UMD Women’s Hockey Meet Up with Beavers for Second Time in Two Weeks

Puck drop for Friday night's game is set for just after 7 p.m. at Amsoil Arena.

DULUTH, Minn. – With just six weeks left in the regular season, the UMD women’s hockey team have their eyes on trying to secure home ice advantage. The Bulldogs are currently six points behind fourth place and who is sitting there? Their opponent this weekend: Bemidji State.

UMD will host the Beavers for the second time in the past two weeks. Just after the new year, the Bulldogs blanked Bemidji State in the championship game of the Minnesota Cup. Game-planning for this weekend should be easy since that win is still fresh in their minds.

“They play a really compact defense, block a lot of shots and frustrate teams. But I think we really capitalized on our offensive chances and we didn’t give them a whole lot defensively. When there were rebounds, we cleared them petty well as a team. We have a lot of confidence coming into this weekend,” senior goalie Maddie Rooney said.

“It felt good to win that game and win a tournament in our home rink. That was super fun. But this series is a lot more important than that. I think we’ve really keyed in on things we need to get better at. I don’t think we played our best game at all and I think we have more to give against them this weekend,” said co-captain Sydney Brodt.

But while the Bulldogs were on a bye this past weekend, the Beavers faced off against powerhouse Wisconsin and even got a win over the Badgers.

“They put the puck on the net and they go hard. They’re really physical in the slot area. We have to be aware of them. They can convert and it’s really hard to get goals against them. They’re traditionally very good defensively so if they get a lead, it gets tough,” head coach Maura Crowell said.

Puck drop for Friday night’s game is set for just after 7 p.m. at Amsoil Arena.