After split series both UMD men’s & women’s hockey remain top 10 teams

After splitting each of their top ranked series over the weekend both the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) men’s and women’s hockey teams have stayed top ten teams in the nation.

The UMD women skated to a 3-2 victory over the University of Minnesota on Friday then fell 2-1 Saturday to move up one spot to No. 8 in the latest U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO.com) poll.

The then-No. 5 Bulldog men rallied from a 5-0 shutout loss Friday to down formerly 11th, now 8th ranked, University of Denver 6-2 Saturday and take over the No. 6 spot in the rankings.

"It was nice that we had to make them chase the game," UMD men’s hockey head coach Scott Sandelin said during a post game press conference Saturday. "I really liked our third period. I thought we kept on our toes, didn’t sit back, they’re not a team you can sit back against." Sandelin added, "you’ve got to play good against those teams and I thought our guys had a great response, so it’s a great way to go on a break playing a good game and beating a good hockey team."

The UMD men (11-6-1) will close out 2021 visiting top ranked Minnesota State University-Mankato on December 30th. The Bulldog women (9-7) are set to visit Harvard University on Dec. 31.