UMD Women’s Hockey to Meet Maura Crowell’s Alma Mater Colgate in NCAA First Round

Crowell skated for the Raiders from 1999 to 2002.

DULUTH, Minn. – Monday night, the UMD women’s hockey team will open their NCAA tournament run against Colgate. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it is the alma mater of head coach Maura Crowell, who skated for the Raiders from 1999 to 2002.

“Just knowing that the bracket was going to hopefully pit west and east together. I had heard some rumblings about that. So I was just wondering who we were going to be playing and watching them pretty closely that afternoon and had a feeling it might have been them. I’d be excited to play anybody, but it’s certainly a little sweeter when it’s my alma mater,” said Crowell.

UMD meets Colgate for only the third time in program history and first in the NCAA playoffs. The Bulldogs won both meetings, which both took place at neutral site tournaments, including a 3-1 victory last season over the Raiders in the Ice Breaker championship in Buffalo.

“I think every team right now that’s in the tournament is good so we have to be ready for that. We need to be better. I think every team has depth at all their positions. They wouldn’t be here otherwise. So it’s really coming down to who’s hungrier and who’s going to be the better team on that given day,” Crowell said.

Puck drop at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, PA is set for 6 p.m.