After meeting less than two weeks ago in the MN Cup championship game, the No. 10 University of Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State University will go head-to-head in a crucial Western Collegiate Hockey Association series this weekend at AMSOIL Cup. The Friday-Saturday series will get underway at 7:07 p.m. Friday before wrapping up on Saturday at 4:07 p.m. This weekend will also feature UMD's special edition "Tribute to Duluth' jerseys, currently available for auction. The specially designed jerseys feature a handful of Duluth landmarks can be found under the https://umdbulldogs.com/auctions/ tab.
A SERIES FOR THE WCHA STANDINGS: The Bulldogs and Beavers head-to-head battle this weekend has massive implications on the WCHA standings. BSU is currently in fourth place with two games in hand (14 GP), and leads UMD by six points in the standings. The Bulldogs have only played 12 league games, but could force a standings tie with the Beavers with a sweep this weekend.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and Beavers have already faced each other three times this season, with UMD trailing BSU 1-2, but having won their last encounter. All-time, the Bulldogs have 75-20-7 series advantage over the Beavers.
On Sunday (Jan. 5), UMD went up 1-0 on Ashton Bell's power-play goal midway through the second period, and Ryleigh Houston tipped home the insurance goal at 14:08 to give the Bulldogs both the Minnesota Cup title and their first win over BSU this season in three attempts. Maddie Rooney made 38 saves for UMD in her second shutout of the season.
BSU swept the Bulldogs back on Oct. 18-19 in Bemidji, Minn. by scores of 2-4 and 1-2 at the Sanford Center, the first sweep by a BSU squad over UMD since Oct. 9-10, 2015.
UMD surrendered a 2-0 lead in game one's 4-2 loss -- the Beavers netted three-unanswered goals -- not including an open net tally. Anna Klein and Jalyn Elmes had UMD's goal, while Gabbie Hughes had two assists. The Bulldogs had a season-high six infractions in the game.
Hughes did not dress in Saturday's 2-1 setback, and BSU netted its second power play goal in the series to sweep UMD for the first time in four seasons.
LAST TIME OUT: UMD clinched its first Minnesota Cup title on Jan. 5 after defeating Bemidji State 2-0, one day after pushing past a 2-2 tie with Minnesota State on a Gabbie Hughes goal in double overtime.
Against MSU, the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Taylor Anderson and Hughes, and outshot the Mavericks 27-11 in the first 40 minutes. MSU used a power-play goal and a 11-7 shots- on-goal advantage in the third period to equalize and eventually force the 2-2 official tie. Hughes scored 17 seconds into double overtime to push UMD into the title game.
In the championship game the next day, UMD went up 1-0 on Ashton Bell's power-play goal midway through the second period, and Ryleigh Houston tipped home the insurance goal at 14:08 to give the Bulldogs both the MInnesota Cup title and their first win over BSU this season in three attempts.
NOTES FROM THE MN CUP: Gabbie Hughes and Ashton Bell landed on the Minnesota Cup All-Tournament Team, with Hughes earning the Most Outstanding Player nod for her efforts.
Hughes had a goal and an assist, as well as the game-winning goal against MSU in the double-overtime that put the Bulldogs in to the title game. Bell had the game-winning goal on the power play for UMD Sunday in the championship tilt, her fourth power play goal of the season.
--Senior goaltender Maddie Rooney had 60 saves in the Minnesota Cup, including 38 against BSU.
--In two years of playing in the MN Cup, UMD is now 2-1 all-time with one title (2020). The Bulldogs will be left out of the MN Cup next January when it is hosted by Bemidji State.
--After tying Minnesota State University, Mankato in the MN Cup semifinal, UMD is now 69-7-8 against the Mavericks all-time, and is now unbeaten in 11 games against MSU, dating back to Nov. 17, 2017. The Bulldogs are 2-0-1 this season against the Mavericks.
--MSU's two goals in the third period in the semifinal was the first time this season UMD has surrendered a lead in the third period this season.
ROONEY NEARS UMD SAVES RECORD: Senior goaltender Maddie Rooney will begin the weekend just 27 saves shy of the Bulldog program's career record for saves. Kayla Black's record is 2,998 saves made over 121 skates -- Rooney currently sits at 2,971 stops in 106 games.
Rooney owns two of the program's top-three single-season saves record -- she ranks third with 989 saves over 31 GP in 2018-19, and second in 2016-17 with 1013 stops in 37 games, only the second UMD goaltender ever to make more than 1000 saves in a season. Rooney already has 486 saves so far this season in 19 games.
Rooney has also climbed into sole possession of the second most minutes/games played by a Bulldog netminder over a career. With 6,243:25 minutes in 106 games, Rooney sits second behind Black, who in 121 games logged 6,928:56 minutes.
COMING UP HUGHES: Sophomore center Gabbie Hughes continues to lead the Bulldogs in scoring with 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points. Her points per game average of 1.42 ranks her fifth in the WCHA and 10th in the NCAA.
Hughes has twice tied her season-long scoring streak of seven games, and her career-long scoring streak of 12 games dating back to last season finally ended on Oct. 26. From Feb. 22, 2019 through Oct. 26, 2019 Hughes accumulated 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists.
In the 19 games Hughes has skated in for the Bulldogs this so far this season, the sophomore center has notched points in all but two.
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 seven, and ranks fifth in the NCAA in points with 18 (7g, 11a) in just 20 games. Bell ranks second among all WCHA blueliners ing with 19 points, and leads the league backliners with four power play tallies.
Bell has already surpassed her offensive output from a season ago over 35 games (5-12=17), and is just four points shy of her freshmen career-high of 23 points (11-12=23) in 35 skates.
SHARING THE WEALTH: UMD is averaging 2.65 goals a game, and with 53 goals in the first 20 games, 14 different players have logged tallies, including five that have netted five or more. Sophomores Gabbie Hughes, Sydney Brodt lead UMD in goals -- Hughes owns 11 in 19 games played, while Brodt has posted nine in 20 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 6-3-3 when it scores the first goal, and is 7-0-1 when it leads after two periods.
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