The sixth-ranked University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will open the 2023-24 season at AMSOIL Arena this weekend when it plays host to Long Island University. The Bulldogs and Sharks will drop the puck Friday at 6:00 p.m. and wrap the series up Saturday with a 3:00 p.m. opening face-off.


PARTY LIKE IT'S 1999: It's been exactly 25 years since the UMD women's hockey program hit the ice for its first NCAA season at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. The Bulldog program will celebrate the season (along with the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's 25th Anniversary season) all year long, highlighted by a 25th Anniversary Team that will be unveiled each week throughout the regular season.

As a program, UMD has compiled 536 wins overall, along with 396 WCHA wins. While the Bulldogs are five-time NCAA champions, they have also skated in seven NCAA title tilts -- including just two seasons ago (2021). As a program, UMD, which has made the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons, has punched its postseason ticket 14 times, and has made eight NCAA Frozen Four appearances -- including two over the past three seasons. 

CROWELL KEEPS CLIMBING: UMD's bench boss Maura Crowell will enter her ninth season in 2023-24, and has put together an impressive record of 153-101-24 over that span. 

Overall, Crowell is 249-162-32 over her 14 season career -  the 15th most wins among all active coaches, and one of only two women in the top-15.

Crowell and the Bulldogs are coming off back-to-back 25 or more win seasons.

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and Sharks played their first series last year to open up the 2022-23 season at the Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow, N. Y. The series sweep for UMD on Sept. 24-25, 2022 by scores of  4-1 and 5-0 was the 14th opening series sweep by a Bulldog side in program history.

While junior forward Gabby Krause is the only returning player to have netted a goal against LIU last season, three players turned in two points on the weekend -- senior forward Katie Davis, graduate senior Mannon McMahon and senior Clara Van Wieren each recorded two assists in the series.

Most notably, UMD transfer defenseman and 2022 Swedish Olympian Paula Bergstrom played three seasons for the Sharks. Bergstrom, who was named the 2022-23 NEWHA Defender of the Year and was a 2022-23 First Team All-NEWHA selection. Last season for LIU, the blueliner recorded four goals and 13 assists for 17 points in 33 games, and her lone power play goal of the season came against UMD (and Swedish teammate Emma Soderberg on Sept. 24).

OPEN IT UP: UMD is 36-9-2 all-time in season opening weekends, and 10-4 in the Maura Crowell era. As a program, the Bulldogs have earned an opening series sweep 14 times.

NICE TO MEET YOU: While the preseason focus might be what the Bulldogs aren't returning, UMD's returners, along with its transfers and rookie class are ready for relevance.

In addition to LIU transfer Paula Bergstrom, the Bulldogs have added Penn State forward Olivia Wallin, who racked up 34 points (17g, 17a) last season over 38 games with the Nittany Lions. Wallin led PSU in goals, goals per game and game-winning goals last season.

Graduate senior Reece Hunt joins the Bulldogs after playing four seasons at WCHA foe Bemidji State University. Hunt racked up 58 points, including 20 goals and 38 assists over her Beaver career.

The addition of UMD's three transfers gives the Bulldogs, who lost 10 players to graduation, including players who scored 81 of UMD's 125 goals last season, some additional goal scorers and playmakers, as well as a solid defenseman in Bergstrom.

The most talked about freshman addition is Ève Gascon, who arguably joins UMD with the most fanfare since legendary goaltender Kim Martin became a Bulldog after backstopping Sweden to an upset victory over the U.S. Olympic Team in the 2006 Olympics. Gascon, one of just three women ever to play in the OMJHL and one of only two to earn a win, was recently named the No 1 rookie to watch in the NCAA this season by The Hockey News. Gascon will join sophomore goaltender Hailey MacLeod  between the pipes, with both goaltenders prepared to help fill the massive void left by All-American and program shutout record holder Emma Soderberg.

SEASON PREVIEW: After a roster full of super seniors last year, the Bulldogs are set to reinvent themselves in 2023-24, the program's 25th season. While the loss of three All-Americans across all three positions is notable, along with the overall impact of last season's seniors, it is in the past for the current squad, who hits the ice this weekend having now had back-to-back 25 or more win seasons and a senior class that has only known the NCAA Tournament.

ON THE OFFENSE: Graduate senior forward and team captain Mannon McMahon is coming off the most offensively productive season of her career. The super senior had a career-best 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points, all career highs. McMahon also added two game-winning goals and begins the season as its most productive returner after sitting fourth last season in scoring.

Senior and alternate captain Clara Van Wieren has already compiled six game-winning goals over the past three seasons, and has had a knack for delivering big wins at big times for the Bulldogs. Van Wieren scored nine goals last season --tying a career-best, and had 22 overall points and two power play goals. 

Junior forward Gabby Krause had seven goals and seven assists as a sophomore for 14 points, while redshirt sophomore Mary Kate O'Brien had five goals a season ago (seven points in all) and senior Katie Davis added four goals and two assists for six points.

That crew of returning forwards will be joined by Olivia Wallin and Reece Hunt,  who will help bolster UMD's offense.

ON DEFENSE: UMD's fourth and eighth all-time scorers from the backline (Ashton Bell and Maggie Flaherty) are gearing up for pro careers after being drafted two weeks ago, but the Bulldogs still have go-to blueliners. Starting with alternate captain Nina Jobst-Smith, who  burst on the offensive scene last season with five goals and 21 assists for 26 points -- all career bests. In fact, Jobst-Smith's 21 assists last season was the 11th most by a UMD defenseman in history. Jobst-Smith also added five power play goals.

Canada Development Team selection Tova Henderson returns for her sophomore season after turning in a seven point (1g, 6a) season as a rookie. The Bulldogs also have junior Hanna Baskin, who also increased her offensive output and added a goal and 11 helpers for 12 points. 

The addition of senior transfer Paula Bergstrom, along with rookies Ida Karlsson and Quinn Dunkle, will help strengthen a backline that gave up the second fewest goals in the nation a year ago (1.34), and help the Bulldogs continue to be a program that puts a heavy emphasis on developing defensemen.

IN NET: Freshman goaltender Ève Gascon and sophomore Hailey MacLeod will man the pipes for the Bulldogs, though their workload is far from determined. MacLeod played a part in UMD's record-setting 14 shutouts last season, playing in eight games and recording a 1.03 GAA. Gascon was a member of Canada's U-18 Team, and most recently played in the Canada National Women's Development Team series vs the U.S. in August.