DULUTH — Fourth-ranked Minnesota Duluth suffered its first loss to St. Thomas on Thursday, giving up a goal in the final minute to fall 3-2 at St. Thomas Arena in Mendota Heights.
Tommies freshman forward Ilsa Lindaman — the News Tribune’s 2023 and 2024 All-Area Player of the Year from Duluth Marshall — was initially credited with the game-winning goal, though an overhead shot on B1G+ shows the centering pass from sophomore forward Rylee Bartz never made it to Lindaman. UMD junior defenseman Tova Henderson put the puck into her own net with 25 seconds left in the game.
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Lindaman had no goals and three assists in 16 games coming into the series.
Since moving up to NCAA Division I and joining the WCHA in 2021-22, it's the Tommies’ first win over a top-five ranked team in program history. St. Thomas was previously 0-13-1 all-time against the Bulldogs.
Wingers Olivia Mobley and Zoey Krock scored for the Bulldogs in the second period, with Krock — a freshman — tying the game at 1-1 98 seconds into the second and Mobley — a fifth-year senior transfer — scoring on a shorthanded breakaway to put the Bulldogs ahead by one.
Her THIRD shorthanded goal of the year, OLIVIA MOBLEY! 2-1 Dogs! pic.twitter.com/2o17Nk6Uq3
— UMD Women's Hockey (@UMDWHockey) January 24, 2025
The Tommies took a 1-0 lead 10:53 into the game via a goal by Bartz and missed a chance to tie the game at 2-2 late in the second via a penalty shot when UMD’s Henderson covered the puck in the crease.
Bulldogs sophomore goaltender Eve Gascon made 18 saves on 21 shots with her stop on the penalty shot being one of the easier saves she had to make Thursday.
The Tommies finally did get the tying goal past Gascon with 9:19 left in regulation as sophomore forward Maddie Brown snuck a puck through traffic.
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Freshman Dani Strom stopped 33 of 35 shots for the Tommies, who host UMD again at 1 p.m. Friday in Mendota Heights.
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Mobley’s shorty was her third of the season as she leads UMD in goals with 13 through 25 games. Mobley played last season at Ohio State and three years at Quinnipiac before that.
Nina Jobst-Smith ended a six-game point drought by feeding Mobley for the shorthanded breakaway and was credited with her first point — an assist — since Nov. 29 against Vermont. The fifth-year senior defenseman has three goals and 10 assists this year. She missed on a wrap around in the third period. It would have been her first goal since Nov. 16.
Krock has three goals now, including two in her last four games. A third-line winger who started the season at center, she was assisted by her linemates Grace Sadura and Jenna Lawry. Krock has three goals and five assists this season.
TIE GAME!
— WCHA Hockey (@WCHA_WHockey) January 24, 2025
Zoey Krock puts @UMDWHockey on the board early in the second!
💻 @BigTenPlus pic.twitter.com/F78fv1r8Kf
Hanna Baskin’s absence leaves UMD with 16 skaters at St. Thomas. The senior defenseman was ruled out for this week’s games against the Tommies after getting checked from behind into the end wall against Ohio State last Saturday. Baskin’s 17 assists leads the team.
The Bulldogs were previously 9-0 when leading after two periods. UMD led 2-1 going into the third period on Thursday.
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UMD has fallen to sixth in the Pairwise rankings. The Bulldogs were No. 4 a week ago at this time before falling to No. 5 following two home losses to Ohio State. UMD was in a position to get a first-round bye and host a regional final. Now UMD would have to play a first-round game elsewhere, likely at unanimous No. 1 Wisconsin.
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