It was a weekend of firsts for the UMD men’s hockey team. Freshmen Austin Farley, Tony Cameranesi and Andy Welinski all scored their first collegiate goals, and the Bulldogs earned their first victory over Ohio State in program history.
UMD took a 6-2 win over the Buckeyes Friday night, but suffered a setback with a 3-2 loss Saturday at Amsoil Arena in the first series of the year.
“Throughout the whole weekend there were positives,” said head coach Scott Sandelin. “I just didn’t like the way we played (Saturday).”
The Bulldogs scored early and often Friday, the first goal coming only 65 seconds into the season from Farley. But that lead was short-lived as Wisconsin freshman put in his first career goal to tie it at the 2:56 mark.
After that, UMD exploded. The Bulldogs got first period goals from Joe Basaraba, Mike Seidel and Justin Crandall to give UMD the 4-1 edge.
Ohio State’s Matt Johnson scored the lone goal of the game’s second period, but UMD more than made up for it with scores from Seidel and Welinski in the third.
The Bulldogs made the 6-2 victory look easy. They easily outshot the Buckeyes, 39-27.
UMD junior goalie Aaron Crandall started in net, stopping 25 shots in the game. Ohio State’s Brady Hjelle, a former Bulldog, was handed the loss with his 33-save performance.
“I thought we played really well, except for a few things here and there,” Seidel said. “But I thought it was good for our first time out there.”
Saturday was a different story, with UMD trying to play catch-up most of the way.
Ohio State quickly found itself with a 2-0 lead, netting goals from Alex Carlson and Tanner Fritz in the first 10 minutes of the game.
“It was a slow start for us,” Basaraba said. “We can’t take a period off.”
UMD used its timeout in the period and limped into the intermission. But they came out flying after the break. Basaraba got a power play goal on a slapshot from the point, and Seidel later deflected a Chris Casto shot to tie it with his third goal of the young season.
UMD appeared to take a 3-2 lead early in the second when Derik Johnson fired a shot from near the blueline past Ohio State freshman goalie Collin Olson. But after an official review, the goal was waved off because of a UMD player in the crease.
The Buckeyes took advantage of the non-goal. Sophomore Max McCormick put one past Crandall at the 6:56 mark and Ohio State never looked back.
“It’s one of those things you have to fight through,” Sandelin said of the disallowed goal. “Whether it goes your way or not, you have to go out there and finish the game.”
UMD never looked the same after the disallowed goal, failing to put together good scoring chances.
“We had some momentum going, but then from that point on, we just let them do what they wanted,” Sandelin said.
The Bulldogs outshot the Buckeyes, 28-21, in the game.
The series was a test for many of UMD’s young players. The lineup contained a slew of changes Saturday. Freshman center Cal Decowski took junior Max Tardy’s spot in the lineup and on defense, sophomore Derik Johnson and freshman Willie Corrin stepped in for sophomore Luke McManus and junior Tim Smith.
“They just need a few more games under their belt to get used to the game speed and get used to playing college hockey,” said senior assistant captain Drew Olson. “I don’t think we need to say much to them because they’re a hard working group of guys.”
The Bulldogs will have a short week as they prepare for their next series. They will travel to South Bend, Ind. for a series against Notre Dame Thursday and Friday.
BY TOM OLSEN olsen450@d.umn.edu