UMDBulldogs.com Bemidji Preview Up

The weekend series preview is up:

The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team returns to the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center Saturday and Sunday afternoon when it hosts Western Collegiate Hockey Association rival Bemidji State University. Game-time will start at 3:37 p.m. on Saturday, while the puck will drop at 3:07 p.m. on Sunday.

THE SERIES: UMD owns a 33-0-1 all-time record over its closest conference counterparts, with its one and only tie coming back during the 2001-02 season when the Bulldogs and Beavers stepped off the ice with a 3-3 OT stalemate. UMD currently holds a 23-game winning streak against BSU, including a telling two series sweep of the Beavers a season ago. The Bulldogs crushed the BSU 6-2 and 6-0 in the DECC back on Oct. 20 & 21, and then again in Bemidji on Jan. 20 & 21, 5-0 and 3-1.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs scored 11 goals in two games to sweep St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, Minn. over the past weekend. Sophomore goaltender Kim Martin made 61 saves in 119:27 minutes of action for the fourth and fifth shutouts of her collegiate career. Nine UMD players scored over the course of the two games, with two goals and three assists courtesy of newly named sophomore captain Saara Tuominen. Freshman forward Laura Fridfinnson started her career in the Maroon and Gold jersy with two goals and an assist, while sophomore Elin Holmlov joined Tuominen and freshman Iya Gavrilova on UMD’s most productive line by adding a goal to accompany her team-leading four assists. The two wins bring head coach Shannon Miller to 202 career Bulldog victories, and a 202-57-24 record overall in nine seasons behind the bench.


The Beavers responded to a 3-1 loss at home to Minnesota State last Friday night by staying even with the Mavericks Saturday evening in a 2-2 OT tie. BSU responded to two early first period goals by Minnesota State by netting two of its own in the second stanza of play. Freshman Julie Rising scored a goal in each contest.

THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 202 wins and is 33-0-1 against Bemidji State in her career, will began her ninth season last weekend behind the Bulldog bench.

As the only head coach UMD has ever employed, Miller has amassed an impressive overall record of 202-57-24 and has led the Bulldogs to six NCAA playoff appearances and three straight NCAA Championship titles (2001, 2002 and 2003). She has led UMD into four NCAA Frozen Four berths, including the 2007 NCAA Championship game. No other hockey program in the country has won three consecutive NCAA titles.


For her efforts, Miller was named the 2000 and 2003 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Coach of the Year and the 2003 American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Women’s Division I Coach of the Year. Along with the incredible NCAA runs, her Bulldogs have captured two WCHA regular season titles (2000 and 2003) and three WCHA playoff titles (2000, 2001 and 2003).

During Miller’s time at the Bulldog helm, UMD has produced eight first-team All-Americans, 11 Patty Kazmaier Award Finalists, two WCHA Players of the Year, three WCHA Student-Athletes of the year and one CoSIDA Academic All-American.

Beaver Head Coach Steve Sertich is in his second season with BSU after a 11-21-6 record in his coaching debut a year ago. He is 9-16-5 in 30 regular season games against WCHA opponents.

MAGICAL MARTIN: Sophomore netminder Kim Martin was named the WCHA’s Defensive Player of the Week after posting two clean-sheets against St. Cloud State last weekend. Martin did not allow a goal, despite the Bulldogs skating 60 minutes with at least one player in the penalty box, and turned away 61 shots in the two contests. It is the third time in Martin’s young career that she has earned the WCHA honor.

FRIEND OR FOE: The Beavers are the only remaining team in the WCHA that the Bulldogs have stayed undefeated against. UMD, which posts a winning percentage of .985 against BSU, has outscored the Beavers 219-38 through 34 all-time games. The Bulldogs have also set five of their all-time team records against Bemidji, including most goals in a period (8, Oct. 22, 1999), fastest three goals (1:13, Oct. 22, 1999), and most points in a period (21, Oct. 22, 1999).

OPENING SERIES SUCCESS: The Bulldogs thrashing of St. Cloud State last weekend marked the first time in program history that UMD has opened its season with back-to-back shutouts. The Bulldogs have now averaged 9.7 goals in nine seasons in opening series over their program history.

LEADING LINE: UMD's first line, which consists of sophomores Saara Tuominen, Elin Holmlov and freshman Iya Gavrilova, accounted for nine points in all during the Bulldogs series with the Huskies. The three tallied four goals and nine assists between them to help the Maroon and Gold score 11 goals in the two games.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT: The Bulldogs will be without the services of sophomore Emmanuelle Blais this weekend, who sustained an injury in UMD's exhibition clash with the Whitecaps.

BULLDOG BITS: UMD is carrying over a four game winning streak at the DECC into this weekend’s series...After two weekends of play, the Bulldogs are the highest scoring offense in the WCHA...UMD is perfect on the penalty kill so far, going 21-of-21 against the Huskies...Saara Tuominen and Elin Holmlov lead the WCHA in point scoring with five points a piece...in all, the Bulldogs are in the first four slots of points scoring, respectively,


LAB RINK RATS: If it looks like there is an extra offical on the ice this weekend, you are not seeing things. The WCHA will use an experimental 2-and-2 system in approximately 60 games in both the women’s and men’s leagues this season.

BEAVER NOTES: Freshman forward Julie Rising was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week for her two goals in two games against Minnesota State this past weekend. Rising’s shorthanded goal on Friday night was only BSU’s third shorthanded goal in the last three years...the Beavers are 0-33-1 all-time against the Bulldogs, with their one and only tie coming on February 3, 2002 when both teams settled in overtime on a 3-3 score...BSU returns 16 letterwinners from a squad that went 11-20-5 overall last season, including both goaltenders...Tara Hiscock is the Beavers leading returning scorer, having tallied 11 points last winter (8-3-11)...Senior captain Emily Brookshaw started in 35 games for BSU last season, making 985 saves...Brookshaw’s GAA was 3.03.