The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) women’s hockey team is fresh off a league wide bye week.

Back in action this weekend, their six game win streak will be put to the test as the eighth ranked Bulldogs host the fourth ranked University of Minnesota. Their last meeting was the NCAA Regional Finals in March where the Gophers advanced to the Frozen Four.

“They’re a quick team, they’re a very offensive team. But like Coach mentioned, you can capitalize on that and know that the puck is going right back the other way. It’ll be a great showdown of good goaltending, good offense and good defense. So, yeah, it’s really exciting,” UMD senior defender Nina Jobst-Smith said.

“Learning how to play defense when you don’t have pucks on your sticks, and learning how to play defense when you’re under tremendous pressure, is basically the name of the game right now,” UMD head coach Maura Crowell added.

UMD went 0-5 against Minnesota last season. They will now search for their first win over the Gopher since the 2021-22 season. The last time the Gophers were in AMSOIL they lost in the 2023 Frozen Four semifinals.

Puck drop Friday is 6 p.m. and Saturday is 3 p.m. at AMSOIL Arena. Friday night students will receive free pizza and popcorn.