I couldn't watch today's game online, but the UMDBulldogs.com story follows:
NO. 3 BULLDOGS STAY ON TOP OF WCHA WITH 3-1 WIN OVER WISCONSIN
Last Updated: Friday, November 30, 2007 5:38 PM
Despite being out shot 32-to-22 and serving twice as many minutes in the penalty box (16 minutes compared to eight), the No. 3 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team was up to the task of preserving its Western Collegiate Hockey Association lead Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs defeated the University of Wisconsin 3-1 in Madison, Wisc., running their overall tab to 11-3-1, and 10-3-0 in WCHA play.
UMD got on the board first at 13:26 of the opening stanza when freshman Laura Fridfinnson's backhanded a shot from the left circle to beat Badger goaltender Jessie Vetter. The goal, which was assisted by Tawni Mattila, was Fridfinnson's fifth on the year and sent the Maroon and Gold into the locker room with a 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs would stretch that advantage just 49 seconds in the second period when freshman forward Iya Gavrilova would tuck home a rebound off an Elin Holmlov shot from the right circle, courtesy of a pass from Myriam Trepanier on the point. Gavrilova's fifth goal of the season was also UMD's 17 tally with a man-advantage, and it proved to be the eventual game-winner.
Wisconsin would pull within one when Tia Hansen overtook a puck outside the center circle and cleanly netted the Badgers one and only goal of the contest 14:06 into the second period. But the Bulldogs would gut-check, and just two minutes and 32 seconds later, Emmanuelle Blais would carry a Tara Gray pass over the Wisconsin blueline and find freshman Haley Irwin to finish the Badgers off. The goal was Irwin's fourth in just two games and eighth overall this year.
UMD's penalty-kill unit was yet again unbeatable for 60 minutes, stifling seven Wisconsin power-plays. Goaltender Kim Martin turned away 31 shots, including 16 in the scoreless third period alone, to cash in her eighth win of the season.
The Bulldogs and Badgers (10-5-2, 6-2-2) resume their bitter rivalry tomorrow afternoon in the Kohl Center at 2:07 p.m.
NO. 3 BULLDOGS TO BATTLE NO. 4 BADGERS FOR WCHA SUPREMACY IN MADISON THIS WEEKEND
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 4:49 PM
The last time the No. 3 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team took to the ice against the No. 4 University of Wisconsin, it was for the 2007 NCAA national title. The stakes won't be quite as high this weekend when the Bulldogs head to the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisc., but the all-important Western Collegiate Hockey Association showdown for first place will certainly not be missing any action. UMD will put its WCHA league-leading status on the line Friday and Saturday afternoon against the third place Badgers, with the puck dropping at 2:07 p.m. both days.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs are 17-14-6 all-time against Wisconsin, including a 8-4-4 record against the Badgers in Madison. UMD has split with Wisconsin on their home ice in every meeting but two. The Bullldogs played the Badgers to two ties on Feb. 3-4 in 2001, and UMD earned a 1-1 tie on Feb 17, 2004 to stave off a series sweep. The Bulldogs have never been swept in Madison.
UMD was the only team a season ago to beat then No. 1 Wisconsin when they upended the Badgers 2-0 on Nov. 24, 2006 in the Kohl Center, and the win snapped Wisconsin's 26-game unbeaten streak. The Badgers rallied and won three of their next four meetings against the Bulldogs, including a 4-1 win in the 2007 NCAA championship game on March 18, 2007 in Lake Placid, NY.
LAST WEEK: WCHA-leading UMD extended its hold on the conference by completing its fourth conference sweep of the season against Minnesota State last weekend (Nov. 23-24). The Bulldogs defeated the Mavericks 3-1 last Friday night at the DECC without scoring a single goal at even-strength. UMD used its then ranked No. 1 penalty-kill to not only successfully defuse five MSU power-plays, but tied the game at 1-1 when the Bulldogs notched their second short-handed goal of the year.
UMD topped the Mavericks last Saturday night 10-4, scoring the most goals the Bulldogs have tallied in a single-contest since Feb. 23, 2003 when the Maroon and Gold beat Bemidji State, 11-3. 12 players racked up at least a point in the scoring spree for a second time this season, including four players who registered three or more points.
The Badgers took three out of four points during WCHA play against Bemidji State last weekend in Bemidji, Minn. Wisconsin handed the Beavers a 7-0 bruising Friday before settling for a 0-0 tie on Saturday. The Badgers out-shot BSU 50-14 in Saturday's surprising level outcome.
THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 210 wins, is in her ninth season behind the Bulldog bench.
As the only head coach UMD has ever employed, Miller has amassed an impressive overall record of 210-60-25 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.
The Badgers are led by head coach Mark Johnson, who is in his fifth season with Wisconsin. Johnson has guided the Badgers to two NCAA titles and was named the ACHA Division I Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2007.
IRWIN DOUBLES HER EARNINGS: Freshman forward Haley Irwin earned her second WCHA Rookie of the Week honor Tuesday just 21 days after she picked up her first.
The native of Thunder Bay, Ontario recorded her first collegiate hat trick last Saturday against Minnesota State when she netted three goals and added an assist in UMD's 10-4 victory over the Mavericks. Irwin also had an assist the night before in the Bulldogs 3-1 win over MSU, scoring five points in the two contests.
12 games into her first season in a Maroon and Gold jersey, Irwin has notched 16 points (7-9=16), which ranks her fourth in the nation among rookie scorers with a 1.33 points per game average.
KILLING THEM SOFTLY...AND OFTEN: UMD now ranks second in the nation behind Wisconsin in penalty kills after the Bulldogs gave up three power-goals in last Saturday's win over the Mavericks. The only other time UMD has allowed that many power-play goals in program history was on Dec. 12, 2006, when Harvard (and current Bulldog assistant Julie Chu) found the net three times with a Bulldog in the box.
UMD has a 91.6% penalty kill rate after having challenged 76-of-83 infractions successfully. The Bulldogs have recorded the second most penalties in the NCAA, having logged 215 minutes through 14 games for an average game incarceration rate of 15.4 minutes. The Badgers check in at 93.8% with 60-of-64 violations battled without a red light.
FABULOUS FRESHMEN: Both the Bulldogs and Badgers sport first-year players with big-time ablity. UMD's Haley Irwin and Wisconsin's Mallory Deluce have both been named WCHA Rookies of the Week twice so far this year. Irwin's third on the Bulldogs squad with 16 points, while Deluce has scored eight goals for a total of 12 points. The Badgers are led by Hilary Knight, who has dished out 11 assists in addition to scoring six goals to give her a team-best 17 points 16 games into her first season. UMD's Iya Gavrilova has posted almost identical numbers, ranking second on the Bulldogs scoring chart with four goals and an impressive 13 assists for 17 points through just 14 games.
NET DETECTORS: As the highest scoring offense in the WCHA (3.71 goals per game), it's no wonder the Bulldogs boast some of the leading point-getters. Sophomore forward Saara Tuominen ranks No. 1 in point scoring after combining eight goals and 14 assists for 22 total points. Tuominen also ranks first in assist scoring with an assist a game. Freshman forward Haley Irwin leads the conference with seven power-play goals in 12 contests, while freshman forward Iya Gavrilova is ahead of all freshman in scoring with 17 points (4-13=17). Four of the top 11 point scoring leaders in the WCHA are also, ironically enough, Bulldogs.
GOALTENDING WARS: Recent two-time WCHA Player of the Week sophomore netminder Kim Martin is following the career path of Wisconsin's No. 1 pipe-cleaner. Junior Goaltender Jessie Vetter has won 41 games in just 51 games played over her career, and has recorded 21 shutouts, six of them this season. Martin has played in 28 career games, winning 18 of them, and has recorded six clean-sheets in those outings.
BULLDOG NOTES: UMD is in first place in the WCHA, having played two more conference games than the Badgers...Wisconsin has played more overall games (16) than UMD (14)...UMD is currently four points ahead of the Badgers in the league standings...The Bulldogs are now 6-1-1 in the DECC (.812) this season after last weekend's sweep...Five UMD defensmen tallied points in last Saturday's blow-out of MSU (3 goals, 7 assists), the most this season for the blueliners.
Via UMDBulldogs.com:
Freshman forward Haley Irwin earned her second Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Week honor Tuesday just 21 days after she picked up her first.
The native of Thunder Bay, Ontario recorded her first collegiate hat trick last Saturday (Nov.24) against Minnesota State when she tallied three goals and added an assist in the No. 3 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team 10-4 victory over the Mavericks.
Irwin also had an assist the night before in the WCHA-leading Bulldogs 3-1 win over MSU, scoring five points in the two contests. 12 games into her first season in a Maroon and Gold jersey, Irwin has notched 16 points (7-9=16), which ranks her fourth in the nation among rookie scorers with a 1.33 points per game average.
UMD heads to Madison, Wisc. Friday to set up their national game rematch with No. 4 Wisconsin. The puck drops both Friday and Saturday afternoon at 2:07 p.m.
The complete poll, released today (November 26) is below. You can click on the blog title to go see the men's poll, and the Division III polls.
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1. New Hampshire
2. Harvard
3. Minnesota-Duluth
4. Wisconsin
5. St. Lawrence
6. Minnesota
7. Mercyhurst
8. Dartmouth
9. Connecticut
10. Boston College
Others receiving votes: St. Cloud State, Clarkson
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UMD takes on Wisconsin this weekend at Madison at 2 pm central time Friday and Saturday. Wisconsin usually offers FREE live game video from their website under *THIS LINK* Look for the Upcoming Events box, and choose 'Web Stream' to watch the game.
College hockey: UMD women breeze past Mankato
Andy Greder Duluth News Tribune
Published Saturday, November 24, 2007
The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team remained undefeated Saturday against teams not named the Minnesota Gophers.
The Bulldogs beat Minnesota State-Mankato 10-4 Saturday night, received a hat trick from freshman forward Haley Irwin, and UMD (10-3-1 overall, 9-3 WCHA) swept the Western Collegiate Hockey Association series at the DECC.
The WCHA-leading Bulldogs are 1-3 against the Gophers, but 9-0-1 against Mercyhurst and four other WCHA opponents this season. Mercyhurst of Erie, Pa., and College Hockey America is 10-2-2, while the combined record of UMD’s non-Gopher, WCHA opponents is 15-31-11 this season.
Tawni Mattila, Saara Tuominen and Sara O’Toole each scored Friday night as the fourth-ranked Bulldogs beat the unranked Mavericks 3-1.
The Bulldogs cured their case of second-game hangovers Saturday. UMD lost the second game of the Minnesota series 3-0 on Nov. 18 after beating the Gophers 5-0 on Nov. 17. UMD had experienced similar letdowns — yet still won the second game — against St. Cloud State, Bemidji State and North Dakota this season.
UMD captain Saara Tuomninen was right when she said an energized and focused team would show up for the second game against the Mavericks on Saturday.
UMD held a 39-23 shot advantage over the Mavericks (4-7-1, 4-5-1).
Irwin’s hat trick and Iya Gavrilova’s three assists improved UMD’s all-time record against Minnesota State to 29-3-3, and the Bulldogs are 6-1-1 at the DECC this season.
Irwin of Thunder Bay, Ontario found success with persistence.
Her hat trick and assist came after a game-high seven shots and one assist in Friday’s win.
Irwin, who was named the WCHA rookie of the week Nov. 6, has seven goals and nine assists in 12 games this season.
The Mavericks are in sixth place in the WCHA and received one goal in each period Saturday. Mavericks goalie Paige Thunder of Cloquet spelled starter Britni Kehler midway through the second period.
UMD will play at Wisconsin (10-4-2, 6-2-2) in a rematch of the 2007 NCAA national championship game next Friday and Saturday. The Badgers beat the Bulldogs 4-2 to win their second straight national title on March 18 in Lake Placid, N.Y.
The Badgers beat Bemidji State (1-10-3, 0-8-2) on Friday 7-0 and tied 0-0 Saturday.
UMD routed Mankato 10-4, though it wasn't even that close really.
The fun part was after UMD made the score 6-1, both coaches changed goaltenders and it became Johanna Ellison and Paige Thunder on the ice together. I mentioned wanting to see this before the season, and unfortunately in the blowout game, it happened. There was a brief referee consultation on a UMD goal and a Mankato penalty that allowed them to warmup and be announced at the same time also. They look so alike on the ice, having been coached by Johanna's dad for years.
Amy Meyer played the third period for UMD. Haley Irwin had a Hat Trick for UMD, Jaime Rasmussen scored her first two goals of the season, and Saara Tuominen had a goal and three assists. Myriam Trepanier scored a goal and assisted on two others, and two assists each were given to Iya Gavrilova and Heidi Pelttari. There's so many stats that could be talked about I probably missed some. Check out the game's box score here!
The third period was really sloppy, with both teams taking a lot of dumb penalties and each team ended up with 3 powerplay goals for the game.
College women's hockey: Penalty kill leads UMD to victory
Andy Greder Duluth News Tribune
Published Saturday, November 24, 2007
The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team took its NCAA-leading penalty-kill unit to the next level Friday night against Minnesota State-Mankato.
The Bulldogs entered the Western Collegiate Hockey Association game at the DECC with successful penalty kills in 58 of 61 chances, with one short-handed goal.
Junior forward Tawni Mattila of Duluth changed that when she scored a short-handed goal off an Iya Gavrilova pass, and the Bulldogs beat the Mavericks 3-1 before 524 spectators.
“We talk about being aggressive and taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves on penalty kill,” UMD coach Shannon Miller said. “I thought we had three or four good opportunities and were able to capitalize on one.”
UMD (9-3-1, 8-3 WCHA) killed all five Mankato power plays Friday.
“We like to pressure and not let them do what they want,” junior forward Sara O’Toole said. “The intensity on penalty kill has to match power play. That is what we did [Friday].”
Sophomore center Saara Tuominen scored the game-winning goal on a power play at 11:40 in the second period, and O’Toole added another power-play goal at 9:10 in the third.
The Mavericks (4-6-1, 4-4-1) scored first when defender Jodi Helminen slipped a shot past UMD sophomore goalie Kim Martin.
“That first goal was kind of harsh,” O’Toole said. “There weren’t too many shots. [Mankato] got a lucky bounce and got one in. We weren’t down; we knew it was a long game.”
The Bulldogs outshot the Mavericks 15-9 in the first period and went into the locker room tied 1-1.
“We had an idea of what we wanted to attack,” Mavericks coach Jeff Vizenor said. “We were able to do it early. Then they got the short-handed goal and they gain momentum from those things. They got stronger and we got more tentative.”
UMD began to roll with a 13-2 shot advantage in the second period and a 13-8 edge in the third. Martin finished with 18 saves and Mankato goalie Britni Kehler had 38 stops.
With UMD up 2-1 in the second period, Miller encouraged the Bulldogs to continue the pressure.
“I was telling them to play with some urgency,” Miller said. “We need to learn, as a young team, a sense of urgency.”
Miller’s call for aggressive play was in part to letdowns in the second game of recent series. Last week against Minnesota, the Bulldogs won the first game 5-0 on Nov. 17 and lost 3-0 the next day.
“Before the game, we said we need to be focused on [Friday’s] game the same as [Saturday’s],” said Tuominen, a captain from Ylojarvi, Finland, who is the second-leading scorer in the WCHA with seven goals and 11 assists. “I think you’ll see a better team [today].”
The Bulldogs and Mavericks finish the series at 7:07 p.m. today at the DECC.
UMD scored TWO (yes, 2) powerplay goals and a shorthanded goal on their way to a 3-1 win over Minnesota State Mankato. Kim Martin stopped 17 of 18 shots to get the win.
UMD scorers were Tawni Mattila, Saara Tuominen, and Sara O'Toole. News Tribune story tomorrow.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will host Minnesota State University, Mankato this Friday and Saturday at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. The puck will drop on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association showdown at 7:07 p.m. both nights.
THE SERIES: UMD holds a commanding lead over Minnesota State in the all-time series with a 27-3-3 record against the Mavericks. The Bulldogs are an impressive 15-1-1 when hosting MSU at the DECC.
UMD's one and only program loss at home came last season when the Mavericks knocked the Bulldogs off their home ice advantage with a 5-3 win on Nov. 18, 2006 after UMD tied MSU for the first time in Duluth 5-5 the night before. That series not only marked the first loss and tie for the Bulldogs in the DECC against the Mavericks, but it was also the first time since the 2003-3004 season that UMD did not skate out of a Bulldog-Maverick series with a win.
UMD last swept MSU in its first conference meeting last fall, beating the Mavericks in Mankato 3-1 and 6-1 on Oct. 6-7 to start the 2006-2007 campaign.
LAST WEEK: The WCHA-leading Bulldogs split last weekend with No. 6 Minnesota at the DECC, with a decisive 5-0 win Saturday afternoon and then a 3-0 stumble Sunday. Sophomore goaltending ace Kim Martin stood between the pipes for 80 saves on the weekend. Eight Bulldogs recorded a point in Saturday's scoring spree, including a goal and two assists by UMD tally leader Saara Tuominen, who leads the Bulldogs with 17 points.
The sixth-place Mavericks enjoyed a weekend off from on-ice action after sweeping No. 10 Ohio State two weeks ago 3-2 and 8-3 for the first time in MSU history.
THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 208 wins, is in her ninth season behind the Bulldog bench.
As the only head coach UMD has ever employed, Miller has amassed an impressive overall record of 208-60-25 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.
The Mavericks are lead by seventh-year head coach Jeff Vizenor. Vizenor is 70-124-22 overall at MSU.
MARTIN'S MILESTONE MARK: Considering sophomore goaltender Kim Martin nabbed almost everything that Minnesota could put on her net last weekend, it seems only fitting she would grab the WCHA's Defensive Player of the Week for a second time this season.
The native of Stockholm, Sweden, shattered UMD's previous record for saves in a game when she kept the Bulldog net empty by turning away 50 shots on goal, including a penalty shot, against the Gophers last Saturday to earn the sixth shutout of her career.
Martin, who just recently returned from net-minding duties for Team Sweden at the Four Nations Cup two weeks ago, eclipsed the Bulldog record of 44 saves (set by Riitta Schaublin on March 9, 2007 against Mercyhurst College) after just two periods when she had tallied 45 stops in forty minutes of action. What made Martin's feat even more impressive was the fact that UMD played 12 minutes in the second stanza a man down, including a 5-on-3 that Martin and the Bulldog penalty kill units simply twarted. The clean sheet was Martin's third on the year.
KILLING THEM SOFTLY...AND OFTEN: UMD leads the nation with the most effective penalty-kill, despite conceding a power-play goal to Minnesota last Sunday. The Bulldogs have killed 66-of-70 infractions successfully for a 94.3% rate, and are averaging 15.4 minutes in the box an outing.
Four UMD players have logged 20 or more minutes in the penalty box, including three freshmen. Iya Gavrilova leads UMD with seven penalties totaling 25 minutes, while junior Myriam Trepanier has committed the most violations with 11 for 22 total minutes.
The Mavericks rank No. 7 in the country with their penalty kill unit, which is 50-of-56 for an 89.3 percentage rate, averaging 12 minutes a game a man down.
FROM NEAR AND FAR: The Mavericks sport the second most players from across the Atlantic Ocean in the WCHA after UMD. MSU has two rostered players from Sweden and one from Finland, while the Bulldogs list two from Sweden, two from Finland, and one from Russia.
WELCOME ADDITIONS: UMD added two early signees last week, including Kacy Ambroz of New Prague, Minn. and Lana Steck of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Ambroz tallied 46 goals and 36 as a junior forward last season for New Prague High School, and has tallied 297 points in her high school career so far. She was named an honorable mention All-State last season, as well as to the All-Metro Third Team,
Steck, who orginally signed with the Bulldogs for this season before an injury sidelined her for the year, was a goaltender for Team Mnitoba in the 2007 Canada Winter Games.
BULLDOG NOTES: Senior captain Karine Demeule will be sidelined this weekend due to a foot injury sustained Sunday prior to the afternoon contest...Sophomore Saara Tuominen continues to lead UMD with 17 points (6-11=17), which ranks her No. 16 nationally...Three other players have amassed eleven or more points 12 games into the season, including Tuominen's linemates freshman Iya Gavrilova (4-8=12) and sophomore Elin Holmlov (4-7=11), as well as freshman Haley Irwin, who checks in with 11 (4-7=11)...Irwin has tallied the fifth most points per game in the country for a rookie with a contest average of 1.10 PPG...Kim Martin ranks No. 2 in the nation with a .955 save percentage...Martin has made a total of 275 saves while allowing just 13 goals...11 of the 13 goals that have found the net against Martin were scored by Minnesota in just three games this season...Junior defenseman Myriam Trepanier's game-winning goal in last Saturday's skate landed her in the 7th slot all-time among UMD defensive scorers with 24 career points (10-14=24).
MAVERICK NOTES: Sophomore Kala Buaganski is on a four-game scoring streak with a goal in each game and a total of six points...Seven MSU players earned at least two points in the home sweep of Ohio State on Nov. 9-10...Three players lead the Mavericks in scoring with seven points, including senior Kristine Bunker (5-2=7), junior Maggie Fisher (4-3=7), and Buaganski (4-3=7)...MSU's power-play ranks 23rd in the country, with the Mavericks only having scored seven goals in 54 man advantages (13.0).
Just wanted to mention I'm selling my original X-box game console with 19 games on eBay ;). It works great, but I bought a new computer 6 weeks ago and when I find time for doing some gaming.. I use it instead so I figured I'd let someone else enjoy the X-box.
X-Box listing on eBay
The poll, released today:
1. New Hampshire (14 first place votes)
2. Wisconsin
3. St. Lawrence
4. Minnesota-Duluth
5. Harvard (1 first place vote)
6. Minnesota
7. Mercyhurst
8. Dartmouth
9. Connecticut
10. Clarkson
Others Receiving Votes: Boston College 8, St. Cloud State 5, Minnesota State 1
College women's hockey: Minnesota dogs UMD
Kevin Pates Duluth News Tribune
Published Monday, November 19, 2007
Minnesota knows it will be back at the DECC once, maybe twice more this season, so the Gophers wanted to leave Sunday afternoon with a positive feeling.
A 3-0 victory over No. 4-ranked Minnesota Duluth did the trick.
No. 6 Minnesota overpowered the leader in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s standings from start to finish before a crowd of 833.
Minnesota (7-4-1 overall, 5-4-1 WCHA) has beaten UMD in three of four games this season and eight of the past 11 in the series, and likely will return to Duluth for the WCHA Playoff Championships on March 8-9, and possibly the Division I Frozen Four on March 20-22.
The shutout win followed a 5-0 loss Saturday in which Minnesota outshot UMD 50-29.
“We were frustrated after losing, but confident in how we dominated the game at times,” said Minnesota captain Bobbi Ross, a senior center who had two assists. “We needed to tweak a few things and become more focused on the little things. No mistakes and getting to the net were important.”
UMD (8-3-1, 7-3) had a setback even before getting on the ice when senior winger Karine Demeule tore ligaments in her left ankle after stepping awkwardly in the locker room.
Coach Shannon Miller didn’t get any positive vibes from her players.
“I’m really disappointed that we did not at least match the intensity of our opponent,” Miller said. “I could tell before I left the locker room that there was no passion, no desire, no fire in the players’ eyes or in their body language. They were asleep.”
After missing on 50 shots on goal Saturday, the Gophers connected on their 56th shot of the weekend when winger Whitney Graft scored at 7:58 of the first period. UMD’s Emmanuelle Blais hit the crossbar on a breakaway with 8:37 left in the period for the Bulldogs’ best scoring chance of the game.
Left wing Erica McKenzie banked a shot off a UMD defender 41 seconds into the second period for a power-play goal and a 2-0 lead, and a UMD turnover led to a 3-on-1 break at 5:33 which finished with a Jen Schoullis goal.
“We played a complete team game and put the puck away,” said Brad Frost, the first-year Minnesota head coach. “We have some pretty special, gifted forwards.”
There was no scoring in the third period, although Minnesota had chances. There was 84 seconds of a 5-on-3 power play, and Gophers center Gigi Marvin got a puck behind UMD goalie Kim Martin with 7:47 left, but a video replay was inconclusive on whether the puck completely crossed the goal line. UMD’s best chance of the period, a2-on-1 break with 7:10 left, was broken up by Minnesota defender Michelle Maunu, a sophomore from Esko.
“When a team doesn’t step up and get energized before the game, they’re not going to find it on the ice,” said UMD junior center and assistant captain Tawni Mattila. “Coming off such an exciting win, maybe we expected it to come easy [Sunday]. We can’t take any game lightly. Minnesota’s a great team, but we have to be prepared.”
Minnesota has handed UMD its only losses this season and outshot the Bulldogs 83-50 for the weekend, including 33-21 Sunday.
Sunday’s loss was UMD’s first at home (4-1-1). The Bulldogs are back at the DECCon Friday and Saturday against Minnesota State-Mankato (4-5-1).
Today's game.... lacked a lot of positives for UMD.. they tried to make too many pretty passes rather than put shots on Gopher goaltender Kim Hanlon. In the first couple minutes Hanlon looked a little shaky, but UMD didn't capitalize and only got 4 shots to her in the whole first period.
Referee Chris Perrault called a strange 'elbowing' penalty on Erin Olson when she dumped the puck into the Gopher zone and was body checked but held her ground as the much bigger player, which knocked down the body checker.. which led to a Gopher goal opening minute of the second period and pretty much let the steam out of the Bulldogs.
They had a few chances but seemed way to reluctant to shoot the puck today.. the powerplays UMD had were miserable, and reminded me of the series three weeks ago when Minnesota scored 3 short handed goals in that series. The Gophers scored 2 of their 3 goals on low five-hole shots and it seemed like that was their goal on the day, to keep the puck low, on the ice.
While going into the series I didn't expect a UMD sweep, they could have at least come out for Sundays game with more effort and shot the puck.
Karine Demeuele didn't play in today's game, for whatever reason, hopefully just an illness. Her presence on the ice could only have helped a lackluster performance.
Before getting into today's loss, Saturday's game story in today's News Tribune:
Martin earns shutout with record saves
BY KEVIN PATESNEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER, Duluth News Tribune
Published Sunday, November 18, 2007
There were a few incentives for the Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team Saturday afternoon at the DECC.
UMD raised a banner noting its 2007 NCAA Division I runner-up finish.
UMD coach Shannon Miller celebrated her 44th birthday.
A goal by the Bulldogs in the game’s first five minutes would mean T-shirts for 500 fans in a giveaway promotion.
Oh, and Minnesota had smoked UMD twice when the teams met last month in Minneapolis.
Olympic silver medalist goalie Kim Martin led the way in a 5-0 win as No. 4-ranked UMD beat No. 6 Minnesota in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s game before 1,048 spectators.
Martin, a sophomore from Stockholm, Sweden, made a school single-game record 50 saves and sophomore center Saara Tuominen of Ylojarvi, Finland, had a goal and two assists.
“Kim was very stellar; she was spectacular,’’ Miller said. “This game and our [3-1] win over Mercyhurst [Oct. 21] are certainly her best games this season.
“We’re proud we have a convincing win, but I’m not naļve, it was not a five-goal win. We need to be more consistent.’’
Accurate shooting and goals at the start of each period sparked the first-place Bulldogs (8-2-1 overall, 7-2 WCHA), along with the shot-stopping of Martin. She and Tuominen were among UMD players representing their countries in last week’s Four Nations Cup in Leksand, Sweden.
They returned Monday and had to regain their collegiate focus. All the Bulldogs had to remember were 3-2 and 5-1 losses in Minneapolis on Oct. 26-27.
“If a goalie plays good and solid, the team can trust you and follow you,’’ Martin said. “This is probably my best game here. Fifty shots and no goals, I can’t do much better than that.’’
Martin had played five games in seven days with Sweden in the Four Nations Cup during an off-week for the Bulldogs. She said she probably has never had so many saves in a shutout victory. She broke the UMD record of 44 set by Riitta Schaublin against Mercyhurst in the 2007 Division I quarterfinals on March 9, a 3-2 overtime win in Erie, Pa.
The Gophers (6-4-1, 4-4-1) did just about all they could to get on the scoreboard. They had a penalty shot by Gigi Marvin in the first period, they had 27 shots on goal in the second period, and Marvin hit the crossbar late in the third period. They ended up with their most lopsided loss of the season.
“We did a lot of great things offensively, but we turned the puck over in bad spots,’’ said Minnesota coach Brad Frost. “We had chances to change the momentum — with the penalty shot, on a 5-on-3 power play — but we didn’t capitalize.
“Martin was spectacular. That’s one of the best performances I’ve seen.”
Two goals in 3:38 early in the first period gave UMD a 2-0 lead. Tuominen got a centering draw in the offensive zone and passed to defender Myriam Trepanier at 5:21. Winger Karine Demeule put in a rebound at the left edge of the crease at 8:59 to beat freshman goalie Jenny Lura.
Martin stopped Marvin on a penalty shot with 5:39 left in the first period after the Bulldogs were called for covering the puck in the crease.
Tuominen said she was a bit tired after returning from Sweden and didn’t practice until Friday. But she was buoyed by Martin’s performance, and the Bulldogs followed the goalie’s lead.
“We had more energy than when we played Minnesota the first time,’’ said Tuominen, who has six goals this season. “We knew we had to show up and play better.’’
Asked if she had seen Martin play better, Tuominen, a 2006 Finnish Olympian, said Martin was exceptional in the 2006 Winter Games.
The Bulldogs were outshot 27-7 in the second period, when killing five penalties, including 29 seconds of a two-player disadvantage. Martin had a bundle of good saves with a stop on Marvin from the left edge in the 5-on-3 shift.
Tuominen finished a 2-on-1 rush 72 seconds into the second period, and then Elin Holmlov, a Swedish teammate of Martin, scored 47 seconds into the third. Emmanuelle Blais finished the scoring with 6:39 to play. UMD was outshot 50-29.
The Bulldogs had lost three straight to the Gophers and seven of the last nine. UMD is 3-0-1 at home this season and is unbeaten in the last nine at the DECC.
Kim Martin stopped all 50 Gopher shots, 27 of them in the second period (both UMD team records) to shut out the Gophers 5-0! UMD spent most of the second period in the penalty box, leading to the barrage of shots Martin faced. The Gophers hit at LEAST 4 pipes/crossbars during the game.. that's why they call the goalpost "goaltender's best friend."
The five goal scorers for UMD were Myriam Trepanier, Karine Demeule, Saara Tuominen, Elin Holmlov, and Emmanuelle Blais. Tuominen picked up 2 assists with her goal, and Holmlov assisted on Tuominen's goal. Iya Gavrilova got 2 assists while Hailey Irwin and Jaime Rasmussen each scored one assist as well.
What: Western Collegiate Hockey Association series between the Gophers (6-3-1) and Bulldogs (7-2-1)
When: 3:37 p.m. today;3:07 p.m. Sunday
Where: DECC
RELATED CONTENT
Andy Greder Archive
Rankings: Minnesota is No. 6 and UMD is No. 4 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll
On Air: KDAL 610 AM
Minnesota Duluth already has experienced some highs and lows in just six weeks of the college women’s hockey season.
On Nov. 3-4, UMD beat North Dakota 9-2 with aseason-high scoring output and followed that up with a3-2 win.
On Oct. 26-27, the then-top-ranked Bulldogs were swept by No. 10 Minnesota one week after UMD beat and tied No. 2 Mercyhurst.
UMD (7-2-1) hopes for a more steady performance today in opening a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series against Minnesota(6-3-1) at 3:37 p.m. at the DECC.
“It has a lot to do with the attitude,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller. “We were brilliant against Mercyhurst and it completely eluded us the next weekend [against the Gophers]. We have to focus.”
UMD had outscored opponents 20-2 entering theMinnesota series in Minneapolis — and lost 5-1 and 3-1.
“We want revenge,” UMD sophomore goalie Kim Martin said. “We didn’t play well last time. I think we always have a hard time playing them [at Ridder Arena]. They are a good team and hard to beat. We were No. 1 and we should have played better.”
“We need our defense to play a lot better,” Miller said. “We need to do a better job of [redirecting] the puck carrier. We need to challenge.”
Miller wants the Bulldogs to be aggressive against Minnesota freshman goalie Jenny Lura, who has a .911 save percentage and 1.84 goals-against average.
“We have to bring speed and aggression to the net and get to rebounds,” Miller said. “We have to work it up with our defense and have traffic in front of the net against a good goalie.”
The Bulldogs had six freshmen in the lineup against Minnesota three weeks ago.
“We have a young team that hasn’t played in college where every game is important,” Martin said. “We have a talented team and coach [Miller] is trying to make us understand that each game is important.”
The No. 4-ranked Bulldogs return four players from last week’s the Four Nations Cup in Leksand, Sweden, while No. 6 Minnesota has three players back.
UMD to add Two Recruits
Lana Steck of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Kacy Ambroz of New Prague, Minn., are expected to sign national letters of intent with UMD this week.
Ambroz had 46 goals and 36 assists as a junior forward last season on the New Prague High School team.
Steck was a goalie for Team Manitoba in the 2007 Canada Winter Games.
It is perhaps the biggest rivalary in all of women's college hockey, and it is set to ignite again for the second time in three weeks at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center this weekend. The No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will host the No. 6 University of Minnesota Saturday and Sunday in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association rematch of epic proportions. The league-leading Bulldogs and fifth place Gophers square off at 3:37 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
THE SERIES: Just three weeks ago, UMD (7-2-1. 6-2-0 WCHA) and Minnesota (6-3-1, 4-3-1 WCHA) played at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. The then-newly minted No. 1 ranked nationally Bulldogs met an inspired Gopher squad, who recorded an awakening 3-1, 5-1 series sweep. In Friday's 3-1 upset, UMD spent a season-high 27 minutes in the penalty box to chase Minnesota's power play unit throughout the match. Netminder Kim Martin nabbed a career-high 40 saves en route to posting double-digit saves in each regulation period for the third time in her career. Saturday's 5-1 slump was the most goals the Bulldogs have allowed in 35 contests.
The losses were the first and only WCHA setbacks of the season for UMD, and gave Minnesota the 15-21-4 all-time series advantage between the two teams. The Bulldogs have faced the Gophers a program record 40 times heading into this weekend, the most they have dropped the puck against any other team.
LAST WEEK: Both UMD and Minnesota enjoyed the last weekend off from NCAA competition, although the Bulldogs lent four current players and all three of its assistant coaches to four different respective national team rosters, while the Gophers loaned three players to Team USA.
Prior to the weekend off, UMD swept North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. 9-2 and 3-2 on Nov. 3-4. The Bulldogs have now won nine straight against UND, and Saturday's nine-goal outburst was the most goals UMD has scored in 30 games, stretching back to last season's 9-1 win over Ohio State on Dec. 9, 2006.
The Gophers split with No. 1 Wisconsin in Madison two weekends ago, posting a 3-2 win on Nov. 3 to mark Minnesota's first win over the Badgers since the 2005-06 season when they defeated Wisconsin back on Feb, 10, 2006.
THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 207 wins, is in her ninth season behind the Bulldog bench.
As the only head coach UMD has ever employed, Miller has amassed an impressive overall record of 207-59-25 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.
The Gophers are led by first-year head coach Brad Frost, who took over for former coach Laura Halldorson in August of 2007. Frost had been a Minnesota assistant coach for seven years prior to taking over the team.
IRWIN's EARNINGS: Freshman forward Haley Irwin was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week of Nov. 6 for her point-garnering performances against the University of North Dakota.
The Team Canada U-22 member netted a tally and four assists in the series opener before adding a goal in Sunday's contest. Irwin is currently tied for second as one of the top point getters for UMD (4-6=10) in her first eight collegiate appearances, and is ranked No. 3 in the nation in points per game among rookies with a 1.25 PPG average.
KILLING THEM SOFTLY: UMD has the third ranking penalty kill in the nation after having terminated 54 of 57 infractions successfully for a 94.7 kill rate. Minnesota has the fifth most potent power play in the country, scoring 11 times in 57 chances for a 24.4 percentage.
The Bulldogs rank fifth in the nation with 151 total penalty minutes, averaging 15.1 minutes a game with a man down, while the Gophers are right behind them in the sixth spot with 150 logged minutes for a 15.0 minutes a contest sporting a man disadvantage.
STATE OF CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Bulldogs and Gophers have won five of the last seven NCAA national championships between them. UMD is the only team in NCAA history to have won three-straight NCAA national titles (2001, 2002, 2003), while Minnesota is one of three teams to have won titles back-to-back rings (2004, 2005).
UMD is also the only program in the nation that has accrued three NCAA national titles and a NCAA second-place finish (2007).
TICKET SCALPERS: The Bulldogs and Gophers have seldom, if ever, played against each other in front of an empty rink. Seven of UMD's top-single attendance highs at the DECC have come against Minnesota, with the No. 3 spot through No. 9 Bulldog-Gopher games.
UMD is 8-5-3 all-time when Minnesota has visited Duluth, including 2-0 last season when the visiting Gophers fell at Mars Lakeview Arena 7-1 and 5-1 on Feb. 17-18.
BANNER OCCASSION: Saturday's contest againt Minnesota will feature a special pregame ceremony to honor the 2006-07 UMD women's hockey team. Chancellor Kathryn Martin and Athletic Director Bob Nielson will unveil the 2007 NCAA Second Place banner with a red carpet event prior to the dropping of the puck.
BULLDOG NOTES: UMD is carrying an eight game unbeaten streak at the DECC into this weekend's series...Sophomore Saara Tuominen, who just returned this week from captain duties for Team Finland at the Four Nations Cup, leads the Bulldogs with 14 points (5-9=14)...Freshman Haley Irwin and Iya Gavrilova both have notched 10 points (4-6=10) to rank second and third in UMD scoring...Tuominen has dished out more assists (5) facing Minnesota than any current player listed on the Bulldog roster...Sophomore Emmanuelle Blais has scored seven points (5-2=7) against the Gophers in seven appearances...Netminder Kim Martin made a career-high 40 saves against Minnesota in UMD's 3-1 loss three weeks ago...This weekend's I-35 showdown is the closest regular season back-to-back turnaround in the history of the rivalry (20 days)...The Bulldogs were on the right side of the law in their Nov. 3 9-2 thrashing of North Dakota, picking up a season-low two penalties for a mere four minutes in the box.
GOPHER NOTES: Minnesota is led by senior Erica McKenzie, who has picked up 15 points (9-6=15) through 10 games...Fellow senior and team captain Bobbi Ross has notched 12 points (5-7=12)...Ross has scored 123 points in her collegiate career coming into this weekend's series...Junior defenseman Rachel Drazan was named the USCHO Defensive Player of the Week for Nov. 6 after scoring the game winning goal for the Gophers and adding an assist to help Minnesota knock off Wisconsin 3-2...Drazan leads the Gophers with four power play goals this season.
The poll, with first place votes in (*)'s
1 Wisconsin ( 6)
2 Mercyhurst ( 3)
2 New Hampshire ( 3)
4 Minnesota-Duluth
5 St. Lawrence
6 Minnesota
7 Harvard ( 1)
8 Dartmouth
9 Connecticut
10 Boston College
10 Princeton
Finland took third place, and Canada won the 4 Nations Cup tournament for, I believe, the 10th time now. The only notable Bulldog news from either game is Kim Martin stopped 29 of 30 shots vs Finland in the third place game, even though she lost.
Team USA beat Finland 2-1, while Canada beat Sweden 5-3 to set up the expected USA/Canada final.
UMD present and former:
For Finland, Saara Tuominen scored their lone goal, while Jenny Potter assisted on both Team USA goals.
Elin Holmlov scored a goal AND picked up 1 assist in the loss to Canada, with Erika Holst assisting on Holmlov's goal. She had been skating on their third line, until this game, when Maria Rooth was moved to third line in favor of a Erika Holst, Pernilla Winberg, Elin Holmlov line. Who knows what might have happened if she'd been on it their other two games.
Sweden again got shut out in the 4 Nations Cup tournament this afternoon.
Former Bulldog Mari Pehkonen scored twice in the 2nd period of this game.
UMD notes from a game that Team USA was never really in competitively (from the stats, I didn't get to look at the stats live):
Caroline Ouellette scored an assist in the first period..
Assistant Coach Julie Chu picked up a powerplay assist in the third period.
Other stuff from the game boxscore:
The game was 3-1 after the first period, but then Wisconsin goaltender Jessie Vetter gave up 2 quick goals in the first 3:24 of the second period and was chased from the game in favor of Megan Van Beusekom, who played at Princeton and currenty for the Minnesota Whitecaps
Once in a while, I like to check and see just how people find this blog and read it. Lately the phrases used in yahoo and google searches to find this blog are 'UMD Women's Hockey' (duh!) and "Johanna Ellison."
Whatever method you use and end up here, thanks for viewing/reading this blog. ;)
Kim Martin stopped 38 of 42 shots, but that wasn't nearly enough as Sweden got shut out by Team USA 4-0 in game 2 of the 4 Nations Cup. USA outshot the Swedes 42-24 for the game.
Jessica Koizumi picked up an ASSIST on a goal by Meghan Fardelmann in the third period.
Canada defeated Finland in the opening game of the 4 Nations Cup, 4-1.
UMD past or present:
Caroline Ouellette had 2 assists for Canada, and Mari Pehkonen scored Finland's lone goal.
You can check out box scores after the games, provided by Beyond the Dashers website, OR you can check out live stats on hockeycanada.ca, OR on Sweden's hockey website by clicking on 4 nations cup then clicking on 'live' next to the game for live stats.
WCHA Rookie of the Week
Haley Irwin, Fr., F, Minnesota Duluth
Haley Irwin, a freshman forward from Thunder Bay, Ontario, had a goal in each game as Minnesota Duluth went into first place in the WCHA by sweeping North Dakota, 9-2 and 3-2, this past weekend.
Irwin had a goal and four assists in the series opener on Nov. 3 and finished the weekend with two goals and four assists. Irwin is currently tied for second as a point leader for Minnesota Duluth (4-6-10) in her first 10 collegiate games.
Also nominated this week were: Jen Schoullis, F, Minnesota; Lisa Edman, F, Minnesota State; Stephanie Roy, F, North Dakota; and Jenna Kilpatrick, Ohio State.
Click the blog title to see the rest of the weekly awards!
1. New Hampshire 185 (15)
2. Mercyhurst 159
3. Wisconsin 155 (4)
4. St. Lawrence 118
5. Minnesota Duluth 114
6. Harvard 94
7. Minnesota 82
8. Connecticut 63
9. Ohio State 30
10. Boston College 18
Others receiving votes: Dartmouth 14, Clarkson 2
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/hockey/usatwomen.htm
Today's Canada vs Sweden exhibition game has been broadcast with live video though Sweden's hockey website website. They don't have it mentioned that far ahead but check tonight and tomorrow morning and just maybe the 4 Nations Cup games will be broadcast with live video online! The Play By Play is in Swedish, but if you're reading this.. you already understand hockey enough where the language it's broadcast in doesn't matter. So, click the link OR the blog title to go to the website and see if there's video. I'm going to try and update when I find out myself also.
The Poll is out and UMD is Ranked 4th still (tied for 4th last week.)
The poll (first place votes):
1. New Hampshire (10)
2. Wisconsin (3)
3. Mercyhurst (1)
4. UMD
5. St. Lawrence
6. Minnesota
7. Harvard
8. Connecticut
9. Dartmouth
10. Boston College- Ohio State tie.
No teams are listed as 'others receiving votes' this week.
The USA Today poll comes out tomorrow afternoon.
While a most of the Bulldog's will have a bye week this week to rest or whatever else, it's 4 Nations Cup time for Heidi Pelttari, Elin Holmlov, Kim Martin, and Saara Tuominen. Also joining them in Leksand, Sweden for the 4 Nations cup are coaches Caroline Ouellette(Canada of course) and Julie Chu. Jessica Koizumi makes what I beleive is her first appearance with the TOP tier national team for Team USA also. Every time she got to camps it seemed she ended up injured, but she's playing in this one. Once again Jenny Potter will also be part of Team USA's roster.
Team USA put out a nice Media Guide in .pdf format with roster bios. Check it out!
Team Sweden and Team Finland connections to UMD Bulldogs are once again big in this tournament, besides Pelttari, Holmlov, Martin, and Tuominen. Mari Pehkonen, while only playing one season in Duluth before transferring to Providence, is again on the Team Finland roster.
Maria Rooth and Erica Holst, as always it seems, join Martin and Holmlov on the Team Sweden national team roster.
Pretty much the only place to get much information on the 4 Nations Cup seems to be HockeyCanada.ca. Complete rosters and schedules are listed there.. and I don't believe there is *ANY* live radio coverage of this tournament, but I'm looking to find out.
I'm not sure how relevant they'll ever be.. BUT YouTube and Google are working together by allowing people to place a youtube window on blogs etc, where they SAY videos with relevance to subject matter will be posted. Check out the YouTube videos underneath blog entries to see how well they do. If the videos don't turn out to have any relevance I'll remove them for sure.
The University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team netted just a third of the goals Sunday afternoon that it had the day before, but it was one goal too many for the University of North Dakota.
The Bulldogs edged out the Sioux 3-2 on the ice of the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND to sweep UND in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association clash. The win extends UMD's current winning streak over the Sioux (2-5-3) to nine straight, and gives head coach Shannon Miller an impressive 18-1 record against North Dakota all-time.
UMD got on the board first when freshman forward Laura Fridfinnson scored her fourth goal of the season, connecting on a pass from fellow U-22 Team Canada mate Jocelyne Larocque at the 11:02 mark to take a 1-0 lead. It was an advantage the Bulldogs would never relinquish, extending it just five minutes and 30 seconds later as freshman forward Haley Irwin scored her second goal of the weekend, compliments of an assist from UMD's point leader Saara Tuominen (5-9=14).
After UMD took a 2-0 lead into the locker room, North Dakota pulled together an even strength goal 9:11 seconds into the second stanza to force the stakes higher at 2-1. But the Bulldogs relied yet again on a new friend they appear to have made over the weekend; a highly-effective power play. UMD scored its fifth goal of the series with a man advantage when sophomore defenseman Heidi Pelttari's slap-shot found the back of the net. Freshman Iya Gavrilova and Laroque assisted on the 16:30 goal, which would prove to be the game-winner when it gave the Bulldogs a fleeting 3-1 cushion.
North Dakota would respond just one minute later when Jodi Holland finished her second tally of the night to tighten the game at 3-2. Despite a flurry of action in the final few minutes of the third period in front of the Bulldog net, netminder Joanna Ellison secured her third victory in a UMD jersey, making 12 saves in the process. UND's Brittany Kirkham finished the contest with 25 saves Sunday to finish the series with 64 saves.
The Bulldogs (7-2-1, 6-2), will take a well deserved break this week, with no games scheduled this weekend. Four UMD players -- Tuominen, Pelttari, Elin Holmlov and Kim Martin -- and all three of the Bulldog assistant coaches -- Caroline Ouellette, Julie Chu and Jessica Koizumi -- will be hitting the ice with their respective national teams in the Four Nations Cup, held in Leksand, Sweden.
UMD next returns to the ice Nov. 17-18 when they host interstate rival the University of Minnesota. The puck will drop on their storied rivilary at 3:37 p.m.
UMD wins game 2 of the series in North Dakota 3-2, with Johanna Ellison picking up the win. I'll post the UMDBulldogs.com story tonight when it's online.
Because the News Tribune isn't covering this weekend's series (or at least not Saturday's game):
http://www.umdbulldogs.com/womens/hockey/index.php?sect_rank=1&story_id=3554
BULLDOGS UNLEASH OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER ON SIOUX IN 9-2 WIN
Last Updated: Saturday, November 3, 2007 5:25 PM
What a difference a week makes.
The No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth women´s hockey team sent a strong memo to the rest of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Saturday afternoon by trouncing the University of North Dakota 9-2 in the confines of the Ralph Englestad Arena, in Grand Forks, ND.
Just one week after being held to a season-low two goals in a series, the Bulldogs exploded on the Sioux for a season-high nine goals in a contest, courtsey of six different UMD players. Eleven players in all recorded a point in the outing, and it was the first time in 30 games the Bulldogs have hit the nine-goal mark. UMD last netted nine tallies a season ago when they took Ohio State to task 9-1 on Dec. 9, 2006.
Junior defenseman Myriam Trepanier warmed up the puck first at the 6:01 mark of the opening period when she ripped a shot from the point off a pass from Haley Irwin and Heidi Pelttari. Trepanier's goal was the first of four power play goals to come from the Bulldogs, the most they have put over the goal line all season.
North Dakota would answer with its own power play goal just two minutes later when a diving Casie Hanson would even the game at 1-1, 7:58 minutes into the contest.
Enter junior forward Tawni Mattila, who made only her third appearance in a Bulldog jersey Saturday after sitting out the last six games due to injury. Mattila tucked home a pass from Pelttari to give UMD a 2-1 edge at the 10:45 mark. Just five minutes later, freshman forward Iya Gavrilova scored the Maroon and Gold's game-winning goal and second power play goal of the afternoon when she made good on a brillant pass from Saara Tuominen and Emmanuelle Blais.
Though the Sioux would jump back on the board with just less than three minutes left to play in the first period to come within a single goal (3-2), the Bulldogs' Sara O'Toole punished North Dakota by scoring another power play goal with just ten ticks left on the clock to run UMD's tally to 4-2, and from there, the Bulldogs would never look back.
Gavrilova scored the only goal of the second period when she beat UND's Brittany Kirkham off a pass from Pelttari and Irwin. The Bulldog defense allowed a season-low five shots in the second stanza to help stifle any hope of a Sioux upset showing.
UMD would score four more goals in the third period -- two from Tuominen, Gavrilova's third of the night, and a nice finish by Irwin -- to push the outing completely out of the reach of North Dakota. The Bulldogs helped Johanna Ellison grab her second win of the season after turning away ten saves, and helped themselves by limiting their visits to the penalty box to a mere two infractions for a season rock-bottom of four minutes. The Bulldogs also landed a season-high 50 shots on goal to UND's 30.
UMD (6-2-1, 5-2) will again lace up its skates tomorrow when it finishes up its series with the Sioux (2-4-3, 2-2-1). Game-time for the WCHA contest is slated for 2:07 p.m.
North Dakota kept it close in the first period, with the period ending 4-2, and UMD swarmed the rest of the game, winning 9-2... UMD outshoots NoDak 50-30 for the game, with most of the Sioux shots in the first period.
Amy Meyer played a good part of the third period, seeing her first action of the season. I only got to listen to parts of the game (on the radio), and will post the News Tribune's story when it's online.
The old sports adage that says a team is only as good as its last game need not apply to the No. 4 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team. The Bulldogs aren't looking back, and are ready to hit the ice this weekend when they travel to Grand Forks, N.D. to face the University of North Dakota. The puck will drop in both WCHA contests at 2:07 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday in the Ralph Englestad Arena.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs (5-2-1, 4-2) own a 16-1 all-time advantage over the Sioux (2-3-3, 2-1-1), including a current seven-game winning streak. The one and only time UMD has ever dropped a contest to UND was in the DECC on Feb. 11, 2006, when North Dakota broke a nine-game winless streak against the Bulldogs, handing them a 2-0 setback.
UMD swept the Sioux twice last season, and netted a total of 18 goals while allowing UND only one in four outings. The Bulldogs averaged 4.5 goals per game against the Sioux during the 2006-07 campaign, and then freshman Emmanuelle Blais racked up seven points in four games (1-6=7) to help the Bulldogs reach that mark. Blais netted a career-high four assists against North Dakota in UMD's Oct. 15 5-0 bashing at the DECC.
LAST WEEK: The then No. 1 Bulldogs lost twice at the hands of the Minnesota Gophers last weekend in Ridder Arena, dropping their all-time record in Ridder to a lowly 3-7-1. In Friday night's 3-1 defeat, sophomore goaltender Kim Martin made a career-high 40 saves en route to posting double-digit saves in each regulation period for the third time in her career. Saara Tuominen has now notched more assists (five) against the Gophers than any current UMD player after assisting on Emmanuelle Blais' second period goal Friday night. Saturday's 5-1 loss was the most goals the Bulldogs have given up in 35 contests.
North Dakota played to a 0-0 overtime tie last Friday before dropping a 4-3 decision to Ohio State on Saturday in Grand Forks. The Sioux, who have never beaten the Buckeyes, earned their first tie against OSU since Nov. 18, 2005. Sophomore netminder Brittany Kirkham, who has recorded three shutouts this season against WCHA opponents, stopped 75 of 79 shots over the weekend.
THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 205 wins, is in her ninth season behind the Bulldog bench.
As the only head coach UMD has ever employed, Miller has amassed an impressive overall record of 204-59-24 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.
The Sioux are coached by first-year head coach Brian Idalski. Idalski was an assistant at St. Cloud State University prior to his hiring at North Dakota last April.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: The Bulldogs will be without the services of sophomore goaltender Kim Martin and her Team Sweden mate, Elin Holmlov this weekend. The two are gearing up for the 2007 Four Nations Cup in Leksand, Sweden, where they will face UMD assistants Caroline Ouellette (Team Canada), Julie Chu and Jessica Koizumi (Team USA). Saara Tuominen and Heidi Pelttari will play for Team Finland, but will play for the Bulldogs this weekend before heading to Sweden.
HOLDING THE SIOUX SCORELESS: The Bulldogs have held North Dakota scoreless seven times out of their 17 meetings, including three times last season. In all, the Sioux have only scored 14 goals against UMD total all-time, while the Bulldogs scored 18 goals against UND during the 2006-07 season alone.
EMPTY NETS: UMD, who went its first 262:42 minutes of action this season without allowing a single point, has found common ground with North Dakota's Brittany Kirham, who played 201.23 minutes before her scoreless streak was snapped in last Saturday's loss to Ohio State.
LEADING LINE: UMD's first line, which consists of sophomores Saara Tuominen, Elin Holmlov and freshman Iya Gavrilova, has accounted for 24 of the Bulldogs 56 points. The three have tallied seven goals and 17 assists between them.
BRUSING BULLDOGS: UMD is third in the nation in penalty minutes with 135, averaging 16.9 minutes in the box a game. The Bulldogs affection for infractions has led to a penalty kill unit which is 47-of-49, for 95.9 percent, good enough for second in the nation.
Freshman forward Iya Gavrilova has been booked seven times for 25 penalty minutes, the most of any Bulldog so far this season.
North Dakota currently ranks No. 10 nationally with a 89.7 penalty kill effectiveness, having held opponents scoreless 35-out-of-39 violations.
NORTH DAKOTA NICE: Three Bulldogs have tallied up career-highs against the Sioux, including sophomore Emmanuelle Blais. who dished out a career-topping four assists last season on Oct. 15 to help UMD beat UND 5-0. Senior forward Karine Demeule knotched a career-best three points against North Dakota on Feb. 6, 2005, and junior defenseman Myriam Trepanier netted a career-high two goals against the Sioux on Feb. 10, 2006.
BULLDOG NOTES: UMD has been held to a single goal a contest four times this year, and is 2-2 in those outings...The Bulldogs two goals this weekend was the fewest goals UMD has scored in a series since netting just two against Wisconsin last season on Feb. 2-3...The Bulldogs are averaging 2.75 goals a game, while allowing just 1.25...In the nine series sweeps UMD has ever been on the losing end on, five have come at the hands of Minnesota...Sophmore linemates Saara Tuominen and Elin Holmlov are tied at the top as the Bulldogs leading scorers with nine points each (3-6=9), tying them at No. 7 in the WCHA...Kim Martin ranks first in save percentage in the WCHA, registering .951...Martin is No. 2 in goals against average, coming in at 1.49 goals a game.
KIRKHAM AWARDED USCHO.COM HONOR: North Dakota sophomore goaltender Brittany Kirkham was named the USCHO.com's National Defensive Player of the Week following her performance against Ohio State last weekend. Kirkham stopped 75-of-79 shots and held the Buckeyes scoreless in Friday night's battle. Kirkham has only allowed four goals in WCHA play so far this season.
SIOUX NOTES: UND leads the conference after only allowing only four goals against them four games into WCHA play....Brittany Kirkham shattered North Dakota's old scoreless streak of 112:01 when she stood between the pipes for 201:23 minutes of play without allowing a point...The Sioux earned their first conference sweep ever two weeks ago when they beat Bemidji State in two outings.
As with the Gopher series last week, there is live game video available for this weekend's UMD series in North Dakota. Just CLICK HERE and then go to the signup page. It's 9.95 for a month, which would include the 2 games in North Dakota obviously. You can get a 24 hour pass for 5.95 if there's just one game you are able to watch instead of both.
