It's been a long time since the University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team swept a season opening series on the road – at least 64 years – but the Bulldogs did just that Saturday night inside the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska in the defeat of the University of Alaska Fairbanks 4-1.
The Bulldogs swept the Nanooks in their first-ever set of games played in the city of Fairbanks to improve to 2-0-0 on the new season.
Like Friday night, the Bulldogs scored three times in the first period. Just 18 seconds into the game, sophomore winger Jayson Shaugabay scored his first goal of the season for the quick 1-0 lead. Max Plante was credited with the assist – his fourth point of the series.
After not dressing in the opener, sophomore forward Harper Bentz cashed in offensively, netting UMD's second goal at 7:28. But UAF would get a big break at 10:02 when defenseman Brady Cleveland was called for a boarding five-minute major and game misconduct, giving the Nanooks a chance to cut into the Bulldog early lead.
UMD never broke, however, and then with just eight seconds left of the frame, extended its grip on the scoreboard to 3-0, this time courtesy of senior forward Scout Truman – his first goal in a maroon and gold sweater.
The Bulldogs were brilliant on a penalty kill they would rely on again and again – seven times in all in the contest. The Nanooks, scoreless all series with an extra skater (0-of-11), finally surrendered a fourth goal and second to Truman at 17:36, an empty netter that started with Zam Plante's puck off the boards to Callum Arnott, who found Truman to finish the puck – and UAF - off for good.
Sophomore goaltender Adam Gajan was just 16 seconds shy of what would have been his second shutout as a Bulldog, but the Nanooks again spoiled Gajan's night on Michael Citara's goal on the 6-on-5 UAF empty net effort to make it a 4-1 final score. On the night, Gajan had 25 saves for the Bulldogs, who were outshot by the Nanooks 26-25 over the game. Calvin Vachon had 21 stops for UAF, who fall to 0–2-0 in the early season.
The Bulldogs will open up AMSOIL Arena next Friday and Saturday when they host Augustana University for the first time in program history. Friday night's nonconference skate is scheduled to get underway at 7:07 p.m.
BULLDOG NOTES: It has been at least 64 years since the Bulldogs swept a series opener on the road … while UMD has had two wins to open the season against multiple opponents, it has not swept in a season opener since at least the 1961-62 – and possibly longer … UMD last swept a season opener against Arizona State University back on Oct. 1-2, 2022 … Scout Truman's two-goal game gave him the first and second goals (and points) of his Bulldog career and made him the second newly rostered player to turn in a two point game on the season (freshman forward Ryan Zaremba had two assists Friday night) … Jayson Shaugabay had a goal and an assist Saturday, giving him back-to-back two point games after logging two assists Friday … he joins Max Plante as the top Bulldog point getters on the weekend … Plante's four-point weekend extended a four-game scoring streak all the way back to the first round of the NCHC postseason last March … in all 12 UMD skaters logged at least a point on the weekend and six had two or more.
