The No. 4/5 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team returns to AMSOIL Arena this weekend for just its third home series of the season when the Bulldogs host No. 3 Ohio State University in Western Collegiate Hockey Association action. The Friday-Saturday series will get underway at 6:02 p.m. Friday, and conclude Saturday with a 3:02 p.m. start time.


TEDDY BEAR TOSS FRIDAY: The Bulldogs will take part in their annual Teddy Bear Toss on Friday night in the first intermission. Fans are invited to bring a stuffed toy to toss on the ice -- all toys will be donated to local hospitals.

MILITARY APPRECIATION SATURDAY: UMD will host its annual Military Appreciation Night (free tickets for military members and veterans) Saturday afternoon.

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Honor Guard will be presenting the colors prior to the national anthem as well. The Fond du Lac Band will also be recognizing Native American veterans and performing a drum honor song in the ticket lobby prior to the game. 

The American Red Cross will be in attendance for fans to sign cards for the Holiday for Heroes campaign. Cards are mailed overseas to deployed military groups. 

 

THE STRENGTH OF THE WCHA SCHEDULE: The Bulldogs, currently on a four-game winning streak, will face their fifth-straight top-15 opponent this weekend and sixth over their past 12 games. 

UMD is 4-4 against ranked teams so far this season.

ADD A LITTLE MAYER: Freshman Rae Mayer is making an offensive impact out of the gate, and her current five-game scoring streak is highlighting that. Mayer has scored five points over her last five games (2g, 3a) and has 11 points on five goals and six assists in her first 14 collegiate games.

In fact, Mayer has logged a point in seven of her last eight games and has only been held off the scoresheet four of 14 skates this season. 

STARTING TO STREAK: In addition to Rae Mayer's five-game scoring streak, UMD has a two other players currently on three game scoring streaks -- Cailtin Kraemer, two goals and an assist (three points) over three games, Mary Kate O'Brien (1g, 2a) over three games. Both Grace Sadura (2g) and Zoey Krock (2a) are on two game streaks.

GETTING THOSE GOALS: The Bulldogs currently rank ninth in the NCAA in both total  goals (45) and goals per game (3.20).

Ohio State, UMD's foe for the weekend, currently sits fourth with 61 games and a 5.10 goals per game average.

KRAEMER'S A GAMER: The Bulldogs red hot sophomore leads UMD with 14 points through her first 12 games -- a 1.00 points per game average. 

Caitlin Kraemer has logged points in all but two games (8-of-12), and has scored goals in eight-of her first 12 skates. The Waterloo, Ontario native, who is also part of Canada's Olympic Training Camp and just competed in the Rivalry series on Nov. 6 and Nov. 8, has three times posted multiple point games so far this season.

Kraemer is tied for fourth in the NCAA with three game-winning goals, and tied for ninth for goals (9) 

THIRD PERIODS A CHARM: UMD has scored almost half of its goals -- 21 -- in the third period. While the Bulldogs have netted just eight in the the first period and are an even 15-15 in the second frame, UMD has offensively been way up on their opponents in the third period with a 21-9 goals scored advantage.

NEW BULLDOGS, BIG OFFENSE: 23 of UMD's 45 goals through their first 14 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.

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 made her first start for the senior Canadian National Team on Nov. 6 in the Rivalry Series, who like Caitlin Kraemer, is going back and forth from Canada camps to Duluth, has to date is tied for the fifth most wins in the NCAA with eight and owns the third highest saves percentage among all active goaltenders in the nation .942.

The three-time WCHA Goaltender of the Week is tied for the fifth most shutouts this season (3), and last three 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 (1.80) and seventh all-time with 1,844 saves. In 63 career games as a Buldlog, Gascon is averaging 29.2 saves a game.

THE SERIES:  UMD is 73-34-9 all-time against the Buckeyes, and finished last season against OSU at 2-2, with each team sweeping the other on the road. The Buckeyes barely outscored UMD on the season at 9-8.

The Bulldogs are 2-8-0 against OSU in their last 10 games, and UMD now 14-8-2 at AMSOIL since the 2013-14 season. last weekend

GASCON VS. THE BUCKEYES: One of the most eye-popping stats ahead of the weekend is the career that goaltender Eve Gascon has had against OSU. 

Gascon has played in eight games

against the Buckeyes over her career, and has averaged a whopping 38.3 saves a game after making 307 stops in total. With a record of 2-6-0, Gascon has posted 35 or more saves against OSU five times, and 40 or more three times, including a career-best efforts of 58 last season on Jan. 17 at home. 

Last season alone, Gascon was 2-2-0 and posted a .957 saves percentage and a 2.02 GAA against OSU while averaging 44.2 saves a game.

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

Jan. 18, 2025 1-2 Loss Home

Jan. 17, 2025 1-3 Loss Home

Sep. 22, 2024 4-3 Win Away

Sep. 21, 2024 2-1 Win Away

Mar. 16, 2024 0-9 Loss Away^

Mar. 8, 2024 0-5 Loss Neutral*

Jan. 20, 2024 0-1 Loss Away

Jan. 19, 2024 0-3 Loss Away

Oct. 14, 2023 0-2 Loss Home

Oct. 13, 2023 2-5 Loss Home

^NCAA Regional Final

*WCHA Final Face-Off Semi

Top-3 Returning Scorers vs OSU

Caitlin Kraemer 4 GP, 3g, 1a, 4 points

Ida Karlsson 10 GP, 1g, 2a, 3 points 

Tova Henderson 14 GP 1g, 3a, 4 points

In their last series meeting, UMD was swept by then No. 2 Ohio State by scores of 3-1 and 2-1. On Friday night, a 3-1 loss, the Buckeyes flexed their special teams success just twice in the game, and the first goal came 2:41 into the first period before striking again on 4-on-4 hockey at 9:31. But the Bulldogs used their own first power play of the game to pull within a single goal just 1:21 later when Olivia Wallin threw a blind pass behind her across the slot to Caitlin Kraemer to cut the lead to 2-1.

The penalty box joined OSU in the second period as UMD opponents, and the Bulldogs spent eight minutes shorthanded in the frame after they were called for four infractions. UMD surrendered 34 shots on goal in the second – a program-high and single-period save record – and 18 of the 34 shots Eve Gascon faced – and saved, came off Buckeye power plays.

The third period was the most even for the sides, but the Bulldogs, already down Ida Karlsson due to illness, just couldn't find the game tying-goal on two power play attempts in the third. OSU scored an empty-netter with 1:09 left in regulation – the first time they had found the back of the net after 52-straight saves by Gascon.

Gascon's 58-save effort was the first 50-plus save game by a UMD goaltender since Maddie Rooney logged 59 o Feb. 29, 2020 – a four overtime effort by Rooney. The Bulldogs were 1-of-3 on the power play while holding OSU to just 1-of-5 – 21 of the Buckeyes shots in the game came with an extra skater.

Eight players in all had fallen ill for UMD on the days and around the series, including two players that could not play Saturday on short notice and one that left the game due to symptoms. In all, UMD made no excuses for its effort on the weekend, but by the end of the third period, the Bulldogs were down to just 13 skaters – including only four defensemen -- in their 2-1 loss.

Like Friday night the Buckeyes struck first, almost against the grain of play, at 2:31 of the first period. But unlike the night before, UMD had an answer for it. After coming up empty on a five minute power play after OSU cross-checked Hanna Baskin in the middle of the frame, UMD made good on its second power play attempt of the day at 18:57 when Olivia Wallin absolutely unloaded a nasty wrist shot to make it 1-1. OSU's game-winning goal came late in the second period, a frame that the Bulldogs had to fight shorthanded for nine minutes of. UMD, already down two defenseman to illness and Baskin to injury, lost Olvia Mobley at 9:21 for good when her penalty, eerily similar to the Buckeyes five minute major in the first, became game misconduct. Despite 31 saves from Gascon in the period, OSU broke through for what ended up the final 2-1 score at 16:44.

Gascon was once again incredible in goal, making 44 saves on 46 shots, including 19 shots that came on OSU's power play. For the weekend, Gascon wrapped up the series with a whopping 102 stops – the most back-to-back game saves for a Bulldog goaltender since Rooney had 112 in the WCHA's Final Face-Off in 2017.

The Buckeyes outshot UMD 46-14 – the second period and the power play shots the heavy difference between the sides.

BUCKEYES TO BULLDOGS: Sophomore forward Josie St. Martin will face the Buckeyes this weekend for the first time since transferring to the UMD this fall. Martin already has three goals and three assists for six points in 14 games -- St. Martin had four points (2g, 2a) over 34 games last season.

The Buckeyes have former Bulldog goaltender Hailey MacLeod, who skated for UMD for two seasons, including sharing time with then rookie Eve Gascon as a sophomore over the 2023-24 season playing in 28 games. Over those 28 games, MacLeod went 16-5-3 with a 1.38 GAA. This season, MacLeod has a 2.27 GAA through eight games.

LAST TIME OUT: UMD swept the No. 15 University of St. Thomas in St. Paul by scores of 3-1 and 4-2 over the past weekend. 

It marked the highest national rankings they Tommies have ever held at the time of a UMD game, but it was no matter for the Bulldogs, who needed just 78 seconds apart in the second period of game one to build a quick 2-0 lead. Defenseman Tova Henderson got the scoring going, shoveling the puck in from the crease, and a little over a minute later, Grace Sadura finished off an odd man rush with Molly Cole two extend UMD's lead to 2-0 at the 7:10 mark.

The Tommies finally got on the board midway through the third period on a power play goal but the Bulldogs answered just over two minutes later in the form of a Caitlin Kraemer's ninth goal in 10 games, a snipe from the circle to move UMD up 3-1.

Eve Gascon had 33 saves for the Bulldogs, who were outshot by UST 34-30. 

In game two, UMD made its debut Saturday afternoon inside the Lee & Peggy Anderson Arena with a 4-2 win. UMD doubled up on the Tommies midway the first period, and after three power plays over six minute span, Ida Karlsson finally helped the Bulldogs take advantage of the extra skater with a goal from the high slot for the 1-0 lead at 13:03. 

Just 32 seconds later, Sadura's puck on to net ended up through the pads of Tommies goaltender Julia Minotti, and Sadura's second goal of the series bolstered UMD's lead to 2-0.

UST used its red-hot power play to cut its deficit in half at the 17:18 mark, but the Bulldogs were only halfway to their goal total after 20 minutes.

UMD opened the second period in scoring style, and 1:02 into the frame, rookie Madi Burr buriied the first goal of her collegiate career, and just like that, the Bulldogs had regained their two goal lead. That lead would hold until the opening minutes of third stanza, when again the Tommies struck on the power play on a goal from Ellah Hause 52 seconds into play. But despite outshooting UMD 12-6 in the final 20 minutes, UST couldn't solve Gascon at even strength. The Tommies made a final push with 2:40 left in the game with an empty net, but the Bulldogs dashed any chance of a UST comeback when Mary Kate O'Brien cleared the puck off the boards from above UMD's crease and banked it into the empty Tommies goal with two minutes left to seal the 4-2 win.

Gascon was again fantastic in net for the Bulldogs, posting 35 saves Saturday to pair with her 33 from Friday for a grand total of 68 in the series. UST heavily outshot the Bulldogs 37-26 in the game – a feat the Tommies pulled off both nights. UST also went 2-of-5 on its power play, while UMD went 1-of-5.

NOTES ON THE ST. THOMAS SERIES: UMD is now 15-2-1 all-time against UST and 8-2 over their last 10 meetings. In their 18 all-time meetings, the Bulldogs are averaging 3.89 goals against the Tommies. 

--All three of the Tommies goals on the weekend came on their power play -- one Friday night and two Saturday afternoon.

--After UMD has kept to six or less minutes in the penalty box over its past seven games, the Bulldogs went back to the box Saturday, called for 10 minutes worth of penalties.

GASCON NAMED WCHA GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK FOR THIRD TIME THIS SEASON: Ève Gascon picked up her third weekly WCHA award Monday after the junior was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Week.

The Mascouche, Quebec native was the only goaltender to backstop her team to two wins, and she led the league with a .958 saves percentage in two games against the No. 15 University of St. Thomas over the weekend in St. Paul, Minn. Gascon averaged a 1.50 goals against average -- also a WCHA-low over the series after allowing just three goals on 71 shots -- 68 saves in all.

Gascon turned in the league-best performance just a week after her first start with the Canadian National Team after having started in the Rivalry Series game against the U.S. on Nov. 6. Gascon has already matched the amount of weekly awards she earned last season (3).