Sometimes, great teams are defined by how they just find ways to win.
UMD is a great example of this. Despite not overwhelming any opponents in the NCHC pod, here are the Bulldogs at 4-0, the first time a UMD men’s hockey team has started the season 4-0 since 1989-90.
The latest win, Tuesday’s 4-2 triumph over Miami, saw UMD fall behind for the fourth time in as many games, before scoring twice in the second period, then adding two late goals after Miami tied it up in the third with a strong start to the period.
There have been warts, especially in the defensive zone. The Bulldogs were better there on Tuesday, but only to a certain extent. UMD had issues dealing with Miami’s swarming forecheck for the first half of the third period, outshot 5-0 in the third at one point, including the tying goal, where Matthew Barbolini’s centering pass bounced off defenseman Wyatt Kaiser and by freshman goalie Zach Stejskal.
UMD got 12 of the game’s last 15 shots on goal, so the Bulldogs eventually did a better job handling that pressure and applying some of their own. However, UMD didn’t start strong — a Stejskal turnover allowed Chase Pletzke to score at 2:03 of the first during an early RedHawks power play — and it’s hard to argue this was a complete 60-minute performance. That’s something that will be needed on Thursday (more on that to come).
It might not have looked like it at the time, but the stat sheet reads like UMD had at least a little more of the puck than Miami. The Bulldogs outshot the RedHawks 35-25, including 24-19 at even strength. It was definitely a strange game, with ten total penalties, including one of the most obvious head contact majors you’ll ever see in college hockey. In total, more than 21 minutes of the game was spent with one team or the other on a power play. That can make the overall game a little harder to evaluate.
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Credit where it’s due: It’s clear Miami has improved.
Chris Bergeron had quite the task on his hands when he took over there for the fired Rico Blasi in 2019. But his track record at Bowling Green should have been a clear indicator he would find a way to get Miami turned around.
When we visited before Thanksgiving, he talked about concern over his team’s depth, but he sounded like a coach who had a degree of confidence that he had the right players to start the long process toward restoring the pride in RedHawks hockey.
Watching the last two games against UMD and a good amount of the two Miami played before that, I believe that Bergeron has indeed found the necessary buy-in that can lead to the culture change. From there, more talent is clearly needed, but Bergeron has found a few players who have a chance to be quite good.
Matthew Barbolini has speed to burn. Holy Cross transfer Matt Berry has promise in the middle. He’s a little older, yes, but I’ve always enjoyed watching Derek Daschke on the blue line there. In goal, Ben Kraws played very well on Sunday in keeping Miami in the game as UMD created a litany of odd-man rushes. Bergeron likes freshman Ludvig Persson, who I didn’t think UMD tested as much as it tested Kraws, but Persson was sharp last week against Omaha.
The RedHawks were picked last in the preseason media poll, but so far they’ve shown that they will be far from an easy out.
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There are a few constants that we’ve seen to this point.
–> UMD has gotten better in every game from the beginning to the end. Its first periods against Miami were not really good, even though the Bulldogs were only outscored 3-2 on aggregate over the two games. Against Omaha and in the first meeting against Miami, UMD took an early lead, only to give up two goals to fall behind. Overall, the Bulldogs have been outscored 5-3 in first periods while outshooting adversaries 38-35. Goals are 4-2 to the good while UMD has been outshot 47-42 in second periods, but that’s partially a sample size issue, as UMD was outshot by Denver 17-1 in the second period last Wednesday and that’s difficult to statistically recover from in only four games.
–> Different guys are getting involved offensively. Kobe Roth and Nick Swaney are getting many headlines, and justifiably so, but this team will not go far without its depth standing out. Quinn Olson got his first of the season on Sunday, as did Cole Koepke. Tanner Laderoute scored his first on Tuesday. Ten different players have goals through four games. It was nice to see freshman Blake Biondi buzzing the net Tuesday. That diversity is a huge part of the path, because UMD doesn’t have players capable of carrying the attack by themselves. The committee approach has always worked best.
–> There’s no point trying to compare guys to Hunter Shepard at this early stage of their careers, but UMD’s goaltending has been solid, if not better than that, through four games. Ryan Fanti started the first three and was good enough to merit NCHC Goaltender of the Week honors. Coach Scott Sandelin went with Stejskal on Tuesday, and he rebounded from his early gaffe to play a pretty solid game. Both goalies carry .920 save percentages at this point. Seems like the assumption of most that Sandelin will go back to Fanti against North Dakota on Thursday, but Stejskal made it clear Tuesday that this isn’t necessarily destined to be a one-horse race.
–> He hasn’t been perfect, but dang has Wyatt Kaiser continues to be really good. You never really know with players that come in straight out of high school. But Kaiser continues to play with incredible poise for a player his age. And he’s getting huge minutes, not just in number but in leverage. If there’s a big moment in a game, there’s a very good chance Kaiser is on the ice for it, no matter the location of the faceoff or the nature of the moment. He’s taken Scott Perunovich’s spot on the power play (this, by the way, does not make him Perunovich, but instead shows both his versatility and value). He’s a regular on the penalty kill. He’s hopping the boards late in a close game when the adversary has the goalie pulled.
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Indeed, a date with No. 1 North Dakota awaits UMD Thursday night (7:30pm on KDAL, pregame at 7pm). The Fighting Hawks should be a bit ornery, coming off a 3-2 loss to Denver, their first defeat in the pod. Pioneers newcomer Carter Savoie scored his fifth goal of the season to put DU ahead for good late in the third period.
North Dakota has been strong in its own zone, strong on faceoffs, and will be a bear for UMD to deal with on Thursday. You can bet Sandelin and his staff are putting an emphasis on a better start and more consistent performance. The Bulldogs will need both, for sure.
Should be a good one Thursday, almost always is between these teams. Back before puck drop with the lines.
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