The No. 4 University of Minnesota Dululth men's hockey team will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. this weekend to face the defending NCAA Champions in a high-stakes National Collegiate Hockey Conference series in Lawson, Arena. Game one will get underway at 6:00 p.m. CST Friday night, while Saturday's game has now been moved back to start at 6:00 p.m. CST.
UMD Men's Hockey Weekly Press Conference -- Dec. 3, 2025 -- Adam Kleber, Max Plante and head coach Scott Sandelin
UMD AGAINST DEFENDING NCAA CHAMPIONS: The Bulldogs will face the WMU program for the first time since the Broncos won their first NCAA title last April. Over the past decade, UMD is an even 7-7 against current title holders, and in those 14 games, have just a one goal lead at 41-40. In road games against defending champs, UMD is 5-3 since the 2015-16 season.
Of note, seven of those 10 seasons (omitting the canceled 2020 NCAA postseason) was won by an NCHC team -- including back-to-back titles by the Bulldogs in 2018 and 2019.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: UMD is unbeaten in series openers or Friday night games, a perfect 8-0 headed into the weekend. The Bulldogs have also outscored teams on Friday 36-12.
On the other side of the series, UMD is just 4-4 in its second games of the series, and has the same amount of goals on the board as its foes 18-18.
THEY'RE STILL THE ONE (AND TWO): For four-straight weeks in a row, the brothers Max and Zam Plante lead the nation in either scoring, points per game or both. The pair became the first-ever pair of brothers to lead the NCAA in scoring last month, and currently are ranked 1-2 in points per game -- Max with a 1.63 ppg average and Zam with a 1.50. Max remains in a tie for the nation's lead with Max currently leads the nation with 26 points on 13 goals and 13 assists, while Zam is right on his skates in fifth with 24 points on seven goals and 17 helpers.
Zam also currently leads the nation (in a tie) with 17 assists -- a 1.06 assists per game average, while Max sits in second in the NCAA with 13 goals and third with three game-winning goals.
SPECIAL TEAM SPECIALTY: Currently, UMD owns the NCAA's sixth-best power play with a 28.1 conversion rate.
The Bulldogs are averaging a power play goal a game, and have scored five power play tallies over their last six skates.
On the penalty kill, UMD is sixth in the nation with a 89.5 kill rate, and have given up just six goals in 16 games down at least a skater. In fact, all six of the Bulldogs given up penalty kill goals have come in games where they have had to kill three or more power plays, and four of those goals came with five or more power play attempts by the opposing squad.
HAVE A HAT TRICK (OR TWO): Ty Hanson and Max Plante rang up hat tricks seven days apart, the first time two different Bulldogs have logged hat tricks in a season since the 2020-21 season. While Ben Steeves turned in two in 2022-23, the last season with two hat tricks from different skaters came from Nick Swaney (Feb. 27, 2021, St. Cloud State) and Cole Koeple (Feb. 5, 2021, Miami). That season UMD actually had three different players record hat tricks -- Jackson Cates also earned a hatty against WMU on Jan. 23, 2021 -- the Bulldogs third hat trick in a month from Jan. 23-Feb. 27, 2021.
Interestingly enough, while J.T. Brown had two hat tricks in 2011-12 and MacGregor Sharp registered two in 2008-09, besides this season and the 2020-21 season, one has to go back to the 2003-2004 season to find two or more players log a hat trick in a season. That season UMD had six hat tricks, four of them from different players (and three from Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard).
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON: Max Plante currently ranks second among all active players in the NCAA with a 1.38 points per game average. While he also leads the nation currently with a 1.63 ppg, he still trails one person -- his dad.
Plante may have bested his father Derek Plante's rookie output from the 1989-90 season last season in just 23 games. The senior Plante had 21 points (10 g, 11a) over 28 games, while the younger Plante recorded 28 points (9g, 19a) over 23 games skated in 2024-25.
Plante has some work to do if he wants to catch his dad in the points per game column though -- Derek Plante averaged a mind-bending 1.58 points per game over his career, putting up 219 points over 138 points from 1989-93 -- the second highest points per game total in UMD history.
Currently, the middle Plante son owns a 1.38 ppg average through 39 games. Max did beat his dad to 50 career points -- while Max needed just 35 games to reach the milestone, Derek hit it in 52 games over his 1990-91 rookie season.
HELLOOO HANSON: Ty Hanson started his second season as a Bulldog earning the "A" on his sweater, and the sophomore defenseman has been on a tear ever since.
Hanson ranks second currently in the NCAA among all defenseman with 17 points (6g, 11a) and also is tied for the eighth highest +/- rating among all players. Hanson -- who has had five multiple point games already this season, including a hat trick against on Nov. 14 Omaha - needed just 14 games to surpass his last season total of 14 points (4g, 10a) over 36 games.
His hat trick versus the Mavericks was the first by a Bulldog defenseman in 25 years.
THAT'S THE GOAL: The Bulldogs currently own the eighth most goals in the country (54) in just 16 games. UMD has already scored half the goals they did over the entire 2024-25 season (99), and is averaging more than three goals a game (3.40) for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Bulldogs averaged three goals a game that season and scored a total of 84 in a COVID shortened season of 28 games.
BET ON THIS LINE: UMD's offensively overwhelming first line currently ranks in the NCAA as its second most productive. Sophomores Jayson Shaugabay, Max and Zam Plante have combined for 69 of UMD's 142 points so far this season, and have scored just under half of the Bulldogs 54 goals so far this season with 25.
Of their 25 goals, just five have been scored without one of their linemates -- Max Plante has scored two unassisted tallies and another with a Adam Gajan's first career assist as the lone helper, while Shaugabay has two goals with just Ty Hanson as the lone assist.
The trio has also racked up a pile of multiple point games too -- Max Plante has done it eight times, Zam Plante seven times and Shaugabay have done it six times.
The trio are all averaging way over a point a game -- Max Plante at 1.64 ppg, Zam Plante at 1.57 ppg and Shaugaby at 1.36 ppg.
HE'S A WINNER: Goaltender Adam Gajan has already won 12 games so far this season -- and is already the first Bulldog goaltender to reach that mark in four seasons -- since Ryan Fanti turned in 20 triumphs in 2021-22.
Gajan's 12 wins ranks second in the nation's, and has also played the third most minutes (944) and has played the third most games played (16).
SANDELIN'S ALMOST GRAND: Head coach Scott Sandelin is marching closer to coaching in his 1,000th game on the Bulldog bench. Sandelin, who enters the weekend at 997 games, is expected to reach the incredible milestone on Dec. 12 against Arizona State at AMSOIL Arena.
Sandelin will be the 27th head coach in D1 NCAA hockey history ever to reach the milestone, and he is set to become just the fifth current head coach to coach in 1,000 or more games. With his first season at UMD back in 2000-01, Sandelin is currently in his 26th season with UMD -- the longest serving head coach in program history.
NCHC SHOWDOWN: Currently, the Bulldogs trail the Broncos in the NCHC standings by a single point with 14 -- WMU has 15. The Broncos are tied for first place while UMD sits in third.
THE SERIES: UMD is 28-20-3 all-time against the Broncoes and has lost in its last three games against WMU since it defeated the Broncos back on Jan. 19, 2024 by a 6-3 score on the road.
Last season, WMU swept UMD at AMSOIL Arena on Jan. 19 (5-2) and Jan. 20 (4-1).
Last 10 Games vs WMU (3-7)
Nov. 23, 2024 1-4 Loss Home
Nov. 22, 2024 2-5 Loss Home
Jan. 20, 2024 2-5 Loss Away
Jan. 19, 2024 6-3 Win Away
Feb. 4, 2023 1-4 Loss Home
Feb. 3, 2023 2-3 Loss Home OT
Nov. 19, 2022 3-5 Loss Away
Nov. 18, 2022 5-4 Win Away
Mar. 19, 2022 3-0 Win Neutral*
Jan. 29, 2022 2-3 Loss Home OT
*NCHC Championship
Top Returning UMD Scorer vs WMU
Zam Plante, 2 GP 2 Goals
Only four returning Bulldogs have skated in Kamalazoo: seniors Riley Bodnarchuk, and Joey Pierce, and juniors Aaron Pionk and Braden Fischer. In all, five players on UMD's roster has skated in side Lawson Arena (Brady Cleveland traveled their with CC).
Last January, in game one Friday night, UMD heavily outshot WMU (44-22).
After the Broncos were given a five minute major for slew footing just 3:44 into the opening frame, WMU intercepted a puck on its own blueline and struck for a breakaway shorthanded goal at the 3:59 mark.
UMD answered just over under three minutes later on the same power play when Max Plante – making his first appearance back in the line-up since the Bulldogs season opener back on Oct. 5 – found his brother Zam Plante on the back step to knot the skate at 1-1 at 6:18.
Despite outshooting the Broncos – whose second shot of the game didn't come until 8:03 left in the first period – by a hefty 12-4, both teams were fit to be tied after the first 20 minutes.
WMU scored back-to-back at 2:39 and 9:48 of the second period to push ahead 3-1, and the Broncos added a power play tally at 17:30 to separate from the Bulldogs on the scoreboard heading into the final intermission.
Spearheaded by UMD's gritty and netfront skating second line of the Plante brothers and Harper Bentz, the Bulldogs found the goal again 7:05 into the third period. Zam Plante scored his second of the night with a turning wicked wrister that cut into the Broncos lead 5-2. But 24 seconds later, WMU struck again for its fifth goal of the night.
In all, UMD outshot WMU 44-22 on the evening, including 23-5 in the final period. The Bulldogs were 1-of-5 on their power play, which spanned over 9:12 of time and generated 12 shots – the Broncos were 1-of-2 with four shots on theirs that lasted for a combined 6:40. UMD goaltender Adam Gajan had 16 saves in the loss.
In game two, an emotional night where UMD honored the legacy of Adam Johnson, the Broncos used their power play to push past UMD 4-1 in series.
Both sides were deadlocked until midway through the second period when blueliner Ty Hanson finally broke through. After a scrum in front of the net resulted in the puck trickling out to the high slot, Hanson found his way to the twine to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead at 12:25.
UMD's lead didn't reach the end of the frame, however. After Carter Loney was called for a five minute major and game misconduct at 13:55, the Broncos struck twice 1:29 apart to grab a 2-1 advantage into the second intermission, a momentum altering end to the period.
The Bulldogs went on their power play 29 seconds into the third period, but it was the Broncos that would strike again at the 5:54 mark to go ahead 3-1. WMU added a fourth goal at 15:17, condemning UMD to a 2-7 record at home for the 2024 portion of the season.
Gajan had 32 saves for the Bulldogs, who were just outshot 36-33 in the game despite out-shelling the Broncos in both the second (14-12) and third (13-9) frames. While UMD went 0-of-4 on its power play, WMU was 2-of-6 on its power play.
LAST TIME OUT: UMD split in Colorado Springs two weekends ago against Colorado College by scores of 4-2 and an overtime loss of 2-1. In game one, led by the natural hat trick of the NCAA's top scorer Max Plante, the Bulldogs leaned heavily on its special teams units and they delivered, going 2-of-4 on the power play and keeping the Tigers scoreless in four extra skater attempts.
But it was the Tigers that got on the board first 10:16 into the first period. Graduate center Kyler Kovich equalized less than three minutes later, slipping in a rebound for his first goal as a Bulldog. CC struck again at the 16:40 mark off a goal and UMD trailed 2-1 at the first intermission.
The Bulldogs would never trail again thanks to the NCAA's leading scorer, and at 8:32 of the second period, Plante scored the first of his three tallies 10 seconds into a 5-on-3 power play after skating in between the circles and unloading a nasty wrist shot.
Plante struck once more 5:40 into the third on another 5-on-3 advantage with a low power play rotation that included his brother Zam Plante, and this time, Plante's wrist shot scored from the opposite circle for the eventual game-winner and game's first UMD lead. With an empty net and 32 seconds left in regulation, Plante buried his third goal of the game for his first collegiate hat trick in natural hat trick style, carrying the puck to the red line before sailing it home for his third of the game and nation-best 13th tally of the year.
UMD outshot the Tigers 30-20 overall and got 18 saves from sophomore goaltender Adam Gajan.
The Bulldogs who struck first Saturday nught on a goal from its scrappy, blue collar second line. Scout Truman's sixth goal of the season gave UMD the first goal of the game, at 11:22 of the frame for the 1-0 lead.
CC knotted the game at 1-1 2:54 of the third, the lone goal of the final frame. It took just 50 seconds for CC to grab the extra league point.
Gajan made a season-high 38 saves in the game, just four off his career high of 42. CC outshot UMD 40-30, and neither team scored on its power play – UMD had its first five minute power play of the season but only had a skater advantage for three-of-the-five minutes after picking up a minor infraction in the middle of it. CC was scoreless in one attempt,
NOTES ON THE CC SERIES: UMD is now 112-90-12 in 114 all-time meetings. The Bulldogs are also now 12-6-2 in Colorado Springs since the 2013-14 season.
--UMD is 2-1 in overtime games this season and 1-1 in extra time on Saturdays. All four of the Bulldogs losses have come on a Saturday this season.
--Max Plante's hat trick in game one puts him just two points shy of his rookie point total of 28 with 26 (13g, 13a). Last season, Plante had 28 points in just 23 points (9g, 19a).
