For the second time in three weeks, Jojo Chobak shutdown one of the best offensive teams in the NCAA.

Chobak made a career-high 45 saves Friday night for the fifth-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team, who knocked off the No. 3/4 University of Wisconsin for the first time in Madison, Wisc. since Nov. 28, 2010. The Bulldogs got an early tally from freshman Gabby Krause, and UMD got two goals from Elizabeth Giguere, who scored two goals, including an empty-netter, late in the third period to ice the game.

While UMD never managed to catch up on the shot chart, they never lost their grip on the scoreboard.  Krause used a give-and-go with Clara Van Wieren to score the eventual game-winner at 3:42 of the first period, a lead the Bulldogs would never surrender.

Chobak and the Bulldogs withstood a Badger shot-on-goal advantage of 12-3 after the first period and 16-9 in the second, but UMD remained unfazed.  The Bulldogs bit down on defense until they finally flexed offensively for the game's second goal, courtesy of  Elizabeth Giguere, at 11:36 in the third period.

Giguere, who scored two goals for UMD just three days earlier in the Bulldogs 5-1 defeat of St. Cloud State University, took a feed from Gabbie Hughes from the circle into the slot.  With the patience only Giguere could bring in front of the net, the fifth-year senior went forehand, backhand, and slid the puck past UW's Kennedy Blair forehand to put UMD up 2-0. 

The Great Giguere. pic.twitter.com/4WtAJhs3bl

— UMD Women's Hockey (@UMDWHockey) February 5, 2022

The Badgers pulled Blair at the 18:03 mark, but Giguere cooled that attempt with an unassisted goal at 19:45 to give UMD its first win on the road against UW in almost 12 years.

UMD's first shutout of the Badgers since Feb. 6, 2015 (also in Madison) came from a gritty Bulldog blueline that had to fill in for an injured Maggie Flaherty.  UMD's defensive core did that and more, and the rest fell on the calm and collected shoulders of Chobak, in only her sixth-ever career start, who shutdown the Badgers and held them scoreless on two attempted power plays.  In all, UW outshot UMD 45-16 in the contest.

"Usually we are talking about our scoring depth, but I thought our forwards were responsible defensively as well," said head coach Maura Crowell. "I felt like we had sticks all over the slot if there was anything coming through, and really just trying to have good layers down there and it seemed to work. But Jojo was so locked in, and I can't say enough. If it wasn't for her, the score would have been different that's for sure, and she was there when we needed her against some of the best scorers in the country."

The Bulldogs and Badgers will take to the ice late tomorrow night to wrap up the Western Collegiate Hockey Association series.  The puck will drop in LaBahn Arena at 8:01 p.m.

BULLDOG NOTES:  Three Bulldog players now have three or more points against the Badgers this season in three games – Elizabeth Giguere, who leads the team with five points on two goals and three assists, Gabbie Hughes (2g, 1a) and Clara Van Wieren (3a) … UMD has won eight of its last nine games and is now 7-6 against ranked teams … Elizabeth Giguere has now scored six goals (and two assists) in her last four games … at 277 career points, Giguere now trails Wisconsin's Daryl Watts by just four points as the active NCAA leader in career points … with an assist in Friday's game, Gabbie Hughes is now tied for ninth all-time in career assists with Saara Touminen at 92 career assists.