Month: January 2008

North Dakota’s power play is on fire, and that spells doom for the Seawolves this weekend.

UND comes into this weekend’s series riding a five-game winning streak. During that five game span, the Sioux have converted 39 percent (9 of 23) of power-play opportunities. Prior to their current winning streak, North Dakota’s success rate with the man advantage was 14.7 percent. For the season, Alaska-Anchorage has killed off less than 80 percent (87 of 109) of its shorthanded situations.

Special teams will definitely be a factor this weekend, as the two teams combine for over 34 penalty minutes per game (UND 19.43, UAA 15.18). The Seawolves have allowed 22 power play goals this season; the Sioux, 14.

Anchorage will need to strike quickly to stay in these games. For the season, North Dakota has outscored opponents 27-7 in the first period, and holds a record of 8-2-1 (.773) when scoring first. When opponents score first, North Dakota is 6-6-0 (.500).

Alaska-Anchorage Team Profile
National Rankings: -/-
Head Coach: Dave Shyiak (3rd season at UAA, 25-58-12, .326)
This Season: 6-10-6 Overall, 2-10-4 WCHA (10th)
Special Teams: Power Play 17.4% (16 of 92), Penalty Kill 79.8% (87 of 109)
Last Season: 13-21-3, 8-19-1 WCHA (10th)
Key Players: Sophomore F Kevin Clark (7-13-20), Sophomore F Paul Crowder (6-11-17), Sophomore F Josh Lunden (10-9-19), Junior D Mat Robinson (2-10-12), Sophomore G Jon Olthius (5-10-6, 3.11 GAA, .880 SV)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #4/#4
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 92-53-12, .624)
This Season: 14-8-1 Overall, 11-7-0 WCHA (3rd)
Special Teams: Power Play 20.4% (20 of 98), Penalty Kill 87.6% (99 of 113)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (10-13-23), Junior F T.J. Oshie (10-12-22), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (9-11-20), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-18-20), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-16-18), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (14-8-1, 1.87 GAA, .929 SV)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: January 13, 2007 (Grand Forks, ND). The Fighting Sioux blank the Seawolves, 4-0, after skating to a 3-3 tie the previous night. A heated exchange during the pre-game warm-up carried over onto the ice, as North Dakota forward Rylan Kaip and Alaska-Anchorage captain Chad Anderson were ejected following their second-period fight. UND held UAA scoreless on 10 power-play opportunities for the weekend.
Most important meeting: March 19, 2004, St. Paul, MN (Final Five Semifinal). North Dakota defeats Alaska-Anchorage, 4-2, to advance to the championship game the following night. The Sioux outshoot the Seawolves, 45-24, and the two teams combine for 56 penalty minutes, 30 in the third period alone.
All-time: North Dakota leads the all-time series, 34-16-2 (.673).

Game News and Notes
UND has won at least one game on 21 consecutive regular-season weekends, tops among WCHA teams. UND senior netminder Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux has 92 career starts, and is now fourth all-time among Sioux goaltenders, behind only Toby Kvalevog (121 games played from 1993-97), Karl Goehring (118, 1997-2001), and Peter Waselovich (104, 1973-77). North Dakota forwards T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan are the top two active career point leaders in the WCHA. Oshie leads the way with 119 points in 108 career games, and Duncan is second with 116 points in 111 games. No other active WCHA player has more than 100 career points.

The Prediction
The Sioux are loaded with talent and hitting their stride. Barring a major letdown or a line brawl, North Dakota will pick up its second consecutive sweep this weekend and head to Mariucci riding a seven-game winning streak. UND 4-1, 4-2.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

For years, college hockey fans online have been discussing the PairWise Rankings as soon as they could begin calculating them. However, the unofficial start of the “bracketology” season is still when USCHO joins the party with their own PWR calculation and their bracketology column. (As a side note, see Does USCHO Own Pairwise, if you missed it, for an interesting look at whether USCHO owns the term Pairwise, with some of the big players in the story having left comments on the blog).

In games played through January 21, the Sioux are currently 5th in the Pairwise. Though many comparisons have been made between this season and past Hakstol seasons that started slow and ended with a hot run to the NCAA tournament, the PWR tells us this year is different.

The PWR Trend Chart shows the Sioux have never dipped lower than #9 this season, a guaranteed tournament berth if maintained until season end.

While the Sioux could definitely fall (see the caveat at the end of the column), right now we’re interested in how they can rise. A top four ranking could result in a favorable #1 tournament seed. To look at how a team can rise, you need to examine those comparisons that the team is currently losing, and figure out if and how each can be won. From the UND PWR details page, those are:

Clarkson

Clarkson holds only a 2-1 advantage in this comparison.

Clarkson takes the TUC and COP points, with plenty of games remaining in both. If the Sioux can flip either and hold onto their RPI advantage, this could be an easy point to grab.

Remaining COP games include two Clarkson games vs. CC and two UND games vs. SCSU.

Colorado College

Colorado College holds a daunting 4-1 lead in this comparison.

A good run by the Sioux combined with a downturn for CC could let UND snag two of RPI, COP, and TUC, but UND is not in the driver’s seat on this one.

Denver

Though Denver also holds a 4-1 lead in this comparison, UND has more direct control thanks to two remaining head-to-head games (at Grand Forks, Feb 15-16). Those provide the best opportunity for UND to gain ground in a hurry, though even a split would leave UND chasing two of the three TUC, RPI, and COP, just as with CC.

Miami

Miami holds a 2-0 lead.

It’s not guaranteed that Miami will hit the required 10 games vs. TUCs to bring that comparison criterion into play.

That leaves UND needing to take the RPI, which is quite doable.

Michigan

Michigan holds a 3-0 lead in this comparison.

It’s TUC, COP, and RPI leads are more formidable than any of the other teams listed above. This one’s a long-shot.

Caveat lector

Looking at individual comparisons, like I did above, is almost useless this early in the season. Because teams fall into and out of being a TUC, the fortunes of teams such as Mankato (#25) and Michigan Tech (#22) could easily double the size of UND’s lost comparison list.

Then why do we bother? It seems fun.

PWR resources

SiouxSports.com Pairwise table
USCHO Pairwise table
CollegeHockeyNews Pairwise table
USCHO Pairwise explanationrpihockey.net comparison of rankings
SiouxSports.com Rankings Trends Charts

The second-half surge is upon us.

Looking at the 4-2-0 record that UND has posted in the past three weekends, the above point may be debatable. But watching the way this team has played in home series against New Hampshire and Michigan Tech and on the road at St. Cloud State, it is clear that the Sioux are poised and ready for another playoff run.

The second-half schedule is laid out nicely for North Dakota to hold on to a top-three spot in the conference, and perhaps push Denver for second place. Either way, UND is positioned nicely for the Final Five and an NCAA tournament run, thanks in no small part to their strength of schedule and non-conference record.

The Mavericks are the only WCHA team scoring under two goals per game in the conference, and that trend will continue against a much-improved defensive corps, one of the nation’s best goaltenders, and the country’s 5th best penalty kill.

MSU-Mankato Team Profile
National Rankings: #20/-
Head Coach: Troy Jutting (8th season at MSU-M, 117-137-38, .466)
This Season: 9-8-4 Overall, 3-7-4 WCHA (9th)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 10.8% (10 of 93), Penalty Kill 85.8% (97 of 113)
Last Season: 13-19-6, 10-13-5 WCHA (8th)
Key Players: Sophomore F Trevor Breuss (5-11-16), Senior F Joel Hanson (4-8-12), Junior F Mick Berge (10-2-12), Junior G Mike Zacharias (8-5-4, 1.94 GAA, .930 SV, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #6/#7
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 90-53-12, .619)
This Season: 12-8-1 Overall, 9-7-0 WCHA (3rd)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 17.4% (15 of 86), Penalty Kill 89.3% (92 of 103)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (9-13-22), Junior F T.J. Oshie (10-10-20), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (8-11-19), Senior D Robbie Bina (1-17-18), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-14-16), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (12-8-1, 1.86 GAA, .929 SV)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: March 10, 2007. (Grand Forks, ND) North Dakota defeats MSU-Mankato, 2-1, to complete a two-game sweep of the Mavericks in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs. The Sioux advance to the Final Five riding a 14-2-4 second-half record.
Last Meeting in Mankato: October 28, 2006. UND defeats the Mavs, 8-5, to complete a two game road sweep. North Dakota scored the only three goals of the third period for the victory.
All-time: UND leads the all-time series 26-9-7 (.702), including a 9-3-4 (.688) record in Mankato. Remarkably, 10 of the 42 games played between the two teams have come in the WCHA playoffs, with North Dakota winning eight of those ten games.

Game News and Notes
UND has won at least one game on 20 consecutive regular season weekends, tops among WCHA teams. The Mavericks have a six game home unbeaten streak (4-0-2). North Dakota is 5-0-1 in the last six games played at Mankato. UND senior netminder Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux has 90 career starts for North Dakota, and is tied with Scott Brower (1984-88) for fourth all-time among Sioux goaltenders. North Dakota forwards T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan are the top two active career point leaders in the WCHA. Oshie leads the way with 117 points in 107 career games, and Duncan is second with 115 points in 110 games. No other active WCHA player has more than 100 career points.

The Prediction
UND has the advantage in every category and every area of the ice. The only thing weighing against a North Dakota sweep is that Mankato has been playing well at home and the Sioux have not won a Friday road game. I think UND takes a small step in the right direction, and gains three points on the weekend. 2-2 tie, UND 3-0.

Thank you for reading. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

The first half of the WCHA season has been wild and unpredictable. It is remarkable to me that:

1) Only three teams (Colorado College, Denver, and North Dakota) have winning records in the conference.
2) Those same three teams are the only three WCHA schools to score more goals than they’ve allowed in conference play.
3) If the season ended today, Minnesota and Wisconsin would both be on the road for the first round of the conference playoffs.

Denver and Minnesota-Duluth are at the top of my list of midseason surprises, as I predicted them to finish 7th and 9th in the league, respectively. Minnesota gets my vote for the biggest disappointment, as I expected them to challenge for the league title and they may very well be on the road for the opening round of the WCHA playoffs.

Here’s a midseason capsule for each conference team. (Preseason predictions are mine, and a full season preview article can be found here.)

#1 Colorado College Tigers (Preseason #4)
WCHA record: 15-3-0
Conference statistics: 3.44 goals scored/game (1st), 1.67 goals allowed/game (1st)
Home series remaining: St. Cloud State, MSU-Mankato, Denver (one game)
Road series remaining: Michigan Tech, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver (one game)
Key players: Junior F Chad Rau (17-11-28), Sophomore F Bill Sweatt (5-10-15), Senior F Jimmy Kilpatrick (11-10-21), Senior F Scott McCulloch (5-6-11), Senior D Jack Hillen (3-12-15)

Midseason report: The question about whether junior goaltender Drew O’Connell would be good enough has been answered. The answer is freshman Richard Bachman. Bachman has stolen the top spot in net, playing in 18 of 22 games and posting a record of 15-3-0 to go along with a 1.61 goals against average, a save percentage of .940, and two shutouts.

#2 University of Denver Pioneers (Preseason #7)
WCHA record: 12-4-0
Conference statistics: 3.13 goals scored/game (3rd), 2.19 goals allowed/game (2nd)
Home series remaining: Minnesota, Alaska-Anchorage, Colorado College (one game)
Road series remaining: MSU-Mankato, North Dakota, Michigan Tech, Colorado College (one game)
Key players: Sophomore F Tyler Ruegsegger (10-10-20), Sophomore F Rhett Rakhshani (7-8-15), Sophomore F Brock Trotter (12-17-29), Junior D Chris Butler (1-10-11), Senior G Peter Mannino (17-5-0, 1.96 GAA, .927 SV, 4 SO)

Midseason report: Denver’s super sophs are averaging over one point per game, and freshman Tyler Bozak’s ability to provide offensive punch (10-11-21) has been a pleasant surprise. Mannino has proven more than capable of handling the goaltending duties after splitting time last year. A home and home series against Colorado College on the last week of the regular season may well decide the conference race.

#3 University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (Preseason #1)
WCHA record: 9-7-0
Conference statistics: 3.31 goals scored/game (2nd), 2.25 goals allowed/game (3rd)
Home series remaining: Alaska-Anchorage, Denver, St. Cloud State
Road series remaining: MSU-Mankato, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth
Key players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (9-13-22), Junior F T.J. Oshie (10-10-20), Senior D Robbie Bina (1-17-18), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-14-16), Senior G Phillippe Lamoureux (12-8-1, 1.86 GAA, .929 SV, 4 SO)

Midseason report: Lamoureux has been outstanding. North Dakota has not yet found the right linemate for Oshie and Duncan, although they are getting more scoring from other lines. As in recent seasons, a disappointing first half has all but dashed any hopes of hoisting the MacNaughton Cup.

#4 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (Preseason #9)
WCHA record: 6-6-4
Conference statistics: 2.50 goals scored/game (5th), 2.81 goals allowed/game (4th)
Home series remaining: Minnesota, Colorado College, North Dakota
Road series remaining: Wisconsin, Michigan Tech, Minnesota
Key returning players: Junior F Nick Kemp (7-6-13), Junior F MacGregor Sharp (5-7-12), Junior F Michael Gergen (5-5-10), Junior D Josh Meyers (5-8-13), Sophomore G Alex Stalock (8-7-5, 2.43 GAA, .909 SV, 2 SO)

Midseason report: The losses of Raymond and Niskanen were brutal, but Sandelin’s squad has found balanced scoring, as eight Bulldogs have scored four or more goals. Stalock has been good enough between the pipes to keep Duluth in contention for a top-five finish and home ice for the playoffs.

#5 Saint Cloud State University Huskies (Preseason #5)
WCHA record: 6-8-2
Conference statistics: 2.94 goals scored/game (4th), 2.94 goals allowed/game (7th)
Home series remaining: MSU-Mankato (one game), Michigan Tech, Wisconsin
Road series remaining: MSU-Mankato (one game), Colorado College, Alaska-Anchorage, North Dakota
Key players: Sophomore F Ryan Lasch (17-17-34), Sophomore F Andreas Nodl (11-17-28), Freshman F Garrett Roe (15-17-32), Senior F Nate Dey (9-7-16), Senior D Aaron Brocklehurst (2-11-13)

Midseason report: Despite a difficult second-half schedule, this team will contend for home ice and an NCAA berth. The Huskies suffered six straight losses before Christmas, including five by one goal, but appear to have righted the ship with solid weekends against North Dakota and Minnesota. Garrett Roe is the front-runner for league rookie of the year.

#6 Michigan Tech University Huskies (Preseason #6)
WCHA record: 5-8-1
Conference statistics: 2.07 goals scored/game (9th), 2.93 goals allowed/game (6th)
Home series remaining: Colorado College, Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver
Road series remaining: Alaska-Anchorage, St. Cloud State, MSU-Mankato
Key players: Senior F Peter Rouleau (8-8-16), Senior F Tyler Shelast (11-5-16), Senior F Jimmy Kerr (7-4-11), Junior D Geoff Kinrade (1-10-11), Junior G Michael-Lee Teslak (4-4-2, 1.72 GAA, .934 SV, 1 SO), Junior G Rob Nolan (5-7-0, 2.75 GAA, .892 SV)

Midseason report: The Huskies started out 4-1-0 in the conference before hitting a 2-5-1 stretch before the holiday break. The injury to Teslak has forced Nolan to the forefront, and Michigan Tech will struggle until they get Teslak back.

#6 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (Preseason #2)
WCHA record: 5-8-1
Conference statistics: 2.43 goals scored/game (6th), 3.00 goals allowed/game (8th)
Home series remaining: North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth
Road series remaining: Minnesota-Duluth, Wisconsin, Denver, Alaska-Anchorage
Key players: Sophomore F Jay Barriball (3-11-14), Senior F Ben Gordon (7-12-19), Junior F Blake Wheeler (12-10-22), Senior D Derek Peltier (1-9-10)

Midseason report: The Gophers were already struggling to find offense before Kyle Okposo (7-4-11) bolted for the pros after 18 games. Goaltending has been suspect, and Minnesota might find itself on the road for the first round of the playoffs.

#6 University of Wisconsin Badgers (Preseason #3)
WCHA record: 5-8-1
Conference statistics: 2.43 goals scored/game (6th), 3.43 goals allowed/game (9th)
Home series remaining: Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, MSU-Mankato
Road series remaining: Alaska-Anchorage, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, St. Cloud State
Key players: Junior F Ben Street (9-12-21), Freshman F Kyle Turris (9-13-22), Sophomore D Jamie McBain (2-8-10), Senior D Kyle Klubertanz (4-9-13), Junior G Shane Connelly (8-10-1, 2.63 GAA, .910 SV, 1 SO)

Midseason report: The Badgers have found some scoring after finishing last in the league in goal production last year. The problem has been defense and goaltending. Only Alaska-Anchorage (3.57 goals allowed/game) has been worse than Wisconsin.

#9 Minnesota State University-Mankato Mavericks (Preseason #8)
WCHA record: 3-7-4
Conference statistics: 1.79 goals scored/game (10th), 2.86 goals allowed/game (5th)
Home series remaining: North Dakota, St. Cloud State (one game), Denver, Alaska-Anchorage, Michigan Tech
Road series remaining: St. Cloud State (one game), Wisconsin, Colorado College
Key players: Sophomore F Trevor Breuss (5-11-16), Senior F Joel Hanson (4-8-12), Junior F Mick Berge (10-2-12), Junior G Mike Zacharias (8-5-4, 1.94 GAA, .930 SV, 3 SO)

Midseason report: The Mavericks have tightened up defensively after giving up 3 or more goals 17 times (and 5 or more goals nine times) in 28 league games last year. The problem has been scoring, as only three players have more than five points in the league.

#10 University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves (Preseason #10)
WCHA record: 2-9-3
Conference statistics: 2.14 goals scored/game (8th), 3.57 goals allowed/game (10th)
Home series remaining: Wisconsin, Michigan Tech, St. Cloud State, Minnesota
Road series remaining: North Dakota, MSU-Mankato, Denver
Key players: Sophomore F Kevin Clark (7-10-17), Sophomore F Paul Crowder (6-10-16), Sophomore F Josh Lunden (9-7-16), Junior D Mat Robinson (2-10-12)

Midseason report: The unexpected departure of goaltender Nathan Lawson thrust senior net minder Jon Olthuis into the spotlight, and he hasn’t done enough to bail out the Seawolves, who have given up 3 or more goals in 10 of 14 WCHA games thus far.

Final Thoughts
The league race may go down to the wire, with Denver and Colorado College playing a home and home series on the final weekend of the regular season. The Final Five could see some new and unlikely participants this season, as Minnesota and Wisconsin could be on the outside looking in.

Thank you for reading. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Midway through the second period, Michigan Tech and North Dakota were tied at 1-1 and Sioux defenseman Robbie Bina was headed to the penalty box, yet another in a series of UND penalties through the first 30 minutes of the hockey game.

The Sioux used a tenacious penalty kill to fire up the crowd, and shortly after the penalty expired, UND rode that momentum to goals by Joe Finley (10:53 of the second) and Matt Watkins (11:50) to take the Huskies by storm. It was all North Dakota after that, as Taylor Chorney added a third period tally and North Dakota won, 4-1.

So many positive things to note in this edition of the Game React. Evan Trupp, Darcy Zajac, Watkins, and Finley all played possibly their best games of the season, and Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux was solid yet again, allowing only an early second period goal on 15 shots.

After a first period in which shots from the point were slow to develop, UND began shooting quickly during the final forty minutes, and the result was goals from defensemen Joe Finley and Taylor Chorney and numerous other scoring chances. The assignment for the blueliners seemed to be “shoot and shoot again”, a trend I would like to see continue.

Junior forward T.J. Oshie continues to display amazing hands and all-out effort on every shift, qualities that remind me of Zach Parise during his two seasons at North Dakota.

One note about Darcy Zajac. After being held in the offensive zone early in the first period, his retaliation, which was called a two-minute minor for roughing, could have been a five minute major for cross-checking with intent to injure. I’m surprised UND escaped this exchange without a shorthanded situation.

Sophomore forward Chris VandeVelde had another strong game, and is playing like an upperclassman. He tallied two assists and won 14 of 18 faceoffs on the night. For the season, he has now tallied 7 goals and 11 assists in 20 games.

UND finished 1 for 5 on the power play tonight; MTU was 0 for 5 with the man advantage. North Dakota also continues to play well in 4 on 4 situations.

The Sioux improve to 11-8-1 (8-7-0 WCHA) on the season; the Huskies fall to 9-10-2 (5-7-1 WCHA). North Dakota is now 2-1-0 against Michigan Tech this season; UND has outscored MTU 11-4 in the three games.

North Dakota remains in third place in the WCHA, one point ahead of fourth place Minnesota-Duluth, who capped a furious comeback with an overtime winner at home against MSU-Mankato to keep pace with the Sioux.

The same two teams face off at Ralph Engelstad Arena at 7:07 on Saturday night. For more on the matchup between the two teams, click here.

I thank you for reading, and welcome your comments and suggestions. Check back after Saturday’s contest for more reaction, news, and notes.

Amazingly, only two teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association have winning records at the halfway point of the conference season. Colorado College (13-3-0) and Denver (11-3-0) have run away with the top two spots, leaving the rest of the league at .500 or below. North Dakota (7-7-0 WCHA) and Michigan Tech (5-6-1 WCHA) are in good shape for home ice in the first round of the conference playoffs, despite their average league records.

UND is in good shape for a stretch run, as the toughest part of their schedule seems to be behind them. With seven conference weekends remaining, the Sioux will host Michigan Tech, Alaska-Anchorage, Denver, and St. Cloud State, and travel to MSU-Mankato, Minnesota, and Minnesota-Duluth. It is my prediction that North Dakota will still be in third place at the end of the regular season, hosting a first-round playoff series, advancing to the WCHA Final Five, and avoiding the dreaded Thursday play-in game.

That stretch run begins now. UND can strengthen its position with strong showings this weekend and against Mankato and Anchorage. Five wins in those six contests isn’t out of the questions, and would give the Sioux much-needed momentum heading down to Mariucci to take on the Golden Gophers in early February.

For Michigan Tech, early-season success has given way to inconsistency. An injury has kept the Huskies’ top goaltender, junior Michael-Lee Teslak (4-4-2, 1.72 GAA, .934 SV), out of action for the past five games. It is unknown whether he will make a start this weekend. If he cannot go, junior netminder Rob Nolan (5-5-0, 2.50 GAA, .903 SV) will handle the duties between the pipes.

Michigan Tech Team Profile
National Rankings: #18/-
Head Coach: Jamie Russell (5th season at MTU, 50-101-22, .353)
This Season: 9-9-2 Overall, 5-6-1 WCHA (t-5th)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 17.3% (17 of 98), Penalty Kill 89.1% (82 of 92)
Last Season: 18-17-5, 11-12-5 WCHA (6th)
Key Players: Senior F Peter Rouleau (7-8-15), Senior F Tyler Shelast (11-5-16), Junior D Geoff Kinrade (1-10-11), Junior G Michael-Lee Teslak (4-4-2, 1.72 GAA, .934 SV)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #8/#10
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 88-53-12, .614)
This Season: 10-8-1 Overall, 7-7-0 WCHA (3rd)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 15.4% (12 of 78), Penalty Kill 88.2% (82 of 93)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (9-11-20), Junior F T.J. Oshie (10-8-18), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (7-9-16), Senior D Robbie Bina (1-16-17), Junior D Taylor Chorney (0-12-12), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (10-8-1, 1.95 GAA, .929 SV)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: October 27, 2007. UND defeats the Huskies 6-0 to gain a split of the weekend series in Houghton. Michigan Tech won the opener, 3-1 (ENG).
Last Meeting in Grand Forks: December 15-16, 2006. Michigan Tech sweeps the series in Grand Forks, 3-1 and 3-2, for its first sweep over North Dakota in 14 years.
All-time: UND leads the all-time series, 129-88-8 (.591). The teams first met in 1948.

Game News and Notes
UND has won at least one game on 19 consecutive regular season weekends, tops among WCHA teams. North Dakota forward Ryan Duncan was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week following his four point weekend at St. Cloud State. Duncan won the Hobey Baker Award last season. UND senior netminder Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux has played in 88 career games, and can tie Scott Brower (1984-88) for fourth all-time with two starts this weekend. Hockey legend Gordie Howe is scheduled to drop the ceremonial first puck prior to Friday’s game.

The Prediction
This is the weekend for a stick salute. UND brings too much depth and experience, and Teslak’s injury will hurt the Huskies. The Sioux will not let these points slip away. UND 3-2, 5-1.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your questions and comments. Click here for reaction to Friday’s game. Check back after Saturday’s contest for more reaction, news, and commentary.

As I mentioned in my article about the Challenge Cup, the rivalry between these two schools has picked up since the WCHA made North Dakota and St. Cloud State schedule partners five seasons ago.

And on a personal note, this weekend will mark my tenth visit to the National Hockey Center to watch these two teams take the ice.

There are a couple of keys for this weekend’s games. UND comes in as the second-most penalized team in the country (19.3 penalty minutes/game), while SCSU is the least-penalized team in all of college hockey (9.3 penalty minutes/game). Further complicating matters for North Dakota is that the Huskies are converting almost 23% of their power play opportunities, while the Fighting Sioux are struggling at just over 15%.

Or put more simply, SCSU has scored over 40% of its goals with the man advantage; UND, only 20%.

UND will also feel the loss of junior forward T.J. Oshie, who will serve a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules and will not play Friday night. Oshie is tied for the team lead in points, and his energy and hard-nosed play will be missed in the opener.

The two teams will meet again in Grand Forks on March 7-8 (the final weekend of the regular season) with the UND/SCSU Challenge Cup on the line.

St. Cloud State Team Profile
National Rankings: #15/-
Head Coach: Bob Motzko (3rd season at SCSU, 53-36-13, .583)
This Season: 9-9-2 Overall, 4-7-1 WCHA (t-7th)
Special Teams: Power Play 22.8% (26 of 114), Penalty Kill 86.7% (65 of 75)
Last Season: 22-11-7 Overall (NCAA East Regional Semifinalist), 14-7-7 WCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Sophomore F Ryan Lasch (15-15-30), Freshman F Garrett Roe (11-16-27), Sophomore F Andreas Nodl (10-13-23), Senior F Nate Dey (8-5-13), Senior D Aaron Brocklehurst (2-10-12), Sophomore G Jase Weslosky (7-8-0, 2.16 GAA, .928 SV, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #8/#7
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 87-52-12, .616)
This Season: 9-7-1 Overall, 7-7-0 WCHA (4th)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 15.1% (11 of 73), Penalty Kill 87.5% (70 of 80)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four Semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (7-9-16), Junior F T.J. Oshie (9-7-16), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (6-7-13), Senior D Robbie Bina (1-15-16), Junior D Taylor Chorney (0-12-12), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (9-7-1, 1.88 GAA, .932 SV, 4 SO)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: March 16, 2007 (St. Paul, Minnesota). UND defeats SCSU 6-2 in the WCHA Final Five semifinals. Chris Porter plays in his 171st consecutive game to tie the all-time WCHA record. Porter would set the record in the championship game the following night.
Last Meeting in St. Cloud: March 3, 2007. UND takes the series finale 7-2 after the teams skate to a 3-3 tie in the opener.
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 46-25-8 (.633), and holds a record of 18-13-5 (.569) in games played in St. Cloud.

Game News and Notes
UND goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux has now started 42 consecutive games between the pipes, breaking the previous school record of 40 held by Al Finkelstein (1951-53). Lamoureux’s streak is the second-longest streak in WCHA history, trailing only Brant Nicklin, who started 76 consecutive games for the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs from 1996-98. St. Cloud State boasts two of the top five scorers in the country in sophomore Ryan Lasch (#2, 15-15-30) and freshman Garrett Roe (#5, 11-16-27, tops among rookies). By comparison, UND’s top scorers T.J. Oshie, Robbie Bina, and Ryan Duncan (16 points each) are tied for 70th among national scoring leaders. North Dakota has not lost to St. Cloud in the last six meetings between the two teams, going 4-0-2 in that span. The Fighting Sioux are definitely not a comeback team. The last time North Dakota won a game after trailing through two periods was almost three seasons ago. Since then, UND has gone 0-24-0 when facing a deficit after forty minutes.

The Prediction
I’m not sure when the Sioux will stop doing the splits, but it won’t be this weekend. With T.J. Oshie out of the lineup on Friday night, North Dakota will be happy to take two points from the weekend series. SCSU 4-2, UND 3-2.

Thank you for reading. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Check back after the games for reaction and commentary.

Beginning with the 2002-03 season, the WCHA changed its scheduling system, creating “rivals” which would play each other four times each season (and play the other schools twice one season, four times the next, and so on). Minnesota and Wisconsin were paired up, as were Colorado College and Denver. All four of those schools, and particularly Minnesota and Wisconsin, would have made excellent schedule partners for UND.

And which of the remaining teams would become North Dakota’s schedule partner? Alaska-Anchorage? Mankato? No, as the two newest members of the WCHA (1993 and 1999, respectively), the Seawolves and Mavericks were paired with each other. How about Minnesota-Duluth or Michigan Tech, schools which had been members of the conference for over 35 years? No again. Those two schools are just over 200 miles apart, and that was certainly a factor in the decision.

That left St. Cloud State, a familiar foe for Sioux fans from North Central Conference football and basketball games. The St. Cloud State Huskies had been a Division I hockey program for 15 years (and a WCHA member for 12) before the 2002-03 season, and had posted a 83-34-6 (.699) record over the previous three seasons. By contrast, from 1999-02, UND held a record of 76-35-16 (.654).

The two schools had played a handful of meaningful games in the past. In 1991 (St. Cloud’s first in the league), the Huskies and Sioux met in Grand Forks for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. St. Cloud took the opener, 4-2, before falling 10-2 and 7-4 in games 2 and 3. The two teams met in the 1998 and 2000 WCHA Final Five semifinal games, with North Dakota prevailing in both contests. Perhaps the best reason to be optimistic about the rivalry was the 2001 WCHA Final Five championship game, a hard-fought contest which St. Cloud State won on Derek Eastman’s overtime winner.

It’s fair to say that in 2002 there was confusion AND cautious optimism surrounding the potential rivalry between the two teams. (And on a personal note, I had already traveled to St. Cloud for the Sioux/Husky games four times before the rivalry announcement was made, and I was more than pleased that I would now be able to make this trip every year.)

It’s also fair to say that the rivalry has caught on over the past five seasons. The two teams have played eight overtime contests in their 24 regular-season meetings, and points are tough to come by, at home and on the road. The fans have also made their mark on the partnership between the schools, as the UND/SCSU rivalry now has a commemorative fan trophy, thanks to the Center Ice Club at St. Cloud State University:

The UND/SCSU Challenge Cup is awarded to the team which collects more points in the four regular-season games. As you may be able to see in the photo above, the winning team is engraved for each year. UND won the Challenge Cup in 2005, going 3-0-1 against the Huskies. St. Cloud took the trophy back in 2006, sporting a record of 3-1-0 against North Dakota. In 2007, the Sioux won two games and tied the other two, collecting six points and the Challenge Cup. And last season, the teams shared the cup, with UND and SCSU each winning one game and tying the other two.

We will be bringing the Challenge Cup to the pre-game social at Southgate Grill and Bar in Grand Forks on Saturday, December 13th. Stop by between 3:00 and 6:00 for a look at the trophy and a chance to meet fans on both sides of this hockey rivalry.

Check back for a preview of this weekend’s games. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.