It will be two final games inside the confines of AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. this weekend for the 2024-25 University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey senior class when they host Miami University (Ohio) in National Collegiate Hockey Conference play. Friday's game will get underway at 7:06 p.m., while Saturday's skate -- which will feature a special presentation of the Bulldog seniors prior to the start of the game -- will get underway at 6:07 p.m.


SENIORITY RULES: The Bulldogs will honor six seniors prior to their contest against Miami on Saturday night.

The six players -- Joe Molenaar, Luke Bast, Will Francis, Carter Loney, Owen Gallatin and Dominic James will skate for their last time inside the confines of AMSOIL Arena that night.

St. Cloud State transfer Joe Molenaar  has spent one season with the Bulldogs, but his impact will be felt long after. In 25 games, the forward has logged three points and three assists for six points, and in 106 games with the Huskies over four seasons, he recorded 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists).

Second-year defenseman North Dakota transfer Luke Bast has played in 51 games at UMD, registering two goals and eight assists for 10 points. Combined with his UND totals, Bast has skated in 88 games over her college career and scored five goals to go with 14 assists for 19 points.

The epitome of courage and strength, super survivor Will Francis has skated in 35 games over his medically shortened career with one assist. 

Carter Loney has skated in 139 games over his Bulldog career and has compiled 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points. 

Alternate captain Owen Gallatin has never missed a game in his Bulldog career, skating in 146 straight games. The ironman blueliner has scored 19 goals and added a whopping 58 assists for 77 points over his career, which includes three power play goals and four game-winning tallies.

Despite suffering a season-ending injury as a junior, captain Dominic James has skated in 105 games over his career and scored 27 goals and added 45 assists for 72 points. Currently just three points away from tying his single-season high of 28 points with 25 so far this season, James has amassed nine power play goals, including five this campaign. The center has also netted six game-winning tallies and two shorthanded goals.

PLAYING WITH POWER: Overall, UMD has scored 24 power play goals on the season in 28 games, 10 of which have come over the past nine games.

Despite going 1-of 7 last weekend against North Dakota, over their last nine games, the Bulldogs have scored 10 power play goals in 37 attempts -- a 27.0 conversion rate. It's a jump from UMD's overall power play rate (22.0, 24-109), which is the same in NCHC play. The Bulldogs rank fifth in NCHC power play percentage.

Two players have more than five power play goals so far this season -- freshman forward Jayson Shaugabay, who has a team-high six, while Dominic James owns five.

Shaugabay is tied in the NCHC for the second-most power play goals this season.

IRONMAN: Senior defenseman Owen Gallatin has skated in 146 consecutive games ahead of this weekend. The fourth-year blueliner has never missed a game over his college career.

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

40 of UMD's 82 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 23 points (10g, 13a) through 30 games and has the second most points and goals by a Bulldog this season. 

Other Bulldog rookies in the top-5 are  Max Plante (17 GP) 20 points (7g, 13a) and Zam Plante (29 GP) 17 points (5g, 12a).

Ty Hanson, a freshman defenseman, is sitting on 12 points (4g, 8a), while Blake Bechen, who had a goal against North Dakota last weekend, (5g, 4a) owns nine and Harper Bentz (2g, 6a) has eight points. Callum Arnott has five goals and three assists for eight points.

SHAUGABAY'S SCOREBOOK: With 23 points (10g, 13a) through his first 30 games, Jayson Shaugabay is just one of three rookies in the past seven seasons to record 23 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 23 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 23 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 23 points, Max Plante has registered 20 points so far this season, while his brother Zam has recorded 17. 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 14 of the 17 games he has skated with UMD so far, has also posted multiple point games in six of his appearances. 

Currently, Plante owns an impressive 1.17 points per game average and ranks fifth int he NCHC for both points per game and in assists per game (0.80). Despite missing 10 games to injury early in the season and three to U.S. Junior National Team duty, Plante has recorded 20 points (7g, 13a) in just 17 collegiate games. 

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON: Ironically, Max Plante is just one point away from tying his father Derek Plante's rookie output from the 1989-90 season. The senior Plante had 21 points (10 g, 11a) over 28 games.

Plante will have some work to do if he wants to catch his dad in the points per game column -- 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 1.17 ppg average through 17 games.

TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT: UMD ranks third in the NCHC with an average shots per game count of 32.5, but is tied for 7th with Miami with lowest shot percentage in the league at .08.

THE SERIES: UMD enters the weekend with five-game winning streak and six-game unbeaten streak against the RedHawks. All-time, 34-7-4 against Miami in a rivalry that began March 28, 2009 in the 2009 NCAA West Regional Semifinal in Minneapolis, Minn. -- before the two sides became NCHC foes. The RedHawks defeated UMD 2-1, despite late push by the Bulldogs and goal from MacGregor Sharp with 2:01 left in the third period. 

More recently, its been all Bulldogs, who are 7-1-1 against Miami over their last 10 games, including pummeling series sweep back in November in which UMD outscored the RedHawks 12-2.

In Duluth, the Bulldogs are an impressive 18-2-2 against MIami.

The Bulldogs and RedHawks do have a few stat lines in in common, including ranking the last two teams in the NCHC in goals allowed (UMD 8th at 3.30, Miami 9th at 4.20). They swap league positions on penalty kill -- the RedHawks own the the 8th spot with a 76.4 kill rate, while the Bulldogs, who were bit badly by North Dakota last weekend, are in last with a 72.3 kill percentage.

Top-5 UMD Players Scoring vs Miami

Dominic James GP=8 G=1 A=7 P=8

Owen Gallatin GP=12 G=1 A=6 P=7

Kyle Bettens GP=8 G=1 A=5 P=6

Aiden Dubinsky GP=7 G=1 A=4 P=5

Anthony Menghini GP=6 G=4 A=0 P=4

Adam Gajan 2-0 .951SV% 1 SHO

Last 10 Games, UMD vs Miami.  (7-1-1)

Nov. 16, 2024 7-2 Win Away

Nov. 15, 2024 5-0 Win Away

Jan. 27, 2024 3-2 Win Home

Jan. 26, 2024 6-2 Win Home

Dec. 9, 2023 3-1 Win Away

Dec. 8, 2023 3-3 Tie Away

Feb. 25, 2023 1-4 Loss Home

Feb. 24, 2023 3-2 Win Home

Feb. 26, 2022 0-4 Loss Away

Feb. 25, 2022 3-1 Win Away

The Bulldogs swept the RedHawks back on Nov. 15-16 by scores of 5-0 and 7-2 in Oxford, Ohio.

Friday night, three players had two or more points in the skate, including Dominic James, who had a team-high three points on a goal and an assist and two points from Aiden Dubinsky (1g, 1a) and Jayson Shaugabay added a two assist night. In all, 11 players got on the scoresheet, and freshman goaltender Adam Gajan picked up his first collegiate shutout in the win.

UMD scored two goals less than three minutes apart to open up its scoring late in the first period. Carter Loney netted his first of the season at the 16:08 mark, followed by Jack Smith's triumphant return to the line-up for his second tally of the fall. Smith's goal was reviewed for a possible high-sticking call before the score, but the goal stood and the Bulldogs weren't charged for an infraction.

After a five minute major was called on Anthony Menghini for kneeing in the waning minutes of the first period, the Bulldogs were forced to kill off the remaining 4:32 to open the second frame Fight it off they did, and midway through the second, James struck for his seventh goal of the season at 12:12 (Shaugabay and Dubinsky with the assists) to extend UMD's lead to 3-0.

Menghini added his fifth goal of the season and fourth in three games at 14:13 of the third before Dubinsky rounded out the scoring with 1:44 left in regulation to make it a 5-0 final.

Gajan, who made 21 saves in his first collegiate shutout, had some serious help from the Bulldogs penalty kill unit, who dismantled the RedHawks four power play chances and 11 minutes of an extra skater to keep the game scoreless. UMD had just one power play attempt on the night (0-of-1), and outshot Miami 29-21 overall in the game.

Saturday night, after trailing for most of the first period, the UMD captured a 3-2 lead before the first intermission and never looked back to defeat Miami 7-2.

After the RedHawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead with tallies at 7:41 and 14:04 of the first period, UMD struck three times in under two minutes to take a 3-2 lead – one that it would never relinquish. It started with Shaugabay's fifth goal of the season, followed by Ty Hanson's first goal as a Bulldog at the 17:43 mark. Menghini book-ended the first frame scoring with the eventual game-winner at 18:33, and just like that, UMD had taken control of the game.

Menghini struck again at 4:28 of the second period. Menghini buried a pass from James on the doorstep. Less than four minutes later, Loney added his second goal of the series in his home state to make it a 5-2 game, and by the time rookie forward Blake Bechen netted his first career goal just 21 seconds after Loney, the route was well on.

Bechen added the second goal of his collegiate career for good measure late in the third period with 2:29 left in regulation to secure the 7-2 win and series sweep for the Bulldogs.

Gajan had 18 stops for UMD, who outshot Miami 32-20 in the contest. Five players had two or more points on the night, including Zam Plante, who had three assists in a team-best effort. Hanson (1g, 1a), Bechen (2g), James (2a), and Menghini (2g).

EXTRA NOTES ON UMD-MIAMI: UMD had a team high goals (7), assists (13) and points (20) on the season in their 7-2

win over Miami on November 16th.

--The Bulldogs were 1-of-4 on the PP vs Miami in their November series.

--UMD owns the highest goal differential against any team this season with a +10.

--All-time, the Bulldogs have gone 2-1-4 against Miami in OT games.

--The two sides have met four times in NCHC Tournament play, with the Bulldogs winning all four of those matchups. 

LAST TIME OUT: UMD swept in Grand Forks by the University of North Dakota 4-2 and 6-1.

UMD fell behind early Friday night after he Fighting Hawks book ended the opening period with a goal at 1:41 by Ben Strinden and another at the 18:47 mark from Cade Littler. But the Bulldogs split the deficit a mere 2:31 into the second period on Joe Molenaar's third tally of the year. Molenaar's backdoor score came off a shot from Joey Pierce on the right boards that hit Carter Loney and fell to Molenaar alone on the far post.

North Dakota retook a two-goal lead at 9:11, but UMD responded a quick 21 seconds later on Blake Bechen's snipe from the right dot, the freshman's fifth goal of the season.

That 3-2 score would hold until the Bulldogs pulled goaltender Adam Gajan with 1:30 left in the third period. The result was a long empty net goal from Carter Wilkie 24 seconds later for what would end up the final 4-2 score.

Gajan, making his second start since the freshman was injured before the holiday break, made 30 saves on the night. North Dakota outshot UMD 34-32, and also had 30 stops from goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter. Neither team had success on the power play – UMD went 0-of-3, while the Fighting Hawks were 0-of-2.

On Saturday, a five-goal second period by UND blew away any chances UMD  had to reconcile the series.

After a scoreless first period, North Dakota scored back-to-back goals at 1:47 and a power play tally at 2:24 of the second period to take a 2-0 lead. But it was a five minute major that ultimately put the game out of reach. After Jack Smith was given a game misconduct for checking from behind at 9:51 of the frame, the Fighting Hawks struck three times with an extra skater – the first just 19 seconds into the power play. In fact, in a span of 2:13, UND scored three power play goals, and when the dust settled on the second period, the Fighting Hawks owned a 5-0 advantage.

Any chance of a comeback was formally snuffed out 3:06 into the third period when the UND took a 6-0 lead. UMD did end the Fighting Hawks bid for a shutout on a power play goal from Jayson Shaugabay at 19:01 for the 6-1 final.

UMD goaltender Klayton Knapp took the loss in 32:24 of play and five goals against with 13 saves, while Gajan played 27:36 of the contest with one goal against and 13 saves. Semptimphelter had 27 stops for the Fighting Hawks, who were 4-of-6 on their power play. UMD went just 1-of-5 with the extra skater against UND.

NOTES FROM THE UND SERIES: UMD is now 101-160-11 against the Fighting Hawks and is winless in its last eight games against UND. Over that span, the Bulldogs have been outscored 37-11.

--UMD has not won in Grand Forks since Jan. 21, 2023.

--Saturday, UMD surrendered the most power play goals since it gave up four against Minnesota State on Oct. 14, 2022.

--Jayson Shaugabay now has six power play goals on the season – a team high – and 10 goals, which along with 13 assists, gives the rookie 23 points.