When the University of Minnesota Duluth has won this season, it's usually won big and that was the case Friday night.
photo galleryThe No. 17 Bulldogs scored four times on the power play, got a 27-save performance from sophomore goaltender
Kasimir Kaskisuo, and rolled past Western Michigan University 7-0 to open a weekend National Collegiate Hockey Conference series at AMSOIL Arena. UMD, coming off a bye week, improved to 6-5-3 overall (3-3-1-0 in the NCHC) and has outscored the opposition 26-2 in those six triumphs. The shutout was a school-record third in a row for the Bulldogs, who have now gone 230:20 without giving up a goal.
Kaskisuo has patrolled the UMD crease during that whole stretch (and all but 20 minutes of the entire season) and hiked his 2015-16 shutout total to four, which is one shy of the program single-season record held by both Alex Stalock (2008-09) and
Brant Nicklin (1997-98).
UMD roared out of the gate, outshooting the Broncos (4-9-1, 2-5-0-0) 24-6 in the opening 20 minutes and taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The night included a handful of milestones for a quartet of UMD right wingers: sophomore
Karson Kuhlman turned in the first career two-goal night, rookies
Adam Johnson and
Parker Mackay picked up their first collegiate goals and senior
Austyn Young scored shorthanded for the first time ever as a Bulldog. Senior defenseman
Andy Welinski was credited with three assists and now has five points (all assists) in the last two outings after snapping a six-game scoring drought.
"I thought our guys came out and got off to a great start tonight," said UMD head coach
Scott Sandelin. "We got contributions from everybody and all four lines played well."
UMD went 4-for-5 on the power play and wound up with a 51-27 shot advantage on the night. The seven goals were a 2015-16 UMD single-season high and the goal margin was the largest in a Bulldog shutout win in nearly 13 years (12-0 at Bemidji State University on Dec. 7, 2002).
The two teams will meet again Saturday at 7:07 p.m. in Duluth.
