Dogs Head to Bemidji, UMDBulldogs.com preview

n the midst of its first 10-game winning streak since the 2000-01 season, the No. 2 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will indulge in its second road stand of the new year this weekend. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association-leading Bulldogs swing up to Bemidji, Minn. Friday and Saturday to face local rival Bemidji State University. Friday night's game is set for 7:07 p.m., while Saturday will feature a matinee with a 2:07 p.m. showing.

THE SERIES: UMD, which currently holds the NCAA's longest winning streak with 10 victories, owns a 35-0-1 all-time record over the Beavers. The Bulldogs have won 25 contests in a row against BSU, including a series sweep Oct. 13 and 14 earlier in the season.

The Maroon and Gold defeated Bemidji State 4-0 in their DECC opener on Oct. 13 behind senior forward Karine Demeule's two goals. Demeule then notched her second game-winner of the series on Oct. 14 to help elevate the Bulldogs 1-0. Goaltenders Kim Martin and Johanna Ellison split the series between the pipes, sharing credit for blanking the Beavers.

UMD has allowed only three goals in the past six meetings with BSU, outscoring them 25-3 in those outings. In 36 total skates with the Beavers in program history, the Bulldogs have netted 224 tallies to BSU's 38. Bemidji State remains the only team in the WCHA that UMD has stayed undefeated against all-time.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs (18-3-1, 15-3-0) kept their grasp on the WCHA lead and stayed seven points ahead of the rest of the field by earning their seventh conference sweep of the season against Minnesota State this past weekend. UMD beat the Mavericks in Mankato 2-1 last Friday night behind Karine Demeule's goal with six seconds remaining Friday to clinch the win. Emmanuelle Blais scored two goals on Saturday, including one in a four goal spurt in the third period to rally the Bulldogs past MSU 5-2.

The Beavers (4-17-3, 1-15-2) earned their first series split of the WCHA season last weekend when Lisa Kissick had a career-high two goals last Friday to help BSU defeat North Dakota 4-1. The win was the first for Bemidji State this season in conference play, and remains its only one as the Beavers fell 1-0 the next night to the Fighting Sioux in Bemidji, Minn.

THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 218 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 218-60-25 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 Beavers are led by head coach, (and brother of former UMD men's coach Mike), Steve Sertich. Sertich is in his second season behind the BSU bench, and is 15-38-9 overall since taking over the program.


DOORSTEP DEMEULE: Tallying two goals (and an assist) last weekend in typical Karine Demeule fashion, the forward earned her second WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honor this season.

The senior captain from Montreal, Quebec, scored two game-winning goals and added a game-tying assist to help lift UMD to a series road sweep of Minnesota State last weekend.

Demeule netted the game-clincher last Friday night with six seconds remaining to lead the Bulldogs to a 2-1 victory. Just two minutes prior to cashing in the game-winner, she assisted on the goal which drew UMD even with the Mavericks. The captain then notched her fourth game-winner of the season (and ninth goal overall) by registering the go-ahead mark for the Bulldogs in their 5-2 win over MSU Saturday.

The senior forward has been successful against the Beavers over her career, having posted nine goals and an assist (for 10 points) in seven appearances against BSU. Demeule has three times tallied two goals against the Beavers, including a two-tally outing on Oct. 13, and twice last season (Oct. 20, 2006 and Jan. 20, 2007).


STREAKING GAVRILOVA: Freshman forward Iya Gavrilova currently holds the Bulldogs longest scoring streak, dating back to Nov. 23 against Minnesota State. The Krasnoyarsk, Russia native has notched a point in UMD's last ten games (10-10=20), including ten goals in her last eight outings, five of which have been game-winning tallies. She ranks first in the WCHA and fourth in the NCAA in that category.

The WCHA's leading-point scorer with 32 (14-18=32), Gavrilova also holds an eight game goal scoring streak, just one shy of tying UMD's previous record of nine. The current record was set by two former Bulldog Olympians, Jenny Potter (Dec. 7, 2002 - Jan. 25, 2003) and Hanne Sikio (Oct. 8, 1999 - Nov. 20, 1999).

The NCAA's leading rookie scorer by a gap of 10 points, Gavrilova now holds the No. 9 spot of UMD's Top-10 Rookie Scorers with 32 points through 22 outings, just eight short of tying linemate Saara Tuominen, who racked up 40 points (12-28=40) in 39 games a season ago as a freshman.

NET DETECTORS: As the third highest scoring offense in the nation and first in the WCHA (3.77 goals per game), it's no wonder the Bulldogs boast some of the leading point-getters in the conference and country. Freshman forward Iya Gavrilova 14-18=32, 1.45) and sophomore Saara Tuominen (14-18=30, 1.50) rank No. 1 and 3, respectively, in the WCHA (and Tuominen eighth, with Gavrilova tenth in the NCAA) in point scoring. per game

Four Bulldogs have notched more than 20 points, with sophomore forward Elin Holmlov and Haley Irwin rounding out UMD's top scorers. Irwin, a freshman, has picked up 22 points (10-12=22) in just 20 games, while Holmlov has recorded 21 (8-13=21 in her 20 outings.

Four of the top 10-point scoring leaders in the WCHA are also, impressively enough, Bulldogs.

NET DEFLECTORS: Sophomore goaltender Kim Martin leads the NCAA and the WCHA with a .956 save percentage, having made 504 saves and allowing just 23 goals against. Martin also ranks fourth in the nation and first in the WCHA in goals against average (0.93 through 452:10 minutes) and winning percentage (.816, 15-3-1).

The Bulldogs, who are fourth in the NCAA, allowing just 1.45 goals a game, rank second in the country in with their impressive penalty kill. UMD has successfully thwarted 111 of 120 man disadvantages for a 92.5 percentage.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: The Bulldogs, who have ten players in the points column in double-digits, remain a team that has shared the offensive burden this season. UMD's top-producing line of Iya Gavrilova, Saara Tuominen, and Elin Holmlov have tallied 83 of the Bulldogs' 193 points between them (33-50=83).

UMD has also gotten some offensive firepower in some unsuspecting places. The Bulldogs boast six skating freshman who have posted 87 points as an underclass unit. The UMD blueliners have also chipped in, having added 50 total points.

BULLDOG NOTES: UMD will be without the services of sophomore forward Saara Tuominen for a second straight series... Tuominen is recovering from an injury sustained in the European Air Canada Cup two weeks ago against Switzerland...Tuominen had played in 59 straight games for the Bulldogs up until last weekend's series, and was one of only two freshman to play every game of her first season a year ago...UMD owns the WCHA's best road record, having racked up a 10-2-0 (.833) mark away from the DECC.

BEAVER NOTES: BSU is led in scoring by two freshman forwards, Erin Cody and Annie Bauerfeld, who have each compiled 6 points for the Beavers...Junior forward Lisa Kissick and freshman forward Julie Rising each lead Bemidji State with four goals apiece...Beaver Netminder Emily Brookshaw, a member of the U.S. U-22 Team, is three wins shy of setting BSU's all-time record for wins.

DULUTH WELCOMES THE BEST OF WOMEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY: The DECC will be the site of the 2008 WCHA Final Face-off and 2008 NCAA Frozen Four. The WCHA Final Face-off will be held March 8-9, while the Frozen Four will get underway on March 20, with the Championship game held on March 22. Tickets for both events are now available by calling the UMD Athletic Ticket Office at 218/726-8595.