Two goals from Kobe Roth and a shutout from Ryan Fanti pushed the No. 6 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory over the No. 14 Michigan Tech Huskies on Thursday afternoon in Loveland, CO. With the win, the Bulldogs advance to Saturday afternoon's regional final against either the Denver Pioneers or the UMass Lowell River Hawks. For the Bulldogs, it's a trip to at least the regional finals in seven straight NCAA Tournaments. 

"We're excited to move on," said Head Coach Scott Sandelin. "It was a good hockey game. I thought we came out well, did what we wanted to do, and grabbed a lead. Overall, wasn't our best effort, but it was a good lesson for us. It's a three-period game and you've got to play harder this time of year if you want to advance."

For Fanti, it's shutouts in three straight games and also improves his shutout streak to 207:17. It's the second time this season that the junior goaltender has strung together three consecutive shutouts. 

"There are times as a goalie when you see pucks easier than other times," said Fanti. "I had some stretches during the season where I felt this level of confidence, and then there were other points where I didn't feel as sharp. It's kind of just the ups and downs of the season. Fortunately for myself and our team, one of those times is right now, and it's kind of a testament to our team defense and the guys in front of me."

Roth notched two goals on the evening, including the game-winner in the first period. "Just picked up the puck off a turnover, had a little bit of open ice, and just tried to put a puck on net," Roth said about his first period goal. "Not sure if it hit something on the way in, but just lucky it found the back of the net." Similar to the NCHC Semifinals against Denver last weekend, Roth would ice the game with an empty netter in the final minute. The two-point night brings Roth to 96 points for his collegiate career. 

Freshman Kyler Kleven tallied a massive third period insurance goal to put the Bulldogs up 2-0 just 6:09 into the final frame. The goal for Kleven is just the second goal and point of his UMD career. Kleven, along with linemates Luke Loheit and Carter Loney played a major factor in the shutout victory on Thursday. "It was a huge goal for Klev" Roth said about Kleven's third period goal. "I thought those guys were good all night, it's huge when you can have all lines going. Really proud of them." 

In the game, the Bulldogs were outshot 28-25. Additionally, Michigan Tech had three power-play chances, while the Bulldogs only had one opportunity with the man-advantage. 

Up Next
The Bulldogs will face the winner of Denver and UMass Lowell on Saturday at 3 PM CT in Loveland, CO. 


Video recap: 


Highlights courtesy of the CCHA: