It was a first meeting to remember Thursday afternoon at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. between the No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team and Syracuse University, at least for the Bulldogs, who flexed their offensive firepower with a 6-2 win in non conference play. 

"We wanted to push our kids outside their comfort zone, and we introduced some new concepts to them offensively, and I thought they did a really, really good job of it," said UMD head coach Laura Schuler. "But at the same time, we can't forget about the defensive side of the game, and I thought we gave up Grade-A opportunities. I think tomorrow it's going to be really important that our puck reads are better and our penalty kill obviously has to get better too, so we will watch some video and clean it up."

UMD's first outing in 2025 picked right back up where it left off a month ago. Freshman center Caitlin Kraemer opened up the game's scoring on the power play after walking in from the right side and beating Orange goaltender Allie Kelley high at 16:23 to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Syracuse responded with a power play tally of their own 2:21 into the second period, but UMD netted three unanswered goals in the second to blow up the score. Less than four minutes after the Orange scored, UMD retook the lead for good on the 50th collegiate career goal of Olivia Wallin, who shoveled the puck in from the doorstep at 6:19 for the 2-1 lead. 

Graduate forward Clara Van Wieren made it a 3-1 game with authority at the 19:31 mark, a three-line full on skate to the Syracuse net that included a toe drag before putting it past Kelley. UMD wasn't done yet, however, and just 28 seconds later with less than a second left in the frame, Jenna Lawry delivered a backbreaking goal against the Orange, backhanding home a rebound to extend the Bulldogs advantage to 4-1 after 40 minutes.

Syracuse managed one final goal early in the third, but UMD again responded with two more goals in the third to push the game far out of reach. Kraemer found Mary Kate O'Brien alone in the right circle, and O'Brien wristed it through for her third goal of the season at 6:40. Wallin then added her second goal of the afternoon at 16:47, burying it from the left circle for the final tally of the game.

In all, five players posted two or more points, with Van Wieren posting a game-high three points (1g, 2a). Wallin (2g), Kraemer (1g, 1a), Hanna Baskin (2a) and Ida Karlsson (2a) all added two points in the skate, while 10 players logged at least a point, including goaltender Eve Gascon.

Gascon, named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Goaltender of the Month for December as the puck was dropped Thursday, made 13 saves to pair with the second assist of her career. UMD outshot the Orange 50-16, and each team netted a goal on the power play (UMD 1-of-3, SU 1-of-4. Kelley had 44 stops for Syracuse, who fell to 7-13-0 overall with the setback.

The Bulldogs (12-5-2) and Orange will wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at AMSOIL Arena.

BULLDOG NOTES: UMD had a season-high 50 shots on goal Thursday … prior to Thursday, the Bulldogs put up 50 or more shots on goal in a game against Long Island University last season on Oct. 6, 203 with 55 … ironically current UMD goaltender Tindra Holm made 51 saves in that game for the Sharks … the Bulldogs six goals is the third time this season UMD has scored six or more goals in a single game … Clara Van Wieren has recorded three points in a game three times now in 2024-25 … the Bulldogs now have four players with eight or more goals this season … Van Wieren (10), Olivia Mobley (9), Caitlin Kraemer (9) and Olivia Wallin (8) … 18 players who have worn the Bulldog at some point have now had 50 or more career goals over their collegiate careers after Wallin hit the mark … Wallin joins Mobley and Elizabeth Giguere who became Bulldogs and owned the mark … current graduate forward Van Wieren is sitting at 47 career goals.