When it comes to looking at the success of a senior class in sports, historians can typically choose to focus on the number of banners hanging in the rafters, the number of accolades athletes have accumulated or the rewriting by the group of the statistical record books. For the 2022-23 University of Women's Hockey senior class, historians won't have to choose. Over their somewhat lengthy careers, the Bulldogs delivered on all three fronts.

Winning is always the first measure of success, and UMD's senior class is worthy of being measured by it. As reigning back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four participants, the Bulldogs skated all the way into the NCAA title tilt just a little over 11 months ago. Wrapping up seasons as the country's No. 2 team as UMD did in 2021-22 or the No. 3 team, as it did in 2020-21 is no small feat, and winning when it matters most is a sure attribute of greatness. The current Bulldog seniors have so far in their career posted an NCAA Tournament record of 4-2, and just last season, with the addition of the NCAA regional semifinal and final, UMD was able to tie the 2007-08 and 2009-10 teams for most NCAA Tournament wins in a single season with three.

Overall, the Bulldogs are 92-55 12 as a class prior to the St. Cloud State University series at AMSOIL Arena, and are in the midst of their second 20+ win season. After posting 27 wins a year ago, the Bulldogs are already at 20 with four regular season games left and a possible plethora of postseason ahead of them.

On the awards front, the current UMD senior class is awash in recognition of what they have accomplished both on the ice and off it. Within the nine players that will be celebrated Saturday, are three All-Americans, seven Academic All-Americans and one Patty Kazmaier Top-3 Finalist. The nine also includes two WCHA Players of the Year, three WCHA First-Team selections, two WCHA Second-Team selection, and two WCHA All-Rookie selections, one WCHA Goaltending Champion, three NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament honorees, one Hockey Humanitarian Finalist, eight All-WCHA Academic Team members, three Olympians and one Olympic gold medalist. There have been a lot of celebrated players to come from the UMD women's hockey program from an accolades standpoint – the 2022-23 senior class truly ranks right up there with all of those groups.

From a historical record book perspective, the Bulldog seniors have literally rewritten it. Once they were given an additional COVID season, some records were bound to be altered, like games played. But the 2020-21 season was just 19 games in its entirety, shortening what would have been the final season for Ashton Bell. And just because a player is granted an extra year of eligibility, it doesn't assure health or even success on the ice. No one rolls out the red carpet for these fifth-year senior classes. Seven of the possible seven skaters on the team have played in the top-15 for games played in program history, with six of the seven now in the top-10 and three of the seven in the top-five. 

Three players rank in the top-20 of the program for career scoring (Gabbie Hughes, Ashton Bell and Naomi Rogge). Two defenseman have cracked the top-10 in career scoring (Bell and Maggie Flaherty), while goaltender Emma Soderberg ranks second all-time in shutouts (just one away from tying the record of 20), sixth in wins (49), sixth in saves and goals against average. This is just a glimpse of how this class has altered the record books. There is almost no career category now that does not have at least one of the 2022-23 senior class members in it.

No matter how history judges this experienced, successful group, it will be kind. There is no senior salute grand enough to encapsulate what they injected into the program, and no annual capable of recording what all they got back out for that effort. As they near the end of the regular season portion of the senior farewell tour, it would be a mistake to take them for granted. History will welcome the 2022-23 senior Bulldog class with open arms, but don't pass on your chance to give them a hand while they still skate under a UMD sweater. When it's all said and done, this group of nine will have left their mark. The only question left is how much bigger it will be.

A Closer Look at the 2022-23 UMD Women's Hockey Senior Class:

No. 5 Taylor Anderson, Eagen, Minn. - Graduate Student, Graduated in May of 2022 with a degree in finance and professional sales and is currently working on completing her MBA

Anderson ranks seventh all-time in games played with 153 and has posted 24 goals and 27 assists for 51 points over that span, including five game-winning tallies. In 29 games this season, Anderson has posted a career-best 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists. The graduate student scored in back-to-back NCAA Frozen Fours, and holds the distinction as the only UMD player ever to do so. A two-time AHCA Division 1 Krampade All-American Scholar, Anderson is also a two-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and a three-time WCHA All-Academic Team member.

No. 9 Naomi Rogge, Eden Prairie, Minn. - Graduate Student, Graduated in May of 2021 with a degree in mathematics and statistics and actuarial science, currently completing a Masters of Mathematical Sciences 

One of three 100 career point members of the current senior class, Rogge is currently tied for 20th in program history with 108 points on 59 goals and 49 assists, and has compiled 14 power play goals in addition to 10 game-winners.. Currently in second for the most career games played by a UMD player in program history with 159 games, Rogge missed her entire junior season due to a knee injury. The graduate student followed that up last season with a career-best offensive output, and punctuated it with the game-winning goal in the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal game that sent UMD past Northeastern and into the national championship. Named to the NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team, Rogge is also two-time AHCA  Division 1 Krampade All-American Scholar, a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete, and a four-time WCHA All-Academic Team member.

No. 12 Kylie Hanley, Minnetonka, Minn. - Fifth-Year, majoring in biology

A two-year captain, despite suffering a season-ending injury midway through her junior campaign, Hanley has been a steady presence for the Bulldogs off and on the ice. With 149 career games under her belt, Hanley ranks 10th all-time in games played. Over those 149 games, Hanely has recorded 22 goals and 31 assists for 53 career points and owns a plus/minus rating of +28. Hanley is a three-time AHCA  Division 1 Krampade All-American Scholar, as well as a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and three-time WCHA All-Academic Team member.

No. 13 Anneke Linser, Lino Lakes, Minn. - Fifth-Year, majoring in civil engineering

Liner is in the midst of the most offensively productive season of her career, and leads UMD with a whopping 16 goals.  In addition to 12 assists, the fifth-year has recorded 28 points – the second most on the team this season. Overall, Linser has scored 41 goals and added 51 assists for 92 career points over 156 career games played. Currently Linser, who has registered 11 game-winning goals over her career, including five this season, is in a two-way tie for the fourth most games played in program history. A three-year AHCA  Division 1 Krampade All-American Scholar selection, Linser is also a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and three-time WCHA All-WCHA Team member. 

No. 17 Gabbie Hughes, Lino Lakes, Minn. - Graduated in May of 2022 with a student education studies degree, and is currently working on a Masters of Education

Easily the most decorated Bulldog player of the last decade, Hughes begins the weekend just two points away from becoming UMD's fifth all-time leading scorer. With 205 points to her name, the graduate senior is fourth all-time for assists with 126 and also ranks eighth in goals scored 79 – in just 156 games. Hughes, who has averaged a 1.31 points per game average over her career was a Patty Kazmaier Top-3 finalist a season ago, as well an First Team All-American and an All-WCHA First Team selection. Hughes, who has landed on a WCHA Team every season she has played for the Bulldogs (two All-WCHA Second Team selections, one All-WCHA Third Team, in addition to an All-WCHA Rookie Team honor). But it has been Hughes' off the ice contributions that may someday dwarf her on ice accomplishments – last season Hughes was an Hockey Humanitarian Finalist, just the third player ever in NCAA Division I history to be a Humanitarian finalist and a Patty Kaz Top-3 in the same season. Hughes, already a Hockey Humanitarian nominee for 2022-23, will find out next Wednesday if she is a repeat finalist for the heralded award.

No. 26 Ashton Bell, Deloraine, Manitoba - Fifth-Year, biology major

One of three UMD players to depart in the middle of their college eligibility to win an Olympic gold medal and return to the Bulldogs to finish their career, Bell now ranks 18th among all UMD career scorers with a 113 points on 41 goals and 72 assists over 155 games, and ranks seventh all-time among scoring defenseman with 73 points in just 84 games from the blueline. With 24 goals from the back, the second most goals ever by a defenseman, Bell has also played the second most consecutive games in program history with 155. Bell was also named to the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team after literally sending UMD into the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four with an overtime game-winner. A First and Second Team All-American in 2020-21, Bell also was named the WCHA's Defenseman of the Year, as well as to the All-WCHA First Team. A 2020-21 Division I Krampada All-American Scholar, Bell is a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and three-time member of the All-WCHA Academic Team. 

No. 28 Maggie Flaherty, Lakeville, Minn. - Graduated in May 2022 with a degree in communications and is currently pursuing a Masters of Education

Flaherty has become a top-10 all-time scoring defenseman at UMD, and currently sits ninth with 69 career points. With 54 assists, Flaherty ranks sixth all-time among blueliners, and has had three seasons with at least 18 or more points. Returned to the Bulldogs this season after suffering a season-ending injury last season in the 25th game and has posted a career-best eight goals already this season and has twice been named the WCHA's Defender of the Week for her efforts, an award she has won six times over her career, along with one WCHA Defender of the Month. Flaherty was an All-WCHA Rookie Team selection as a freshman, and was a 2021-22 All-WCHA Academic Team member.

No. 30 Emma Soderberg, Jarved, Sweden - Graduated in May of 2022 with a degree in management,  currently a postgraduate undergrad studying economics 

In a program known for producing great goaltenders, Soderberg's three-year career has been one of the most decorated of all-time. Currently shutout short of the all-time shutout record, Soderberg's eight shutouts this season are the second most by any goaltender in a single season, and she is the first netminder to post two, single season shutout marks of six or more shutouts. The sixth all-time leader in wins with 49, saves, goals against average and minutes, Soderberg was named to the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four All-Tournament Team after setting an NCAA Tournament record with 146. The Swedish Olympian is twice a Second Team All-American, and was the 2020-21 WCHA Goaltender of the Year as well as the WCHA's 2020-21 Goaltending Champion. A 2020-21 All-WCHA First Team selection, Soderberg is a two-time Division I Krampada All-American Scholar, as well as a three-time WCHA Scholar Athlete and three-time All-WCHA Academic Team member.

No. 31 Blanka Skodova, Šternberk, Czech Republic - Graduate Student,  Graduated with a business degree from Vermont, currently working on Masters of Professional Studies 

Currently spending the week between the pipes for the Czech Republic, Skodova was also a 2022 Olympian for the Czech Republic. Skodova came to the Bulldogs with 1,023 saves in 58 games and an overall record of 17-19-10 for the Catamounts.