For the first time in 2015, the sixth-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will hit the road for an Western Collegiate Hockey Association series. The Bulldogs will travel to Mankato, Minn. to face Minnesota State University, Mankato on Friday and Saturday night. Both games will get underway at 7:07 p.m.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs own six-straight victories against the Mavericks, dating back to the 2012-13 season. All-time, UMD is 55-6-4 against MSU.
UMD swept the Mavericks earlier this season on Nov. 1-2 at AMSOIL Arena by scores of 3-0 and 6-3. Jenna McParland led the Bulldogs with two goals, netting the first and third goals in the Nov. 1, 3-0 win. Senior Brienna Gillanders had the other UMD goal, while junior goaltender Kayla Black earned her then 12th career shutout.
Sunday, Nov. 2 was the Ashleigh Brykaliuk and Katerina Mrázová show, with the two sophomores having a hand in the first five of UMD's six total goals. Brykaliuk opened the scoring at 3:46 in the first period, and then scored the game-winning power play goal at 7:30 of the third period. Brykaliuk finished with two goals and two assists, while Mrázovå finished with four assists. In all, four player registered two or more points in the contest, including blueliners Tea Villila and Brigette Lacquette, who each contributed two assists.
UMD put 106 shots on net against MSU in the series while holding the Mavericks to 34. 62 of the Bulldogs shot came in the 3-0 Nov. 1 win, the most shots on goal by a UMD squad since the Bulldogs romped Connecticut back on Oct. 23, 2010. Prior to that, UMD had 64 shots in the NCAA championship against Cornell on March 21, 2010.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Bulldogs are currently in third place in the WCHA with a 10-6-2-2 record and 34 points, four points in front of Ohio State in fourth. The Mavericks are sitting in eighth -- and last -- place with a conference record of 0-15-1.
LAST TIME OUT: No. 6 UMD (15-6-3, 10-6-2-2) swept St. Cloud State last weekend (Jan. 16-17) by scores of 2-0 and 3-2. On Saturday, UMD got goals from sophomore Katherine McGovern (her first of the season and second of her two-year career) and sophomore Lara Stalder, allowing junior goaltender Kayla Black to do the rest. Black made 23 saves en route to her seventh shutout of the season, which tied the single-season record for the Bulldogs set by Riitta Schaublin during the 2004-05 season.
Sunday, UMD scored a goal in each period to knock off the Huskies 3-2. Senior winger Meghan Huertas, Stalder and sophomore Ashleigh Brykaliuk all had goals, while Huertas and sophomore defenseman Sidney Morin each had two points in the skate (Huertas 1g, 1a, Morin 2a). The Bulldogs outshot SCSU 26-22 in the game and went 1-of-3 on the power play.
To watch head coach Shannon Miller's weekly press conference, click here.
NOTES FROM THE ST. CLOUD STATE SERIES: All-time, UMD improves to 54-10-4 against St. Cloud and is now unbeaten against the Huskies in its last seven outings dating back to Dec. of 2013.
--Four of UMD's five goals scored on the weekend were netted by sophomores, while four of the eight assists tallied, or half, were recorded by seniors.
--After missing seven games due to injury, senior blueliner Tea Villila played in both games over the weekend, going +1. Freshman Lynn Astrup missed both games due to injury.
BLACK'S BOOK: Junior goaltender Kayla Black climbed into the company of former All-Americans last Saturday after she picked up her seventh shutout of the season against St. Cloud State. That seventh shutout ties her with Riitta Schaublin for the most shutouts in a single season, a record that Schaublin set back during the 2004-05 season.
With the shutout, Black also moved into a second place tie with another former All-American, Kim Martin, with 16 career clean sheets. Black now trails Schaublin by just one shutout for the all-time record at UMD. Schaublin recorded 17 shutouts in 104 games as a Bulldog.
Black currently ranks second in the NCAA with those seven shutouts, 14th with a .932 saves percentage and 15th with a 1.73 GAA.
BULLDOG NOTES: Ashleigh Brykaliuk continues to lead the Bulldogs in scoring with 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists in 24 games. Zoe Hickel sits second with 21 points and a team-high 13 goals. Lara Stalder ranks third with 20 points with a team-best 14 assists.
--With 13 goals, Hickel has tied a career-high set last year and trails her career-best season output of 27 points by just six points. Hickel is currently on a five game-scoring streak that includes two goals and three assists.
--Brykaliuk and Katerina Mrázovå have all already surpassed their 2013-14 point totals 24 games into the current. Brykaliuk currently has 24 points (11g, 13a), compared to 23 points (11g, 12a) last season. Mrázovå has 16 points (5g, 11a after compiling eight (1g, 7a) in just 16 games last year.
-- Now with 111 career points (50g, 61a), Jenna McParland is now tied as the 14th all-time leading scorer in Bulldog history. In that same vein, senior blueliner Brigette Lacquette now ranks as the 10th all-time scoring defenseman with 58 points, sits tied for 8th in goals scored (16) and 8th with 42 assists by a blueliner in a career.
--UMD has yet to lose with a lead after the first period of play (7-0-1) and has suffered just one setback when holding on to a lead after two periods (11-1-1). Ironically enough, the Bulldogs have scored just 15 goals in the first period, while now having netted 25 second and 26 third period goals.
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