With six players on the final four teams, the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team was well represented Sunday at the KVIK Hockey Arena in Denmark.  In the end, five Bulldogs, including two currently on the Bulldogs 2022-23 roster, helped their national teams to medals of gold, silver and bronze in the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship.

Senior defenseman Ashton Bell, along with former All-American defenseman Jocelyne Larocque struck gold with Canada with a 2-1 victory over the U.S. in the championship game, while current senior goaltender Blanka Skodova, along with former Katerina Mrazova helped the Czech Republic defeat Switzerland 4-2 for the bronze medal.  While neither Bell or Larocque landed in the scoring column Sunday, Bulldogs were all over the scoresheet in the bronze medal game.  Mrazova had two assists, including on the fourth Czech Republic goal midway though the second period.  Swiss captain Lara Stalder, no stranger to medal games, posted an assist for Switzerland in the third period of the medal skate.

In all, nine current and former Bulldog players skated in Demark, including two other current players, senior goaltender Emma Soderberg and junior defenseman Nina Jobst-Smith.  Soderberg continued right where she left off from the Olympics in February, again brilliant for Sweden between the pipes.  Soderberg made a whopping 160 saves over five games, the fifth-most in the entire tournament.  In all, Soderberg posted a .906 saves percentage with a 2.97 goals against average, and had 54 saves on 59 shots against eventual winner Canada in the quarterfinals.  Jobst-Smith had two assists in four games for Team Germany, and one of those helpers came in Germany's late-game 3-2 thriller of a triumph over Denmark on August 30.

The Bulldogs had three players in the top-30 in assists, with Mrazova tied for fourth overall with eight in just seven skates.  Larocque was knotted at fifth with five through seven games, while Stalder had three for the Swiss, the 29th most in the tournament. Overall, Mrazova ranked 11th in scoring with nine points (1g, 8a), while Lacoque finished 23rd on a goal and five helpers for six points.

Michelle Lowenhielm, one of Sweden's captains (and one of three UMD players with letters on their sweaters in Denmark), finished with a goal the tournament, while Maddie Rooney saw action in six games for the U.S., including a week-best 15 saves against Finland in the preliminary round.