The No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team earned its first win of 2026 Friday night against the University of Manitoba 4-0 inside AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.

The Bulldogs hosted an exhibition matchup with the Bisons after nearly a three-week holiday break.

"It was good for our guys," said head coach Scott Sandelin, "when you're missing some of your top players, having a game like this gives the other guys an opportunity to get in the game."

The first period saw the Bulldogs begin what became a dominant shooting effort with 10 shots on goal to the Bisons' four. UMD would not reach the back of the net until the second period when Callum Arnott broke through after a pass from Jayson Shaugabay to force a 1-0 lead with 8:26 to go.

The Bulldog offense settled down until the final 12 seconds of the period, when this time Shaugabay broke through for a 2-0 lead with help from Hunter Anderson. This capped off an eclipsing 15-3 shot on goal effort by the Bulldogs.

The final period saw the Bulldogs again score twice as the team combined for 18-6 shots on goal. Ryan Zaremba got the scoring started with help from Arnott and Shaugabay 9:53 in. Just under two minutes later, Anderson added his name to the score list with a relay from Harper Bentz and Daniel Shlaine.

All in all, UMD outshot Manitoba 71-22 with 43-13 on goal. The Bisons' lone power play was stymied by the Bulldog defense.

The Bulldogs (14-6-0) continue battling inside AMSOIL on Friday against Lindenwood University. Game-time is set for 7:07 p.m.