The No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team wil look to rebound this weekend in St. Cloud, Minn. when they face No. 10/11 St. Cloud State University in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play. The Friday-Saturday series gets underway inside the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. before concluding at 1:00 p.m. Saturday.


UMD Women's Hockey Weekly Press Conference, Oct. 29, 2025 -- Head coach Laura Schuler and freshman goaltender Sophia Villanueva



KRAEMER'S A GAMER: The Bulldogs red hot sophomore leads UMD with 12 points through her first 10 games -- a 1.20 points per game average. 

Caitlin Kraemer has logged points in all but two games (8-of-10), and has scored goals in seven-of her first 10 skates. The Waterloo, Ontario native, who is also part of Canada's Olympic Training Camp roster, has three times posted multiple point games so far this season.

Kraemer ranks second in the NCAA with three game-winning goals, tied for fifth for goals (8) and tied for 19th in the NCAA with her 12 points.

THIRD PERIODS A CHARM: UMD has scored over half of its goals in the third period season -- a whopping 17 of 30.

While the Bulldogs have only put two tallies on the board in the first periord, they jump to 10 in the second period. UMD has scored far more in the third period what they have scored in the first and second period combined (12).

NEW BULLDOGS, BIG OFFENSE: 17 of UMD's 30 goals through their first 10 games have come from either transfers or rookies new to Duluth this season.

Thea Johansson (7) and Josie St. Martin (3) combined for 10 goals, while freshman forward Molly Cole (3) and Rae Mayer (3) have added six.

Overall, the Bulldogs have put up the most goals through 10 games since 2021-22 NCAA Runner-up season, where UMD also logged 29 tallies through 10 skates.

CLOSING THE BOX: After UMD struggled to stay out of the penalty box through its first five games (28 penalties for 70 minutes for a 14 penalty minute a game average), the Bulldogs have done a 180 degree turn.

In its last five games, UMD has been called for just eight infractions for 16 minutes -- just a 3.20 penalty minutes a game average. In fact, the Bulldogs committed a season series-low three penalties against Minnesota last weekend, including their second game this season with just one penalty against the Gophers Saturday.

UMD still owns the 10th most penalty minutes a game in the NCAA (9.2), but that average has plummeted over the past five skates.

REAL GOAL GETTERS: Caitlin Kraemer currently lead the Bulldogs with eight goals, while Thea Johansson is right behind her with seven.

Kraemer opened the season scoring in five-straight games, the longest goal scoring spree of her UMD career. Her five game, seven point string tied her second longest scoring streak of her college career.

Johansson is currently seventh among all active NCAA DI players in career goal totals with 58 goals. 

NO GOALS GASCON: It may sound like a broken record, but the UMD goaltender Eve Gascon is once again a stalwart in net for the Bulldogs.

The Canadian Olympic Training camp invitee, who like Caitlin Kraemer, is going back and forth from Canada camps to Duluth, has to date logged the third most minutes between the pipes in all of the NCAA -- 561.

The two-time WCHA Goaltender of the Week is tied for the second most shutouts this season (3), and last two weeks ago moved ahead of former Bulldog legend Maddie Rooney for her 14 career shutout to take over fifth in the program all-time.

Gascon is currently one point behind  former UMD All-American Kim Martin with an all-time .942 saves percentage -- the second best in program history. Gascon also ranks fifth in goals against (1.81) and seventh all-time with 1,776 saves. In 61 career games as a Buldlog, Gascon is averaging 29.6 saves a game.

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 10-game unbeaten streak intact against the Huskies and an all-time record of 88-15-11.

Last season, UMD went 5-0-1 against SCSU and outscored the Huskies 15-5. UMD averaged 32.1 shots on goal a game to the 28.6 of SCSU, but Eve Gascon owned a 0.82 goals against average in all six of those skates and posting two shutouts.

Now sophomore Caitlin Kraemer is UMD's leading returning scorer against SCSU -- as a rookie, Kraemer had two goals and three assists for five points in six games. Grace Sadura and Tova Henderson round out the top-3 scorers against SCSU returning -- Sadura had a goal and two assists, while Henderson dished out three assists last season.

UMD vs St. Cloud State, last 10 games (8-0-2)

Mar. 1, 2025 2-1 Win Home*

Feb. 28, 2025 3-2 Win Home*

Jan. 11, 2025 3-0 Win Home

Jan. 10, 2025 3-0 Win Home

Dec. 7, 2024 3-1 Win Away

Dec. 6, 2024 1-1Tie, SW Win Away

Mar. 2, 2024 2-0 Win Home*

Mar. 1, 2024 5-0 Win Home*

Feb. 17, 2024 0-0 OT Tie Home

Feb. 16, 2024 1-0 Win Home

*WCHA Quarterfinals

Top-3 Returning Scorers vs St. Cloud St.

Tova Henderson GP=16 G=1 A=6 P=7

Caitlin Kraemer GP=6  G=2 A=3 P=5

Mary Kate O'Brien GP=16 G=3 A=2 P=5

Eve Gascon -- 7-0-2, 1.22 GAA, 4 SO

In their last head-to-head action, UMD swept the Huskies by scores of 3-2 and 2-1 on Feb. 28 and March 1 to advance to the WCHA Final Face-Off semifinals.

With two minutes left in the third period in game one, it appeared the Huskies were going to pull off the one thing that had eluded them over their successful season – a win over UMD. But the Bulldogs had other ideas, and after the final buzzer sounded at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn., UMD had gone up 1-0 in the series.

The sixth-ranked Bulldogs clawed back to strike a 3-2 upset rejection blow to the Huskies behind the two goals of Caitlin Kraemer and the game-winner from Olivia Wallin with just five seconds left to secure the postseason win.

SCSU wouldn't be denied in the second period, and after being held scoreless by Eve Gascon and UMD for 10 periods of play, used the last second of a power play to equalize 1-1 at 9:56. Just over four minutes later, the Bulldogs put the Huskies on another power play, and this time, SCSU struck within the extra skater confines to go ahead 2-1 at 14:07. 

That 2-1 score would hold uncomfortably late for UMD, who pulled goaltender Gascon at 17:44 to chase the one goal deficit. Nine seconds after head coach Laura Schuler called a timeout, Kraemer swept into the slot and buried another goal line feed from Wallin into crease traffic to pull UMD even in the most dramatic of fashions at 18:05 of the third.

One goal wasn't enough for the Bulldogs, however, and with just five seconds left in the frame, Wallin wheeled on a rebound from Nina Jobst-Smith and unloaded a knuckle of a shot to call and take game one in the rudest of fashion from the Huskies.

Wallin was one of two players that figured on every single UMD goal (1g, 2a), while Van Wieren had three secondary assistants. Kraemer's two goals gave the Bulldogs three players with multiple points overall.

SCSU outshot UMD 34-31, but the Bulldogs peppered Ahola with 12 shots in the third. Gascon made 32 saves for the Bulldogs, UMD was 1-of-4 on the power play, while SCSU went 1-of-3.

In game two, the Bulldogs punched their ticket to their first home rink WCHA Final Faceoff since the 2012 season with a 2-1 win a game UMD never trailed in.

The Huskies appeared to have netted the opening goal just 3:01 into the first period, but a challenge by Schuler on the grounds the play was offsides erased that short lived goal for SCSU. The Bulldogs then struck at 13:33, a lead they would never surrender on a goal from Grace Sadura.

That score would through almost the entire second period, and despite the Huskies outshooting the Bulldogs 14-10 in the frame, UMD doubled up the score on Olivia Mobley's 17th goal of the season. Taking a feed from Jobst-Smith up the right boards, Mobley slipped around a SCSU defenseman in the neutral zone and in all alone on Kyrkko, beat the freshman goaltender low blocker side.

Sadura and Mobley's goals would be all the Bulldog defense, which started with another incredible performance by Gascon, whose 38 saves stymied the Huskies over and over again for a sixth time this season, would need. SCSU finally broke through at 15:33, but a boarding penalty by the Huskies with just 2:58 left in the game disabled an early empty net, and the Bulldogs locked it down for their 21st win of the season.

The Huskies outshot UMD 39-32 in the contest and neither team succeeded on their hard to find power play attempts – the Bulldogs were 0-of-1 and SCSU 0-of-2.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs were swept at AMSOIL Arena by No. 3 Minnesota last weekend by scores of 4-0 and 3-2.

After a scoreless first period, the Gophers scored two goals in the opening 3:43 of the second frame. The second goal was the most concerning of all – it cost the Bulldogs junior goaltender Eve Gascon, who was forced to leave the game after suffering an upper body injury. 

Enter rookie goaltender Sophia Villanueva, who impressed early and helped put UMD on the offensive initially. But despite putting an even 13 shots on goal with the Gophers in the period, it was Minnesota, after calling a timeout to settle its squad, that tacked on a goal at the 12:30 mark and took the 3-0 lead into the second intermission.

The Gophers added a final power play goal at 15:42 to wrap up the game's scoring. Minnesota outshot UMD 36-24 in the game and held the Bulldogs scoreless in just two power play attempts while the Gophers went 1-of-2.

Like Friday night, the first period was a scoreless stalemate, with each side landing 10 shots on goal apiece.

Unlike Friday night, however, the Bulldogs got on the board first 7:55 into the second period. Caitlin Kraemer's eighth goal of the season came off a drive into the zone and on to net, and it ended with a backhanded flip of the puck past Gopher netminder Hannah Clark's block for the 1-0 lead.

Less than four minutes later, Minnesota equalized on a goal from Josefin Bouveng, and then at 15:04, Abbey Murphy scored five-hole to give the Gophers their first lead of the game. Officials reviewed a hit by Murphy just prior to the goal, but after review and despite the contact, the goal was allowed to stand.

After UMD was outshot 27-21 in the first 40 minutes, the Bulldogs tilted the ice in the third. It began with a 5-1 shot advantage through the first five minutes and through the final 20 minutes, UMD had outshot the Gophers a whopping 18-4.

Midway through the period, Murphy struck against the grain to make it a 3-1 game for Minnesota at 10:21. But UMD finally responded at the 16:04 mark, on the power play and with goaltender Gascon pulled for a 6-on-4 did a shot finally get through Clark again. Sophomore forward Josie St. Martin tracked down a loose puck tipped by Mary Kate O'Brien and popped it in to make it a 3-2 contest.

But despite the onslaught of offensive pressure in the period, the clock simply ran out on the Bulldogs comeback attempt. The good news for the Bulldogs was the return of Gascon to the starting lineup Saturday after the junior goaltender had an injury scare early in the second period. Gascon made 28 saves for the Bulldogs, while Clark had 37 for the Gophers, who were outshot by UMD overall 39-31.

UMD went 1-of-3 on its power play while holding Minnesota scoreless in one attempt. 

NOTES ON THE MINNESOTA STATE SERIES: All-time, UMD now trails the Gophers 32-80-11 and remains 0-9-1 over their past 10 meetings. 

--Saturday, UMD outshot the Gophers (39-31), the second time the Bulldogs have outshot the Minnesota over the past three games. UMD also outshot the Gophers on Feb. 15 30-27 in a 1-0 loss. 

--Eve Gascon's exit Saturday was the first time the goaltender has left a game she's started and not returned. Gascon did leave the net during the 2024 NCAA Regional Final against OSU for 12:48 of time, but returned to finish the game.

--The Bulldogs were shutout Saturday night at home for the first time since Ohio State shutout UMD on Oct. 14, 2023, a 2-0 loss for the Bulldogs.