The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will travel to Mankato, Minn. this weekend to face Minnesota State University, Mankato in the last regular season Western Collegiate Hockey Association series of the season. The series has huge home playoff ice implications for the Bulldogs who are currently in fourth place in the league -- the final home ice spot available for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. UMD has 29 points -- two ahead of Bemidji State University in fifth place with 27.
Games will get underway at 2:07 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.
THE SERIES: UMD is now 64-7-4 all-time against the Mavericks, and has won 11-of-12 of its last games against MSU after the Bulldogs swept MSU back on Nov. 17-18 at AMSOIL.
On Nov. 17, the Bulldogs held the Mavericks off for 2-1 triumph on a second period goal by sophmore defenseman Jalyn Elmes and the eventual game-winner by rookie forward Naomi Rogge 42 seconds into the third period. UMD outshot MSU 31-16 in the skate.
Junior Emma Yanko scored two second period goals on Saturday, Nov. 18 -- including the game-winner -- to help lift the Bulldog over the Mavericks 3-2. Senior forward Katerina Mrázová scored an equalizing goal at 17:55 of the first period, before adding a second assist on Yanko's first goal at 1:48 of the second period. Bulldog goaltender Jessica Convery had 26 saves, and MSU outshot UMD 28-27 in the game.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE MAVERICKS: Minnesota State picked up just its fifth overall win last weekend and third WCHA triumph last weekend with a 4-1 upset over then No. 5 Ohio State University (the Buckeyes went on to earn the series split). It also marked MSU's first win against a ranked team -- the Mavericks are 1-13 this season against ranked squads.
Rookie forward Brittyn Fleming leads MSU with 19 points on four goals and 15 assists in 30 games, while junior forward Jordan McLaughlin leads the Mavericks with eight goals and ranks second in points with 15 in 30 skates.
Sophomore Chloe Crosby and junior Kathryn Bidulka have split time in net and almost identical GAA's -- Crosby owns a 3.24 in 927:06 minutes and Bidulka has a 3.74 in 865:57. At the helm of the Mavericks is head coach John Harrington, in his third season with an overall record of 15-79-9.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs split with then No. 2 Wisconsin over the past weekend at AMSOIL, suffering a 5-0 setback Friday night before drawing a 3-3 tie with the Badgers Saturday.
UW scored three goals in the first period Friday, 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.
Saturday, 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.
NOTES FROM THE WISCONSIN SERIES:
UMD went 0-3-1 against the Badgers over the regular season.
--UW outscored the Bulldogs 16-5 in those four games.
--UMD's power play goal Saturday was the first one against the Badgers this season -- the Bulldogs had been 0-of-6 in previous attempts.
POWERED PUP PLAY: UMD currently owns the best power play in the WCHA having converted 18 power plays on 81 chances for a 22.2. Nationally, UMD's power play ranks No. 7.
UMD has not finished the season with a power play conversion rate higher than 20 since it posted a 21.3 on 35/164 back in 2010-11.
The last time the Bulldog program had a power play of 22 or higher was a 22.8 (47/206) over the 2007-2008 NCAA title season.
On the flip side, UMD has the fewest penalty minutes in the nation at 5.0 a game.
GOING ROGGE: Freshman Naomi Rogge continues to lead UMD (along with fellow rookie Ashton Bell) in scoring with 22 points on a team-high 15 goals and seven assists. Rogge's 15 goals are the second most by a rookie in the WCHA her 11 league goals ranks her first among all freshmen. Rogge also sits seventh in the NCAA among all rookie goal scorers.
Against ranked opponents, Rogge has registered six goals and three assists for nine points in 15 games.
Rogge's15 goals are the most by a UMD freshman since Jenna McParland dropped 21 goals in 36 games in 2011-12. By comparison, Rogge has compiled 15 goals in 30 games so far this season.
HAPPY AT HOME: UMD is 9-4-1 overall at AMSOIL Arena this season, and 7-4-1 in WCHA action. By comparison, the Bulldogs are just 2-9-2 on the road and own just one road WCHA win with a record of 1-7-2 in their opponents home rink.
UMD is 1-1-1 when both sides are neutral.
NET LOSS: UMD has outshot its opponents 875-833 but has been outscored 61-74. Those 61 goals in 30 games currently puts the Bulldogs on track for a program-low season goal output.
UMD's current 2.03 goals per game average is far under the Bulldogs previous low goal count of 2.38 GPG in 2012-13. That season, UMD scored 81 goals in 34 games. As a program, the Bulldogs have posted less than 90 goals in a season just twice -- 2012-13, and then again in 2013-14, a 2.36 GPG after UMD posted just 85 goals in 36 games.
BULLDOG NOTES: UMD is still winless when they trail after the first period (0-9-2)
--UMD is 5-7-2 in games where it has been outshot this season.
SENIOR SALUTE: UMD has seven seniors this season, including forwards Katerina Mrázová, Lynn Astrup, defensemen Jessica Healey, Catherine Daoust, Linnea Hedin and Michelle Lowenhielm, and goaltender Jessica Convery.
As a class, they have gone 72-54-15 overall, with two 20-plus seasons (25-7-5 in 2016-17) and 20-12-5 in 2014-15). They also have one home NCAA tournament appearance (2017), as well as a WCHA Final Face-Off championship game appearance (2017).
With 13 WCHA All-Academic Team members, (Astrup twice, Daoust twice, Healey twice, Hedin twice, Mrázová three times), the Bulldog senior class also has had eight heralded WCHA Scholar Athlete recepients (Astrup twice, Daoust twice, Healey, and Hedin twice, as well as and five 2016-17 AHCA All-American Scholars (Astrup, Daoust, Healey, and Lowenhilem).
OLYMPIC UPDATE AS OF WEDNESDAY, FEB.14: Lara Stalder is ranked fourth in scoring among all Olympic skaters with five points on two goals and three assists in three games. Stalder and Switzerland await the results of the Group A games Thursday to find out who they will play on Saturday in the Quarterfinals.
Thursday's Group A clash between the U.S. and Canada will feature a total of five current and former Bulldogs in the line-ups.
Maddie Rooney became the first-ever Minnesotan to start in goal for the U.S. Olympic women's team last Sunday. Rooney made 23 saves against Finland in her Olympic debut, and former Bulldog All-American also skated in her first Olympic game Sunday.
Two-time UMD All-American Jocelyne Larocque suited up for her 100th international game for Canada Sunday, a 5-0 win over the Olympic Athletes of Russia. In that outing both Haley Irwin (goal) and Brigette Lacquette, who was made her Olympic debut, had an assist.
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