After a week off, the men’s hockey team took on Colorado College — a game that would end in a UMD sweep. The Bulldogs’ depth was largely to thank in the pair of wins as UMD senior captain Adam Krause came back with a goal and two assists on the weekend. The Bulldogs were off to a slow start and went down early in the first game against the Tigers, starting with a 1-0 deficit. The deficit would quickly become 2-0 after Colorado College’s Hunter Fejes scored within three minutes of the second period.
However, UMD’s Tony Cameranesi opened the scoring for the Bulldogs midway through the second and it was all Bulldogs from there on out. UMD would go on to score three unanswered goals, including an overtime winner from Kyle Osterberg.
“I scored, but it was all Justin (Crandall) and Cal (Decowski),” Osterberg said. “(The puck) was sitting there. I just banged it home.”
The Bulldogs came out hot on Saturday night, scoring a total of seven goals in the season’s most offensive game yet. UMD’s slow start Friday was reminiscent of their earlier matchups, where the Bulldogs seemed to be battling back from deficits on a nightly basis.
Even in those games, however, the Bulldogs were often able to pull out wins. Their scoring depth on almost every line — including the blue line — chips in to the offensive effort.
Junior defenseman Andy Welinski added a sixth goal to his season total, the most of all UMD defensemen, on a second period power play. His goal would become the eventual game winner, and Welinski knows that the team will continue to rely on all members of the team for offense in the second half of the season.
“I think as much as you want to you can’t have everybody going on the same night,” Welinski said. “I think all the lines were pretty consistent tonight, and being able to wear teams down is something we’re going to be able to use to our advantage. We have skill and strength on every line.”
The depth on this year’s Bulldog team has created the problem, if it can be called a problem, of too many game-ready players. Even with Krause sitting out six games due to a wrist injury, the Bulldogs went 5-1 in that stretch. The captain’s return was welcomed by the team, and by no one more than Krause himself.
“In the first few periods I was just running on adrenaline,” Krause said. “I was just excited to be back out there.”
However, the team’s ability to play well with a key player out of the lineup is something they feel confident about as a team. That scoring depth will also be key against their next opponent. Next up for UMD is No. 5 Michigan Tech University, who has been nearly lights out this season. They will definitely be another test for the
BY NICOLE BRODZIK Sports Editor