The road for the No. 6 University of Minnesota is not going to any less challening as the Bulldogs head south to Minneapolis, Minn. this weekend to face the No. 2 University of Minnesota at Ridder Arena.

The Friday-Saturday series will get underway Friday night at 7:07 p.m., and will finish up Saturday afternoon at 4:07 p.m.

THE SERIES:  The Bulldogs are now 24-41-7 all-time against the Gophers after earning a tie and shootout win on Oct. 11 after a 3-0 loss the following night on Oct. 10.  The tie broke UMD's 11-game winless streak against Minnesota and marked the first shootout win against the Gophers for the Bulldogs since the WCHA mandated it.

In the Oct. 10 3-0 setback, Bulldog goaltender Kayla Black responded to stern accountability with 35 saves on 38 shots, and allowed just one even strength goal.

The following night the Bulldogs struck first on a quick trigger goal by senior Emma Stauber.  UMD doubled their lead 2:53 into the second period on Jenna McParland's finish of a a pretty passing play to take over the game at 2-0.  After Minnesota cut the lead to a single goal late in the second stanza, rookie Michelle Lowenhielm helped the Bulldogs cash in on the power play 3:46 into the third period.  The Gophers would add two more goals but neither team could break the stalemate.  

Meghan Huertas and Katrina Mrázová both connected on their shootout attempts to secure the extra point for UMD.

Black had 65 saves in 125 minutes of action against Minnesota, as well as two shootout saves.  The Bulldogs averaged 27 shots a game in the series.

In the 27 games UMD has played at Ridder Arena since it opened it on Oct. 19, 2002, the Bulldogs are just 5-19-3.  By comparison, UMD is 15-16-3 all-time in Duluth, Minn. against the Gophers.

WHERE THEY STAND:  The Bulldogs are currently in third place in the WCHA with a 12-8-4-2 record and 42 points, just one point in front of North Dakota in fourth.  Minnesota is in first place with 60 points and a 18-2-4-2 record, and has already locked up a first round WCHA playoff home game.  Minnesota split with North Dakota last weekend in Grand Forks by scores of 0-3 and 3-1.

LAST TIME OUT: Last Friday night, UMD (17-8-5, 12-8-4-2) and No. 3 Wisconsin played in their 23rd overtime game between them, resulting in a 0-0 tie -- the first 0-0 tie between the Bulldogs and Badgers in program history.  The Bulldogs weathered a 41-23 UW shot advantage, and generated plenty of their own scoring chances.  Zoe Hickel led UMD with five shots.

Junior goaltender Kayla Black had 41 saves Friday, racking up her ninth shutout on the season (she already had the UMD singl-season shutout record) and recorded her 18th career shutout, setting a Bulldog career record for clean sheets.

Saturday night the penalty box was UMD's second opponent, and the Badgers netted three first period power play goals en route to a 5-0 blanking of the Bulldogs.  In all, Wisconsin's first four scores (and four of the five) came with an extra skater, tying a previous UMD opponent record for most power goals surrendered in a game.  UMD was 0-of-5 with an extra skater, though two of those power plays were less than a minute due to a Bulldog picking up an infraction.  In all, UMD spent 19 minutes -- almost an entire period -- down a skater.

Playing in her first action as a Bulldog, rookie netminder Evelina Suonpää manned the pipes for 40 minutes after Black left the game after the first period due to an illness and after seven saves.  Suonpää turned away seven shots in the second period and 12 in the third for a total of 19 in her first collegiate skate.

NOTES FROM THE WISCONSIN SERIES:  With the tie and loss, UMD is now 29-33-12 all-time against Wisconsin in a program-high 75 meetings.  The Bulldogs went 0-3-1 against the Badgers this season.

--The Bulldogs averaged just 21.5 shots a game in their series with Wisconsin,  a departure from the 33.1 they are averaging through their first 30 games.

--UMD has played two straight series with an overtime ending in a shootout.  After winning their first two WCHA shootouts of the season against Minnesota and Ohio State, the Bulldogs have dropped their last two (North Dakota, Wisconsin).

HICKELL HAVING CAREER YEAR:  It will come to the surprise of no one, but senior winger Zoe Hickel is having the best season of her four-year career.  

The Anchorage, Alaska product skated past her previous season high for goals two weeks ago (13) and currently sits with 16 goals in 29 games this year.  WIth a goal and an assist last weekend against North Dakota, Hickel jumped past her previous season-high point total of 27 (13g, 14a) and currently owns 16 goals and 12 assists for 28 points -- over just 27 outings.

Hickel -- who has increased her point output every season she has been a Bulldog (12 points as a rookie, 22 as a sophomore and 27 a a junior)  -- has 89 career points on 43 goals and 46 helpers.  Those 89 points now puts Hickel in the crosshairs of the 100 point club.  

Her teammate and fellow senior Jenna  McParland became the 19th member of the 100 point club earlier this season on Oct. 26.

BLACK'S (RECORD) BOOK:  Junior goaltender Kayla Black is wreaking havoc on the UMD goaltending record books.

Black was at it again last Friday in UMD's tie with Wisconsin, where the Blyth, Ontario native earned her the 18th shutout of her three-year career on a 41 save performance.  That 18th shutout makes Black UMD's all-time career shutout leader and new record holder, surpassing former Bulldog All-American Riitta Schaublin.  

With a 4-0 shutout on Jan. 24, junior goaltender Kayla Black took over sole possession of the single-season shutout record at UMD, but added to it last Friday night to give her No. 9 of the season.  Black now sits No. 9th all-time in the UMD record books with her 676 current single-season saves.  WIth 2516 career saves at UMD in 95 games, Black has the fourth most career stops by a netminder in program history.

Black is quickly approaching yet another record, having manned the pipes for 95 games in her three year career.  Schaublin owns the Bulldog record for most games played by a UMD goaltender with 104, while her All-American cohort Kim Martin played in 99 over her storied career.

Black is ranked third in the nation with her nine shutouts, ninth with a saves percentage of .938 and 13th with a GAA of 1.62.  Of players ranked in the top-20 for saves percentage, Black ranks second with 676 total saves.

WIth 16 wins this season, Black jumped into a tie for the 8th most wins in a season by a UMD netminder.  It is also a career season-high for Black.

BULLDOG NOTES:  Zoe Hickel is in a tie with Ashleigh Brykaliuk as the current point leaders of the Bulldogs with 28 each.  Hickel owns a team-high 16 goals to go with 12 assists, while Brykaliuk has 14 goals and 14 assists.  Hickel has recorded five goals and seven assists in her last nine outings.

Lara Stalder is right on Brykaliuk and Hickel's heels with 27 points on nine goals and 18 assists.  With 15 goals, Hickel has surpassed a career-high set last year and has tied her career-best season output of 27 points.  

--Bridgette Lacquette ranks 12th among all blueline scorers in the NCAA with 19 points (6g, 13a), and is tied with Brykaliuk with the 12th most power play goals.  Brykaliuk also sits No. 2 with two shorthanded goals.

--UMD has yet to lose with a lead after the first period of play (8-0-2) and has suffered just one setback when holding on to a lead after two periods (15-1-1).  Ironically enough, the Bulldogs have scored just 18 goals in the first period, while now having netted 33 second and 32 third period goals.

NEW ADDITION IN NET:  UMD added a third goaltender just days before its series against Minnesota State, but it didn't add just any goaltender.

The Bulldogs brought in the 29th Olympian in program history with Evelina Suonpää from Kiukainen, Finland.  Suonpää was on the Finnish Olympic Team that played in the bronze medal game at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Suonpää is the 10th Finnish Olympian in UMD program history.  The Bulldogs currently have three total Olympians on their roster, including Tea Villila, Suonpää teammate in Sochi and Lara Stalder, who defeated Villila and Suonpää to earn the bronze medal for Switzerland.

FLYING THEIR COLORS -- HOST OF BULLDOGS HAVE BEEN REPORTING FOR NATIONAL TEAM DUTY THIS SEASON:  Six Bulldogs had international duties over the holiday break, starting with senior captain Zoe Hickel, who spent Dec. 27-31 in Blain, Minn. at the USA Hockey Winter Camp.  

Hickel was one of 40 players invited to the 2014 USA Hockey Women's Winter Training Camp that was held Dec. 27-31 at Schwan's Super Rink in Blaine, Minn.  The roster also included 16 members of the silver medal-winning 2014 U.S Women's Olympic Hockey Team.  

Katerina Mrázová spent time with the Czech Republic's squad, while four players suiting up for two different teams skated in the Nations Cup in Fussen, Germany.  Rookies Linnea Hedin, Maria Lindh and Michelle Lowenhielm all won silver medals with Team Sweden, while sophomore Lara Stalder represented Switzerland.

Brigette Lacquette and assistant coach Laura Schuler spent a week at Canada's National Women's Team training camp that ran from Jan. 26-30.

Lacquette was one of 24 players that was invited, including one of just nine defensemen.  She will join former Bulldogs Caroline Ouellette, Jocelyne Lacrocque, Haley Irwin and Jessica Wong, who have also been invited.  Ouellette, Lacrocque and Irwin won gold medals with Team Canada in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (Ouellette owns four gold medals, Irwin owns two Olympic gold medals total) and Wong won a gold medal with Canada's National Women's Development Team at the 2015 Nations Cup in Fussen, Germany.

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