The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) men’s hockey team is entering a nearly three week winter break. While sitting just 5-10 after the first half of their season, they have skated top ranked teams in the country into the the final minutes, and even overtime.

Head coach Scott Sandelin said this will be a time to rest, reflect and reorganize.

“I like our group, I think there’s a lot of good in there. When you’re around this a lot, pretty soon you can’t keep losing those games because sooner or later guys don’t believe in what you’re doing. And I think our guys have grasped some of that, but they’re not getting the results. That’s the challenge, to stay with it,” Sandelin said. “Maybe keep tweaking a few things here and there to see if we can make the difference. Whether it’s lines, whether it’s power play combinations, whether it’s a little bit within the systems.”

An emerging bright spot is Hermantown native Max Plante. Missing 10 of their first 11 games for an upper body injury, the freshman returned for their last four, tallying two goals and two assists. That performance earned him a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team’s preliminary roster, one he was originally left off of.

“I was actually ready to call John [Vanbiesbrouck, U.S. National Junior Team GM] and say, this kid really should be at camp. Because you look at the five games he’s played, he’s been the best player on the ice. I joked with him, I said ‘he’s got his legs, he’s ready to go’. So, I’m very happy for him, I think he’s very deserving to be there,” Sandelin said.

UMD returns for one more 2024 clash, visiting Bemidji State University on New Year’s Eve at 7:07 p.m. They’ll then ring in 2025 January 3-4 hosting the University of Alaska Fairbanks.