DULUTH — With just over six minutes remaining in regulation Friday and the game tied 4-4 at Amsoil Arena, Minnesota Duluth’s student section began chanting “We want Culver’s.”
Sophomore wing Luke Bibby kindly obliged, scoring the Bulldogs’ fifth goal of the night to trigger the free custard promotion. It was also Bibby’s first college goal, and the game-winner, for No. 5-ranked UMD in a 7-4 nonconference victory over unranked Long Island in the 2026-27 season opener.
“It was a nice goal, good to get it off my back,” said Bibby, who got a piece of a shot by junior defenseman Ty Hanson. “I’ll take them however they come. It was a good one to get.
“It was kind of a sloppy game on our part. It was back and forth. Just trying to keep it simple, get to the net and get a bounce there.”
Bibby — who came close, but didn’t score in 33 games last year — was one of seven Bulldogs to score Friday. Senior winger Barrett Hall and junior defenseman Adam Kleber scored in the first period. Sophomore wing Hunter Anderson scored in the second. Bibby, junior centers Jayson Shaugabay and Callum Arnott and junior defenseman Ty Hanson all scored for the Bulldogs in the third.
Freshman wing Luc Bydal of Grand Forks, North Dakota, scored twice for the Sharks, who also got goals from junior captain Luca Leighton and junior center Brennan Nelson.
Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante (10) is recognized for winning the Hobey Baker Award last season prior to the start of the game against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Junior goaltender Ethan Dahlmeir finished with 19 saves on 23 shots for the Bulldogs while LIU redshirt sophomore Daniel Duris made 29 saves.
The Bulldogs and Sharks, playing for the first time, wrap up their nonconference series at 6:07 p.m. Saturday at Amsoil Arena.
“There’s nothing like real live ammo when you start playing,” Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said about the start of his 27th season at UMD. “Scrimmages are scrimmages, and you can learn things, but when you get into games, there’s nothing like game experience and situations. It’s different, right?
“I expect them to be a real good team again tomorrow, and we need to be better, too.”
Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante (10) is recognized for winning the Hobey Baker Award last season prior to the start of the game against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
A seventh Hobey Baker banner was unveiled at Amsoil Arena before Friday’s game. UMD junior wing Max Plante, the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner, is the first Bulldog who gets to play a full season with his own personal banner in the stands. He’s the first Hobey Baker winner since North Dakota’s Ryan Duncan to return for another season of college hockey after winning the award. A pennant reading, “7 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winners” was handed out to fans before the game.
Max Plante had two assists Friday.
The Plante brothers made their debut together on the top line Friday. Zam, Max and Victor Plante were part of the starting lineup on opening night along with Hanson, Kleber and Dahlmeir. Victor is a freshman, and was one of the reasons Max Plante said he turned down an offer to sign with the Detroit Red Wings last spring.
“Victor had some really good moments, he’s going to be a really good college hockey player,” Sandelin said. “He’s learning, too. These are all good learning experiences for him. He’ll figure stuff out quick, I think. I’ve seen that over the last 2-3 weeks.”
Minnesota Duluth forward Victor Plante (44) shoots the puck against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Shaugabay made his debut at center with Victor Plante now on the top line with his brothers. Shaugabay, a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick out of Warroad, led UMD in assists last season playing with the Plantes.
Shaugabay and his new linemates got the first goal of the 2026-27 UMD season Friday on a tic-tac-toe play that ended with a goal for Hall, a transfer from St. Cloud State, 8:03 in.
Sandelin said the line was big in the third period. All three scored goals Friday, with Shaugabay tying the game early in the third, 12 seconds after the Sharks took a 4-3 lead. Anderson and Shaugabay each had a goal and two assists Friday.
“We’ve been together for about three weeks in practice, so it’s been good to get the chemistry going there with each other,” Anderson said. “Those guys are two talented players and it’s easy to play with them. I feel like we could read off each other really well.”
Shaugabay and the older Plante brothers are back together on the power play, along with Arnott and Hanson. UMD had the top power play in the NCAA for most of the 2025-26 season before slipping down the rankings late in the year, finishing third at 29.6%. Those five combined for 28 of UMD’s 42 power play goals last season.
Minnesota Duluth forward Jayson Shaugabay (17) skates with the puck against Long Island University forward Luca Leighton (13) on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
UMD’s other power play unit Friday consisted of Hall, Anderson, Victor Plante, sophomore defenseman Grayden Siepmann and senior defenseman Aaron Pionk.
UMD finished the night 1-for-6 on the power play after Arnott put Long Island down two goals with 5:13 left.
Is Kleber after the NCHC Offensive Defenseman of the Year Award in 2026-27? The 6-foot-6 Buffalo Sabres prospect was the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year last season. He only had three goals last year and five in his first two college seasons. Kleber’s sixth college goal came via a stick handle and snipe Friday in the first period. He also got an assist in the opener.
“He’s going for it after winning defensive defenseman of the year last year,” Bibby said.
“I don’t know many 6-6 D-men that can roof it from the goal line, but I guess I do now,” added Anderson.
Dahlmeir got the start in Game 1 over freshman Carl Axelsson, a 2026 Utah Mammoth pick from Sweden. Dahlmeir made seven starts a year ago after transferring in from Miami, and posted a .910 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average. He was 5-2 as the starter.
Sandelin said after the game Axelsson will start Game 2 on Saturday, but he thought Dahlmeir was good.
“He didn’t have a ton of shots, but he had some pretty good Grade As he kept out of there,” Sandelin said.
Minnesota Duluth goaltender Ethan Dahlmeir (35) makes a save against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
UMD hung Dahlmeir out to dry in the second period, resulting in three LIU goals on seven shots that period. The first Sharks goal came after a bad line change at the end of a penalty kill that left UMD with two players in the defensive zone, and actually too many players on the ice at the time. Poor defensive coverage on a counter attack and own-zone turnover led to the second and third goals by LIU.
“The second period was … I’m not sure what we were doing,” Sandelin said. “We got away from a simple game. We got a little too cute.
“I like that we had to face a little adversity right away and see how guys respond. We had a better third period, but we need to be better.”
Long Island University is one of six independents in NCAA Division I men’s hockey. The Sharks, now in their sixth full Div. I season, are based out of the New York Islanders’ training facility in East Meadow, New York. LIU is coming off a 14-18-1 season in 2025-26, its first under current coach Brendan Riley.
Five members of the 2022 Minnesota Class A state champion Hermantown Hawks suited up Friday. In addition to the five Bulldogs — Zam and Max Plante, Hanson and Kade Kohanski — Long Island’s third-string goaltender is former Hawks goalie Dane Callaway, a Duluth native who played one season at Duluth East before three at Hermantown.
Minnesota Duluth players celebrate a second-period goal against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Long Island 0-3-1—4
Minnesota Duluth 2-1-4—7
First period
1. UMD, Barrett Hall (Hunter Anderson, Jayson Shaugabay), 8:03
2. UMD, Adam Kleber (Ty Hanson, Callum Arnott), 9:04
Second period
3. LIU, Luc Bydal (Sixten Jennersjo, Dylan Kinch), 8:08
4. LIU, Bydal (Kinch, Lucas Lemieux), 11:45
5. UMD, Anderson (Max Plante), 14:01
6. LIU, Luca Leighton, 16:50
Third period
7. LIU, Brennan Nelson (Blake Matheson, Jennersjo), 3:08
8. UMD, Shaugabay (Anderson, Kleber), 3:20
9. UMD, Luke Bibby (Hanson, Blake Bechen), 13:57
10. UMD, Callum Arnott (M. Plante, Shaugabay), 14:47 (pp)
11. UMD, Hanson (Carter Murphy, Arnott), 19:39 (sh) (en)
Saves — Daniel Duris, LIU, 29; Ethan Dahlmeir, UMD, 19.
Power play — LIU 0-4; UMD 1-6. Penalties — LIU 7-14; UMD 4-8.
Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante (10) is recognized for winning the Hobey Baker Award last season prior to the start of the game against Long Island University on Friday at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth players celebrate a first-period goal against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante (10) sprays ice during introductions against Long Island University on Friday at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante (10) is recognized for winning the Hobey Baker Award last season prior to the start of the game against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth players celebrate a first-period goal against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth defenseman Aaron Pionk (8) skates with the puck against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth forward Zam Plante (27) skates with the puck against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth defenseman Grayden Siepmann (37) skates with the puck against Long Island University forward Isaac Lambert (26) on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth defenseman Ty Hanson (2) skates with the puck against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth forward Zam Plante (27) skates with the puck against Long Island University defenseman Lucas Lemieux (16) on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
Minnesota Duluth forward Max Plante (10) skates with the puck against Long Island University on Friday.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group