UMD Women’s Hockey Back in the NCAA Tournament for Fifth-Straight Season

This is the program's 16th NCAA tournament appearance.

March 9, 2025

Isaiah Wiita,

DULUTH, Minn.- The UMD women’s hockey team punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament for the fifth-straight season.

The Bulldogs learned who their first-round opponent is on Sunday.

UMD will travel to the East Coast to take on Sacred Heart University in the Regional semifinal round.

The Bulldogs posted a record of 21-14-2 on the season and earned a spot in the WCHA Final Face-off, where they fell to the top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers 3 to 1.

This is the program’s 16th NCAA tournament appearance.

UMD is eager to face a new opponent in the NCAA tournament.

“We’re excited, we are excited about the bracket, we are excited about who we get to play next. We haven’t faced those teams yet, so that’s always fun and exciting. There is going to be a lot of work to do this week as we head into this upcoming weekend. But one thing for sure, our team is ready,” said head coach Laura Schuler. “We always try to keep our focus on us, and like I said every time we step on the ice, we want to be better than the day before.”

The UMD captains have seen the chemistry that has been built all season and are ready for the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament.

“For the most part, our d-partners have stayed the same. So that helps just build a lot of cohesion with the group. I think our forward lines are in a really good spot right now, we obviously tried a lot of things throughout the season, and I think what we have now is the best it’s going to be. We can really look forward to that, and the fact that we tried every opportunity and every kind of combination, that we are ready for this moment,” said UMD defense Nina Jobst-Smith.

“We have faced new hot teams before. We played LIU before, so I think nothing really changes, we are going to bring our same game plan and it’s fun to bring what the WCHA has to the East Coast,” said UMD defense Hanna Baskin.

UMD and Sacred Heart face-off on Thursday, March 13th.

Puck drop is at 6 p.m.