The University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team will welcome No. 10 Arizona State Univeristy to AMSOIL Arena this weekend for a second-go-round meeting this season between the the two teams. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference series will get underway Friday at 7:07 p.m. before wrapping up Saturday at 6:00 p.m.


FRESHMAN FRUITION: The Bulldogs rookie class has been as good as advertised.

34 of UMD's 73 goals so far this season have been scored by its 11 rookies, and three of the Bulldogs top five goal scorers are freshman. 

Jayson Shaugabay has 21 points through 26 games and is now tied for the most points by a Bulldog this season. Shaugabay figured in all three of UMD's goals last weekend against Omaha, scoring a power play goal Saturday night and logging an assist in each contest. The native of Warroad, Minn. is in a second place tie with nine goals scored, including a tie for the most power play goals (4). Shaugabay is currently tied for the second most goals by a rookie in the NCHC.

Other Bulldog rookies in the top-5 are Zam Plante (26 GP) 17 points (5g, 12a) and Max Plante (13 GP) 16 points (6g, 11a*).

Ty Hanson, a freshman defenseman, is sitting on nine points (3g, 6a), while two rookies -- Blake Bechen (4g, 4a), Harper Bentz (2g, 6a) have eight points each, while Callum Arnott has four goals and two assists for six points after recording a goal last Friday against UNO.

SHAUGABAY'S SCOREBOOK: With 21 points (9g, 12a) through his first 26 games, Jayson Shaugabay is just one of three rookies in the past seven seasons to record 20 or more points. Ben Steeves had a freshman haul of 28 (21g, 7a) in 2022-23, and prior to that, Noah Cates was the last rookie with 21 or more points (9g, 14a for 23 points) in 2018-19.

Over the past decade (2014-15 or more recent), an additional three players have notched 20 or more points as a rookie -- Scott Perunovich (11-25=36) and Mikey Anderson (5-18=23) in 2017-18 and Joey Anderson (12-24=36) in 2016-17.

THE LAST TIME A ROOKIE TRIO TO EACH RECORD 20 OR MORE POINTS? In addition to Jayson Shaugabay's 21 points, both Max and Zam Plante have registered 17 points so far this season. The last trio of rookies to hang up 20 or more points? Scott Perunovich (36 points in 42 games), Mikey Anderson (23 points in 39 games) and Nick Swaney (22 in 35 games) in 2017-18.

MAXED (PLANTE) OUT: Despite a collegiate career that was slightly delayed by injury (10 games), and a World Junior gold medal (three games), freshman Max Plante has found his footing with the Bulldogs. Plante, who has notched at least a point in 11 of the 13 games he has skated with UMD so far, has also posted multiple point games in half of his appearances -- six. In fact, three of Plante's last five games have included one goal, one assist efforts by the Hermantown, Minn. native. 

Currently, Plante ranks second in the NCHC with a 1.31 ppg average and fourth in assists per game (1.00). Despite missing 10 games to injury early in the season and three to U.S. Junior National Team duty, Plante has recorded 14 points (6g, 11a) in just 13 collegiate games. 

COMMON FOE, SAME RESULTS: ASU split with the University of Denver last weekend in Tempe, and ironically, UMD, against common opponents with the Sun Devils since Jan. 1 (St. Cloud State, Colorado College and DU) have had the exact same record -- 4-2.

In those common opponent games over the past six weeks, UMD outscored Huskies, Tigers and Pioneers 18-15, while ASU outscored them 29-23. The Sun Devils scored 11 more goals but allowed eight more against than the Bulldogs did.

THE SERIES: UMD and ASU are knotted up at 2-2 all-time after playing for just the third and fourth time in program history back in Dec. in Tempe, Arizona.

Top-6 UMD Players vs ASU

Dominic James GP=4 G=3 A=0 P=3

Aiden Dubinsky GP=4 G=0 A=3 P=3

Maz Plante GP=2 G=2 A=1 P=3

Carter Loney GP=4 G=0 A=2 P=2

Owen Gallatin GP=4 G=1 A=1 P=2

Zam Plante GP=2 G=1 A=1 P=2

Last Four Games, UMD vs ASU. (2-2-0)

Dec. 7, 2024 UMD 2, ASU 3

Dec. 6, 2024 UMD 3, ASU 5

Oct. 2, 2022 UMD 4, ASU 1

Oct. 1, 2022 UMD 3, ASU 2 OT

The Bulldogs, who have outscored the Sun Devils 12-11 in four all-time meetings, were swept by ASU back on Dec. 6-7 by scores of 5-3 and 3-2 in overtime. 

In the series opener, a strong third period fell just short  for the Bulldogs, who pulled within a single goal after they struck twice in the span of a minute, ultimately had their comeback denied after the Sun Devils made it 5-3 with 10 seconds left in the contest.

ASU used a power play to score at the 10:10 mark of the first period, but just 52 seconds into the second frame, Dominic James equalized with a one-timer.

The Sun Devils responded with another goal at 5:14 of the second, and then netted back-to back goals to open the third period to stretch their lead to 4-1. But UMD doubled down with two tallies of their own, starting with an entry pass into the ASU zone from his brother Zam Plante along the boards that Max Plante drove to the net and buried, his first goal of the season at the 7:58 mark. A mere 1:01 later, James struck again, this time shoveling home a pass from Anthony Menghini.

UMD pulled goaltender Zach Sandy, who had come in for Klayton Knapp earlier in the period, to make a final push to draw the game even. But ASU goaltender Luke Pavicich found ways to keep the puck out of the Sun Devil net, and then, with time running out, ASU threw the puck long for an empty net goal and the 5-3 final.

Knapp, who started the first game of his Bulldog career, made 20 saves in 47:58 of action, but was stuck with the first four ASU goals. Sandy had three stops in his 10:36 of duty. Pavicich had 35 saves for the Sun Devils, who were outshot by the Bulldogs 38-28, but dominated in the face-off dot with 34 wins to UMD's 22.

On Saturday night, the Bulldogs  suffered a 3-2 overtime heartbreak after ASU scored with less than 19 seconds left in regulation.

After a scoreless first period where UMD outshot ASU 13-5, the Sun Devils struck first at 15:48 on a goal from Dylan Jackson. That score would hold until 5:18 of the third period when Max Plante sniped into a wide open net to pull the Bulldogs even at 1-1.

The Sun Devils retook the 2-1 lead just over three minutes later on a extra effort goal from Ryan Kirwan, but again, the Bulldogs would answer. Freshman forward Zam Plante scored his then fourth goal of the season to draw UMD an even 2-2, a score that would hold through the end of regulation.

But despite the Bulldogs extensive overtime work, the Sun Devils landed a game-winning punch with just 19 seconds left to defeat UMD 3-2.

The Bulldogs outshot ASU 35-28 in the contest. UMD also blocked 12 shots compared to 11 by the Sun Devils, Sandy, who made just the third start of his collegiate career, had 25 saves. 

EXTRA NOTES ON UMD-ASU: The Bulldogs, who have had some success with their power play in the second half of the season, went 0-of-5 with the extra skater against the Sun Devils in December.

--Former UMD women's hockey All-American standout and two-time NCAA champion with the Bulldogs Jenny Potter's son Cullen Potter skates for the Sun Devils as a freshman forward.

LAST TIME OUT: UMD was swept by the University of Nebraska Omaha in Omaha last weekend by scores of 4-1 and ___

Friday night, the Bulldogs never led in the contest, and fell behind 2:13 in the first period off a goal from Brady Risk. 

UMD used its power play to equalize at 11:58 of the second period when Callum Arnott shoveled in a Jayson Shaugabay shot from the doorstep for his fourth goal of the season and second power play tally.

But the Mavericks struck twice in the third period including just 13 seconds into the frame before adding their own power play goal less than five minutes later to stretch their lead to 3-1. UNO added an empty net goal at the 18:19 mark to seal game one for the hosts.

UMD heavily outshot UNO 40-29, including 18-9 in the final period. Klayton Knapp had 25 saves in the game, while both teams were 1-of-2 on the power play.

On Saturday night, UMD ran into UNO's power play and gave up three power play tallies to the Mavericks, including two late in the third to thwart any chance of a Bulldog comeback.

UNO's first goal of the game also came off its power play 4:42 into the first period. But 33 seconds later, Zam Plante got back into the scoring column after a bit of a hiatus to knot the skate up at 1-1.

Omaha retook the lead at the 8:03 mark on a goal from Jacob Guevin, a lead it would never relinquish. The Mavericks tacked on another goal to take a 3-1 advantage 5:33 into the second period, a score that held deep into the final frame.

UMD was relentless in the third, and outshot UNO 17-4 in the frame, but a five minute major for boarding from defenseman Adam Kleber threw the Mavericks a lifeline, and they made it count, burying two power play goals about a two minutes apart. The first, at 15:38, stretched UMD's deficit to 4-1, before the second a minute later expanded it to 5-1.

Shaugabay did net a power play goal of his own with 23 seconds left in the third to cut into the 5-2 final, his second point of the night (1g, 1a) and third of the series (1g, 2a).

Adam Gajan, making his first appearance in net for the Bulldogs since Nov. 23, had 24 saves in the outing. UMD outshot the Mavericks 52-29 and went 1-of-3 on the power play while UNO went 3-of-4.

NOTES FROM THE UNO SERIES: UMD is 29-20-4 all-time against the Mavericks ... the Bulldogs are 0-5 in their last five games against UNO.

--Jayson Shaugabay led all UMD scorers with a goal and two assists for three points in the series.

--UMD outshot the Mavericks in both games by a total of 92-58. .. it was the most shots on goal the Bulldogs have put on an opponent all season in a single series ... 

--Saturday's 52 shots on goal was also a single-game season high, and the most by a Bulldog side since UMD put up 52 against Miami on both Jan. 15, 2022 and Feb. 25, 2022.