Bulldogs Beat Northern Michigan

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

They outshot them badly, but outgunned them barely and after 60 minutes the University of Minnesota Duluth had itself a 3-1 home victory over Northern Michigan University Friday.

No. 7 UMD finished with a commanding 46-17 shot advantage and scored the final three goals of the game while improving to 16-10-1 on the year

The Wildcats (11-10-6), who were paying their first-ever visit to AMSOIL Arena, took a 1-0 lead on their second shot on net 2:52 into the first, but it was all Bulldogs after that. Tony Cameranesi was assessed UMD’s only penalty of the night at 6:49 of the second and with the junior center in the box, junior defenseman Willie Corrin teed up a shot from just outside the blue line that beat Northern Michigan goaltender Michael Doan. It was Corrin’s first goal as a Bulldog and UMD’s sixth shorthander of the season (but first in 19 games).  Freshman center Jared Thomas put UMD on top for good a little over three minutes into the third period when he took a feed from senior defenseman Derik Johnson and scored from the low slot for his third goal of the season, but first since Oct. 18. With 1:29 to go in regulation, Cameranesi ended an 0-for-18 power play drought for UMD with a bad angle wrister near the extended goal line that careened off the leg pad of Doan.

“I thought we used our speed to our advantage tonight,” said Corrin, who was appearing in his 59th collegiate game. “After that first goal, everyone kind of got up in that second period and we never took our foot off the pedal.”

The two former Western Collegiate Hockey Association rivals, who were playing in the nation’s only non-conference series of the evening, will meet again at 7:07 p.m. in Duluth.

Notes: UMD is now unbeaten in six of its last seven home games (5-1-1) … The Bulldogs have already matched their entire victory total from a year ago (when they went an even 16-16-4) … Cameranesi, who now has collected at least one point in 11 of his last 14 outings,  put nine shots on goal to lead both teams … Kasimir Kaskisuo, who was credited with 16 saves, hiked his 2014-15 record to 14-8-1 and those 14 victories lead all NCAA I rookie netminders … The Bulldogs are 7-4-0 this season against non-conference opponents … UMD cashed in on one it two power plays … Northern Michigan’s all-time record in Duluth fell to 8-23-2 … UMD’s 46 shots were two shy of its 2014-15 single-game best.