In a rematch of the 2011 National Championship, second-seeded UMD men’s hockey battled top-seeded Michigan in the NCAA quarterfinals. While the Bulldogs made a late run, they fell 4-3 in Albany, N.Y. on Sunday night.
The Wolverines came out of the gates firing and scored three times in the first period which included a power play and short-handed tally. Although Harper Bentz got the Dogs on the board in the opening minute of the third, Michigan responded shortly after to take a 4-1 lead.
Then, midway through the frame, UMD capitalized on the man-advantage when Zam Plante sent it to Ty Hanson who knocked it into the back of the net. With three minutes remaining, Scout Truman followed up on a blocked shot to bring the Bulldogs within one.
Despite a few close opportunities in the waning seconds, the Dogs couldn’t recover and failed to reach their ninth Frozen Four in program history.
As a result, Scott Sandelin’s squad finished the campaign 24-15-1 after returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.
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