The No. 8 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team returns to AMSOIL Arena this weekend, looking to lock in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff series at home when it hosts No. 10 St. Cloud State University for a pair of matinee games Friday and Saturday. The games will get underway at 3:00 p.m. both days, and on Saturday will feature a tribute to the Bulldogs four seniors at the conclusion of the contest on the ice.


THE SERIES: UMD has a 82-15-9 record all-time against the Huskies, and has been a dominant 8-1-1 over the last 10 games.

In the past decade alone, the Bulldogs have posted a 34-6-7 overall and 21-2-3 record against St. Cloud at AMSOIL. UMD has averaged 2.98 goals  in  those 47 games in the last 10 years, and until the Bulldogs setback back on Dec. 9 of this season, UMD had not lost to the Huskies since Feb. 9, 2019 -- a 19 game unbeaten streak that was snapped in the last Bulldog/Huskies meeting.

The Bulldogs split with the then No. 8 St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. back on Dec. 8-9. 

In game one, UMD had a second period goal from Nina Jobst-Smith, while sophomore Tova Henderson delivered the game-winner 2:53 into overtime. Ève Gascon had 37 saves in the 2-1 win.

In game two, the Bulldogs fell behind and would never recover against the Huskies, who scored three goals by the midway point of the second period. Reece Hunt had UMD's lone tally, which cut the Bulldog deficit to 3-1 at 15:07 of the third period, but SCSU scored two empty net goals to run the score to 5-1.

In the December series split, Jobst-Smith and Henderson led the Bulldogs in scoring with two points (1g, 1a) on the weekend. The Bulldogs went 2-of-4 on their power play in the series while holding the Huskies scoreless in six attempts.

UMD vs. St. Cloud State - 

All-Time Record: UMD leads 82-15-9

Last Meeting: Dec. 9 2023 (1-5 Loss, Away)

Last Series: Dec. 8-9, 2023 (Split, Away)

First Meeting: Nov. 4, 1999 (10-0 Win, Away)

Last Season: 5-0-1-1 

Record this Year: 1-1

Last 10 Meetings: 8-1-1

(Last 10 games)

Dec. 9, 2023 1-5 Lost Away

Dec. 8, 2023 2-1 Win OT Away

Feb. 25, 2023 5-1 Win Home*

Feb. 24, 2023 1-0 Win Home*

Feb. 11, 2023 2-0 Win Home

Feb. 10, 2023 1-1 Tie Home (SW)

Nov. 12, 2022 5-1 Win Away

Nov. 11, 2022 2-0 Win Away

Feb. 19, 2022 4-3 Win Home

Feb. 18, 2022 3-0 Win Home

*WCHA Quarterfinals

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs swept the University of St. Thomas in Mendota Heights, Minn. by scores of 4-1 Friday night and 5-1 Saturday.

The weekend belonged to WCHA Forward of the Week and Howies Hockey Tape Performance of the Week in the WCHA 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 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 her ninth win.

In Saturday's 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.

NOTES FROM THE ST. THOMAS SERIES:  UMD is now 11-0-1 against the Tommies all-time and averaging 4.42 goals a game in those contests. UST has never scored more than a goal in their 12 skates against the Bulldogs.

--In all, the Reece Hunt, Olivia Wallin and Clara 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.

--UMD finishes its regular season against non-ranked teams a perfect 12-0. 

HOME ICE ON THE LINE: This weekend's series has heavy postseason implications for both sides, but the Bulldogs have a chance to clinch home WCHA playoff ice with just one regulation win. 

UMD enters the weekend with 41 league points, while SCSU enters with 33. With12 points available in four games left for both sides, one UMD win in regulation (three points) will lock in fourth place in the league.

MCMAHON SKATES TO RECORD: Graduate senior Mannon McMahon has now played the second most consecutive games in program history. 

The forward has skated in 164 straight-games and is tied with former teammate Ashton Bell at No. 2. Another former teammate of McMahon's, Anna Klein,  currently owns the program-best 165 consecutive games played. McMahon is currently set to break that record after her first shift on Saturday.

UMD's all-time games played record was set last season by Naomi Rogge, and stands at 168 games. McMahon is currently ranked fifth all-time -- four games behind Rogge.

SENIOR SALUTE: On Saturday, the Bulldogs will honor four seniors at the conclusion of their game against SCSU.

Graduate center Mannon McMahon, graduate forward Reece Hunt, senior forward Katie Davis and senior defenseman Paula Bergstrom will skate in their last regular season game on Saturday.  While Hunt and Bergstrom came to Duluth in August, they are part of the seniors overall record of 82-40-6 over the past four years. 

Those four years have also included three-straight NCAA Tournament berths, as well as two NCAA Frozen Four appearances, and a 2022 NCAA Runner-Up finish.

McMahon, who also played in the 2019-20 season as a freshman, has skated in 100 wins for the Bulldog program ahead of the St. Cloud St. series, and has been a part of an overall record of 100-52-12.

HATS OFF: UMD has now had four hat tricks this season – (Reece Hunt twice, Mannon McMahon and Clara Van Wieren) – the most hat tricks in a single season by a Bulldog squad since the 2010-11 season, when UMD had five (three from Haley Irwin, and one each from Jessica Wong and Perilla Winberg.)

FOUR SCORES AND 20 YEARS AGO: For the first time since the 2003-04 season, UMD has had more than one player score four goals in a game. Reece Hunt's four goal game last Friday marks the second four goal scorer after Mannon McMahon netted four against Long Island University Oct. 6, 2023).

While the Bulldog program has had 15 four goal (or more) scorers in a game in program history, no team has had two  players reach the mark since the 2003-04 season, when Jessica Koizumi (Feb. 14, 2004 vs Bemidji State) and Caroline Ouellette (Nov. 14, 2003 North Dakota). did it. In fact, UMD has had just four total seasons where more than one player logged four goals in a game , including the 2002-03 season, where the Bulldogs had a program-high four players reach the mark (Ouellette, Jenny Potter, and Erika Holst, twice.)

Hunt and McMahon are also two of seven players that reached that mark in all of the NCAA so far this season.

HUNT AND GASCON EARN WCHA WEEKLY HONORS: Graduate forward Reece Hunt was named the WCHA Forward of the Week Monday, while Ève Gascon was named the WCHA's Rookie of the Week.

Hunt led the league with five goals -- including two game-winners -- and an assist for a total of six points, helping the Bulldogs sweep the University of St. Thomas over the weekend. Hunt figured in six of UMD's nine goals and scored more than half of them. Hunt netted four goals, including a natural hat trick Friday night in UMD's 4-1 win, and then added another goal and assist in the Bulldogs 5-1 win Saturday night. Friday's hat trick marked the second of the season for Hunt and third of her collegiate career. 

This is the second time Hunt has earned league weekly honors – she also was named the WCHA's Forward of the Week back on Nov. 6.

Gascon owned the second-lowest goals against average in the league last weekend after she posted a 1.01 GAA against the Tommies Saturday night in UMD 5-1 win. The product of Mascouche, Quebec also recorded a .958 saves percentage with 23 saves and helped the Bulldogs keep UST scoreless in two power play attempts. Gascon currently ranks fifth in the NCAA with a .947 saves percentage and owns a record of 8-7-1.

The rookie netminder has now earned three weekly honors from the WCHA – she was the WCHA's Goaltender of the Week back on Nov. 6, and the WCHA's Rookie of the Week on Oct. 23.