82 career points (30-52=82), the 100-point club in the very near future is possible for Winberg. Irwin, already a member of the exclusive club, is currently the only Bulldog who has recorded 100 or more points, but if Winberg can get there, she will join UMD's three greatest offensive Swedes in Rooth, Holst and Holmlov who all are card carrying 100-point club members.
“Overall, I'm quite happy that I can help contribute to the program,” said Winberg. “I still don't think I have reached my full potential and I am going to keep training hard until I feel I have achieved the level I'm capable of.”
Winberg already owns a silver medal from international women's hockey's highest stage, but that doesn't seem to phase the goal Winberg has as a Bulldog. Like most players that enter the Bulldog program, Winberg knows that there is one team goal that trumps all others -- winning a national championship. Add the fact that UMD will host the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four at AMSOIL Arena this March, and Winberg doesn't need to be reminded of the opportunity that could await the Bulldogs this spring.
“As a player the ultimate goal at any level is to win a championship,” said Winberg. “Having home ice advantage is a huge plus. Having your home crowd there cheering you on can really work in your favor and it would be an amazing feeling, it would mean lot to me to compete in the NCAA Frozen Four on home ice.”
That dream is prevelant in Winberg, and she knows that as long as she is on the UMD roster, she will have a valid chance at chasing it.
“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of UMD hockey, above all else, is a winner,” said Winberg. “It's such a storied and rich hockey history that I'm thankful to be a part of. This program has been to the Frozen Four seven times and has won the title five of those times. That's really something I can be proud to represent and I hope I can be a part of a team that adds to those titles.”
USA hockey fans may never truly forgive Winberg for her 2006 Olympic heroics, but if she can reach her biggest goal as a UMD hockey player come March, Bulldog fans everywhere certainly will.
