The No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team is back at home this weekend to play host to the No. 3 University of Minnesota Friday and Saturday for six possible, highly valuable Western Collegiate Hockey Association points. The series will get underway at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. Friday at 6:00 p.m and conclude Saturday with a 3:00 p.m. puck drop.


RETURN OF THE RANKED:  After a four game reprieve, the Bulldogs return to a series against a top-seven team. After this weekend, UMD will have skated in eight of its 12 games against top-7 teams.

CONFERENCE COLLISION: The Bulldogs currently sit third in the WCHA with 17 points in eight games played, while the Gophers sit fourth with 12 points in eight games played. Minnesota would need a sweep to take over the league's third spot from UMD, but a win and then a tie and shootout win would knot the two teams up in the standings. Both teams enter the weekend having played three of four of the same league teams, but the Bulldogs swept Ohio State while Minnesota lost and tied them.

This weekend also marks just home game No. 3 and 4 for the Bulldogs, who have been on the road for eight of their first 10 games.

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 96 career points currently (46g, 50a in 131 games), while Van Wieren is also at 95 (43, 52a in 145 games).

The pair are chasing Olivia Mobley, who currently has 116 career points (45g, 70a in 140 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.

THE SERIES: Between them, they own 11 of the possible 25 NCAA titles (UMD five, Minnesota six), but against the Gophers, UMD is a rare upside down with a record of 32-74-11 all-time. The past decade has been rough on the rivalry, with the Gophers owning fairly dominant 8-35-5 over the Bulldogs, including a 3-14-3 record at AMSOIL over that span.

UMD is has defeated the Gophers just once in their last 10 meetings -- the NCAA Regional Final on March 12, 2022 in Ridder Arena. That game sent the Bulldogs into the NCAA Frozen Four and eventual 2022 title tilt -- UMD has been outscored 29-14 since then.

Four current players skated in that Regional Final game, including Clara Van Wieren, who had an assist on the game tying goal, Nina Jobst-Smith, Gabby Krause and Hanna Baskin.

Last 10 vs Minnesota 1-8-1

Feb. 24, 2024 2-4 Loss Away

Feb. 23, 2024 1-1 Tie Away

Nov. 18, 2023 1-3 Loss Home

Nov. 17, 2023 1-3 Loss Home

Mar. 11, 2023 0-3 Loss Away*

Jan. 28, 2023 3-4 Loss Home

Jan. 27, 2023 0-3 Loss Home

Nov. 5, 2022 3-5, Loss Away

Nov. 4, 2022 2-3, Loss Away

Mar. 12, 2022 2-1 Win Away*

*NCAA Regional Finals

Van Wieren leads all returners with eight points against the Gophers (1g, 7a). UMD top-5 scorers against Minnesota are --

Clara Van Wieren GP=16 G=1 A=7 P=8

Nina Jobst-Smith GP=17 G=1 A=3 P=4

Gabby Krause GP=14 G=4 A=0 P=4

Hanna Baskin GP=13 G=1 A=3 P=4

Mary Kate O'Brien GP=10 G=2 A=1 P=3

Last season UMD went 0-3-1 against the Gophers, with their last head-to-head action a series in Minneapolis, Minn. on Feb. 23-24. UMD tied the opening game of the series 1-1 before suffering a 3-2 setback on Saturday.

UMD picked up a 1-1 overtime tie Friday night at Ridder Arena, and opened up scoring 13:09 into the first period on a high blocker snipe from Mary Kate O'Brien. O'Brien gave UMD a 1-0 lead, a score that would stand until midway through the second period. Minnesota finally equalized at the 9:19 mark on a power play goal from Abbey Murphy. Murphy's goal snapped UMD's penalty kill streak at 19-straight.

UMD outshot Minnesota 10-4 in the third period and 5-4 in the overtime, but neither team could break the stalemate. The Gophers did win the mandatory WCHA shootout, defeating the Bulldogs 2-0. Goaltender Hailey MacLeod made 26 of the 27 shots she faced.

In game two, trailing by two goals to begin the third period, Mannon McMahon pulled the Bulldogs back within a single goal after the graduate center swatted in a rebound from a O'Brien redirect at 1:18 to make it a 2-1 game. Minnesota retook a two-goal lead on its third power play goal of the series and second of the game at the 14:38 mark, but UMD again struck to make it a one goal contest. At 18:45, with an empty net behind her and an extra attacker with her, O'Brien unfurled another nasty shot from the top of the right circle that deflected off a Gopher player and past Lucy Morgan to cut Minnesota's lead to 3-2. The Gophers finally iced the game with an empty net goal with 5.5 seconds remaining to give the game its 4-2 final score. Goaltender Ève Gascon made 26 saves for the Bulldogs in her third-ever start against Minnesota. UMD was 0–of-1 on its lone power play.

--UMD outshot the Gophers last season twice, Minnesota had the 125-114 shot advantage overall. The Gophers outscored the Bulldogs 11-5, with four of Minnesota's goals coming on the power play.

LAST TIME OUT: In their last action two weeks ago against Minnesota State University, Mankato in Mankato, Minn., the Bulldogs defeated MSU 4-1 Friday night before settling for 3-3 tie and WCHA shootout win Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, the Bulldogs built a big lead early, netting three goals in the opening 12:12 of first period action. The first came from blueliner Nina Jobst-Smith just 2:58 into the game. UMD doubled that advantage up a little over five minutes later when senior Olivia Mobley drove to the Maverick net for her fourth goal of the season, with assists from Hanna Baskin and Olivia Wallin. The Bulldogs went ahead 3-0 at 12:12 on a second effort from Caitlin Kraemer that the freshman forward banked off McPherson for her fourth tally of the young season – Wallin picked up her second assist on the goal.

The lone goal of the second period was scored by MSU to cut UMD's edge to 3-1 at the 8:29 mark, but the Bulldogs got another goal in the third period that iced that game for good. For a second time this season, Kraemer netted two goals in a game, and her second tally Friday night came off a MSU turnover on its defensive blueline at 7:21 of the final frame. The rookie center walked in and casually put the puck off the pipe and in for her fifth of the season and kept UMD up front for good at 4-1. 

Sophomore netminder Eve Gascon had 20 saves in her fifth win of the season, and UMD outshot MSU 23-21.

For a second time this season, Kraemer netted two goals in a game, and her second tally Friday night came off a MSU turnover on its defensive blueline at 7:21 of the final frame. The rookie center walked in and casually put the puck off the pipe and in for her fifth of the season and kept UMD up front for good at 4-1. 

In game two -- a game UMD led in for just 21 seconds -- the Bulldogs battled to a 3-3 tie and WCHA shootout win.

After a scoreless first period, it was MSU that climbed on the board first off a rebound just 1:27 into the second frame. But 95 seconds later, UMD answered with a slapshot from junior defenseman Tova Henderson from the left point to knot the game at 1-1.

That one goal tie lasted just 3:13 into the third period, a frame that saw each team net two goals apiece and began with the Mavericks retaking a 2-1 lead. UMD pulled even att 2-2 at the 13:43 mark when Wallin shoveled in her own rebound, her third point of the series, with assists credited to Olivia Mobley and Jobst-Smith. The Bulldogs then took their first lead of the skate at 18:20 off a wrister at the top of the circle from Clara Van Wieren – her fifth of the season.

UMD's 3-2 advantage was fleeting, however, and the Mavericks made it a 3-3 game just 21 seconds later with just 1:19 left in regulation. Despite a five minute, 3-on-3 overtime period, both teams ended with one WCHA point. 

The Bulldogs grabbed their second league point eight skaters into the mandated shootout  when Henderson came through for UMD and senior netminder Tindra Holm made her eighth-straight stop to secure WCHA point number 17 of the season.

Holm ended the afternoon with 22 saves in all (not including the eight shootout stops), and the Bulldogs outshot the Mavericks 36-25.

NOTES ON THE MINNESOTA STATE SERIES: UMD is now 90-9-11 all-time against the Mavericks and the Bulldogs are now unbeaten in 11 games (9-0-2). Over that span, UMD has outscored MSU 36-20, which includes three shutouts.

--Clara Van Wieren has now recorded nine points (five goals, four assists) against the Mavericks over her career. 

--Tindra Holm's brilliant backstopping effort led to the first UMD win in a league shootout since Feb. 10, 2023 against St. Cloud State at AMSOIL Arena.

--Caitlin Kraemer earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors a week ago after her two goal weekend against the Mavericks. Kraemer was +3 Friday with six shots, and logged her second multiple point and two goal game of the season.

It marked Kraemer's second WCHA weekly honor so far -- the freshman also was named the WCHA's Rookie of the Month for September. Kraemer currently has six points (5g, 1a) in 10 games.