The No. 18/19 University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team will head south this weekend to face the No. 12 University of Minnesota in Minneapoils, Minn. inside Mariucci Arena in a nonconference tilt. The series Friday-Saturday series will get underway at 7:00 p.m. both nights.

UMD Men's Hockey Press Conference, Oct. 22, 2025 -- UMD head coach Scott Sandelin and sophomores Jayson Shaugabay and Max Plante


POLL PUSH: UMD returns to both national rankings with a bang, sitting 18th in the USCHO.com national poll and 19th in the USA College Hockey Men's Poll.

While the Bulldogs have been receiving votes since the preseason polls were released, this is the first time since the preseaon polls ahead of the 2024-25 season that UMD has earned a spot in the national polls.

THEY'RE GOING NATIONAL: UMD's top line is sitting in the NCAA's top-10 for points -- Jayson Shaugabay, Max Plante and Zam Plante. Shaugabay (5g, 7a) and Max Plante (4g, 8a) are each sitting at 12 points through six games, while Zam Plante (4g, 6a) has 10 points over the same skates.

Both Shaugabay and Max Plante are averaging 2.00 points per game, (2nd in the NCAA), while Zam Plante is averaging 1.83 (14th in the NCAA.)

Zam Plante also ranks second in the NCAA with three power play goals and second in face-off wins (74), while Shaugabay sits fifth in the NCAA with 1.33 assists per game. 

Sophomore goaltender Adam Gajan also ranks fifth in the NCAA for a .833 winning percentage.

Max Plante currently leads the nation with a +10 plus/minus rating.

POWERED PLAY: Prior to last weekend's series against Bemidji State University, the Bulldogs entered the weekend with the NCAA's 50th ranked power play and the 29th most power play goals through its first four games.

UMD's power play conversion percentage was a chilly 6.7, and just one player - - Jayson Shaugabay, had a power play goal.

What a difference a week makes. Enter UMD's revamped power play, which scored six power play goals over the weekend, starting with Zam Plante's two extra skater tallies Friday night. Shaugabay (2) and Plante (1) added power play goals in the second and third periods, and Callum Arnott and Ryan Zaremba each added  one with less than five minutes in the game.

When the dust settled, UMD had seven power play goals to its name (six on the weekend), the fourth most in the NCAA and its power play is now firing at a 26.9 conversion rate -- good for 13th in the nation.

DIMES OFF THE TOP LINE: UMD's offensively overwhelming first line has been working overtime through six games this season. Sophomores Jayson Shaugabay, Max and Zam Plante have combined for 34 of UMD's 64 points so far this season -- more than half, and have scored 13 of 25 UMD goals. 

The trio has racked up a pile of multiple point games too -- Shaugabay and Max Plante have done it four times, while Zam Plante has three games with two or more points.

SERIES STREAKERS: Six UMD players logged points in both games against BSU last weekend: Jayson Shaugabay (3g, 4a), Max Plante (2g, 4a), Zam Plante (3g, 3a), Ty Hanson (4a), Ryan Zaremba (1g, 1a), and Hunter Anderson (2a).

YOUNG GUNS: 21 of UMD's 25 goals have been scored by underclassmen so far this season. 

Three freshmen have scored goals, while 18 goals have come from sophomores.

THEY LIGHT THE LAMP: UMD currently ranks sixth in the NCAA and third in the NCHC in scoring offense, averaging 4.17 goals a game. 

NO SHOT: The Bulldogs are allowing just 19.5 shots a game -- the second fewest in the NCAA. By contrast, UMD is averaging 32.0 shots a game -- the 17th most in the NCAA.

IT'S GAJAN'S GOAL: Adam Gajan is tied for the third most minutes in the NCAA so far this season (359) and is just one of our netminders to have played six games. One of only four netminders to have manned the pipes for more than 350 minutes or more, Gajan has the fourth lowest goals against average (1.51) of any goaltenders that have played in four or more games, and third highest saves percentage (.922) among goaltenders that have skated in six games.

FACE PLANTE: Sophomore center Zam Plante is tied for second in the NCAA in faceoff wins ahead of the weekend. Plante has 74 wins compared to 63 losses.

As a team, UMD ranks eighth in the NCAA with a 54.1 winning percentage.  Overall, the Bulldogs have won 196 draws while losing just 166.

THE SERIES: UMD is underwater all-time against Minnesota with a record of 95-138-19. The two sides last met in Duluth last season on Oct. 18-19, 2024, a series sweep for the Gophers by scores of 7-5 and 5-1.

UMD vs. Minnesota, Last 10 Games: (4-4-2)

Oct. 19, 2024 1-5 Loss Home

Oct. 18, 2024 5-7 Loss Home

Nov. 4, 2023 3-3 Tie OT SW Home

Nov. 3, 2023 1-5 Loss Away

Oct. 23, 2021 2-1 Win Home

Oct. 22, 2021 5-3 Win Away

Oct. 26, 2019 2-0 Win Home

Oct. 25, 2019 5-2 Win Away

Oct.  7, 2018 4-7 Loss Away

Oct.  6, 2018 1-1 Tie OT Home

Oct.  6, 2017 4-3 Tie OT Home

Top Career Scorers Against MINN:

Aaron Pionk GP 4, 0-4=4

Jayson Shaugabay GP 2, 1-0=0

Joey Pierce GP 4, 0-1=1

Zam Plante GP 2, 0-1=1
 

Over the past 10 seasons, UMD has 8-4-2 record against Minnesota and has averaged 3.42 goals a game. The Bulldogs are also 3-2 at Mariucci Arena.

While the Bulldogs are winless in their last four games against the Gophers dating back to the 2023-24 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.

Last season, the Bulldogs suffered their first sweep to a Minnesota side since the 2011-12 season.

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 No. 6 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. 

Owen Gallatin's goal 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 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 and the Gophers had a slight edge in shots on goal 34-32. UMD went 0-of-5 on its power play, while Minnesota went 1-of-3.

LAST TIME OUT: UMD swept Bemidji State University in a home and away series by scores of 7-3 and 5-1. 

Friday night in Bemidji, the Bulldogs reeled off five unanswered goals between the first and second periods to overcome an early 2-0 deficit. UMD's line of Max Plante, Zam Plante and Jayson Shaugabay were responsible for five goals between them, including two power play goals and a shorthanded tally. Each of the sophomore forwards logged four points on the evening – the Plante brothers had two goals and two assists each, while Shaugabay had a goal and three assists.

UMD fell behind 2-0 in less than five minutes to open the game, but just over a minute later after the Beavers took their 2-0 lead, Shaugabay scored off a faceoff at 5:59. The Bulldogs then equalized on a give and go between Shaugabay and Max Plante at the 12:00 minute, the first of Plante's two goals in the game.

Senior defenseman Joey Pierce's wrister from the point snuck through to give UMD a 3-2 lead at 17:31, but UMD blew the game open midway through the second, scoring three goals in just over two minutes. It started with a shorthanded goal from Max Plante after he tipped the puck away in the Bulldog defensive zone and finished it all on his own at 7:58. Less then a minute later, freshman forward Daniel Shlaine wheeled on a rebound in the slot for his first goal as a Bulldog, and then at 10:08 on the power play, Zam Plante one timed a puck from the circle to extend UMD's lead to 6-2, and after BSU scored a power play goal, Plante walked in from the left circle and sniped his second power play goal of the game to make it a 7-3 contest.

UMD outshot the Beavers 25-20 in the game and got 17 saves from sophomore goaltender Adam Gajan. Overall, the Bulldogs were 2-of-5 on their power play while BSU went 1-of-5.

Saturday, for a second-straight night, UMD used power play goals – four, exactly – to defeat the Beavers. Shaugabay's two-goal game was the second of his career against the Beavers – he opened his collegiate hockey career with two against BSU back on Oct. 5, 2024 – and his six tallies  in four skates against the Beavers the past two seasons. 

The Bulldogs power play that delivered two goals Friday night was fired up again Saturday, and while it took a period longer for UMD to find the goal, once it did, it was all systems go. Shaugabay started it with an extended goal line score at 9:00 of the frame, and then the sophomore winger struck again at 19:30, burying a breakaway fresh out of the penalty box.  

UMD piled on three power plays in the third period, but it started on the penalty kill when goaltender Gajan met a BSU player in the high slot. Gajan dove at the runway puck and knocked it away, and the ensuing chaos led to a Beaver tripping penalty that paved the way for the Bulldogs third goal. Zam Plante made BSU pay less than a minute later to run the score to 3-0.

The Beavers finally found the net at the 8:41 mark, but the Bulldogs still had two power play goals up their jerseys one from Callum Arnott and another from rookie forward Ryan Zaremba -- the first goal of his career in the closing minutes of the game.

Gajan again was brilliant in the back for the Bulldogs, making 22 saves in his fifth win of the season. Overall, UMD outshot the Beavers 36-23 and went an impressive 4-of-7 on the power play against BSU on the night.

NOTES ON THE BSU SERIES: UMD now has a three-game winning streak against BSU dating back to Dec. 31, 2024 and has outscored the Beavers 16-4 over those three games. All-time, the Bulldogs are now 31-17-1 against BSU.

--Jayson Shaugabay led all scorers on the weekend with three goals and four assists for seven point. Shaugabay has now racked up six goals and six assists for 12 points against BSU in just four games – a 3.00 points per game average. This marked Shaugabay's third career game with two goals – two of them have come against the Beavers.

--Zam Plante has also piled up points against the Beavers – the sophomore center has four goals and six assists for 10 points over those same four games.

--UMD's top line of the Plante brothers and Shaugabay scored eight of UMD's 12 goals on the weekend.

--Ty Hanson had a career-high three assists Saturday night, the most points in a game for the sophomore defenseman so far in his career.

--UMD's four power play goals was the most its had in a single game since it landed four against Northern Michigan University back on Oct. 14, 2023.

SCORE LINE: UMD has scored 10 of its 25 goals in the second period, and nine in the opening period. The Bulldogs have allowed the most goals in the third period, however -- six of the 11 scored against them.