Below is the News Tribune article from Wisconsin's 4-1 victory over UMD:
'Dogs derailed
Christa Lawler Duluth News Tribune
Published Monday, March 19, 2007
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team took an unusual route to the NCAA Frozen Four championship.
The Bulldogs had 10 losses, overcame nine injuries and finished with a U.S. College Hockey Online poll ranking of No. 8. But once in the playoffs, UMD rode its underdog role to the finals and received the matchup it would have received if the NCAA had asked the Bulldogs to name their opponent — Wisconsin.
In the end, the top-seeded, defending national champions proved that “dominant” was more than just a superfluous billing. The Badgers used a three-goal second period to beat the Bulldogs 4-1 in Sunday’s final at Herb Brooks Arena.
UMD coach Shannon Miller said she could feel — on the bench and in the locker room — that the team was missing a spark that had carried the Bulldogs to this point.
“It was obvious we had half a tank,” Miller said. “We didn’t go out with a full tank of gas. They did what we’ve asked for the last couple months, dig deeper and deeper and get it done. … They didn’t have that spark. … There was just something a little off, something not there.”
UMD (24-11-4) came into the game with a mental advantage that no other team in the country could claim — the Bulldogs earned a 2-0 win over the Badgers (36-1-4) earlier this season, the only hiccup in the Badgers’ near-perfect finish. UMD pushed both games of its most-recent series with Wisconsin to overtime — tying 1-1 and losing 2-1.
“I remember being frustrated playing against them,” Wisconsin senior Sara Bauer said. “They play us tough all the time.”
UMD can take one significant stat from the matchup. The Bulldogs found a way to score on Wisconsin sophomore goaltender Jessie Vetter, who hadn’t allowed a goal in NCAA play since last year’s quarterfinal win overMercyhurst. She closed the season with 10 shutouts and didn’t give up a goal since mid-February before UMD broke through in the second period with its only goal — ending a postseason shutout streak of 448 minutes, 32 seconds.
The Badgers outscored opponents 9-1 in their three NCAA tournament games.
Ultimately, a 1-0 quadruple-overtime win over Harvard in the quarterfinals proved to be the closest the Badgers came to being upended.
The Bulldogs opted for freshman goalie Kim Martin in the final, after playing senior Riitta Schaublin in their 3-2 overtime win over Mercyhurst last week in Erie, Pa., and Friday’s 4-3 double-overtime victory over Boston College in the semifinals.
Martin had 20 saves in Sunday’s loss.
Miller said the freshman has played sparingly this season because of a knee injury that has flared recently. Saturday the Swedish Olympian seemed ready to go, so they gave her the start.
“She made some great saves for us [Sunday],” Miller said.
Wisconsin’s power play had struggled coming into the playoffs, going 3-for-26 through the WCHA tournament and NCAA quarterfinals and semifinals. The Badgers improved on the stat to take a 1-0 lead in the first period.
Junior winger Jinelle Zaugg scored at 9:00 when she picked up the puck off a faceoff in the Bulldogs’ zone, skated in alone on Martin and laid the puck low to the goalies’ left side.
Erika Lawler worked through UMD’s defense and put the puck between Martin’s skates from the left faceoff circle for a 2-0 lead at 7:24 of the second.
Meaghan Mikkelson carried the puck into the Bulldogs’ zone, dished off to Sara Bauer, who put the puck high over Martin’s left shoulder and Wisconsin took a 3-0 lead at 11:56.
The Bulldogs finally broke Vetter’s playoff shutout streak with a power-play goal at 14:23. Noemie Marin wound up from the point, and freshman forward Emmanuelle Blais tipped it past Vetter. It was the first power-play goal the Badgers had given up in eight games.
Wisconsin responded off the following faceoff, going ahead 4-1 just 10 seconds later. Lawler got the shot off and Martin left the rebound near the crease. Jasmine Giles skated in and put it past her at 14:33.
The response was crucial, Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson said.
“That’s a sign of a team that responds to a little bit of adversity,” he said. “You tend to be a little comfortable. The fourth goal was one of the key components of the game because of the way they responded so quickly. Then instead of 3-1, it was 4-1.”
Both teams were held scoreless and to four shots on goal in a defensively-heavy third period.
“In the championship game, always try to find energy,” Marin said. “We have a lot of character and heart. There is so much you can do. We tried the best we can but we fell short.”
This was UMD’s first loss in the NCAA women’s hockey championship.
NOTES
A WCHA team has won the title since the NCAA sanctioned the event in 2000-01. UMD won the first three championships from 2001-03. Minnesota followed with back-to-back wins before Wisconsin took its first title in 2006.
* This is the third consecutive year that the Bulldogs’ season has ended with a loss on March 18.
* This is the second consecutive year that the Frozen Four has been an All-WCHA final. The Badgers topped Minnesota 3-0 at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis in 2006.
* UMD senior forward Jessica Koizumi was named to the all-tournament team along with Wisconsin’s forwards Bauer, who was named most outstanding player of the tournament, and Zaugg, defensemen Mikkelson and Bobbi-Jo Slussar and goaltender Vetter.
For anyone who might be reading this from another country, or those who just didn't get to see the game (I didn't get to see it, had to listen to the radio), OR if you just want to relive Jessica Koizumi's game winner, the CSTV.com video highlights package is at http://www.cstv.com/cgi-bin/csvideo.cgi?schools=&sport=ICE+HOCKEY+-+WOMEN%27S
This is much better than anything UMDBulldogs.com really can do:
Koizumi Ends Boston College's Night
Minnesota-Duluth senior nets game-winning goal at 14:19 in double OT
March 17, 2007
By David De Remer
Special to CSTV.com from USCHO.com
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. - Back in 2003, Boston College was off the women's college hockey radar. The Eagles were at the bottom of Hockey East. Their coach, Tom Babson, was better known for his acting career than his hockey career.
Meanwhile, Minnesota-Duluth was reloading with its first recruiting class since graduating the program's inaugural class that won three NCAA titles.
Both programs have done a lot of growing up since then, and the result was what was witnessed in Lake Placid Friday night--one of the most thrilling Frozen Four games ever played.
Senior Jessica Koizumi ended the 4-3 UMD win at 14:19 of double overtime, when she and her linemates cleanly executed a well-practiced play that gave her a clear lane to the net.
It was Koizumi's second straight overtime game-winner for UMD. She buried the puck as a BC defender backed into goalie Molly Schaus, who finished with 47 saves on 51 shots--her third multiple overtime game of the season.
The game was a microcosm of the career had by UMD's senior class. Three times on Friday night BC went ahead with a one-goal lead, and three times UMD came back to tie the game, the last coming with 4:20 left after BC had held the 3-2 lead for more than a period.
The UMD seniors had to overcome failure in their first seasons, just missing the Frozen Four each time. The fourth time has finally been the charm.
The word "comeback" has been deeply engrained in UMD's players this season. The Bulldogs were 1-7-1 in a nine-game stretch prior to winter break.
Shortly thereafter, Koizumi tore her MCL and her college career seemed to be over. But her teammates helped her believe she could come back, and she did.
"I was crying when I found out the news, and I didn't expect to come back, so this overwhelming," Koizumi said. "I'm the lucky one scoring the goal, but our whole team is playing amazing.'
The UMD senior class is full of redemption stories. Goalie Riitta Schaublin had been an All-American for two straight seasons, but she had been on the short end of UMD's postseason attempts, and this season she was losing marquee playing time to freshman Kim Martin, the star Swedish goalie who upset the U.S. in the 2006 Olympics.
But Schaublin worked through that challenge, and UMD coach Shannon Miller went with her in the NCAA Tournament one more time. So far this tournament, Schaublin has been perfect on 21 shots faced in overtime.
Another tale is Noemie Marin. Shannon Miller calls her the heart and soul of her team. In the final minute of overtime, UMD fans nearly had heart attacks when Marin slammed into the wall after faltering on an odd-man rush, and she could not stand on her right leg. The initial read from the doctor was that she was unfit to play, but Marin protested, and she was cleared after another look.
"She's the toughest kid on our team," Miller said. "Obviously, she could play and she finished the game strong."
For BC, the game was the culmination of a long period of growth in four seasons under Tom Mutch, the former assistant of the 1998 U.S. Olympic Team (Miller, on the opposite bench, was head coach of Team Canada at the time). The fruits of his recruits paid off one-by-one throughout the evening.
Juniors Deb Spillane, the star forward of his first class, scored first. Meghan Fardelmann and Becky Zavisza, his top-scoring sophomores, struck with the second and third goals, respectively. Then freshman goalie Molly Schaus kept the Eagles in the game from then on.
Schaus may be a freshman, but she has more experience in some sense than any goalie in the history of the game. No women's hockey goalie has ever played multi-overtime games three times in one season, but Schaus did it against Harvard in the Beanpot semifinals (triple overtime), Dartmouth in last week's NCAA quarterfinal (double overtime), and then this game against UMD. Losing these games was an unfamiliar feeling for her.
"I asked my coach, `What does it feel like to end a game in regulation,'" Schaus said. "It had been a while."
Schaus was just one of many players on BC who has grown up a lot this season. With only a handful of seniors on the roster, and Mutch still yet to bring in his fourth recruiting class, there's still plenty of room for his program to grow.
"Some of the kids will remember this game for a lifetime," Mutch said. "They're taking memories out of here that they will tell their kids. When they've graduated, and they're having tough days, they'll remember these moments handling pressure. That's what college athletics is all about. They're growing up right before our eyes."
The sport of women's hockey is growing up right before our eyes, too.
Five years ago, the NCAA women's tournament was still four teams. It would have been a pipe dream to say that in 2007, there would be an eight-team tournament with enough parity for four of the first six games to go into overtime and three of them into multiple overtimes--a grand total of 137 minutes of extra time. The fans of women's hockey could not be more excited to see this story of growth unfold.
Click the blog title to go to CSTV.com
Jessica Koizumi JUST won the game in double overtime.. UMD will play Sunday in the National Championship game.... story from umdbulldogs.com will be posted here when they post it there
Christa Lawler Duluth News Tribune
Published Friday, March 16, 2007
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — It couldn’t have been scripted better.
The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team goes into today’s NCAA Frozen Four semifinal against Boston College on the brink of a milestone. Eighth-year coach Shannon Miller, who started the program, is sitting at 199 career wins.
It’s not necessarily a tally that Miller etches into her office wall. The people around her are more cognizant of the celebratory numbers.
“I don’t follow that,” Miller said recently. “Someone told me I had 199. That’s fun. It would certainly be fun to get 200. Not because its 200, but because it would put us in the championship game.”
Miller has had a quick ascent up the wins list, stemming from a program that was immediately successful and immediately controversial. As soon as she was hired, Miller began recruiting European players, bringing in big names in Swedish and Finnish women’s hockey. This was unprecedented, as most other Division I teams limited their recruiting to North America.
“When they hired me they said, ‘Build a successful program,’ ” the former Canadian women’s national team coach said. “The first thing I did is figure out who my contacts are. Europe was part of the picture, like the U.S. and Canada. … When I moved to the U.S., no one said, ‘Okay, only recruit Americans.’ They said, ‘Hey, you’re from Canada. Look around and see what’s worked and build a successful program.’ ”
UMD (23-10-4) faces Boston College (24-9-2) at 7 p.m. today. The winner advances to the finals at noon Sunday. Bulldogs senior goalie Riitta Schaublin is expected to start. St. Lawrence (29-7-3) faces defending champion Wisconsin (34-1-4) in the other semifinal.
And aside from Jenny Potter, an Eagan, Minn., native, and Caroline Ouellette, of Canada, it is the European recruits who have led the team.
First came players like Maria Rooth and Erika Holst — Swedish national team players who, after graduation, helped their team upset the U.S. national team in the semifinals of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Other early European Olympians included Hanne Sikio, Nora Tallus and goaltender Tuula Puputti of Finland.
In eight seasons, UMD has had 15 European players from Sweden, Finland, Germany, Russia and Switzerland. There are seven on the current roster, including freshman goalie Kim Martin, who also was key in helping Sweden win the silver medal.
For Saara Tuominen, a freshman from Finland, the idea of playing college hockey in the United States was synonymous with playing at UMD.
The Olympian said this became an option when she was about 12 years old. Later she discussed her options with Sikio, a 2003 graduate, and by the time she viewed a video tape of the Bulldogs’ Frozen Four win in 2003, she was sold.
“I was interested right away,” Tuominen said. “UMD was the first college I knew of because of the Finnish girls who came here.”
Elin Holmlov, a freshman from Sweden, said she followed Sikio’s and Rooth’s examples and hopes to have similar success.
“I would like to be as good as them some day,” she said.
It was one of Miller’s top-five favorite wins that got the Bulldogs to today’s game. The underdog Bulldogs beat second-seeded Mercyhurst 3-2 in overtime last Friday in the regional quarterfinal. Senior forward Jessica Koizumi had two goals — including the game-tying and game-winning goals.
“[The seniors] have been chipping away and missed it [the Frozen Four] by inches,” Miller said of the recruiting class that began playing after three consecutive national titles. “I had tears after the game. It was for them.”
Already the owners of three NCAA Division I national championship trophies, the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team is sitting on the doorstep of its fourth national title as the Bulldogs will face Boston College this Friday (March 16) in an NCAA Frozen Four semifinal matchup in Lake Placid, N.Y. The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. (CST) with the winner advancing to the Sunday's title game (12 p.m.) against either defending champion University of Wisconsin or St. Lawrence University.
The Bulldogs (23-10-4) enter the Frozen Four as one of the most storied Division I women’s hockey programs in the country. UMD skated off with inaugural NCAA I title in 2001 and preceded to capture the next two national championships, becoming, in the process, the first -- and only -- team to win three consecutive NCAA women's hockey titles.
During the 1999-2000 season, the first year of the intercollegiate program at UMD, the Bulldogs advanced to the American Women’s College Hockey Alliance Finals, finishing fourth. The championship that season was run by USA Hockey, which brought in only the four top teams in the country.
The following year, the NCAA took control of the championship tournament for Division I women’s hockey, naming the new event the Frozen Four.
The Bulldogs then rattled off three straight national titles before enduring what can only be described as a "down" year in 2003-04. UMD ended that campaign with a 20-12-2 record and ranked No. 5 nationally, while missing out on the Frozen Four for the first time.
Then, during the 2004-05 season, the NCAA expanded the playoff field to eight teams that would compete now first compete in regional play. UMD advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals and hosted St. Lawrence University, which ended up defeating the Bulldogs in overtime.
UMD's season came to a similar end one year ago ago as St. Lawrence once again defeated the Bulldogs in NCAA regional play to advance to the Frozen Four.
The Bulldogs immediately made a name for themselves after their three-year NCAA title run, but have fallen short of their ultimate goal -- namely a return to the Frozen Four -- in recent years. Eighth-year head coach Shannon Miller and her Bulldogs are understandably anxious and eager to once again be back in national championship spotlight this weekend.
“This team has so much heart, spirit and such a great worth ethic,” said Miller. “We have a tremendous amount of fun together and they [team] deserve all the good that is coming to them.”
UMD punched its ticket to the Frozen Four after knocking off No. 2-ranked Mercyhurst College 3-2 in overtime in its NCAA Regional game in Erie, Pa. last Friday night, snapping the Lakers' 24-game unbeaten streak.
BULLDOGS SNEAK PAST MERCYHURST 3-2 IN OVERTIME TO ADVANCE TO THE NCAA FROZEN FOUR
Last Updated: Friday, March 9, 2007 9:25 PM
Thanks to an overtime goal by senior forward Jessica Koizumi, the University of Minnesota Duluth will be making its fourth trip to the NCAA Frozen Four as the Bulldogs dispatched No. 2 Mercyhurst College 3-2 in overtime in Erie, PA, on Friday night in an NCAA Quarterfinal tilt.
Minnesota Duluth (23-10-4) put an end to its NCAA Quarterfinal woes with the win over Mercyhurst as UMD has failed to advance from NCAA Quarterfinal action the previous two seasons.
With the victory, UMD snapped Mercyhurst’s 24-game unbeaten streak and sent the Lakers to their third-straight NCAA Quarterfinal overtime loss.
Late in the first period, Stephanie Jones put the Lakers on top with her 16th goal of the season on a power-play at the 18:32 mark with Melissa Dianoski and Angelica Lorsell assisting on the play.
Mercyhurst would strike again early in the second when freshman Meghan Agosta scored her team leading 38th goal of the season unassisted at the 2:21 mark.
Down by 2-0 goals and sensing an urgency to score if they had any hope of making a comeback, sophomore forward Michaela Lanzl rocketed the puck past the Lakers’ netminder at 15:53 in the second to bring UMD within one.
Senior forward Jessica Koizumi has always dreamed of an NCAA Frozen Four appearance and she was not about to let her career come to an end just yet as she notched her 19th goal of the season at 18:16 in the second to even things up at 2-2.
As the overtime session began, the Bulldogs faced their own demons of previous NCAA Quarterfinal let downs but this time the outcome was going to be much different as Koizumi fired a power-play shot into Mercyhurst’s net to cap of an amazing comeback for the No. 7-seeded Bulldogs to send her squad to the NCAA Frozen Four.
Despite giving up two goals, senior goaltender Riitta Schaublin had what was without a doubt one of the best performances of her career, as she came up with 44 saves to backstop the Bulldogs to victory. Schaublin even turned away the relentless pressure the Lakers’ put upon her in the overtime session, making nine saves. She is now 12-4-2 on the season.
Laura Hoiser, who entered the game with a 27-1-2 record, made 29 saves in the contest for the Lakers. Mercyhurst ends the season with a 32-2-3 record, with its only other loss coming back in November against St. Lawrence.
After all the celebrating is over, Minnesota Duluth will regroup and focus its attention on the 2007 NCAA Frozen Four which will take place from March 16-18 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, NY. The Bulldogs won three-straight NCAA Championships from 2001-2003.
Jessica Koizumi tied the game in the 3rd period, and scores to WIN the quarterfinal game in Overtime, on the powerplay. I'll post the Umdbulldogs.com game story soon as they get it online (probably Saturday morning.)
For those who don't know where to find it, the VIDEO feed link is:
http://www.broadcastmonsters.com/USC...scho030907.asx
The audio link:
http://www.broadcastmonsters.com/USCHO/uscho030907.asx
These are also posted on the uscho women's front page:
http://www.uscho.com/women/
USCHO.COM has announced video coverage of the UMD women's playoff game at Mercyhurst! Click the BLOG TITLE to keep up to date on this news and find the link when they give it.
The Dogs made the NCAA tournament, and will face Mercyhurst in the first round, 1 game takes all quarterfinal. This game will be Friday at 6 pm Central time, USCHO's David De Remer posted.
Following is the UMDBulldogs.com recap:
Facing the possibility of its season coming to an end, the University of Minnesota Duluth rallied to even the score at 2-2 in the third period of its Western Collegiate Hockey Association semifinal against the University of Minnesota, but it just wasn’t to be for the Bulldogs as the Gophers struck first in the extra session, skating away with a 3-2 win.
Late in the first period, Andrea Nichols put Minnesota on top when she scored a power-play goal at 19:20 in the period. Anya Miller and Dagney Willey assisted on the play.
At 4:12 in the second, freshman forward Saara Tuominen would make it a 1-1 contest with the help of freshman forward Emmanuelle Blais and senior defenseman Jill Sales.
Melanie Gagnon would put the Gophers back on top at 12:39 in the second period with an unassisted goal.
Down 2-1 early in the third period, senior forward Jessica Koizumi wasn’t about to let her collegiate career come to an end just yet, as she fired her 18th goal of the season into the net at the 4:50 mark. Tuominen and Sales earned an assist on the goal.
Just over a minute into the overtime session, Minnesota’s Gigi Marvin scored a power-play goal to end the game and send her team to Sunday’s WCHA Championship to face the University of Wisconsin.
Freshman goalie Kim Martin made 16 saves in the contest for the Bulldogs while her counterpart, Kim Hanlon, backstopped Minnesota to the win with 21 saves.
With the loss, the Bulldogs are now 22-10-4 on the season and would have assured themselves an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning tomorrow’s WCHA championship but now must wait until Sunday night to find out if they will make it in as an at-large selection.
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association announced it’s women’s all-conference team today (March 1) and the University of Minnesota Duluth had five players earn WCHA accolades. The Bulldogs also had nine players named to the All-WCHA Academic Team for the 2006-07 season.
Senior captain Noemie Marin, a forward from Acton-Vale, Que., was named to the All-WCHA First Team for the first time in her career. She finished the regular season tied for 11th in the NCAA with 42 points in 32 games. She tied for 16th in the country with 21 goals, tied for 23rd with 21 assists and tied for 16th overall with 1.31 points per game. Marin was second in the WCHA with 41 points in 28 league games. She led the league with 21 goals and tied for fifth with 20 assists.
Kim Martin, a freshman goalie from Stockholm, Sweden, earned All-WCHA Second Team honors in her rookie season. Martin finished the regular season second in league play with a 1.10 goals against average and first in save percentage with a .960. She went 10-2-2 during regular season conference action.
Senior forward Jessica Koizumi earned her first All-WCHA Third Team selection, having previously been named to the All-WCHA Rookie Team her freshman campaign in 2003-04. Koizumi finished sixth in the WCHA in point scoring with 32 points in 25 games. Despite missing a few games due to injury she still managed to score 15 goals and 17 assists in league play this season.
Senior goaltender Riitta Schaublin has been named the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year for the second straight year. Schaublin, from Basel, Switzerland, ranked among the league goaltending leaders. She finished the regular season ranked third with a .938 save percentage and was fourth with a 1.59 goals against average. Schaublin was a Patty Kazmaier finalist last season and completed her undergraduate degree in mathematics with a 3.94 grade point average. This season marks her third straight-selection to the All-WCHA Academic Team.
She is pursuing her degree in the Minnesota Duluth Math Department's master's program during her final year of athletic eligibility and had a 4.0 GPA last semester while serving as a teacher’s assistant for calculus II class. She plans to finish graduate school in December, 2007 and eventually obtain a PhD in economics. Off the ice, she participates in numerous community outreach programs and also shares her talents as a coach to youth goalies in the Duluth area.
UMD landed two players on the All-WCHA Rookie Team this season, as forward Saara Tuominen and goaltender Kim Martin earned rookie honors. Tuominen, a Ylojarvi, Finland, native, scored 31 points in regular season league play to finish tied for seventh. She had eight goals and 23 assists in conference games. Her offensive talent placed her second in freshman scoring in league action.
The conference head coaches, assistant coaches and sports information directors vote for the WCHA award winners. The WCHA Defensive Player of the Year Award was chosen solely by the head coaches, while the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year was selected by the institutional faculty representatives.
The Bulldogs also landed nine players on the 2006-07 All-WCHA Academic Team. The names of those players are listed after the first team, second team, and third team award recipients.
2007 Women’s Awards
All-WCHA First Team
Forwards: Sara Bauer, Wisconsin
Noemie Marin, Minnesota Duluth
Gigi Marvin, Minnesota
Defense: Meaghan Mikkelson, Wisconsin
Tessa Bonhomme, Ohio State
Goaltender: Jessie Vetter, Wisconsin
All-WCHA Second Team
Forwards: Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin
Erin Keys, Ohio State
Jinelle Zaugg, Wisconsin
Defense: Amber Bowman, Ohio State
Bobbi-Jo Slusar, Wisconsin
Goaltender: Kim Martin, Minnesota Duluth
All-WCHA Third Team
Forwards: Jessica Koizumi, Minnesota Duluth
Erika Lawler, Wisconsin
Bobbi Ross, Minnesota
Defense: Melanie Gagnon, Minnesota
Lisa Chesson, Ohio State
Goaltender: Christine Dufour, Wisconsin
All-WCHA Rookie Team
Forwards: Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin
Holly Roberts, St. Cloud State
Saara Tuominen, Minnesota Duluth
Defense: Holly Snyder, Minnesota State
Michelle Maunu, Minnesota and Ashley Lynch, North Dakota (tie)
Goaltender: Kim Martin, Minnesota Duluth
Player of the Year
Sara Bauer, Wisconsin
Rookie of the Year
Meghan Duggan, Wisconsin
Coach of the Year
Mark Johnson, Wisconsin
Defensive Player of the Year
Meghan Mikkelson, Wisconsin
Outstanding Student Athlete of the Year
Riitta Schaublin, Minnesota Duluth
Goaltending Champion
Christine Dufour, Wisconsin
Scoring Champion
Sara Bauer, Wisconsin
2006-07 All-WCHA Academic Team
UMD: Karine Demeule, Jr.; Kirsti Hakala, So.; Jessica Koizumi, Sr.; Michaela Lanzl, So.; Noemie Marin, Sr.; Tawni Mattila, So.; Riitta Schaublin, Sr.; Myriam Trepanier, So.; Suvi Vacker, Sr.
Bemidji State: Haley Balcom, Jr.; Emily Brookshaw, Jr.; Brooke Collins, So.; Tara Hiscock, Jr.; Lisa Kissick, So.; Jaime LeDuc, Jr.; Jessica Pullar, Jr.; Monica Rawlings, So.; Kate Robinson, Sr.; Helena Tageson, Sr.; Nina Zieganhals, Sr.
Minnesota: Lindsay Block, So.; Gigi Marvin, So.; Erica McKenzie, Jr.; Anya Miller, Jr.; Andrea Nichols, Sr.; Bobbi Ross, Jr.; Maggie Souba, Sr.; Dagney Willey, So.
Minnesota State: Kristina Bunker, Jr.; Jodi Helminen, Jr.; Jenna Hewitt, So.; Megan Jedinak, Sr.; Britni Kehler, Jr.; Lindsay Macy, Jr.; Samantha Miller, Sr.; Richelle St. Croix, Sr.; Amanda Stohr, Jr.; Andreanne Thibault, Jr.; Shera Vis, Sr.; Ashley Young, So.
North Dakota: Aynsley Allen, Sr.; Christey Allen, Jr.; Christine Carlson, So.; Alexia Gagnon-LaPlante, Sr.; Casie Hanson, So.; Alyssa Johnson, So.; Randi Motsko, So.
Ohio State: Olivia Antognoli, So.; Liana Bonanno, So.; Amber Bowman, Sr.; Jody Heywood, Jr.; Megan Hostasek, So.; Erin Keys, Jr.; Whitney Miller, So.; Mallory Peckels, Jr.; Lacey Schultz, Sr.; Krysta Skarda, Sr.; Erika Vanderveer, Sr.
St. Cloud State: Bobbie Anderson, Jr.; Hailey Clarkson, Sr.; Jacqueline Jensen, Sr.; Abby Krause, Jr.; Laura Fast, Jr.; Tricia Fast, Sr.; Marie-Michel Lemieux, Jr.; Denelle Maguet, Sr.; Michelle Moen, So.; Sammy Nixon, So.; Brita Schroeder, So.; Lauri St. Jacques, Sr.
Wisconsin: Sara Bauer, Sr.; Rachel Bible, So.; Angie Keseley, So.; Heidi Kletzien, Sr.; Meaghan Mikkelson, Sr.; Phoebe Monteleone, Sr.; Jessie Vetter, So.
The University of Minnesota Duluth will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., this weekend to take part in the WCHA Championship tournament. The Bulldogs will face the University of Minnesota at Ridder Arena on Saturday (March 3) at 4:07 p.m. with the winner advancing to Sunday's championship game. UMD is the home team while the Gophers will be the visiting squad.
THE RECORDS: Minnesota Duluth takes a 22-9-4 record into its WCHA semifinal game against Minnesota on Saturday. The Bulldogs won two games of the best-of-three first round playoff series against St. Cloud State University to get to this point. UMD defeated SCSU 4-3 last Friday before falling to the Huskies 3-1 on Saturday and bouncing back for a commanding 5-1 win on Sunday to advance to the next round. The Gophers advanced to the semifinals with a 5-1 and 4-1 win over Bemidji State University in its first round match up last weekend.
BULLDOG NOTES: Senior captain Noemie Marin is tied for No. 1 in the WCHA in point scoring for this season's league playoffs. She has two goals and four assists for six points in three games. Marin has a team leading 48 points (23 goals and 25 assists) in 35 contests this season. Freshman forward Saara Tuominen is second on the team with 35 points, having scored 11 goals and 24 assists, the team lead for assists. Freshman forward Emmanuelle Blais has four points in the WCHA playoffs. The Bulldogs have six players with 22 or more points this season, and six players with 13 or more goals. Freshman goaltender Kim Martin has a 1.38 goals against average and .950 saves percentage heading into this Saturday's game. She is 11-5-2 on the season and earned her first playoff win in a Bulldog uniform in the all important game three of last weekend's series against St. Cloud State. Senior goalie Riitta Schaublin is 11-4-2 on the season with a 1.75 gaa. In four games against the Gophers this season, Marin has a total of three goals and five assists for eight points while freshman Elin Holmlov has two goals and four assists for six points in four games. Emmanuelle Blais has a team-leading four goals against Minnesota this season.
GOPHER NOTES: Sophomore forward Gigi Marvin enters Saturday's playoff game against UMD as the Gophers' leading point scorer with 37 points. She has 17 goals and 20 assists in 33 contests. Junior forward Bobbi Ross has 33 points on the season having scored 18 goals (team-leading) and 15 assists in 32 games. Sophomore defenseman Melanie Gagnon has a team-leading 22 assists while the Gophers have eight players in double-digits for assists. Minnesota also has nine players with 21 or more points on the season. In this season's WCHA playoffs, Ross is tied for No. 1 in the league in points scored with six in two games. She has three goals and three assists. Brittany Francis is No. 3 in the conference with five playoff points.
SERIES: Minnesota Duluth is 15-18-4 in the all-time series against the Gophers, representing the only series in which the Bulldogs trail in. Both teams have met four times this year with the Gophers sweeping the first series and UMD sweeping the second series.
PATTY KAZMAIER AWARD TOP 10 FINALIST: Senior captain Noemie Marin added to her already impressive career highlights when she was named a top 10 finalist for the 2007 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award by the USA Hockey Foundation. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award recognizes the accomplishments of the most outstanding player in Division I women’s hockey each season. The winner of the 2007 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award being named at a brunch ceremony on March 17, in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four, in Lake Placid, N.Y.
ON THE AIR: For the eighth year, you can hear all the action for the Bulldogs home and away games live. This weekend the games will be covered on AM 610 (KDAL). Tom Hansen will be handling the play-by-play duties for his seventh season, the longest of any women’s hockey play-by-play announcer in the country. The broadcast can be heard via the internet at: www.umdbulldogs.com. Click on the “Bulldogs on the Air” link. Follow the link to WARP radio and enter in the call letter “WDSM,” then hit “Go.” Finally, click the “Click Here to Listen” link.
