Cole Koepke scored a pair of goals Saturday night, but one was good enough for Hunter Shepard.

The University of Minnesota Duluth sophomore goaltender turned aside all 25 shots the University of Denver sent his way while backstopping the No. 4 Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff semifinals at St. Paul's Excel Energy Center. UMD will now face St. Cloud State University for the NCHC playoff championship tomorrow. It will be the Bulldogs' third NCHC Frozen Faceoff title game appearance in the past four years.

After two scoreless periods, Koepke broke the ice by wristing in a shot from inside the left faceoff circle for his sixth goal of the season. That 1-0 UMD lead stood until both sophomore defenseman Louie Roehl (18:22) and Koepke (19:39) potted empty net goals  in the final two minutes of regulation. Koepke, a rookie left winger, paced both clubs with five shots and finished a +2. 

The shutout was the sixth of the season for Shepard, who tied a school record by making his 76th consecutive start. 

The Bulldogs (24-11-2 overall) outshot the Pioneers 33-25 on the night as both clubs went 0-for-2 on the power play.

"It was a real good win for our team, a real good third period and it was a battle like we have had with them many many times," said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin. "There wasn't a lot of room to do things out there but I thought both teams traded opportunities but we came out and got the first goal and I like that our guys just stayed with it."