After over a month removed from its last Western Collegiate Hockey Association action, the No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will jump back into league play when the No. 2 University of Minnesota visits AMSOIL Arena this weekend. The series will kick-off Friday afternoon at 3:07 p.m. and will wrap up Saturday at 3:07 p.m. This weekend is also "Youth Hockey Weekend", and the Bulldogs are offering all youth hockey players and Icebreaker participants free tickets via online shopping cart, as well as discounted tickets for their families on www.umdbulldogs.com.
USCHO RANKING: UMD-- No. 4, Minnesota-- No. 2
USA TODAY/USA HOCKEY MAG: UMD-- No. 4, Minnesota-- No. 2
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs are 24-51-7 all- time against the Gophers. The two last tangoed on Oct. 14-15 in Minneapolis, Minn. UMD fell 3-4 on Oct. 14 before dropping a 2-3 overtime decision on Oct. 15.
In the first game of the Oct. 14-15 series, UMD and Minnesota were tied 3-3 heading into the third period, but the Gophers scored with 5:40 remaining in the contest to etch out the win. Two freshmen scored two of UMD's three goals -- Jalyn Elmes and Sydney Brodt, who also had an assist in the contest.
The Bulldogs built a 2-1 lead after the first period the following afternoon on two goals from senior winger Lara Stalder. After a scoreless second period, Minnesota equalized 2:08 into the third period, eventually pushing the game into overtime. The Gophers managed to score with just 1:03 remaining in extra time to keep UMD winless in its last 21 meetings with Minnesota dating back to the 2011-12 season.
Outscored on the weekend 7-5, UMD was also outshot 81-40. The Bulldogs went 2-of-11 on their power play, while the Gophers went 4-of-9. Sophomore goaltender Maddie Rooney made 74 saves in the series, including 42 in the 2-3 overtime loss. Rooney has made 40 or more saves against Minnesota three times in her career.
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A QUICK LOOK AT THE GOPHERS: Minnesota is led by Brad Frost, currently in his tenth season at the helm of the Gophers where he is 309-48-24. The back-to-back defending NCAA champions are coming off a 5-3 non-conference win against Minnesota State University, Mankato last Sunday. Four players scoring two or more points and two scored three or more (Kelly Pannek 2g, 4a, and Kate Schipper 1g, 3a). Pannek leads Minnesota with 44 points on 11 goals and 33 assists in 21 skates, while two players have recorded 31 points -- Danit Cameranesi (18g, 13a), and Sarah Potomak (13g, 18a).
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs skated in an exhibition last Saturday against the Minnesota Whitecaps, a 5-2 setback for UMD. The Bulldogs — who last skated against an opponent back on Dec. 10 — were without six rostered players in the line-up. Five of those players — including leading scorer senior forward Lara Stalder — were in Fussen, Germany for the The Nations Cup that ran from Wednesday, Jan. 4 through Saturday Jan. 7.
PEAK STREAKS: Ashleigh Brykaliuk has tied her career-long scoring streak of 11 games. Brykaliuk has compiled seven goals and seven assists for 14 points over that span. The senior forward hit the 11-game mark last season between Nov. 27, 2015 through Jan. 22, 2016, and amassed five goals and 14 assists for 19 points over that time.
FOLLOW THE LEADERS: Lara Stalder, leads all UMD scorers with 27 points on nine goals and 18 assists in 20 games. Stalder ranks 14th in the NCAA in total points (9-18=27, 1.35 ppg), ninth in assists, and sixth in game-winning goals with three.
Maddie Rooney is seventh in the NCAA with a .940 saves percentage and the second-most saves with 513. She also owns the 11th goals against average of 1.64 with a nation-leading 1206:20 minutes played. Rooney's win percentage is the 12th-best at .725 and she has the ninth most shutouts with three.
Freshman forward Sydney Brodt ranks first in the WCHA and 11th in the NCAA among all rookie scorers with three goals and 13 assists for 16 points in 20 games.
Senior defenseman Sidney Morin sits 15th among all defensemen in the nation with 13 points in 20 games (five goals, eight assists). Morin has also cracked the top-10 among UMD's defensemen in scoring with 59 points on 16 goals and 43 assists in 130 games. Morin ranks 10th for points for Bulldog blueliners all-time, and ninth in both goals scored and assists over UMD career.
RANK AND FILE: The Bulldogs are ranked No. 4 in both the USCHO.com and USA TODAY/USA Hockey Magazine's national polls. Minnesota will enter AMSOIL this weekend ranked No. 2 in both the same two national polls. The Bulldogs are 4-3-3 against teams ranked in the top-10. Ashleigh Brykaliuk leads all scorers against ranked opponents, with six goals and seven assists for 13 points in 10 games. Lara Stalder has posted four goals and seven assists for 11 points in those same 10 games. Brykaliuk has recorded points in nine of UMD's 10 games against teams ranked in the top-10.
BULLDOG NOTES: Senior forward Katherine McGovern is tied for the lead for the Bulldogs with a plus/minus rating of +18. She has compiled more points so far this season in 20 games than she registered in all three of her previous seasons at UMD. McGovern has 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points so far this season. In her previous three years, McGovern compiled eight goals and nine assists for 17 points in 104 games.
--The Bulldogs currently have three players with 20 or more points through 20 games: Lara Stalder (27), Ashleigh Brykaliuk (24), and McGovern (20).
--UMD has allowed 18 of the 33 goals scored against it in the third period through its first 20 games.
TV Friday: FSN
Video: http://www.nchc.tv/umd
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/umd/whockey/xlive.htm
