ST. CLOUD, Minn. — One more in this regular season.
Friday’s overtime loss was not great in a lot of ways. UMD played a fairly strong game for most of the 60 minutes of regulation time, but some mistakes did the Bulldogs in after largely controlling play. Then a questionable slashing penalty on Ty Hanson led to Cooper Wylie’s overtime winner for the Huskies.
By virtue of the overtime point, UMD did clinch the seventh position in the final NCHC standings, meaning the Bulldogs will play a best-of-three series next weekend at second-place Arizona State. And that will draw some reasonable comparisons to the last team full of big-time young prospects at UMD, which was 2005-06. That team went into the postseason with nine total wins and was 1-13 in its last 14 regular season games. Denver hosted UMD and knew it needed to at least get to the WCHA Final Five to make the NCAA Tournament, despite finishing second in the conference standings.
UMD won the series in three games and returned to the Final Five, ending Denver’s season. This young Bulldog team will have a chance to end Arizona State’s season next weekend. More on that, well, next week.
Will Francis will get a game in his senior season. He wasn’t in the lineup on Senior Night, but will get a chance to play here. It’ll be Francis’ third game this season, and the 36th of his Bulldog career. Kyle Bettens draws in on the fourth line. Riley Bodnarchuk (defense) and Matthew Perkins (forward) each take a seat to make room.
Adam Gajan vs Isak Posch.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD forwards
Menghini – James – Bentz
Plante (Max) – Plante (Zam) – Shaugabay
Molenaar – Smith – Loney
Bettens – Arnott – Bechen
UMD defense
Pionk – Kleber
Hanson – Dubinsky
Gallatin – Pierce
Francis
UMD goalies
Gajan – Knapp – Sandy
St. Cloud State forwards
Gardner – Gross – Thoreson
Ingram – Miettinen – Burnevik
AuCoin – Salquist – Portz
Ahcan – Rosborough – Reimann
St. Cloud State defense
Wylie – Luedtke
Ralph – Reiners
Clark – Zinger
Falk
St. Cloud State goalies
Posch – Enright – Gray
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