For the second straight year, the UMD women’s hockey team is headed to the NCAA Frozen Four.
Senior Gabbie Hughes scored to break a 1-1 tie in the third period, senior goalie Emma Soderberg made 37 saves, and UMD held on to beat No. 2 national seed Minnesota 2-1 Saturday at the NCAA Minneapolis Regional.
Hughes’ goal came with 14:36 to play. Senior Mannon McMahon tallied for UMD in the second period to tie the game after the Gophers got a power play goal from Abigail Boreen in the first period.
Hughes, a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the nation’s top player, picked up her 22nd goal and 59th point of the season.
Soderberg was making her second straight start and third overall after returning from a stint with Team Sweden in the Olympics, where she played five games and led Sweden on a run to the tournament quarterfinals.
UMD advanced to its second straight Frozen Four and ninth overall. This is the Bulldogs’ 13th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UMD faces Northeastern Friday in State College, Pa., in the national semifinals. It’s a rematch of a national semifinal game from last season, won by Northeastern 3-2 in overtime.
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