UMD Back in Championship Game

NSO – News Release

For the second time in as many years, the University of Minnesota Duluth will be playing for the college hockey’s top prize after clinching a spot in the NCAA Frozen Four title bout with a 2-1 semifinal round triumph over Ohio State University Thursday at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. The Bulldogs will take on the University of Notre Dame Saturday night in the Frozen Four championship.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin, who owns an impressive 16-6 NCAA Tournament record (for .727 winning percentage — the fourth best of any bench boss in NCAA history. “We obviously had a great start to the game and I thought our first two periods were strong, and a little slow in the third.”

UMD (24-16-3 overall) struck twice in the opening 3:04 of the first period and went into the intermission break owning a hefty 17-4 shots advantage. Louie Roehl kicked off the scoring for the Bulldogs, taking a feed from fellow freshman defenseman Matt Anderson and unleashing a wrister from the right faceoff dot for his third goal of the season. Just seventy one seconds later, senior left winger Karson Kuhlman sprung Jared Thomas with a pass in the neutral zone and the senior center broke in all alone and tucked in a backhander past Ohio State netminder Sean Romeo.

“It was a huge start for us,” said Thomas. “That’s been our key all along — when we’ve had fast starts we’ve had success. It’s hard for teams to come back on us when we get a lead.

“All in all, I think we did well and managed the game. It was a great 60 minutes for us. We would have liked to have obviously got that third goal  — we had plenty of chances and get a bigger lead, but I guess we like making it interesting.”

Following a scoreless, second period, the Buckeyes (26-10-5 overall) finally got on the board, cashing in on its fourth, and final, power play opportunity of the night with 10:33 to go in regulation. Ohio State, making its first NCAA Frozen Four appearance in 20 years, went on to outshoot the Bulldogs 8-5 in the the third period, but sophomore goaltender Hunter Shepard held his ground. In his Frozen Four debut and 38th consecutive starting assignment, Shepard finished the night with 19 saves while improving to 24-14-1 on the year.

UMD, which is now been involved in 10 consecutive one-goal games in NCAA Tournament play, is headed to its fourth Frozen Fourth title game, having finished second in 2017 (to the University of Denver) and 1984 (in four overtimes to Bowling Green State University) and winning it all in 2011 (in overtime to Michigan) — the last time the event was held at the Xcel Energy Center.

“I hope playing here gives us a big advantage,” said Sandelin. “I remember in 2011 when we came out the building was electric. You could feel it in warm-up. I hope it’s the same way on Saturday because I thought that was an outstanding hockey game. And, I expect the same thing Saturday.”

“I’m really excited for our guys, for how they’ve grown through the year and now to be able to play in the final game of the year is pretty special”