The No. 6/7 University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team rang its current winning streak to four games Saturday afternoon after delivering a decisive 4-1 win over Bemidji State University at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association sweep was the second-straight series triumph for the Bulldogs, who have exploded offensively over their last five games, averaging 5.40 goals a skate in that span. Overall, UMD is averaging 4.20 goals a game over its first 10 games this season.
“Something we’ve been working on all season long is to put two good ones back-to-back, and you know, I wouldn’t say I expected last night to go the way it did,” said UMD head coach Maura Crowell. ‘I’m very happy that it did, but knew today would be different and we got more of the Bemidji that we expected today going into the weekend. So it was a real character win for us having a fight through that first period and even the start of the second, and then we got going halfway through the second. At that point, I think we woke up or whatever it was and started playing more like we were capable of.”
After turning the Beavers upside down on the scoreboard early on Friday, the Bulldogs spaced out their scoring on Saturday. Sophomore winger Clara Van Wieren put the puck on net, and McKenzie Hewett tipped it past Hannah Hogenson at 6:11 of the first period for her second goal of the series and a 1-0 lead.
BSU used a power play a little over two minutes later to knot the game at 1-1 on a goal from Reece Hunt at 8:31. Hunt’s goal was the first goal UMD had given up in four games and 188:31 minutes of play.
The Bulldogs retook the lead at 4:49 of the second period, courtesy of a goal from sophomore forward Mannon McMahon. Anneke Linser dropped the puck at the circle for Van Wieren, who skimmed it into the slot for McMahon. McMahon shoveled in the puck one-time for her second goal of the season and second point of the series.
Two power play goals Friday helped UMD climb into the third most potent power play in the NCAA, and the Bulldogs continued to build on that prowess at 12:48 of the second frame. Senior forward Naomi Rogge tipped down and past BSU’s Hogenson for her second power play tally of the weekend, redirecting a Gabbie Hughes shot on net. The result was a 3-1 UMD lead after 40 minutes played at the Sanford Center.
Senior winger Taylor Anderson tacked on an empty net tally late in the third period at 18:28 to ice BSU and help UMD earn its second sweep in its last two WCHA series outings on the road.
Senior goaltender Emma Soderberg picked up her fourth consecutive win, making 23 saves in the contest for her sixth win of the season. Soderberg’s BSU counterpart, Hogenson, turned in a 35 save performance, bringing her weekend total of 76 stops in the series.
UMD (6-4-0, 6-4-0) will continue on the road over the upcoming holiday weekend and for the first time all season, step outside of WCHA opponents. The Bulldogs face Penn State University for just the third time in program history next Friday in the D1 in D.C. tournament in Arlington, Virginia at 4:00 p.m. (ET). UMD will follow that up with a game against St. Lawrence University Saturday — a team that shares a rich history with the Bulldogs — at 2:30 p.m. (ET).
BULLDOG NOTES: UMD went 3-of-4 on its power play in the series, and now owns a 37.5 conversion rate, good for the third-highest in the nation and best in the WCHA … Gabbie Hughes leads the WCHA with a 1.90 points per game average in league play … Right behind Hughes is Elizabeth Giguere, who checks in 1.80 points per game clip … Hughes ranks fourth nationally in points per game while Giguère holds down the sixth slot … Giguère sits tied for fourth in the WCHA with 13 assists — all four players ahead of her have skated in four more games … Hughes is in sixth with 12 helpers … Hughes and Giguère are fifth and sixth in total WCHA points at 19 (Hughes) and 18 (Giguère) …. Again, the four players ahead of them have played in four more games … Senior winger Naomi Rogge is tied for third in the WCHA with three power play goals … UMD head coach Maura Crowell is just one win away from notching her 200th career win … that sum includes five years at UMass Boston and one year at Harvard.
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