The No. 9 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will spend Thanksgiving day traveling to Hamden, Conn. for this weekend's 16th Nutmeg Classic, hosted by Qunnipiac University at the Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena. The Bulldogs will face the tournament host Bobcats Friday at 3:00 p.m. CDT, and then will either hit the ice against the University of Connecticut or Yale University Saturday at a time to be determined.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and Bobcats the met last season at AMSOIL in the first-ever series between the two sides. UMD is 1-1 against Quinnipiac after last year and 38-15-4 against Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference members, the home of the Bobcats. The Bulldogs split to begin the season against ECAC member Clarkson by scores of 2-4 and 2-0 back on Oct. 4-5 in Duluth, and then beat Colgate 3-1 in Buffalo, NY on Oct. 26.
UMD split at home against Quinnipiac University last season on Jan. 25-26 by scores of 3-1 and 1-2.
In the first game, UMD scored three unanswered goals -- one in the second period and two in the third to beat the Bobcats 3-1. Ashton Bell had a the game-winning goal, as well as an assist in the skate, while Maddie Rooney made 23 saves for the Bulldogs. UMD went the entire game without surrendering a penalty.
The following day (Jan. 26), the Bulldogs struck first early in the third period, but surrendered two goals 19 seconds a part in their 2-1 loss to QU. Anna Klein had UMD's lone goal, while Rooney had 28 saves in the setback.
VS CONNECTICUT: The Bulldogs are 7-0-1 all-time against UConn and last faced the Huskies on Sept. 26-27, 2014 in Storrs, Conn. UMD came back from a three-goal deficit in the first game to earn a 4-4 tie with UConn before shutting out the Huskies the following day 3-0.
VS YALE: UMD has never faced Yale in program history, but has gone 2-1 against other members of the ECAC earlier this season.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs officially tied No. 1 Minnesota 2-2 before beating them in double overtime for the extra WCHA point Friday at AMSOIL Arena.
After outshooting the Gophers 15-10 in thescoreless first period of game one, both sides tacked on two goals. Anna Klein and Sydney Brodt had UMD's goals and the Bulldogs never trailed in the contest. One minute into the second overtime WCHA 3-on-3, Jalyn Elmes tipped a Kylie Hanley shot to take the extra league point. UMD outshots Minnesota 35-33 and Maddie Rooney posted 31 saves.
In the second game, UMD twice fell into two-goal deficits. The Bulldogs and Gophers scored five goals between them in the busy second period, including goals from Anneke Linser and again from Brodt. Trailing 4-2 in the third period, UMD outshot Minnesota a blistering 19-2, but netted just one goal -- from blueliner Ashton Bell with 56 seconds left in regulation. Rooney had 24 saves in the contest.
NOTES FROM THE MINNESOTA SERIES: UMD is now 28-60-10 all-time against Minnesota.
--The Bulldogs outshot the Gophers 70-61 in the series, the first time UMD outshot Minnesota in a series since they did it on Jan 13-14, 2017.
--UMD and Minnesota have now battled into overtime in five of their last 11 games, and four of their last eight.
--Gabbie Hughes figured in four of UMD's five official goals on the weekend and now has 13 points on six goals and seven assists against Minnesota in eight games. The sophomore center has posted at least a point against Minnesota in all eight of her games against them.
--Maddie Rooney's 24 saves against marks a career-low for the senior goaltender for a full game against the Gophers. UMD only allowed 28 shots against Rooney, also a career low for shots faced against Minnesota.
COMING UP HUGHES: Top-ranked Minnesota managed to keep Gabbie Hughes out of the goal column over the weekend for the first time in head-to-head competition with the Gophers, but they couldn't keep her off the scoresheet. Hughes had four assists -- two in each game -- to extend her current team-high scoring streak to five games. Over tha span, Hughes has compiled two goals and six assists for eight points.
In fact, in the 13 games Hughes has skated in for the Bulldogs this so far this season, the sophomore center has notched points in all but one. Hughes leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists.
As a rookie, Hughes led UMD in scoring with 19 goals and 18 assists for 37 points in 33 games -- just the third freshman to lead the Bulldogs in scoring in program history.
RING THE SCORING BELL: Junior defenseman convert Ashton Bell ranks sixth in the NCAA in points with 14 (4g, 10a) in just 14 games. Bell ranks second among all WCHA blueliners with a 1.00 ppg average, and second in the WCHA among all defensemen in scoring with 14 points. Bell is also averaging a league-high 2.93 shots on goal for a defenseman.
Bell's output from the backline resembles two other notable UMD position converts in the past nine years -- All-American Lara Stalder who actually moved to center from defense early in her career and ended up the 11th highest scoring Bulldog ever, and Jessica Wong. Wong moved to defense in the middle of her career, and in her first complete season on the blueline, compiled the second most points by a defenseman in UMD history -- 38.
ROONEY ON THE RISE: Maddie Rooney has made a number of moves on the career charts already so far this year. After 14 games, (and 101 career games), Rooney has climbed into the No. 2 for all-time saves (2,825), No. 5 wins (49) and No. 3 minutes played (5,941:47). Rooney is now just 135 saves away from taking over UMD's all-time saves spot currently held by Kayla Black with 2,960 stops in 121 games.
SHARING THE WEALTH: UMD is averaging 2.64 goals a game, and with 37 goals in the first 14 games, 11 different players have logged tallies, including five that have netted four or more. Sophomores Gabbie Hughes, Sydney Brodt and Anneke Linser lead UMD in goals -- Hughes owns nine in 13 games played, while Brodt and Linser has posted six in 14 skates.
BULLDOG NOTES: Two players have posted seven points in six games against top-10 teams so far this season -- Gabbie Hughes (3g, 4a) and Sydney Brodt (4g, 3a)...Hughes has registered points in 12 of the 13 games she has played this season... UMD is 5-2-2 when it scores the first goal, and is 5-0 when it leads after two periods.
BRODT AND ROONEY TABBED FOR ANOTHER USA CAMP: Senior forward Sydney Brodt and senior goaltender Maddie Rooney are two of the the 46 players who will participate in the 2019 USA Hockey Women's Winter Training Camp, which will take place Dec. 9-13 at XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. From the pool of players, 23 will be selected to the U.S. Women's National Team that will face Canada in the first two games of the 2019-20 Rivalry Series, including games on Dec. 14 in Hartford, Connecticut, and Dec. 17 in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Rooney and Brodt were both on the U.S. World Championship gold medal roster in April.
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