The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team officially released its entire 2025-26 schedule Wednesday morning, and it includes the earliest start to a Bulldog regular season in program history. 

UMD will enter its 27th season and second under head coach Laura Schuler with a mid-September series scheduled at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Penn. for the first time since 2019, and on the earliest date the Bulldogs have skated in a regulation game – Sept. 20. The Sept. 20-21 series marks the first of two series and a total of six games UMD will face against non conference opponents next season – and all on the road. The Bulldogs play Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y., another program first, on Sept. 25-26 before kicking off Western Collegiate Hockey Association play in Madison, Wis. against the defending NCAA champion University of Wisconsin on Oct.10-11.

UMD will finally drop the puck on its home ice of AMSOIL Arena on Oct. 17-18 against Minnesota State University, Mankato, and in one of just three home back-to-back weekends, will host the University of Minnesota Oct. 24-25.

Other notable series against fellow 2024-25 NCAA Tournament teams in Duluth include Ohio State University on Nov. 21-22 and the Badgers again on Jan. 9-10. The Bulldogs face the NCAA runner-up Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio on Jan. 30-31, and the Gophers to round out the regular season at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis on Feb. 20-21.

The Bulldogs will also skate in their first games outside of the United States on Jan. 2-3, one of four teams that was chosen to play in the Friendship Series in Belfast, Northern Ireland. More details about who UMD will play and how fans can attend the series will be available in coming weeks.

The Bulldogs went 22-15-2 overall last season and reached their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament Regional Final.