UMass tops two-time defending champion Minn. Duluth in semis nownews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nownews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Duluth, MN, USA / NewsTalk 610 AM & 103.9 FM
Apr 7, 2021 6:30 PM
“I know people think we are short-handed,” UMass head coach Greg Carvel noted during his Wednesday pre-Frozen Four press conference in Pittsburgh. “We’ve lost a couple good players for this game, but that’s all right. We like our depth.”
He’s not wrong. But UMass is short-handed heading into this game. The Hockey East champions will not have leading scorer Carson Gicewicz (17 goals) or top goaltender Filip Lindberg for the semifinals, and possibly beyond if UMass advances.
Does it mean the Minutemen can’t dethrone the two-time defending champion UMD Bulldogs Thursday night (8pm on KDAL)? Absolutely not.
Frozen Four preview: Minnesota Duluth vs. Massachusetts April 8, 2021 6:32am Text size Copy shortlink:
8 p.m. Thursday • PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh • ESPN2
UMD win streak in NCAAs at 10
Bulldogs at a glance
Record: 15-10-2, third place in NCHC regular season, lost in NCHC tournament semifinals.
How they got here: At-large selection, No. 3 seed in Midwest Regional. Didn t play No. 2 seed Michigan because of COVID-19 issues, beat No. 1 seed North Dakota 3-2 in five overtimes.
Key facts and figures: The Bulldogs are playing in their fourth consecutive Frozen Four and have won the past two, 2-1 over Notre Dame in 2018 and 3-0 over Massachusetts in 2019. UMD has a 10-game winning streak in NCAA tournament play and is 13-1 in its past four appearances. … Nick Swaney (13-14-27) and Jackson Cates (11-16-27) lead a balanced scoring group for UMD, which also has Kobe Roth (13-10-23), Cole Koepke (14-8-22) and Koby B
The Miami RedHawks traveled to Minnesota this weekend looking for retribution again against a Duluth team that beat them twice in Oxford last week.
They didn’t get it.
The RedHawks lost 8-1 Friday night and 3-1 Saturday to a Duluth team that boasts eight National Hockey League (NHL) draft picks and is currently ranked fifth in the country.
The team will look to bounce back next weekend against fourth-ranked St. Cloud State at home in Oxford before finishing the season with a home-and-home series&#
Duluth, MN, USA / NewsTalk 610 AM & 103.9 FM
Feb 5, 2021 10:20 PM
In our pregame conversation Friday, UMD head coach Scott Sandelin emphasized the importance of a good start in the series opener against Miami.
The score looks great, with UMD having won 8-1 to pick up a fifth straight win and improve to 5-0 against the RedHawks this season. The individual results are fantastic, as well. Jackson Cates (five assists) finished one assist shy of the school record. Cole Koepke recorded his first career hat trick. Kobe Roth scored twice.
It didn’t start that way. Miami thought it had taken a 1-0 lead on a long shot by big defenseman Jack Clement that eluded UMD goalie Ryan Fanti. Problem: Miami forward Michael Holland was all up in Fanti’s face, and the contact he initiated with the UMD goalie prevented Fanti from, you know, doing his job. Referees Sterling Egan and Nick Krebsbach had little choice but to overturn the call of “good goal” on the ice.