The No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will make its long-awaited AMSOIL Arena season debut this weekend when the Bulldogs host the University of St. Thomas in a Friday-Saturday Western Collegiate Hockey Association series. The matinee matchup will get underway Friday at 3:00 p.m. and conclude Saturday at with a 2:00 p.m. puck drop.


THE WALTER CUP SET TO VISIT AMSOIL SATURDAY: Three current members of the PWHL Champion Minnesota Frost -- who just happen to be Bulldog alumni -- will bring the PWHL's Walter Cup to AMSOIL Arena Saturday for fans to take pictures with. Former UMD captain Sydney Brodt, olympian Maddie Rooney, and defensive dynmo Maggie Flaherty will be show off their new hardware Saturday.

HOME SWEET HOME: For the first time this season, the Bulldogs will play a game (two!) at AMSOIL Arena. 

It's taken five weeks, but UMD's return to Duluth leaves behind a tie for the most away contests to start a season. While the Bulldogs have ended the season on the road in six game postseason pushes on the road, the only opening season road stand as long as the past four weeks was the beginning of the 2015-16 season when UMD went to Lindwood Univeristy (Sept. 26-27), Boston College (Oct. 2-3) and Bemidji State University (Oct. 9-10) (and finished it with a record of 2-4.)

*Of note, UMD didn't intend to start its season with so many road skates -- the Bulldogs were orginally scheduled to play Syracuse University on Sept. 28-29 in AMSOIL Arena as its opening home series of the season, but the series was rescheduled to the first week of January after the Orange had their travel plans changed due in part to Hurricane Helene

RANKED ROAD WARRIORS: Not only will UMD come home this weekend for its home opening series, it will mark the first games the Bulldogs won't have a top-7 opponent. Four of UMD's first six games have already come against top-ranked squads (the Bulldogs went 2-2 against those teams.) 

MULTIPLE POINTS TAKEN: UMD has had a player register two or more points in each of its five of its first six games (all against top-7 teams) so far this season.

Olivia Mobley scored two goals (including a shorthanded one) against the University of Wisconsin Sunday. Previously, two players posted multiple point games over the Colgate series -- Olivia Wallin (1g, 1a Saturday) and Mary Kate O'Brien, who had a goal and an assist in the series opener Friday night.

Rookie center Caitlin Kramer picked up two goals and assist against Ohio State University on Sept. 22 and sophomore defenseman Ida Karlsson turned in a game-winning goal and assist against the Buckeyes in the season opener on Sept. 21.

CHASING THE CENTURY MARK: Both graduate forwards Clara Van Wieren and Oliva Wallin are chasing the 100 career point plateau. Wallin, who skated for three seasons with Penn State, is sitting at 92 career points currently (45g, 47a in 127 games), while Van Wieren is at 90 (41g, 49a in 141 games).

The pair are chasing Olivia Mobley, who currently has 115 career points (45g, 70a in 138 games).

UMD's last trio of 100 career point players? Ashton Bell, Naomi Rogge and Gabbie Hughes in 2022-23. The season before that (2021-22), Hughes joined Elizabeth Giguere and Anna Klein, another trio of Bulldogs in the club.. In all, UMD has had three or more players on a team with 100 or more points nine times prior to start of this season.

UMD has had 25 players wear the sweater that have had 100 or more points over their career, including 24 that reached that mark or more only in a Bulldog sweater.

BASKIN'S SCORING STREAK: After a rough weekend for the Bulldogs offensively, junior defenseman Hanna Baskin is the only UMD player still on a scoring streak. The blueliner dished out an assist in both games against Wisconsin, and now has three-straight assists, which ties her career-long scoring streak set just last season.

RANK AND FILE: UMD enteres the weekend ranked fifth nationally in both the USCHO.com poll and the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll. 

The Bulldogs reached as high as No. 3  after they upset swept Ohio State to begin the season. Oddly, in both polls this week, the Buckeyes were ranked ahead of the Bulldogs.

St. Thomas is not ranked in either poll, but is receiving three votes in the USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll.

THE SERIES: Since UST joined the WCHA for the 2021-22 season, the Bulldogs have remained unbeatedn in 12 meetings with a record of 11-0-1.

UMD has five players currently rostered who have been in the program for every game against the Tommies, including graduate forward Clara Van Wieren, who owns more career points against UST than any other player in program history. Van Wieren has 14 points in 12 games, including six goals and eight assists. Last season's captain and current Ottawa Charge draftee Mannon McMahon is tied for the second most points, 12 (4g, 8a) in 12 games, while Naomi Rogge owns the most-ever goals against the Tommies -- seven, in addition to five assists for 12 points in just eight career skates. 

The Bulldogs have had their way with the Tommies offensively over the seasons, averaging 4.42 goals a game, while also posting four shutouts in those 12 matchups. UMD has never allowed more than a single goal against by UST so far in their head-to-head history.

UMD vs. St. Thomas - 11-0-1 All-Time

(All 12 Games)

Feb. 10, 2024 5-1 Win Away

Feb.   9, 2024 4-1 Win Away

Nov.   4, 2023 4-0 Win Home

Nov.   3, 2023 3-1 Win Home

Jan. 22, 2023 5-1 Win Away

Jan. 21, 2023 3-0 Win Away

Dec. 10, 2022 1-1 Tie OT Home

Dec.  9,  2022 8-1 Win Home

Feb. 12, 2022 8-1 Win Home

Feb. 11, 2022 2-1 Win Home

Oct. 24, 2021 7-0 Win Away

Oct. 23, 2021 3-0 Win Away

In their last head-to-head action last  February, the Bulldogs swept St. Thomas in Mendota Heights, Minn. by scores of 4-1 Friday night and 5-1 Saturday.

The weekend belonged to Reece Hunt, who scored five goals -- including four Friday night -- and added an assist for six points over the series.

Hunt rang up a natural hat trick in the Bulldogs 4-1 Friday's (Feb. 9) trounce, and all three had primary assists credited to senior center Clara Van Wieren. Hunt scored UMD's lone goal in the first period and three in the second period. Olivia Wallin also had three assists on the night, while Hailey MacLeod made 23 saves.

In Saturday's (Feb. 10) 5-1 win, UMD third line stepped in and accounted for two of the Bulldogs goals, including the game opening goal from Katie Davis, only four games back from an injury that kept the senior out of 17 games. Hunt again scored and added an assist in the game. Ève Gascon had 23 saves in the eighth win of her career.

In all, the Hunt, Wallin and Van Wieren line accounted for six of UMD's nine goals on the weekend, with Hunt punching in five and Wallin assisting on five along with one assist. At least 10 players logged points this weekend, including five that had two or more -- in addition to Hunt, Wallin and Van Wieren, Jenna Lawry had a goal and an assist Saturday, while Hanna Baskin had two assists.

The sweep also secured that UMD finishes its regular season against non-ranked teams a perfect 12-0.