Anyone who doubts UMD’s place as one of the better teams in the country needs to go back and watch Friday’s series opener against Western Michigan.
In a tremendous, entertaining, emotional, back-and-forth contest, it was senior defenseman Hunter Lellig’s goal before the midpoint of the third that gave UMD a 5-4 victory over the Broncos.
UMD held a pair of two-goal leads, at 2-0 and 4-2, but Western bounced back with quick goals each time. In the first period, WMU scored goals 65 seconds apart to quickly turn 2-0 into 2-2. Then in the third, it was a pair of goals a little more than four minutes apart and took UMD’s 4-2 lead and sent it into the abyss.
Unrelented, UMD kept pushing back. The Bulldogs dominated much of the second period, showing that veteran maturity that’s been a hallmark of the program for years. Goals by Blake Biondi and Jesse Jacques restored that two-goal margin, but it was Lellig credited with the game-winner. After breaking his stick in the defensive zone, Quinn Olson skated by the UMD bench and got a new twig from ace equipment manager Chris Garner. He skated down the right flank and got the puck across to Lellig, who shot a one-timer through traffic and by Western goalie Brandon Bussi.
While the numbers showed Western Michigan (2-for-5) as more effective on the power play than UMD (0-for-3), there is important context here for the home team. UMD’s first power play, just past the halfway mark of the first, ended without a goal, but Matt Anderson’s right point shot found paydirt seven seconds after Ty Glover left the penalty box. It gave UMD a 2-0 lead after Kobe Roth was left all alone in front to score off a Western turnover just 14 seconds into the game. In the second period, UMD built momentum with two scoreless power plays, the second of which ended with 4:19 to play in the period. Jacques’ goal came with 2:46 to go, as the Bulldogs continued to build off the good things they did on the power play.
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Heck of a hockey game. So much ebb and flow. Even without suspended captain Paul Washe (the university says Washe is “suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules”), WMU’s top two lines are as dangerous as any you’ll find anywhere. They’ve got speed, skill, size, snarl, and play with great energy. They make plays off the rush, and the Broncos have a power play that’s as good as any you’ll see.
UMD coach Scott Sandelin noted before the game that the power play groupings have been together for a long time, upwards of two years, and it looks like it when you watch them operate. They know where they want to go with the puck, and they’re always prepared to go to the next option if the first guy is covered.
Take away Ronnie Attard, which seems like a great idea, and they’ll move the puck to Josh Passolt for a one-timer, while Jason Polin finds a soft spot in the slot to wait for a rebound. And if you don’t rotate quickly enough, Ethen Frank gets open for a one-timer that your goalie has little chance of stopping if it’s on target. He doesn’t have 18 goals by accident.
But UMD’s depth can be problematic for Western. The Bulldogs got goals from unlikely sources in Anderson (first goal at Amsoil Arena, second goal in 164 career games) and Lellig (first goal at Amsoil Arena, first goal that came with a goalie in the net).
“It’s always nice when you get production from the back end,” Sandelin said. “It’s kind of how we need to win hockey games. It’s not going to be one or two guys. It’s going to be other guys chipping in.”
13 players got on the scoresheet for UMD. That’s the formula.
And for the first time this season, UMD won when allowing more than three goals in a game. The Bulldogs are now 2-7 when allowing three or more.
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I’m not going to churn out another video replay rant, just a week after the last one. But there will be one addendum after Olson’s hit on Aidan Fulp of WMU led to a four-minute delay in the third period.
For @BruceCiskie, here is the hit Olson did that lead to a long review late in the 3rd. #UMDmHky pic.twitter.com/Ik0sjMlo21
— UMD Hockey gifs (@UMDHockeygifs) January 29, 2022
This probably should have been a penalty. It’s hard to tell for sure if it should have been a major. Since nothing was called on the ice, the officials could only call a major on review if they were going to call anything at all.
But one thing is for certain: It shouldn’t have ground the game to a halt at a critical moment.
We were told afterward that there was a technical issue with the review, that the referees had to wait to get the clip of the hit cued up for them to watch it.
Man alive, if only they were equipped with microphones they could use to communicate this extremely legitimate reason for such a delay to everyone, so it could be better understood. Instead, we sit around and twiddle our thumbs for four minutes, waiting for an answer.
(While I try to give up on the idea that the microphones will ever be used for this kind of helpful communication, it’s hard not to let it bug me when it seems so obvious.)
And, yes, we noticed Western’s Ty Glover head-butting Biondi as the second period ended. It appears that it was unseen by the officials on the ice (that happens), and UMD chose not to challenge the play. Not much else to be said on that. Had it been detected, or had the officials ruled a head-butt on a UMD challenge, it would have been an automatic five-minute major and either a game misconduct or disqualification.
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Another doubleheader day on Saturday, as we’ll have the women’s and men’s games from Amsoil. The UMD women beat Minnesota State 4-2 on Friday, behind three assists from Gabbie Hughes and two from Anna Klein. Jojo Chobak made 27 saves in her third career start, first at home.
The men go for what would be a huge NCHC sweep at 7pm. Pregame at 6:30. Back pregame with a look at the lines.
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