The No. 7 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will host Minnesota State University, Mankato this weekend at AMSOIL Arena in what is a crucial series for both sides in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association postseason race. The Friday-Saturday series will get underway Friday at 6:00 p.m., and will conclude at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, complete with an opportunity of fans to skate with the Bulldogs after the game.


DEFENSIVE ROOKIE HELPERS: Freshman defenseman Ida Karlsson has now dished out 10 assists this season in 24 games after recording two against Wisconsin last Saturday. Karlsson joins just two other rookie defenseman in the last 10 years to register 10 or more assists in her rookie season.

Maggie Flaherty had 16 helpers in 35 skates as a rookie in 2018-19, while Lara Stalder had 18 assists in 28 games in her lone season as a blueliner.

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

The forward has skated in 160 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 seventh all-time -- 8 games behind Rogge.

BULLDOGS IN THE TOP-10: Multiple Bulldogs rank in the top-10 in the WCHA, including Mannon McMahon, who leads the league with 348, and sixth in overall winning percentage (57.0). 

McMahon is joined by Clara Van Wieren and Reece Hunt in multiple-player tie for a hat trick this season. UMD is one of only two teams in the league with three players to have recorded hat tricks so far this season.

Hunt also tied for 9th in goals (12), while Danielle Burgen has the second-best shot percentage at .33 (two goals in just six attempts). Nina Jobst-Smith sits tied for ninth with 40 blocked shots so far -- already a season career best for the senior defenseman.

THE SERIES: UMD has dominated the 106 game series with the Mavericks so far, and will bring into the series a seven-game unbeaten streak. Over the past decade (2013-14 through 2023-24), UMD is 37-6-3, and 29-3-6 against MSU under head coach Maura Crowell. 

All-Time Record: UMD leads 87-9-10

Last Meeting: Oct. 21, 2023 (4-1 Win, Away)

Last Series: Oct. 20-21, 2023 (Swept, Away)

First Meeting: Nov. 20, 1999 (10-4 Win, Home)

Last Season: 3-0-1 

Record this Year: 2-0

Last 10 Meetings: 8-1-1

Notable:  UMD is unbeaten against MSU in its last seven games, and impressively, over the Maura Crowell era, the Bulldogs are 29-3-6 against the Mavericks.

In their last meeting in Mankato, Minn., the Bulldogs swept the Mavericks on Oct. 20-21 by scores of 3-1 and 4-1. In game one, Mary Kate O'Brien made it a 1-0 game at 7:03 of the first period with her firs goal of the season.

The Mavericks landed the lone goal of the second period, a power play, and after two periods of play, UMD and MSU were tied at 1-1. 

Reece Hunt put the Bulldogs up for good with her first game-winner of the season at 9:58 of the third period. Hunt popped the puck through traffic in the crease and buried it for her third goal in four games. UMD iced the game officially late in the frame when Hanna Baskin found the back of the net for the first time this season at the 17:28 mark to stretch UMD's lead to 3-1. Sophomore goaltender Hailey MacLeod picked up her second win of the season, and turned in a 29 save performance to secure it for the Bulldogs. 

On Saturday, junior forward Gabby Krause scored the game's first goal at 6:21 of the first period, but the Mavericks equalized at the 2:28 mark of the second period. O'Brien buried it for UMD less than 90 seconds later to retake a 2-1 lead – a lead UMD would never again relinquish.  Jenna Lawry doubled that margin before the halfway point of the frame after poking the puck away from a skating MSU player and unloading it from the circle for her first goal of the season and a 3-1 Bulldog advantage, and Krause added her second goal of the game at 13:06 of the third to make it a 4-1 final.

UMD was a perfect 1-of-1 on its power play while holding MSU scoreless in two attempts. The Bulldogs also outshot the Mavericks 25-22, and got 21 saves from rookie goaltender Ève Gascon. 

UMD vs. Minnesota State - 

87-9-10 All-Time

(Last 10 games)

Oct. 21, 2023 4-1 Win Away

Oct. 20, 2023 3-1 Win Away

Feb. 4, 2023 0-0 Tie OT SW

Feb. 3, 2023 4-3 Win OT Away

Oct. 8, 2022 2-0 Win Home

Oct. 7, 2022 2-1 Win OT Home

Feb. 27, 2022 3-2 Win Home*

Feb. 26, 2022 1-3 Loss Home*

Feb. 25, 2022 5-4 Win Home*

Jan. 29, 2022 5-3 Win Home

*WCHA Quarterfinals

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs were swept by No. 2 Wisconsin at AMSOIL last weekend by scores of 2-1 and 5-4.

Friday, the Bulldogs never led by equalized 1-1 in the second period with a goal from Danielle Burgen. The Badgers used a power play in the first minute of the third period to net the eventual game-winner. Sophomore goaltender Hailey MacLeod had 32 saves in the game.

Saturday, the Bulldogs exploded offensively in the second period after a 1-0 lead after a goal from Reece Hunt midway through the first stanza.

Three Bulldogs scored in the second  period -- Nina Jobst-Smith, Burgen, and Clara Van Wieren on the power play. But the Badgers scored four unanswered goals in the third period -- including three over a 2:27 span to come from behind and defeat the Bulldogs. Ève Gascon had 41 saves in the loss.

NOTES FROM THE WISCONSIN SERIES:  UMD fell to 37-62-15 all-time against the Badgers last weekend.

--Last weekend's series marked the first sweep UMD has surrendered against the Badgers since Oct. 15 & 16, 2021 and the first at AMSOIL since Feb. 15-16, 2019.

--Saturday was the fifth time under head coach Maura Crowell that UMD has put up four or more goals against Wisconsin. UMD is 2-2-1 in those games, and all five have come at AMSOIL Arena.

--Until Saturday against the Badgers, UMD was unbeaten with the lead after the first period (9-0-1) and after two periods (11-0-2).

MCMAHON FACES OFF: Graduate center Mannon McMahon ranks first in the WCHA and fifth in all of the NCAA with 325 face-off wins.

Overall, McMahon is 325-236 (and all but one player ahead of her has played at least three more games than McMahon.)

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

MacLeod -- whose current career GAA average of 1.22 is the lowest in program history and currently ranks second among all active NCAA goaltenders -- owns the NCAA's fifth-highest saves percentage of .951. With three shutouts, MacLeod has a record of 7-4-2 so far this season.

Gascon owns a .946 saves percentage -- the sixth nighest in the NCAA and had a career-high 48 saves against Wisconsin back on Dec. 2. 

Gascon is tied the second most shutouts recorded by a Bulldog freshman goaltender. With four shutouts, Gascon is in rare company, and trails only Jennifer Harss, who had five shutouts as a rookie in 2009-10.

Gascon has tied both Kim Martin (three shutouts in 2006-07) and Tuula Puputti (three in 1999-00), as well as Kayla Black (four in 2011-12). Martin piled up her three shutouts immediately -- the eventual All-American racked up three clean sheets in her first four starts at UMD.