Senior forward Michelle Karvinen attemps to put the puck in the net last season against Wisconsin. Karvinen is the nation’s active leading career points scorer. Photo by Keisuke Yoshimura.

The UND women’s hockey team ended its 2012-13 season with three overtimes, more than 118 minutes of hockey and a chance to take down arguably the best women’s hockey team in the country.

It couldn’t succeed, falling 3-2 to Minnesota, but the persistence the team showed during the NCAA quarterfinal was just a frame of its successful season.

Tonight, North Dakota will look to continue its momentum in an exhibition game against the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy at 7 p.m. in the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Rankings

Finishing tied for second in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association last season, UND secured a runner-up spot in the 2013 WCHA Final Face-Off.

This season, North Dakota was picked third in the preseason coaches’ poll and was the No. 5 spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national preseason poll with 100 points.

Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux — Grand Forks natives, olympians and twin sisters — will be missed in this year’s lineup, but the team has welcomed 10 new freshmen to the team and has returned 17 players from last year’s team, including the nation’s active leading career points scorer — Michelle Karvinen. The senior forward from Denmark has posted 108 points (42 goals and 66 assists) in 63 games.

Norway native and junior forward Andrea Dalen also has set a high mark for herself, as she was recently named Norway’s 2013 Gold Puck recipient, awarded annually to the top women’s hockey player.

Dalen tallied 13 goals and 10 assists during her first two seasons at UND and served as an assistant captain on the national stage for Norway, adding two goals and two assists for Norway during the 2013 IIHF Division I Women’s World Championship.

“It is a great accomplishment for Andrea, highlighting her work ethic and desire to compete,” UND coach Brian Idalski said in a press release. “It is just another example of how our program at North Dakota continues to grow and develop players for the international stage.”

Led to success

Idalski is entering his seventh season as head coach and has continued to strengthen the program and tradition at UND. During the 2012-13 season, Idalski led the team to the WCHA Final Face-Off championship game for the first time in program history, and has made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. Last season, UND posted a 26-12-1 record en route to its fall to the Gophers during the NCAA quarterfinal and marked the third-straight season of 20-plus wins.

The Green and White will kick off their season tonight before beginning regular season action Oct. 4-5 against Lindenwood in the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

Elizabeth Erickson is the sports editor of The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected]