Minnesota Duluth achieved its best start since 2004-05 tonight at the DECC against Alaska Anchorage.
The No. 6-ranked Bulldogs matched a 5-0-1 mark of six years ago, with a 6-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association victory over Alaska Anchorage in front of the season's first home sellout crowd of 5,481 fans. UMD was sparked by Travis Oleksuk's goal just 50 seconds into the game.
The Bulldogs (5-0-1 overall, 2-0 WCHA) added second-period scores from scoring leader Justin Fontaine, on a power play, and on sophomore winger Dan Delisle's first career goal. Kyle Schmidt and Oleksuk, on a short-handed shift, and DeLisle put the game out of reach in the third period.
Redshirt freshman goalie Aaron Crandall got his second win in a solid performance. Anchorage (1-4-1, 0-2), in its first trip outside Alaska this season, played tough for a second straight night, but couldn't dent UMD's defense.
The fourth-highest scoring team in Division I needed overtime Friday to beat Anchorage 3-2 on a J.T. Brown goal. UMD is averaging 4.80 goals a game (the second-best in the WCHA), led by its top line of Mike Connolly, Jack Connolly and Fontaine. All three are in the top 10 of Division I scorers.
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Brown, a freshman from Burnsville, Minn., is fourth among Division I rookie scorers. He assisted on today's first score, on the game's first shot on goal for a 1-0 lead.
Oleksuk drove the puck from the right circle to the near side, just under the crossbar at 50 seconds. It was just the second time in six games the Bulldogs scored the first goal. Yet the Seawolves were again strong on the puck and outshot UMD for the first 20 minutes 11-8. Crandall and Anchorage freshman Chris Kamal were roster changes in goal from Friday's starters.
Fontaine finished off UMD's first power play at the left edge of the crease, knocking in a Jack Connolly pass at 3:43 of the second period. DeLisle also scored right in front on a nice passing play with 2:44 left in the period.
UMD faces its first WCHA road trip of the season this Friday and Saturday at first-year league member Bemidji State. The series is the second in the new Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn.
Alaska Anchorage 0-0-0--0
Minnesota Duluth 1-2-3--6
First period -- 1. UMD, Travis Oleksuk 3 (Kyle Schmidt, J.T. Brown), :50. Penalties -- Wade Bergman, UMD (interference), 3:57; Jack Connolly, UMD (holding), 16:24.
Second period -- 2. UMD, Justin Fontaine 4 (Jack Connolly, Mike Connolly), 3:43 (pp); 3. UMD, Dan DeLisle 1 (Keegan Flaherty, Mike Seidel), 17:16. Penalties -- Alex Gellert, Anchorage (tripping), 2:46; DeLisle, UMD (boarding), 10:10; Chris Crowell, Anchorage (cross-checking), 14:23.
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Third period -- 4. UMD, Schmidt 4 (Brown, Oleksuk), 5:44; 5. UMD, Oleksuk 4, 9:21 (sh); 6. UMD, DeLisle 2 (Keegan Flaherty), 19:55. Penalties -- Brady Lamb, UMD (tripping), :53; Seidel, UMD (5-minute major contact to head and game misconduct, served by DeLisle), 7:32; J. Connolly, UMD (cross-checking), 13:50; Curtis Leinweber, Anchorage (cross-checking), 13;50.
Shots on goal -- Anchorage 11-6-9--26, UMD 8-13-6--27. Goalies -Chris Kamal (0-2-1), Anchorage (27 shots-21 saves); Aaron Crandall (2-0), UMD (26 shots-26 saves). Power plays -- Anchorage 0-of-4, UMD 1-of-2. Referees --Marco Hunt, Derek Shepherd. Linesmen -- Sterling Egan, Brandon Polich. A -- 5,481.
