2009–10 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey season
Encyclopedia
Offseason
- May 21: The school has announced that eight players have signed national letters of intent to attend UMD in the fall of 2009. The signees include forward Jessica Wong, goaltender Jennifer Harss, forward Andrea Lanzl, defenseman Mariia PosaMariia PosaMariia Posa is a member of the Finland women's ice hockey national team. She plays also for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.-Minnesota Duluth:...
and forward and Duluth native Gina Dodge. The five signees will join forward Audrey Belanger-Cournoyer, forward Vanessa Thibault and forward Katherine Wilson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) who all inked letters with the Bulldogs last November.
- June 24: Former Bulldogs hockey player and assistant coach Caroline OuelletteCaroline OuelletteCaroline Ouellette is a Canadian ice hockey player. She is a member of the Canadian national women's ice hockey team and a member of Montreal Stars...
has been selected the Most Valuable Player for the 2008-09 Canadian Women's Hockey League season. Ouellette led her team to a first-place finish with a league-record 25 wins. She led the league with 33 assists
- August 19: Shannon Miller, who has guided the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team to four NCAA national titles, has inked a contract-extension that will keep it that way through 2012-13 season.
- September 9: The WCHA announced that Minnesota Duluth defenseman Jaime Rasmussen and forwards Emmanuelle Blais and Laura Fridfinnson have been named as WCHA All-Stars. The three players are among 22 players from the conference to face the 2009-10 U.S Women’s National Team in St. Paul, Minn. on September 25.
Regular season
- October 5: The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team was ranked No. 6 in the country. The USCHO.com officials revealed it in their first Top-10 Women’s Hockey Poll of the season. Minnesota Duluth accumulated 63 points.
- October 31: Number 1 ranked Mercyhurst College suffered its first loss of the season to the hands of fifth-ranked Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs skated away to a 4-3 win and a split of the two-game series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. With the loss, the Lakers fall to 7-1 on the season while the Bulldogs improve to 6-4 overall.
- December 9: Jennifer Harss was named the Co-WCHA Defensive Player of the Week. She made her first appearance in the Kohl CenterKohl CenterThe Kohl Center is an arena and athletic center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. The building, which opened in 1998, is the home of the university's men's and women's basketball and ice hockey teams. Seating capacity is variable, as the center can be rearranged to accommodate...
on Dec. 4 and made 40 saves on 42 shots on goal in a 3-1 loss to Wisconsin. Harss then made 33 saves on December 6 in UMD’s 2-2 overtime tie with the host Badgers. - January 13: Senior Saara Tuominen and freshman Mariia Posa were named to Team Finland’s 2010 Olympic roster. Bulldog alum Heidi Pelttari has also been added to the team.
- February 11: Former Bulldog Leah Wrazidlo has been selected as a referee for women’s games at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. As a sidenote, she became the first woman to referee an international men's hockey game in 2005, as France met Italy on Nov. 12, 2005, in Turin, Italy.
- February 25: Former Bulldogs player Caroline OuelletteCaroline OuelletteCaroline Ouellette is a Canadian ice hockey player. She is a member of the Canadian national women's ice hockey team and a member of Montreal Stars...
(Team Canada assistant captain) and redshirt Bulldogs player Haley Irwin both won gold medals with Team Canada in women’s hockey. Ouellette won her third gold medal and became the Bulldog with the most gold medals. Team USA forward Jenny PotterJenny PotterJenny Schmidgall-Potter is an American ice hockey player. She is a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team. She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics, silver medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Olympics, and a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics...
won the silver and became the most decorated Olympic medalist in Bulldogs hockey history. Current Bulldogs Saara Tuominen and Mariia Posa won bronze with Finland. In total, seven active or former Bulldogs won Olympic medals. Alumnus Heidi PelttariHeidi PelttariHeidi Pelttari is a Finnish hockey player who plays for Ilves and the Finnish national team on Winter Olympics 2006. She is also played for team Finland in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
, and Maria RoothMaria RoothMaria Rooth is a Swedish ice hockey player. She is the only University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey player to have her jersey retired above the ice of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center...
also won bronze with Finland. The Swedish team included former Bulldog Erika HolstErika HolstErika Holst is a Swedish ice hockey player. She is a member of the Sweden women's national ice hockey team. She won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics....
and four redshirted Bulldogs. The redshirted Bulldogs representing Sweden were Elin HolmlovElin HolmlövElin Holmlöv is a Swedish ice hockey player. She play forward position for the Sweden women's national ice hockey team. She won the bronze medal at the 2007 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba.She played also for the Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey...
, Pernilla WinbergPernilla WinbergPernilla Margareta Stephanie Winberg is an ice hockey player. Winberg play forward position from the Sweden women's national ice hockey team. She won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics...
, Jenni AsserholtJenni AsserholtJenni Asserholt is an ice hockey player. She play forward position from the Sweden women's national ice hockey team. She won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics....
and Kim Martin.
Roster
| Number | Name | Position | Height | Class |
| 3 | Jocelyne Larocque Jocelyne Larocque Jocelyne Dawn Marie Larocque is a women’s ice hockey player for Canada women's national ice hockey team and former defensemen the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs... |
D | 5-6 | Junior |
| 11 | Kacy Ambroz | F | 5-7 | Sophomore |
| 12 | Haley Irwin Haley Irwin Haley Irwin is a member of the 2009–10 Hockey Canada national women's team and also plays for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.-Playing career:... |
F | 5-7 | Junior |
| 13 | Tara Gray | D | 5-10 | Junior |
| 14 | Libby Guzzo | F | 5-7 | Junior |
| 19 | Laura Fridfinnson | F | 5-8 | Junior |
| 20 | Torri Shelafoe | F | 5-3 | Sophomore |
| 22 | Sarah Murray | D | 5-3 | Senior |
| 23 | Saara Tuominen | F | 5-6 | Senior |
| 26 | Heidi Pelttari | D | 5-5 | Senior |
| 29 | Justine Fisher | F | 5-4 | Sophomore |
| 30 | Kim Martin | G | 5-5 | Senior |
| 31 | Lana Steck | G | 5-6 | Sophomore |
| 47 | Emmanuelle Blais Emmanuelle Blais Emmanuelle Blais , is a Canadian ice hockey player. She is a member of Montreal Stars in the Canadian Women's Hockey League .-Playing career:... |
F | 5-4 | Senior |
| 51 | Pernilla Winberg | F | 5-5 | Sophomore |
| 72 | Elin Holmlov | F | 5-9 | Senior |
| 84 | Jenni Asserholt | D | 5-8 | Sophomore |
| 88 | Jaime Rasmussen | D | 5-8 | Senior |
Schedule
| Date | Location | Opponent | Score | Record |
| Oct. 2 | Duluth, MN | Robert Morris | Win, 5-2 | 1-0-0 |
| Oct. 3 | Duluth, MN | Robert Morris | Loss, 4-1 | 1-1-0 |
| Oct. 10 | Duluth, MN | St. Cloud State | Win, 5-3 | 2-1-0 |
| Oct. 11 | Duluth, MN | St. Cloud State | Win, 2-0 | 3-1-0 |
| Oct. 16 | Minneapolis | Minnesota | Loss, 3-1 | 3-2-0 |
| Oct. 17 | Minneapolis | Minnesota | Loss, 3-0 | 3-3-0 |
| Oct. 23 | Duluth, MN | North Dakota | Win, 4-1 | 4-3-0 |
| Oct. 24 | Duluth, MN | North Dakota | Win, 3-1 | 5-3-0 |
| Oct. 30 | Erie, PA | Mercyhurst | Loss, 5-2 | 5-4-0 |
| Oct. 31 | Erie, PA | Mercyhurst | Win, 4-3 | 6-4-0 |
| Nov. 6 | St. Cloud, MN | St. Cloud State | Loss, 5-1 | 6-5-0 |
| Nov. 7 | St. Cloud, MN | St. Cloud State | Win, 5-0 | 7-5-0 |
| Nov. 13 | Columbus, OH | Ohio State | Win, 3-2 (OT) | 8-5-0 |
| Nov. 14 | Columbus, OH | Ohio State | Win, 5-3 | 9-5-0 |
| Dec. 12 | Duluth, MN | Bemidji State | Win, 4-1 | |
| Dec. 13 | Duluth, MN | Bemidji State | Tie, 2-2 | |
| Dec. 12 | Bemidji, MN | Bemidji State | Win, 5-2 | |
| Dec. 13 | Bemidji, MN | Bemidji State | Win, 3-0 | |
Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
Skaters
| Player | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Points/game | PIM | GWG | PPG | SHG |
| Emmanuelle Blais | 41 | 32 | 33 | 65 | 1.5854 | 40 | 10 | 12 | 2 |
| Laura Fridfinnson | 39 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 1.3846 | 44 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Katherine Wilson | 41 | 17 | 26 | 43 | 1.0488 | 48 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Jessica Wong | 41 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 0.7561 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Jaime Rasmussen | 41 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 0.7317 | 54 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Audrey Cournoyer | 41 | 9 | 18 | 27 | 0.6585 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Saara Tuominen | 31 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 0.7419 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Vanessa Thibault | 41 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 0.3659 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Jocelyne Larocque | 19 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 0.6842 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tara Gray | 41 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.2927 | 56 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Mariia Posa Mariia Posa Mariia Posa is a member of the Finland women's ice hockey national team. She plays also for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.-Minnesota Duluth:... |
31 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0.2581 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kacy Ambroz | 41 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0.1707 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sarah Murray | 41 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.1463 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gina Dodge | 41 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.1220 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Kirsti Hakala | 39 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.0513 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justine Fisher | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0455 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jennifer Harss | 39 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.0256 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stephanie Lenz | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Libby Guzzo | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0000 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lana Steck | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goaltenders
| Player | Games | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals against | Minutes | GAA | Shutouts | Saves | Save % |
| Lana Steck | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 145 | 0.4134 | 1 | 47 | .979 |
| Jennifer Harss | 39 | 29 | 8 | 2 | 80 | 2387 | 2.0110 | 5 | 1138 | .934 |
Postseason
Senior Emmanuelle Blais had 12 points over the last five games of the season, and ended her NCAA career on a five-game scoring streak.| Date | Location | Opponent | Score | Notes |
| Feb. 26 | Heritage Center | North Dakota | 6-2 | Emmanuelle Blais scores 4 goals |
| Feb. 27 | Heritage Center | North Dakota | 3-1 | Sweep series |
- March 7: The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-2 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis to win the WCHA FINAL FACE-OFF playoff championship. It is the Bulldogs fifth WCHA playoff championship. This was their first postseason victory over the Golden Gophers since 2003. In addition, the Bulldogs lost three previous league playoff games against the Gophers at Ridder Arena.
NCAA Tournament
- March 8: Two teams from the WCHA will compete for the 10th NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship. The University of Minnesota will be the host school for the 2010 Frozen Four, to be held March 19 and 21 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. WCHA Tournament champion University of Minnesota Duluth, and at-large selection Minnesota will be two of eight competing teams.
Minnesota Duluth (28-8-2) is seeded Number 2 and the Bulldogs will host the New Hampshire Wildcats (19-8-5) on Saturday, March 13 at 2:00 pm central standard time. The Golden Gophers (25-8-5) are the number 3 seed, and will host the Clarkson Golden Eagles (23-11-5), on March 13 at 4:00 pm central standard time. Minnesota Duluth won the Forzen Four for the first three years that the tournament was held (2001, 2002 and 2003). The Golden Gophers proceeded to win the next two Frozen Four tournaments (2004 and 2005). Neither team has won since.
- March 13: The Bulldogs earned their fourth consecutive trip to the Frozen Four by defeating the New Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockeyNew Hampshire Wildcats women's ice hockeyThe New Hampshire Wildcats represent the University of New Hampshire. The Wildcats have never had a losing season in the 32-year history of the program. They have won five ECAC championships between 1986 and 1996. When the Wildcats joined Hockey East, they won four Hockey East titles from 2006 to...
program by a score of 2-1.
- March 21: The Bulldogs defeated Cornell 3-2 in overtime to win its fifth Frozen Four. Jessica Wong scored the game winning goal in overtime. Saara Tuominen and Jaime Rasmussen were the only players to have had two points in the championship game.
Awards and honors
- Emmanuelle Blais, WCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Week of October 26)
- Emmanuelle Blais, Patty Kazmaier Award nominee
- Emmanuele Blais, 2010 Women's RBK Hockey Division I All-America First Team
- Audrey Cournoyer, WCHA Rookie of the Week (Week of November 9)
- Laura Fridfinnson, Patty Kazmaier Award nominee
- Jennifer Harss, WCHA Co-Defensive Player of the Week (Week of December 7)
- Jaime Rasmussen, WCHA Defensive Player of the Week (Week of October 26)
Preseason honors
- WCHA Preseason Player of the year finalist: Saara Tuominen, Minnesota Duluth
- WCHA Preseason Rookie of the year finalist: Jennifer Harss, Minnesota Duluth
Regular season honors
- Katherine Wilson, WCHA Rookie of the Week (Week of October 12)
- Jessica Wong, Minnesota Duluth, WCHA Rookie of the Week(Week of January 20)
All-WCHA Team
- Emmanuelle Blais, F, All-WCHA First Team
- Jaime Rasmussen, D, All-WCHA First Team
- Jennifer Harss, G, All-WCHA Third Team selection
Postseason honors
- Emmanuelle Blais, Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player
- Emmanuelle Blais, Frozen Four Tournament Team
- Laura Fridfinnson, Frozen Four Tournament Team
- Jennifer Harss, WCHA Final Face-Off All-Tournament Team 2010
- Jessica Wong, Frozen Four Tournament Team
Postseason news
- Sports Illustrated listed Emmanuelle Blais as one of its "Faces In The CrowdFaces in the CrowdFaces in the Crowd is a long-running segment from Sports Illustrated. Starting in the January 9, 1956 issue, the segment was originally titled These Faces in the Crowd. The predecessor to These Faces... was a segment called Pat on the Back. It differed in that it did not just focus on unknown or...
" (in its April 19, 2010 issue). Part of the recognition is attributed to Blais earning the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player award on March 21. Blais is also a 2009-10 RBK First Team All-American. Her 1.59 points per game was the fifth highest total in the country. Her 32 goals led the NCAA, and she had a career high of 65 points. - March 22: The Mayor of Duluth Don NessDon NessDon Ness is an American politician from Duluth, Minnesota, and the current mayor of that city. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.-Early life and education:...
presented head coach Shannon Miller with a proclamation declaring Friday, March 26, 2010 as "Shannon Miller Day'". - April 12: Emmanuelle Blais was a co-winner of the University of Minnesota Duluth's Outstanding Female Senior Athlete Award. The award was shared by four winners: the others being Jheri Booker (basketball), Clare Dahmen (soccer) and Kristin Danielson (softball).
- June 7: Jessica Wong was named Nova Scotia's Female Team Athlete of the Year by Sport Nova Scotia. Wong was given the Ricoh Sport Award. She scored a goal to win the 2010 NCAA title in triple-overtime, and she scored two goals to earn an Under-22 Women's World Championship gold.