THE SERIES: UMD holds a 30-6-1 all-time lead over the Huskies, including a 16-1 tab at the DECC (and 18-2 overall in Duluth). The Huskies one and only win at the DECC, (they beat the Bulldogs at Mars Lakeview Arena last year on Feb. 24, 2006 3-1 in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs) was Feb. 24, 2002, when St. Cloud State handed UMD a 3-0 defeat on its home ice.
The Bulldogs and Huskies (16-11-5) opened the 2007-08 season in St. Cloud to the Maroon and Gold's favor, posting two shutouts to sweep its first WCHA team of the season. UMD picked up a 3-0 victory on Oct. 5th, and then blanked St. Cloud State on Oct. 6th by a tally of 8-0. Nine Bulldogs registered a point in the series, with sophomore Saara Tuominen notching two goals and three assists. Goaltender Kim Martin, who was named the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week following her stellar performance in St. Cloud, made 61 saves in 119:27 minutes of action.
LAST WEEKEND: UMD (25-4-1, 22-4-0) was idle over the weekend.
THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 225 wins and has never won fewer than 20 games in a season, 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 225-61-25 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.
St. Cloud State is led by second-year head coach Jeff Giesen. Giesen has tallied a 28-27-12 mark in two seasons behind the Husky bench, and is 1-9-0 in ten outings against the Bulldogs.
A MATTER OF RECORDS: The Bulldogs are on the verge of erasing a few of their past program records. UMD already rewrote the books earlier in the season when they rolled through the opening four games of the year without allowing a goal for the first time in program history. The Maroon and Gold then tallied a school-best 16-game winning streak from Nov. 24rd through Feb. 2nd, and tied a 1999-00 mark for most WCHA series swept in regular season play with 10.
One Bulldog victory this weekend would set a new UMD record for most WCHA wins in a year. The current record of 22 was set during the 2004-05 season. A Bulldog sweep would tie a school all-time high of 27 regular triumphs in a year, as well as set the new program benchmark for most WCHA series swept in a season (11).
THE CAPTAIN RETURNS: Sophomore captain forward Saara Tuominen, who last suited up for the Bulldogs on Dec. 15, will return to the ice this weekend in a UMD jersey. Tuominen, who was leading the Bulldogs in scoring when she was injured in the European Air Canada Cup the first week in January, had scored 30 points (11g, 19a) in just 20 games this season.
WHO WILL BE CROWNED THE CHAMPS? The Bulldogs hold an advantage heading into the last weekend of regular season WCHA play. With a one point lead over Minnesota, a UMD series sweep would assure the title champions would be crowned in Duluth Sunday, no matter what the result of the Badger-Gopher showdown in Minneapolis. A UMD split would complicate matters, through, and would force the Bulldogs to rely on a Wisconsin-Minnesota series split. A UMD split and a Gopher sweep would result in a Minnesota regular season WCHA title.
The Bulldogs have twice been hailed the WCHA Regular Season Champions (2003 and 2001) in their nine-year history, but have never raised the trophy in Duluth.
SNIPERS AND STREAKERS: Three Bulldogs are in individual races for the 2007-08 WCHA Scoring and Goaltending Championships. The two awards are based on conference games only, and players must have competed in a minimum of 33% of their team's minutes.
Freshman forward Haley Irwin is currently on top of the league scoring race with 39 points (15g, 24a). Right behind Irwin is Minnesota's Gigi Marvin, who is sitting at 37 points, with Bulldog freshman forward Iya Gavrilova in third with 34.
Gavrilova still has a 14-game scoring streak intact, while Irwin is joined by fellow freshman forward Laura Fridfinnson in the midst of seven-game scoring tabs in their own right.
Between the WCHA pipes, netminder Kim Martin trails only Wisconsin's Jessie Vetter (1.38, 1439:26) in the goaltending race. Martin owns a 1.46 goals against average in 1187:48 minutes of action.
Martin, who now has 33 wins in 47 appearances for her career, is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA with a .952 save percentage, allowing just 33 goals in 655 shots against her.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING: Freshman forward Iya Gavrilova just edges out Haley Irwin in the national statistics as the sixth ranked scorer in the country with 1.58 points per game (Irwin is ranked 7th with 1.46). Gavrilova and Irwin are the No. 1 and 2 rookie scorers in the nation with 41 points each.
The Bulldogs as a whole own the No. 3 scoring offense in the NCAA and the leading scoring attack in the WCHA, averaging 4.03 goals a contest. UMD is also the second ranked penalty kill in the nation, having deflated 138-of-149 of opponents power-play attempts for a 92.6 success rate.
CLICK and go read the entire preview
I've received a few emails and a blog comment asking why there hasn't been any Iya Gavrilova blog entries concerning the investigation into her eligibility. Well, I decided that to really be fair, the best thing to do is wait until either Iya, Coach Miller, UMD, or the NCAA gives us some FACTS, so there's some real information to comment about.
The one thing I will say is that the NCAA needs to expedite any decision and soon, because the WCHA playoffs are coming, and if UMD's wins are voided it would completely change the WCHA and NCAA playoff pictures.
So, when there is concrete information from any of the sides, and a decision on what's going to happen, I'll give my opinions about it :)
College women's hockey: UMD’s win streak snapped
Andy Greder Duluth News Tribune
Published Saturday, February 09, 2008
Being sick is never fun.
But being sick when you’re supposed to be playing your best hockey just makes the illness worse.
With eight Minnesota Duluth players battling the flu, the third-ranked Bulldogs saw their school-record 16-game winning streak snapped in a 3-2 defeat to fifth-ranked Wisconsin in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s game Friday at the DECC.
After taking a 1-0 lead, the Badgers (21-6-2 overall, 17-4-2 WCHA) answered both UMD goals with another score.
The Bulldogs (24-4-1, 21-4) tied it at 1 in the second period when freshman Laura Fridfinnson lifted a shot past Wisconsin goalie Jessie Vetter. UMD knotted it again at 2 when sophomore Emmanuelle Blais scored at 4:52 in the third period.
“They had three or four shifts when they really came at us,” Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson said. “We just found a way to win.”
Wisconsin increased its winning streak to 11 with Kayla Hagen’s game-winning goal at 10:26 in the third.
UMD outshot the Badgers 29-24, including 14-6 in the third period, but the Bulldogs converted only 1-of-8 power plays.
“I thought we had a lot of good chances, though,” UMD coach Shannon Miller said of the power plays. “That’s the difference right there.”
The Bulldogs got seven of their eight sick players back Friday, with the exception of freshman Iya Gavrilova. Friday’s pregame skate was the first time everyone skated together this week.
“We didn’t have the energy,” Miller said. “They really [were] giving what they have. The energy is low. It’s not because they aren’t excited to play Wisconsin; it’s with that many people getting over the flu or that shouldn’t even be playing.”
The sick ward included Elin Holmlov, Kim Martin, Karine Demeule, Haley Irwin, Heidi Pelttari, Emmanuelle Blais and Libby Guzzo.
“Some of the kids that played tonight probably wish they had a couple more days [of rest],” Miller said.
Demeule, a senior captain, saw positives in the loss.
“After winning 16 games, it boosted our confidence,” Demeule said. “This game against a great team showed we can play hard when we aren’t our best.”
The Bulldogs were stuffed by Vetter and the Badgers, who rank second in the nation with 1.21 goals-against per game.
“Didn’t you see that sheet of Plexiglas we had behind the net?” joked Johnson. “The best penalty killer is the goalie. They had some flurries, but she was up to the task.”
Vetter finished with 27 saves, while Martin had 21 stops for UMD.
The Bulldogs were able to sweep Vetter and the Badgers on Nov. 30-Dec. 1 behind late-game heroics from Gavrilova, who scored two goals in two minutes for the overtime win Dec. 1. Wisconsin beat UMD 4-1 for the 2007 national championship on March 18.
The two teams will play at 7:07 p.m. today to conclude the series.
STREAKING BULLDOGS AND BADGERS TO WRANGLE FOR WCHA TITLE FRIDAY AT THE DECC
In a series that could crown the Western Collegiate Hockey Association champion, the No. 3 University of Minnesota Duluth is set for a collision course with the No. 5 University of Wisconsin in the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center Friday and Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. The Bulldogs are perched at the top of the WCHA, eight points in front of the Badgers. UMD will head into the series with a nation-best 16-game winning streak, while UW will bring to Duluth a 10-game winning string of its own. In this showdown of WCHA powers, one team will be forced to abandon its winning streak Friday night after the ice has settled.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs will put a 19-14-6 all-time record on display against the Badgers this weekend, including a 7-7-2 showing at the DECC. UMD has not beaten Wisconsin in Duluth since they won back-to-back games on November 5-6, 2004.
UMD swept the Badgers in Madison back on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The Bulldogs handed UW a 3-1 loss on Nov. 30 behind three goals from three different freshmen, with UMD stifling Wisconsin's power-play five times. The Maroon and Gold then scored two goals in just 45 seconds to convert a comeback into a 3-2 victory on Dec. 1, thanks to freshman Iya Gavrilova, who scored both tallies.
click the title to go read the rest!
I'm a couple days behind with this but:
University of Minnesota Duluth freshman forward Haley Irwin, who has already earned Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Week honors three times this season, was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for her effort against Ohio State over the weekend. Irwin tallied three goals and three assists for six points to help the No. 3 Bulldogs sweep the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio.
The native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, scored a goal and dished up three assists in UMD's 6-2 final in Friday night. Irwin then stepped up in the absence of the Bulldogs' first liners and scored two goals, including the game-tying tally the following evening in UMD's 3-2 late-contest win. The rookie, who trails only teammate Iya Gavrilova as the leading rookie scorer in the nation and the WCHA, has scored six points in her last two series (4-8=12). Irwin has compiled 36 points (15g, 21a) in 26 outings this season.
Irwin and the Bulldogs will host No. 5 Wisconsin at the DECC in a battle for WCHA supremacy Friday and Saturday night. The puck drops on the action at 7:07
College women's hockey: Larocque’s clutch goal helps ’Dogs edge Ohio State
News Tribune, Duluth News Tribune
Published Sunday, February 03, 2008
The freshman class continues to shine for Minnesota Duluth.
Saturday’s star was Joss Larocque.
The defender from Winnipeg, Manitoba, scored the game-winning goal at 18:10 of the third period to boost the Bulldogs past Ohio State 3-2 in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game at the OSU Ice Rink in Columbus, Ohio.
“Our entire first line was out,” UMD coach Shannon Miller said of the injured or sick absences of Iya Gavrilova, Saara Tuominen and Elin Holmlov. “We just had to get a win3-2, 2-1, whatever, and we did it.”
UMD beat the Buckeyes 6-2 Friday night behind two goals from freshman winger Laura Fridfinnson.
The third-ranked Bulldogs (24-3-1, 21-3 WCHA) have won 16 straight games.
Larocque has been in UMD’s top defensive pair since the start of the season and has registered three goals and 15 assists.
Fellow freshman Haley Irwin scored the other two goals for UMD. The freshman center from Thunder Bay, Ontario, scored on a breakaway at 6:10 of the second period to tie the score at 1.
Mallory Peckels scored a short-handed goal as Ohio State took a 2-1 lead at 9:27 of the third.
Irwin scored her second goal of the game at 10:03 to tie the game at 2 before Larocque won it.
Ohio State (12-13-3, 7-12-3) had a 38-30 shot advantage, with a 14-5 edge and a 1-0 lead after one period.
UMD goalie Kim Martin made 36 saves, and Deidre Facklis had 27 stops for the Buckeyes.
Saturday’s late game-winner was the second time the Bulldogs have staved off defeat in 2008. Senior captain Karine Demeule scored with six seconds left as the Bulldogs edged Minnesota State-Mankato 2-1 on Jan. 11.
As always I'll copy/paste the News Tribune article when its' up, but Laura Fridfinnson socred the game winning goal at 18:10 of the third period to give UMD the sweep over Ohio State.
Haley Irwin tied the game at 2 at 10:03 of the second period, just 36 seconds after UMD gave up a short handed goal to Mallory Peckels.
College women's hockey: Fridfinnson leads UMD to 15th consecutive win
NEWS TRIBUNE
Published Saturday, February 02, 2008
Winger Laura Fridfinnson has been an overlooked player in Minnesota Duluth’s stellar freshman class.
While Iya Gavrilova and Haley Irwin are No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in freshman scoring, Fridfinnson has been a consistent player on UMD’s second line.
Fridfinnson, from Arborg, Manitoba, scored two goals to lead the third-ranked Bulldogs over Ohio State 6-2 Friday night in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game at OSU Ice Rink in Columbus, Ohio.
“[Fridfinnson] is a very talented freshman,” UMD coach Shannon Miller said. “It took some time for her to get going, and now she is doing well.”
With the win, UMD improved its school-record winning streak to 15 games.
While Gavrilova leads the team with 40 points and Irwin is second with34 points, Fridfinnson has contributed 10 goals and13 assists for 23 points in27 games.
The WCHA-leading Bulldogs (23-3-1, 20-3 WCHA) scored four straight goals to break a 2-2 second-period tie.
In the first 26 minutes, the Bulldogs scored and the Buckeyes quickly answered.
Fridfinnson scored the game’s first goal in the first period, and Ohio State tiedit in the second period.Irwin gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead, and the Buckeyes tied it within three minutes.
The Bulldogs won despite the absence of first-line players Gavrilova, who was out with the flu, and Saara Tuominen, who remains out with a torn knee ligament. Elin Holmlov played sparingly withflu-like symptoms.
UMD held a 44-28shot edge, including a36-17 advantage through two periods.
Kim Martin made26 saves for UMD, while Liana Bonanno had 38 stops for the Buckeyes (12-12-3,7-11-3).
Karine Demeule, Emmanuelle Blais and Sara O’Toole also scored for UMD.
The Bulldogs converted on two of five power plays, and Ohio State was 1-for-6.
WCHA Rookie of the Week
Haley Irwin, Fr., F, University of Minnesota Duluth
Haley Irwin, a freshman from Thunder Bay, Ontario, scored a goal and added five assists for six points in the University of Minnesota Duluth's WCHA sweep over North Dakota over the weekend.
Irwin dished out four assists in last Friday's (Jan. 25) 8-1 scoring spree, and then netted the first goal of the game and another assist in last Saturday's 5-0 UMD victory.
Irwin, who has now recorded two goals and eight assists for 10 points in her last three outings, has scored 31 points, the second highest on the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs squad, making her the second highest scoring rookie in the nation.
Others nominated this week were: Emily West, F, Minnesota
Nina Tikkinen, F, Minnesota State, Nikki Hebert, F, North Dakota
Teal Bishop, D, Ohio State
and Mallory Deluce, F, Wisconsin.
The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team is enrolled in mental toughness training.
Coach Shannon Miller conducts the course with the hopes of focusing on teams at the bottom of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The class includes reading material with quotes on preparation and commitment, and a list of player goals.
“The ability to be disciplined enough to stick to the game plan, no matter what the circumstance,” the reading material says. “And control yourself, rather than being controlled by the situation. The ability to not be distracted, disturbed or knocked off your intended course.”
The first-place Bulldogs weren’t distracted Saturday night against North Dakota in a 5-0 victory to sweep the WCHA series at the DECC. The Bulldogs downed the Sioux 8-1 Friday.
The recipe for a letdown has loomed as the No. 3-rated Bulldogs — winners of 14 straight — played last-place Bemidji State Jan. 18-19 and seventh-place North Dakota (4-20-4 overall, 4-16-2 WCHA). The Bulldogs are 20-1 all-time against the Sioux and 37-0-1 against the Beavers.
“We can’t take any opponent for granted,” said UMD’s Joss Larocque. “We did that with Minnesota and after that we don’t take anyone lightly. We’ve done a great job of that and 14 wins shows it.”
UMD (22-3-1, 19-3) is 1-3 against the Gophers and hasn’t lost since Nov. 18.
“Since we’ve been talking about mental toughness, our team is recognizing situations where they need to be mentally tough,” Miller said. “It is one of the reasons we are having success.”
To preempt a possible letdown, the players’ goals are tailored to focus on each game.
“Personal greatness is not determined by the size of the job, but by the size of the effort one puts into the job,” the goal sheet says.
The Bulldogs have met their goals with a breakout period in each of the past four games.
Against Bemidji State, UMD scored three goals in the second period of a 5-1 win Jan. 18 and four goals in the first period in a 6-1 victory Jan. 19. A four-goal second period opened up Friday’s drubbing.
On Saturday, UMD scored all of its goals in the second period.
Freshman forward Haley Irwin scored a power-play rebound goal at 2:26 for a 1-0 lead. Iya Gavrilova and Karine Demeule scored goals in the 10th minute. Elin Holmlov and Laura Fridfinnson added scores late in the period.
UMD is the highest-scoring team in the country at 4.12 goals per game.
“They understand momentum,” North Dakota head coach Brian Idalski said of UMD. “When they have someone on the ropes, they know how to finish. They are very successful at that.”
The Bulldogs had a 45-15 shot advantage, including an 18-4 edge in the lopsided second period.
“We’ve been able to pop in goals right away,” Irwin said. “We didn’t do it at the start [Saturday], but we got one and they started to come.”
Late in the third period, the Bulldogs and Sioux got into a scrum. Irwin landed a few gloved punches to the helmet of the Sioux’s Ashley Lynch. The fracas sent six players, three from each team, to the penalty box. Players on the two teams also fought Friday.
UMD converted on two of seven power plays, while holding North Dakota scoreless on three player advantages.
UMD plays at Ohio State (12-11-3) at 6:07 p.m. Friday and 3:07 p.m. Saturday. The Bulldogs return home Feb. 8-9 to play second-place Wisconsin.
The News Tribune really didn't have that much in it for Friday's game so I'll skip posting that, other than to say Elin Holmlov was credited with the hat trick in Friday's game.
Today's game was all UMD, winning 5-0 with all of their goals coming in the second period.
North Dakota's women's team is brutal. This of course is my own opinion... They cut Samantha Bowers, who always took a huge number of penalties, before the season, and still managed to take an amazing 23 penalties for 46 minutes on the weekend.
Iya Gavrilova continued her amazing point scoring streak with her 19th goal in tonight's series finale. If she doesn't win the WCHA rookie of the year there's something wrong with the voting for that award.
After a 1-0 first period, UMD took it to the Sioux in the second and third periods to win 8-1. Jessica Hawkins got her first goal of the season, with Erin Olson receiving her first point (an assist) on Hawkins goal.
Elin Holmlov scored twice, Haley Irwin picked up four assists, and Iya Gavrilova continued her torrid scoring pace with one goal and two assists.
View the rest of the scoring over at Collegehockeystats.net. I'll post the News Tribune story tomorrow night.
UMD came out a little slow in the first period, but whatever was said during the first intermission was perfect and the team picked up their play from the opening faceoff of the second period.
With Erin Olson getting an assist on the Jessica Hawkins goal, Libby Guzzo remains the only skater (non-goalie) to get at least an assist.
Click on the blog title to see the page.
The No. 3 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will look to extend its program record of 12 straight wins in the confines of the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center this weekend when the Bulldogs host the University of North Dakota. UMD, which will return to its home ice for the first time since Dec. 9, 2007, will face the Sioux Friday and Saturday night with 7:07 p.m. starts each evening.
THE SERIES: UMD, which currently holds the NCAA's longest winning streak with 12 victories, owns a 18-1-0 advantage over the Sioux (4-18-4, 4-12-2), including a current nine-game winning streak against UND.
The Bulldogs swept the Sioux earlier this season in Grand Forks, N.D., by scores of 9-2 (Nov.3) and 3-2 (Nov. 4). Freshman forward Haley Irwin notched two goals and four assists in the series to earn WCHA Rookie of Week honors the following week, and classmate Iya Gavrilova earned her first career hat trick in the 9-2 rout of UND on Nov. 3.
The one and only time UMD has ever dropped a contest to the Sioux was in the DECC on Feb. 11, 2006 when North Dakota snapped a nine-game winless streak against the Bulldogs, handing them a 2-0 setback.
LAST WEEK: UMD (20-3-1, 17-3-0) kept their grasp on the WCHA lead and stayed seven points ahead of the rest of the field by earning their eighth conference sweep of the season against Bemidji State this past weekend. The Bulldogs bit the Beavers 5-1 Friday night behind Iya Gavrilova’s second career hat trick, and brought out the brooms Saturday afternoon in a 6-1 win in Bemidji, Minn. Sophomore forward Elin Holmlov had two goals and an assist in Saturday’s offensive outburst, while eight UMD players logged a point on the afternoon. The Bulldogs have scored 23 goals in four skates with BSU this season.
Saturday’s win set a new program record of 12-straight wins for the Bulldogs, while Gavrilova tied a UMD record Friday when she scored a goal in her ninth consecutive contest, a feat only Maroon and Gold alums Jenny Potter and Hanne Sikio have reached.
The Sioux hosted No. 4 Minnesota last weekend in Grand Forks, suffering two setbacks in the process. UND was defeated 4-1 Friday night and 2-1 Saturday for its third consecutive loss.
THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 220 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 220-60-25 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.
North Dakota is guided by first year head coach Brian Idalski. Idalski was the head coach at UW-Stevens Point for five years prior to taking over the Sioux.
TWO FOR THE SHOW: 14 weeks, 14 Western Collegiate Hockey Association accolades.
Elin Holmlov and Iya Gavrilova were the latest UMD women's hockey players honored by the conference this past Tuesday, as Holmlov was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for second time this season, and Gavrilova reeled in WCHA Rookie of the Week honors, her third conference award this season.
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 twelve games (13-12=25), games which have all been Bulldog wins, including six goals 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 37 (17-20=37), Gavrilova also tied a UMD record last Friday when she scored a goal in her ninth consecutive contest. The record was originally set by two former Bulldog Olympians, Jenny Potter (Dec. 7, 2002 - Jan. 25, 2003) and Hanne Sikio (Oct. 8, 1999 - Nov. 20, 1999), putting Gavrilova, an Olympian herself, in some fairly elite company.
The NCAA's leading rookie scorer by a gap of 12 points, Gavrilova now holds the No. 9 spot of UMD's Top-10 Rookie Scorers with 37 points through 24 outings, just three short of tying injured linemate Saara Tuominen, who racked up 40 points (12-28=40) in 39 games a season ago as a freshman.
NET DETECTORS: As the second highest scoring offense in the nation and first in the WCHA (3.92 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 17-20=37, 1.54) ranks No. 1 in the WCHA and eighth nationally, while sidelined sophomore Saara Tuominen (14-18=30, 1.50) still ranks No. 4, respectively, in the WCHA and tenth in the NCAA, despite not having worn a Bulldog jersey since Dec. 9, 2006.
Four Bulldogs have notched more than 20 points, with sophomore forward Elin Holmlov and freshman Haley Irwin rounding out UMD's top scorers with 25 points each. Holmlov and Irwin have identical scoring summaries, having recorded 11g and 14a in 22 games played.
Four of the top eight 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 517 saves and allowing just 24 goals against. Martin also ranks third in the nation and first in the WCHA in goals against average (1.30 through 1109:31 minutes) and winning percentage (.833, 17-3-1).
The Bulldogs, who are fourth in the NCAA, allowing just 1.42 goals a game, rank second in the country in with their impressive penalty kill. UMD has successfully thwarted 118 of 127 man disadvantages for a 92.9 percentage.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: The Bulldogs, who have eleven players in the points column in double-digits (more than any other WCHA team), remain a team that has shared the offensive burden this season. Three players, Iya Gavrilova, Elin Holmlov and Saara Tuominen, have registered 99 points together, including 39 of UMD's 94 goals.
UMD has gotten some offensive firepower in some unsuspecting places. The Bulldogs boast six skating freshman who have posted 99 points as an underclass unit. The UMD blueliners have also chipped in, having added 54 total points.
MISSING CAPTAIN: UMD will be without the services of sophomore forward Saara Tuominen for a third straight series. Tuominen is recovering from an injury sustained in the European Air Canada Cup three weeks ago against Switzerland. The captain from Ylojarvi, Finland, had played in 59 straight games for the Bulldogs up until her injury, and was one of only two freshman to play every game of her first season a year ago.
A MATTER OF ROAD RECORD: UMD sports the WCHA's best road record, having racked up a 10-2-0 (.833) mark away from the DECC. The Bulldogs have played a conference-most 14 away contests, but still remain faithful to the DECC with a 8-1-1 (.850) standing on home ice heading into this weekends showdown with the Sioux.
BULLDOG NOTES: Along with Iya Gavrilova, two other Bulldogs are managing current scoring streaks...Senior forward Karine Demeule is in the midst of a career-best four-game scoring run, while freshman defenseman Jocelyne Larocque has tied her first-year high of three games with a point scored.
SIOUX NOTES: North Dakota is coming off a home sweep at the hands of Minnesota...Junior forward Melissa Jaques leads the Sioux with 16 points (9-7=16) in 26 skates so far this season...Sophomore Brittany Kirkham has stood between the pipes in all 26 contests for UND, collecting 1510:29 minutes of ice time in the process...Cassandra Flanagan, a sophomore defenseman, has committed 29 infractions for 58 penalty minutes.
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.
Published Sunday, January 20, 2008
Amid subzero temperatures, Minnesota Duluth has the hottest winning streak in team history.
UMD won its record 12th straight game behind a four-goal first period in a 6-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association victory Saturday afternoon over Bemidji State at John S. Glas Fieldhouse in frigid Bemidji, Minn.
The second-ranked Bulldogs (20-3-1, 17-3 WCHA) topped the 11-game winning streak from the 1999-2000 season. UMD hasn’t lost since Nov. 18 to Minnesota. The Bulldogs beat the Beavers5-1 Friday night.
“That is awesome,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller as she first heard about the record-setting streak. “I will have to tell the team. It is mostly due to great goaltending, good team chemistry and work ethic. That is very exciting.”
UMD also has winning streaks of 10 games, nine games and five eight-game runs during its nine-year history. The 1999-2000 run expanded to a 21-gameunbeaten mark.
Sophomore Elin Holmlov, who has centered the first line in the absence of injuredforward Saara Tuominen, scored two goals in the first five minutes as UMD burst to a 3-0 lead.
UMD, which leads the WCHA with 34 points, peppered the Beavers with a44-7 shots advantage, including a21-2 assault in the second period.
“We had tremendous speed in our offensive attack,” Miller said. “We used all of our people in the offensive zone and had a lot of creative attacks.”
UMD freshman standout Iya Gavrilova had her nine-game goal-scoring streak snapped. The streak tied a school record.
Laura Fridfinnson, Haley Irwin, Myriam Trepanier and Tara Gray also scored for UMD.
Julie Rising scored the lone goal for Bemidji State (4-19-3, 1-17-2).
FINALLY, The UMD Women return home this week for two games against North Dakota! They haven't played at the DECC since December 8th/9th's sweep against Ohio State.
Iya Gavrilova put her name beside twoformer Minnesota Duluth greats Friday night against Bemidji State.
The freshman from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, tied Jenny Potter and Hanne Sikio with a school-record, nine-game goal-scoring streak.
Gavrilova had a hat trick as the second-ranked Bulldogs disposed of the Beavers 5-1 in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game at John S. Glas Fieldhouse in Bemidji, Minn.
With the win, the Bulldogs (19-3-1, 16-3 WCHA) tied aprogram-record 11-game winning streak from the 1999-2000 season.
Potter (1999-2000, 2002-04) and Sikio (1999-2003) each scored more than 200 points in their careers. Gavrilova has a team-high 35 points in 23 games, including a point in 11 straight contests.
“That is in great company,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller on Gavrilova’s accomplishment. “Jenny Potter, from Team USA, is one the best to play at UMD. And Hanne Sikio, from Team Finland, is right up there. Iya is with the best.”
Jaime Rasmussen and Elin Holmlov also scored for WCHA-leading UMD.
“Elin Holmlov has been playing fantastic,” Miller said. “She puts the puck on Iya’s stick a lot. Elin is instrumental in a lot of the goals that Iya scores.”
Goalie Emily Brookshaw stopped 42 shots for last-place Bemidji State (4-18-3, 1-16-2), while Kim Martin had 13 saves in two periods, and Johanna Ellison had eight stops in one period for the Bulldogs.
UMD lost second-line winger Emmanuelle Blais, who suffered a concussion when she crashed into the net.
UMD converted on two power plays and kept Bemidji State scoreless on four player advantages.
Iya Gavrilova was better than the boys.
As a kid forward in her hometown of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, she not only skated on the boys team, but she also played on the first line. Her role in the lineup angered some parents, so the coach appeased their ire and moved her to the lower lines.
Did she deserve to be a starter? “Yeah,” she says proudly.
Iya Gavrilova (pronounced: EE-ah Gov-REE-lowva) has continued to stand out as a freshman for Minnesota Duluth. The 5-foot-7, 20-year-old winger has 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) during UMD’s current 10-game winning streak.
Gavrilova takes an eight-game goal-scoring run and a team-leading 32 points into today’s series opener at Bemidji State.
Playing against the boys in Krasnoyarsk, a Siberian city of 900,000 people about 2,500 miles southeast of Moscow, helped Gavrilova develop her skills.
“The boys play faster and I got stronger playing with them,” said Gavrilova, who stated playing hockey with the guidance of her father, Viktor, at age 8.
Gavrilova is on the Russian national team and played five years of professional hockey in Moscow from age 14-19.
Former UMD player Kristina Petrovskaia (2001-03) plays with Gavrilova on the Russian national team and tipped UMD coach Shannon Miller to Gavrilova’s talent.
Miller went to the 2007 World Championships in Winnipeg to scout Gavrilova.
“What I saw was great game instinct, great hands and natural offensive ability,” Miller said. “I saw she could be a playmaker and a goal-scorer. Basically, she is someone that has a gift, so I got really excited.”
Miller said Gavrilova was one of the fastest verbal commitments and one of the most difficult to get to Duluth.
“It was a nightmare,” Miller said. “I spent all summer on it. First off, we’d FedEx a letter of intent to Moscow and it would get stolen. We’d send it again and it would get stolen. The third time we sent it, she got it. We are talking about two months. It was ridiculous.”
After she signed the letter of intent, Gavrilova needed to get accepted into UMD and apply for a travel visa. Overall, the process took from April to September and Gavrilova missed the first week of school.
Gavrilova didn’t speak English and needed Petrovskaia to translate e-mails from Miller.
“If I didn’t know Kristina Petrovskaia and she didn’t talk to me, I wouldn’t be here,” Gavrilova said. “She was key for me to come here.”
Gavrilova, an exercise science major, has begun to learn English and has loosened up around teammates.
“For the first month, she wouldn’t talk,” Miller said. “She would listen and nod if she understood. She [had] tutors for two classes, but does very well in school.”
Myriam Trepanier, Gavrilova’s roommate, said her fervor rubs off on the Bulldogs.
“She has the most enthusiasm on the team,” said Trepanier, a junior defender. “On the ice, she has so much fun and it reflects on everyone on the team. She has so much fun it is unbelievable.”
Gavrilova’s coming-out moment was Dec. 1 against Wisconsin, the two-time defending national champions. She scored the game-tying goal with 25 seconds left in the third period and netted a breakaway 15 seconds into overtime for a stunning 3-2 win in Madison.
“She is coming up with big goals in big games for us — at the right moment,” Miller said. “She is a big part of our success, no question.”
Gavrilova has six game-winning goals and is the nation’s leading rookie scorer with 14 goals and 18 assists. Her 32 points rank ninth on the school’s all-time rookie scoring list. She is on pace to score 47 points, which would place her fifth in school history.
“She is able to read the ice well and find her linemates,” Trepanier said. “She knows — when she looks at players in front of her — what to do to beat her and she is quick enough to do it.”
The Bulldogs (18-3-1 overall, 15-3 conference) have a seven-point lead in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, but they lost Gavrilova’s linemate, Saara Tuominen, to injury. The sophomore center and captain was tied with Gavrilova with 30 points entering the winter break, but Tuominen tore a knee ligament in the European Air Canada Cup and will be out at least 6-8 weeks.
“With Saara Tuominen out, [Gavrilova] has a bigger role to play,” Trepanier said. “If she keeps going, it will be a big help for us.”
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.
The third period was kind to Minnesota Duluth in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s series against Minnesota State-Mankato.
The Bulldogs used four third-period goals to sweep the Mavericks with a 5-2 win Saturday night at All Seasons Arena in Mankato, Minn.
UMD (18-3-1, 15-3 WCHA) staved off defeat Friday with two goals in the final three minutes to win 2-1.
“We played a more compete game [Saturday],” UMD coach Shannon Miller said. “We didn’t register goals early, but we played harder.”
The WCHA-leading Bulldogs have won 10 straight games and 13 of their last 14.
Sophomore forward Emmanuelle Blais rebounded from a Friday benching to score two goals, including the game-tying goal at 8:02 of the third period.
“[Assistant coach] Caroline [Ouellette] did some video work with [Blais] and she was excellent [Saturday],” UMD coach Shannon Miller said.
Second-ranked UMD took the lead 16 seconds later, at 8:18, when Karine Demeule found the back of the net.
Haley Irwin and Iya Gavrilova also added final period goals for the Bulldogs.
“I thought the line of Haley Irwin, Emmanuelle Blais and Laura Fridfinnson were the best line [Saturday] and led the way,” Miller said.
Kim Martin had 20 saves for the Bulldogs, while former Cloquet-Esko-Carlton goalie Paige Thunder had26 stops for the Mavericks.
Amanda Stohr and Christina Lee each scored for the sixth-place Mavericks (5-12-1, 6-15-1).
The Bulldogs were 1-for-3 on the power play and 6-for-6 on penalty kill.
After getting benched part of Friday's game, Emmanuelle Blais scored twice in the sweep of Minnesota State Mankato.. aka the Mad Cows.. aka The Landcows.. etc
Laura Fridfinnson and Jocelyne Larocque each picked up three assists, while Haley Irwin and Myriam Trepanier each has two assists.
Karine Demeuele scored her 9th of the season and second straight game winning goal.
Even though she lost the game, congrats to Paige Thunder getting her first collegiate start (she did play a period and half in relief against UMD at the DECC earlier in the season.)
Success often follows hard work.
Minnesota Duluth learned that lesson Friday night against Minnesota State-Mankato in aWestern Collegiate Hockey Association game.
The Bulldogs were outworked through two periods as the Mavericks held a 26-17 shot advantage and a 1-0 lead.
In the third period, UMD rallied behind Karine Demeule’s game-winning goal at 19:54 for a 2-1 win at All Seasons Arena in Mankato, Minn.
“It should have been 3-0 after two periods because our team must have left their work ethic at home after the Christmas break,” UMD coach Shannon Miller said.
Second-ranked UMD (17-3-1,14-3 WCHA) fought back in the third period with a 16-7 shot advantage, including Iya Gavrilova’s game-tying goal at 17:43.
“In the third, after we made some line changes and I [benched] a player [Emmanuelle Blais], we had success and won because we worked,” Miller said.
Maggie Fisher scored at 18:27 in the second period for a1-0 lead, but the unranked Mavericks fell to 6-14-1, 5-11-1.
“We weren’t working,” Miller said. “We are second in the country and everyone is excited to be back, which is good, but we acted like we were at a party. This is business, and we have work to do.”
Sophomore defender Heidi Pelttari set up senior forward Demeule for the game-winner.
After a 26-day layoff, Miller didn’t expect UMD’s first game back to be attractive.
“I didn’t expect it to be pretty, but I expected to work,” Miller said. “You get good things in life if you work.”
Iya Gavrilova tied the game at 17:43 of the third period, and Karine Demeule scored the game winner with SIX seconds left on the clock as the Bulldogs started 2008 with a WIN in Mankato. There's no UMDBulldogs.com story yet, so I'll post the News Tribune story tomorrow night, along with tomorrow's game results. Click on the blog title and visit the game's stat box from collegehockeystats.net
The complete USCHO.COM rankings as of today, January 7.
1 New Hampshire (12)
2 Minnesota-Duluth (1)
3 Harvard (2)
4 Mercyhurst
5 Minnesota
6 Wisconsin
7 St. Lawrence
8 Dartmouth
9 St. Cloud State
10 Connecticut
Click the title to go view how the rank/points went down.
From the HockeyCanada.ca game stats page, Canada fell behind 2-0, and after two periods the game was tied at 4. Haley Irwin scored the game tying goal in the second to take Canada to the intermission. If there were a tourney stats page I'd post total points for Bulldogs involved in the tournament.
Kim Martin dropped a game to Finland 5-0, in which her Swedish team only got 14 shots on goal. Bulldog Saara Touminen got a goal and an assist while Heidi Pelttari picked up two assists against their Bulldogs teammate Martin.
Finland today beat Switzerland 4-1, with Pelttari picking up a goal assited by Tuominen, who had two assists in that game.
Canada beat Russia 7-0, Emmanuelle Blais scored the game winning first goal, and Haley Irwin picked up a goal assited by Laura Fridfinnson.
It's good to see Bulldog players getting in the swing of hockey after the holiday break, and hopefully come back to UMD all healthy and ready for a big run to the Frozen Four.
Emmanuelle Blais scored a goal, Haley Irwin scored two, Laura Fridfinnson scored one and assisted on another, and Joss (Jocelyne) Larocque picked up two assists in the 13-2 Team Canada victory over Russia in the Air Canada Cup in Germnay
In mentioning the Bulldogs in the U-22 Canada team.. I didnt' realize the tournament in Germany is only U-22 for Canada. Kim Martin, Maria Rooth, and the rest of Team Sweden, defeated Patricia Sautter-Elsmore and Team Switzerland 6-1 in their matchup today. Maria Rooth scored and assisted on one in that game.
Germany lose to Russia 4-1, with Germany's only goal coming from Michaela Lanzl's sister Andrea.
The 4 Bulldogs representing Canada's U-22 team in Germany take the ice Thursday.
Haley Irwin, Emmanuelle Blais, Joss Larocque, and Laura Fridfinnson, are the four players representing their country. No Team USA in this tourney.
The only other WCHA players on that Canadian roster are Gopher player Melanie Gagnon, and Badger Mallory Deluce. The rest are mainly east coast NCAA players.
I'll try and post stats from these players as hockeycanada.ca gets them listed.
It's hard to believe the season's nearly 2/3 over (20 of 32 games played).. but below, find the UMDBulldogs.com mid-season report.
20 games down, 12 left to play.
The No. 2 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team will be off the practice ice until the end of December, but with 12 regular season games remaining before the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center hosts the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Face-Off and 2008 NCAA Frozen Four, all eyes are on the Bulldogs.
UMD has posted a 16-3-1 record overall, including 13-3-0 in the WCHA, to remain in sole possession of the league through the first half of the 2007-08 season. The Bulldogs, who rounded out 2007 play with a sweep over St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., have notched nine WHCA Player of the Week honors in just ten weeks of play, a feat no other conference team has been able to match.
Winners of an NCAA-leading eight straight games, UMD is led by freshman forward Iya Gavrilova, who is currently in the midst of an eight game scoring streak. Gavrilova, who along with sophomore forward Saara Tuominen leads the Bulldogs with 30 points through the first 20 games, has notched 15 points (6g, 9a) since collecting two assists against Minnesota State on Nov. 23. No other rookie in the country has reached 21 points, nine shy of Gavriloca's impressive 30 (12g, 18a).
The Bulldogs are tops in the WCHA with a result-grabbing 3.80 goals a game scoring average, courtesy of seven UMD players who have registered double-digits points, including three who have posted more than 21 in 20 games. 17 of the Bulldogs rostered 22 players have appeared in the scoring column, with 16 of the 22 tallying at least four points. UMD has also boasts the most effective power play in the conference, after scoring five goals in its last four games with the man advantage.
The Maroon and Gold has also bolstered its defense, showcasing a NCAA-leading in saves percentage (.958) Kim Martin between the pipes. Martin is 10-3-1 on the season, and has backstopped the Bulldogs to four shutouts, adding to her career total of seven. UMD is allowing only 1.20 goals a game, ranking them fifth in the country and second in the WCHA.
UMD will return to action after the new year for a two-game series (Jan. 11-12) in Mankato against Minnesota State. The Bulldogs swept the Mavericks at the DECC just four weeks ago to start its current winning streak.
BULLDOG NOTES: UMD will have four players skating for Canada's National Women's Under-22 Team at the European Air Canada Cup (Jan. 2-6) in Ravensburg, Germany.
Merry Christmas (happy holidays? nah.. I don't really do politically correct ;)) to anyone who reads this :) and may the four players going to Germany come back healthy and ready to continue the march to the National Title.
What a great way to head to break.. UMD takes over the #2 spot in the USCHO.COM poll, heading into break on a huge roll.
The rest of the rankings
1 New Hampshire (13)
2 Minnesota-Duluth ( 1)
3 Harvard
4 Minnesota
5 Mercyhurst
6 St. Lawrence
7 Wisconsin
8 Dartmouth
9 Connecticut
9 St. Cloud State
Others Receiving Votes: Clarkson 4, Boston College 3
UMDBULLDOGS.COM:
Not even the No. 4 nationally-ranked team in NCAA Division I women's hockey could stop red-hot University of Minnesota Duluth freshman forward Iya Gavrilova from extending her staggering point streak to eight games.
Gavrilova posted two goals -- and added an assist -- as the No. 3 Bulldogs capped off a sweep of fellow 2007 Frozen Four qualifier St. Lawrence University with a 3-1 road victory Saturday night at Appleton Arena in Canton, N.Y.
St. Lawrence opened the scoring when Lisa Batchelor notched her third goal of the season, assisted by Kirsten Roach and Karell Emard, at 12:16 in the first period. After that, Gavorilova and linemate Saara Tuominen got offensive.
At 5:01 in the second period, Gavorilova controlled the puck at the high slot and passed it over to Tuominen, who handled the one-time opportunity at the right point, beating Saints netminder Meaghan Guckian, for her 11th goal of the season.
Tuominen was in on the next scoring play, this time in a set-up role as she found Gavrilova parked near the net, who notched the go-ahead tally (her sixth game winner of 2007-08) at 17:55 in the second period. Elin Holmlov also assisted on the play for her third point (2-1=3) of the series. Gavrilova wasn't quite done adjusting the scoreboard yet -- and Holmlov was there to help her keep it going.
With just under 10 minutes left in regulation, Holmlov started a rush and Heidi Peltarri, the reigning Western Collegiate Hockey Association Defensive Player of the Week, threaded the needle to Gavrilova for the score that effectively damaged the Saints hopes of rallying on their home ice.
A freshman from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Gavrilova has recorded 15 points (6-9=15) since collecting two assists on Nov. 23 versus Minnesota State, and now leads the Bulldogs in goals scored with 12. No other rookie in the country has reached 21 points, nine shy of Gavrilova's 30 (12-18=30).
Meanwhile, UMD goaltender Kim Martin made 21 saves and leads the nation in saves percentage (.958) while improving to 13-3-1 on the season.
The Bulldogs (16-3-1, 13-3-0 WCHA) are idle for almost a month and will return to action after the new year for a two-game series (Jan. 11-12) with conference rival MSU-Mankato. WCHA-leading UMD swept the Mavericks at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center four weeks ago.
CollegeHockeyStats.net Game Stats Page
UMDBulldogs.com story:
NO. 3 BULLDOGS MAKE 4-1 STATEMENT AGAINST NO. 4 ST. LAWRENCE
It wasn't the NCAA Quarterfinals, but the No. 3 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team certainly could have passed as a team with the desire to return there.
The ever-impressive Bulldogs stymied No. 4 St. Lawrence University 4-1 at Appleton Arena in Canton, N.Y. Friday night, putting to rest memories of back-to-back Saint wins in the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Quarterfinals, and showcasing a rivalry that has become one of the NCAA's most dependable.
The Bulldogs relied on their back-stopping specialist Kim Martin, who turned away 28 saves, and frustrated an already struggling power-play unit for St. Lawrence, which was 0-for-6 with the man-advantage. UMD, who was 1-of-3 with the extra skater, has now scored four power-play goals in its last three contests.
Elin Holmlov helped the Bulldogs get on the board first when she netted her seventh goal of the year on a pass from Iya Gavrilova at the 7:12 mark in the opening stanza. The two line-mates would connect again just over four minutes later when Holmov would notch her second goal of the night, courtesy of Gavrilova and Sara Murray. The eventual game-winner would send UMD into the first intermission with a 2-0 lead, and a deficit from which the Saints would never recover.
St. Lawrence would make a run at the Bulldogs just 2:37 into the second period when Brittaney Maschmeyer would bury an irrational goal past Martin to bring the Saints within one. St. Lawrence's first penalty of the night would prove to be a costly one, however, as Gavrilova picked up a rebound from a Myriam Trepanier shot from the point and buried it from the right side of the goal top-shelf, giving UMD a 3-1 cushion at 7:32 in the second stanza. The tally was Gavrilova's tenth in a Maroon and Gold jersey, and extends her current scoring streak to seven games, which includes six goals in those outings (6-9=15).
Sophomore forward Emmanuelle Blais would add the icing on the cake when she simply out-hustled a Saints defenseman and skated around her from the corner, crossing in front of the goal to beat St. Lawrence goaltender Meaghan Guckian. The unassisted tally came just 3:38 into the final 20 minutes, and gave UMD a 4-1 lead that would eventually go into the books as the game result.
Guckian made 22 saves for the Saints, who drop to 13-4-0 overall on the year, and are now 3-8 against the Bulldogs all-time.
WCHA-leading UMD, who improves to 15-3-1 overall, will try to pull off the sweep tomorrow evening when they face the redemption-minded Saints once more. Game-time for the rematch will start at 6 p.m. CST.
BULLDOG NOTES: Iya Gavrilova's goal ties her with Saara Tuominen as the Bulldog's top goal-getter this season with ten tallies apiece...Tuominen still leads UMD with 28 points overall...Gavrilova's seven-game scoring streak now also knots her with sophomore mates Tuominen and Emmanuelle Blais for the highest scoring streaks of any currently rostered Bulldog player...Both Blais and Tuominen reached those highs last season...Elin Holmlov's two goals were the second time the sophomore forward has recorded two tallies in a game in her career...Junior Myriam Trepanier has now registered a point in her last four outings, a career-high scoring streak for the defenseman.
NO. 3 BULLDOGS AND NO. 4 ST. LAWRENCE TO CLASH IN CANTON FRIDAY
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 3:19 PM
The No. 3 University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team may have wrapped up the 2007 portion of its Western Collegiate Hockey Association schedule on top of the league, but that won't stop the Bulldogs from stepping out of conference play in a big way this weekend. UMD will travel to Canton, N.Y. to face No. 4 St. Lawrence University Friday and Saturday at Appleton Arena (3,000 capacity) in a rematch of the 2006 NCAA Quarterfinals with plenty of future playoff ramifications. Both contests will start at 6 p.m. CST.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs, who are now 14-3-1 and 13-3-0 in WCHA play, hold the advantage over the Saints with a 7-3 all-time record. That record is slightly jaded, however, as St. Lawrence has beat UMD in its last two outings, and the Bulldogs are 1-3 in their previous four skates with the Saints, dating back to the 2003-04 season.
The two teams met most recently in the the 2006 NCAA Quarterfinals in Canton, where UMD fell 1-0. The Bulldogs and Saints also dueled in the 2005 NCAA Quarterfinals at Wessman Arena in Superior, Wisc., as St. Lawrence uprooted favored UMD 3-2 in overtime. Both teams were 2007 Frozen Four participants, with the Bulldogs playing in the NCAA Final game. The Saints have played in the last four Frozen Fours, but have yet to win the most coveted prize in college hockey.
LAST WEEK: WCHA-leading UMD swept its sixth league opponent last weekend, with a 7-2 downing of Ohio State Saturday at the DECC. Forward Sara O'Toole and defenseman Heidi Pelttari had two goals and one assist in the series-opening offensive outbreak. Four different players scored in Sunday's 4-0 shutout of the Buckeyes, while goaltender Kim Martin grabbed her fourth clean-sheet of the season. Three players racked up four points in the series, and in the process, the Bulldogs put a mind-bending 99 shots on the OSU goal over the weekend.
The Saints, who are currently in second place in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference with a record of 7-1-0 and 13-3-0 overall, swept Maine last weekend in Canton. St. Lawrence rolled out a 2-0 win Friday night, and uncorked a 9-1 victory the following evening. Junior forward Marianna Locke, this week's reigning ECAC Player of the Week, recorded five points -- three goals and two assists -- over the weekend, including both game-winning tallies. Four of Locke's five series points were earned in Saturday night's offensive stockpile.
THE COACHES: Shannon Miller, who currently is the only coach in the WCHA to have racked-up 214 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 214-60-25 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.
Paul Flanagan is in his ninth season as the head coach of the Saints. Flanagan has guided St. Lawrence to four consecutive Final Four berths (2004-2007).
TUOMINEN AND PELTTARI EARN WCHA WEEKLY HONORS: Saara Tuominen and Heidi Pelttari joined the ranks of eight other previous Bulldog selections this season, ten now in just ten weeks, to be exact.
Tuominen, a sophomore from forward from Ylojarvi, Finland, scored two goals and two assists in UMD's weekend sweep of Ohio State. She scored one goal and had an assist in last Saturday's 7-2 win, and then tallied one goal and assist Sunday in the Bulldogs' 4-0 victory. Tuominen currently leads both UMD and the WCHA in scoring with 27 points.
Pelttari, a sophomore defenseman, recorded four points in UMD's clean sweep of the Buckeyes. The product of Tampere, Finland, scored back-to-back goals for the Bulldogs last Saturday, and added an assist in UMD's 7-2 series-opening triumph, while dishing out another assist in the Bulldogs' 4-0 blanking of OSU last Sunday. The defenseman was also +5 in the series, and leads all UMD blueliners in scoring this season with 12 points (3g, 9a).
GOLDEN GOAL 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 scored in UMD's last six games (5-7=12), including five goals in the last four outings, four of which have been game-winning tallies. She ranks fifth in the NCAA in that category.
NET DETECTORS: As the highest scoring offense in the WCHA (3.83 goals per game), and the fourth ranked offense in the NCAA, it's no wonder the Bulldogs boast some of the leading point-getters in the conference and country. Sophomore forward Saara Tuominen ranks No. 1 in the WCHA (and tenth in the NCAA) in point scoring after combining ten goals and 17 assists for 27 total points. Tuominen also ranks first in the league in assist scoring (ninth in the NCAA) with just under an assist a game (0.90). Freshman forward Iya Gavrilova is ahead of all conference freshman in scoring with 24 points (9-15=24), while rookie forward Haley Irwin checks into the second spot with 19 points (9-10=19). Gavrilova check in at the No. 3 spot among rookies in the country, averaging 1.33 PPG, with Irwin sliding in at the sixth spot nationally with a 1.19 PPG average. Four of the top 11-point scoring leaders in the WCHA are also, impressively enough, Bulldogs.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: The Bulldogs, who have six players in the points column in double-digits, remain a team that has shared the offensive burden 18 games into the season. UMD's top-producing line of Iya Gavrilova, Saara Tuominen, and Elin Holmlov have tallied 68 of the Bulldogs'176 points between them (25-43=68).
UMD has also gotten some offensive firepower in some unsuspecting places. The Bulldogs boast six skating freshman who have posted 71 points as an underclass unit. The UMD blueliners have also chipped in, having added 31 total points.
BULLDOG NOTES: No currently rostered UMD player has ever been on the winning side of a Bulldog-Saint showdown...After last weekend's sweep, UMD is now 8-1-1 (.850) at the DECC this season, and leads the WCHA with the best away record of 6-2-0 (.750)...UMD has given up more goals (14) in the second period than any other stanza...The Bulldogs remain three points ahead of Minnesota in the race for first place in the WCHA heading into the holiday break.
SAINTS NOTES: St. Lawrence maintains the highest scoring offense in the NCAA, averaging 4.31 goals a game (UMD is fourth, averaging 3.83)...The Saints are led by a pair of senior forwards, Sabrina Harbec (8-21=29) and Chelsea Grills (9-17=26).
ON THE AIR: Both games will be featured live on the B2 Networks, at www.b2livetv.com. The contests will also be covered with a radio feed over the internet. Visit http://www.stlawu.edu/sports/w_hockey/index.html on the day of the game, and the available link will be on the right hand side of the page.
WCHA Offensive Player of the Week
Saara Tuominen, So., F, Minnesota Duluth
Saara Tuominen, a sophomore forward from Ylojarvi, Finland, scored two goals and two assists in the University of Minnesota Duluth's weekend (Dec. 8-9) sweep of WCHA-rival Ohio State.
She scored one goal and had an assist in last Saturday's 7-2 win, and then scored one goal last Sunday in the Bulldogs' 4-0 victory. Tuominen currently leads UMD in scoring with 27 points (10g, 17a), which ranks her tenth nationally and first in the WCHA.
Others nominated this week were: Gigi Marvin, F, Minnesota; Erica Lawler, F, Wisconsin; Felicia Nelson, F, St. Cloud State; Melissa Jaques, F, North Dakota; and Kala Buganski, F, Minnesota State.
WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Heidi Pelttari, So., D, Minnesota Duluth
Heidi Pelttari, a sophomore defenseman, recorded four points in the University of Minnesota Duluth's sweep over Ohio State over the Dec. 8-9 weekend.
The product of Tampere, Finland scored back-to-back goals for the Bulldogs last Saturday and added an assist in UMD's 7-2 series-opening triumph, while dishing out another assist in the Bulldogs' 4-0 blanking of the Buckeyes last Sunday. The defenseman was also +5 in the series, and leads all UMD blueliners in scoring this season with 12 points (3g, 9a).
Others nominated this week were: Kendall Newell, G, St. Cloud State; Brittany Kirkham, G, North Dakota; Britni Kehler, Minnesota State; and Kim Hanlon, G, Minnesota.
GO DOGS!
College women's hockey: Trio of third-period goals propel Bulldogs
Andy Greder Duluth News Tribune
Published Monday, December 10, 2007
The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team got belated goal-scoring Sunday against Ohio State, but the outcome remained the same for the streaking Bulldogs.
Third-ranked UMD scored three third-period goals in a 4-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association win over the Buckeyes at the DECC. On Saturday, UMD was punctual with three first-period goals in a 7-2 win over Ohio State.
UMD (14-3-1, 13-3 WCHA) has won six straight games and nine of its past 10.
“We’ve become a team,” UMD coach Shannon Miller said. “That takes time and over the last three, four weeks, we’ve come together and rolled ever since.”
The WCHA-leading Bulldogs haven’t lost since Nov. 18 to second-place Minnesota.
“We have been building as a team, and it took a while because we had a lot of freshmen [6], and they needed to learn,” said Saara Tuominen, the UMD sophomore center who had four points in the sweep, including a goal Sunday. “Now we have tempo.”
The Bulldogs have tallied three straight sweeps and haven’t lost a series in six weeks, since Oct. 26-27.
UMD’s first goal was credited to freshman forward Iya Gavrilova after her shot hit a Buckeye stick and went into the net in the first period. Ohio State goalie Deidre Facklis had 50 saves in her second career start.
Ohio State (8-8-2, 5-7-2) was outshot 54-21 and fell to 3-32-4 all time against the Bulldogs.
“Things were working good, but we couldn’t score,” Miller said. “We had created good opportunities, especially in the third.”
UMD played with a one-goal lead from 11:53 of the first period until Tuominen scored at 6:08 of the third.
“We were one goal away,” Ohio State coach Jackie Barto said. “We had our chances but couldn’t convert. They have a good goalie [Kim Martin], and that can make all the difference in the world.”
Martin made 21 saves, but it was UMD’s 24 shots on goal in the third period that proved costly for the Buckeyes.
“We tried to keep UMD on the perimeter, and our goalie made good saves, but then they came out strong [in the third period],” Barto said. “Their forwards are quick and go to the net. They are tough to contain.”
Freshman Haley Irwin and sophomore Elin Holmlov added goals in the thirdperiod.
The Bulldogs will play fourth-ranked St. Lawrence in Canton, N.Y., in a nonconference series at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. St. Lawrence swept Maine this past Friday and Saturday to improveto 13-3.
The Saints are the highest-scoring team in Division I at 4.31 goals per game, while UMD is third (3.83). The Bulldogs are fifth in goals against at 1.52, while St. Lawrence is sixth (1.62).
“I think the games will be close, 2-1 games,” Miller said. “They are going to be tight. Both teams have good goalies. Both teams will have opportunities on special teams.”
Ohio States Deidre Facklis stopped 46 of 50 shots, but that wasn't nearly enough as Kim Martin shut out Ohio State to earn the 4-0 win this afternoon.
Iya Gavrilova scored **ANOTHER** goal, her 9th now...as did Saara Tuominen with her 10th goal. Haley Irwin scored *HER* 9th, and Elin Holmlov got on the board with her 6th goal of the season.
To the guy at the game cheering for OSU, yelling and swearing (F'bombs even)at the referees the entire game.. tell me you'll be there next season and I'll bring duct tape so we don't gotta listen to that crap. The guy's lucky he didn't get himself removed from the building rather than just ending up across the arena in another seat.
Bulldogs rout Ohio State
Duluth News Tribune
Published Sunday, December 09, 2007
Junior forward Sara O’Toole doesn’t have as many points this season as her prolific line mates Haley Irwin and Emmanuelle Blais, but O’Toole shined for the Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team Saturday against Ohio State.
O’Toole, of Burton, New Brunswick, scored UMD’s first two goals in a 7-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association win over the Buckeyes at the DECC.
“That second line with Irwin, O’Toole and Blais has been on fire the last few weeks,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller. “[O’Toole] often does a lot of the work and creates a lot, but doesn’t get the credit or points. It was nice for her to get recognized with some points.”
O’Toole added an assist Saturday and has five goals and three assists in 17 games.
The league-leading Bulldogs (13-3-1 overall, 12-3 WCHA) have won five straight games and eight of their last nine.
Third-ranked UMD took a 3-0 lead after the first period, outshot the unranked Buckeyes 45-14 and scored on two of nine power plays.
“We moved the puck well and when we were on the power play, we had a lot of intensity early,” Miller said. “Later on, the power play was disappointing. We hunkered down and got sloppy with the lead.”
Hayley Klassen scored both goals in the second period for fourth-place Ohio State (8-7-2, 5-6-2).
Sophomore defender Heidi Pelttari and sophomore forward Saara Tuominen each had three points for UMD, the No. 4 scoring team in the nation at 3.82 goals per game.
Sophomore Kim Martin had four saves in 27 minutes, junior Johanna Ellison had six saves and two goals allowed in 23 minutes and Amie Meyer had two saves in nine minutes.
UMD and Ohio State play at 3:07 p.m. today at the DECC.
UMD outshot "The" Ohio State 45-14 in winning the 7-2 in a lopsided game.
Iya Gavrilova got another goal (her 8th), Sarah O'Toole (4th and 5th) and Heidi Pelttari (2nd and 3rd) each had 2 goals 1 assist for UMD. Saara Tuominen (9th goal) with 1 goal 2 assists, and Kim Martin assited on O'toole's goal that opened the game.
Ohio State started to take slashes and hit Kim Martin at times in the second period, and with the game pretty much at hand, Coach Miller replaced Martin with just over 12 minutes to go in the second period.
UMD's defense played good for almost all of the game, but gave up two bad goals, one where the defender stuck her stick out to block a shot and tipped the puck at the point of the shot and it went over Johanna Ellison's shoulder...and the other a defensive turnover that led to a breakaway for OSU that Ellison had no chance on. Other than those two instances it'd be hard to find anything that didn't go well Saturday.
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.
WCHA Defensive Player of the Week
Kim Martin, So., G, Minnesota Duluth
Kim Martin, a sophomore goaltender from Stockholm, Sweden, made 63 saves in No. 3-ranked Minnesota Duluth's two-game WCHA road sweep over No. 4-ranked Wisconsin in Madison on Nov. 30-Dec. 1.
Martin backstopped the Bulldogs to a 3-1 victory last Friday afternoon, despite 18 minutes worth of UMD penalties, and helped the Badgers go 0-for-5 on their power-play. Martin's brilliant play last Saturday earned her a ninth win on the season, and she picked up her second game in a row with 30 or more saves, and has made 30 saves in four of her last six starts.
Others nominated this week were: Emily Brookshawk, G, Bemidji State; Holly Snyder, D, Minnesota State; and Rachael Drazen, D, Minnesota.
WCHA Rookie of the Week
Iya Gavrilova, Fr., F, Minnesota Duluth
Iya Gavrilova, a freshman forward from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, continued a four-game scoring streak in a big way by netting three goals to help the No. 3 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs sweep No. 4 Wisconsin on the road.
She scored the game-winning goal last Friday (Nov. 30) in UMD's 3-1 victory over the Badgers. Gavrilova then scored back-to-back goals in last Saturday's matinee just :45 seconds apart, including the equalizing tally with :25 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Gavrilova ended the overtime :15 seconds after it began when she scored her second game-winning goal in two days.
Others nominated this week were: Lisa Edman, F, Minnesota State; and Jenny Lura, G, Minnesota.
It took 15 seconds of OT, but women sweep Wisconsin
Andy Greder Duluth News Tribune
Published Sunday, December 02, 2007
MADISON — The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team trailed Wisconsin 2-1 Saturday with less than one minute left when freshman Iya Gavrilova took control.
The forward from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, scored the game-tying goal at 19:35 in the third period and the game-winning goal 15 seconds into overtime as the Bulldogs swept the Badgers in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series with a 3-2 win at the Kohl Center.
“She has skills that normal players don’t have,” said sophomore captain Saara Tuominen, a linemate of Gavrilova’s. “I’m not a goal scorer, but she gives great passes, so with her I am [a goal scorer]. She sees the ice so well, and when she gets on the breakaway she can always score.”
Gavrilova’s game-winner was on a breakaway and her game-tying goal came as the Bulldogs used an extra attacker for the final minute.
“She has a gift,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller. “She has great hands, tremendous work ethic and is very unselfish.”
The 20-year-old Gavrilova, a member of Russia’s 2006 Olympic team, has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points in 16 games this season.
“It was amazing to score two goals in one minute,” said senior captain Karine Demeule, who played with a recently torn ankle ligament and scored the game’s first goal at 1:37 in the first period. “We swept Wisconsin, which was the key. It was a payback weekend [for last season’s NCAA Division I championship game].”
Wisconsin beat the Bulldogs 4-1 to win its second straight title on March 18, but the Badgers have showed that they are far from the same team.
With the sweep, UMD (12-3-1 overall, 11-3 WCHA) solidified its position atop the WCHA standings with 22 points. Wisconsin (10-6-2, 6-4-2) has two wins in its last eight games and remains in third place with 14 points. Minnesota is in second place with 19 points after a sweep of Bemidji State. The Bulldogs have led the WCHA since the start of the season on Oct. 5.
Meghan Duggan scored Wisconsin’s second power-play goal of the afternoon at 11:31 in the third period for a 2-1 lead.
Wisconsin’s Erika Lawler knotted the game at 1 with a power-play goal at 14:28 in the second period.
The third-ranked Bulldogs beat the fourth-ranked Badgers 3-1 Friday. The freshmen trio of Gavrilova, Laura Fridfinnson and Haley Irwin each scored a goal Friday.
Wisconsin outshot UMD 34-25 Saturday and was 2-for-5 on power plays, but UMD made the big plays in the waning moments.
“We always knew we had a chance, but we had a short period of time,” Tuominen said. “We just wanted it more.”
The sweep puts UMD in the pole position for the No. 1 seed in the WCHA playoffs Feb. 29-March 9.
“This game was very important,” Gavrilova said. “We have first position. Now, every game we need to build on it for playoffs. We were ready [Friday and Saturday] and it showed.”
Iya Gavrilova scored with 24.2 seconds left to TIE the game at 2-2, and 15 seconds into Overtime, Gavrilova scores the game winner getting behind the defense to go in alone on Jessie Vetter.
UMD is now 8 points ahead of Wisconsin in the WCHA standings, with Wisconsin playing 2 less games than the Bulldogs. They are ahead of Minnesota by 3 points, before the final of Minnesota's game with Bemidji State going on as I type this, though Minnesota and UMD have played the same number of games so there's no catchup points for Minnesota to earn through 'games at hand.'
College women's hockey: Special teams lead UMD past Wisconsin
Andy Greder Duluth News Tribune
Published Saturday, December 01, 2007
MADISON — Special teams carried the Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team against Wisconsin on Friday in a rematch of last season’s NCAA Division I title game.
UMD capitalized on one of its three power plays to take a 2-0 lead at the start of the second period and held the Badgers scoreless during eight penalty kills in a 3-1 Western Collegiate Hockey Association win at the Kohl Center.
“Our entire defense was solid — whether it was 5-on-5 or penalty kill,” said UMD coach Shannon Miller, whose team improved to18-14-6 all time against the two-time defending national champions.
UMD avenged its4-1 defeat to Wisconsin in the championship game on March 18 with 31 saves Friday from sophomore goalie Kim Martin.
The Bulldogs (11-3-1 overall, 10-3 WCHA) stopped the Badgers(10-5-2, 6-3-2) during a 5-on-3 advantage for 1 minute,10 seconds in the thirdperiod.
“It was unfortunate for us to have those penalties, but we worked hard and trusted ourselves on penalty kill,” said freshman defender Joss Larocque. “It was impressive to kill all thosepenalties.”
UMD’s Iya Gavrilova scored off an Elin Holmlov pass on a power play at 49 seconds in the second period during a player advantage that carried over from the first period.
“We came out of the locker room with an intensity to move the puck,” Miller said. “We attacked the net with venom and had three super shifts until we got the puck in.”
UMD freshman Laura Fridfinnson singlehandedly gave the Bulldogs a lead in the first period. The forward from Arborg, Manitoba, had her third scoring attempt in a minute trickle between the pads of Badgers goalie Jessie Vetter for a 1-0 lead at 13:26.
Wisconsin’s only goal came from Tia Hanson at 14:06 in the second period.
“We’ve had trouble getting the puck in the net for three or four weeks,” said Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson, whose team has scored 15 goals — seven on Nov. 24 against Bemidji State — in the last seven games (2-4-1). “We got the puck up to the net, but Martin was there every time. We also had that 5-on-3 and didn’t take advantage.”
UMD’s Haley Irwin continued her scoring streak when she tipped in an Emmanuelle Blais centering pass for the third Bulldog goal of the afternoon. The Thunder Bay, Ontario, freshman had a hat trick and a five-point series in the sweep over Minnesota State-Mankato last weekend.
Last season, UMD was the only team to defeat the Badgers — 2-0 on Nov. 24, 2006 — in Wisconsin’s 36-1-4 campaign. This year, Wisconsin has lost to the Bulldogs, St. Cloud State, Minnesota and was swept by top-ranked New Hampshire. After Friday’s win, the third-ranked Bulldogs lead the WCHA with 20 points, while the fourth-ranked Badgers remain in third place with 14 points.
Wisconsin outshot the Bulldogs 32-22, but it didn’t matter with Martin in net.
“She gives our defense the chance to join the rush,” Larocque said. “We don’t have to play so defensively with Kim because she backs it up so well and gives us confidence. She is one of the best goalies around.”
