After a week off from outside competition, the No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will jump back into Western Collegiate Hockey Association play this weekend when the Bulldogs head to St. Paul, Minn. to face the No. 15 University of St. Thomas. Friday's 5:00 p.m. game will be played in the Tommie Iceplex, UST's practice rink, while Saturday's 2:00 p.m. contest will take place in the Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. It will mark UMD's first time in the new arena and complex.

UMD Women's Hockey Weekly Press Conference, Nov. 12, 2025 -- Eve Gascon and Caitlin Kraemer, head coach Laura Schuler


SIGNING OFF FROM NATIONAL DUTY: The Bulldogs may have been off from outside competition last week, but four of their players were competing for their respective national teams. Goaltender Eve Gascon and center Caitlin Kraemer suited up with Canada, while forward Thea Johansson and defenseman Ida Karlsson spent the week with Team Sweden.

Gascona and Kraemer -- who missed UMD's sweep of St. Cloud State two weekends ago due to Canada National Team camp, spent the last two weeks at camp and then last Thursday and Saturday suiting up for the Canada - U.S Rivalry Series.

Gascon started in the series opener Thursday on Nov. 6, playing 57 minutes and making 22 saves on 26 U.S. shots, while Kraemer skated in both games. Kraemer suited up on the fourth line in game one (Thursday), and the third line on Saturday. The youngest forward to be named to the roster, Kraemer's lone statline was a penalty in game two. Last Thursday's game was also Kraemer's national team debut.

Canada lost both games by 4-1 Thursday and 6-1 Saturday.

Karlsson and Johansson skated with Sweden in an Olympic tune up for the Euro Hockey Tour where they defeated Czechia 4-1 on Wednesday before losing to Switzerland Friday 2-1 and Finland Saturday 2-1. Karlsson recorded a goal against Czechia and an assist against the Swiss, while Johansson had a goal against the Swiss.

JOHANSSON MOVES ON UP: In Caitlin Kraemer's absence two weekends ago, Thea Johansson compiled three goals and an assist against the Huskies to figure in half -- four -- of the Bulldogs eight goals.

By helping hold down UMD's offense, Johansson extended her current scoring streak to three games (3g, 2a) and took over the Bulldogs goal lead with 10 goals. Johansson also now sits in a tie for total points with Kraemer (12), but also interestingly enough has more than half the goals she has scored every season over her previous three years at Mercyhurst College. Twice Johansson scored 16 goals in 36 games (last season) and 2022-23, and her single-season high came as a sophomore where the winger scored 19 goals in 36 skates. Currently, Johansson already has 10 goals in just 12 games.

Those 10 goals make Johansson currently the sixth highest goal scorer in the NCAA. Johansson is also currently ninth among all active NCAA DI players in career goal totals with 61 goals. 

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.

GETTING THOSE GOALS: The Bulldogs currently rank ninth in the NCAA with 38 goals in 12 games for a 3.17 goals per game average. Those 36 games through 12 games is the most by a UMD squad since the 2021-22 season where the Bulldogs had a whopping 48 through 12.

KRAEMER'S A GAMER: The Bulldogs red hot sophomore is in a tie for the lead of 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 half of its goals -- 19 -- in the third period. While the Bulldogs have netted just six in the the first period and been outscored 15-12 in the second frame, UMD has offensively been way up on their opponents in the third period with a 19-7 goals scored advantage.

NEW BULLDOGS, BIG OFFENSE: 25 of UMD's 38 goals through their first 12 games have come from either transfers or rookies new to Duluth this season.

Transfers Thea Johansson (10) and Josie St. Martin (3) combined for 13 goals, while freshman forward Molly Cole (4) and Rae Mayer (5) have added nine.

CLOSING THE BOX: After UMD struggled to stay out of the penalty box through its first six games (32 penalties for 78 minutes for a 13 penalty minute a game average), the Bulldogs have done a 180 degree turn.

Since then (last six games) UMD has been called for just 14 infractions for 28 minutes -- just a 4.66 penalty minutes a game average. In fact, the Bulldogs committed a season series-low three penalties against Minnesota two series ago, including their second game this season with just one penalty against the Gophers in game two.

UMD still owns the 11th most penalty minutes a game in the NCAA (8.8), but that average has plummeted over the past six skates.

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: It's a young rivalry -- UST only joined the WCHA ahead of the 2021-22 season. Since then, UMD is 13-2-1 overall, and suffered not only its first loss to UST but first to the Tommies last January on the road. 

The Bulldogs are averaging 3.94 goals a game against UST, and six of their 13 wins against the Tommies have been shutouts. UMD is 6-2 in St. Paul all-time and has outscored the Tommies  outscored them 63-15 over their 16 meetings. This will mark the first time UST has been nationally ranked in a head-to-head with the Bulldogs.

UMD vs UST, last 10 games (8-2-0)

Jan. 24, 2025 3-4 Loss Away

Jan. 23, 2025 2-3 Loss Away

Oct. 19, 2024 2-0 Win Home

Oct. 18, 2024 3-0 Win Home

Feb. 10, 2024 5-1 Win Away

Feb. 9, 2024 4-1 Win Away

Nov. 4, 2023 4-0 Win Home

Nov. 3, 2023 3-1 Win Home

Jan. 22, 2023 5-1 Win Away

Jan. 21, 2023 3-0 Win Away

Top-3 Returning Scorers vs UST

Mary Kate O'Brien 13 GP, 2g, 2a, 4 points

Danielle Burgen 12 GP 2g, 1 a, 3 points

Tova Henderson 12 GP, 3a

Eve Gason, Record 3-2-0, 2 Shutouts, 113 saves on 84 shots

In game one, a 3-2 loss, the Bulldogs offense got rolling in the second frame, and it began with Zoey Krock's third goal of the season just 1:38 into play for the 1-1 equalizer. 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 in 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 at 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.

The Bulldogs outshot UST 35-21 in the game, while Gascon had 18 total saves. UMD didn't have a single power play on the evening, but held the Tommies scoreless in two attempts.

In game two, UMD fell 4-3 in overtime. The Bulldogs pummelled the Tommies 43-23 on net, but it was UST that found the back of it for its first sweep over the Bulldogs in program history.

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 to draw even at 2-2.

Danielle 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, and the Bulldogs went 1-of-4 on the power play.

 

LAST TIME OUT: UMD swept then No. St. Cloud State by scores of 5-3 and 3-2 in St. Cloud, Minn., despite missing both Eve Gascon in net and Caitlin Kraemer at center on the top line.

Confidently backstopped by freshman Sophie Villanueva and her 31 saves en route to her first collegiate win, the Bulldogs got five different goals from five different players, including balanced scoring off their top-three lines. In all, 10 players landed on the scoresheet, while senior forward Thea Johansson led the team with two points on a goal and two assists.

St. Cloud State got on the board first, however, just 2:58 into the opening frame.  But the Bulldogs followed that with three unanswered goals – more than they had scored in all of their previous first periods combined. It started with Molly Cole intercepting a SCSU errant pass in the slot and burying the game-tying tally at 7:51. UMD then struck twice just 14 seconds apart at the end of the period. Rae Mayer ripped the puck through at 19:14 for the 2-1 lead.

14 ticks of the clock later, ohansson backchecked and intercepted the puck on her own blueline to extend UMD's advantage to 3-1. After the Huskies opened the second period with a goal at 3:19, Grace Sadura responded at the 10:50 mark with a nasty wrist shot to build back up the Bulldogs lead to 4-2.

UMD's two-goal lead would last through the second period, but again, just 1:02 into the third period, SCSU scored again to make it a one-goal game. But the Bulldogs struck again on the odd man rush at the 15:35 mark, a brilliant 2-on-1 between Ava MacLeod and Danielle Burgen that Burgen finished one-time for UMD's fifth goal of the game.

The Huskies outshot the Bulldogs in the first two periods of play 22-14, but both sides put 12 shots on net in the third. SCSU finished with a 34-26 shot on goal advantage, and it's the first time this season in four games UMD has won a game despite being outshot by its opponent. The Bulldogs went 1-of-4 on their power play while holding the Huskies scoreless in two attempts. Despite missing faceoff leader Caitlin Kraemer, UMD out dueled SCSU from the dot 31-25.

Villanueva was impressive in the first start of her collegiate career, making 31 saves and holding down a .912 saves percentage. The Bulldogs chased one-time teammate Chobak out of the net in the first period with just four saves on seven shots.

Led by Johansson's two goals, UMD beat SCUS 3-2 in game two. Just as they did on Friday, the Huskies scored first at 14:18 on a tipped goal by Sofianna Sundelin. But it took just 1:39 for the Bulldogs to respond, and it happened on a centering feed from Burgen to Johansson on the doorstep for the 1-1 equalizer. That score would hold until late in the second period. At the 17:36 mark, Mayer wheeled and ripped a shot past SCSU goaltender Jojo Chobak to make it a 2-1 contest.

Johansson wasted no time extending the Bulldogs lead 3-1 just 29 seconds into the third frame. The Huskies pulled within a single goal at 5:11, but despite outshooting the Bulldogs 18-8 in the final frame, UMD's Villanueva made 32 saves to preserve the WCHA sweep.

UMD just edged SCSU on the shot chart, putting on 35 to the Huskies 34. Neither team found success on the power play – the Bulldogs went 0-of-5 while SCSU was 0-of-2. 

NOTES ON THE ST. CLOUD STATE SERIES: UMD is now unbeaten in its last 12 games against St. Cloud St. and has now won seven-straight contests over the Huskies. All-time, the Bulldogs are now 89-15-11 against SCSU.

--Sophia Villanueva became the first starting freshman goaltender to win her first two games since Kim Martin did it on Oct. 6, 2006 (vs Minnesota State) and Oct. 15, 2006 (vs. North Dakota) … Villanueva is one of only two Bulldog goaltenders ever to earn a series sweep in her first two starts – the other was Amanda Tapp against Wisconsin on Oct. 8, 1999.

NO WAY AROUND IT, BULLDOGS HAVE AN OLYMPIC WATCH: Arugably the biggest story following UMD around to start the season is what the roster will look like in the middle of it.

Five UMD players are currently in their Olympic pools for three different countries. Those five include Canadian junior goaltender Eve Gascon, sophomore forward Caitlin Kraemer, Finnish senior defenseman Krista Parkkonen and Swedish junior defenseman Ida Karlsson and senior forward Thea Johansson.

UMD is no stranger to losing Olympic players in the middle of the season, and most recently, the Bulldogs were without Canadian defenseman Ashton Bell for all of the 2021-22 season and lost Swedish goaltender Emma Soderberg in February for those same Games. Before that, UMD  lost U.S. goaltender Maddie Rooney for the 2017-18 season, and every prior season with an Olympic games has been marked with Bulldogs missing on the roster. But this may be the most currently rostered Bulldogs with a chance at Olympic spots from a single squad since UMD lost six to Olympic duty or centralization over the 2009-10 NCAA title winning season (which ironically, Laura Schuler was an assistant coach on).

In all, UMD has had 41 players skate in the Olympic games and had a head coach that has both skated and coached in the Olympic games (Schuler, Canada as a player in 1998 and as a head coach in 2018). Six former UMD assistants have played in the Olympic games and one former player has served as a head coach (Sarah Murray).