The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team will host its first National Collegiate Hockey Conference series of 2025 when No. 10 St. Cloud State University visits AMSOIL Arena this weekend. Game time for Friday is set for 7:0 p.m., while Saturday will get underway an hour earlier at 6:07 p.m.
SOPHIE'S SQUAD SATURDAY: UMD will host its fourth-annual Sophie's Squad event Saturday in a double-header with the men. The organization that encourages talking about mental health was created in 2021, by a group led by former UMD All-American and current PWHL star Gabbie Hughes. Hughes went on to win the 2023 Hockey Humanitarian Award for her work with the organization. For more information on Sophie's Squad, click here. For a look at back at Gabbie Hughes and her work in the cause, click here.
KLEBER AND PLANTE ARE GOLDEN: On Sunday, Bulldog freshman defenseman Adam Kleber and freshman forward Max Plante became the first UMD players since Joey Anderson in 2017 to win a IIHF World Junior Championship gold medal, helping the U.S. to a 4-2 overtime win against Finland in Ottawa, Ontario.
Plante -- who had a primary assist on the second helper in the gold medal game -- recorded a goal and two assists in six games over the tournament, while Kleber had an assist and a +5 rating in six games.
THE SERIES: UMD and St. Cloud State have met 159 times prior to the upcoming weekend, and 150 of those meetings have happened since the Huskies became a D1 program in 1987-88. All-time, the Bulldogs trail the all-time series 65-83-11-- a rivalry that began in 1946-47 with a 8-1 UMD setback to the Huskies.
More recently, the two teams have been even over their past 10 games at 5-5-0. The Bulldogs also bring a four-game home winning streak against St. Cloud into the weekend that started back on Jan. 27, 2023.
Last season UMD averaged 4.00 goals a game against the Huskies, and ended their regular their season with a series sweep of SCSU at AMSOIL on March 8-9, 2024.
Game one was a high-scoring 6-5 overtime affair that featured three goals in the first and second periods alone and a wild four goals in the third that forced overtime. The Bulldogs, who never lead until they struck in extra time, trailed by as many as two goals twice, including once in the third period. But UMD rattled off three goals in the third period, including Owen Gallatin's tally at 13:56 that pulled UMD within a single goal at 5-4. Luke Loheit then equalized at 17:12, and Ben Steeves scored his second goal of the night, a power play game-winner with just seven seconds left in overtime to deliver the 6-5 win for UMD. Both Steeves (2g, 1a) and Aaron Pionk (1g, 2a) had three points to lead the Bulldogs.
Saturday night, game two, UMD never trailed. With two goals scored in the second period, including another by Gallatin, the Huskies also netted two in the frame and both sides were deadlocked at 2-2 after 40 mintues.
But Aiden Dubinsky scored a power play goal at 8:37 of the third period, and Loheit sealed the series with an empty-netter with a mere second left for the 4-2 triumph. Gallatin was one of three UMD players with two points (1g, 1a) -- Loheit (1g, 1a) and Connor McMenamin (1g, 1a) were the others. Andrew Thiessen had an outstanding 52 saves in the contest -- the Huskies outshot UMD 54-27 in the game.
UMD's top returning career scorer is senior Dominic James, who has averaged 1.00 points per game over his career against SCUS. Gallatin sits second with 11 points in 17 games, which includes six goals. Here's a look at UMD's top-five scorers against the Huskies:
Top-5 UMD Players vs St Cloud State
Dominic James GP=13 G=4 A=9 P=13
Owen Gallatin GP=17 G=6 A=5 P=11
Kyle Bettens GP=11 G=2 A=4 P=6
Aaron Pionk GP=4 G=1 A=5 P=6
Carter Loney GP=17 G=4 A=0 P=4
Only Zach Sandy has have ever played in net for the Bulldogs out of their three current goaltenders -- Sandy is 1-0-0 with a .868 SV%.
Last 10 Games vs St. Cloud (5-5)
Mar. 9, 2024 UMD 4, SCSU 2
Mar. 8, 2024 UMD 6, SCSU 5 OT
Nov. 18, 2023 UMD 5, SCSU 6
Nov. 17, 2023 UMD 1, SCSU 2
Mar. 12, 2023 UMD 1, SCSU 3*
Mar. 11, 2023 UMD 5, SCSU 1*
Mar. 10, 2023 UMD 1, SCSU 3*
Mar. 4, 2023 UMD 3, SCSU 4 OT
Mar. 3, 2023 UMD 4, SCSU 3
Jan. 28, 2023 UMD 6, SCSU 3
*NCHC Tournament Quarterfinals
FAMILAR FACE: Bulldog alum and former UMD assistant Brett Larson, a Duluth native, is in his seventh season as the bench boss of the Huskies.
Larson, who just joined Max Plante and Adam Kleber as an assistant coach for the U.S. at the Junior World Championship, had two stints as an assistant with UMD -- from 2008-11 and 2015-18. Larson helped UMD win two NCAA titles in 2011 and 2018, and the Bulldogs made five NCAA tournament appearances during Larson's tenure, finished as the NCAA runner-up in 2017.
A four-year defenseman for the Bulldogs from 1991-95, Larson scored 24 goals and 43 assists in 133 career games. He captained the Bulldogs during his senior year in 1994-95.
LAST TIME OUT: UMD tied and lost to Alaska Fairbanks in two overtime games last weekend at AMSOIL by scores of 2-2 and 2-1.
Friday night, Carter Loney gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 9:14 of the opening period.
After that lead held the rest of the first period, Alaska Fairbanks drew even just 2:27 into the second period to make it a 1-1 game. But UMD again retook the lead, this time on Aaron Pionk's first goal of the season at 15:43 of the frame.
The Bulldogs 2-1 lead didn't hold in the third, however, and Alaska Fairbanks pulled back into a 2-2 stalemate at 5:00, a score that would hold for the following 15 minutes, as well as five minute overtime.
UMD had reluctantly pocketed the tie before its fourth skater in the shootout, Anthony Menghini, finally got one past Lehit. Freshman goaltender Klayton Knapp, who was outstanding all game for UMD, kept the door shut in the shootout, and finished the game with a career-high 34 saves. The Nanooks outshot the Bulldogs 36-20.
Saturday, despite holding Alaska Fairbanks to the fewest shots on goal by a Bulldog opponent since November 21, 2021 – ironically also against the Nanooks – UMD surrendered the first goal of the game on Alaska Fairbank's fourth shot of the night at 9:50 of the second period.
That 1-0 score would hold for the rest of the second period and all but 18:58 of the third frame until the Bulldog freshman forward Blake Bechen broke through. With an empty net and extra skater, Dominic James blew by the Nanooks from the red line, and dropped the puck off to Bechen at the inside of the right circle. Bechen soundly buried the puck for his third goal of the season and more importantly, game-tying tally.
UMD's comeback was cut short by Broten Sabo in overtime, however, after Sabo finished the odd-man rush to push Alaska Fairbanks past the Bulldogs 2-1.
The Nanooks were led by goaltender Nicholas Grabko and his 39 saves on 40 UMD shots. The Bulldogs outshot Alaska Fairbanks 40-10 in the game, while neither team was successful on its power play (UMD 0-of-3, UAF 0-of-2). UMD freshman goaltender Klayton Knapp had eight saves in the game.
NOTES FROM THE ALASKA FAIRBANKS SERIES: UMD is now 6-1-1 all-time against the Nanooks.
--The Bulldogs are 0-2-1 in overtime games this season … in fact, three of UMD's last four games have gone into extra time.
--Rookie netminder Klayton Knapp, who had a career-best 34 saves in Friday's tie and shootout win, grabbed his first collegiate shootout win after getting his first win three nights earlier against Bemidji State University on the road.
--Sophomore defenseman Aaron Pionk extended his scoring streak to four games Saturday night with a secondary assist on Blake Bechen's goal … Pionk has now scored four points (1g, 3a) over that four game span.
--UMD was without Max Plante, Adam Kleber, Adam Gajan, Joe Molenaar and Will Francis for the weekend.
YOUNG GUNS: The Bulldog freshmen class has currently contributed 21 of UMD's 52 goals so far this season through 18 games.
Two freshman have four or more goals -- Jayson Shaugabay (6g), the third leading scorer for UMD, and Zam Plante (4g).
