The No. 7/8 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team met St. Thomas University for the first time in program history Saturday afternoon, and the result was a 3-0 shutout for the Bulldogs at the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn.

UMD peppered the Tommies with 35 shots on goal to 21, and had two players notch two points -- linemates Gabbie Hughes (1g, 1a) and Anna Klein (2a).  Senior goaltender Emma Soderberg made all 21 stops on all the shots she faced for her eighth career shutout and second of the season.

"We knew they were going to be a hard working team, a good structured team and that's what they showed us in the first period," said UMD head coach Maura Crowell. "We regrouped after one and got back at it and I thought we outworked them in the second. We were winning our battles, putting a ton of pressure on them, I think we were in the offensive zone for the majority of that period. We got rewarded with two nice goals and carried into the third."

Despite dominating most of the play in the first period, the Bulldogs finally asserted themselves on the scoreboard in the second period.  Hughes struck first when her passing attempt deflected off a UST defenseman and went five-hole through the pads of Saskia Maurer at 2:56 of the frame.  Hughes figured in UMD's next goal at 12:41, her sixth point in the last two games. Klein's tip of the puck towards the boards ended up on Hughes stick, and the senior center backhanded the puck to a waiting Giguere on the doorstep for her fifth goal of the season and the 2-0 Bulldog lead.

UMD tacked on a third goal in the final period, courtesy of sophomore winger Clara Van Wieren.  After Mannon McMahon won the puck back deep, Van Wieren skated it down and then to the top of the circle with a snipe at the 12:23 mark to push the Bulldogs up 3-0.

UST would get no closer, even with an extra skater for the final minutes of the game.  Soderberg was unbeatable between the pipes with 21 saves, while the Tommies netminder Maurer made 31 saves.  UST falls to 2-4-1, 2-4-1) with the setback.

The Bulldogs (3-4-0, 3-4-0) will attempt a Western Collegiate Hockey Association sweep tomorrow against the Tommies.  The puck is set to drop again at 2:01 p.m.