Western Collegiate Hockey Association

Printer-friendly format Email this article The defending national champion UMD Bulldogs have released their 2008-09 schedule

Women's Ice Hockey Home HEADLINES UW's Knight, OSU's Bonanno, UW's Ammerman Named WCHA Players of the Week Conference Season Opens this Weekend with Three WCHA Series as UMD Hosts UM, UW Heads to OSU, SCSU Visits UND; Bulldogs to Raise National Championship Banner Friday Night Gopher Women's Hockey Hosts "Rock Ridder" Event, Oct. 17 RELATED LINKS • Follow all of the college ice hockey action at CollegeSports.com • Email this to a friend

Defending National Champion UMD Bulldogs Release 2008-09 Schedule

The Bulldogs open Oct. 3 in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

June 2, 2008

DULUTH, Minn. - The defending NCAA national champion University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team has unveiled the 2008-09 schedule they will have to master to reclaim the title next March.

The Bulldogs, who will drop the puck in Niagara Falls, NY on Oct. 3-4 to jump start their season, will clash with state rival the University of Minnesota the following weekend for their home opener. UMD will host the Gophers on Oct. 10-11, which will open up Western Collegiate Hockey Association play for the reigning WCHA regular and playoff season title-holders from Duluth.

UMD will face the University of Wisconsin, whom they pummeled a season ago in the NCAA Frozen Four title game 4-0 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in Madison, Wisc. The two women's hockey titans will face-off again on the Bulldogs home ice Jan. 9-10, where UMD was 3-1 last season as the gracious hosts to the Badgers.

The Maroon and Gold will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., and Ridder Arena, the site of the 2009 WCHA Final Face-Off, Jan. 23-24 to challenge Minnesota on its Gopher-friendly ice. UMD's last regular season contest at the DECC is slated for Feb. 13-14, as Ohio State University will skate with the national champions on their home sheet. The Bulldogs will put the wrap on their 34-game regular season against the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks on Feb. 20-21.

With seven WCHA home playoff series and two home non-conference series against Dartmouth College (Nov. 28-29) and Princeton University (Dec. 13-14), the Bulldogs' schedule has one date that sticks out impressively as they will host Team USA on Jan. 20, an exhibition contest that will reunite UMD alums Jenny Potter and Jessica Koizumi, as well as former assistant coach Julie Chu back with the Bulldogs and the DECC.