The lone top-10 men's hockey showdown in the nation Friday night lived up to its billing, and thanks to Ty Hanson, the No. 7 University of Minnesota Duluth picked up a 1-0 National Collegiate Hockey Conference win against No. 9 Colorado College inside in Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Bulldogs, behind the goaltending of Carl Axelsson, earned their second shutout in as many games and have now allowed just one goal over their past three skates.
The defensive battle came down to a single rebound at the 17:04 mark of the third period. Hanson drove to the net and attempted a backhanded shot, but after it hit a blocker, the junior defenseman flipped his own rebound up over the shoulder of Tiger goaltender Jackson Unger for the game-winning goal – his second in as many games and fourth goal over his past three skates.
While Hanson's offense pushed UMD to victory, it was the Bulldogs defense that stood firm all game. Both teams put 20 shots on goal, but Axelsson was again perfect, picking up his third shutout of the season – the most in the NCAA. UMD didn't give up a single penalty in the contest, but the Tigers did have the edge 34-19 edge for the faceoff dot.
The Bulldogs ((6-1-2, 1-0-0) and Tigers (5-2-0, 0-1-0) will do it all over again tomorrow night in Ed Robson Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8:00 p.m. CST.
BULLDOG NOTES: Ty Hanson now has eight goals, the second-most in all of the NCAA … Hanson has seven goals in his last six games.
