Despite the most unpredictable regular season in University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey history, the final regular season series for the Bulldogs could not have been better planned. No. 7 UMD will host the No. 1 University of Wisconsin for a shot at the Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title this weekend in a Friday-Saturday series at AMSOIL Arena. Game one, with UMD set to wear its 1950's Bulldog men's hockey inspired vintage jerseys that are currently being auctioned off online (https://umdbulldogs.com/auctions/ ), will get underway at 5:07 p.m. Friday night. Game two, which will feature senior night following the contest, will begin at 2:07 p.m. Fans who would like to watch the post-game ceremony to honor the seniors Saturday can watch via https://youtu.be/FfJuF9K6V7A.
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POST SEASON IMPLICATIONS: The Julianne Bye Cup will be on the line for both the Bulldogs and Badgers this weekend. But the the results of the weekend will literally alter the WCHA Final Face-Off landscape, with spots 1-4 a possible landing for UMD, depending on the results of the series. Because not all seven WCHA teams will finish with the same amount of games played over the course of a pandemic (UMD alone lost six games due to league COVID-19 protocols), the regular season standings have been determined by points percentage made up of league points earned divided by total points possible.
UMD enters the weekend in second place in the WCHA at .714 percent (10-4, 30 points in 14 games). To take over first place, the Bulldogs will need to sweep the Badgers to earn all six available points -- that would hand UMD its their first regular season league title since the 2009-10 season. One UMD win for three points would assure the Bulldogs of a finish no lower than second, while picking up just two points (tie plus an overtime win), would drop UMD into third via a tiebreaker with Ohio State University. A Wisconsin sweep of the series would set-up a fourth place landing for the Bulldogs, who would then face the Badgers next week in one of WCHA's Final Face-Off semifinal games next Saturday at Ridder Area.
THE SERIES: This weekend will mark the one and only series UMD and Wisconsin will get this year after an earlier series set to take place in Madison back on Dec. 11-12 was postponed due to the Badgers not being able to meet league COVID-10 protocol. All-time, the Bulldogs are 30-53-14 against the Badgers, and went 0-4-1 against Wisconsin last year, including 0-3-1 in the regular season. While UW outscored the Bulldogs 12-22 last season, five of the Badgers goals were on the power play, and three came against an empty UMD net.
In 13 career games against the Badgers, Senior winger Anna Klein leads all current Bulldogs with 10 points on six goals and four assists. Junior center Gabbie Hughes has eight points on two goals and six assists for eight points in just nine career games against Wisconsin.
In their last meeting on March 7, 2020 in the WCHA Final Face-Off, Wisconsin scored a power play goal and added a late empty-netter to defeat the Bulldogs 4-1. Senior center Sydney Brodt scored the lone UMD goal at 4:36 of the first period to draw the game into a tie, but UW scored three unanswered goals, including the empty-net tally at 19:21 to hold UMD off. Senior goaltender Maddie Rooney had 26 saves in the contest.
A LOOK AT THE BADGERS: Technically the defending NCAA champions after COVID-19 prevented a title game, let alone an NCAA Regional game in 2020, the Badgers enter the weekend unbeaten in their last eight games (8-1). Senior forward Daryl Watts leads Wisconsin and all of the WCHA with 27 points on 13 goals and 14 assists over 14 games. Only UMD has allowed fewer goals in the WCHA than the Badgers, who have a second-best 1.29 goals against after allowing just 18 goals (by comparison, the Bulldogs lead the WCHA with a 1.21 GAA and 17 goals against.) Senior goaltender Kennedy Blair has started all 14 games in goal for UW, and has a 1.31 GAA and .947%. Currently in his 18th season behind the bench of the Badgers, Mark Johnson has a career record of 533-92-46 with five NCAA titles.
LAST TIME OUT: After 21 days between games, UMD finally played an outside opponent last weekend and swept Minnesota State at AMSOIL by scores of 2-1 and 4-3.
Saturday the Bulldogs fell behind early in the first period at 5:48, and MSU would hold that lead for almost 50 minutes.
Finally breaking through was Gabbie Hughes, who tracked back into the neutral zone and stripped a MSU player of the puck after picking up her stick just short of the redline. From there, Hughes skated down the middle of the ice, past three Maverick players and literally split two of them in the high slot. Diving, Hughes managed to roof the puck up and over MSU goaltender Calla Frank to draw the Bulldogs even at 1-1 with the Mavericks at the 10:53 mark.
Less than five minutes later, UMD took its first -- and final -- lead of the game. Maggie Flaherty found McKenzie Hewett on the doorstep for the game-winning goal at 15:08, the junior forward's third goal of the season and third in the last three skates. Emma Soderberg picked up with win with 21 saves.
Sunday the Bulldogs pulled out a 4-3 win after Hughes punched in a rebound with three seconds remaining in the third period. In a game with four lead changes, UMD came from behind for a second-straight afternoon on two goals and an assist from Hughes.
Just as the Mavericks did Saturday night, they took the first lead of the game in the opening period. Unlike game one, the Bulldogs stormed back immediately in the second period, and it started with Taylor Anderson's third goal of the year at 2:27, scored off Frank's pad and in for the 1-1 equalizer. Hughes scored her own goal at the 8:43 mark, before the Mavericks forced a 2-2 tie at 15:05 MSU then opened the third period by retaking the lead at 3:08. UMD responded again at 10:12, this time in the form of sophomore forward Kasundra Betinol to draw the Bulldogs even at 3-3, and Hughes, with three seconds left, popped in the rebound to secure UMD's fifth win in a row.
NOTES FROM THE MINESOTA STATE SERIES: All-time, the Bulldogs are now 73-7-9 against the Mavericks, and are unbeaten in their last 17 meetings. UMD was 4-0 this season against MSU, outscoring the Mavericks 18-7 in those skates.
--Three players rang up six or more points against MSU this season -- Gabbie Hughes (3g, 4a), Anna Klein (3g, 3a) and Ashton Bell (1g, 5a).
--MSU was the first team in almost four months and nine games to score more than a goal against the Bulldogs when the Mavericks managed three last Sunday. Until then, only the University of Minnesota back on Nov. 28 had put two goals past netminder Emma Soderberg. (MSU netted three Sunday).
--Hughes is currently on a five-game scoring streak that dates back to Jan. 23. Over that span, Hughes has compiled five goals and three assists for eight points.
--McKenzie Hewett is on a career-best three game scoring streak, with three goals and an assist for four points in her last three skates.
--With two wins over the weekend, UMD head coach Maura Crowell is just two wins shy of her 100th win.
KLEIN CONTINUES TO HAVE THE REIGNS AS UMD'S TOP SCORER: Senior Anna Klein continues to lead UMD and has compiled nine goals and nine assists for 18 points over 14 games so far. That points per game average of 1.29 ranks seventh in the NCAA among players who have skated in three or more games and third in the WCHA. Klein ranks seventh in the NCAA and is tied for third in the WCHA with a goals per game average of 0.64, and leads the NCAA and WCHA with two shorthanded goals. The Edina, Minn. native has also scored 3 game-winning goals, which ties her for the third most in the NCAA and is tied for tsecond in the WCHA. Klein has registered two or more points in over half of the games she has played this season (7).
BULLDOGS GET DEFENSIVE: The Bulldogs currently own the WCHA's lowest goals against on games played (1.21), as well as the fewest goals against (17). UMD also ranks as the second lowest goals against in the nation, and In fact, through 14 games, UMD has allowed just 17 goals -- which ranks the Bulldogs second in the NCAA. While allowing just 17 goals, UMD has outscored its opponents with 43 goals for a 3.07 goals per game.
HUGHES GETS PLENTY OFFENSIVE: Gabbie Hughes has gotten plenty offensive in the second half of UMD's season. After focusing on her defensive play and winning face-offs in her first six games, Hughes is pulling in points in her last eight skates.
The junior center netted just one goal and added five assists in six games (1.00 ppg) that made up the 2020 part of the season. Since hitting the 2021 calendar year, Hughes has scored five goals and dished five assists for 10 points in just eight games (1.25 ppg)
In fact, Hughes is so hot offensively right now that she is on five-game scoring streak, with five goals and three assists for eight points over that span. Hughes also leads the WCHA and ranks seventh in the NCAA in face-off wins -- she raked in 217 out of a possible 364 puck drops.
SODERBERG BY THE NUMBERS: Any way you look at it, Emma Soderberg is having a career season. Nationally, Soderberg ranks second in goals against (1.10) and third in saves percentage (.957), and her five shutouts rank her in a tie for second. In the WCHA, Soderberg leads all goaltenders in almost every catergory, and has allowed a league-low 15 goals in 14 games.
But what's almost as staggering is where Soderberg is currently stacking up in the UMD record books. Soderberg's stats right now in GAA (1.10) and saves percentage (.957) would rank her first in a single-season among all UMD goaltenders. With 23 career games played, Soderberg sits first with a .948 saves percentage and a 1.32 GAA.
CROWELL CLOSES IN ON THE CENTURY MARK: UMD head coach Maura Crowell, currently in her sixth season at the helm of the Bulldogs, enters the weekend just two wins shy of 100 with 98.
BELL AND KLEIN EXTEND CONSECUTIVE GAME STREAKS: Both seniors Ashton Bell and Anna Klein have played 120 straight-games, which now crowns them tied for the second-longest consecutive games played streak in program history.
Sidney Morin owns the UMD record for consecutive games played with 147 over her career from 2013-17.
