The No. 6/7 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team hits the road for two straight weeks, starting with the No. 3 University of Wisconsin this weekend in Madison.  The Western Collegiate Hockey Association series is slated for 7:07 p.m. Friday and 7:37 p.m. Saturday at LaBahn Arena.

USCHO RANKING:  UMD-- 7th, Wisconsin-- 3rd
USA TODAY/USA HOCKEY MAG: UMD-- 6th, Wisconsin-- 3rd
PAIRWISE RANKING:  UMD-- 7th, Wisconsin-- 3rd

THE SERIES:  UMD is 29-33-11 all-time against the Badgers, and will be looking this weekend to snap a five-game skid against Wisconsin that followed the Bulldogs 1-1 tie and shootout win back on Nov. 29, 2013.

Over the course of the 73 games between them, the two programs have needed overtime 22 times in an attempt to find a winner.  In fact, in the previous 16 seasons, the Bulldogs and Badgers avoided extra time during the season only twice -- UMD's first year in 1999-00 and in 2011-12.  

UMD was swept by then No. 2 Wisconsin on Oct. 3-4 by scores of 4-1 Friday night and 6-2 Saturday at AMSOIL Arena.

On Oct. 3, UMD was within a single goal late into the third period after senior winger Zoe Hickel scored at the 16:15 mark to pull the Bulldogs to 2-1, but Wisconsin finished two empty net goals to dash any UMD upset hopes in the final 50 seconds of play.  UMD was a perfect 6-of-6 on the power play.

The following night, Oct. 4, the Bulldogs scored first on another goal by Hickel, but the Badgers scored four unanswered goals over the course of seven minutes to blow the game open 4-1 by the 5:16 mark of the second period.

WHERE THEY STAND:  The Bulldogs are currently in third place in the WCHA with a 12-7-3-2 record and 41 points, three points in front of North Dakota in fourth.  Wisconsin is in second place, nine points ahead of the Bulldogs with 50 points on a league record of 16-4-2.  The Badgers swept Minnesota State University, Mankato last weekend in Mankato by scores of 3-0 and 5-1.

LAST TIME OUT:  UMD (17-7-4, 12-7-3-2) tied and suffered a setback to North Dakota over the weekend at AMSOIL, but maintained a three-point lead over UND for third place.
Friday the Bulldogs suffered their first shutout at the hands of North Dakota since the Nov. 23, 2008.  In the 1-0 loss, UMD and North Dakota both put 30 shots on goal, and the Bulldogs outshot UND 15-6 in the third period and attempted 34 of their total game total 56 shots in the final 20 minutes.

Saturday night UMD scored midway through the third period to draw the game even at 2-2.  Asheligh Brykaliuk scored the Bulldogs first goal with 55 seconds remaining in the first period, and Zoe Hickel -- who had an assist in the first goal --  netted the tying goal at 10:45 of the third period.  Lara Stalder had assist on both UMD's goals in the game.

Kayla Black had 32 saves Saturday in addition to 29 Friday for a series total of 61 stops.

NOTES FROM THE NORTH DAKOTA SERIES:  All-time, UMD is now 36-11-4 against UND and finishes out the regular portion of the season against North Dakota 1-2-1.

--UMD and North Dakota's overtime contest Saturday was the sixth in their last 11 meetings.  In fact, since 2012, there has been at least one overtime game in every series between the two programs.

--Owning the nation's fifth-ranked power play coming into the North Dakota series at 22.2, UMD went scoreless in six attempts this weekend.

--After scoring first Saturday, the Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.  UMD is now 9-0-2 when it has the lead after the first 20 minutes of play.

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 27 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 Jenn McParland became the 19th member of the 100 point club earlier this season on Oct. 26.

BLACK'S BOOK:  With a 4-0 shutout on Jan. 24, junior goaltender Kayla Black took over sole possession of the single-season shutout record at UMD with her eighth on the year.  She also is now tied with Riitta Schaublin with 17 career shutouts.  Black now sits No. 9th all-time in the UMD record books with her 628 current single-season saves.  WIth 2277 career saves at UMD in 93 games, Black has the fourth most stops by a netminder in program history.

Black is quickly approaching yet another record, having manned the pipes for 93 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 ranks third in the NCAA with eight shutouts and 12th in GAA (1.67) and 11th in saves percentage (.936).  Of players in the top-20 in the nation, Black is tied with just one another goaltender with the NCAA's most saves at 628.  

WIth 16 win 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: With a goal and an assist this weekend, Zoe Hickel moves into 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.

--After recording her two assists Saturday, 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.  

--The Bulldogs have the NCAA's eighth most dangerous power play at 21.1% (24/114) and the nation's 10th-best penalty kill at 87.2 (95/109).

--Hickel ranks 16th in the nation for goals with her 16, while both Brykaliuk and Brigette Lacquette rank fifth in the NCAA with five power play 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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