DULUTH — In the eyes of some, the Duluth, Minnesota women's hockey program wasn't even supposed to be here today at Amsoil Arena. On a sunny Sunday morning in March, we gathered in the locker room for the annual NCAA Tournament selection show.
The Bulldogs graduated 10 seniors last spring, three of whom are among the best in program history on the 25th Anniversary team. They replaced that seasoned group of veterans with nine newcomers, while also bringing in four new coaches and staff members.
Despite all the turnover, the Bulldogs enter the NCAA Tournament this week as the No. 8 seed for the fourth consecutive year, opening against No. 9 Connecticut at the Ohio State Ice Rink on Thursday at 6 p.m. CDT. .
The winner will face Ohio State, the overall top seed in the tournament, on Saturday at 3pm CDT for a trip to the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four in Durham, New Hampshire.
“Just seeing how this program has grown and now to the point where I can come to the Sunday selection show and know that I’m practicing the next day, it gives me a lot of comfort. , it's pretty cool to look back on,'' said Bulldogs captain and fifth-year senior center Manon McMahon.
“Every time you go to a selection show, especially if you've never had your name called at a selection show, it's something you don't take for granted. It's a chance to put on the jersey again and practice with your friends. I'm really grateful for the day.”
UW will be appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time after winning the Hockey East regular season and postseason titles. The Huskies needed to beat Northeastern in overtime on Saturday to earn the league's automatic bid and qualify for the tournament.
The Bulldogs are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and 15th overall under Maura Crowell since taking over as UMD's head coach from Shannon Miller in 2015. The four-season streak is the Bulldogs' second-longest streak of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, trailing only seven consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2011.
UMD appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 10 of 11 seasons from 2001 to 2011 and won five NCAA titles. After that, he appeared on the show only once between 2012 and 2020, and that was Crowell's second appearance in 2016-2017.
Crowell said Sunday that continued appearances in the NCAA Tournament have allowed programs like UMD to attract top players from the modern transfer portal, including Bemidji State's Reece Hunt, Penn State's Olivia Wallin from Long Island University and Paula Bergstrom from Long Island University. This is the player who won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award this offseason, or two years ago with Elizabeth Giguere.
Regular participation in the NCAA Tournament also helps, as the school competes against programs like Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio State that compete for the top freshmen spots. Wisconsin will appear in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th straight year in 2024, Ohio State will return for the fifth time, while the Gophers will be making the trip for the third straight year after missing out in 2021.
Crowell said players want to play on the big stage, regardless of their level. That's why it's important for the Bulldogs to maintain success.
“With Ohio State, Wisconsin and Minnesota, it seems almost a foregone conclusion that they're going to make the NCAA Tournament,” he said, leading UMD to Anna in two of the past three seasons, including the 2022 NCAA title game. said Crowell, who led The Snow Queen 4. We're participating in that conversation because it's a foregone conclusion for us. It levels that playing field for young players.
“And when we talk about NCAA championships, we seriously talk about it. I think a lot of schools around the country talk about it, but we're in a position to actually do it.”
Wallin and Bergstrom, two of UMD's transfers, played in the NCAA Tournament with their alma mater a year ago. Wallin and the Nittany Lions won the College Hockey America postseason title, sending Penn State to the tournament for the first time. PSU lost in the first round to Quinnipiac in three overtimes. Bergstrom and the Sharks were the first team to earn an automatic bid from the New England Women's Hockey Alliance, which lost 9-1 to Wisconsin in the first round.
Hunt never made the NCAA Tournament in his four seasons at Bemidji State. Friday was the first time she competed in a WCHA Finals faceoff event, so they weren't competing for an at-large or automatic bid.
She said she was very happy to be at Sunday's watch party with her teammates and is looking forward to returning to Columbus for one more time in her hockey career, especially after the Bulldogs' disappointing showing in the league semifinals a few days ago. He said he was excited.
“I feel really good. I think we're motivated and we've got a chip on our shoulder from last weekend,” Hunt said. “Honestly, there's no other place I'd rather be next weekend. We want to take advantage of Game 1 and hopefully get back at them (Buckeyes) in Game 2.”