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GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota opened National Collegiate Hockey Conference play by splitting a two-game series at Ralph Engelstad Arena over the weekend.
The No. 10/11 Bulldogs pulled out a 4-3 overtime victory Friday night before the No. 8 Fighting Hawks responded with a 5-1 win Saturday.
In the opener, Max Plante scored twice — including a power-play goal — and Ty Hanson netted the winner just 43 seconds into overtime as UMD snapped an eight-game losing streak to North Dakota.
Zam Plante also scored for the Bulldogs, who went 2-for-5 on the power play and killed off all three UND chances. Adam Gajan stopped 25 shots for UMD, while Gibson Homer finished with 19 saves for the Hawks.
North Dakota rallied from a 2-1 deficit to tie the game late on goals from Mac Swanson and Ben Strinden.
Saturday’s rematch swung sharply the other way. UMD defenseman Adam Kleber opened the scoring at 8:49 of the first period, but North Dakota answered with four straight goals — Will Zellers on the power play, Keaton Verhoeff, Ollie Josephson and Abram Wiebe. The Fighting Hawks outshot the Bulldogs 38-20 and held them scoreless on three power plays.
Gajan made 23 saves in 44 minutes before giving way to Ethan Dahlmeir, who stopped 10 of 11. Freshman Jan Spunar turned aside 19 shots for North Dakota.
Minnesota Duluth (8-2, 1-1 NCHC) returns home to face Colorado College next weekend, while North Dakota (5-3, 1-1) travels to Miami (Ohio).
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Minnesota Duluth opens its men’s basketball season Monday night with a home exhibition against Wisconsin–Superior.
The Bulldogs finished 20-9 overall and 15-7 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference last season. They return redshirt junior guard Caleb Siwek, the 2025-26 NSIC North Division Preseason Player of the Year, who averaged nearly 13 points per game a year ago.
UMD was picked to win the NSIC North Division and tied for fifth overall in the league’s preseason coaches poll. The Bulldogs received 47 points and five first-place votes in the North, edging Northern State and Minnesota Crookston.
Southwest Minnesota State was tabbed the overall conference favorite and the South Division leader, earning 219 points and 11 first-place votes — 25 more than second-place St. Cloud State.
Minnesota State was third overall with 189 points and one first-place vote, followed by Concordia-St. Paul (176, one first-place vote). Augustana tied Minnesota Duluth for fifth at 174 points, with the Vikings earning the final first-place vote.
In the South Division poll, Southwest Minnesota State collected 48 points and six first-place votes.
Coaches rank teams both overall and within their division, awarding 15 points for a first-place vote, 14 for second, and so on. Coaches may not vote for their own teams.
The NSIC regular-season champion will be determined by a 22-game conference schedule — 14 divisional contests and eight cross-division games. Division titles will also be awarded based on the full conference slate.
UMD opens conference play Nov. 25. The 12-team NSIC tournament, with the top four seeds earning first-round byes, will be held Feb. 28–March 3 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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Riley Tufte is finally showing why NHL scouts were so enamored with his combination of size and skill. Through nine games with the Providence Bruins this season, the 27-year-old winger has erupted for seven goals and seven assists for 14 points — good for a team lead and among the best early totals in the American Hockey League.
At six-foot-six and more than 230 pounds, Tufte has always looked the part of a power forward. This fall, he’s finally playing like one.
Tufte’s resurgence in Providence represents a second act of sorts. After limited opportunities at the NHL level, he entered this season needing to re-establish himself.
His plus-12 mark may be the most telling figure of all.