Five Bulldogs win medals at 2022 Women's World Championship as Bell and Larocque claim more gold

DULUTH — Five Bulldogs, including two members of Minnesota Duluth’s 2022-23 squad, earned medals at the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship that wrapped up Sunday in Denmark.

Canadian defensemen Ashton Bell and Jocelyne Larocque won their third gold medal in a major tournament in 370 days via Canada’s 2-1 victory over the United States in Sunday’s final, having also beaten the U.S. in the gold medal games of the 2021 Women’s World Championship on Aug. 31, 2021, in Calgary, Alberta, and at the 2022 Olympics in February in Beijing, China.

Bell, who will be a fifth-year senior captain at UMD in 2022-23, finished with no points and a plus-2 rating in seven games. Larocque, an assistant captain for Canada who played at UMD from 2007-11, had a goal and five assists with a plus-7 rating.

Former UMD goalie Maddie Rooney (2015-20) made just two starts in preliminary play in Denmark as the U.S. finished with another silver medal. Serving as the backup for former Lindenwood goalie Nicole Hensley in four games, Rooney stopped 19 of the 20 shots she saw for a .950 save percentage and 0.50 goals against average, including a shutout of Switzerland.

Former Bulldogs forward Katerina Mrazova (2013-18) and incoming transfer goaltender Blanka Skodova both helped Czechia win its first medal at the Women’s World Championship with a 4-2 victory over Switzerland in the bronze medal game Sunday.

Mrazova, an assistant captain for Czechia, finished with a goal and eight assists in seven games. Skodova, a fifth-year senior who comes to UMD from Vermont, served as the backup goaltender for all seven Czechia games. She made two relief appearances, including the semifinal loss to USA. She stopped 21 of the 25 shots she faced in three periods.

Swiss captain Lara Stalder (2013-17) had a goal and three assists in five games for Switzerland, setting the record for career points by a Swiss player at the World Championship (29).

Bulldogs fifth-year senior goaltender Emma Soderberg started five of six games for Sweden, which was ousted by Canada in the quarterfinals 3-0 despite 54 saves by Soderberg on 57 shots. Soderberg finished with a .906 save percentage and 2.97 GAA in the tournament.

Soderberg’s Swedish teammate and captain, former Bulldogs forward Michelle Lowenhielm (2014-18), had a goal in six games in Denmark.

UMD junior defenseman Nina Jobst-Smith had two assists in four games with Germany, which went 1-3 in Group B and failed to get out of the preliminary round.

Of the nine Bulldogs competing late this summer in Denmark, four are part of the 2022-23 UMD women’s hockey team, which will open its season less than three weeks from the end of the World Championship tournament. UMD plays four nonconference games in seven days in the state of New York to start the 2022-23 season, starting with a two-game series at Long Island on Sept. 24-25 and then games against St. Lawrence on Sept. 29 and Penn State on Sept. 30 in Canton, N.Y.