Fresh off being named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week UMD junior Justin Fontaine is ready to lead the Bulldogs into a big weekend at the University of Minnesota. The Bonnyville, Alberta native scored four goals in a 8-1 Saturday night win over Michigan Tech. It was a game where the floodgates finally opened after UMD piled on 50 shots on goal Friday night but was defeated 3-2.
He and teammate Jack Connolly lead the nation with 18 points. Fontaine also leads the nation with 11 goals and seven power play goals. He also has three game-winning goals. For most of the season Fontaine and Jack Connolly have played on a line together, but in the weekend against Michigan Tech Fontaine bounced back a line and played wing on the second line with Rob Bordson (3G, 14A) and Travis Oleksuk (1G, 5A). The first line last weekend was centered by Jack Connolly who has seven goals and 11 assists with wingers Cody Danberg (3A) and Mike Connolly (5G, 8A). Drew Akins (2G, 5A) centered the third line with Jordan Fulton (2A) and Mike Seidel (4A) on the wings.
UMD has been able to split up some of its top forwards without production dropping off and this has allowed the Bulldogs to have one of the deeper teams in the WCHA at forward. The Bulldogs are averaging 3.5 goals per game compared to the Gophers 2.5 goals per game. UMD has been better at home than on the road, but even on the road the Bulldogs managed to split with first place Colorado College and took one point from St. Cloud State.
Defensively the Bulldogs are led by Dylan Olsen (6A), Mike Montgomery (1G, 3A) and Brady Lamb (5G, 3A). Olsen is a 6'3", 220 pound freshman from Alberta who was only the third ever UMD Bulldog to be drafted in the first round of the NHL Early Entry Draft this past summer when he was selected 28th overall by Chicago. Montgomery is a transformed defenseman after playing all of his career at forward. Montgomery was a first line forward on Centennial's 2004 State Championship team and scored the only goal in the 1-0 win over Moorhead in the state championship as a junior.
In goal Brady Hjelle has established himself as the top goalie, but that hasn't stopped Kenny Reiter from getting playing time. Both goalies are sophomores. Hjelle has a 5-2-1 record with a .903 save percentage and 2.97 GAA. Reiter is 2-2 with a .907 save percentage and 2.33 GAA. Reiter played in the loss Friday night against Michigan Tech and Reiter got the win Saturday night.
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