Could It Be More Sweet?

Same Formula Brings Championship to Duluth

Now who would have thunk that? Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs getting into the NCAA Tournament by the narrowest of margins, sweeps their way from #3 seed in the West to the champion of NCAA Division I National Champions.

leveraging three straight 2-1 wins, preceded by a 3-2 OT win, makes UMD the first team to win all their NCAA Tournament games by one goal. That is is the key to the championship run for the Bulldogs, defense and just enough scoring to get the win.

In UMD's three straight 2-1 wins the equation seemed to stay the same: jump out to a fast start scoring two goals in the first period, play strong defense all game, and keep the offensive pressure on. This equals wins and a championship.

This UMD Bulldogs team, thankful just to get into the NCAA Tournament, now can look back and relax with the new label, Champion.

UMD Hosts Reeling Omaha in Final Home NCHC Series

Omaha Comes to Duluth Losing 4 of Last 5

What seems to be a very long time ago, NCHC voters picked UMD to finish fifth and Omaha sixth.

Fast forward to the end of February and UMD is fifth and Omaha tied for third.  And this weekend further determine where the teams will finish.

More importantly, PairWise ranking can rise or fall on the weekend.  Falling in the PWR is nothing new to Omaha, once top three, now getting closer to the bubble.  Omaha is currently at eighth.

Omaha's fall in the PWR is tied to their streak of four losses in their last five games.  And that drop should not be ignored by UMD.  The Bulldogs have the toughest schedule in the nation, but they have still struggled to put together wins.  Ending the season at Western Michigan, a team that took five of six points on the weekend when WMU came to Duluth.  The Bulldogs must focus for a strong finish over the next two weekends.

Speaking of almost, but not quite, swept, UMD and UND are the only two NCHC teams that have not been swept in any series, conference or non-confernce, this season.  As a side note, the only time UMD has gone an entire season without being swept was 2010-11, the same when they won the national championship.

StatPack.  UMD and Omaha by the stats:

Images via Wikipedia: Bulldog, NCAA, NCHC, Mav

Picks by @afiskness.  This weekend the NCHC teams are back at it with all eight teams in conference play.  The top six teams all still have a chance to win the Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup.  In my opinion last Saturdays third period and overtime let down likely cemented UMD to a fifth place finish.  Of course there are other games this season where points that could have been picked up were also missed.  Last Saturday's game in Oxford really shows how good this conference is and how close these teams are to each in ability.

Nebraska Omaha @ Minnesota Duluth:  I am not sure what to expect out of the Mavericks this weekend on the road making this a tough pick.  Since the Bulldogs the last few seasons have been a better road team then home I will go with a split.

Saint Cloud State @ North Dakota:  This is a big rivalry series and the recent up swing in the Huskies play leads me to believe that this will be a split.

Miami @ Denver:  Last Saturdays come from behind overtime win likely saved the Redwaks chance to win the confernce, unfortunately for them they are playing the red hot Pioneers.  I like Denver morebin this series, but I think the Redhawks will have unough fightbin them to get a split. 

Western Michigan @ Colorado College:  Simply put the Tigers are out matched by all other teams in the conference, but the big ice and body clock will result in a split against the Broncos.

Thank You: An Editorial

With all the tasks complete to wrap up the season, now I have a little time to write an editorial.

Thank you, UMD Bulldogs, for a wonderful season. It wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns all the time, that is what tests the mettle of players, coaches and fans. Variety is the spice of life and this season had its variety, the highs and lows that made some wonder what the future was for this squad. But it was all taken care of in the end.

Thank you for saving the best for last. Words cannot describe the elation you have given fans, alumni and former players with the first Men’s Hockey national Championship. But please, don’t stop here. Feel free to continue to improve and be a great college hockey power.

UMD Seniors Enjoy the Championship (Andrew Fiskness)

A special thanks to the seniors who have worked hard and stayed for four or more years to see this to the end: Trent Palm, Justin Fontaine, Chad Huttel, Kyle Schmidt and Mike Montgomery.

And thanks to Mike Connolly and Justin Faulk who have decided to leave early. We wish you could have stayed for more, but we also understand.

For now, we who follow UMD Bulldog Hockey, will sit back and enjoy this one. You have earned it. We have earned it.

Thank you.

For anyone wanting to see the video recapping the Frozen Four shown after the championship game at the X, click here.

Photos from the UMD Championship Game

Schmidt's "ice angel" celebration

We at the College Hockey HighHorse were fortunate enough to provide full media coverage from the NCAA Frozen Four. What an opportunity to cover the Bulldogs on their run to first NCAA Men's Hockey Championship, in Saint Paul only several hours from the Bulldogs home in Duluth.

The championship is something all UMD fans will remember and it was a great honor to be able to be a part of it as working media. The photos from the Championship game have been loaded to the website for everyone to enjoy.

As we are new to the photo world of college hockey we were a little under-gunned when it came to getting good action photos. Maybe someday in the future we can upgrade equipment to get high quality action pictures like you see elsewhere. College Hockey HighHorse has the photos that tell the story of the game focusing on the celebration of UMD's first National Championship.

Enjoy the slideshow below of all the photos from Saturday's National Championship. Click on the slideshow to see the whole set of photos. Please feel free to leave comments or drop us an e-mail by clicking on photo from top right pane.

National Championship Thoughts - Bulldogs Rule

UMD Turns Away Michigan 3-2 OT for First National Championship

It is the top of the college hockey world. Minnesota – Duluth reached the pinnacle Saturday night with a 3-2 OT win over Michigan Wolverines Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul.

Kyle Schmidt celebrates his game winning goal with teammates

The first Men’s Hockey National Championship is sweet. The season was a roller coaster, but in the end, UMD won the gems they needed to get into the NCAA Tournament. Once into the tourney, they went on a four game winning streak to capture the crown.

The final game was not at all a lock. Again for the second game in the Frozen Four, UMD’s opponent scored first and took a lead into the first intermission with the 1-0 lead.

The second period went back and forth with the Bulldogs taking their first lead 2-1. But at the end of the period, the Wolverines showed that they were not going to roll over by tying the score at 2-2.

Third period was scoreless leading to overtime. Overtime, the place UMD fans should remember well from the only other Bulldog team to play in a National Championship, an overtime loss to Bowling Green in 1984.

No one could tell this Bulldogs squad that they weren’t going to win it. They were in familiar territory playing in their 15th OT game of the year going 7-2-6 for the season. “We played a lot of overtime games, especially in the beginning of the season,” said freshman J.T. Brown, voted the Most Outstanding Performer of the Frozen Four. “Not always something you want to play, but we found a little knack for getting it done in overtime, and that's one of the things we did pride ourselves going into the overtime period.”

Early in season, we did express some concern on how UMD seemed to wait until the end to tie then rely on OT to win. Brown maybe said it best that it was practice. The Bulldogs worked their plan, right? Anyway, it all worked out in the end.

There were many expectations of this team from the start of the season. With All-American Jack Connolly returning with linemates Justin Fontaine and Mike Connolly, fans and experts expected to see point production and wins stack up. Early in the season they did both in earning the #1 ranking in polls for three weeks in mid-November.

Down the stretch it was the FCC line that scored their share, but they also drew much attention for opponents. That is where the “other” players come in. The overlooked players that very good n their own right, but were “lost” in other team’s gameplans by the FCC line. Players like Brown, Travis Oleksuk and Kyle Schmidt, UMD’s second line. Additionally there were the hard working Mike Seidel and Jake Hendrickson who tallied a few goals, but worked hard when called upon to keep opponents in check.

In the championship, it is fitting that the FCC line did not record a point. The goals were scored from the likes of Travis Oleksuk, Max Tardy (first UMD goal) and Kyle Schmidt. In addition, Brady Lamb contributed three assists.

On the other side of the puck, the team defense has helped propel UMD through the NCAA Tournament to the championship. Kenny Reiter is good, but when the guys in front of him, starting with the defensemen, take their defensive responsibilities, Reiter becomes a very good if not great goalie. No other play than Jack Connolly batting the puck out of the air that was destined for the UMD goal to help the Bulldogs cause. That play and the many team blocked shots are a value that can be easily overlooked.

That is the way UMD has won all season, playing as a team, everyone chipping in. That sense of team is the way that a championship team should be. It is a championship of the whole team, school and Duluth community.

“You win as a team,” said Sandelin. “It’s the beauty of the game.”

National Championship Box Score

UMD Pregame...Just In Time

Bulldogs Face Michigan for National Championship

Michigan is on a run that no one expected…at least in the USCHO bracket Challenge. This will be the Wolverine’s fourth NCAA Tourney game this season and all have been against WCHA teams.

Center Ice at the Xcel (Andrew Fiskness)

The Frozen Four was heralded as an all West grouping and that was amazing and exciting on its own. Now put in the streak of teams that Michigan has gone up against and it becomes ridiculous.

So are the Bulldogs the WCHA team to stand up to the maize and blue and put a stop to their winning streak? We humbly say, “Yes.”

Tonight’s game will again tilt on the play of special teams and UMD has that edge.

After following the Bulldogs all year, and for many years prior, it is exciting and nerve wracking to be at the game tonight. But it also an honor to bring the stories of this team to our readers and to be at a part of UMD Hockey history. We predict it will be history on a new page, the one titled “National Champions.”