The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team blasted past No. 11 Western Michigan University in the first game of this weekend's series.
UMD scored six goals in sixty minutes, doubling WMU's total, earning the Bulldogs their second win over a ranked opponent in as many weekends. Two major penalties against the Broncos at the end of the second period shifted the game, although scoring was abundant throughout.
Under two minutes into the first period, freshman Anthony Menghini scored his fifth goal of the season. Luke Johnson poked the puck free for a Broncos turnover at their own blue line. He passed to Menghini, who had a clear shot down the middle.
Despite the Bulldogs' early lead, the team largely traded off shots and faceoff wins. Until, WMU made a late push. The Broncos sent off a flurry of shots, scoring on their fourth consecutive one with just 18 seconds left in the period.
Both teams took penalties in the first half of the middle frame, but the story of the period came later. With a little over four minutes left, WMU was called for a hit. After an official review, the Broncos were assessed a five minute major for hitting from behind. A minute later, another WMU hit stopped the action and resulted in another major penalty. The second period played out 5-on-3 and power play specialist Ben Steeves took full advantage, regaining the UMD lead.
In the third period, scoring exploded, with both teams tripling their totals. After securing his first two collegiate points last weekend against Colorado College, freshman Braden Fischer opened the goal frenzy.
The Broncos scored one in turn, but that only fueled the Bulldogs offensively. On a rush, Blake Biondi was laser focused in, sending the puck across the goal line as he slid past.
WMU had one last answer in them, bringing the score to 4-3, but UMD went back to work. Menghini scored again, his first two goal performance. Another first rounded out the game, with Kyler Kleven's first goal of the season. Jack Smith created a two-on-zero opportunity with Kleven and a late pass left the net wide open.
The Bulldogs were outshot 40-29, but still doubled up on the scoresheet. With three successful penalty kills, UMD extended their kill streak to twelve.
In his return to net for the Bulldogs, Matthew Thiessen made 37 saves for a .925 save percentage. Tonight ties for his second most saves this season and stands alone as his highest save percentage through nine games.
Twelve different UMD skaters earned points tonight. Menghini, Biondi, Kleven, and Smith all added two points.
The Bulldogs return to Lawson Ice Arena tomorrow evening for a 5:00 p.m. CT rematch.
