UMD Women Sweep U-Conn

The Bulldogs first road trip of the season sent them out to battle their second Hockey East opponent, this weekend University of Connecticut. 

On Friday, the Dogs picked up a 5-4 victory, with 5 different players each picking up a goal.  Katie Wilson gave UMD the lead 3:53 into the game, assisted by Emma Stauber.  UConn tied the game at 16:13 with a powerplay goal by Emily Snodgrass. 

UMD took the lead back at 8:31 of the second quarter, when Vanessa Thibault scored her first of the season, from Gina Dodge and Shara Jasper.  Audrey Cournoyer’s third goal of the season, just 27 seconds later gave the ‘Dogs a 3-1 lead.  UConn’s Rebecca Hewett cut UMD’s lead to 3-2 at 13:21, but Jessica Wong made sure the Bulldogs took a two goal lead to the locker room with a goal with 6 seconds left in the second period.  Cournoyer and Wilson assisted on Wong’s goal.

Huskies’ Jocelyn Slattery cut the Bulldog lead to 4-3 with a goal 4:26.  Haley Irwin gave the Bulldogs back a two goal lead yet again, at 17:30 of the period, from Mariia Posa, which proved to be the game winner, as UConn’s Taylor Gross scored with their goaltender, Alexandra Garcia pulled for an extra attacker, at 18:37. 

 

On Saturday, the Dogs doubled up UConn in shots on goal, 48-24, and beat them on the scoreboard 6-1.  Jenna McParland picked up her first career goal at 12:16, from Irwin and Pernilla Winberg, the only goal of the period for either team.

UConn’s Sarah MacDonnell tied the game at 1, just 2:55 into the second period, but that tie was the only goal for the Huskies on the afternoon.  Jessica Wong’s 4th goal of the season, assisted by Zoe Hickel, at 5:55 of the second gave UMD the lead for good.  Mariia Posa scored her first goal of the season, from Cournoyer and Wilson at 10:46, and McParland added her second goal 58 seconds later. 

Winberg’s second goal of the season, from Irwin, and Kacy Ambroz’s first of the year, unassisted added to UMD’s lead in the third period.  Jenny Harss got the win in both games, with Lana Steck playing the final 5:58 of the Saturday game. 

The Bulldogs head back to Amsoil Arena for a series with #1 ranked Wisconsin Friday and Saturday nights’ at 7:07.

UMD Sweeps Minnesota-State Mankato

Usually I will post an entry per game, but this was an extra busy weekend!

The UMD women must have thought Saturday's game started at 4 pm... they came out flat and had a 2-0 defecit at the end of the first period on goals by Mavericks' players Emmi Leinonen and Kathleen Rogan. Whatever Shannon Miller said in the locker room woke up the Dogs, as Jessica Wong socred 50 seconds into the second period, and Pernilla Winberg tied the game less than two minutes later. Laura Fridfinnson scored the go-ahead goal (and game winner) at 13:58 and Haley Irwin finished the second period scoring at 19:04 to give UMD a 4-2 lead after the second period. Irwin scored again in the third period, the only Bulldog goal, at 15:39. Jenny Harss, medically cleared coming off of off season surgery, got the start for UMD, but was lifted after the second Mankato goal, with Kim Martin taking over in the Bulldog net. After the teams each had 11 shots on goal in the first period, UMD outshot Mankato 31-8 for the second and third periods. Both teams were 1 of 3 on powerplay chances.

On Sunday, the Dogs continued what they finished on Saturday, completing the sweep of the Mavericks at the DECC. Haley Irwin opened the scoring for UMD, scoring an unassisted goal at 7:45 of the first period. At 15:05, Gina Dodge attacked a loose puck and buried a low show between Mavericks goaltender Alli Altmann and the post for a 2-0 UMD lead after 1 period. UMD scored four goals in a span of two minutes nineteen seconds in the second period to build a 6-0 lead. Elin Holmlov scored at 4:04 from Pernilla Winberg, then returned the assist 13 seconds later as Winberg scored from Holmlov. Holmlov then scored her second goal of the game at 5:54 of the period, unassisted. 29 seconds later Katie Wilson scored the final UMD goal of the day from Laura Fridfinnson and Audrey Cournoyer. Jenny Harss got the start in goal for UMD, earning the shutout with a 26 save performance. 

Haley Irwin takes a draw against Mankato

Grand Rapids native Dana Gallop is a UMD freshman this season.

Gina Dodge finds just enough space between the goaltender and the net

UMD Women Sweep North Dakota, Move On To WCHA Final Faceoff

Click the blog title to view the game box-score!

On Saturday, with help from players not looked at to score many goals, the Bulldogs defeated the Sioux 4-1 to gain their regular trip to the WCHA Final Face Off tournament. Their opponent is yet to be decided as Bemidji State and St. Cloud State will play a third game as the two teams split their first two games.

UMD got out to a 3-0 lead, with Jocelyne Larocque scoring her second goal in as many games at 18:20 of the first period, Gina Dodge scored her 4th career goal (and of the season) 5:43 into the second period, and Sarah Murray picked up her second goal of the season 1 minute 40 seconds later to give UMD that 3-0 lead. North Dakota cut the game to a 3-1 UMD lead when Megan Gilbert scored for the Sioux at 12:11 of the second, but that was the only Sioux goal in the game.

Laura Fridfinnson scored her 20th of the season, an empty net goal with 28 seconds left to give UMD the 4-1 victory. Jenny Harss stopped 18 of the 19 shots she faced AND picked up an assist on Larocque's goal, while the Bulldogs chased Sioux starter Stephanie Ney after Murray's goal, and Dagfinrud, who played Friday finished the game for the Sioux. In total UND goaltenders stopepd 30 of 34 Bulldog shots Saturday.

Jocelyne Larocque

Gina Dodge

Sarah Murray

UMD/Bemidji Skate To 2-2 tie

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On Sunday (December 13) UMD and Bemidji skated to a 2-2 tie, and Bemidji took home the extra point via a 1-0 shootout win. UMD's Gina Dodge started the scoring by following her backhand shot with a second backhand that found it's way past Bemidji's Tomcikova into the net. Erin Cody and Erin Johnson scored second period powerplay goals for the Beavers and took a 2-1 lead into the third period.

UMD dominated the posession play in the third period, putting 18 shots on Tomcikova but only scoring once, a Mariia Posa powerplay goal that amounted to the final 2-2 score. Tomcikova stopped 44 of 46 shots, plus all three of UMD's chances in the shootout, while UMD's Jenny Harss stopped 26 of 28. Bemidji's Cody got the shootout winner to give Bemidji the extra WCHA conference point (though for overall purposes, it is an NCAA tie in the record books.)


Gina Dodge's backhand goal in the first period was her second goal of the season

Bemidji's Zuzana Tomcikova made a huge save on Katie Wilson as the third period was running out.

Beaver Erin Cody nets the shootout winner

The Bulldog women are now off on Winter break until hosting the Wisconsin Badgers January 16/17.

UMD Women Drop Game At Wisconsin 3-1

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UMD was outshot in every period, 17-2 in the first period, 14-4 in the second, and 12-8 in the third period, a total of 43-14 for the game, and lost the first game of two in Madison, 3-1. Despite the lopsided shot stats, UMD was only down 2-1 until Wisconsin's Carolyne Prévost scored an empty net goal with 5 seconds left.

Gina Dodge former Duluth Northern Star, finally scored her first career goal after a bunch of chances this season, on a powerplay that cut a 2-0 Wisconsin lead to 2-1.