An all-important National Collegiate Hockey Conference series awaits the No. 10 University of Minnesota Duluth men's hockey team this weekend when it hosts the No. 3 University of North Dakota at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. The Friday-Saturday series drops the puck at 7:07 p.m. Friday night before wrapping up with a 6:07 p.m. start on Saturday.


UMD Men's Hockey Weekly Press Conference -- February 4, 2026 -- Head Coach Scott Sandelin, Sophomore Defenseman Ty Hanson



GAJAN'S MAKES OLYMPIC DEBUT: Sophomore goaltender Adam Gajan will miss the weekend after departing Sunday to meet up with the 2026 Slovakia Olympic Team. Gajan is the first Bulldog named to an Olympic roster since Noah Cates in 2022 (U.S.) and the 15th UMD player to earn an Olympic roster spot in program history.

A native of Poprad, Slovakia, Gajan is just a little over a few weeks removed from earning a silver medal in the 2025 Spengler Cup where he backstopped the U.S. Collegiate Selects in two games -- including the championship - and posted a 1-1-0 record with 55 saves in those outings.

While Gajan becomes the 15th Bulldog to skate in the Olympics, he will be just the second UMD goaltender ever make an Olympic roster, joining Bob Mason. Mason skated for the U.S. Olympic Team in 1984.

SPECIAL TEAM STEP-UP: The Bulldogs have spent most of the season with the nation's top power-play, which currently is sitting at a 32.3 conversion rate. 32 of UMD's 94 goals so far this season have been scored with an extra skater, and eight have come from Max Plante, while seven from his brother Zam Plante. 

In January, Callum Arnott -- who has six total power play goals -- has been hot on the power play. He has three goals with an extra skater and four assists for seven points -- which leads UMD for power play points last month.

Notably for UMD entering the weekend --North Dakota has one of the weaker penalty kills in all of the NCAA, ranked in a tied for 32nd at just a 80.2 kill rate.

The Bulldogs on the other hand are almost as equally good on the penalty kill as they are on the power play. UMD sits third nationally with a 87.6 kill rate, and has allowed just two power play goals over 17 attempts in their last five games.

In their first meeting, North Dakota went just 1-of-6 with an extra skater in Grand Forks. (Ironically UMD posted the same stat line of 1-of-6.)

FIRST TO 40: Max Plante became first NCAA player to reach the mark this season, and the first UMD player to hit the total since UMD defenseman Scott Perunovich rang up 40 (6g, 34a) over 34 games in his Hobey Baker winning season of 2019-20.

Over that past 15 seasons, only two other players besides Perunovich -- Alex Iafallo in 2016-17 (51 points in 40 games, 21g, 30a) and Jack Connolly in 2011-12 (60 points in 41 games, 20g, 40a) have hit 40 or more points.

THIRD PERIOD GOALS: UMD has scored 36 of its 94 goals this season in the third period.  In January, 14 of the Bulldogs 28 goals have been netted in the third period.

Notably, UMD is just 2-7-0 when trailing heading into the third period, and 1-2-0 when tied.

TOP DOG OF ALL: Sophomore winger Max Plante has spent almost the entire season as the nation's top scorer.

Plante owns an NCAA-best 20 goals in 28 games and owns a 1.43 ppg average. His 40 points currently sits him second in the nation in scoring. 

Third in power play goals, (8) and in game-winning goals (6), Plante has posted 12-multiple point games, including three games with four points and five with three points or more.

THE WRONG SIDE OF A STREAK: UMD has lost four games in a row for the first time since the 2023-24 season. That span is the longest since the Bulldogs lost six in a row from Feb. 2, 2024 through Feb. 24, 2024.

SHAUGABAY'S JANUARY JUMP: Jayson Shaugabay scored more points than any other player in the NCHC last month. Despite not being selected the league's Player of the Month, Shaugabay had 14 points on four goals and 10 assists in seven games for a 2.00 points per game average. 

The sophomore winger has recorded multiple point nights in four-of-the-seven games, including a three-point game and two four-point skates. By contrast,  in the last six games of 2025, Shaugabay had posted just two points -- two assists.

Shaugabay's point surge came in part from his 10 assists -- which has also put him on top of the NCAA for two weeks with  26 assists. He is currently tied for third now.

35 BY THREE: Three players have already logged 35 or more points -- Max Plante (40), and Zam Plante and Jayson Shaugabay (35). The trio is the first group of three players to post 35 or more points in a season since 2016-17 season, where Alex Iafallo (51), Adam Johnson (37) and Joey Anderson (37) all posted 35 or high point totals.

While those points came in 42 games for Iafallo and Johnson and 39 games for Anderson, defenseman Neal Pionk was point out of the club with 34.

Currently, the Plantes and Shaugabay have reached those marks in 28 games, and their fourth closest player, also a defenseman like Pionk, is Ty Hanson, who is sitting at 27 points.

THE SERIES: Set to play in their 265th game Friday, UMD trails North Dakota 91-162-11. In Duluth, the Bulldogs are 46-69-6 all-time and will be looking for a victory inside AMSOIL Arena for the first time since Jan. 24, 2020. Since then, the Bulldogs are 0-7 at home against the Fighting Hawks. Since the 2013-14 season, UMD is just 6-12 against UND at home.

While UMD trails North Dakota in both games held in Duluth and in Grand Forks, ironicially, the Bulldogs are 6-4-2 all-time in neutral rinks.

The two sides last met in Grand Forks back on Oct. 31-Nov. 1, a series split between the teams.

In the Friday night skate, UMD scored in every period, forcing the Fighting Hawks to comeback with two goals in the third period in the final 3:58. Ty Hanson scored the overtime winner for the Bulldogs just 43 seconds into extra time. 

Max Plante figured in all four goals, recording two goals and two assists, while North Dakota outshot UMD 28-23 in the game.

Adam Kleber struck first for the Bulldogs on Saturday night at 8:49 of the first, but the Fighting Hawks reeled off five unanswered goals, including two in the second period and third period to offensively overwhelm UMD. Bulldogs were 0-of-3 on their power play and outshot 38-20.

Last 10 Games, UMD vs UND. (1-9-0)

Nov. 1, 2025 1-5 Loss Away

Oct. 31, 2025 4-3 Win OT Away

Feb. 22, 2025 1-6 Loss Away

Feb. 21, 2025 2-4 Loss Away

Nov. 9, 2024 1-4 Loss Home

Nov. 8, 2024 3-7 Loss Home

Feb. 24, 2024 2-4 Loss Away

Feb. 23, 2024 0-6 Loss Away

Nov 11, 2023 0-2 Loss Home

Nov 10, 2023 2-4 Loss Home

Top-3 Scoring UMD Players vs UND

Jayson Shaugabay GP-6 G-1, A-5 P=6

Max Plante GP 4 G-2, A-4 P=6

Zam Plante GP 5 G-1, A-3 P=4

Of note, for the past two seasons and last six game, Adam Gajan is the only goaltender that has manned the pipes for the Bulldogs. With Gajan gone to make his Olympic debut, Ethan Dahlmeir will face UND for the second time in his career Friday and make his first start after playing in 15:20 of time with no goals against and 10 saves last season for Miami in a Nov. 1, 2024 game against the Fighting Hawks.

REHOMED DOGS: North Dakota has two players who were rostered with the Bulldogs last season -- junior forward Anthony Menghini and senior goaltender Zach Sandy. Menghini has five goals and four assists for nine points in 25 games, while Sandy has not seen game time yet this season.

OUTSIDE LOOKING UP: The Bulldogs currently sit fourth in the NCHC standings, 12 points below UND, who is currently in first (38 to 26). 

This is the third-straight weekend the Bulldogs have faced the three teams directly above them in the standings. So far, UMD is 0-4-0 in those games.

LAST TIME OUT:  UMD was unable to shake its season-long losing streak last weekend, suffering a 4-3 loss to Denver Friday before falling 1-0 in overtime on Saturday.

Friday night, Denver pushed out to a 4-0 lead after scoring three goals in the second period in addition to their lone goal in the first, but the Bulldogs stormed back in the third period with two power play goals from Kyle Gaffney (4:02) and Daniel Shlaine (11:55) and then an even strength effort by Ty Hanson at 14:08. But it was too little, too late for UMD, who outshot DU 35-22 in the game.

Saturday, the Pioneers outshot the Bulldogs 31-19, but Adam Gajan was brilliant in net with 30 saves. DU finally scored 2:17 in overtime. Neither team landed a goal on its power play -- UMD 0-of-2, Denver 0-of-1.

NOTES FROM THE DENVER SERIES: UMD trails Denver, with an all-time record of 90-140-13. Last weekend was the only regular season games between the two programs this year.

--UMD has now lost four-straight games against the Pioneers in Denver. The Bulldogs last won in the mile-high city on  Feb. 18, 2023. Since Janunary of 2015, UMD is 7-15 against DU on the road.

--In six overtime games so far this season, UMD is just 2-4 and suffered setbacks in its last four skates.

--UMD's top line of Max Plante, Zam Plante and Jayson Shaugabay were held completely scoreless in a series for the first time last weekend. Likewise, it was the first scoreless series for Max Plante of his entire career.

--The Bulldogs are now 4-6 against ranked teams so far this season.