'Lifeless' start, initial lack of desperation leads to 4-1 loss for UMD against Western Michigan

DULUTH — While assessing Friday’s night’s 3-2 overtime loss to Western Michigan, Minnesota Duluth freshman wing Ben Steeves kept coming back to the shorthanded goal the Bulldogs allowed in 3:55 into the game.

“I mean, they scored a penalty kill goal. No team should score on a penalty kill against us,” Steeves said. “We just got to score on our power play and not let them score on our power play.”

The Bulldogs only got one power play Saturday in the rematch and they not only failed to score on it, but they once again surrendered a shorthanded goal to the No. 10 Broncos in a game where team leaders chided the Bulldogs for lacking desperation and playing “lifeless” at times. The result was a 4-1 defeat in NCHC play at Amsoil Arena.

“They're a good team, and I give them all the credit in the world,” UMD fifth-year senior wing and captain Tanner Laderoute said. “They have great players that know how to play and they’ve obviously shown that they're a top caliber team. But I think we came out a little bit slow and without a little bit of desperation. We found that desperation in the last period, but I think if we start with that desperation at the puck drop before the game starts, it's a different game.”

Like his captain, Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin credited the Broncos — whose coaching staff includes Sandelin’s former longtime assistant and associate head coach Jason Herter — while admitting his team didn’t do itself any favors in how it played this weekend in the two losses. It was a step back from last weekend’s home sweep of St. Cloud State, especially on Saturday.

“Our first two periods tonight were just lifeless, sad,” Sandelin said. “That’s how we respond to a tough loss?”

Senior wing Quinn Olson, who forced overtime with a late goal Friday, scored the lone goal for the Bulldogs in the third period on Saturday to cut the margin to one with less than 6:30 to play, however, Western went back up by two nine seconds later when junior center Luke Grainger scored on the ensuing center-ice faceoff.

Sandelin said that goal irked him more than the shorthanded one. Western’s third goal was a microcosm of the entire series, he said.

“It was tough. It just can't happen … just because the way the game was,” Sandelin said of Grainger’s goal. “I thought we grabbed the momentum with that goal (by Olson) and then to give it up to the next shift, just can't happen. It just can't happen.”

Senior defenseman Zak Galambos scored the shorty for Western on Saturday four and a half minutes into the second period. It came on UMD’s first and only power play of the night.

Junior wing Chad Hillebrand put the Broncos on top 1-0 in the first as UMD got caught late in a line change by Western's transition game. The shorthanded goal in the second also came in transition, as even on the penalty kill UMD found itself facing an odd-man attack by the Broncos.

“Transitionally they're really good,” UMD sophomore defenseman Owen Gallatin said. “They get guys up in the rush, they get numbers. They're a good team.”

The Bulldogs continued their goaltending rotation, with senior Matthew Thiessen making 19 saves on 22 shots Saturday after junior Zach Stejskal stopped 28 of 31 shots on Friday.

UMD freshmen center Cole Spicer left Saturday’s game late in the second period due to injury, though UMD was able to shift 13th forward Jack Smith into Spicer’s slot. Smith, a freshman, had been rotating with fellow freshman forward Luke Johnson at wing on that line, which also includes freshman wing Isaac Howard.

UMD remains fifth in the league standings heading into the bye next week, seven points out of fourth, which is now owned by Omaha. North Dakota remains two points back of UMD in sixth place and both are in action next weekend while UMD is idle.

The Broncos now sit second in the NCHC, 10 points up on UMD after being six points ahead in fourth to start the weekend.

3. WMU senior Zak Galambos — A big shorthanded goal early in the second period to put UMD down 2-0.

2. WMU junior wing Luke Grainger — His goal nine seconds after the lone UMD goal by Olson killed the Bulldogs hopes of a comeback Saturday.

1. WMU junior wing Chad Hillebrand — Two goals and an assist for three points, he gave the Broncos the 1-0 lead in the first and picked up an empty netter late.

Western Michigan 1-1-2—4
Minnesota Duluth 0-0-1—1
First period
1. WMU, Chad Hillebrand (Cole Gallant, Daniel Hilsendager), 12:34
Second period
2. WMU, Zak Galambos (Jason Polin), 4:29 (sh)
Third period
3. UMD, Quinn Olson (Carter Loney, Darian Gotz), 13:38
4. WMU, Luke Grainger (Hillebrand), 13:47
5. WMU, Hillebrand (Carter Berger, Cameron Rowe), 19:04 (en)
Saves — Cameron Rowe, WMU, 25; Matthew Thiessen, UMD, 19.
Power play — WMU 0-3; UMD 0-1. Penalties — WMU 1-2; UMD 3-6.