UMD Captures 2nd Title

NSO – News Release

St. Paul will forever be a special place for the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

A year after losing the men’s college hockey national championship game in Chicago, UMD returned to their home state and finished a redemptive quest Saturday, topping Notre Dame 2-1 in Saturday’s title game in front of a pro-Bulldog announced crowd of 18,303 fans at Xcel Energy Center.

“I like playing here; this is great,” UMD coach Scott Sandelin said.

With 10 departures from last season’s team, the unseeded Bulldogs, with five freshmen defensemen, barely received a berth in the 16-team field but pulled out the program’s second national championship. With the first title won in St. Paul in 2011, UMD (25-16-3) again reigns over the 60 college hockey programs.

“I was fortunate to be part of the first one but this one is just as special. They never get old.” Sandelin said. “They never get old.”

The Bulldogs, who have 14 Minnesotans in Saturday’s lines, topped Minnesota State-Mankato and then Air Force in the West Regional and beat Ohio State 2-1 in the Frozen Four semifinal en route to the crown. Notre Dame (28-10-2) was denied its first national championship; the Fighting Irish previously appeared in the 2008 title game.

In the third period, few scoring chances were available. The best was UMD captain Karson Kuhlman’s wide-open drive into Irish goalie Cam Morris’s pads that would have helped put the Bulldogs fans at ease. In the final two minutes, a “U-M-D!” chant broke out as the anticipation of another championship rose.

Kuhlman, who gave the Bulldogs a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in the first period, was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.

Notre Dame pulled goalie Cam Morris for the final 1:30, but the Bulldogs didn’t need a clincher after all. Like the win against the Buckeyes, UMD got all of its scoring in the first period.

UMD benefited early from the same line twice capitalizing off Notre Dame turnovers to beat Morris to his short side for goals. Rare feats as Morris came into the game with a nation-leading .944 save percentage.

Bulldogs forward Jade Miller won the puck turned over by Jake Evans at mid-ice and found linemate Kuhlman onside. Without a defender in his way, Kuhlman faked a slap shot to freeze Morris, then ripped a shot over his glove. Morris didn’t react until the puck had rippled the net for a 1-0 lead at 9:06 in the first period.

It was more of the same formula with 1:21 left in the period. Bulldogs forward Jared Thomas somehow found a sliver of space to beat Morris nearside after Irish defender Andrew Peeke lost the puck deep in the Irish zone.

Notre Dame cut into Duluth’s 2-0 lead with a power-play goal from Andrew Oglevie at 12:20 in the second period. It was the Irish’s eighth straight game with a power-play tally.

“We needed to try and tie the game in the second, because once you get to the third period, they’re a shutdown team,” Irish coach Jeff Jackson said. “They shut you down and don’t allow much through the neutral zone.”

While the Bulldogs prevailed Saturday, their most recent trip to St. Paul wasn’t as kind. During the National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament at the X in March, UMD lost 3-1 to Denver — last year’s national champions — and fell 4-1 to North Dakota.

“Got punched in the nose a little bit there,” Kuhlman said. “And was fortunate enough to make the (NCAA) tournament and obviously ran with our opportunity.”