The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will embark on its longest home stand of the 2015-16 season over the next three weeks, starting with the No. 8/9 University of North Dakota this Friday. The Bulldogs and Fighting Hawks will jump start the series at AMSOIL Arena on Friday with a 3:07 p.m. start, followed by Saturday's contest, also set to begin at 3:07 p.m.
USCHO RANKING: UMD-- N/A, North Dakota-- No. 9
USA TODAY/USA HOCKEY MAG: UMD-- Rec. Votes, North Dakota-- No. 8
THE SERIES: UMD is 37-13-15 all-time against North Dakota, including a series split in Grand Forks back against the then No. 7/8 Fighting Hawks on Nov. 20-21 by scores of 3-4 and 1-0. The Nov. 21 win marked the first by the Bulldogs over a ranked team since UMD knocked off then No. 9/10 Bemidji State University 2-0 on Nov. 28, 2014.
The first night, Nov. 20, the Bulldogs led the Fighting Hawks on two occasions before surrendering the game-winning goal at 10:17 of the third period. UMD's then newly constructed first line each recorded a goal and an assist -- Ashleigh Brykaliuk, Lara Stalder and Michela Cava. Freshman goaltender Maddie Rooney had 20 saves in the loss.
Saturday, Nov. 21, both teams were scoreless into the third period until sophomore forward Michelle Lowenhielm broke the stalemate at 9:46. The goal was all the Bulldogs would need, with Rooney stopping all 32 shots she faced. The shutout was the second for Rooney in her short collegiate career, and first over a ranked opponent.
UMD vs. North Dakota Last 10 Games (37-13-5 All-Time)
Nov. 21, 2015 1-0 Win Away Oct. 17, 2014 1-2 Loss OT Away
Nov. 20, 2015 3-4 Loss Away Feb. 9, 2014 2-2 Tie OT SW Home
Jan. 31, 2015 2-2 Tie OT Home Feb. 8, 2014 3-4 Loss Home
Jan. 30, 2015 0-1 Loss Home Oct. 13, 2013 3-3 Tie OT Away
Oct. 18, 2014 1-0 Win Away Oct. 12, 2013 3-4 Loss Away
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs were swept over the weekend in Madison by No. 2 Wisconsin by scores of 5-1 Friday and 3-1 Sunday.
On Friday, the Bulldogs were without the services of Lara Stalder, Maria Lindh and Linnea Hedin due to the Nations Cup, as well as Kayla Black and still injured Katerina Mrázová. Head coach Maura Crowell is also currently serving as an assistant coach for the Under-18 USA squad currently in the World Championships and missed the entire series.
Friday, UMD surrendered four first period goals, including three between the 5:41 and 9:29 marks to put the Bulldogs in a hole they couldn't recover from. Senior goaltender Karissa Grapp made a career-high 38 saves on 39 shots after entering the game for the final 40 minutes.
Sunday UMD allowed two goals in the second period, including one power play tally, and fell behind 3-0 after two periods of play. Blueliner Sidney Morin put the Bulldogs on the board at 15:32 of the third period, and UMD outshot the Badgers 9-8 in the final staza, but the Bulldogs would come no closer.
Grapp made 29 saves Sunday for a grand total of 67 saves posted in five periods of play. UMD was 0-of-3 on the power play and 1-of-7 in the series against the Badgers.
NOTES FROM THE BADGERS SERIES: The series sweep marks the second for the Wisconsin over UMD this year, as the Bulldogs finish the regular season 0-4 against UW. Wisconsin outscored UMD 15-4 in their four wins against the Bulldogs, and all-time, UMD is now 29-37-12 against Badgers.
--UMD has played 14 of its 22 games against teams ranked in the top-eight in the country. After playing the No. 2 Badgers twice last week, the Bulldogs now own the nation's hardest schedule with a rating of 292.0 in the current KRACH strength of schedule rating system. North Dakota ranks second with 237.4.
CROWELL, USA U-18 LOOKING GOLDEN: UMD head coach Maura Crowell is currently serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. Women's National Under-18 Team playing in the IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship. That squad will face Sweden in the semifinals Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines, Ontario.
A USA win will land Crowell (who committed to the coaching position in April of 2015) and Co. into the gold medal game on Friday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
BULLDOG NOTES: Junior forward Ashleigh Brykaliuk extended her current scoring streak to a career-tying best eight games with an assist, pushing her eight-game total to five goals and nine assists for 14 points. Senior forward Michela Cava has now compiled 10 points (4g, 6a) in her last six games for a career-high scoring streak of her own.
-- Brykaliuk continues to lead the Bulldogs with 26 points on nine goals and 17 assists in 22 games, averaging 1.18 points per game. Junior Lara Stalder owns 21 points (11g, 10a) in 21 skates, while Cava has put up 20 points with 10 goals and 10 assists in 22 games. Stalder, who leads UMD with 11 goals, also ranks No. 8 in the NCAA with four power play goals.
--UMD is undefeated (6-0) with a lead after two periods of play, but without a win when trailing after the same 40 minutes (0-9-1).
LINE SHINE: With the exception of last Friday's contest against the University of Wisconsin Ashleigh Brykaliuk, Lara Stalder and Michela Cava have hit the ice together nine times as linemates so far this season . In those nine games, UMD has gone 5-4-1 and defeated two opponents ranked in the top-eight in the nation. Even more impressively, the trio has had at least two players post a point in eight of those nine skates, and 11 times one or more of the linemates has registered two or more points in an outing.
Brykaliuk, a native of Brandon, Manitoba, is currently just four points shy of equalling her UMD career-best output of 26 points, and has already dished out a career-high 17 assists this season. In the midst of a career-high tying eight game scoring sreak in which she has churned out five goals and nine assists for 14 points, Bryakliuk has posted a total of six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in her last nine games playing alongside Stalder and Cava. Brykaliuk has also notched four games with two or more points, including one with three points (Ohio State on Dec. 12) and one with four (Ohio State on Dec. 11).
Stalder, who returned to the Bulldogs last weekend after playing with the Swiss in the Nations Cup in Fussen, Germany, ran up a career-best five-game scoring streak of four goals and seven assists for 11 points between Nov. 28-Dec. 12. Stalder has four games of two or more points -- including a three and four point game against Ohio State on Dec. 11 and 12 -- since joining Brykaliuk and Cava, The Luzern, Switzerland product currently leads the Bulldogs with a team-high and career-best of 11 goals, and has compiled 21 points total in 21 games played.
Cava's uptick has been impossible not to notice, trouncing her offensive output of a year ago (3g, 3a) with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points in her first 22 games of the current season. Since joining forces with Stalder and Brykaliuk, Cava, who hails from Thunder Bay, Ontario, has registered 12 goals and 12 assists for 14 points. Cava is also currently in the midst of a five-game scoring streak, over which time she has posted four goals and six assists for 10 points. Like Brykaliuk and Stalder, Cava has four games with two or more points since the trio became linemates in mid November.
UMD AT NATIONS CUP: Three current UMD women's hockey players -- Lara Stalder, Maria Lindh and Linnea Hedin -- suited up for the 2016 Nations Cup in Fussen, Germany that ran Jan. 4 and through Jan 7.
Stalder, a junior forward from Luzern, Switzerland skated for Switzerland, while sophomores Lindh, a forward from Stockholm, Sweden and Hedin, a native of Huddings, Sweden represented Sweden in the six team tournament.
Former Bulldog defenseman Brigette Lacquette will man the blueline for the Canada for the four-day international tournament, while UMD alums Jenni Asserholt and Pernilla Winberg will skated for Sweden.
The Nations Cup, formerly known as the Air Canada Cup, MLP Cup and Meco Cup, brings together teams from Canada, Finland, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland.
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