The No. 7 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will see its first AMSOIL Arena action of 2024 this weekend when it hosts Bemidji State University in a Friday-Saturday series. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association clash will get underway at 3:00 p.m. both afternoons.

 

SOPHIE SQUAD DOUBLE-HEADER SATURDAY: When Gabboe Hughes departed the program last spring, she left behind a legacy that once again UMD will take part in this weekend.

Sophie's Squad will host its second Bulldog women's and men's hockey double-header this weekend on Satuday to raise awareness about mental health.

PENALTY KILLERS: The Bulldogs have kept opponents scoreless on their last 26 power plays, a sum that includes three successful penalty kills against the Bobcats last weekend. In fact, the last power play goal scored against UMD was back on Nov. 17 -- nine games ago.  

The Bulldogs currently own the nation's third-best power play with a 91.5 success rate, which also sits UMD first in the WCHA.

The last time the Bulldogs ran a penalty kill streak this high? Over the 2007-08 season where UMD killed off 40 straight between Dec. 8, 2007 through Feb. 1, 2008.

MCMAHON FACES OFF: Graduate center Mannon McMahon ranks first in the WCHA and fifth in all of the NCAA with 277 face-off wins.

Overall, McMahon is 277-211, and has third fewest losses of the four players ahead of her in wins (and all but one has played 2-3 more games than McMahon.)

STRIKE FIRST: The Bulldogs are 10-2-2 when they score first, and unbeaten with the lead after the first period (7-0-1) and after two periods (9-0-2).

GOALTENDING GALORE: The Bulldogs may have one of the best goaltending tandems in all of the NCAA between sophomore Hailey MacLeod and freshman Ève Gascon.

MacLeod, both a WCHA Goaltender of the Month and Week already, has posted a 2-0-1 against the second-ranked team in the nation in back-to-back weekends owns the NCAA's third-highest saves percentage of .953, and has the nation's sixth lowest GAA of 1.22. With two shutouts, MacLeod has a record of 6-2-2, and even more remarkably, over her career, owns just two losses. In two seasons at UMD, MacLeod now has a 11-2-2 record.

Gascon has already earned both WCHA Goaltender and WCHA Rookie of the Week honors, and currently is tied for eighth in the NCAA with three shutouts. Gascon had a career-high 48 saves against Wisconsinon Dec. 2,  and owns a .947 saves percentage -- the fifth nighest in the NCAA.

Gascon has already tied the third most shutouts recorded by a Bulldog freshman goaltender. With three shutouts, 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.

All-Time Record: UMD leads 90-22-1

Last Meeting: Oct. 28, 2023 (6-0 Win, Away)

Last Series: Oct. 27-28, 2023 (Sweeo, Away)

First Meeting: Oct. 22, 1999 (12-3 Win, Home)

Last Season: UMD 4-0-0

Last 10 Meetings: 10-0

Notables: Currently, the Bulldogs are on a 11-game winning streak against BSU that started on Jan. 23, 2021. Over that span, UMD has outscored the Beavers  57-6 and shutout BSU six times. 

UMD and Bemidji State have met a whopping 103 times in their history, a series that has heavily favored the Bulldogs. With an all-time record of 90-22-1, UMD owns more wins against the Beavers than any other program in the NCAA.

In their last meeting back on Oct. 28-29 in Bemidji, UMD swept the series by scores of 2-1 and 6-0.

On Friday night, the Bulldogs trailed from the 2:55 mark of the first period until 14:49 of the third, but got goals from Clara Van Wieren to equalize and then former BSU forward Reece Hunt notched the game-winner 2:53 to push the Bulldogs past the Beavers 2-1.

In Saturday's 6-0, it was all UMD's offense, which included two goals from  Van Wieren and a goal and two assists from Mannon McMahon. Ève Gascon got the shutout in goal.

UMD vs. Bemidji State - 90-22-4 All-Time

(Last 10 games)

Oct. 29, 2023 6-0 Win Away
Oct. 28, 2023 2-1 Win Away
Feb. 18, 2023 5-1 Win Away
Feb.17, 2023 6-0 Win Away
Jan. 14, 2023 5-0 Win Home
Jan. 13, 2023 8-1 Win Home
Jan. 15, 2022 3-0 Win Home
Jan. 14, 2022 8-2 Win Home
Nov. 20, 2021 4-1 Win Away
Nov. 19, 2021 9-0 Win Away

UMD-BSU NOTABLE: The Bulldogs and Beavers have shared the impressive college career of Reece Hunt, a graduate forward that transfered from BSU to UMD this season.

In 126 games with the Beavers, Hunt scored 20 goals and added 39 assists for 59 career points. This season with UMD, Hunt has recorded eight goals and eight assists for 16 points -- tying her for the Bulldog lead in points.  All told, Hunt now has 28 goals and 46 assists for 74 points her full145 games played career.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs tied and lost to then Quinnipiac University last week in Hamden, Conn.

While UMD led in both games, the Bulldogs were unable to hold off the Bobcats Friday in a 2-1 loss. Clara Van Wieren had the Bulldogs lone goal (Olivia Wallin, Paula Bergstrom with assists), while Hailey MacLeod made 13 stops for the Bulldogs.

Satuday UMD got a goal early in the first period from Mary Kate O'Brien and late in the second period from Hanna Baskin, but QU scored two goals in the third period less than three minutes to knot the game at 2-2, which remained the score even after overtime. Ève Gascon had 25 stops for the Bulldogs in goal.

NOTES FROM THE QUINNIPIAC SERIES: UMD is now 1-3-1 against the Bobcats all-time, a rare upside down series record for the Bulldogs, and the only ECAC team that has that distinction.

--UMD's penalty kill unit, currently ranked third in the country with a 91.5 success rate,  kept the Bobcats scoreless on its power play in the game over the weekend (0-of-3).

--Overall, the Bulldogs program has played 72 games against the ECAC (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), and owns an overall record of 43-20-6 all-time.  

--Quinnipiac snapped a 10-game unbeaten streak last Friday UMD had against the ECAC.

THE 550 CLUB: The Bulldogs as a program are currently sitting at 549 program wins.

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

Hunt is tied for the most points for UMD points through 20 games, averaging just under 1.00 ppg with eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. Wallin has 13 points, including 10 assists.

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

The forward has skated in 154 straight-games to date behind former teammates 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 ranked ninth all-time -- 14 games behind Rogge.