Bulldog Insider Q&A: UMD women's hockey seniors reflect on past four seasons

The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey program played its final games of the 2020-21 season last weekend against Wisconsin, taking four out of six points in the series, but falling short of the WCHA regular season championship.

This weekend, the Bulldogs travel south to Minneapolis for the WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis to take on Ohio State in the postseason semifinals on Saturday. A win moves them to Sunday’s championship against either Wisconsin or Minnesota, with an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament also on the line.

Five of the Bulldogs six-member senior class — hockey operations assistant Anna Matzdorf of Eagan; goaltender Hanna Markel of Dillon, Colorado; forward Monique Aanenson of Moorhead; forward Anna Klein of Edina; and defenseman Ashton Bell of Deloraine, Manitoba — joined the Bulldog Insider Podcast this week to talk about their four years as Bulldogs, and reveal what their plans are for next season. Will they take advantage of the NCAA giving them another year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Below are edited excerpts from this week’s episode . Produced by award-winning News Tribune multimedia producer Samantha Erkkila, you can catch the full episode of this week's Bulldog Insider at DuluthNewsTribune.com , TheRinkLive.com and on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Go back four years ago to when you first stepped onto the UMD campus and when you arrived at Amsoil. Tell us about your first day as a Bulldog.

Monique Aanenson: I don't really remember exactly the first day, but it's like a dream come true. You're walking into just this amazing campus and then you get to the rink, and you're just like in awe. You're like, ‘This is exactly like what I wanted.’ You go to the weight room. It's amazing because I personally love that stuff. Then you go down to the locker room and then to the rink, and it just gets even better.

Anna Matzdorf:: I just remember being completely in awe. I didn't know anyone, I didn't have a car, so I had to take the bus down to the rink, and walk the skyways. I remember being super nervous, but everyone was so welcoming. And the facilities are unreal. Even though I had a little bit of a different perspective, not being an athlete, I was just in awe and felt super at home right away.

Hanna Markel: Like Mo, I do not remember my exact first day. I'd say like my first couple weeks as a freshman, I just remember, ‘Oh my gosh, this is insane.’ It was just another level from anything I had ever experienced. And I remember being with some scary seniors at the time, and then (Jessica Healey), who wasn’t so scary, took a lot of us under her wing. She showed us around.

Anna Klein: I actually have a funny story. So when I first came to campus, I had no idea who my roommates were except for Lindsay (Czech) because she was from Wayzata, so close to me. Ashton and Ryleigh (Houston) had already moved in. So I got there and I'm like checking out their rooms. I'm like, ‘Oh, who are these people? Let’s look.’

And I look on Ashton’s wall and she's got a poster of her two horses and her dog, and I look at my mom and I go, ‘I don't know if I'm going to get along with this girl.’ I'm from Edina, Minnesota. I don't know anything about farms or anything. I’m like, ‘Oh God, mom. Who are my roommates?’ Next thing you know, Ashton and I are best friends now. I’m so thankful that it ended up working out.

But other than that, like these guys said, when you see the facilities and the rink, it's so much fun. And I vividly remember walking in and seeing all of our brand new gear set up and how cool that was. That's like probably one of my favorite memories.

Ashton Bell: I had a good first impression of Kleiner. She had a lot of energy and she was very upbeat, so I knew we were gonna get along very well. Like the other two, I don't really remember it too well, but moving into (Oakland Apartments) was awesome. Seeing campus and our rink is amazing, and like Kleiner said, seeing all the new gear, new sticks, that was pretty awesome.

What teacher or staff member at UMD had a dramatic impact on your time here?

Bell: We've had so many great teachers. Kleiner and I are pretty much in every class together. But I would probably say Shannon Stevenson has been one of my best teachers. Just the way she teaches is amazing. I learned so much from her and she cares so much about her students.

Klein: I would say either Professor Stevenson or Professor (Paul) Bates. Stevenson, I'm actually one of her (teacher’s assistants) right now. Like Ashton said, you can just tell how much she cares about her students. She cares so much about you actually understanding the material and helping you out. Professor Bates, he comes to so many of our games and he's such a big women's hockey supporter, but he's also a great teacher. He does a really good job working with us as students when we have to miss and everything. I just really liked him. He's fun and a good guy.

Markel: I'm going to go with a staff member. I'm going to go with (strength and conditioning coach) Jason Aldrich. I spend a lot of time with him. He's a really fun guy and he makes miserable stuff really fun sometimes. He brings a good attitude every day. I think he really likes being with the girls and he’s a good guy.”

Aanenson: I'd have to go with my advisor and professor, Professor (Chuck) Fountaine. He's helped with both scheduling around our hockey practices and to get into classes, but he's also been very helpful and supportive. He always likes to see when the Bulldogs win and he’ll bring it up in class. It's fun to have him as an advisor and a professor.

Matzdorf: I've had the same four professors for three years pretty much. I've gotten really close with all of them. All the professors in the (Communication Sciences and Disorders) department are incredible and they always are super understanding when I have to miss for excused absence. But I think when I am asked that question, the No. 1 person that comes to my mind is Nick Bryant. He has been my No. 1 supporter and rock through my entire time at UMD. I could not have half the opportunities that I do without him.

What’s everyone’s plans for next season? Are you back as a Bulldog, or tackling a new adventure?

Klein: I will be coming back, that's why I added another major in chemistry. So that's what I'm going to be doing next year. Still haven't found a house yet.

Bell: My plans are still kind of up in the air. I'm waiting to see what happens with the (Canadian) national team and then depending on that … I definitely want to come back, if that's next year or the following year. I will be back at some point.

Markel: I'll be graduating in the summer and I will be moving back to Colorado to fulfill my lifelong dream of being a ski bum for a year. But I will be coming back to Duluth to be an avid UMD women's hockey Bulldogs fan in the fall. I'll come visit every once in a while.

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Matzdorf: I am planning on attending grad school here in the fall. I think it's going to be really rigorous with all the coursework and whatnot. I'm definitely going to be around. I don't know what my involvement will be yet, but definitely going to be around. They’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.

Aanenson: I will not be playing hockey next year, but I will be coming back for school. I'll be living with Matz and Kleiner, which will be fun. I'll be around. Jason has mentioned maybe trying to get me an internship so I could be with the team a little more, but otherwise I'll just be in Duluth finishing my degree.

Note: Bulldogs senior defenseman McKenzie Revering, an education major who couldn’t make the podcast recording Tuesday because she was taking her teaching exam, has said she is undecided yet about next season as she is set to begin student teaching.

Visit DuluthNewsTribune.com , TheRinkLive.com , Apple Podcasts or Spotify for more from this week’s episode.