Bulldogs Dominate No. 10 St. Cloud State in a Thrilling 5-2 Showdown

As the final moments dwindled Saturday evening at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn., supporters of the University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team expressed their gratitude towards the hometown squad, and undoubtedly, the Bulldogs felt the appreciation.

 

UMD triumphed over No. 10 St. Cloud State University with a commanding 5-2 victory, sweeping the Huskies in National Collegiate Hockey Conference encounters and extending the Bulldogs’ current home winning streak against SCSU to six consecutive games. This also marked the Bulldogs’ first home NCHC sweep of the season and their second overall; following a challenging first half of the season, UMD concluded the weekend emphatically.

 

“Achieving the sweep here feels incredible at home, a conference sweep in front of our supporters,” remarked Joey Pierce, who netted the solitary goal by either side in the third period. “It doesn’t get any better than that; that’s why we wear that jersey, and that’s what we aim for every weekend. It was fantastic to deliver that not only for ourselves mentally but also for the fans who consistently show up for us.”

 

UMD seized the game’s initial advantage 12:57 into the first period and never relinquished it. Aaron Pionk’s attempt from the blue line took a sharp deflection off the boards to Max Plante in the right circle, and Plante deftly passed the puck across the crease to Jayson Shaugabay on the opposite side. Shaugabay’s swift shot found the net past SCSU goaltender Gavyn Thorson at the near post, marking his seventh goal of the season.

 

A flurry of goals within a 10-minute span transformed the second period, starting with Adam Kleber’s inaugural collegiate goal, a shot from the right point that encountered some obstacles and soared past Enright at 7:00. 

 

“Honestly, I didn’t even realize I scored; I thought it was deflected,” shared Kleber regarding his first goal as a Bulldog. “I assumed Bettsy (Kyle Bettens) or Joe (Molenaar) got a tip on it, but I’ll take it.” 

 

Senior captain Dominic James followed Kleber’s goal with one of his own only 1:28 later, maintaining possession during an odd-man rush for his 10th goal of the season, which ultimately became UMD’s game-winning goal.

 

The Huskies finally managed to break through against Bulldog goaltender Klayton Knapp 12 seconds later, ending Knapp’s shutout streak that had lasted for 88:40 minutes, bringing the score to 3-1. St. Cloud St. struck again on its power play at 12:52, reducing the deficit to one goal for what would be the final time that evening.

 

During their own power play at the 17:00 mark, the Bulldogs restored their two-goal cushion when Max Plante, from behind the extended goal line, banked the puck off Enright. This was Plante’s second goal of the weekend and his fourth consecutive game with a score. 

 

However, arguably the highlight of the entire weekend occurred 4:36 into the third period. Having shifted to forward to compensate for players who had exited the game, junior alternate captain Joey Pierce finally scored his first UMD goal after 83 games in his college career.

Jack Smith had maneuvered through the crease with a backhand, generating a rebound that Joe Molenaar attempted to capitalize on, but it was Pierce at the top of the crease who calmly wristed the puck in. Pierce’s debut goal ignited an energy in AMSOIL that had been long-awaited, and despite a late UMD penalty kill with just over six minutes remaining, the celebration for the Bulldogs’ first sweep of 2025 commenced.

 

Knapp recorded 20 saves on 22 SCSU shots, while Enright made 21 on 26 UMD shots on goal. Each team netted one power play goal – UMD went 1-of-6 in the game, while the Huskies were 1-of-4, being shut out by the Bulldogs during three extra skater chances in the third period. SCSU departs Duluth with an overall record of 11-9-0 and 4-6-0 in the NCHC.

 

“I mean everyone is excited, and it boosts our confidence greatly, especially as we prepare for Colorado College, another formidable team,” stated Kleber about the sweep and energy in AMSOIL. “We’re facing numerous strong teams as the season progresses, so securing these early wins, particularly in the second half, is monumental for us; it helps us get on a roll. The atmosphere from everyone cheering is fantastic. It’s disheartening to see during the first half some folks leaving early, and that feeling impacts us all. To witness them staying, cheering, and clapping feels really rewarding because our efforts are starting to show, and we want to sustain that momentum.”

 

The Bulldogs (8-11-1, 4-6-0) will aim to do just that next weekend when they travel to Colorado Springs to challenge Colorado College. The series will commence Friday at 9:00 p.m. MT and wrap up on Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. MT puck drop.

BULLDOG NOTES: UMD is currently unbeaten in its last six home games against the Huskies … 12 Bulldogs contributed points in the game, including three players with a pair of points each … Max Plante (1g, 1a), Jayson Shaugabay (1g, 1a) and Aaron Pionk … Pionk has accumulated seven points (1g, 6a) over a six-game stretch, the longest active scoring streak among all UMD players (six games) … Plante has secured points in his last four games (4g, 2a) and has recorded a point in all but one of his first seven matches as a Bulldog …Dominic James added to his team-high total of career points against the Huskies, now holding 14 points (5g, 9a) in 15 encounters … Klayton Knapp’s consecutive victories are the first of his career, marking the first sweep of his budding career … the rookie netminder made a cumulative total of 48 saves over the weekend.