The eighth-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team hits the road for the last time during the regular season when it travels to Mankato, Minn. to face Minnesota State University, Mankato at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center Friday and Saturday. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association series gets underway Friday at 7:07 p.m. and wraps up Saturday with a 3:07 p.m. puck drop.
QUICK HITS
--UMD's sweep against then No. 5 Ohio State last weekend rounds out the first time in program history the Bulldogs have won three-straight games against teams ranked in the top-5 during the regular season.
--Ashton Bell is now in a three-way tie for third for the most goals (11) by a defenseman in a single season in program history.
--Sydney Brodt and Gabbie Hughes continue to find success against ranked opponents -- Brodt has 17 points (6g, 11a) in 12 games, while Hughes has 18 points (8g, 10a) in those same 12 skates.
THE SERIES: After tying MSU 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.
In their last meeting on Jan. 4 at AMSOIL Arena, the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Taylor Anderson and Gabbie 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 MN Cup title game.
MSU's two goals in the third period in the semifinal was the first time this season UMD had surrendered a lead in the third period this season.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs swept No. 5 Ohio State University last weekend at AMSOIL by scores of 5-4 in overtime in Friday and 4-1 Saturday.
Friday, Anna Klein netted two goals, and three other Bulldogs found the net (Kyie Hanley, Gabbie Hughes, McKenzie Hewett) in a 5-4 offensive slugfest that featured five lead changes. Klein scored at 17:30 of the second period before netting the game-winner at 3:12 of the overtime. Maddie Rooney made 41 saves for the Bulldogs, who were outshot 45-30 by OSU.
Sydney Brodt got the scoring started Saturday, a shorthanded goal at 11:54 that gave UMD a lead it would never relinquish. Ashton Bell added a power play goal at 2:06 of the second period, and Hughes tacked on goal at 17:12 of the second and at 18:03 of the third with an open netter to seal the 4-1 win. Rooney again had a big afternoon, make 46 saves as the Buckyes outshot the Bulldogs 47-28.
NOTES FROM THE OHIO STATE SERIES: UMD improved to 2-1-1 against OSU this season, and is now 71-20-14 all-time.
--Six different players scored the nine goals that UMD put on the board over the serie, with Gabbie Hughes scoring three goals, in addition to three assists for a series-high six points.
--UMD is 9-1, with nine consecutive wins, against OSU at home in the Maura Crowell era. In those nine-straight wins, UMD has outscored the Buckeyes 39-16 and has averaged 4.33 goals a game in those nine-consecutive wins.
--UMD has been outshot 127-82 in its last three games, but has outscored its ranked opponent 11-5.
--In three of the four series so far in 2020, Hughes has turned in four or more points on a weekend.
BELL, HUGHES, AND ROONEY LAND WEEKLY WCHA AWARDS: Three of the UMD's biggest stars in the Bulldogs sweep of then No. 5 OSU picked up WCHA weekly awards Tuesday.
Ashton Bell landed the WCHA's Defensesive Player of the Week for a fourth time, while Gabbie Hughes earned the WCHA's Forward of the Week honor for a third time and Maddie Rooney gloved her fourth WCHA Goaltender of the Week award. The three of them helped lead the No. 8 Bulldogs past the Buckeyes by scores of 5-4 in overtime Friday and 4-1 Saturday at AMSOIL Arena
Bell had one assist in Friday's overtime win and a goal and an assist -- including the game-winning goal on Saturday. Bell's three points ranked second in the NCAA and first in the WCHA, and she led the nation with 10 blocked shots. With 11 goals on the season so far, Bell is now in a three-way tie for the third most goals scored by a Bulldog defenseman in program history. Overall, Bell has 29 points (11g, 18a) in 28 games.
Hughes figured in six of UMD's nine goals in its series sweep over OSU. Hughes had a goal and an assist in the Bulldogs overtime win Friday before having a hand in all four of the Bulldogs goals (2g, 2a) in their 4-1 win Saturday. The center from Lino Lakes, Minn. led the nation and the WCHA in points over the weekend (6), goals (3) points per game (3.00) and face-off wins (37). Hughes, currently on a three-game scoring streak against teams ranked in the top-5 (4-3=7), also has three-straight game-winning goals points -- a goal and two assists. Hughes currently sits fifth in the WCHA with 43 points (17g, 26a).
Rooney helped backstop the Bulldogs to a series sweep over Ohio State with two 40-plus save performances -- 41 on Friday and 46 on Saturday, despite four Buckeye power plays. Rooney made an NCAA-high (and WCHA-best) 87 saves in a league-high 123:12 minute of action, and was one of only two WCHA goaltenders to nab two wins on the weekend. Rooney has had three 40-plus save outings in three of her last four games, all games against top-five teams.
Between the three of them, Bell, Hughes and Rooney have earned 11 of UMD's 12 weekly honors so far this season.
THE OFFENSIVE BELL-WETHER: How good of a season is junior defensive convert Ashton Bell having? Bell is now in a three-way tie for third for the most goals (11) by a defenseman in a single season in program history. The last Bulldog blueliner to post 11 or more goals in a season was Jessica Wong during the 2011-12 season (11)...Bell leads the WCHA with 29 (11g, 18a) points with two games in hand over the nearest defenseman..
Bell currently leads all WCHA defenseman in points (29 in 28 games, goals (11), points per game (1.04) power play goals (7) and game-winning goals (5)--which is a WCHA high among all players, not just blueliners. Bell sits fifth nationally in points, third in power play goals and first in game-winning goals by a defenseman.
COMING UP HUGHES: Sophomore center Gabbie Hughes continues to lead the Bulldogs in scoring with 17 goals and 26 assists for 37 points. Hughes ranks fifth in the WCHA in points, with 43 in just 27 games and is third in the conference with four game-winning goals. Her 43 points on 17 goals and 26 assists ranks her eighth in the NCAA, and her 1.59 points per game sits ninth nationally. She is also averaging the second most shots per game in the NCAA and the most in the WCHA at 5.41.As a freshman, 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.
In the 27 games Hughes has skated in for the Bulldogs this so far this season, the sophomore center has notched points in all but three.
BRODT'S BEST FOR LAST: Senior forward Sydney Brodt is having the best offensive season of her Bulldog career, having put up a UMD second-best 13 goals and 20 assists for 33 points in 28 games played. With 14 points (4g, 10a) in her last nine skates, Brodt has also recorded two or more points in 12 games so far this season.
Brodt is also now inching up closer to the 100 career point, currently sitting with 90 points on 34 goals and 56 assists over 133 games.
ROONEY SETS UMD CAREER SAVES RECORD: Senior goaltender Maddie Rooney set UMD's all-time career saves leader on Jab. 17 in the Bulldogs 4-0 win over BSU. The native of Andover, Minn. had 30 saves and picked up her 12th career shutout as she took over the career spot in the third period. Rooney now has 3,221 career stops -- so far -- in 114 games. Rooney climbed past Kayla Black for the record, who posted 2998 stops in 121 games during her time as a Bulldog
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 736 saves so far this season in 27 games.
Rooney has also climbed into sole possession of the second most minutes/games played by a Bulldog netminder over a career. With 6,710:52 minutes in 114 games, Rooney sits second behind Black, who in 121 games logged 6,928:56 minutes. With 13 shutouts, Rooney also sits with the fourth most in program history. Only Black (20), Riitta Schaublin (17), and Kim Martin (16) have had more.
BULLDOG NOTES: With 42 career assists in 129 games, senior defenseman Jalyn Elmes has now cracked the program's all-time list for helpers by a defenseman...Elmes is currently tied for 10th... Sydney Brodt and Gabbie Hughes continue to find success against ranked opponents -- Brodt has 17 points (6g, 11a) in 12 games, while Hughes has 18 points (8g, 10a) in those same 12 skates...UMD's fourth tie this season makes it the fourth-straight season the Bulldogs have had at least four draws in a season ... The Bulldogs had five ties back in the 2016-17 NCAA tournament season...UMD is 11-3-4 when it scores the first goal, and is unbeaten at 13-0-1 when it leads after two periods...Outshot in last weekend's series, the Bulldogs are now 6-6-1 with fewer shots on the board than their opponents.
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