Friday’s Victory Recap vs. Penn State University

UMD freshman Hunter Anderson fires up the crowd after a late third-period go-ahead goal vs. Penn State on Mar. 27. Photo by Matt Dewkett from UMD Athletics.

Friday's NCAA First Round faceoff between the No. 2 seed UMD Bulldogs and the No. 3 seed Penn State Nittany Lions did not disappoint, as UMD remained unbeaten in NCAA first-round games. In the end, it was the Bulldogs who stood tall, sending the Nittany Lions back to Pennsylvania following a 3-1 victory to advance to the Regional Final game.

The first period began with Penn State controlling the pace of play, while also spending the majority of the time in UMD’s defensive zone. With 11:37 left in the period, the Nittany Lions struck first, as Shea Van Olm scored, beating goaltender Adam Gajan shortside.

Just after the five-minute mark, UMD sophomore Max Plante scored his 26th goal of the season on a back-door tap-in, beating goaltender Joshua Fleming between his legs. Max Plante’s 50th point of the season came on a feed from his brother, Zam Plante, notching the score at 1. Besides Plante’s game-tying goal, the period was controlled by the Nittany Lions, as they outshot UMD 17-9 in the frame.

Despite a few quality Penn State chances, the scoreless second period favored the Bulldogs heavily. By the end of the second period, UMD had flipped the shot total, outshooting Penn State 17-6.

The scoreless second period carried into most of the third, but just minutes after killing off their only penalty, UMD finally found the go-ahead goal. Freshman defenseman Grayden Siepmann forced a Nittany Lion defensive zone turnover on the side boards, and the puck landed square on Hunter Anderson’s stick. The freshman corralled the puck and fired a wrist shot from inside the left circle, beating Fleming over the glove to give UMD a 2-1 lead with 5:13 remaining.

Despite a desperate two-minute push by the Nittany Lions with an empty net, the Bulldogs sealed a 3-1 victory with an empty-net goal. Max Plante received a pass from Ty Hanson at center ice, carried the puck into the offensive zone, and dished it back to Hanson, who scored the empty-net goal with 1.6 seconds remaining.

UMD’s first NCAA tournament win since 2022, and 30th in program history, was powered by goaltender Adam Gajan, who turned away 29 of 30 shots, and Max Plante, who added a goal and an assist.

“Real good win, it's a really good team,” said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin for UMD Athletics. “I thought we started a little slow, but I thought we kind of found our game as it went on. It was a different game with delays like the glass, and with the TV timeouts, that's how these games are. Sometimes it doesn't feel like you're getting into a rhythm, but our guys stayed on it into the third period. We got a big goal from Ando (Hunter Anderson) and sealed it with the empty-netter, and Adam made some great saves.”

The win advanced Duluth to the Regional Final round, where it took on the University of Michigan on Sunday, Mar. 29, at MVP Arena.

Sunday’s Regional Final vs. The University of Michigan

UMD nearly overcame a three-goal deficit but came up just short against Michigan, 4-3 in the NCAA quarterfinal. Photo by Matt Dewkett from UMD Athletics

Sunday’s matchup in Albany, NY, between UMD and the University of Michigan went right down to the wire. Despite another late but promising comeback attempt, the Bulldogs ran out of time and fell short to the Wolverines 4-3 as their season came to an abrupt end.

Sunday’s first period almost mirrored Duluth’s NCHC championship game against Denver.

Michigan opened the scoring just 3:05 into the first period, marking the seventh time in eight games the Bulldogs have given up the first goal.

Michigan then rattled off another two goals, extending their lead to three with 7:27 left in the opening frame. The Wolverines’ three first-period goals were powered by a Will Horcoff tip-in, an Adam Valentini one-timer on the power play, and a shorthanded breakaway deke by Garrett Schifsky.

Facing a three-goal deficit, UMD couldn’t find the back of the net in the second period, despite hitting two posts and applying heavy offensive zone pressure. Thankfully for them, neither could Michigan.

Just 36 seconds into the third period, Harper Bentz beat Michigan goaltender Jack Ivankovic with a wrist shot off a feed from Zam Plante, to put UMD on the board.

However, just over three minutes later, the Wolverines stretched their lead back to three on a goal by Jayden Perron, but the Bulldogs weren’t finished yet.

At the 10:24 mark of the period, UMD sophomore Zam Plante recorded his second assist of the night on the power play, setting up defenseman Ty Hanson for a goal that beat Ivankovic glove-side, making it a 4-2 game.

Then, with just 3:02 remaining in regulation, UMD forward Scout Truman scored on a rebound from linemate Kyle Gaffney, sneaking the puck over Ivankovic’s right pad to bring UMD within one.

Despite generating multiple high-quality scoring chances and leaving everything on the ice, UMD fell just short of a remarkable comeback. As a result, Michigan was able to hold on 4-3 and advance to the Frozen Four, where they will take on the University of Denver on Thursday, Apr. 9, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

UMD goaltender Adam Gajan recorded 23 saves on the night, while UMD outshot Michigan 33-27 in the game and 16-6 in the final period.

“Obviously, tough to get down three, actually didn't think we played a bad first period,” said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin for UMD Athletics. “They had a couple opportunities, you know, shorthanded goals, but really, really proud of our guys. They've shown this a lot, they've won those games, but I can't be more proud of this group, you know? And all coaches sit up here and say that, but they are winners. Unfortunately, it wasn't tonight.”

Sophomore forward Max Plante and sophomore defenseman Ty Hanson were named to the All-NCAA Regional Team. Plante recorded a goal and two assists over the weekend, while Hanson finished the weekend with two goals and an assist.

Additionally, UMD finished the season with three players over 40 points for a combined total of 145 points: Max Plante (52), Zam Plante (50), and Jayson Shaugabay (43).

Max and Zam Plante also became the first Bulldogs to record 50 or more points in a season since current NHL player Alex Iafallo notched 51 points during his 2016-17 season at UMD.

The Bulldogs finished their 2025-26 season with an overall record of 24-15-1.

UMD men’s hockey advances past Penn State but falls to Michigan in NCAA Regional Final. Photo by Anthony Bartnik

UMD Men’s Hockey Outstanding Season Comes To An End in NCAA Regional Final Against Michigan