The Bulldogs are headed back to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Final Face-Off.

Propelled by a three-goal second period, the No. 7 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team secured its spot in the next round of the league's postseason with a 5-1 win over No. 12 St. Cloud State University at AMSOIL Arena Saturday night. The Bulldogs were led by Naomi Rogge's two goals and Kylie Hanley's game-high three points (1g, 2a), and extended their current unbeaten streak to an impressive eight games in the process.

" I think, you know, the mental game is so important," said UMD head coach Maura Crowell, who is now 13-4 in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. "Today was really important for us to figure out how to end the season, how to beat a team for the fifth time this season, and to play better than we played yesterday. We know we didn't give it our best yesterday, and we wanted to elevate, and we did. The mental battle is just constant, and that's what sports are all about, and I think we're just so excited to have gotten it done in two games and to continue to play for the WCHA  tournament trophy."

Elevate the Bulldogs did, and it started with Rogge's 10th goal of the year at 14:39 of the first period. Rogge took a feed from Hanley, spun in a circle at the face-off dot and sniped the puck past Sanni Ahola for the game's opening score.

Hanley made it a 2-0 game with her own goal just 2:12 into the second frame. From the outside of the blueline, Hanley dumped the puck at Ahola in the Huskies zone, and the result was a puck that hopped right past Ahola and into the net for her fifth tally of the season. With her fourth goal in the last five games, sophomore forward Mary Kate O'Brien stretched UMD's lead to 3-0 on the power play by backhanding in a Hanley rebound on the power play at 18:58 of the second period. Just 44 seconds later, the Bulldogs struck a punishing offensive blow to St. Cloud State when Gabbie Hughes skated through the lines, cut through the slot and had her shot tipped in by Taylor Anderson on the doorstep. Anderson's fourth goal in five games sent UMD into the second intermission with an 4-0 insurmountable lead, and 20 minutes away from its fifth-straight WCHA Final Face-Off semifinal game.

The Huskies finally got on the board at 7:35 of the third period on a 6-on-4 with a power play and empty net skater. The goal stopped UMD goaltender Emma Soderberg's shutout streak at 227:35 minutes, and marked the first time in four games the Huskies managed a goal  against the Bulldogs. UMD, which played almost six minutes of the final period down at least one skater (and down two skaters for two minutes), made SCSU pay at 17:51 when Rogge launched a puck off the boards from her own defensive zone and into the empty Huskies net to put the stamp on the 5-1 final.

Soderberg had 23 saves for the Bulldogs, while SCSU liberally used both its goaltenders. Ahola had 24 stops, while Jojo Chobak had 19 for the Huskies, who ended their best season in over a decade at 18-18-1. Each team logged a power play goal – SCSU was 1-of-3, while UMD went 1-of-4.

Next up for the Bulldogs is No. 1 Ohio State University in Ridder Arena in game one of the WCHA's Final Face-Off semifinals. The puck will drop on the two sides' fifth meeting of the season at 1:00 p.m. this Friday (March 3).

BULLDOG NOTES: Over UMD's eight-game unbeaten streak, the nation's third tightest defense allowed just three goals … the Bulldogs allowed just three goals in the entire month of February … the Huskies' power play goal broke a eight-game streak of a perfect UMD penalty kill, and is just the second power play goal allowed by the Bulldogs over their last 16 games … Naomi Rogge played in her 165th career game Saturday night, tying the record of career games played set by Anna Klein just last season.