UMD women's hockey: Bulldogs performance in Frozen Four caught the eye of Giguere, made a strong impression

Turns out Minnesota Duluth’s performance in the 2021 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four in Erie, Pennsylvania, not only made an impact on potential recruits this spring, but a Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner as well.

Speaking with local reporters over Zoom on Friday morning for the first time since it was announced she would be transferring from Clarkson to UMD , Elizabeth Giguere said the Bulldogs’ 1-0 overtime victory over Colgate in the national quarterfinals left a strong impression, as did the overtime loss to Northeastern in the semifinals.

“I've been watching them play for a long time — men's and women's team. We always watch those games, and especially this year,” Giguere said. “I watched their game in the Frozen Four against Colgate and whatnot. Their work ethic, it's so physical, it's a different type of game, I feel. When you watch a game, you're like, ‘Wow, they're good.’ They work hard, and they have some talent.”

Giguere, a winger out of Quebec City, Quebec, who just graduated as Clarkson’s all-time leading scorer with 233 points, will be joining the Bulldogs in 2021-22 as a senior graduate transfer. She’s one of many student-athletes across the NCAA taking advantage of a fifth year of eligibility granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

READ MORE: UMD women's hockey: 2020 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Elizabeth Giguere transfers to Bulldogs from Clarkson Giguere graduated from Clarkson this spring as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 233 collegiate points via 99 goals and 134 assists. She posted nine goals and 14 assists during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season after tallying 37 goals and 29 assists for 66 points as a junior when she won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award

Duluth is a city she is quite familiar with — “it’s beautiful” having visited friends who are from here. Her fiancé also lives about 80 miles to the south in Hayward, Wisconsin, where she was video conferencing from on Friday.

That familiarity — as well as a Master of Business Administration program that has a strong reputation — played a role in her choosing to play for the Bulldogs in 2021-22, however, Giguere said it was the style of hockey played by UMD and the rest of the WCHA that really sold her on the move.

“I remember playing my sophomore and my junior year, and it's always a different type of game when we play WCHA teams, especially them,” Giguere said, referencing previous series with UMD. The Bulldogs were swept by Clarkson and Giguere in Potsdam, New York, in November 2018 and the two schools split a season-opening series at Amsoil Arena in October 2019. “It's always fun games. I like their style of game and how they play. They seem to have a lot of fun.”