DULUTH, Minn. (Interstat) — St. Thomas will visit Minnesota-Duluth on Friday for a women’s NCAA Division I hockey game at Amsoil Arena. The Tommies are 2-2 this season, while the Bulldogs are 3-1. It is the first of a two-game series at Amsoil Arena.

St. Thomas opened the season with two wins over New Hampshire, winning 7-2 and 3-1, before dropping two games to Ohio State. Both losses to the Buckeyes came by 5-2 scores, including the most recent result. Those four games were all played at home. Whitney Horton and JuliAnna Gazdik each recorded a goal and an assist in that game, and Cara Sajevic had two shots on goal. Horton has three goals and three assists over her past four games. She had two goals and six shots on goal in the 7-2 win over New Hampshire, added an assist in each of the next two games, then posted a goal, an assist, two shots on goal and one hit in the latest loss. She is the player to watch for the Tommies.

Minnesota-Duluth swept Mercyhurst by scores of 2-0 and 4-0 before splitting two games at Vermont. The Bulldogs lost 3-0, then won 3-2 in overtime in their most recent game. Minnesota-Duluth’s two wins over Mercyhurst were both shutouts, and its loss at Vermont was its first setback of the season. Caitlin Kraemer scored in the overtime victory and has four goals and one assist over her past four games, with 30 shots on goal. She had two goals and an assist against Mercyhurst, recorded nine shots on goal in the Vermont loss, and then scored again in the overtime win. Kraemer also had 10 shots on goal in the 2-0 win over Mercyhurst and seven in the 4-0 win. Josie St. Martin scored twice in the overtime victory, and Ève Gascon made 22 saves. Kraemer is the player to watch for Minnesota-Duluth.

The Bulldogs have allowed five goals through four games and posted two shutouts. The Tommies have scored 14 goals and allowed 13. The teams will meet again in the second game of the series. St. Thomas is scheduled to host St. Cloud State for two games later this month, then have a home-and-home with Minnesota State, two road games at Wisconsin, two home games against Minnesota and a home game against Holy Cross. Minnesota-Duluth will visit Bemidji State for two games, host Minnesota for two, travel to Ohio State for two, visit Minnesota State for two, and host St. Cloud State.

The game simulator projects Minnesota-Duluth to defeat St. Thomas 5-1.