The No. 7/8 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will head south this weekend to face the University of St. Thomas in Mendota Heights, Minn. in a Saturday-Sunday Western Collegiate Hockey Association series. The Bulldogs and Tommies -- who have never played in any capacity in program history -- will hit the ice both days at 2:01 p.m. at the St. Thomas Ice Arena.
THE SERIES: UMD will play its first-ever series against UST, which is making its debut at the Division I level this season. As members of the WCHA, the Tommies have already won two games, but the Bulldogs have not yet played a common opponent to UST this season.
A LOOK AT THE TOMMIES: Senior forward Anna Solheim leads UST with one goal and three assists for four points through six games. Overall, the Tommies have scored eight total goals but given up 18. Despite that, UST is currently 2-3-1 overall and in league play. The Bulldogs will be the second ranked opponent UST has faced this season.
At the helm of UST is long-time former Minnesota assistant Joel Johnson. Johnson will lead Team USA in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs bounced back from a 3-0 setback last Friday at AMSOIL to play top-ranked Wisconsin into overtime Sunday before suffering a 5-4 loss. While UMD grabbed one point from the Badgers Sunday in WCHA play, the Bulldogs top-line was on point for the match-up for game two.
Friday, UW used two power play goals to push ahead in the first 40 minutes. Wisconsin, who has allowed just two goals in its first seven games, held UMD to 24 shots on goal while generating 37. The Badgers first power play goal came at 10:36 of the first period in the slot from Makeena Webster, giving the Badgers a 1-0 lead that held through the first 20 minutes of play.
The Badgers added two goals in the second period to push UW ahead 2-0 at 7:31. Wisconsin's third goal and second power play goal of the day was again Webster sitting on the edge of the crease, and the sophomore knocked in her second goal of the game just 24.4 seconds before the second intermission.
Emma Soderberg made 34 saves for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs and Badgers battled to a 3-on-3 overtime skate Sunday afternoon at AMSOIL Arena before UW scored to defeat UMD 5-4 in one of the best games so far of the young season.
UMD jupmped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period behind two goals from senior winger Anna Klein, including a 1-0 boost 5:43 into the frame. It was Klein from Hughes and Elizabeth Giguere late in the second period, giving UMD a 2-0 lead at the 18:14 mark.
Wisconsin fought back and drew the game to 2-2 into the second intermission, and would take the lead four minutes into the third period on a goal by Nicole LaMantia, Just 1:36 later, however, Giguere, with help from Klein and Hughes, knotted the game back up.
Wisconsin retook a 4-3 lead at 12:47, but again UMD -- and Giguere -- would answer. On the power play at 16:30, Giguere ripped a wrist shot to force the epic battle into a 4-4 tie and UMD's second overtime skate in its last three outings.
23 seconds was all it took for the Badgers to grab the extra league point, however, as Casey O'Brien finished off a 2-on-1 to land a 5-4 win over the Bulldogs in the 3-on-3 overtime.
Wisconsin ended up outshooting UMD 31-21. Soderberg had 28 saves for the Bulldogs, and Blair had 17 for UW, which stays unbeaten on the season at 8-0-0 and 4-0-0 in WCHA play.
NOTES FROM THE WISCONSIN SERIES: The Bulldogs now 31-53-14 all-time against the Badgers, and 1-2-1 over the last two seasons. UMD and UW have played into overtime in three of their last six games.
--Gabbie Hughes' four points against Wisconsin on Sunday was the most by a Bulldog against the Badgers since Jenny Potter and Erika Holst each put up four points in a 7-2 win back on Oct. 25, 2002. Hughes had four assists --- Potter recorded a goal and three assists and Holst two goals and two assists.
--Hughes figured in all four UMD goals Sunday (four assists) and led all scorers. Two other Bulldogs finished with multiple point games -- both Elizabeth Giguere and Anna Klein had two goals and an assist for three points.
LIGHTENING LINE: UMD's top line of Elizabeth Giguere, Gabbie Hughes and Anna Klein is one of the top-three scoring lines in the NCAA, having already netted 12 of the Bulldogs 19 goals. The trio is averaging two goals a game,
Both Hughes and Giguere rank seventh in the nation with a 1.83 points per game average. That average ranks them fourth in the WCHA, and both Hughes and Giguere are also both tied for the WCHA lead in points with 11 (4g, 7a) in just six games.
POWERED PLAY: UMD's power play conversion rate is 33.3 -- the fifth-highest power play in the NCAA. The Bulldogs have gone 5-of-15 through their first six games.
The Bulldogs have already equaled their power play goal total of the entire 2019-20 season - four goals (19 games).
Gabbie Hughes, who has two power play goals, is tied for third in the nation.
LEAGUE LEADERS: UMD currently has three of the top-five scorers in the WCHA, including league-leaders in a four-way tie, Elizabeth Giguere and Gabbie Hughes. Giguere and Hughes each have four goals and seven assists for 11 points through six games. Anna Klein is tied for fifth with nine points (4g, 5a).
