The ranked teams will keep coming for the No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team when the Bulldogs head to Madison, Wisc. this weekend to face the No. 2 University of Wisconsin in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association showdown. The Saturday-Sunday series will get underway at LaBahn Arena at 2:00 p.m. both days.
USCHO RANKING: UMD-- No. 4, Wisconsin-- No. 2
USA TODAY/USA Hockey Magazine: UMD--No. 4, Wisconsin-- No. 2
THE SERIES: The tape on the Bulldogs all-time against the Badgers is 30-45-14 after UMD went 0-3-1 against UW a season ago. UW outscored the Bulldogs 16-5 in those four games.
The Bulldogs split with then No. 2 Wisconsin last season on Feb.9-10. at AMSOIL, suffering a 5-0 setback Feb. 9 night before drawing a 3-3 tie with the Badgers the next day.
UW scored three goals in the first period in the opening game, damage that UMD could not recover from. The Badgers added a goal in each of the following periods and outshot the Bulldogs 36-17 in the game.
On Feb. 10, UMD responded with a power play goal from Jalyn Elmes 12:07 into the first period. The Bulldogs got another goal from Naomi Rogge at 5:53 of the second period, and following a Badger goal at 8:07, UMD's Anna Klein scored at 9:40 to make it a 3-1 game. Wisconsin scored two power play goals in the third period to draw the game even -- the 14th tie ever between the Bulldogs and Badgers.
Jessica Convery had 25 saves against UW in the draw.
UMD's 14 ties with the Badgers marks the most it has with any other program in the NCAA.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE BADGERS: Wisconsin begins the season 4-0 after sweeping both Lindenwood and Mercyhurst. The Badgers swept the Lakers by scores of 6-1 and 5-3 last weekend in Erie, Penn.
Wisconsin is lead by senior forward Emily Clark and junior forward Abby Roque, who each have three goals and four assists for seven goals. Junior goaltender Kristen Campbell has logged most of the Badger netminding minutes, and owns a 1.37 GAA, but a saves percentage of just .894 after facing just 47 shots in four games.
Head coach Mark Johnson is in his 16th season with the Badgers, and owns a 463-83-41 overall record with four NCAA titles over that span.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs picked up two points last weekend against the No. 2 University of Minnesota at AMSOIL, suffering a 5-2 defeat Friday night before earning a 2-2 tie and shootout win Saturday afternoon.
Friday night, despite freshman Gabbie Hughes scoring the first goal of ther career just 1:07 into the game, the Gophers responsed with three goals in less than four minutes, and netted a total of four in the opening stanza. In all, six of the seven goals scored on the night were recorded in the opening 20 minutes of play (inlcuding a goal by freshman Taylor Anderson with 3:38 remaining in the first period). UMD had 41 saves from junior goaltender Maddie Rooney, who made 27 of 28 shots faced in the final 40 minutes of the game.
Saturday Hughes started the scoring again 4:32 into the game. Sophomore winger Anna Klein doubled the lead at 17:09 of the second period, but two goals by Minnesota, including a power play goal, drew the game to a 2-2 tie.
UMD proceeded to win the league shootout behind goals from Hughes and Ryleigh Houston, and two spectacular saves for Rooney.
Rooney ended the night with 37 saves (and 39 counting the shootout). The Bulldogs were an impressive 2-of-5 with an extra skater, while Minnesota went 1-of-4 on its power play.
NOTES FROM THE MINNESOTA SERIES: UMD is now 27-56-9 all-time against the Gophers, but have posted a shootout win in two of its last four games against Minnesota.
--After making 41 saves against the Gophers Friday night, Maddie Rooney has now logged five games with 41 or more saves against Minnesota, and has twice logged games with 61 or more stops. Rooney has played in 11 games against Minnesota in her career, and now has made an average of 38 saves against the Gophers.
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A SCORER: Junior forward Ryleigh Houston continues to lead the Bulldogs in scoring with a team-high three goals and one assist for our points. Junior forward Sydney Brodt also has four points on one goal and three assists.
RISING IN THE RANKS: The Bulldogs own the nation's fourth-best power play (33.3) as a team, but also rank fourth for penalty minutes with 10.8
Five Bulldog rookies are in a tie for third in the NCAA for the most points recorded so far by a rookie with three points : Gabbie Hughes (2g, 1a), Lizi Norton (1g, 2a), Kailee Skinner (3a), Anneke Linser (3a) and Maggie Flaherty 1g, 2a).
YOUNG GUNS: Freshman Gabbie Hughes has recorded a point in three of her first four outings as a Bulldog after scoring a goal in each game against the Gophers (2g, 1a). In fact, five Bulldog rookies in all have now posted three points in their first four games, including Lizi Norton (1g, 2a), Kailee Skinner (3a), Anneke Linser (3a) and Maggie Flaherty 1g, 2a). Those rookies are in a multiple player tie as the third highest-rookie scorers in nation.
ROONEY LANDS BACK-TO-BACK GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK HONORS: The WCHA announced Tuesday that Maddie Rooney was again chosen the WCHA Goaltender of the Week after helping UMD pick up two points from I-35 rival Minnesota.
The Andover, Minn. native had two starts and played all 125:00 possible minutes (a league-high). In the series, Rooney made 78 saves on 85 shots, double the saves and shots faced of any other goaltender in the WCHA. The 78 saves was also an NCAA-best, and doesn't even include Rooney's two big stops in the shootout Saturday to secure the extra league point.
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Live Stats: https://uwbadgers.com/sidearmstats/whockey/summary
Video Saturday: https://www.flohockey.tv/live/8029-2018-minnesota-duluth-vs-wisconsin-big-ten-womens-hockey/signup
Video Sunday: https://www.flohockey.tv/live/8031-2018-minnesota-duluth-vs-wisconsin-big-ten-womens-hockey/signup
