Minnesota - Duluth Bulldogs The Minnesota - Duluth Bulldogs are a Men ' s Division I and Women ' s Division I team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association . History . Conference affiliation history . From 1947 until 1949 , UMD played an independent schedule . In 1949 they were accepted as a member in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference . In 1961 , UMD joined the NCAA as a Division I member for hockey , playing an independent schedule . The Western Collegiate Hockey Association ( WCHA ) accepted them for membership , beginning in the 1965 - 66 season . Bulldogs in the NCAA national tournament . The first year that they participated in the tournament , in 1983 , UMD was defeated by the Providence Friars in a two game series . The next season UMD would make a trip again into the NCAA tournament and would come very close to the school ' s first ever NCAA national title . To reach the finals they had to defeat Clarkson College in the quarterfinals . Next came a trip to Lake Pacid , New York and the 1984 Frozen Four . UMD reached the title game by defeating the North Dakota Fighting Sioux . In what was at the time the longest NCAA post - season game ever ( 97 minutes and 11 seconds of playing time ) , UMD was defeated by the Bowling Green Falcons by the score of five to four . Gino Cavallini ' s goal for BGSU in the fourth overtime ended the Bulldogs hopes for a NCAA hockey national title . For the third season in a row , UMD reaches the NCAA tournament . For the second season in a row , UMD reached the Frozen Four and had their hopes for a national lost in yet another long game in the 1985 . This time they would lose in three overtimes to Rensselaer ( RPI ) . They would rebound the next game to finish as the third best team in the nation . UMD would taste the NCAA tournament again in 1993 . The Bulldogs faced the Brown Bears in the West Regional in Detroit for the first round , winning seven to three . Their season was ended the next night by Lake Superior State by a score of four to three . Lake Superior State would go on to the Frozen Four , losing in the national title game to Maine . It would be almost eleven years until the Bulldogs next tasted the NCAA tournament . UMD made the most of their opportunity during the 2003 - 2004 season . UMD won the first game in the Midwest Regional over Michigan State . That setup a highly emotional game against the rival Minnesota Golden Gophers , who were the defending back - to - back National Champions . The Bulldogs advanced , defeating the Gophers 3 - 1 . The Bulldogs packed their bags for the 2004 Frozen Four in Boston . University of Denver ( the eventual National Champions ) ended their season with a 5 - 3 victory of the Bulldogs . Again heartbreak for the Bulldogs as they lost a 3 - 1 lead that they had after two periods . Prior to facing Denver , UMD had been undefeated ( 25 - 0 - 1 record ) for the last twenty - six games when leading after two periods . They got another chance again in 2011 . After beating Union 2 - 0 and # 1 Yale 5 - 3 . the Bulldogs avanced to the Frozen Four at the Xcel Energy Center in St . Paul , Minnesota . They beat first round opponent Notre Dame 4 - 3 , setting up a championship game against Michigan . After a thrilling back and forth game , Kyle Schmidt , a native of Hermantown , MN , put the game - winning goal past Michigan goaltender Shawn Hunwick at 3 : 22 in the 1st OT . It was UMD ' s first men ' s national championship . Championships / Awards . UMD has won both the WCHA league and playoff championships in their history , but the biggest championship , the NCAA National Title , had eluded them , until 2011 . The Bulldogs have been the WCHA ' s regular season champion on three occasions . They also have been the WCHA Tournament champions on two occasions . The first championship came in the 1983 - 1984 season when they won the regular season championship . UMD then went on to the postseason and won the WCHA tournament title . They then successfully defended both of their titles , winning both of them again in the 1984 - 1985 season . Their third time as WCHA regular season champions was during the 1992 - 1993 season . Seven times a Bulldog has won the WCHA ' s MVP award . The most recent was Junior Lessard , who won it in the 2003 - 2004 season . Other WCHA MVP award winners are : Keith " Huffer " Christiansen ( 1966 - 67 season ) , Bob Mason ( 82 - 83 ) , Tom Kurvers ( 83 - 84 ) , Bill Watson ( 84 - 85 ) , Derek Plante ( 92 - 93 ) , and Chris Marinucci ( 93 - 94 ) . The WCHA ' s rookie of the year has been taken five times by a Bulldog . Award winners have been : Murray Keogan ( 1969 - 1970 season ) , Rick Kosti ( 83 - 84 ) , Brett Hull ( 84 - 85 ) , and Brant Nicklin ( 96 - 97 ) . Two different Bulldog coaches have won WCHA Coach of the Year : Mike Sertich and Scott Sandlin . Mike Sertich won the award four times ( 1982 - 83 through 1984 - 1985 and 92 - 93 seasons ) and is the only coach to have won the award three years in a row . Scott Sandlin won the award during the 2003 - 2004 season . For showing good skills in both the classroom and on the ice , two Bulldogs have won the WCHA ' s Student Athlete of the Year . Brett Hauer ( 1992 - 1993 ) and Jeff Scissons ( 1999 - 2000 ) won the award . Hobey Baker Awards . UMD has won the Hobey Baker Award , which is given to the top player in college hockey , four times . No other team has more trophies than the Bulldogs . Only the Minnesota Golden Gophers have as many . The Bulldog players who have won the trophy are ( season is in parenthesis ) : Bulldogs and the NHL . UMD has sent a number of players to play on in the world ' s top league . The players who have gone on to long NHL careers are ( in no particular order ) : External Links . Men ' s Official Site Hobey Baker award winners