2011–12 Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey season

2011–12 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey season
Conference	WCHA
Home ice	AMSOIL Arena
Rankings
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine	Not ranked
USCHO.com/CBS College Sports	Not ranked
Record
Coaches and Captains
Head Coach	Shannon Miller
Assistant Coaches	Laura Schuler Steve MacDonald
Captain(s)	Haley Irwin and Kacy Ambroz
Alternate captain(s)	Jennifer Harss and Lana Steck

The Minnesota Golden Gophers women's hockey team will represent the University of Minnesota Duluth in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season. The Bulldogs will attempt to win their sixth NCAA women's Frozen Four championship. The school will be hosting two postseason events: the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four Championship, and the 2011 WCHA's Final Face-Off, both at AMSOIL Arena. Of note, head coach Miller was chair of the Ethics Committee for US women's college hockey. In addition, she was a member of the the NCAA Division 1 Championships Committee, one of only two coaches in the entire country to serve on both committees.

Offseason

News and notes

• May 12: Winnipeg, Manitoba native Steve MacDonald replaces Maria Rooth as an assistant coach on the Bulldogs. MacDonald served as the Balmoral Hall School Director of Hockey and Varsity Prep head coach and was also in Hockey Canada’s national team coaching pool.
• June 8: Two members of the Swedish national team will join the Bulldogs for the 2011-12 season. Tina Enstrom and Erika Grahm both played for Sweden at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.
• June 16: Shannon Miller has been named the coaching mentor for the Russian Senior National Team as part of the IIHF Mentorship Program. This new initiative will begin on July 1, 2011 and Miller’ mentorship will assist the Russian team in preparation for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
• July 30: Bulldogs assistant coach Laura Schuler has been named the head coach for the Canadian National Under-22 training camp. Said camp will be held August 7-16 at the Canadian International Hockey Academy in Rockland, Ontario.
• September 7: Senior forwards Haley Irwin and Kacy Ambroz have been appointed team captains for the upcoming season. Goaltenders Jennifer Harss and Lana Steck will both be assistant captains.

Recruiting

Player	Nationality	Position	Notes
Tina Enstrom	Sweden	Forward	Enstrom has made 89 appearances for Sweden, including the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. She was a World Championship bronze medalist in 2007
Erika Grahm	Sweden	Forward	Grahm led Sweden with five points at the 2008 Women's World Championship
Zoe Hickel	United States		Played for the Under 18 USA team
Bridgette Lacquette	Canada		Played for the Under 18 Canadian team
Jenna McParland	Canada		Played for the Under 18 Canadian team
Tea Villia	Finland

Exhibition

Date	Opponent	Location	Time	Score
9/30/2011	Minnesota Whitecaps	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
10/1/2011	Minnesota Whitecaps	Duluth, MN	3:07 pm

Regular season

Standings

2011–12 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings
	Conference									Overall
	GP	W	L	T	SW	PTS	GF	GA		GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#1 Wisconsin	28	23	3	2	1	72	113	44		37	31	4	2	170	53
#2 Minnesota	28	21	5	2	1	66	113	43		37	30	5	2	167	50
#6 North Dakota	28	16	9	3	2	53	116	75		36	22	11	3	154	89
#9 Minnesota-Duluth	28	15	12	1	1	47	91	61		36	21	13	1	121	77
Ohio State	28	13	14	1	1	41	75	96		36	16	16	4	99	115
Bemidji State	28	11	15	2	0	35	70	73		37	17	17	3	101	85
Minnesota State	28	3	24	1	0	10	37	105		36	7	28	1	64	133
St. Cloud State	28	4	24	0	0	12	32	150		36	5	29	2	37	130
Championship: Minnesota † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Current rankings: USCHO.com Division I women's poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time	Score
10/8/2011	Boston College	Duluth, MN	3:07 pm
10/9/2011	Boston College	Duluth, MN	3:07 pm
10/14/2011	Connecticut	Storrs, CT	6:00 pm
10/15/2011	Connecticut	Storrs, CT	3:00 pm
10/21/2011	Wisconsin		Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
10/22/2011	Wisconsin	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
10/29/2011	North Dakota	Duluth, MN	3:07 pm
10/30/2011	North Dakota	Duluth, MN	3:07 pm
11/4/2011	Minnesota	Minneapolis, MN	6:07 pm
11/5/2011	Minnesota	Minneapolis, MN	4:07 pm
11/19/2011	Bemidji State	Duluth, MN	3:07 pm
11/20/2011	Bemidji State	Duluth, MN	3:07 pm
11/25/2011	Ohio State	Columbus, OH	6:07 pm
11/26/2011	Ohio State	Columbus, OH	3:07 pm
12/2/2011	St. Cloud State	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
12/3/2011	St. Cloud State	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
12/10/2011	North Dakota	Grand Forks, ND	2:07 pm
12/11/2011	North Dakota	Grand Forks, ND	2:07 pm
12/16/2011	Minnesota State-Mankato	Mankato, MN	7:07 pm
12/17/2011	Minnesota State-Mankato	Mankato, MN	3:07 pm
1/13/2012	Minnesota	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
1/14/2012	Minnesota	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
1/20/2012	Wisconsin	Madison, WI	2:07 p.m.
1/21/2012	Wisconsin	Madison, WI	7:07 p.m.
1/27/2012	St. Cloud State	St. Cloud, MN	7:07 pm
1/28/2012	St. Cloud State	St. Cloud, MN	2:07 pm
2/3/2012	Ohio State	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
2/4/2012	Ohio State	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
2/10/2012	Bemidji State	Bemidji, MN	2:07 pm
2/11/2012	Bemidji State	Bemidji, MN	2:07 pm
2/17/2012	Minnesota State-Mankato	Duluth, MN	7:07 pm
2/18/2012	Minnesota State-Mankato	Duluth, MN	6:07 pm