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BULLDOGS TRIM TIGERS WITH LATE GOAL AND EXTEND WCHA WIN STREAK TO FIVE GAMES

Friday, January 18, 2013

UMD defenseman Andy Welinski fends off Colorado College's Rylan Schwartz Friday night in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Credit: Casey Gibson

Since putting the clamps on a nine-game pointless drought in late November, Caleb Herbert seems to have found his scoring groove again. And, the University of Minnesota Duluth has been reaping the benefits.

Herbert, who one year ago was one of the top rookie offensive guns in college hockey (33 points in 41 games), banged in the game-winning goal off a rebound with with 1:43 to go regulation and assisted on another score in helping propel the Bulldogs to a 3-2 road victory over Colorado College Friday night. The win was UMD's fifth straight in Western Collegiate Hockey Association play and moved the Bulldogs into a shared of fifth place in the league standings. 

Colorado College withstood an early UMD flurry (the Bulldogs outshot the Tigers 11-0 in the opening six minutes of play) and eventually drew first blood on Hunter Fejes's goal with 1:58 to go in the first period. UMD got the equalizer on the power play at 11:23 of the second when Herbert drove to the net and took a shot from in close which was stopped by Colorado College goaltender Joe Howe. The puck squirted loose and sophomore left winger Justin Crandall rapped it in near the edge of the crease for his fourth goal of the year -- but first score since Nov. 30.  Midway through the third period, senior right winger Mike Seidel gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the night after he picked off a Tiger pass in the offensive zone and beat Howe with a backhand from the slot. The goal was Seidel's team-leading 12th of 2012-13 and elevated him into sole possession of first place on UMD scoring charts with 23 points. With 2:45 to go in the game, Mike Boivin scored to draw the Tigers, but Herbert answered for the Bulldogs 62 second later, one-timing a rebound from sophomore right wing Adam Krause's blast from just inside the blueline. Herbert has now collected nine points in his last 11 outings.

The Bulldogs (10-10-3 WCHA; 8-6-3 WCHA)  held a hefty 28-15 shots advantage through the opening two periods and wound up outshooting Colorado College (9-14-2; 6-10-1) 38-26 on the night.  UMD goaltender Matt McNeely, making his seventh consecutive start, made 24 saves while improving his rookie-year record to 8-6-1.

UMD, which is unbeaten in eight  of its last nine WCHA outings  (7-1-1), will play outside of Minnesota for the last time in the 2012-13 regular season tomorrow night when it takes on the Tigers in the series rematch at 8:07 p.m. (CT).

Scoring Summary

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