SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs know a thing or two about winning on Xcel Energy Center ice. Friday afternoon, Ryan Fanti and the fifth-seeded Bulldogs added another win to that string of success with a 2-0 victory over top-seeded Denver in the first Frozen Faceoff Semifinal.

Fanti, the NCHC Goaltender of the Year, made 30 saves and became the first goaltender to shut out Denver this season. The Pioneers entered Friday afternoon’s NCHC Semifinals averaging 4.50 goals per game, the most in the country, but Fanti was up to the challenge.

“I got my eyes on a couple (shots) early, which was really nice,” Fanti said. “And then honestly from there I had to make some saves, but I was really happy with the way we defended and the way we played.

“We went and we played a Bulldog third. Really didn't give up too much of a grade-A chance throughout the whole third and kind of played in their end for a good portion of it. We didn't really back off and just let Denver attack, so I thought that was more of a team shutout more than anything. So I'm just really happy and excited for tomorrow.”

Tomorrow refers to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game, which UMD will appear in Saturday night. The Bulldogs won the event the last time Xcel Energy Center hosted in 2019 and UMD will be vying for their third Frozen Faceoff championship overall (also in 2017).

Friday’s win over the Pioneers to get there was a typical UMD win as the Bulldogs took away the middle of the ice and played strong defensively. Especially against a potent Denver lineup. Coming into this weekend UMD was allowing just 2.37 goals per game, which was the second-best mark in the NCHC and ranks 15th in the country.

“Good win for our team,” said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin. “Like everybody in our league, tough challenge, but I thought defensively we had one of our stronger games and again, Ryan was good and we got enough goals to win.”

Blake Biondi gave UMD a 1-0 lead with 5:13 remaining in the opening period. The sophomore winger flew down the slot and buried a beautiful feed from Jesse Jacques for his 17th goal of the season, which leads UMD. 

“Yeah, it obviously started with Jesse,” Biondi said. “It started in the (defensive) zone and we both just beat our guys to the net. It was a great pass and I just had to tap it in.”

Although Biondi’s goal was the game-winner, it would’ve gone to waste had it not been for his junior goaltender. Ironically enough, the sophomore winger described Fanti as a “Bulldog” after the game.

“It’s just his character,” Biondi said. “I think he shows every day he’s battling and his attention to detail is fantastic. You can see it out there obviously, but that's an everyday thing. And something we preach every day is to be a Bulldog.”

Although it goes down as an upset win based on their seedings, Friday’s result should come as no surprise. Year after year UMD seemingly finds a way to come alive at this time of year and the Bulldogs now have some momentum. 

After struggling to find consistency throughout the regular season, UMD swept St. Cloud State last weekend in the NCHC Quarterfinals and the Bulldogs have won three straight for just the second time this season. UMD has had plenty of success on this stage before, but this group of Bulldogs wants to create their own legacy.

“I think that that kind of just dates back to Coach here and look at the culture that he's built over the last decade,” Fanti said. “When you get recruited here that's all you want to do is add to it. We came in with some guys that have won a National Championship and some have won two, and it's pretty cool to hear those stories. But when they talk about them I think we just want to add to that to the culture.”

As for Denver, Friday’s loss was a disappointing one, but the Pioneers will quickly shift their focus to the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers started slow Friday afternoon but came on late and made it interesting. Denver put up 12 shots in the third period. But once again, they weren't able to beat Fanti.

“I thought it took us a little while to start doing some of the things that we wanted to do and make them uncomfortable,” said Denver head coach David Carle. “We did have some chances here and there, but again, Fanti was excellent tonight. 

“Obviously the goaltenders were the two best players on the ice tonight.”

Denver junior Magnus Chrona made 29 saves himself and gave his team a chance. Chrona turned aside multiple UMD rushes, especially in the first period, and was named the Third Star of the Game. 

“I thought he was unbelievable,” Denver forward Ryan Barrow said of his goaltender. “(He was the) best player on our team by far and it wasn't really close. He gave us a chance and that’s all you can hope for. He was a gamer tonight.”

But his counterpart across the ice was the No. 1 Star of Friday’s game, and for good reason.

“Yeah, he moves well,” Denver captain Cole Guttman said of Fanti. “He's definitely a really good goalie. But I think against him you’ve got to get traffic in front, and we didn't do a good enough job of that. And I think we missed nets on good opportunities, so credit to him. He had a great game.”

Fanti and the Bulldogs will face third-seeded Western Michigan in Saturday's Championship. UMD is now 15-10 all-time in the NCHC Tournament and 6-4 all-time in the Frozen Faceoff.

“I just thought our guys played three pretty good periods,” Sandelin said. “I thought our starts were good to the first and second. We knew Denver was going to make a push. They came out pretty good in the third, but our guys just kind of settled into the game.”

--#NCHChockey--