The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will face the No. 1 University of Minnesota for the 71st time in program history Friday night in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Final Face-Off semifinals. The game, which will be held in the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn., will get underway at 7:07 p.m. and will mark the first encounter in a neutral site for the two sides since the 2002-03 season.

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THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and Gophers have not met outside of the confines of Duluth and Minneapolis since the WCHA Finals in Grand Forks, N.D. back on March 8, 2003, a 5-3 UMD win. That game in Grand Forks, played at Ralph Engelstad Arena, was the one and only time the teams have played on a neutral ice other than the WCHA Finals in 1999-2000, which was held in Bloomington, Minn. at the Bloomington Ice Garden, a 2-0 win the Bulldogs.

UMD and Minnesota have met a total of eight times in the WCHA playoffs, including three skates in the semifinals and five in the finals. In those total outings combined, the Bulldogs are 3-5, with a record of 0-3 in semifinal stands against the Gophers, including an overtime 2-3 loss on March 3, 2007. In games for the WCHA championship against Minnesota, UMD is 3-2.

Overall, the Bulldogs are 24-40-6 all-time against the Gophers, and the only program UMD has a sub .500 record against in the NCAA. UMD last defeated Minnesota 4-2 on Jan. 13, 2012, the Gophers first-ever skate in AMSOIL Arena.

This past regular season, UMD went 0-4 against Minnesota for a second- consecutive season. The two last stepped out together at Ridder Arena on Feb. 21 and 22, both 0-6 wins for the Gophers. The Bulldogs were out-shot 75-26 in the series and six of the 12 goals allowed came on the power-play. In all, UMD was called for 45 minutes worth of penalities, while Minnesota served 35 minutes. The Bulldogs were still without rookie blueliner Lara Stalder, who was still in Sochi and junior de- fenseman Tea Villila had arrived back with the team the morning prior to the Feb. 21 skate after spending over four weeks with the Finnish Olympic team.

UMD WCHA PLAYOFF HISTORY: UMD owns five WCHA Playoff crowns, with the last one won in 2010. (The others were won in 2008, 2003, 2001 and 2000.) The Bulldogs own an overall record of 32-12 in the WCHA postseason, which includes a quarterfinal record of 17-4 and semifinal stand of 6-7.

The last time the Bulldogs played in the semifinal of the WCHA Final Face-Off on March 2, 2012 at AMSOIL, they defeated then No. 1 Wisconsin 3-1.

Two of UMD's last three WCHA Final Face- Off semifinal wins have led to WCHA playoff titles, including a 7-3 win over Bemidji State on March 6. 2010 and a 9-0 blowout against St. Cloud St. at the DECC back on March 8, 2008.

ABOUT MINNESOTA: The top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Gophers are 31-1-1 coming into this weekend and are averaging a 3.78 goals a game. Minnesota is led by sophomore forward Hannah Brandt and her 61 points on 21 goals and 40 assists and junior forward Rachael Bona's 55 points (20g, 35a). The Gophers swept St. Cloud State last weekend at Ridder in their first round WCHA series by

LAST TIME OUT: Last weekend, UMD and Ohio State met for the third straight season in the first round of the WCHA playoffs and the Bulldogs took two of three games, win- ning 1-0, losing 3-2 and then advancing on a 5-1 triumph.

Senior captain Jamie Kenyon netted the first of her three goals in the series against the Buckeyes Friday night, netting the lone goal of the entire game, a 1-0 Bulldog win.

On Saturday, UMD outplayed and outshot OSU 34-16, but the goals were hard to come by in its first loss to the Buckeyes on the season, a 3-2 game that set-up the third and final game. Rookie Ashleigh Brykaliuk had an assist on both goals in the skate.

Sunday was all UMD, as the Bulldogs struck first 9:24 in the first period and never looked back, earning the 5-1 win.  Four players had two or more points Sunday, led by Zoe Hickel's two goal, one assist outing. Kenyon had a goal and an assist, while both Meghan Huertas and Tea Vililla each had two assists. In all, nine players ended up with points.

NOTES FROM THE OHIO STATE SERIES: All-time, UMD is now 58-12-2 against Ohio State. The Bulldogs finish up 2013-14 4-1-2 overall head-to-head with the Buckeyes.

-- Junior forward Zoe Hickel had a total of four points in the three game series (3g, 1a), while Jamie Kenyon compiled a goal in each game and Ashleigh Brykaliuk picked up three assists. Brykaliuk had assists on both UMD goals Saturday night, her fifth game this season with multiple points. Kenyon's game-winning goal Friday was her team- high fifth game-winning goal of the season and goalie Kayla Black earned her ninth shutout as a Bulldog and career-high fifth for the season Friday.

--UMD's five goals last Sunday was the sixth game this season the Bulldogs have netted five or more goals in a game.

NEW OFFENSIVE CAREER HIGH-ROLLERS:  While a total of nine players have tied or surpassed their previous career point totals so far this season, UMD's current top-three scorers have all put up impressive personal numbers this season.

Perhaps no player more than senior winger Jamie Kenyon has destroyed their previous highs. Kenyon, who netted a career-high 11 goals as a junior owns the Bulldogs team-high this year of 17 tallies. After put- ting up a banner 17 points a season ago (11g, 6a), Kenyon has compiled 31 points in 35 games this season (17-14=31). Per- sonally Kenyon has also put up a career- best 14 assists, almost doubling her rookie effort of eight helpers.

While UMD leading scorer Jenna McParland put up huge numbers as a freshman as a linemate of offensive veteran Haley Irwin, she has matched her 32 point output of her first year. McParland scored 21 goals and had 11 assists as a rookie, but again has reached 32 points this season on 11 goals and 21 assists.

And if the 2012-13 season was consid- ered a breakout year for junior forward Zoe Hickel, then 2013-14 has cemented her status as one of UMD's most consistent contributers. Hickel had 22 points (10g, 12a) as a sophomore but has surged past that career high this season with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points.

BLACKED OUT: Kayla Black earned her ninth career shutout last weekend and fifth of the season against OSU, but the sophomore goaltender is climbing up another chart for UMD and fast.

Black has now made 842 saves this sea- son in 34 games, ranking her with the fourth most saves made in a single sea- son and just two saves from overtaking Kim Martin's 843 stop performance dur- ing the 2007-08 championship season.

Black has also now entered a three-way tie with the 10th most wins by a goal- tender in a season (14), and already owns with the fourth most career saves in program history with 1,617 in just 65 games.

BULLDOG NOTES: Newly minted Olympic bronze medalist Lara Stalder, who returned to Duluth last Monday still ranks No. 3 in the nation among all rookie scorers with 22 points (4g, 18a) in 27 skates. Stalder is the only defensman in the top- 16, and also ranks No. 7 among scoring blueliners in the country. Stalder also has the most points by a rookie defenseman since Jocelyne Larocque contributed 26 points (4g, 22a) in 39 games during the 2007-08 season.

--Jenna McParland continues to lead UMD in scoring with 32 points on 10 goals and 22 assists. Jamie Kenyon sits second with 31 points on a team-high 17 goals and 14 assists, while junior forward Zoe Hickel now has 27 points on 13 goals and 14 assists. Kenyon also ranks fifth in the NCAA wth five game-winning goals.

--UMD continues to win games when they score first, having gone 9-1-3 when they strike first and just 4-12-2 when they havent.

--McParland now sits at 92 career points with 43 goals and 49 assists, just nine points shy of UMD's 100-point club. In fifteen seasons of the program, the Bulldogs own a whopping 18 players who reached the 100-point mark, including six (all current or former Olympians), who compiled 200 or more in their UMD career.

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