The UMD men’s hockey team might not be ranked yet, but Friday night played like a team about to turn some heads.
The Bulldogs blanked No. 12 Minnesota 3-0 at 3M Arena at Mariucci, earning their first win on the Gophers’ home ice since 2021 and extending their winning streak to three. Sophomore goaltender Adam Gajan stopped all 17 shots for his first shutout of the season and the second of his 28-game career.
UMD’s freshman line set the tone early. At 6:59 of the first period, Daniel Shlaine carried the puck into the zone and fired a wrist shot under the blocker of Minnesota goaltender Luca Di Pasquo for a 1-0 lead. Three minutes later, the Bulldogs converted on their first power play when Jayson Shaugabay threaded a pass through the slot that deflected off Max Plante and onto Zam Plante’s stick. Zam hammered home his team-leading fourth power-play goal to make it 2-0.
Defenseman Grayden Siepmann added insurance at 2:23 of the third period, following his own rebound for his first goal of the season. From there, the Bulldogs clamped down, allowing just five shots in the final frame while outshooting the Gophers 24-17 overall. Di Pasquo finished with 21 saves for Minnesota, which fell to 2-4-1.
The Bulldogs improved to 6-1-0, their best seven-game start since the 2010-11 national championship season. They’ll go for the sweep Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Bulldog notes: Shlaine (1 G, 1 A) and Hunter Anderson (2 A) each had two points. Six of UMD’s nine points came from freshmen, and none of the seven Bulldogs who recorded points had ever played at Mariucci before. Shaugabay, Zam Plante and Ty Hanson each extended their point streaks to three games.
Elsewhere in the NCHC, No. 8 North Dakota lost to Clarkson 5-2 in Grand Forks, handing the Fighting Hawks their first home loss of the season. Clarkson outshot UND 29-20 and got goals from five different players.