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In case you missed it
BY KJESTINE STEINBRING
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
iISSUE: 78/30
ALL PHOTOS FROM STATESMAN ARCHIVE
Bulldog junior Josh Meyers, right, continues
the UMD vs. Minnesota rivalry.
UMD junior Sarah Wyffels touches the ball
over the net.
Senior captain Karine Demeule holds the NCAA
championship trophy after winning the Frozen
Four.
Freshman Bryan Gambuzza runs into the
endzone as the team cheers him on from the
sideline.
It may be hard to believe, but the 2007-2008 school year is almost over for students, and that means that sports teams will be wrapping up their seasons and calling it quits for another year. It seems like just yesterday when students packed the bleachers for the Bulldogs’ first football game. Who would have thought that seven months later, everyone still struggles with the words to the school song?
With the football team finishing the season with a loss in the cold weather, it seemed that they were disappointed with their finish in the league. Obtaining a new head coach in Bob Nielson could help the Bulldogs to reach their full potential next season. The football team was not the only thing that entertained us in the fall; there was also the dominating volleyball team.
The lady Bulldogs destroyed almost every opponent they faced, staying ranked in the top 10 nationally for most of the season. The team kept fans pumped up by getting exciting wins against highly ranked rival Concordia St. Paul on two occasions and proved their dominance time and time again. However, the Golden Bears lead to the eventual undoing of the team in the National Tournament.
Sophomore cross country runner Liz Palkie was another a highlight of the fall season as she finished 41st out of 189 competitors in the NCAA Division II Championship. Senior Eric Atkinson also qualified for the championship but was unable to compete due to an unfortunate injury. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, students were looking forward to more then just stuffing their faces with the traditional turkey and pumpkin pie, it was also time in this great state of hockey for the ice to freeze and games to begin.
The men’s hockey team started their season well, winning quite a few games in their first half of the season. After Christmas break, the students came back well rested, while the hockey teams had barely had time to rest and quickly began the second half of their season.
This time it didn’t go so well for the Dogs as they ended their season with a loss to Denver in the Western
Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) playoffs. It wasn’t all bad news for the men’s team however, junior defensemen Jason Garrison signed with the NHL’s Florida Panthers in the off season.
The women’s hockey team, on the other hand, put the season on cruise control from day one, it seemed, and kept going all the way up until spring break. Beating many tough teams in the WCHA by large margins, the Bulldogs showed their dominance repeatedly.
During spring break when everyone else was off tanning in Mexico or Florida, the women’s hockey team was busy putting the burn on their opponents in the NCAA Frozen Four. The Bulldogs’ capped off an amazing season and won their fourth national title in eight years with a win over Wisconsin.
