The No. 10 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will hit the road one last time in 2019 to face defending NCAA champion, the No. 1 University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc. this weekend. The Friday-Saturday Western Collegiate Hockey Association series will get underway at 7:07 p.m. at LaBahn Arena on Friday night.
USCHO RANKING: UMD-- No. 10, Wisconsin--- No. 1
USA TODAY/USA Hockey Magazine: UMD-- No. 10, Wisconsin-- No. 1
THE SERIES: Wisconsin leads the all-time series 30-49-4 after sweeping UMD in all four games one season ago. The Bulldogs are winless (with two ties) in their last 11-games against UW since beating the Badgers 4-1 at AMSOIL back on Nov. 18, 2016. UMD also has a longer winless streak in Madison -- the Bulldogs haven't defeated UW in Madison since Nov. 28, 2010 (a 3-1 triumph), and since then, have gone just 0-15-2. UMD has tied UW in Madison on both Feb. 11, 2017 (1-1) and Feb. 6. 2017 (0-0) over that span.
In their last meeting a year ago the Bulldogs were swept by then No. 2 Wisconsin by scores of 6-1 and 3-0 at AMSOIL on Feb. 15-16, the first time the Bulldogs had been swept at home since Oct. 20-21, 2017 (by Minnesota 4-1 and 2-1).
The Badgers scored six goals in game one, including three in the second period that broke the game open. Kailee Skinner netted UMD's lone goal just 22 seconds into the third period. Wisconsin outshot UMD 44-20 in the skate.
After a scoreless first period in game two, UMD surrendered two second period goals in its 3-0 loss to the Badgers. Maddie Rooney made 49 saves -- Wisconsin outshot UMD 52-24.
The Badgers outscored the Bulldogs 16-4 in four meetings last season.
BULLDOG - BADGER HISTORIC HISTORY: The Bulldogs and Badgers own two of the most storied programs in all of NCAA Division I women's hockey. With five NCAA titles won in six NCAA title games, UMD won one title over the Badgers in 2008 (4-0 in Duluth, Minn.) after losing to Wisconsin the year before (2007, 1-4) in the championship. The Bulldogs last NCAA title was in 2010, while the Badgers have won five NCAA titles in their own right, including in 2019, and before that, 2011.
LAST TIME OUT: UMD split games in the Nutmeg Classic in Hamden, Conn. last weekend, suffering 4-2 loss against Quinnipiac Friday afternoon before defeating Connecticut 5-1 on Saturday.
UMD outshot Quinnipiac in every frame and finished the game with a 44-21 shots on goal advantage, but only convert twice in the program's second-ever setback to the Bobcats. Defensemen Jalyn Elmes and Ashton Bell had both Bulldog goals.
The Bulldogs buried Connecticut 5-1 Saturday with five goals from four different scorers, including two from senior forward Sydney Brodt. Kylie Hanley led all scores Saturday with a goal and two assists for three points, and five players recorded two or more points in the UConn game -- Hanley (1g, 2a), Brodt (2g), Lizi Norton (2a), Maggie Flaherty (2a), and Gabbie Hughes (2a).
NOTES FROM THE NUTMEG CLASSIC: With the loss to Quinnipiac, UMD is now 1-2 all-time against the Bobcats after having faced them three times in past year. The Bulldogs remain unbeaten all-time against the Huskies with a record of 8-0-1 after their win on Saturday.
--Sophomore goaltender Emma Soderberg got her first start of the season, and in turn, win against the UConn. Soderberg made 34 saves on the 35 shots she faced. Both UMD and UConn finished the game with 35 shots -- the first time in four games UMD has not ended the game with a shots on goal advantage. The Bulldogs have gone 0-2-1 in those prior three games with a combined 114-82 SOG advantage.
--Kylie Haney and Gabbie Hughes led all UMD scorers in the tourney -- Hanley with a goal and two assists for three points, and Hughes with three assists. Hanley had all three points in a game-high against the Huskies, while Hughes had two assists against UConn after dishing out a helper against Quinnipiac.
--Sydney Brodt has four goals in her last four games, while Hughes extended her team-high scoring streak to seven games.
TOUGH AGAINST THE TOP: UMD will suit up for a second series against the nation's top team this weekend in newly crowned Wisconsin. UMD went 0-1-1 (with a double-overtime WCHA win) against then No. 1 Minnesota back on Nov. 22-23 at AMSOIL.
The Bulldogs last defeated a No. 1 squad back on Nov. 18, 2016, a 4-1 win against Wisconsin in Duluth. Since then, UMD is 0-7-2 against No. 1 teams, including 0-3-1 against the Badgers.
COMING UP HUGHES: Sophomore center Gabbie Hughes continues to lead the Bulldogs in scoring with nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points. Hughes ranks fourth in the WCHA and 11th in the NCAA with a 1.53 points per game average, fourth in assists and second with 6.07 shots on goal a game.
Hughes has currently tied her season-long scoring streak of seven games, compiling 11 points (2g, 9a) in her last seven games, dating back to Nov. 2. The product of Lino Lakes, Minn. already posted a seven-game scoring streak of 12 points (7g, 5a) from Oct. 4 through Oct. 26.
A career-long scoring streak of 12 games dating back to last season was also snapped in the lone game this season that Hughes didn't record a single point. From Feb. 22 through Oct. 26, Hughes accumulated 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists.
In the 15 games Hughes has skated in for the Bulldogs this so far this season, the sophomore center has notched points in all but one.
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 leads the WCHA with goals from a defenseman with six, and ranks fifth in the NCAA in points with 16 (6g, 10a) in just 16 games. Bell ranks second among all WCHA blueliners ing with 16 points, and leads the league backliners with three power play tallies.
ROONEY ON THE RISE: Maddie Rooney has made a number of moves on the career charts already so far this year. After 15 games, (and 102 career games), Rooney has climbed into the No. 2 for all-time saves (2,842), No. 5 wins (49) and No. 3 minutes played (5,999:48). Rooney is now just 118 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 2.75 goals a game, and with 44 goals in the first 16 games, 12 different players have logged tallies, including five that have netted five or more. Sophomores Gabbie Hughes, Sydney Brodt lead UMD in goals -- Hughes owns nine in 15 games played, while Brodt has posted eight in 16 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)...UMD is 5-2-2 when it scores the first goal, and is 6-0 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.
CROWELL OFF TO U-18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: UMD head coach Maura Crowell will leave next week for Bratislava, Slovakia to begin training her U.S. U-18 team for the 2020 IIHF U-18 Women's World Championship. Crowell's squad will open up play on Dec. 26 against Finland, and will try to improve on its silver medal finish against Canada in double overtime last January.
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