It was 362 days ago that University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey fans were first introduced to the heroic capabilities of then freshman Caitlin Kraemer, and Friday night in Erie, Pa., Mercyhurst University's upset hopes were dimmed by those same heroics.

Kraemer's overtime goal punctuated a late game 4-3 comeback for the No 5/6 Bulldogs over the Lakers inside Mercyhurst Ice Center, and helped UMD secure a win in its season opener.

"That was a great comeback, and I'm really proud of our team," said UMD head coach Laura Schuler, who is now 2-0 in season openers at the helm of the Bulldogs. "They stayed focused, stuck to the plan, and showed real belief in what we're doing. There's a lot we can take from this—both to grow and to learn. Mercyhurst is a strong team, and we'll take a close look at the areas where we need to keep improving. It was also great to see two of our new players get on the scoreboard—an exciting moment for them and a good sign for our depth moving forward."

The Bulldogs put a blistering 51 shots on goal in the game and owned a 18-2 shots on goal advantage in the first period, but it was still a scoreless skate after the first 20 minutes.

UMD jump-started what would end up a high-scoring second period affair at 3:14 when Danielle Burgen and Mary Kate O'Brien got ahead on the Laker defense before the redline. Burgen carried the zone, and then finished off a perfectly executed give-and-go with O'Brien one-time past Magdalena Luggin for the 1-0 lead,

Mercyhurst equalized at the 6:17 mark, and then took a 2-1 lead at 13:42 on a goal from Avery Bryk. The Lakers then momentarily stunned the Bulldogs with another goal just five seconds later to take a 3-1 advantage.

The Bulldogs bent from there but didn't break, and at 18:35 of the second frame, rookie forward Molly Cole took the puck the length of the ice and buried her first goal of the season from the left side to pull UMD within one before the second intermission.

That 3-2 score held until 17:50 of the third period. On just their second power play of the game, the Bulldogs pulled goaltender Eve Gascon for a 6-on-4 skater advantage. UMD needed just 19 seconds of that advantage before Kraemer hit Rae Mayer on the extended goal line, and Mayer found Josie St. Martin on the far post to draw the Bulldogs even at 3-3.

St. Martin and Kraemer hooked up again for the game-winning antics 2:36 into overtime. St. Martin sprung Kraemer who skated in from under the center circle up the left side and sniped the puck past Luggin to douse any further Mercyhurst hope for the upset.

Luggin had 47 saves for the Lakers in defeat, while Gascon made 15 for UMD in the win. Two players from UMD had two points on a goal and an assist – Kraemer and St. Martin, while Berlin Lolacher also turned in a goal and an assist on the night for the Lakers, who fall to 0-1 on the young season.

The Bulldogs (1-0) will hit the ice in Erie again tomorrow to put the wraps on the season-opening series. The puck will drop at 12:00 p.m. CDT.

BULLDOG NOTES: The season-opening win was UMD's sixth-straight … the overtime win was UMD's first in extra time since it defeated UConn 1-0 in 2 OTs on March 4, 2024 in the NCAA Tournament … Three Bulldogs scored points in their UMD debut ... Sophomore forward  Josie St. Martin (1g, 1a), freshman forward Molly Cole (1g) and freshman forward Rae Mayer (1a) ... Caitlin Kraemer now has five career game-winning goals … the sophomore scored two goals, including her first-ever collegiate game-winner in the second game of her career last season against Ohio State University on Sept. 22, 2024.