UMDBulldogs.com Ohio State Series Preview

WCHA-LEADING NO. 3 BULLDOGS WELCOME OHIO STATE TO THE DECC THIS WEEKEND


The No. 3 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will look to extend its grasp on the Western Collegiate Hockey Association when it welcomes Ohio State University to the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center this weekend. The Bulldogs and Buckeyes will square off at 3:37 p.m. Saturday afternoon, before returning to the friendly confines of the DECC for a Sunday matinee at 3:07 p.m.

THE SERIES: UMD holds a dominate 30-3-4 all-time series lead over Ohio State, showcasing an impressive 14-2-1 defending the home ice of the DECC.

Just one season ago, the Bulldogs went 2-1-1 against the Buckeyes, including a rare 3-0 loss against OSU on Dec. 8, 2006 that snapped UMD's 10-game unbeaten streak against its conference foes. The Bulldogs stormed back the following game and trounced the Buckeyes 9-1.

The last time the two teams met was at Ohio State on Jan. 26-27, 2007. UMD pulled out a 5-3 victory before settling for a 1-1 overtime tie the following afternoon. Kim Martin made 63 saves in the series, and remains unbeaten against OSU in three career starts. Martin has 99 collegiate saves against the Buckeyes.

LAST WEEK: WCHA-leading UMD kept rolling in conference play by dropping then-No. 4 Wisconsin in Madison for its fifth WCHA series sweep of the season. The Bulldogs handed the Badgers a 3-1 loss Friday behind three goals from three different freshmen, with UMD stifling Wisconsin's power-play five times. The Maroon and Gold then scored just two goals in 45 seconds to convert a comeback into a 3-2 victory Saturday, thanks to freshman Iya Gavrilova, who scored both tallies.

Ohio State was idle last weekend after splitting with St. Cloud State in Columbus the weekend prior.

THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 212 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 212-60-25 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.

Jackie Barto is currently in her ninth season behind the bench of the Buckeyes. Barto has accrued a 78-130-24 record at OSU.

GAVRILOVA AND MARTIN'S AWARD SWEEPING WEEK: UMD forward Iya Gavrilova and her back-stopping teammate Kim Martin swept the U.S. College Hockey Online Player of the Week honors for Dec. 4. The pair also garnered WCHA Player of the Week nods , the eighth time in nine weeks a Bulldog has picked up the conference honor.

Gavrilova scored three goals against formerly No. 4 Wisconsin on the weekend, including both game-winners and the game-knotting goal with 25 seconds left in regulation Saturday. The freshman native of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, has scored in each of UMD's four straight wins -- with three goals and five assists over that stretch -- and is currently second on the team in assists (13) and points (20). With seven goals in 16 games, the rookie is third in that category among the Bulldogs.

Martin was twice named the USCHO.com Defensive Player of the Week as a freshman, and has been named three times this season the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts. The product of Stockholm, Sweden surrenderred only a trio of goals on 66 shots as UMD swept the Badgers this past weekend. Martin has earned each of UMD's four consecutive victories, allowing just five goals in 91 shots over that time, and holds a 1.47 GAA and .952 SV% on the season.

NET DETECTORS: As the highest scoring offense in the WCHA (3.62 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 15 assists for 23 total points. Tuominen also ranks first in assist scoring with just under an assist a game (0.94). Freshman forward Iya Gavrilova is ahead of all freshman in scoring with 20 points (7-13=20), while rookie forward Haley Irwin checks into the second spot with 17 points (8-9=17). Four of the top 10-point scoring leaders in the WCHA are also, impressively enough, Bulldogs.

TAKING OFFENSE TO THE BUCKEYES: Eight current Bulldogs have registered points against OSU during their Maroon and Gold careers. Junior forward Sara O'Toole has recorded four points, including three assists in one game (Dec. 9, 2006), while sophomore forward Saara Tuominen has scored two goals and dished two assists for four points in her first four clashes with the Buckeyes. Of the remaining six players who have tallied points against OSU, all six have posted at least two points, with junior forward Tawni Mattila having found the net twice last season against the Buckeyes in UMD's 9-1 pounding of OSU at the DECC on Dec. 9, 2006.

A TALE OF TWO COACHES: UMD head coach Shannon Miller and OSU head coach Jackie Barto both entered the WCHA at the same time, having stood behind their respective benches for nine years now. Miller has amassed a 212-60-25 record as the Bulldog skipper, including three-straight NCAA titles and an NCAA runner-up finish last season. Barto is 78-130-24 as the Buckeyes boss.

BULLDOG NOTES: UMD has opened up a three-point advantage over No. 5 Minnesota in the WCHA, and an eight-point lead over two-time defending WCHAChampion and No. 7-ranked Badgers...Sophomore center Saara Tuominen continues to lead the WCHA and UMD with with 23 points (8-15=23), which ranks her No. 13th nationally with a 1.44 points per game average...Iya Gavrilova, who ranks fourth in the country among rookie scorers (7-13=20), is currently in the midst of a four-game scoring streak...Emmanuelle Blais joins Gavrilova by posting a four-game scoring streak of her own...Two other Bulldogs have run up three game scoring streaks (Elin Holmlov and Myriam Trepanier)...The Bulldogs are 6-1-1 (.812) at the DECC so far this season.

BUCKEYE NOTES: OSU is lead by a pair of seniors who have each racked up 20 points in 16 games...Forward Erin Keys (10-10=20) and defenseman Tessa Bonhomme (7-13=20)...Keys is one of only two players in the WCHA heading into this weekend that has tallied 10 or more goals...Bonhomme is tied for the No. 1 spot in the nation among all defensemen in scoring, averaging 1.25 points per game, and is the top returning Buckeye with the most luck against the Bulldogs, having posted seven points on three goals and four assists in her career against UMD.


THAT'S THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT: In an effort to help out the Iron Range Food Shelves, the University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will hold a food collection drive during both its men's and women's hockey series this weekend at the DECC. Anyone bringing a non-perishable food item to either of the two men's games with the University of Alaska Anchorage or the two women's afternoon matchups against THE Ohio State University will receive a discounted ticket certificate and concession coupon to the men's Dec. 14 game with the U.S. Under-18 Team.