TEMPE, Ariz. — Tough loss for UMD Friday night, 5-3 at Arizona State. It was a game where the Bulldogs appeared to have control of big chunks of five-on-five play, but couldn’t cash in at any point to get a lead.
Oh, and with one goalie watching the game injured, UMD lost another goalie to an injury that looked not very good at all.
Lots to unpack.
9 THOUGHTS
1. UMD did a lot of good things. Just not quite enough. The Bulldogs, like I mentioned, had big gobs of zone time as the game progressed, and Arizona State goalie Luke Pavicich had to be sharp, which he was. Especially in the second period, where UMD peppered him with 15 shots and only got a Dominic James goal in the opening minute of the frame.
James’ line had opportunities. The captain scored twice and finished with four shots. He struggled on the dot, but James managed a couple big faceoff wins in the closing minutes as UMD pressed for a tying goal that would not come.
2. Max Plante got the first of many for him as a Bulldog. Zam Plante won possession of the puck near the UMD blue line, and Max took the hell off north. Zam found him with a perfect pass, and Max did not miss from the right circle. It started the Bulldogs’ comeback, cutting the ASU lead to 4-2 before James made it a one-goal game 62 seconds later.
Max Plante also assisted on James’ first goal, a play set up when Jayson Shaugabay picked off an exit pass in the middle of the ice in the ASU zone.
The chemistry between the Plante boys is so obvious. While I’m not convinced they will play on the same line for the entirety of their UMD careers, it’s going to be good for Scott Sandelin and staff to know they can always go back to that combination if they ever stray from it to begin with. As Sandelin has pointed out a couple times, Zam and Max could play apart for a long time, then look like they haven’t missed a beat when reunited.
3. Pavicich was very good in goal for Arizona State. The UMass-Lowell transfer — one of eight Division I transfers in the Sun Devils’ lineup Friday — had an outstanding game.
He made big-time stops multiple times in the second period (the one that stands out was from a brilliant net drive by Kyle Bettens), but his best save might have been robbery on a Harper Bentz chance that was set up by (we think) Max Plante. Incredible stop by Pavicich on what looked to be almost a sure goal from our vantage point at the other end of the ice.
This feels like it’s been a story for UMD opponents, but it’s not like the Bulldogs have been playing .850 goaltenders these last couple weeks.
4. While ASU’s goaltending was strong, UMD is fighting the injury bug in its net. As already discussed, Adam Gajan suffered a lower-body injury over the bye week, and he sat out Friday’s game. Klayton Knapp made his first collegiate start, and frankly acquitted himself very well.
He was beaten twice in the first period — though only one of them counted after a successful UMD offsides challenge — and once in the second (didn’t have much of a chance on any of these), but made some very good saves of his own, including a couple key stops early in the third as the Bulldogs started the final stanza slowly and ASU tried to build on what was at the time a one-goal lead.
Then the Sun Devils were able to build on the lead. Goals not two minutes apart by Ryan Alexander and Dylan Jackson made it 4-1. Before the Alexander goal, Knapp got run over in his crease by ASU forward Kyle Smolen and was slow to get back up.
(Full disclosure: I didn’t get a good enough look at it to see if Smolen was checked into the crease or went there on his own, and I did not see a replay. I know the UMD staff looked at the replay, but the only way it would have been worth a challenge is if it was potentially a major penalty. No challenge was raised.)
Knapp stayed in the game, but was quickly beaten twice and appeared very hobbled as he made his way off the ice. No way of knowing exactly when the injury happened, but it was clearly to his lower body. Zach Sandy finished the game, making three saves a day after his 22nd birthday, but UMD’s comeback indeed fell short.
5. So, you the kind reader asks, what exactly happens if Gajan and Knapp can’t play on Saturday? It’s a great question, and I’m thrilled you asked.
It’s rule 5.4 in the NCAA rulebook, one I have never before had to look up.
A substitute goalkeeper should be on the bench at the start of the game and shall at all times be fully dressed and equipped and ready to play. Upon entering the game, the substitute goalkeeper shall take his or her position without delay. Teams are encouraged to not start a game with fewer than two goalkeepers.
A team is allowed to start a game with one goalkeeper. If the starting goalkeeper is unable to continue (e.g., injury, penalty, etc.), a delay of game penalty must be assessed if time is needed to have another skater change into the equipment of the goalkeeper. Additionally, teams have the option of playing with six skaters to avoid a penalty. Except when all goalkeepers are incapacitated, another player shall not be permitted to wear the equipment of the goalkeeper.
So, basically, if UMD’s outstanding athletic training staff decides that neither Gajan nor Knapp can dress for Saturday’s game, Sandy will start. If Sandy is injured and can’t continue in the game, chaos ensues.
6. So, what would you do? The hockey mentality, it seems, would see just about any player who is asked say they’d willing to play goal if needed.
Athletically and attitudinally (is that a word?), a guy like Riley Bodnarchuk comes to mind. Joey Pierce is the kind of guy who would do just about anything for the program.
I can’t believe I just typed these words. It better not be typing this into existence.
Can someone out there send some good juju to Knapp and Gajan? And can the injury bug please stop biting this program?
I’ve had enough. Moving on.
7. Elsewhere in the NCHC, “comeback” was the word of the night. Both successful and unsuccessful.
In Oxford, North Dakota trailed 4-2 deep into the third. Cody Choal’s first collegiate goal made it 4-3. Then Jayden Perron tied it with the extra attacker on the ice inside of two minutes to go, and Sasha Boivert won it for UND with 23 seconds left, 5-4, in a wild game.
In Kalamazoo, Western Michigan took a 3-0 lead into the third. Denver got goals from Jake Fisher and James Reeder to close within one, but Cameron Rowe made 29 saves and the Broncos held for a 3-2 win that keeps them in first in the league.
In St. Cloud, Zach Urdahl’s second goal of the game tied the score 3-3 for Omaha early in the third, and Sam Stange scored in overtime as the Mavericks won 4-3 over St. Cloud State. Tyson Gross tallied twice in a three-goal second for the Huskies.
8. The No. 4 UMD women picked up two of three WCHA points Friday in St. Cloud. The teams played to a 1-1 draw before UMD won the shootout 1-0 for that precious second point. Olivia Mobley’s third-period goal tied the game, and Mobley scored the only goal of the shootout for UMD, which got 22 saves from Eve Gascon and sealed that it will stay ahead of SCSU in the league standings with 2024 wrapping up Saturday afternoon. 1pm start for these teams at the Brooks Center.
Tight, low-scoring game, not at all atypical of these teams’ battles in recent years, but UMD found a way to get two points.
9. After Saturday, the UMD men will be off until New Year’s Eve. It’ll obviously be a chance for some guys to get healthy, but it’s also one more chance to create some good vibes going into the break.
The Bulldogs are progressing. They’ve also got to find a way to clean up some neutral-zone issues that lead to good rush chances for adversaries. We saw a couple more goals off the rush in Friday’s game, and it’s a growing trend for UMD. The defensive zone structure is improving, but UMD needs to be sharper on exits and rush coverage to take another step defensively.
Conversely, we saw some improvement offensively, but it feels like UMD hasn’t done a good enough job getting shots on target and getting to the net for rebounds.
There’s progress, but we are all — players, coaches, staff, homer radio guy, everyone! — dying to see some results come from that progress.
Hang in there.
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We’ll hit the air at 5:30 Central Saturday, faceoff at 6.
Back here pregame with lines and any injury info we have at the time.
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