DULUTH — Minnesota Duluth’s three-time national championship head coach Scott Sandelin will coach his thousandth game as a Bulldog on Friday when No. 5 UMD hosts Arizona State at 7:07 p.m. in NCHC play at Amsoil Arena.
If that sounds like a lot of games, Sandelin would like you to consider former Clarkson, Bowling Green and Boston College head coach Jerry York.
“I still laugh because Jerry York had 1,200 wins,” Sandelin said this week, giving the Hockey Hall of Famer an extra 77 victories. “Those guys have been around a long time.”
Sandelin will be the 27th head coach in NCAA Division I hockey history to reach the 1,000-game milestone. He’ll be the fifth active coach with 1,000 career games having taken over as head coach at UMD on March 31, 2000.
Now in his 26th season, Sandelin is the longest-tenured coach in 82 seasons of Bulldogs men’s hockey. A native of Hibbing, Sandelin is 482-413-104 through his first 999 games at UMD. His team is 13-5 heading into this weekend’s series against the Sun Devils — the last before a holiday break.
“I just want to win it, that’s all. I want to win on Friday,” Sandelin said of his thousandth game. “We’ve had a lot of great players here, great people. I can honestly say we haven’t had a lot of bad people. That’s what makes it fun, to be around those guys. You’re not going to win every year. You’re going to have ups and downs and all that stuff. I’m very thankful for the staff.”
Here’s a look back at Sandelin’s first 999 games as head coach of the Bulldogs, highlighting a handful of his notable games from a career that includes three NCAA titles, 11 NCAA tournament appearances, six NCAA Frozen Fours and four conference postseason championships.
Oct. 20, 2000 — Scott Sandelin’s first game as coach of the Bulldogs was a 3-1 loss to Minnesota in WCHA play at a sold-out Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. Derek Derow, a redshirt senior forward, scored the first goal of the Sandelin era at UMD, and the lone goal that night.
Oct. 27, 2000 — Sandelin’s debut in Duluth at DECC Arena was a 7-1 loss to Northern Michigan that included five Wildcats goals in the third period. The crowd of 3,635 at the DECC was believed to be the smallest in 19 years, at the time, according to the News Tribune.
Nov. 11, 2000 — After an 0-7 start as head coach of the Bulldogs, Sandelin won his first game as Bulldogs head coach, beating Michigan Tech 5-3 in Duluth one night after a 5-4 overtime loss to the Huskies at the DECC. Sandelin’s first win came over his predecessor at UMD, Mike Sertich,
who had been hired by Tech as interim head coach the week of the series
in Duluth.
March 9, 2001 — Sandelin won his first postseason game, 3-2, at North Dakota in Game 1 of a best-of-three WCHA first round series, “shocking” the WCHA’s McNaughton Cup champions. Sandelin, a former defenseman and associate head coach of the Fighting Sioux, started his career 1-0 in the postseason by beating his alma mater. Sandelin is 7-6 all-time vs. North Dakota in the postseason.
March 20, 2003 — Sandelin wins first game at Xcel Energy Center, 2-1, over North Dakota in WCHA Final Five. Sandelin would go on to win two of his three NCAA championships at Xcel Energy Center, in addition to a WCHA Final Five, NCHC Frozen Faceoff and North Star College Cup titles. Sandelin is 19-9-1 all time at the building now known as Grand Casino Arena.
March 27, 2004 — The first NCAA tournament victory for Sandelin came via a 5-0 win over Michigan State in a first-round game at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Bulldogs
defeated two-time defending NCAA champion Minnesota in the regional final
to reach their first Frozen Four under Sandelin — and the program’s first Frozen Four since 1993.
UMD lost to Denver in the national semifinals
in Boston, 5-3, in Sandelin’s first game as head coach in the Frozen Four.
March 21, 2009 — The seventh-seeded Bulldogs win three games in three days at Xcel Energy Center, beating Minnesota, North Dakota and finally Denver to win the WCHA Final Five championship.
The run gets the Bulldogs back into the NCAA tournament for the first time since first going under Sandelin in 2004. In what is known to Bulldogs fans as the
Miracle at Mariucci,
UMD defeats Princeton
in overtime after trailing by two goals with under a minute left.
The Bulldogs fell a win short of the Frozen Four, losing 2-1 to Miami in the regional final in Minneapolis.
Mike Connolly of the University of Minnesota Duluth breaks the glass after trying to check Corban Knight of the University of North Dakota during the first period Thursday’s at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Brett Groehler / UMD
Dec. 30, 2010 — The Bulldogs play their first game at Amsoil Arena, losing 5-0 to North Dakota in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. In 201 games at DECC Arena between 2000-2010, Sandelin was 96-85-20. Through 252 games at Amsoil Arena, he is 138-87-27.
Sandelin led the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Division I men’s hockey title in April 2011.
File / Duluth News Tribune
April 9, 2011 — Asked this week if there was an under-the-radar game from the first 999 that stands out, only one game came to Sandelin’s mind.
Is it “under the radar” as the reporter asked for? Probably not, but it remains the most important.
Sandelin coached the Bulldogs to a 3-2 overtime victory over Michigan at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul to give the UMD men’s hockey program its first NCAA Division I championship. The Bulldogs have won two more since then, but 2011 remains special to Sandelin.
“Winning in ‘11 was a great feeling for the program, the community — more importantly our players,” Sandelin said. “Doing something for the first time was pretty cool.”
Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin, right, and senior wing Alex Iafallo talk while watching the team during its April 7 practice at the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four at the United Center in Chicago.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
April 8, 2017 — One of the best seasons in UMD hockey history falls a goal short of the ultimate goal as Denver beats the Bulldogs 3-2 in the NCAA championship at United Center in Chicago.
Sandelin posted the highest winning percentage of his career at UMD in 2016-17, going 28-7-7. The Bulldogs won a North Star College Cup, beating St. Cloud State in overtime. They defeated North Dakota in a wild NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game at Target Center. They won two overtime games in Fargo to reach the Frozen Four, where a goal by All-American Alex Iafallo in the final minute gets UMD to the NCAA championship game.
Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin greets fans during the red carpet ceremony Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul before the NCAA Division I men’s hockey championship game.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
April 7, 2018 — A year after losing in the national championship game, Sandelin and the Bulldogs win their second NCAA title, beating Notre Dame 2-1 in the final of the Frozen Four at Xcel Energy Center. With 10 freshmen on the roster, the Bulldogs squeaked into the NCAA tournament by .0001 of a percentage point over rival Minnesota on the final minute of the regular season.
The Bulldogs won four one-goal games in the NCAA tournament, beating Minnesota State in overtime in the first round in Sioux Falls, South Dakota before rattling off three straight 2-1 wins.
Minnesota Duluth coach Scott Sandelin watches his players during practice at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. during the 2019 NCAA Frozen Four
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
April 13, 2019 — The Bulldogs dominate Massachusetts 3-0 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, to cap off back-to-back NCAA championships. UMD finished 29-11-2, for the most wins during the Sandelin era. One of those was a double-OT victory over St. Cloud State in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship in St. Paul.
Sandelin is one of 11 coaches to have won three or more NCAA titles, and along with David Carle is one of two coaches in the NCAA with multiple NCAA men’s hockey championships on his resume.
The Bulldogs’ shot at a three-peat — and Sandelin’s chance to become one of four coaches with four or more titles — was dashed 11 months later when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled what was supposed to be Game 802 of Sandelin’s career — Game 1 of an NCHC quarterfinal series against Miami at Amsoil Arena on March 13, 2020. The entire 2019-20 postseason was canceled.
Cardboard cutouts take the place of fans during the Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota game Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, at Baxter Arena in the NCHC Pod in Omaha.
Tyler Schank / File / Duluth News Tribune
Dec. 1, 2020 — After a delayed start to the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19, the Bulldogs beat Omaha 5-3 in the start of the NCHC Pod at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Nebraska. All eight NCHC teams opened their season in Omaha playing between 8-10 games in an empty building with no fans, just cardboard cutouts of people, and some select media.
Minnesota Duluth players celebrate after defeating North Dakota in an NCAA regional final at Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota, on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Minnesota Duluth defeated North Dakota 3-2 in five overtimes. It was the longest NCAA men’s or women’s ice hockey tournament game ever played.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
March 27, 2021 — In what will likely go down as the longest game in Scott Sandelin’s career, the Bulldogs defeated North Dakota 3-2 in five overtimes to reach a fourth-consecutive NCAA Frozen Four.
The Bulldogs and Fighting Hawks played for 142 minutes, 13 seconds before just under 1,500 fans at the 5,000-seat Scheels Arena, where capacity was limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The game started at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and ended at 12:42 a.m. on Sunday. It was the longest NCAA tournament game ever in men’s or women’s hockey.
UMD’s opening game of the regional in Fargo was canceled because its opponent, Michigan, had players test positive for COVID-19. The Wolverines were forced to withdraw. The Bulldogs, minus starting goaltender Ryan Fanti due to COVID-19, lost in overtime to UMass in the Frozen Four semifinals in Pittsburgh.
Minnesota Duluth players celebrate after winning the championship game of the 2022 NCHC Frozen Faceoff on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Jim Rosvold / File / The NCHC
March 19, 2022 — Behind a second-consecutive shutout at Xcel Energy Center by goaltender Ryan Fanti, the Bulldogs win the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship as a No. 5 seed to reach their seventh consecutive NCAA tournament, which would have been eight if not for the 2019-20 postseason being cancelled.
It’s the fourth postseason conference championship Sandelin has won at UMD, and the third in the NCHC.
UMD’s season ends with a loss to Denver in a regional final in Loveland, Colorado, ending the Bulldogs’ run of consecutive Frozen Fours at four. The 2021-22 season was the last of UMD’s seven straight NCAA tournament appearances.
At fourth in the NCAA Percentage Index — the new formula now used to select at-large teams and seed the NCAA tournament — the Bulldogs are on pace to reach a 12th NCAA tournament under Sandelin, who at 23-8 ranks fifth in career NCAA tournament wins.
He’s much closer to York in that category, trailing by only 18.
UMD head coach Scott Sandelin talks to the Bulldog’s during a timeout in their game against Minnesota Mankato in the first round of the WCHA playoffs in March 2004.
Justin Hayworth / File / Duluth News Tribune
UMD head coach Scott Sandelin talks to the Bulldog’s during a timeout in their game against Minnesota State in the first round of the WCHA playoffs in March 2004.
Justin Hayworth / File / Duluth News Tribune
UMD head coach Scott Sandelin directs his team during practice in March 2004 at Van Andel Arena is Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Bulldogs beat Michigan State 5-0 in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship for Sandelin’s first NCAA tournament win.
Brett Groehler / File / UMD
Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin (right) and assistant coach Steve Rohlik watch from the bench during a Bulldogs home game during the 2004-05 season.
2005 file / News Tribune
UMD head men’s hockey coach Scott Sandelin shares a laugh with his players during practice in March 2011 in Bridgeport, Connecticut for the NCAA East Regional tournament.
Brett Groehler / File / UMD
Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey head coach Scott Sandelin introduces team manager Dale Haagenson during the celebration at Amsoil Arena of the men’s hockey team’s 2011 national championship.
Clint Austin / 2011 File / Duluth News Tribune
Minnesota Duluth coaches Scott Sandelin and Brett Larson watch their team go through drills during a 2017 NCAA regional at Scheels Arena in Fargo, N.D.
David Samson / File / Fargo Forum
Minnesota Duluth coach Scott Sandelin cheers along with players and fans as the Bulldogs beat Harvard 2-1 in the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four semifinals at United Center in Chicago.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
University of Minnesota Duluth players Jade Miller (from left), Hunter Shepard, with coaches Scott Sandelin and Brett Larson laugh while watching a video during a welcome home celebration at Amsoil Arena in Duluth in 2018 after the team won its second national championship.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin shakes hands with his son, Minnesota State forward Ryan Sandelin (14), after the game on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth News Tribune
Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin talks to the team during a time out on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Clint Austin / File / Duluth Media Group
