Still unbeaten in 2017, the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will face-off against Ohio State University this weekend at AMSOIL Arena in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series. Friday's game will get underway at 7:07 p.m., while Saturday's contest will start at 4:07 p.m.

THE SERIES: UMD is 65-15-3 all-time against the Buckeyes after a sweep at Ohio State on Oct. 28-29.  The Bulldogs shut out the Buckeyes 6-0 Oct. 28, and then defeated OSU 3-2 the following afternoon.

Senior forward Katherine McGovern led the way for the Bulldogs the first night, recording four points, including three in the first period.  McGovern had two assists that bookened a goal in UMD's opening stanza, while rookie Sydney Brodt compiled two goals and an assist in the opening 20 minutes.

On Oct. 29, senior forward Ashleigh Brykaliuk posted a goal and an assist as three different goal scorers helped the Bulldogs stave of a late Buckeye charge in the 3-2 win.

Overall, UMD had seven players net its nine goals against the Buckeyes.  Only McGovern and Brodt scored more than one goal on the weekend.

The Bulldogs outshot OSU  41-27 in game one and 47-27 in game two for a 88-54 SOG advantage. 

USCHO RANKING:  UMD-- No. 2, Ohio State-- N/R
USA TODAY/USA HOCKEY MAG: UMD-- No. 2, Ohio State-- N/R

A QUICK LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES:  OSU is lead by first-year head coach Nadine Muzerall, who is 11-12-3 so far this season.  Former Bulldog forward and the 10th leading scorer in UMD history with 155 points (84g, 71a) in 132 games, Jessica Koizumi, is in her first season as the Buckeyes Associate head coach.  OSU lost 1-2 to the No. 4 University of Minnesota last Friday in Minneapolis before earning a 1-1 tie and shootout win on Saturday.  Sophomore forward Maddy Field leads the Buckeyes with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points through 28 games.  

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs stayed unbeaten in 2017 with a 5-1 win and 2-2 tie at Bemidji State University over the weekend to improve to 16-4-4 overall and 13-4-3 in the WCHA.

Friday's win was a offensive showcase by senior forward Lara Stalder, who had a natural hat trick and tacked on an assist to lead the Bulldogs to a 5-1 win over the Beavers.  Ashleigh Brykaliuk also added three assists for UMD, who also got goals from Katherine McGovern and Linnea Hedin.

Despite a Stalder goal that set a Bulldog program record for the fastest goal scored to start a game, the Bulldogs settled for a 2-2 tie with the Beavers Saturday.  UMD gave up the game-tying goal at 15:32 of the third period and eventually dropped the shootout settling for four points over the weekend.  Stalder led the Bulldogs with a goal and an assist, while Brykaliuk added UMD's other goal.  

NOTES FROM THE BEMIDJI STATE SERIES:  UMD is now 66-12-4 against the Beavers all-time.  The Bulldogs went 2-0-2 against BSU this season and are unbeaten in their last six games against the Beavers, dating back to the first round of the WCHA playoff last spring.  The Bulldogs outscored BSU 12-7 this regular season.

--With four goals and two assists for six points, Lara Stalder figured in six of UMD's seven goals in the series.  Stalder now leads all current Bulldogs in scoring against BSU with eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points in 20 games. 

--Stalder's four point game last Friday was the second of the season by the senior forward, as well as the second hat trick.  A Bulldog has reached four points three times this seaso --Stalder twice and Katherine McGovern, and UMD has had three total hat tricks -- Stalder again two different times, and Ashleigh Brykaliuk.

--Stalder 10 shots Friday was the second most by a Bulldog this season.  Both Stalder and Brykaliuk have posted 11-shots on goal games.

--Stalder's recording-setting goal just eight seconds into last Friday's game eclipsed Jenna McParland's previous record against Connecticut, a tally 13 seconds into play on Oct. 4, 2013.

--UMD has played in six overtime games so far this season, the eighth time in program history UMD has played six or more games into extra time.

PEAK STREAKS: Ashleigh Brykaliuk compiled a goal and three assists in the BSU series, and stretched her current scoring streak to 15 games.  Over her last 15 skates, Brykaliuk has racked up nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points, the longest scoring streak by a Bulldog player since Caroline Ouellette scored 33 points (13g, 20a) over 15 games from Oct. 18, 2003 to Jan. 10, 2004.

FOLLOW THE LEADERS:  Currently, Lara Stalder is tied for third for the most points in the NCAA with 39 (16g, 23a), eighth in goals with a 0.67 average per game, sixth in assists at 0.96 and second in the country with five game-winning goals.  Stalder is also in the midst of a blistering five-game scoring streak where she has produced eight goals and five assists for 13 points, for an average of 2.60 ppg over those last five outings.

Maddie Rooney is eighth in the NCAA with a .938 saves percentage.  Rooney's win percentage is the ninth-best at .750 and she has the 12th most shutouts with three.

Senior defenseman Sidney Morin sits 13th among all defensemen in the nation with 16 points in 24 games (five goals, 11 assists).  Morin has also cracked the top-10 among UMD's defensemen in scoring with 62 points on 16 goals and 46 assists in 134 games.  Morin ranks ninth for points for Bulldog blueliners all-time, and ninth in both goals scored and assists over UMD career.

STALDER GRABS LEAGUE-BEST FOURTH WCHA OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOR:  Lara Stalder strengthened her grip on the WCHA's Offensive Player of the Week award Tuesday, picking up her league-leading fourth accolade of the 2016-17 season.

The senior forward led all WCHA players with a whopping six points -- four goals and two assists -- over the weekend against Bemidji State University.  In fact, Stalder figured in six of UMD seven goals on the weekend, including a hat trick in the Bulldogs 5-1 victory on Friday.  Stalder also had 16 shots on goal and a +6 rating in the series.

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