The No 6 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will welcome the No. 1 University of Wisconsin this weekend to AMSOIL Arena for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association clash. The Friday-Saturday series will get underway at 6:00 p.m. Friday night before concluding on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.


STICK TO THE PLAN: The Bulldogs remain undefeated when these three things have happened for them this season --

1. Have the lead after the first period - UMD is  9-0-0 with the lead after 20 minutes. 

2. Hold their opponents to one or fewer goals -- the Bulldogs are again 9-0-0 when they keep their foes out of the back of the net (naturally.) The last time UMD held UW to one or less goals? Jan. 8, 2023, a 1-0 shutout of the Badgers in Madison.

3. Score four or more goals in a game. UMD is undefeated when their offense gets going (7-0-0). Ironically, the Bulldogs rang up four goals against the Badgers in the last game head-to-head played at AMSOIL last season on Jan. 27, 2024. In that game, UMD had a 4-1 lead on UW heading into the third period, but the Badgers scored four unanswered tallies to overcome the Bulldogs.

POWERED PLAY: UMD currently ranks eighth in the NCAA with a 26.6 power play conversion rate. 

The Bulldogs have recorded a power play goal in their last four of their last five games games, and has scored 17 in all over 26 games. 

Olivia Mobley leads UMD with four, while Caitlin Kraemer and Tova Henderson each have rung up three.

NO SHORTHANDED PROBLEMS:  Olivia Mobley now leads the NCAA with three shorthanded goals. Mobley is the first player since Caroline Ouellette scored three in 2004-05 to notch that many shorthanded tallies. 

As a team, UMD now has five shorthanded goals on the season, the most since the Bulldogs rang up six over the 2010-11 season and the second most in the NCAA this season.

UMD's single-season shorthanded goal record is seven, set by Maria Rooth before NCAA sanctioned play in 1999-00. In the NCAA era, two players scored four shorthanded goals in a season -- Jenny Potter (twice, 2002-03, 2003-04) and Caroline Ouellette (2003-04).

OUT OF THE BOX: The Bulldogs as a team are averaging the fourth most penalty minutes in the nation through their first 26 games. UMD has 226 total penalty minutes for a 8.69 penalty minutes an outing.

Nine times this season, the Bulldogs have been called for five or more penalties a game, including six penalties twice -- one of those times came against OSU two weeks ago. 

Freshman Caitlin Kraemer is tied for the fourth most infractions in the NCAA -- 17 through 26 games played.

THE 50 CAREER GOAL CLUB: Graduate forward Clara Van Wieren scored her 50th career goal last Saturday, becoming the 16th UMD player to have played their entire career with the Bulldogs to reach the 50 goal mark.

Senior forward Olivia Wallin hit 50 against Syracuse (and added a second to get to 51). 38 of Wallin's career tallies were netted at Penn State University. Wallin isn't the only 50 goal player on UMD -- Olivia Mobley owns 56 career goals, 13 of which have come with the Bulldogs.

The three players become the first trio of 50 career goal scorers since the 2021-22 season. In 2021-22, Gabbie Hughes had 71 career goals at that point of her career, Anna Klein had 60, and Elizabeth Giguere had whopping 121 (22 of which came that season).

GAMERS: VAN WIEREN AND JOBST-SMITH ENTER THE TOP-10 FOR GAMES PLAYED: Both graduate senior Clara Van Wieren and fifth year senior Nina Jobst-Smith had now skated in 161 consecutive games -- the 7th most in program history. Currently, the pair has also played in the fourth-most consecutive games in Bulldog history.

BULLDOGS RANKED SIXTH IN BOTH NATIONAL POLLS: UMD fell to its lowest national ranking of the season in both the USCHO.com and the USA Hockey/The Rink Live national polls.

So far this season, the Bulldogs have played 16 games against teams ranked in the top-10 in either poll. UMD is 6-9-1 in those elevated outings. 

Wisconsin is currently ranked No. 1 in both polls.

THE SERIES: UMD and Wisconsin have met 114 times over their rich histories -- which includes three NCAA Frozen Four showdowns and two NCAA title tilts 2007 -- a 4-1 win for the Badgers and 2008 -- a 4-0 win at the DECC for the Bulldogs The all-time series record of 37-64-15 favors the Badgers, who currently own a four-game winning streak against UMD.

UMD is 4-6 in its last 10 games against the Badgers. In those 10 games, UMD is just 1-4 at AMSOIL, while the Bulldogs have been 3-3 in Madison. Over those past 10 games, the Bulldogs have been outscored 32-21, while six of the 10 games have been decided by a single goal.

Top UMD Scorers vs Wisconsin

Clara Van Wieren GP=16 G=2 A=6 P=8

Nina Jobst-Smith GP=16 G=3 A=4 P=7

Ida Karlsson GP=6 G=0 A=5 P=5

Hanna Baskin GP=14 G=1 A=3 P=4

Danielle Burgen GP=10 G=2 A=2 P=4

Gabby Krause GP=10 G=2 A=1 P=3

Eve Gason 0-3 .896 SV%

Tindra Holm 0-1 .800 SV%

UMD vs Wisconsin 

Last 10 games (4-6-0)

Oct. 13, 2024 3-7 Loss Away

Oct. 12, 2024 1-5 Loss Away

Jan. 27, 2024 4-5 Loss Home

Jan. 26, 2024 1-2 Loss Home

Dec. 2, 2023 3-2 Win Away

Dec. 1, 2023 0-3 Loss Away

Jan. 8, 2023 1-0 Win Away

Jan. 7, 2023 3-1 Win Away

Oct. 29, 2022 3-4 Loss Home

Oct. 28, 2022 2-1 Win OT Home

In their earlier series on the road back in Oct. 12-13, UW swept UMD by scores of 5-1 and 7-3.

In game one, UMD outshot UW in the first period, but it was the Badgers who struck first on a goal at the 8:59 mark from Laila Edwards on the power play.

Wisconsin went up 2-0 4:45 into the second period on a tally from Kelly Gorbatenko, but UMD cut into that lead midway through the frame. Sophomore Danielle Burgen's hustle into the slot ahead of four Badgers skaters resulted in a pass across the front of a sprawled Ava McNaughton to sophomore Grace Sadura. Sadura redirected the puck off her backhand and in for her first goal of the season and effectively cut UMD's deficit to 2-1 at 11:12.

But the Badgers offense answered and then some, scoring their third of the day just over two minutes later. UW extended their goal total again at 13:17 of the third and one final time with just 15 seconds left in the game to take game one of the series 5-1.

UMD outshot the Badgers 34-30, but went 0-of-2 on its power play, while UW went 1-of-4. Both teams blocked plenty of shots – the Bulldogs blocked 10 while the Badgers got in front of 12. Sophomore netminder Eve Gascon had 25 saves in her fifth start of the season – her counterpart, McNaughton, had 33 for UW.

In game two, half the goals scored came off special teams.

Although the Badgers scored the first goal of the opening period 7:16 in, fifth-year defenseman Nina Jobst-Smith unloaded a wicked wrist shot from the high slot to equalize exactly seven minutes later. 

But it was Wisconsin that scored three unanswered goals in the second period, capped off by a power play score at 16:17 of the second stanza, but the Bulldogs again bit back in the form of Olivia Mobley. The fifth-year winger beat Ava McNaughton from the slot, capitalizing on a clean pass from Clara Van Wieren with just 64 seconds until the second intermission to cut the UMD deficit to 4-2.

The Badgers struck for their second power play goal of the game 3:13 of the third period, and added a sixth tally just over a minute later, but again UMD got on the board, this time a shorthanded goal from Mobley. Mary Kate O'Brien, who had driven to the Badger net from the redline, took the initial shot, but Mobley was there to pop in the rebound – the first player to score two goals against Wisconsin in four seasons.

Down three and loaded up with a five minute power play, the Bulldogs went all in on the game. At 13:10 of the third frame and pulled goaltender Tindra Holm for the 6-on-4 skater advantage. But Wisconsin netted an empty netter less than two minutes later, and with it, snuffed out any UMD hope of a late comeback.

Holm made her debut in the Bulldog net in the contest and made 24 saves on 30 shots faced. McNaughton had 20 for Wisconsin, who outshot UMD 31-23.

EXTRA NOTES ON THE BULLDOGS AND BADGERS: Wisconsin has the top-two leading points per game player in the NCAA - 1. Casey O'Brien (2.07), and 2. Laila Edwards (1.93). The Badgers have the leading scoring offense in the country, averaging 5.57 ppg.

--For two previous seasons, the Badgers have had season opponent high's in shots against UMD, and in both games, the Bulldogs have had a season-high save effort. Last season's single game high of saves by UMD was 48 on 51 -- it came in a 3-0 loss on Dec. 2, 2023.

LAST TIME OUT: UMD suffered not only its first loss to the University of St. Thomas last week, but it suffered its first series sweep in program history in the Thursday-Friday series last week in Mendota Heights, Minn.

UMD suffered an own goal in the final 23 seconds in game one Thursday, a 3-2 loss that the Bulldogs outshot the Tommies in 35-21.

UMD, missing alternate captain and senior defenseman Hanna Baskin due to an injury suffered last Saturday, fell behind 1-0 midway through the first period despite outshooting the Tommies 14-9.

The Bulldogs offense got rolling in the second frame, however, and it began with Zoey Krock's third goal of the season just 1:38 into play for the equalizer. Sophomore forward Grace Sadura found Krock in the low slot, and the rookie forward buried it one time to draw UMD even at 1-1.

Shorthanded later in the period, the Bulldogs took the 2-1 lead on Olivia Mobley's third shorthanded goal this year. The fifth-year forward took the feed from Nina Jobst-Smith and popped the puck over UST goaltender Dan Strom's left shoulder at the 14:22 mark, a final bow on a period that UMD had outshot the Tommies 15-5 in. UMD did get a huge favor from Eve Gascon in net at 18:07, after the sophomore goaltender stopped the second penalty shot of her career.

UST found the goal twice in the third period, and made it a 2-2 game when Gascon was screened 10:41. Then, with just 23 seconds left in the frame, Rylee Bartz put the puck off a UMD defenseman's stick, and the redirect beat Gascon for what would go down as the game-timing goal.

Gascon had 18 total saves, and UMD didn't have a single power play on the evening, but held the Tommies scoreless in two extra skater attempts.

In game two, The Bulldogs pummelled the Tommies 43-23 on net, but it was UST that found the back of it.

Like Thursday night, UST struck in the first period to take the game's first lead early – just 4:31 in action. The Tommies extended that lead on their power play 7:10 into the second frame to move ahead of the Bulldogs 2-0. 

But UMD responded with three unanswered goals over four minutes, a string that began at 12:09 on Mary Kate O'Brien's slice through the slot and puck off the post. 1:51 later, Clara Van Wieren scored the 50th goal of her Bulldog career, ripping a shot past Dani Strom on a 2-on-1 with Danielle Burgen to draw even at 2-2.

Burgen scored a goal of her own – on the power play – 2:36 after Van Wieren's tally to give UMD its first lead of the day at 3-2.

But UST again tied the game at 8:30 of the third period, and after a winner couldn't be declared in regulation, the game went to overtime. The then Tommies netted the game-winner 3:05 into overtime to sweep the Bulldogs for the first time in program history.

Gascon had 19 saves for UMD, while UST goaltender Dani Strom made 40. The Bulldogs went 1-of-4 on the power play.

NOTES FROM THE ST. THOMAS SERIES:  UMD is now 13-2-1 all-time against the Tommies. The UST sweep ended a eight-game unbeaten streak by the Bulldogs.

--UMD out shot the Tommies 78-44 in the series, but were outscored 5-7. UMD is still averaging 3.94 goals a game against UST, having scored 63 goals in 16 games.

--UMD suffered its first loss to a non-ranked team this season,  and was swept by a non-ranked team for the first time since Oct. 18-19, 2019, by Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minn.

--UMD is now 0-1-1 in overtime games this season

--Eve Gascon's penalty shot stop last Thursday was the second of her career.The first came last season against St. Cloud State in Duluth on Feb. 17.

--Thursday marked the second time this season that UMD hasn't been awarded a power play -- the other time was against Bemidji State back on Nov. 22.