After skating off the ice less than 19 hours ago, the No. 2 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will skate back on to take on the No. 1 University of Wisconsin in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Final Face-Off Final. The Bulldogs and Badgers final WCHA game of the year will get underway at 2:07 p.m. at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs went 1-1-2 against the top-ranked Badgers this season. All-time, the Bulldogs are 30-41-13 against Wisconsin. UMD owns more ties and more overtime games with the Badgers than any other program in the NCAA.
The last time the two squads met, UMD was missing five positional players for the entire series -- including leading scorer Lara Stalder, forward Katerina Mrázová, and defensemen Jesica Healey and Jalyn Elmes -- UMD earned a 1-1 tie on Feb. 11 behind 43 saves from sophomore goaltender Maddie Rooney. The Badgers went ahead 1-0 midway through the third period before Sydney Brodt equalized at 14:38. Wisconsin grabbed the extra point after a UMD program-record 12 round shootout (and the second longest in WCHA history).
After UMD was outshot 44-22 in the first game, the Badgers onslaught shots advantage of 45-15 was too much Feb. 12. The weary Bulldogs surrendered a 8-0 loss, their first in 2017 and first 10 games. The setback ended UMD's unbeaten streak that dated back to Jan. 13, and the first -- and only loss -- since Dec. 10, 2016.
THE BULLDOG -- BADGER WCHA PLAYOFF HISTORY: In nine total WCHA postseason encounters, UMD 4-5 against Wisconsin. The two programs have met just twice in the WCHA playoff finals, the last encounter a 5-4 overtime win for the Bulldogs at the DECC in Duluth, Minn. on March 9, 2008. UMD is 1-1 against the Badgers in the WCHA playoffs finals.
The two teams last tangled in the league postseason a year ago, with Wisconsin defeating UMD 5-0 in the semifinals on March 5, 2016.
UMD IN THE WCHA PLAYOFFS: Overall, UMD is 36-16 in WCHA postseason play in all games. In the WCHA semifinal round, UMD is 8-8.
After making 15-consecutive WCHA semifinal appearances, UMD's return will marked the first back-to-back WCHA Final Face-Off semiinal trips since the 2011-12 season.
In all, UMD owns five WCHA playoff crowns (2010, 2008, 2003, 2001 and 2000). Only Minnesota and Wisconsin have won more league playoff titles, with both programs owning six.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs played in their longest game since winning their last national title in 2010 (also at Ridder Arena), using double overtime to defeat No. 4/5 Minnesota last night.
Lara Stalder scored the game-winning goal for the Bulldogs at the 11:29 mark of the second overtime.
Goaltender Maddie Rooney record a new UMD record 62 saves in the outing, besting her previous record -- set against the Gophers last season on Feb. 12, 2016 -- of 61 saves.
NOTES FROM THE MINNESOTA GAME: UMD's win against Minnesota was the third of the season for the Bulldogs against the Gophers -- marking the first time since the 2009-10 NCAA title run that UMD has beaten Minnesota three or more times in a year.
--UMD's Friday win was the 25th of the season, and is the first time since 2009-10 and the eighth time the program has earned 25 or more wins in a season.
--The Bulldogs tied a program record for most overtime games in a season (eight).
-- UMD snapped a 0-15-1 record against the Gophers at Ridder last night. Prior to Saturday night's win, UMD had not beaten Minnesota at home since defeating them on March 19, 2010 in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals by a score of 3-2. UMD is now 2-16-1 in Ridder since winning the 2010 NCAA title. Besides the Bulldogs Saturday overtime win, UMD's other triumph at Ridder over that span was against Wisconsin in the semifinals of the 2012 WCHA Final Face-Off (a 3-1 win).
--Goaltender Maddie Rooney has now had four games with 40 or more saves against Minnesota in eight career outings, and two with 61 or more stops.
--Rooney also now owns the second most saves in a single UMD season with 935. Only Jennifer Harss, who recorded 1138 saves in the 2009-10 title season has ever had more in year.
--Lara Stalder has now recorded a point in 14-consecutive games after adding a game-winning goal and assist last night against MInnesota. Over that span, Stalder has compiled 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points. UMD's leading scorer with 55 points (23g, 32a), Stalder also ranks second in the WCHA in scoring and goals and third in assists. Stalder ranks first in the NCAA with a 1. 67 points per game average.
