The No. 7 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will travel to Mankato, Minn. this weekend to battle Minnesota State University, Mankato in Western Collegiate Hockey Association action. The Bulldogs will bring with them a three-game winning streak against the Mavericks after sweeping them at AMSOIL Arena this past October.
 

Date: February 3-4, 2023,  3:00 p.m. Friday, 2:00 p.m. Saturday

Site:  Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, (4,832) Mankato, Minn.

          UMD: 19-8-1 (13-8-1)

          MSU: 13-15-2 (7-15-0)

Video: https://www.bigtenplus.com/en-int/page/home

Live Stats: https://msumavericks.com/sidearmstats/whockey/summary

THE SERIES: UMD's all-time series count is currently at 80-9-9  against MSU and 8-2 over their last 10 meetings. In fact, the Bulldogs have lost just two games to the Mavericks since the 2017-18 season, 26 games played in all  for a record of 19-2-5.

The Bulldogs swept Minnesota State, Mankato back on Oct. 7-8 at AMSOIL Arena by scores of 2-1 in overtime and 2-0 on Oct. 8.

In the first game, UMD's start to the game differed from its finish, and it was the Mavericks that found a way on to the AMSOIL scoreboard first at just 4:51 of the first period.  UMD battled back at the 12:56, behind Gabbie Hughes' wrap around pass across the crease to Kylie Hanley on the doorstop.

Despite a UMD shot-on-goal advantage of 42-15, the Bulldogs needed extra time to finally dispose of the Mavericks.  With another helper from Hughes, Ashton Bell scored the game-winner 14 seconds into overtime.

UMD wasted no time getting on the board in game two, and buried two pucks in the net 23 seconds apart in the first period.  Taylor Anderson struck first 4:57, and less than  a half a minute later, Gabby Krause pushed UMD's lead to 2-0 at 5:20.

The Bulldogs never rested on offense, and peppered 40 shots on goal.  UMD's defense smothered the Mavericks from there, holding them to just 10 shots in the entire game.  For her 10-save effort, Emma Soderberg the shutout.

UMD-MINN. STATE HIGHLIGHT: The Mavericks are one of just two teams UMD has piled up 80 or more wins against over program history with 80. Currently, the Bulldogs have a program-best 86 wins against Bemidji State, with MSU in second and St. Cloud State in third with 78.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE MAVERICKS: MSU owns one of the best penalty kills in the NCAA with a 86.8 success kill rate, the 11th best in the nation and second best in the WCHA. (By comparison, UMD ranks 13th in the NCAA and third in the WCHA with a  86.5 succes rate.

Claire Butorac leads the Mavericks with 20 points (6g, 14a), while Kelsey King has a team-high 10 goals. MSU has split time in between the pipes between Lauren Barbo (2.82 GAA) and Alexa Berg (2.89).

LAST TIME OUT: UMD was swept at AMSOIL for the first time since fall of 2021 by No. 3 Minnesota by scores of 3-1 and 4-3.

In game one last Friday, the Gophers snapped a nine-game unbeaten streak for the Bulldogs. After Minnesota scored midway through the second period, Taylor Stewart found the equalizer just 37 seconds into the third period to draw the game at 1-1. But the Gophers struck at 7:56, and then put the game out of reach with an empty net goal with 1:21 left in the third for the WCHA win. UMD goaltender Emma Soderberg had 35 saves for the Bulldogs in the setback.

On Saturday afternoon, UMD cut a Gopher two goal lead three times, but could not pull even by the time regulation ran out. Gabby Krause, and Taylor Anderson had power play goals for the Bulldogs, while Mannon McMahon had an even strength tally at 3:29 of the third period. Soderberg had 20 saves for UMD, which outshot Minnesota 27-24 in the game.

NOTES FROM THE MINNESOTA SERIES: UMD is now 32-70-10 against the Gophers, one of only two NCAA programs the Bulldogs are upside against.

--The Gophers defeated the Bulldogs in four games on the regular season for the first time since the 2015-16 season. Minnesota outscored UMD 15-9 in those four league games.

--Minnesota snapped UMD's nine-game unbeaten streak -- a length that had tied the longest unbeaten streak of the Maura Crowell era.

--The Gophers four goals against last Saturday was just the fourth time this season an opponent has scored four or more points against UMD. Those four, four or more goal games against the Bulldogs have come versus top-three teams in the nation. The Bulldogs are 1-3 in those games.

HOME WCHA ICE WATCH: UMD currently sits in the fourth and final spot for home ice in the WCHA quarterfinals. The Bulldogs can cement AMSOIL ice with just five points over the next three series.
 

CROWELL CREEPS TOWARD 150 WINS AT UMD: Bulldog head coach Maura Crowell is inching towards the 150 win mark at UMD, currently sitting at 146 heading into the weekend series in Mankato, Minn. Crowell already ranks  eighth among all-time WCHA coaches in overall wins, and seventh in WCHA games with 97 wins over her eight year tenure behind the Bulldog bench.

DUG IN DEFENSE: UMD continutes to be one of the stingiest teams in the nation on defense, and with a goals against average of 1.48, ranks second in the WCHA and fifth in the NCAA.  With nine shutouts this season as a team (the second most in the NCAA), UMD has allowed the fourth fewest goals against so far this -- 42 -- over 28 games. Emma Soderberg leads the WCHA and sits third in the NCAA with seven shutouts so far, and ranks fourth in the NCAA among goaltenders with 1,300 or more minutes  with a 1.63 GAA.

POWERED PLAY: The Bulldogs power play currently ranks fourth in the NCAA with a percentage of 24.4 and fifth in power play goals with 20.

SAVES BY SODERBERG: Emma Soderberg, who is the sixth winningest goaltender in program history, is one win away from 50 career wins, a feat that only five previous UMD goaltenders have accomplished. In all, 19 goaltenders in WCHA history have record 50 or more wins.

The graduate senior currently sits second all-time with 18 career shutouts. The only goaltender in program history to record six or more shutouts in multiple seasons, Soderberg currently has seven -- tying her for the second most shutouts in a single season at UMD.

JOBST-SMITH NAMED DEFENDER OF THE MONTH: After leading all blueliners in scoring with a 1.13 points per game average in January, junior Nina Jobst-Smith was named the WCHA's Defender of the Week Tuesday.

In the midst of a career-best offensive season, Jobst-Smith tied for the most points in the WCHA with nine goals and eight assists over eight games last month. More importantly, Jobst-Smith was part of a defensive core that helped UMD hold teams to a league-low 1.25 points a game and posted a league-best three shutouts.

ASCENDING ANDERSON: Graduate student senior Taylor Anderson has quietly turned in the most offensive season of her career. Anderson currently has 19 points, and the third most goals on the team with nine. But even more impressively is the offensive output Anderson has unload in her last 10 games. Playing in 10-of UMD's last 11 games, Anderson has contributed points in every skate she dressed for, putting up a 11 point, 10 game streak of six goals and five assists over that span, including five points (2g, 3a) against top-10 ranked teams.