For just the second time this season, the No. 7/9 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will step out of conference play this weekend to host No. 2 Colgate University at AMSOIL Arena. The Friday-Saturday series will get underway Friday night at 6:00 p.m., and conclude Saturday with a 3:00 p.m. puck drop. All tickets purchased online this weekend will be discounted to $1.00 if purchased here.
 

THE SERIES: UMD is 3-0 all-time against Colgate, but this weekend will mark the highest national ranking the Raiders have ever held at the time of a UMD-Colgate game.

Both sides do have a common opponent this season -- both teams played Ohio State University. The Raiders split with the Buckeyes back on Sept. 29-30 in Hamilton, N.Y., with the Friday night game a 3-2 Colgate win before OSU won 3-2 in overtime the next day. 

UMD was swept by the Buckeyes in their head-to-head series at AMSOIL Arena by scores of 5-2 and 2-0 on Oct. 13-14. 

In their last head-to-head, the Raiders were No. 4 and the Bulldogs fifth when they squared off in the 2021 NCAA Quarterfinals in Erie, Penn. on March 15, 2021, a 1-0 overtime thriller that UMD's Ashton Bell scored to send the Bulldogs into the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four.

Just four UMD players remain from that squad -- only graduate forward Mannon McMahon, as well as seniors Clara Van Wieren, Nina Jobst-Smith and Katie Davis have ever suited up against the Raiders over their careers.

Colgate enters the series as one of the hottest teams in the all of the NCAA, averaging 5.10 goals per game - the second most in the country, while also boasting the NCAA's top power play (42.1). UMD enteres the weekend with one of the nation's top defenses, allowing just 1.41 goals a game -- which includes  two open net goals against top-4 opponents. 

All-time, the Bulldogs are averaging 2.67 goals a game against Colgate, and have neither side as ever hosted the other in their home rink, only meeting in neutral tournaments and the NCAA postseason.

UMD vs. Colgate - 3-0-0 All-Time

(3 games played

Mar. 15, 2021 1-0 OT Win Neutral !

Oct. 26, 2019 3-1 Win Netural

Nov. 24, 2017 4-1 Win Neutral

! 2021 NCAA Quarterfinals

UMD AGAINST THE ECAC: The Bulldogs have played 68 games against ECAC teams in program history. (Known as the Eastern College Athletic Conference until 2004 and the ECAC Hockey League until 2007, it is now just referred to as the ECAC). UMD went 4-0 last season again ECAC foes, including a 2-0 win over Clarkson University in the First Round of the NCAA on March 9, 2023. The Bulldogs also landed a 3-2 overtime win against St. Lawrence University on the road Sept. 29, 2022 before sweeping Harvard University at AMSOIL  on Nov. 18-19, 2022 by scores of 4-0 and 9-0. The Bulldogs outscored  ECAC opponents 18-4 in those four games.

RANK AND FILE: While the Bulldogs sit seventh in the USA Hocky/The Rink Live;s national poll, UMD is ninth in the USCHO's weekly poll. Colgate sits second in both this week.

In all, the Raiders have skated in seven games against top-15 opponents, though their only top-5 foe was OSU, ranked No. 2 at the time. The Bulldogs have had four games so far against top-4 teams, and after facing Colgate this weekend, will head to the No. 3 University of Wisconsin next week before finishing up against No. 10 St. Cloud State University -- a span of eight games against top-10 teams over four-straight series.

LAST TIME OUT:  The Bulldogs were swept by the No 4 University of Minnesota last Friday and Saturday night by scores of 3-1. Friday night, UMD outshot the Gophers 33-32 but could not put up more than a single goal from Hanna Baskin midway through the third period. Ève Gascon made 30 saves for UMD, who surrendered an empty net goal with 15.5 seconds left in regulation.

In game two, the Gophers used two shorthanded goals to pin in the Bulldogs. UMD's lone goal came from Gabby Krause in the third period, but again, like the night before, Minnesota answered less than two minutes later to  retake the lead. Gascon had 33 saves on the afternoon for a total of 63 in the series.

NOTES FROM THE MINNESOTA SERIES:  UMD is now 32-73-10 all-time against the Gophers.

--Minnesota's two shorthanded goals last Saturday was just the second time in program history the Bulldogs have ever allowed that. The other? Against Minnesota all the way back on Dec.3, 1999.

--With an assist on Saturday, Mannon McMahon has recorded four goals and four assists -- eight points against Minnesota over the last three seasons.

DEFENSIVE DUTY: The Bulldogs are no strangers as a program to defense, and through their first 12 games own the seventh lowest goals against average in all the NCAA.

UMD's team GAA is 1.41 -- and includes two open net goals. The Bulldogs two goaltenders that have split time so far -- sophomore Haliey MacLeod and freshman Ève Gascon both rank in the top-10 in the NCAA for goals against average. MacLeod sits fourth in the nation with a 0.75 GAA over four games, while Gascon ranks 12 with a 1.51 over eight skates, which includes four games top-4 nationally ranked teams.

UMD's netminders also rank in the top-4 of the NCAA in saves percentage -- MacLeod owns a .962 for the second spot, while Gascon sits fourth with a .956.

While MacLeod has a shutout in her first four games, Gascon has three, which ranks fifth in the NCAA for team shutouts.

NO GOALS GASCON: Freshman goaltender Ève Gascon has already tied  the third most shutouts recorded by a Bulldog freshman goaltender. With three shutouts in her first six games, Gascon is in rare company, and trails only Jennifer Harss, who had five shutouts as a rookie in 2009-10 and Kayla Black, who turned in four during the 2011-12 season.

Gascon has tied both Kim Martin (three shutouts in 2006-07) and Tuula Puputti (three in 1999-00). Martin piled up her three shutouts immediately -- the eventual All-American racked up three clean sheets in her first four starts at UMD.

PERFECT FITS: New arrivals Reece Hunt and Olivia Wallin have taken no time to make an offensive impact for the Bulldogs.

Hunt has the second most points for UMD points through 12 games, and has dished out a tied for team-best seven helpers. Wallin is averaging just a point under 1.00 a game, with nine points on three goals and six assists.

MCMAHON STREAKS ON: Graduate senior Mannon McMahon has now played the fourth most consecutive games in program history. 

The forward has skated in 146 straight-games to date, putting her just one game behind Sidney Morin in third with 147 games, Ashton Bell at No. 2 with 164, and Anna Klein, who owns a program-best 165 consecutive games played. 

UMD's all-time games played record was set last season by Naomi Rogge, and stands at 168 games. McMahon is currently 11 games away from cracking into the top-10 games played of all-timem and right now ranks 15th in a tie with Bulldog great Ashleigh Brykaliuk.