Bulldogs pour on the shots, battle for 4-1 season-opening win at Long Island University

EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — Minnesota Duluth learned Saturday it’s not the only NCAA Division I women’s hockey program in the country with a stud Swedish goaltender as the Bulldogs battled for a 4-1 nonconference victory at Long Island University to open the 2022-23 season.

UMD, the national runners up from a year ago, outshot the Sharks 65-6 in the game — tying the program record for shots allowed in a game. That was set a year ago on Feb. 11, 2022, at St. Thomas.

The Bulldogs put a program-record 36 shots on goal in the second period, but fell short of the game record of 72 from Dec. 17, 1999, against St. Cloud State. Shot attempts were 97-8 in favor of UMD on Saturday.

“Really good offensive zone-time possession, a lot of shots,” said Bulldogs coach Maura Crowell of the win. “We want to get more traffic at the net, be a little more relentless and hungry around the net when there are loose pucks, take the goalie’s eyes away. She played tremendous.”

LIU sophomore goaltender Tindra Holm made 61 saves on 63 shots to stymie the Bulldogs for much of the night. Holm is a 21-year-old sophomore who posted a .932 save percentage and 1.99 goals against average as a freshman. Prior to joining the Sharks, she played on Sweden’s Under-18 national team and in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL).

It’s a resume similar to that of UMD fifth-year senior Emma Soderberg, the 24-year-old Swedish national team starting goalie. Soderberg made five saves on six shots for the win Saturday.

Senior defenseman Taylor Stewart scored on a slap shot to give UMD a 1-0 lead in the first period while fifth-year senior winger Anneke Linser put away a rebound 7:53 into the third period to put UMD ahead 2-0. Fifth-year senior wing Taylor Anderson scored two empty-net goals in the final 38 seconds.

Fifth-year senior center Gabbie Hughes and junior wing Katie Davis each had two assists, as Hughes deked her way to the front of the net in the third period to set up Linser’s score.

Long Island’s lone goal came on the Sharks’ second power play of the night (also of the third period) as junior defenseman Paula Bergstrom — a teammate of Soderberg’s on the Swedish national and Olympic teams — went high over Soderberg’s right shoulder.

UMD finished 0-for-5 on the power play Saturday.

“You have to credit LIU with blocking shots and being gritty around the net,” Crowell said. “That stuff — as we’ve seen in the past — can get a little frustrating to find those seams, but you just have ot stick with it. I think we can be more dynamic in the (offensive) zone.”

The Sharks host the Bulldogs again at 6:45 p.m. CDT at the Northwell Health Ice Center, which is the practice facility for the New York Islanders in East Meadow, New York.