Dominic James, a UMD senior, scored a power-play goal. Then the Gophers tacked on two quick goals — one by Moore, one by freshman Erik Pahlsson — before UMD’s Joe Molenaar scored on Airey’s left side and then his teammate Jayson Shaugabay spun around and added another.
This two-game series at Amsoil Arena is uncommon for these two teams. For the past decade-plus, when the Gophers and Bulldogs have faced off for back-to-back games it’s been a home-and-home series. The plan is to stick with this template for at least the next three seasons, Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said during a media conference earlier this week. He said it’s something Gophers coach Bob Motzko has wanted and he’s fine with it, too.
“I think it’s good for our community, good for our fans,” Sandelin said.
And it’s good for attendance tallies. The top five hockey crowds at Amsoil Arena have been when UMD hosts the Gophers. There were 7,596 people at a game in 2021 — a program record for the Bulldogs.
Last weekend, the Gophers finished 1-1 in the Ice Breaker Tournament in Las Vegas. They eased past Air Force 7-1, behind Connor Kurth, who had three goals and an assist. They lost to Omaha 2-1 in overtime during the championship game the next day. UMD split a series at Massachusetts Lowell, winning the opening game 4-2, then losing 4-1 the next day.
“The better team won,” Sandelin said earlier this week. “I thought we were careless with the puck and didn’t have any pushback, which bothered me. So we got what we got and, like I said, the better team won Saturday.”
