DULUTH — Minnesota Duluth not only avoided getting swept through the first eight weeks of NCHC play, but had picked up at least three points in every weekend series against a conference opponent.
That run ended this weekend against ninth-ranked North Dakota, which followed Friday’s 4-3 victory with a 3-2 win over the No. 7 Bulldogs Saturday before a crowd of 7,206 at Amsoil Arena.
"We were the team that lost (Friday), but they came out like the team that lost," Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said. "They were hungry to win. I thought they worked hard. They were getting above pucks. They back pressured. They forced us to make, I thought we made a lot of really soft plays especially in the first period and through the second. They were doing what they needed to do."
UMD took a 1-0 lead off a power play goal by sophomore wing Luke Mylymok in the first period, but then surrendered three straight goals to fall behind 3-1 going into the third period, with two Fighting Hawks goals coming unassisted off Bulldogs turnovers.
An own-zone turnover by freshman defenseman Owen Gallatin led to North Dakota junior wing Carson Albrecht tying the game at 1-1 late in the first period and a shorthanded breakaway goal by sophomore center Louis Jamernik via a bad pass between a pair of UMD fifth-year senior wingers — Koby Bender and Kobe Roth — made it a 3-1 game late in the second.
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Roth and Bender later connected three-plus minutes into the third with Bender’s pass right on the money for a one-timer by Roth that pulled the Bulldogs within a goal. It was Roth’s 11th goal of the season and fourth in three games.
The Bulldogs had two opportunities to tie the game on the power play, including one that came with just over three minutes left in the game. Despite good chances, the Bulldogs couldn’t convert.
"We shouldn't have to make late charges, we had a lead in this game and kind of blew it and didn't come out to play in the second period," Bender said. "Late charges are great, but it's not the time of the year for that. We need to start pulling it together and getting the lead and sticking with it."
Sophomore goaltender Zach Stejskal of Cohasset finished with 26 saves in his first start since being diagnosed with testicular cancer in the fall. It was his second game back for the Bulldogs after relieving junior Ryan Fanti at the start of the second period last Saturday at Denver.
The Bulldogs were without both sophomore defenseman Wyatt Kaiser (lower body injury) and senior captain Noah Cates (Olympics) for the third-straight game. Senior wing Tanner Laderoute was added to the injured list, missing Saturday’s game against North Dakota with an upper body injury after blocking a shot in Friday’s loss at Amsoil Arena.
Sandelin ruled Kaiser out for the 6 p.m. game Tuesday at St. Cloud State, while Laderoute and Cates are both questionable to be in the lineup. Tuesday's game is the second of two makeup games this month at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. UMD tied the Huskies and lost the first game in a shootout back on Feb. 8. The makeup games are from an early January series that was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols at UMD.
UMD is in the midst of playing five NCHC games in nine days with a trip to play Miami in Oxford, Ohio, on deck next weekend. The Bulldogs fly out for Ohio on Thursday.
UMD fifth-year senior defenseman Matt Anderson said the players are fans of the schedule late in the year, as it resembles more of a professional schedule with more games, less practices. It also helps to have a quick turnaround from the two losses to North Dakota.
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"Both were tough losses, but I thought tonight we brought it in the third. I thought we had a good third," Anderson said. "We definitely had our chances and just didn't get those bounces. The biggest thing in both of the games is us just not stringing together a three-period game, just having a good period there and then not one the next. Our biggest thing with St. Cloud this Tuesday is just putting three periods together and playing our game how we did in the third."
North Dakota 1-2-0—3
Minnesota Duluth 1-0-1—2
First period
1. UMD, Luke Mylymok (Kobe Roth, Koby Bender), 11:47
Second period
3. ND, Dane Montgomery (Louis Jamernik), 3:08
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Third period
5. UMD, Roth (Bender, Matt Anderson), 3:11
Saves — Zach Driscoll, ND, 33; Zach Stejskal, UMD, 26.
Power plays — ND 0-2; UMD 1-4. Penalties — ND 4-8; UMD 2-4.
