Bulldogs Bad Weekend

Come-Back Tie a Silver Lining?

What a letdown. How could it have happened? Yes, I am referring to the UMD home debacle weekend against Saint Cloud, not the stomach flu that went through my house this past weekend.

After battling through the demons of a UMTC weekend, I never saw this coming. It looked like prime realty for the first Bulldog sweep in AMSOIL, instead it looked like the first time UMD was going to be swept in the new digs.

Friday…what to say? The quotes after the 8-2 loss to the Huskies said it all, or at least that is what we all wanted to believe. Players and the coach said that this was a bad night, the team is better than the results and this is the exception, not the rule.

Enter Saturday night.

Down 3-0 early in the second period, it looked like all was lost. To UMD’s credit, they found some life and didn’t roll over.

The Bulldogs worked their way back to a 3-3 tie on goals by Fontaine, Brown and Hendrickson. And that was the way the game and weekend ended. One point for the home team who started the series in a tie for first place and ended in a tie for third.

As dismal as the weekend may have seemed and felt, it is a positive that the team didn’t give up and did salvage the one point.

On the Standings. Quite a fall from first to third in a WCHA that was set up for UMD to make a real run at first. Tied with the Bulldogs in first was Denver who split with UMTC. So a UMD sweep would have had them keeping one point ahead of North Dakota…would have.

UMD will have their work cut out moving up in the conference after looking at the schedules of the top four teams. The real prize would be to still land in the top two and a possible bye in the first round of the new Final Five. Bottom line is the Bulldogs need to keep winning.

PWR Fall. Here in the world of NCAA qualifying and seeding, the Bulldogs took a hit again. Starting the weekend tied for #3, they now are sitting at #6. Some would say it is not a big deal now and the tournaments are yet to come, but everyone involved needs to keep apprised of the UMD standing and bettering it.

Up next is a trip to Minnesota State – Mankato. Verizon Wireless Center in Mankato is a place that has not been really friendly to the Bulldogs in recent years…more on that later this week. Right now we have to continue to digest and get over the last weekend.