The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will host the No. 1 University of Wisconsin this weekend in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series, the second-consecutive series for the Bulldogs against a ranked squad in as many weekends at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. A Friday-Sunday series, game one on Friday will get underway at 12:01 p.m., while the series will wrap up on Sunday with a 1:01 p.m. start.
THE SERIES: The two programs have 11 NCAA titles between them (Wisconsin six, UMD five), and both were two of the three WCHA programs to reach the NCAA Frozen Four a season ago (the Badgers were the eventual winner). UMD is 31-51-14 all-time against the Badgers, and met in just one series last season. After their scheduled Dec. 11-12, 2020 series in Madison was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols, the two sides faced each other on Feb. 26-27, 2021 at AMSOIL for the WCHA regular season title.
The Bulldogs took four of a possible six points from the eventual regular season champion Badgers in the last series of the regular season, defeating the Badgers 4-2 in the Friday night game before suffering a crushing 4-3 overtime loss on Saturday.
In game one, the Bulldogs flexed their offensive muscle by scoring the most goals on the Badgers of any team over the regular season (4), and let their nationally ranked defense do the rest, holding Wisconsin to just half of the goals the Badgers came into the night averaging (4).
A five-goal first period favored a 3-2 UMD lead, and Gabbie Hughes, who had already added a goal and assist in the first period, dealt the final blow to the Badgers at 10:45 of the second period to extend the Bulldogs lead to 4-2. Netminder Emma Soderberg did the rest with 26 saves, and both teams put 28 shots on goal.
Game two, UMD and Wisconsin battled for the league's regular season title, and the Bulldogs again got two goals from Hughes and one from Anna Klein. The Bulldogs held a 3-2 lead until late in the third period. The Badgers, with a 6-on-5 advantage due to any empty net, scored at 18:33 to draw even. Wisconsin then scored just 41 seconds into overtime to clinch the WCHA regular season outright.
Soderberg had a career-high 45 saves in the game.
Additional notes on Wisconsin --
-Gabbie Hughes has registered 13 points (6g, 7a) in 11 career skates against the Badgers, while Anna Klein continues to lead all current players with 12 points in (8g, 5a) 15 career outings against Wisconsin.
--While UMD settled for a 5-5 tie in double overtime back on Feb. 22, 2020, the Bulldogs topple of the Badgers last season on Feb. 26 was the first time they had defeated Wisconsin since Nov. 18, 2016, also at AMSOIL Arena.
--UMD and Wisconsin have played into overtime in two of their last four games. The Bulldogs are 0-1-1 in those extra time skates.
A LOOK AT THE BADGERS: Wisconsin has already skated in six games, but has yet to face a top-10 ranked opponent. The Badgers hosted St. Cloud State last weekend in a celebration of their 2021 NCAA title, sweeping the Huskies by scores of 6-1 and 6-0.
Sophomore forward Makenna Webster has a team-high 19 points (6g, 13a), while sophomore forward Casey O'Brien has a team-high 10 goals. Goaltender Kennedy Blais has allowed just two goals in five games, but the Badgers opponents have averaged just 16 shots a game over six skates.
Head coach Mark Johnson is in his 19th season behind the UW bench, and has a 545-95-47 record over that span.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs opened up AMSOIL Arena with a split against No. 5/6 Minnesota last weekend, dropping a 3-1 decision Friday night before bouncing back for a 5-4 overtime win Saturday.
Minnesota scored early -- 2:36 early -- and added a second to secure a 2-0 lead in the first period.
The Bulldogs fought their way back, and finally broke through, late in the second stanza. Élizabeth Giguère scored her second goal in as many games and first-ever at AMSOIL, and the tally cut Minnesota's lead in half.
That 2-1 score would hold -- despite UMD outshooting Minnesota 9-5 in the final frame -- until the Gophers added an empty-net goal by Emily Oden at 18:42. The Bulldogs edged the Gophers on the final shot count 25-24, and Emma Soderberg had 21 saves in the game.
On Saturday, UMD rebounded from a early Gopher goal, and the end result was three unanswered goals by the first intermission.
Gabbie Hughes scored two power play goals set up by Élizabeth Giguère at 4:07 and 16:45 to take a 2-1 lead, and Mannon McMahon shoveled home UMD's third goal at the 19:41 mark, and her first goal of the season sent the Bulldogs into the locker room with a 3-1 lead after one period.
Senior winger Anna Klein extended UMD's lead 11:04 into the second period, but Minnesota answered just 27 seconds later and roared back late in the third period with goals at 16:22 and again with an extra skater at 19:29 to send the game into overtime. UMD goaltender Emma Soderberg made 18 saves in just the third period alone, and Minnesota peppered the Bulldogs late, outshooting UMD 20-7 in the final regulation frame.
But overtime belonged to Maggie Flaherty, who just 2:09 into extra time sniped a shot from below the extended goal line.
Soderberg made 31 stops for UMD, who went 2-of-2 on its power play.
NOTES FROM THE MINNESOTA SERIES: All-time, the Bulldogs are now 30-64-10 against the Gophers and 2-3 in their last five outings.
--Senior center Gabbie Hughes kept her scoring success against Minnesota rolling, and has now notched nine goals and eight assists for 17 points in 14 career skates against the Gophers.
POWERED PLAY: UMD has netted four power play goals in its first four games, including a perfect 2-of-2 last Saturday afternoon against Minnesota.
The Bulldogs, who have scored two goals in both of their series so far, have already equaled their power play goal total of the entire 2019-20 season - four goals (19 games).
UMD currently has the nation's fifth-best power play at 36.4%, going 4-of-11.
Gabbie Hughes, who has two power plays, is tied for the nation's highest power play goal output.
LEAGUE LEADERS: UMD currently has four of the top-10 scorers in the WCHA, including league-leader Élizabeth Giguère, who leads all scorers in league play with eight points (2g, 4a). Gabbie Hughes sits tied for second with seven points (4g, 3a), and Anna Klein tied for fifth with six points (2g, 4a). Naomi Rogge is tied for eight with five points (2g, 3a).
As a team, UMD has scored the second most goals in league play with 15 for a 3.75 goals a game average.
FLAHERTY NAMED WCHA DEFENSEMAN OF THE WEEK: To the surprise of absolutely no Bulldog women's hockey fans, senior defenseman Maggie Flaherty was named the WCHA Defenseman of the Week Monday.
The Lakeville, Minn. native single-handily led UMD over Minnesota on Saturday, sniping an overtime goal from the extended goal 2:09 into extra time off Gopher netminder Lauren Bench's back and into the far side of the mesh. Flaherty's goal, her second of the season, ties her for the lead among all defenseman in goals scored in the WCHA so far. Flaherty also had a league-best seven blocks on the weekend and 10 overall through four games.
GIGUERE HITS THE CAREER GOAL CENTURY MARK: Élizabeth Giguère cemented her name into another record book last Saturday night, scoring the 100th goal of her storied collegiate career. Giguère's goal came at 14:56 of the third period, and puts her as only the 24th NCAA Division I women's hockey player to have scored 100 or more goals.
Ironically, that statistical line only counts career goals from players from the 2000-2001 season to present time, when the NCAA recognized women's hockey. Prior Giguère, the Bulldogs have four players who recorded 100 or goals over their UMD careers, including program leader Maria Rooth (119 goals in 124 games, Jenny Potter (108 goals in 102 games), Hanne Sikio (100 goals in 123 games) and Erika Holst (100 goals in 127 games), but their 1999-2000 goal totals are not counted by the NCAA, leaving them short of the NCAA century mark.
GABBIE HUGHES JOINS THE 50 GOAL CLUB: Gabbie Hughes scored her 50th and 51st UMD career against Minnesota State on Oct. 1, 2021. With her goal at 15:32 of the second period, Hughes became the 14th player in program history to record 50 or more goals over a Bulldog career. Hughes hit the milestone in just 89 games played.
Hughes is now at 116 career points through 91 games (53g, 63a), and currently ranks 16th all-time in scoring at UMD.
KLEIN'S DURABILITY CLIMB: Senior winger Anna Klein has never, in her previous four years of college hockey, missed a game. The fifth-year senior is now at 129 consecutive games played. Klein is chasing former standout defenseman Sidney Morin, who skated in 147 consecutive games between 2013-17.
SENIORITY RULES: UMD has a record 12 seniors available and 13 overall rostered this season. The experience advantage of the Bulldogs is amplified by the fact that three of those seniors are actually fifth-year players who have already suited up collegiately for four years -- senior captain Anna Klein, redshirt senior Naomi Rogge and graduate transfer Élizabeth Giguère.
BELL AND BETINOL WITH CENTRALIZE AHEAD OF THE 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS: Gone for the season but not forever, the Bulldogs will be without senior All-American defenseman Ashton Bell and junior forward Kassy Betinol this season.
Bell, who turned in a goal -- a game-winning goal at that -- and two assists for three points in her first official national team duty last month, helped Canada clinch a gold medal in the IIHF World Championship. Over seven games, Bell went +4 from the blueline.
The product of Deloraine, Manitoba was named both a 2020-21 USCHO First Team All-American and a 2020-21 CCM/AHCA Second Team All-American. Bell finished the season as the seventh-highest scoring defenseman in the nation and second highest in the WCHA with 14 points on four goals and 10 assists. The offensive blueliner was named the WCHA's Defenseman of the Year, as well as an All-WCHA First Team selection, and also turned in a plus/minus rating of +19 over the season.
Betinol will centralize with Team China, the host of the 2022 Olympics. Betinol has played in 55 games for the Bulldogs over the past two seasons, recording three goals and four assists for seven points.
