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Bulldogs Prepare for Illinois Trip

By Noah Myers, 04/14/18, 9:30AM CDT

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The UMD Bulldogs are gearing up for a trip to South Barrington to play #5 ranked Grand Valley State Lakers , and the #6 ranked Dayton Flyers.

GVSU and Dayton

This week the #3 ranked UMD Bulldogs are gearing up for a trip to South Barrington, Illinois, about 40 minutes outside of Chicago. This trip will wrap up the regular season as the Bulldogs face the #5 ranked Grand Valley State Lakers , and the #6 ranked Dayton Flyers.     

The Dogs are looking to turn things around after St. John’s snapped their eight-game win streak a few weeks ago, in front of a packed dome in Maple Grove, and some vocal alumni supporters. They were called for 11 penalties, and made a few too many unforced turnovers, resulting in a 9-8 final in the Johnnies’ favor. The Bulldogs know exactly what to fix in order to continue their successful season.  

On Friday morning the Dogs boarded the bus headed to the Chicago suburbs. This will be their third trip to South Barrington in the last three seasons. The trip has earned the nickname “Judgement Weekend” due to all the high caliber, top-ranked teams converging at the same location. 

The Bulldogs look forward to a fast-paced game against the Lakers, as they have received the past two seasons. GVSU topped UMD by a score of 9-7 last year in Tennessee. This year the Lakers are coming in with a 5-2 record, beating their new conference rival, Dayton 14-10 last week, and also beating DI opponent Western Michigan. After losing close games the last two seasons, UMD looks forward to another battle against Grand Valley. 

Dayton has consistently remained in the top 10 over the last few seasons, and won the DII championship in 2015. This year they are still a strong competitor, playing #15 DI ranked Davenport to a close 13-12 loss at the end of March. The Bulldogs expect a fun match, as they look to end their regular season on a win streak, and carry some strong momentum into the UMLC tournament in just one more week. 

-Noah Myers #8