The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will continue its two week road stand this week, as the Bulldogs head to Chesnut Hill, Mass. to face No. 6 Boston College. The two teams, who last met at the start of 2011-12 season, will skate at the Silvio Conte Forum at Kelley Rink. The first game of the series is set for Thursday night, with the following game Friday. Both games are set for a 7:00 pm ET/6:00 pm Central Time start.
UMD NOTES VS BOSTON COLLEGE
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and Eagles have met just five times in their history, with UMD owning the 4-1 record advantage. The two teams tangled last year on Oct. 8-9, 2011 to open the 2011-12 season.
The Bulldogs pounced on BC opening night, piling up four second-period goals to bury the Eagles 7-2. After a silent first period, UMD erupted offensively with goals by Haley Irwin, Katie Wilson, Jessica Wong and Zoe Hickel. Wong recorded a career-high by scoring two goals and adding three assists for five points. Four players notched two or more points in the game and nine players in all registered points including three then-freshmen.
UMD surrendered its first-ever program loss to the Eagles on Oct. 9, 2011 allowing BC to score the game-winning tally with less than a second left short-handed. The Bulldogs carred a 2-1 lead late into the third period but BC equalized with 2:51 remaining in the contest to set up the game-winning goal and leave UMD with a 3-2 loss.
The Bulldogs have played in Chesnut Hill two other times before, a series during the current seniors rookie season. UMD swept the Eagles in those two games by scores of 3-0 and 5-1.
UMD and BC have one playoff meeting between them -- both schools first encounter with each other -- also a historic one on March 16, 2007. The skate happened in Lake Placid, NY in the 2007 NCAA Frozen Four. The Eagles scored two goals in the first period to gain a 2-1 edge and after the Bulldogs tied the game 2-2 52 seconds into the second period, BC responded with a power-play tally 1:04 later. The game would stand at 3-2 in favor of the Eagles until Michaela Lanzl netted the game-tying goal with 4:20 remaining in regulation.
Two overtimes later, senior forward Jessica Kozumi scored her second goal of the game at 14:19 to knock off the Eagles and send the Bulldogs to the NCAA championship game. Senior goaltender Riitta Schaublin made 29 saves in the contest for UMD, including 12 in the overtimes. BC netminder Molly Schaus was outstanding, stopping 47 Bulldog shots.
UMD is 16-3 all-time against Hockey East opponents and went 4-1 against that conference a season ago. Prior to last season's loss, the Bulldogs owned a 16-game winning streak against the Hockey East dating back to UMD's inaugural season in 1999-00.
Senior center Wilson owns the most points of any player against BC in Bulldog program history with five goals and two assists for seven points in four games. Wong has two goals and four assists for six points, as well as Audrey Cournoyer who also owns three goals and three assists for six points in four skates against the Eagles.
LAST WEEK: UMD struggled offensively last weekend, picking up just one point on the road against Minnesota State University, Mankato in Mankato, Minn.
Friday's 3-3 draw was a meltdown of epic proportions for the Bulldogs after compiling a three-goal lead on Pernilla Winberg's goal 6:26 into the third period. UMD then allowed three unanswered goals, including two within the final 1:19 of regulation. The Bulldogs outshot MSU 39-26 but also dropped the shootout. Sophomore winger Zoe Hickel scored two goals in the skate.
Saturday a UMD turnover in front of its own goal allowed MSU to etch out the 1-0 win in the third period, allowing the first defeat of the Bulldogs by Mankato since 2009.
NOTES FROM THE MINNESOTA STATE SERIES: UMD is now 46-5-4 all-time against the Mavericks. The MSU win Sunday snapped a 14 game-unbeaten streak that had started back on Nov. 22, 2009.
--Saturday's 3-3 tie was the most goals the Bulldogs have scored in five games, while the overtime was the first for UMD since overcoming Ohio State last season in extra time 3-2 on Feb. 25.
--Minnsota State's goal at 10:46 of the third period Saturday broke UMD's shutout streak of 174:32 minutes, dating back to the final minutes of the Ohio State game on Oct. 6.
--The Bulldogs have struggled in the WCHA's mandatory shootout since its inception during the 2008-09 season. In five years, UMD is just 3-7 in 10 shootouts. The Bulldogs did win their only shootout last season on Oct. 30 against North Dakota at AMSOIL.
--While two of UMD's opponents have been ranked nationally prior to the series (Wisconsin and BC), all of the Bulldogs opponents this season have made an appearance in the top-10, with MSU now sitting at tenth.
THE WONDER OF WONG: Not only did Jessica Wong join the UMD 100 career point club on Oct. 6, she became only the second defensemen ever to do so. Wong joins former teammate and Team Canada member Jocelyne Larocque as the only two blueliners in a club belonging to forwards.
Larocque owns 105 career points, which includes 86 assists, and sits as UMD's all-time leading scorer from the backline. While Wong now has 102 points (43g, 59a) in 116 games, Wong began her Bulldog career as a forward in the 2009-10 season before head coach Shannon Miller dropped her back to the blueline. Wong has played in 72 games as a defensman, compiling 28 goals and 43 assists for 71 points from the back, ranking her sixth currently all-time among Bulldog blueliners.
WIth two current players in the 100 point club (Wong and Audrey Cournoyer), two other current UMD skaters are closing in on their 100th point. Pernilla Winberg is sitting at 99 points with 37 goals and 62 assists, including a goal last weekend, while Katie Wilson has climbed to 92 career points (34g, 58) after her three point weekend against OSU.
BULLDOG NOTES: UMD owns the fouth scoring defense in the NCAA, allowing just 1.67 goals a game...On the end, however, the Bulldogs are trending as one of the lowest scoring teams in the nation, averaging just 1.50 goals an outing...Four players lead the Bulldogs in scoring so far this season, with blueliner Jessica Wong and Pernilla Winberg both at two goals and an assist for three points apiece...Winberg has posted a team-high 22 shots on goal and is also sitting at 99 career points (37g, 62a)...Kayla Black ranks sixth in the NCAA with a 1.66 goals against average...With two shutouts in six games, Black is tied for second in shutouts.
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