The Crowell Era will finally formally hit the ice this weekend when the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team visits Lindenwood University to drop the puck on the 2015-16 season.  The Bulldogs and Lions will skate at the Lindenwood Ice Arena on Saturday and Sunday.  Both games will get underway at 2:00 p.m.

USCHO RANKING:  UMD-- Receiving Votes, Lindenwood -- N/A

THE SERIES:  The two squads have met for just one series, last season, at AMSOIL Arena.  UMD swept the series by scores of 3-1 and 6-2 on Oct. 25-26.  11 players notched points in the series, including three players that had two or more points in one game.  Lara Stalder had back-to-back multiple point games with two assists on Oct. 25 and three on Oct. 26.  Then junior goaltender Kayla Black made 24 saves in the opening game (Oct. 25), while Karissa Grapp nabbed 22 stops on Oct. 26.

2015-16 PREVIEW

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: The Bulldogs lost eight players off their 2015-15 roster including offensive stalwarts Zoe Hickel, Jenna McParland and blueliner Brigette Lacquette. Hickel -- who along with Lacquette was a All-WCHA Second Team selection --  led all scorers last season with 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points.

RETURNING RELIABILITY:  UMD returns three of its top-five scorers in a trio of juniors -- forward Asheligh Brykaliuk,  junior center Lara Stalder and Katerina Mrázová.  Brykaliuk finished second in scoring only to Zoe Hickel, compiling 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points in 36 games.  

Brykaliuk posted eight games with multiple-point efforts, including a UMD career mark of four points (2g, 2a) against Minnesota State on Nov. 2 that landed her WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors on Nov. 4.  With four game-winning goals and two assists, Brykaliuk also proved she could drive a stake through opponents hearts.  Brykaliuk also led the Bulldogs with five power play goals and ranked second with a plus/minus rating of +15.

Stalder's move from the backline to center proved fruitful for the Bulldogs last season, as the speedy Switzerland native continued her offensive ways with 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 37 skates.  Like Brykaliuk, Stalder had eight multiple-point games and had two game-winning tallies, along with three assists.    

Mrázová rounds out the top-five scorers from a year ago after recording 25 points (7g, 18a) in 37 outings.  Mrázová, who joined the Bulldogs in January of 2014, has 33 career points (8g, 25a) in just 53 career skates.

On the blueline, expect big teams from junior defenseman Sidney Morin, who had three games last season with two assists and a one goal, two assist skate against Cornell on Nov. 21.  Morin found the scoresheet in 11 games last season, with three of her helpers serving up game-winning goals.  

Though arguably no position took a bigger hit as a result of graduation than UMD's defensive core, sophomore Jessica Healey blossomed late in the season last winter, and should assert herself as one of the Bulldogs top blueliners.  Healey, who was named the WCHA's Rookie of the Week back on Feb. 24th after netting back-to-back goals against Ohio State, including a game-winner on Feb. 20 and 22, refined her skills with the Canadian Development Team in August.

The Bulldogs also retain the services of their starting goaltender Kayla Black, who set both UMD's single (10) and career (19) records for shutouts last season and became the all-time leader for saves.  Black will start the season with 2510 career saves to her name and 102 career games played -- just two games short of tying former Bulldog All-American Riitta Schaublin, who leads all former netminders with 104 career games at UMD.

YOUTH MOVEMENT:  Six new freshman will debut the gold Bulldog head this season, including a northland household name in goaltender Maddie Rooney, who starred in net for the Andover boys high school team last winter and forward Reagan Haley, a Ms. Minnesota Hockey finalist.  They are joined by defensemen Valerie Drouin and Shelby Brossart, and forwards Morgan Morse and Emma Yanko.  Duluth native Alexia Klaas, a redshirt freshman a year ago, will also be eligible for her first ice time as a Bulldog.

UNDER(BULL)DOGS:  Picked to finish fifth in the WCHA's preseason poll earlier this month, UMD will be looking to improve on its 20-12-5 overall record last season (its 14th season with 20 or more wins), and fourth in the WCHA finish.  The Bulldogs bowed out to Bemidji State in the first round of the best-of-three WCHA playoff series in February, the first time in program history that UMD did not advance out of the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN:  Voted UMD's team captain for the 2015-16 season, junior Ashleigh Brykaliuk will lead the Bulldogs in addition to being its top-scoring returner.  

Brykaliuk will be joined by Minnetonka, Minn. native Sidney Morin, who was voted the assistant captain.  Morin, a junior defenseman, led UMD with a +16 plus/minus rating last season.

For a PDF version of this release, click here.

Online Video for the Lindenwood Series
Online Stats for the Lindenwood Series