Friday and Saturday will mark the final two regular season home games for the No. 6 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team at AMSOIL Arena. The Bulldogs, who are looking to clinch home Western Collegiate Hockey Association ice, will host Minnesota State University, Mankato at 3:00 p.m. Friday afternoon before getting underway at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Saturday will mark the program's annual Senior Day celebration, which will happen on ice following the game.



CLOSING IN ON CLINCHING HOME ICE: The Bulldogs can clinch home WCHA First Round ice this weekend. UMD needs either a win Friday or a St. Cloud State loss to earn the fourth seed.

Any UMD win on the weekend will ice fourth place for the Bulldogs. 

OLYMPIC DREAMING: Blueliners Nina Jobst-Smith and Ida Karlsson are back in Duluth after helping both their respective national teams clinch Olympic qualifying berths.

In Gavle, Sweden, Karlsson and the home team, along with a plethora of former Bulldogs, including Emma Soderberg and Paula Bergstrom locked down Sweden's appearance in the 2026 Olympics. Over in in Bremerhaven, Germany, Jobst-Smith and Germany punched their ticket -- securing their first bid since the 2014 Olympics. Former UMD standout goaltender Jennifer Harss is also on the coaching staff of Germany, and was on the team the last time Germany made an appearance in the Olympics (Harss was an Olympian in both 2006 and 2014).

If Karlsson and Jobst-Smith make the rosters, which won't be announced before next December, they will become the 42 and 43 UMD Olympians in program history.

SENIOR SALUTE: This weekend will mark the final home regular season series for nine Bulldog seniors, a class that has been a part of big success over their UMD careers. 

Over the past five season, these Bulldogs racked up an overall record of 103-54-10 heading into the weekend, and that includes four-straight NCAA Tournament berths, four-straight NCAA quarterfinal games or Regional Final games, two NCAA Frozen Fours and one NCAA title tilt. In fact, over the past five seasons, UMD has gone 6-4 in NCAA Tournament contests.

These seniors include:

Hanna Baskin*, D (133 GP, 7-45=52)

Olivia Wallin, F (151 GP, 54-61=115)+

Olivia Mobley, F (162 GP, 57-76=133)^

Brenna Fuhrman, D (141, 0-9=9)

Jenna Lawry, F (128 GP, 3-7=10)

Clara Van Wieren**, F (165 GP, 51-62=113)

Nina Jobst-Smith**, D (163 GP, 13-50=63)

Tindra Holm# G (40 GP, 29-10-1, .938)

Legend: *Denotes alternate captain

**Denotes team captain

+includes three seasons with Penn St.

^includes three seasons with QU, one season with OSU      

#includes three seasons with LIU

The Bulldogs will lose nine seniors for the second time in three seasons -- UMD also graduated nine seniors after the 2022-23 season.

GASCON NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR GOALIE OF THE YEAR: Eve Gascon has been named a semifinalist for the Women's Hockey Commissioners Association 2025 National Women's Goalie of the Year, one of nine netminders selected and one of only two repeat semifinalists.

Currently, Gascon owns the fourth-highest saves percentage of any goaltender in the NCAA on the watch list with a .924, and has five 40+ save games, which includes six wins against top-8 teams, complete with two shutouts. The native of  Mascouche, Quebec is 11-10-1 so far this season with the No. 6 Bulldogs, and owns four shutouts. She recorded a career-high effort of 58 saves against Ohio State Universtiy on Jan. 17 -- the most of any goaltender in the WCHA this season and the sixth most in the nation this year.

The award, created in 2021, has now had at least one UMD goaltender become at least a semifinalist since its inception. Former All-American Emma Soderberg was top-3 finalist in 2023 after becoming a top-8 finalist in 2021.

POWERED PLAY: UMD currently ranks ninth in the NCAA with a 25.0 power play conversion rate. 

The Bulldogs, who have recorded 18 power play goals so far, are led by Olivia Mobley and Caitlin Kraemer, who each have four and Tova Henderson who has rung up three.

NO SHORTHANDED PROBLEMS: Olivia Mobley leads the NCAA with three shorthanded goals, while Caitlin Kraemer has three, the fourth most in the nation. Mobley and Kraemer are the first players since Caroline Ouellette scored three in 2004-05 to notch that many shorthanded tallies. 

As a team, UMD now has six 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).

BULLDOGS RANKED SIXTH IN BOTH NATIONAL POLLS: UMD remained sixth in 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. 

THE SERIES: UMD leads the all-time series 90-9-11 and currently has an 11-game unbeaten streak against the Mavericks that started back on Feb. 27, 2022, and a stretch the Bulldogs have outscored MSU in 36-20. UMD is 21-1-2 at AMSOIL against MSU over the past decade, and the Bulldogs have averaged 3.54 goals per game over that span, having scored 163 goals since the 2014-15 season.

Top UMD Scorers vs Minnesota State

Clara Van Wieren GP=20 G=5 A=5 P=10

Olivia Wallin GP=6 G=2 A=4 P=6

Hanna Baskin GP=16 G=1 A=4 P=5

Jenna Lawry GP=16 G=1 A=3 P=4

Mary Kate O'Brien GP=11 G=3 A=1 P=4

Nina Jobst-Smith GP=21 G=2 A=2 P=4

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

Eve Gascon Record: 3-0 .958 SV%, 69 saves on 72 shots

Tindra Holm Record: 0-0-1, 3 GA, .880 SV%

UMD vs Minnesota State 

Last 10 games (8-0-2)

Nov. 2, 2024 3-3 Tie Away

Nov. 1, 2024 4-1 Win Away

Feb. 3, 2024 2-1 Win Home

Feb. 2, 2024 3-0 Win Home

Oct. 21, 2023 4-1 Win Away

Oct. 20, 2023 3-1 Win Away

Feb. 4, 2023 0-0 Tie Away

Feb. 3, 2023 4-3 Win OT Away

Oct. 8, 2022 2-0 Win Home

Oct. 7, 2022 2-1 Win OT Home

The two sides last met back on Nov. 1-2 in Mankato, Minn., and UMD defeated MSU 4-1 Friday night before settling for 3-3 tie and WCHA shootout win Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, the Bulldogs built a big lead early, netting three goals in the opening 12:12 of first period action. The first came from blueliner Nina Jobst-Smith just 2:58 into the game. UMD doubled that advantage up a little over five minutes later when senior Olivia Mobley drove to the Maverick net for her fourth goal of the season, with assists from Hanna Baskin and Olivia Wallin. The Bulldogs went ahead 3-0 at 12:12 on a second effort from Caitlin Kraemer that the freshman forward banked off McPherson for her fourth tally of the young season – Wallin picked up her second assist on the goal.

The lone goal of the second period was scored by MSU to cut UMD's edge to 3-1 at the 8:29 mark, but the Bulldogs got another goal in the third period that iced that game for good. For a second time this season, Kraemer netted two goals in a game, and her second tally Friday night came off a MSU turnover on its defensive blueline at 7:21 of the final frame. The rookie center walked in and casually put the puck off the pipe and in for her fifth of the season and kept UMD up front for good at 4-1. 

Sophomore netminder Eve Gascon had 20 saves in her fifth win of the season, and UMD outshot MSU 23-21.

For a second time this season, Kraemer netted two goals in a game, and her second tally Friday night came off a MSU turnover on its defensive blueline at 7:21 of the final frame. The rookie center walked in and casually put the puck off the pipe and in for her fifth of the season and kept UMD up front for good at 4-1. 

In game two -- a game UMD led in for just 21 seconds -- the Bulldogs battled to a 3-3 tie and WCHA shootout win.

After a scoreless first period, it was MSU that climbed on the board first off a rebound just 1:27 into the second frame. But 95 seconds later, UMD answered with a slapshot from junior defenseman Tova Henderson from the left point to knot the game at 1-1.

That one goal tie lasted just 3:13 into the third period, a frame that saw each team net two goals apiece and began with the Mavericks retaking a 2-1 lead. UMD pulled even att 2-2 at the 13:43 mark when Wallin shoveled in her own rebound, her third point of the series, with assists credited to Mobley and Jobst-Smith. The Bulldogs then took their first lead of the skate at 18:20 off a wrister at the top of the circle from Clara Van Wieren – her fifth of the season.

UMD's 3-2 advantage was fleeting, however, and the Mavericks made it a 3-3 game just 21 seconds later with just 1:19 left in regulation. Despite a five minute, 3-on-3 overtime period, both teams ended with one WCHA point. 

The Bulldogs grabbed their second league point eight skaters into the mandated shootout  when Henderson came through for UMD and senior netminder Tindra Holm made her eighth-straight stop to secure WCHA point number 17 of the season.

Holm ended the afternoon with 22 saves in all (not including the eight shootout stops), and the Bulldogs outshot the Mavericks 36-25.

EXTRA NOTES ON THE BULLDOGS AND MAVERICKS: Caitlin Kraemer earned WCHA Rookie of the Week honors after her two goal weekend against the Mavericks in November. Kraemer was +3 Friday with six shots, and logged her second multiple point and two goal game of the season.

--UMD went 0-of-3 on its power play vs MSU in November. The Maverick are currently the least penalized team in the WCHA

--The two sides have met in the WCHA postseason three times -- in 2022 UMD swept first round series 2-1, in 2011 the Bulldogs swept 2-0, and in 2001 UMD won by a score of 10-1.

LAST TIME OUT: UMD got back in the win column in a big way last weekend, shutting out Bemidji State University by scores of 2-0 and 6-0.

Behind two special team goals from Caitlin Kraemer, UMD took care of business Friday night at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn.

Kraemer's first goal was a shorthanded effort, her second of the season and UMD's sixth, a snap from the top of the left circle for the 1-0 lead at 4:30 of the opening frame. The rookie doubled up her goal total for the night on the power play at 6:48 of the second period, one-timing in the rebound on the far side to stretch the Bulldogs advantage to 2-0.

Tindra Holm and the Bulldogs defense would do the rest, holding the Beavers to just nine shots on goal over the entire game and outshooting BSU 26-9 in the process.

Six different players scored Saturday, and the Bulldogs used a five-goal second period to offensively overwhelm the Beavers 6-0.

A scoreless first period didn't last long in the second, and UMD's scoring barrage began with Jenna Lawry's drive to the net just 1:38 into the frame. Less than three minutes later, Olivia Wallin redirected in a Hanna Baskin shot for the 2-0 lead, and at 10:27, Clara Van Wieren buried a drop pass from Danielle Burgen to run the Bulldogs advantage to 3-0 with just over half the period played.

At the 14:47 mark, Kraemer walked in from outside of the Beaver blueline for her third goal of the weekend. Grace Sadura wrapped up the scoring with 1:27 left in the frame, sticking through a shot from Mary Kate O'Brien to make it a 5-0 Bulldog lead – and an entire third period to go.

Kamdyn Davis tacked on one final tally at 5:28 of the final frame, ripping a rebound from the right circle for her second goal as a Bulldog.

In all, four players posted multiple point games, with Olivia Wallin leading the way with a goal and two assists for three points. 11 players in all logged at least a point – Burgen (2a), Davis (1g, 1a) and Van Wieren (1g, 1a) all added two points on the afternoon.

Holm again stopped all 13 shots she faced for her fourth shutout of the season – three of which have come against BSU. UMD outshot the Beavers 32-13 in the game, while both squads were 0-of-2 on their power play. 

NOTES FROM THE BSU SERIES:  UMD owns a dominant all-time record against the Beavers, a lopsided 96-22-1.

--The Bulldogs extended their current winning streak over BSU to 17-games -- it dates back to 2021 -- and it includes 11 shutouts. The last time UMD lost to the BSU was on the road on Jan. 222, 2021, a 1-0 Beaver upset.

UMD, which earned the WCHA sweep with the win, stays perfect against the Beavers over the regular season with a record of 4-0, and senior goaltender Tindra Holm, who picked up both shutouts for the Bulldogs on the weekend and pocketed three against BSU in all this season.

--Freshman Caitlin Kraemer was named the WCHA's Rookie of the Week for her three goal effort against the Beavers.