UMD to hit ice running in quest for back-to-back Frozen Four berths

Two weeks from Friday the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) women’s hockey team will drop the puck on their 2021-2022 season.

After last year ended in the NCAA Frozen Four, the Bulldogs expressed during Wednesday’s WCHA Media Day that it’ll be go time early in order to return.

"Right when that last game ended we started talking about this season," UMD head coach Maura Crowell explained. "It’s hard to explain what a NCAA tournament feeling is like until you get there, and now that most of the group has been there they certainly want to get back." Crowell added, "I think there’s a level of confidence as well as that drive and that focus."

Senior Gabby Hughes seemed to agree. "That’s something that this group, and my class, has talked about since the day we got into AMSOIL [Arena] and at UMD. We’ve always said we’ll do whatever it takes, but actually implementing that and doing the extra miles and extra team bonding things on the ice and whatever it takes to get back there is what we’re going to do."

The Bulldogs hope their strong returning core of upper classmen, with the addition of powerful transfer forward Elizabeth Giguere, will help them get back to the NCAA tournament.

UMD opens their season October 1 visiting Minnesota State University-Mankato.