The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team will welcome Stonehill College to AMSOIL Arena this weekend for a non conference Friday-Saturday series. Game one will get underway at 7:07 p.m .Friday night, while the second showdown will drop the puck Saturday at 6:07 p.m.


THE SERIES: UMD and Stonehill have never played each other, and the Skyhawks are in just their third season as a Division I program.

The two sides have just two common opponents over the past two seasons --  Northeastern University last season and Arizona State University in 2022-23.

Both teams played the Huskies last season, with Stonehill opening the season on the road on Oct. 7, 2023 with Northeastern and picking up a 7-0 loss. UMD played the Huskies on Dec. 28, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wis. and also lost by a 3-2 margin. Current Bulldogs Aaron Pionk, Aiden Dubinsky, Jack Smith and Luke Bast all had assists in the skate.

The Skyhawks also played the Sun Devils last season in a Tempe series. ASU won the back-to-back games by a single goal, defeating Stonehill on Nov. 5-4 in overtime in their first-ever encounter. On  Nov. 4, 2023, the Skyhawks fell to the Sun Devils 3-2.

The Bulldogs last played newly minted NCHC member ASU the first year of Stonehill's Division I campaign, back on Oct. 1-2, 2022 at AMSOIL. UMD swept that series with a 3-2 overtime win in game one and a 4-1 win the following the day. Current senior defenseman Owen Gallatin had two assists in the second game, while current senior forward Dominic James had a goal assisted by Dubinsky in game one.

UMD vs. Current Independents

Alaska (Fairbanks)...All-Time 6-0-0...2-0 since becoming independent in 2021-22

Alaska-Anchorage...All-Time 45-20-12...N/A since becoming independent in 2022-23

Lindenwood...N/A All-Time...Independent since 2022-23

LIU...N/A All-Time...Independent since 2020-21

Stonehill...N/A All-Time...Independent since 2022-23

Overall Stonehill has gone 19-40-2 since becoming independent.

LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs suffered their first sweep to a University of Minnesota side since the 2011-12 season, with the sixth-ranked Gophers defeating UMD 7-5 Friday night and 5-1 at AMSOIL Arena last weekend.

Friday night, the Bulldogs fell behind 4-0 in the first period before offensively rallying in the in the final 40 minutes. In fact, UMD outscored Minnesota 5-3 in the second and third periods combined. 

Aaron Pionk had a career-best four assists, and two other players logged two or more points, including Dominic James (1g, 1a) and Aiden Dubinsky (2g).

Adam Gajan had a young career-high effort of 42 saves for the Bulldogs in net. The Gophers outshot UMD 49-22 in the contest, but each team logged a power play goal – UMD in two attempts, while Minnesota went 1-of-3.

UMD allowed the most goals by a Gopher team since the 2018-19 season when Minnesota defeated the Bulldogs 7-4 in Minneapolis on Oct. 7, 20188. Including Friday night, it marked the third time since that loss that UMD has put up five goals on the Gophers.

In game two Saturday night, the Bulldogs fell 5-1 to the Gophers, a score line that included a late empty netter, and gave up a non conference series sweep to Minnesota in the process – its first over a UMD side since the 2011-12 season.

The Bulldogs improved their defense in the opening period from Friday night, but the Gophers were still able to get on the board at the 9:24 and 17:23 marks to go up 2-0. 

But after what appeared like a quick whistle with less than eight seconds left in the frame called off a potential UMD goal, the Bulldogs struck off the ensuing face-off. Rookie forward Zam Plante passed the puck out the face-off tangle to Joey Pierce at the left point. Pierce found senior blueliner Owen Gallatin on the right point, and Gallatin's blast past Gopher netminder Liam Souliere pulled UMD within a single goal with four seconds left before the first intermission.

The lone scoring of the second period belonged to Minnesota's Jimmy Snuggerud at 9:12, and after 40 minutes, the Bulldogs trailed the Gophers 3-1.

UMD had back-to-back power plays early in the third frame (4:00 and 6:41 minute marks), but were unable to connect, and Minnesota extended their goal total to four on its own power play at 13:37. UMD pulled freshman netminder Gajan for an extra skater shortly after that, but the Gophers suffocated that 6-on-5 attack with an empty net goal to run the final score to 5-1 with just over four minutes in regulation.

Gajan had 29 saves in his fourth-straight start for the Bulldogs, and the Gophers had a slight edge in shots on goal 34-32. UMD went 0-of-5 on its power play, while Minnesota – who improved to 3-1-0 on the season, went 1-of-3.

NOTES FROM THE MINNESOTA SERIES: All-time, UMD is now 95-138-19 against the Gophers in 252 games of a series that began on Dec. 12, 1952.

--After dishing out four assists against Minnesota Friday night, sophomore defenseman Aaron Pionk joined senior blueliner Owen Gallatin (2g, 2a) as the two players with the most career points against Minnesota of any current Bulldogs. Both Gallatin and Pionk have recorded those four points in the last four skates against the Gophers dating back to last season.

--Dominic James had two points in the series (1g, 1a). James leads UMD with five points (2g, 3a).

--UMD's five goals against Minnesota Friday night is a current season-high, and the most by the Bulldogs in a game since they rang up St. Cloud State University on March 8, 2024 for six in a 6-5 win at AMSOIL.

--While the Bulldogs are winless in their last four games against the Gophers dating back to last season 0-3-1, they are 4-4-2 over their last 10 head-to-heads.

--Scott Sandelin has a record of 29-27-8 against Minnesota since being appointed bench boss in 2000. The Bulldogs have an even better winning percentage since the Gophers joined the Big Ten -- 13-5-2 since 2013.

RANK AND FILE: The Bulldogs fell out of the No. 18 spot they started the season with, and are no longer receiving votes in the latest USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll this week, but UMD is still receiving votes (7) in this weeks USCHO.com national poll 

Stonehill is not currently ranked in either poll.

EXTRA BOOK ON THE BULLDOGS:  UMD has been outshot in its last four games, and in fact have only outshot its opponent once so far this season -- Bemidji State University -- 40-23. That 40 shots also currently serves as UMD's season-high effort of pucks on net as well. Overall, the Bulldogs have been outshot 144 to 180 through their first five games, and outscored 14-22.

--UMD is just 2-of-18 of on its power play so far this season for a  11.1 conversation rate.

--Freshman forward Max Plante missed the series due to an upper body injury that is expected to keep him out a few more weeks.