The University of Minnesota Dultuh men's hockey team put the wraps on the 2024-25 regular season with a 3-2 win over St. Cloud State University Saturday night at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

Sophomore forward Anthony Menghini scored twice in the opening 11 minutes of the game, and the Bulldogs never trailed the Huskies to finish the regular season against SCSU 3-1. UMD used the series to lock down the seventh seed in the National College Hockey Conference postseason that will get underway league-wide next Friday.

After scoring a goal Friday night, Menghini appeared already offensively warm just 58 seconds into the first period, burying a breakaway low and stick side to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. Then, at the 10:30 mark, Menghini struck again, one-timing from the slot a pass from left to right from Dominic James to double UMD's lead to 2-0.

GOALLLLL GENOOOOO!!!
His second of the series!! pic.twitter.com/BfbdIpQ2le

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) March 9, 2025

JAMES??GENO???? pic.twitter.com/scnubRBWMq

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) March 9, 2025

The Huskies added to the scoring at 11:19 on a goal from Verner Miettinen to pull within a goal, and that 2-1 count would hold until the third period.

Hometown kid Jack Smith helped UMD retake its two-goal lead 7:41 into the third frame after he tipped a shot from the point from defenseman Aiden Dubinsky. SCSU made it interesting at 14:28 on Miettinen's second of the night, but a tripping call against the Huskies with just 1:48 left in the third snuffed out SCSU's ability to gain an extra skater with their empty net.

Mr. Smith with the tip!! 3-1 Dogs!! pic.twitter.com/xRmsMzFRnU

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) March 9, 2025

Rookie goaltender Adam Gajan was superb in his seventh win of the season, making 22 saves on 23 shots. Isak Posch had 26 saves for the Huskies, who, like the Bulldogs, were 0-of-1 on the power play. UMD outshot St. Cloud State 29-24 in the game.

The Bulldogs (13-18-3, 9-13-2) will now begin their NCHC postseason journey next weekend in Tempe, Arizona, where they will face No. 12 Arizona State University in a best-of-three series that will get underway Friday inside Mullet Arena at 8:00 p.m. CT, Saturday at 7:00 p.m. CT, and 7:00 p.m. Sunday if necessary.

BULLDOG NOTES: Senior defenseman Will Francis made his first appearance in the UMD lineup since Nov. 8, the only other game he was able to skate in so far this season ... Dominic James has tied his career-best single-season offensive effort of 28 points … James reached the mark with an assist Saturday night, and now has 16 assists to pair with career-high 12 goals this season, tying his sophomore year mark in 2022-23 … the Bulldogs finish the season 3-1 against the Huskies and are now 68-84-11 all-time against SCSU … UMD also snapped a four-game winless streak in St. Cloud … Anthony Menghini now has three multiple-goal games for UMD this season … he also had two goals against Miami back on Nov. 16 and a hat trick against North Dakota on Nov. 8 ... Menghini now has scored in back-to-back games this season three times.