OXFORD, Ohio — Going to try something different here, combining takeaways from Friday night with the Saturday lineup post.
I’ll get this out there, then update later when we have the official line charts for both teams (in other words, after we get to the rink).
In other words, I was too lazy to write after the game (also I was watching UND and St. Cloud State on my laptop and didn’t feel like going back and forth). So here’s what I would have said then. 😁
1. You have to assume that Miami’s staff and players had the same conversation about UMD that UMD’s staff and players had before Friday games against Western Michigan and North Dakota.
“These guys were off last week. Get on them early.”
I know Miami led 2-0 at one point, but UMD was controlling the run of play. Multiple long, taxing shifts defending down low, and only some big first-period saves by Miami goalie Matteo Drobac kept UMD from running away very early.
The Bulldogs started strong, and they weren’t deterred by their own mistakes (more on that to come). They stuck to the plan and kept hammering away at Miami’s defense. Eventually, they got the dam to break.
2. UMD got in its own way enough to make this game interesting. It’s been an issue, small details.
The reality of hockey is it’s a game of mistakes. And you never know which mistake is going to completely turn a game on its ear.
Sometimes, it’s a lost faceoff. Sometimes, it’s a bad pass that becomes an icing. Sometimes, you spear a guy on the other team in the undercarriage (more on that later).
Miami’s two goals came off — to be blunt — unacceptable turnovers. Doug Grimes took a misplayed puck and wired it over Ethan Dahlmeir’s left shoulder to open the scoring, then Kocha Delic found a loose puck and put it on a tee for David Deputy to one-time by Dahlmeir in the second period.
UMD was also guilty of an unnecessary icing on the faceoff right after Jayson Shaugabay’s goal that gave the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead in the third period. That icing allowed Miami to pull Drobac, and the RedHawks were able to pressure UMD over about a four-minute stretch before Callum Arnott’s empty net goal iced the result.
3. Again, you never know which mistake will burn you. Surely, Bradley Walker didn’t think that he was changing the game when he decided to spear Max Plante, um, there.
But his spear was about as subtle as a baseball swing to the head, and the referees detected it. After a brief review, the call was confirmed.
(That’s an automatic five and a game, by the way, as we mentioned on the broadcast. The only discretion officials have is a game misconduct or a game disqualification, and no one really issues DQs anymore except for fighting and other penalties that require a DQ. That allows leagues to handle their own supplemental discipline.)
The Bulldogs got the eventual game-winner on this power play, their second power play goal of the game. That kept a streak alive for UMD, which has not gone back-to-back games without a power play goal since the opening weekend in Alaska. UMD didn’t score on the power play Feb. 7 against North Dakota.
4. That second unit for UMD had a good night Friday. Knock on wood, UMD’s power play units have been largely unchanged since September.
The first unit is the Plantes, Shaugabay, Arnott, and Ty Hanson. They usually start the power play, and if things go well, the second unit never sees the ice. That second group has seen some change, but not very much. Right now, it’s Aaron Pionk, Grayden Siepmann, Hunter Anderson, Truman, and Kyle Gaffney.
I talked to assistant coach Cody Chupp — who runs the power play — back in October, before the NCHC season started. Back then, you could tell the second unit was trying to find itself a bit, and it was clear the top group had played together last year.
“They’re so good at reading off each other,” Chupp said at the time about the top group. “They’re so good at those kind of scramble moments. We want to put the opposition into scramble moments as much as we can. And one way we can do that is move personnel. The other way is shot, recover, re-attack, and that’s where those guys are kind of elite. So trying to get to more of those situations was important with that group.
“And then the other one, they’re getting to know each other a little bit. There’s been some changes as far as who’s playing where. Not so much personnel, but I think it’s just a level of comfortability. Their power play is going to look different than the other one, and that’s OK.”
Friday was a night where the second unit had more success because of its design. PP1 wasn’t able to get Miami scrambling as much as it wanted, and when that happened, they missed a pass or mishandled a puck and the opportunity was lost. By its nature, PP2 is just more direct, and that led to its success. Anderson went to the net and tipped a Siepmann shot by Drobac to get UMD on the board, and Truman got open in the slot to hammer home the eventual game-winner in the third period.
5. About that winning goal.
Here’s the clip. Notice anything?
SCOUTS HONOR, UMD takes its first lead of the game!!
— UMD Men's Hockey (@umdmenshockey.bsky.social) 2026-02-21T00:26:03.546Z
(No, not Truman staring down that fan in the front row like she owed him money.)
The net is off.
Miami can’t challenge this, because it doesn’t fit the criteria of a missed game stoppage, which the rules require “the defending team claims that the play should have been stopped by reason of any play occurring in the offensive zone that should have resulted in a play stoppage caused by the attacking team but did not.”
You see, it was Drobac who took the net off as he stopped Anderson’s lacrosse goal attempt right before Truman’s goal. And right after Anderson’s reverse hit caught Miami defenseman Vladislav Lukashevich up high. That was reviewed for a major and not called, so the goal stood.
Either way, it’s a break UMD got, and I doubt anyone on the UMD side is going to apologize after the month the Bulldogs just had when it comes to tough (and often disputed) calls changing games. My blood pressure is good right now, so let’s not go through the list.
6. UMD can clinch home ice advantage on Saturday. The Bulldogs have not played a home playoff game since 2019 (the 2020 playoffs were canceled before they started, and the 2021 NCHC playoffs all happened in Grand Forks, so UMD did not get the home game it earned either year).
A win of any kind over Miami will do the trick, only if Colorado College doesn’t beat Western Michigan later Saturday in Colorado Springs.
To keep it as basic as possible, if UMD beats Miami on Saturday, and its lead over Colorado College at the end of the night is at least seven points, CC is out of the picture. As long as St. Cloud State isn’t at least tied with UMD in the standings at the end of the night, SCSU is out of the picture.
(The win is necessary because UMD needs to be at least seven points ahead of Miami as well, and a win will do that, even if it goes overtime/shootout.)
Either way, UMD is in a great spot to play at home in two weeks. It will probably be the only home games UMD gets in the postseason, barring a major upset in the quarterfinals, but it’s still a quality step for this group of young players.
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Meet the new lines. Same as the old lines (for UMD, at least). Couple changes for Miami.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD forwards
Plante (Max) – Plante (Zam) – Shaugabay
Truman – Gaffney – Arnott
Anderson – Shlaine – Bibby
Zaremba – Kovich – Bentz
UMD defense
Hanson – Kleber
Pionk – Pierce
Cleveland – Siepmann
Bodnarchuk
UMD goalies
Dahlmeir – Sheffield
Miami forwards
Delic – Morozov – Deputy
Smith – Helgeson – Grimes
Emmons – Hay – Walker
Nassen – Mesenburg – Stupka
Miami defense
Aucoin – Phelan
Lukashevich – Quinn
McEwen – Thompson
Donato
Miami goalies
Drobac – Langevin – Motew
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