that first comes to mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say much after the game, but I did tell them this is the last group that got to know Hoagie, and he was the ultimate Bulldog,\u201d Pierce said. \u201cHe showed up every single day. This is the last group that got to see that and I told them to never forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale \u201cHoagie\u201d Haagenson, the UMD Hall of Famer and assistant equipment manager, <\/p>\n
was considered the heart and soul of the Bulldogs men\u2019s hockey programs.<\/a><\/p>\n He suffered a stroke on Christmas Day 2025 and <\/p>\n died at the age of 65 on Feb. 17.<\/a><\/p>\n Minnesota Duluth senior captain and defenseman Joey Pierce during an NCAA regional practice on Thursday, March 26 at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.<\/p>\n Dylon Field \/ UMD Athletics<\/p>\n Pierce was particularly close to Haagenson,<\/a><\/p>\n having first met Hoagie while in high school playing for the Hermantown Hawks. Pierce grew up in Ely before moving to Hermantown for high school, while Haagenson was a native of Babbitt before coming to Duluth and joining the Bulldogs in 1981.<\/p>\n During his four seasons at UMD, Pierce often brought Hoagie to Amsoil Arena for practices and on gameday. The team began taping a photo of Hoagie outside their locker rooms on the road while he was hospitalized, and continued to do so after he passed away, even at MVP Arena in Albany during the regional.<\/p>\n Minnesota Duluth forward Zam Plante (27) wears a sticker in memory of Dale \u201cHoagie\u201d Haagenson on Friday, Feb. 27 at Amsoil Arena in Duluth. <\/p>\n Clint Austin \/ Duluth Media Group file photo<\/p>\n The Bulldogs sported \u201800\u2019 stickers in memory of Hoagie on their helmets after he died, and hung Hoagie\u2019s \u201800\u2019 jersey on the bench at home and on the road.<\/p>\n UMD was in the midst of a slump when Hoagie died on Feb. 17, having started the new year 2-6 in NCHC play. The Bulldogs went on the road and <\/p>\n swept Miami on Feb. 20-21 in Oxford, Ohio,<\/a><\/p>\n to lock up a home NCHC quarterfinal series, and finished the season 6-3-1.<\/p>\n Pierce grew up watching the Bulldogs play for NCHC and NCAA championships. After three losing seasons as a freshman, sophomore and junior, Pierce finally got to play for an NCHC title two weeks ago at Denver and in an NCAA tournament last weekend in Albany.<\/p>\n Pierce said it was \u201cpretty special\u201d to be part of the Bulldogs this season, and to be their captain.<\/p>\n \u201cThis program means to much to me. The guys I\u2019ve been able to play with, I\u2019ve become best friends with just about every single one,\u201d Pierce said. \u201cThere\u2019s not many places where every single day you go and show up, you know you\u2019re doing it for something bigger than yourself. I don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll ever find that again. I\u2019m so grateful for having that here in Duluth. This group is special, this program is special. I hope I left it in a better place than I found it.\u201d<\/p>\n Minnesota Duluth associate head coach Adam Krause coaches the Bulldogs during an NCAA regional practice on Thursday, March 26 at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.<\/p>\n Dylon Field \/ UMD Athletics<\/p>\n If anyone inside the locker room at MVP Arena has an idea of what Pierce was going through Sunday night following the loss to Michigan, it was Bulldogs associate head coach Adam Krause.<\/p>\n Also a native of Hermantown, Krause captained the Bulldogs back to the NCAA tournament in 2014-15 as a senior after the program failed to get a bid his sophomore and junior year. UMD fell a game and a goal short of making the Frozen Four, <\/p>\n![\"088A0536.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.forumcomm.com\/dims4\/default\/93e0f78\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5472x3648+0+0\/resize\/840x560!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fforum-communications-production-web.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F1c%2F92%2Fec6cd4df475f8f34775ea185d0f6%2F088a0536.jpg\")
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