The No. 14 University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team returned home for a rematch against the No. 6 University of Minnesota. With a combination of confident plays and strong goaltending, UMD emerged with a 3-3 overtime tie and shootout win.
The night began with a tribute to former Bulldog Adam Johnson, including a video, moment of silence, and stick salute. Each of the UMD players wore an "AJ" helmet sticker in remembrance as well.
After the puck dropped, energy was high on both sides. Six minutes in, UMN was called for interference, giving the Bulldogs more time in the offensive zone.
After the man advantage, they continued to pressure. Freshman defenseman Aaron Pionk broke through two defenseman and was left alone in front of the net, but couldn't convert. He was a major part of UMD's early attacks, with a team-leading five shots. Four were in the first period alone.
The Bulldogs as a whole were outshooting the Gophers in the first period. It was only a matter of time until they got on the scoreboard. A misplay by Minnesota at their blue line left the puck sitting in the open. Jack Smith swept it up, with three UMN skaters trailing, and shot once, then again. His rebound found the back of the net. Smith tallied the first goal of the game and his first collegiate goal.
In the second period, UMD continued to make rushes and hold possession in the offensive zone. They were catching rebounds back on their sticks and executing slick takeaways from the Gophers' sticks.
Things got messier after UMN goal-leader Jimmy Snuggerud tied things up. The Bulldogs were called for interference and then hooking. UMD was down two skaters for 48 seconds, but cleared the zone twice.
Then, Snuggerud was called for cross checking following some action in front of the net. After a minute, the Bulldogs hooking penalty ran out, giving them a 5-on-4 opportunity. Ben Steeves made sure not to waste the man advantage, shooting twice on the right side, then swinging around behind the net. Cole Spicer caught his pass and scored from the opposite side.
Three minutes of play later, the Gophers had not only answered Spicer's goal, but gained the lead. UMN scored twice in 23 seconds, once on the power play and then again even strength.
UMD entered the third period down for the first time all night, but that wouldn't last. A late second period penalty carried over into the start of the third and Steeves capitalized. His shot from the top of the circle flew through traffic into the back of the net, only 53 seconds into the period. Steeves' goal marked his sixth power play goal of the season, tying for most by an individual player in the nation.
The Gophers were outshooting the Bulldogs, but could not pull out another lead. Fifth year goaltender Matthew Thiessen had his eyes on the puck all night and made some late saves that sent the game to overtime. In extra time, he held strong, even when UMD went down a skater for the final 1:49. Thiessen ended the night with 47 saves, beating his previous career best single-game total by ten saves.
Officially, the game ended there, a 3-3 OT tie. The Bulldogs weren't satisfied, however, and put on a show in the shootout. They only needed two shooters, Quinn Olson and Steeves, to come out on top.
UMD faces another rival and starts National Collegiate Hockey Conference play next weekend with a home series against the University of North Dakota. The Bulldogs play at 7:07 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 and then 6:07 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11 for Military Appreciation Night.
