It was all about quality, not quantity for the University of Minnesota Duluth Saturday night.
The No. 19 Bulldogs mustered a season-low 22 shots on goal -- nearly 15 below their per game average which ranks second in the nation -- but certainly made them count while cruising to a 5-2 National Collegiate Hockey Conference road triumph over Miami University. UMD, which improved to 8-7-4 overall and 5-5-2-1 in the NCHC, got goals from five different players and limited the RedHawks (6-11-3; 2-8-2-2) to just 15 shots, the fewest sophomore goaltender
Kasimir Kaskisuo has ever faced in any of his 54 complete starts as a Bulldog.
Sophomore defenseman
Neal Pionk gave the Bulldogs their first lead in four games with his second goal of the year 13:52 into the opening period before senior
Tony Cameranesi, who collected UMD's lone score in Friday's 1-1 overtime tie with the RedHawks, fired in a shot off his own rebound a little less than three minutes later make it 2-0. The Bulldogs doubled that advantage when junior center
Dominic Toninato and rookie right winger
Parker Mackay scored 2:04 apart midway through the second period with Mackay's goal coming after Miami goaltender Ryan McKay was caught out of position.That marked the end of the night for MacKay as he was replaced by Jay Williams, who wound up stopping six of six shots the rest of the way.
Miami cut the deficit to 4-2 on goals from Louie Belpido (on the power play at 16:37 of the second period) and Ryan Siroky (10:21 into the third), but junior left winger
Alex Iafallo iced the victory with an empty-net score with 2:50 to go in regulation.
UMD will return to AMSOIL Arena next Friday and Saturday night to face NCHC rival St. Cloud State University.
NOTES: In all eight of their wins this season, the Bulldogs have scored first (they are 8-1-2 in that situation) ... In his last nine appearances,
Kasimir Kaskisuo is 5-2-2 with a 1.21 goals against average, ad .945 goals against average and three shutouts ... Eight Bulldogs each had one point Saturday ... UMD is now unbeaten in 58 of the last 59 games it has struck for four or more goals (53-1-5).
