Month: November 2011

It appears that there is a power outage in Grand Forks. UND has been shut out in three of their last six games (vs. St. Cloud, at Minnesota, at Bemidji) and are averaging less than 2.5 goals per game after scoring over four goals per game in last season’s run to the Frozen Four.

The Fighting Sioux are also struggling defensively and between the pipes, allowing three goals per game, almost a full goal more than last year.

Granted, this year’s roster is substantially different than last year, and the coaches continue to preach patience. Younger players are gaining experience in key situations, and that will benefit UND in the second half.

Colorado College is hoping to take things one step further than last year. CC’s season ended in similar fashion to North Dakota’s, as the Tigers also lost a tight contest to Michigan in the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers are led by Jaden and Rylan Schwartz, but they also have depth up front, offensive defensemen, and solid goaltending. CC has scored at least three goals in every game this year, but they have gone a pedestrian 3-2 in their last five games after opening the year 4-0.

Colorado College Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Owens (13th season at CC, 288-171-41, .617)
Pairwise Ranking: 5th
National Rankings: #4/#4
This Season: 7-2-0 overall, 5-2-0 WCHA (6th)
Last Season: 23-19-3 overall (NCAA West Regional finalist), 13-13-2 WCHA (6th)

Team Offense: 4.33 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.67 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 25.5% (12 of 47)
Penalty Kill: 85.0% (34 of 40)

Key Players: Sophomore F Jaden Schwartz (5-8-13), Junior F Rylan Schwartz (7-4-11),Senior F Nick Dineen (7-3-10), Senior D Gabe Guentzel (2-8-10), Junior D Mike Boivin (2-6-8), Junior G Joe Howe (4-1-0, 2.69 GAA, .906 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (8th season at UND, 191-100-28, .643)
Pairwise Ranking: NR
National Rankings: NR/NR
This Season: 4-7-1 overall, 2-6-0 WCHA (t-10th)
Last Season: 32-9-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 21-6-1 WCHA (1st)

Team Offense: 2.42 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.0% (11 of 61)
Penalty Kill: 82.4% (42 of 51)

Key Players: Junior F Danny Kristo (4-8-12) Junior F Corban Knight (5-7-12), Sophomore F Brock Nelson (7-4-11), Sophomore D Derek Forbort (1-2-3), Senior D Ben Blood (1-2-3), Freshman D Nick Mattson (2-4-6), Junior G Aaron Dell (3-6-1, 2.87 GAA, .887 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 18, 2011 (St. Paul, MN). Sioux senior forward Matt Frattin broke a 3-3 tie in the third period to propel North Dakota to the championship game of the WCHA Final Five. The goal was Frattin’s 34th of the season. UND winger Danny Kristo also scored in his first game back since suffering a case of frostbite on his right foot.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: March 1, 2009. One night after skating to a 4-4 sister kisser, the two teams went to overtime yet again. Colorado College started the extra session with 1:50 of power play time, but UND killed the penalty and went on the offensive. Sioux center Darcy Zajac potted the game winner with 95 seconds remaining in the extra frame.

Most Important Meeting: March 27, 1997. UND defeated Colorado College, 6-2, in the Frozen Four Semifinals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Two nights later, North Dakota downed Boston University, 6-4, to claim its sixth NCAA Championship. North Dakota and Colorado College also met in the 2001 East Regional (Worcester, Mass.), with UND prevailing, 4-1.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 135-76-10 (.633), including a remarkable 80-19-6 (.790) edge in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 7-2-1 (.750) in the last ten meetings between the teams.

Game News and Notes

North Dakota has lost three of four one-goal games this season. Colorado College has nine games remaining against the top four teams in the WCHA (Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver, and Nebraska-Omaha), Only nine Sioux skaters have appeared in more than one game against Colorado College in their career. The Tigers have outscored opponents 15-6 in third periods this season.

The Prediction

I have a feeling that this won’t go well for North Dakota. The only two advantages that UND has are a home crowd and the ability to match up defensively with the Schwartz line. With the students gone for Thanksgiving break, it’s down to one advantage. The Fighting Sioux will keep one game close and get blown out in the other. UND could win a tight game on Friday, but I’ll call it a tie instead. 3-3 tie, CC 5-1.

It was a tough first go-round in the WCHA for Bemidji State. After competing in the CHA for eleven seasons and making the NCAA tournament in four of their final six CHA campaigns (including a Frozen Four appearance), the Beavers stumbled to an 8-15-5 mark in conference play last season.

Four of those WCHA losses came at the hands of North Dakota, who outscored BSU 20-7 in four games. Bemidji State got it going at the end of the season, however, and collected a road playoff sweep of Nebraska-Omaha and a victory over national champion Minnesota-Duluth on their way to the semifinals of the WCHA Final Five. Head coach Tom Serratore is hoping to build on that success and the experience of having been through a season in the toughest conference in the country.

For Dave Hakstol’s North Dakota squad, the injury news continues to get worse. Freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi (lower body injury) has been shut down for at least six weeks. The team is hopeful that he will be available for the stretch run, but season-ending surgery is also an option.

UND finds itself tied for eleventh in the league standings and needs to pick up wins this weekend if they have any hope of making a run at the top half of the WCHA.

In the unbalanced league schedule, Bemidji State will not make the return trip to Grand Forks during the 2011-2012 regular season.

Bemidji State Team Profile

Head Coach: Tom Serratore (11th season at BSU, 182-153-39 .539)
Pairwise Ranking: NR
National Rankings: NR/NR
This Season: 4-7-1 overal, 2-5-1 WCHA (9th)
Last Season: 15-18-5 overall, 8-15-5 WCHA (t-9th)

Team Offense: 2.58 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.33 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.5% (7 of 40)
Penalty Kill: 82.7% (43 of 52)

Key Players: Junior F Jordan George (6-2-8), Senior F Shea Walters (5-3-8), Senior F Ben Kinne (4-2-6), Senior D Brad Hunt (2-8-10), Senior G Dan Bakala (2-4-1, 3.02 GAA, .898 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (8th season at UND, 190-99-28, .644)
Pairwise Ranking: NR
National Rankings: NR/NR
This Season: 3-6-1 overall, 1-5-0 WCHA (t-11th)
Last Season: 32-9-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 21-6-1 WCHA (1st)

Team Offense: 2.40 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.30 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.6% (9 of 51)
Penalty Kill: 82.6% (38 of 46)

Key Players: Junior F Danny Kristo (4-8-12) Junior F Corban Knight (4-7-11), Sophomore F Brock Nelson (5-4-9), Sophomore D Derek Forbort (1-2-3), Senior D Ben Blood (1-2-3), Freshman D Nick Mattson (2-4-6), Senior G Brad Eidsness (1-1-0, 3.31 GAA, .895 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: February 27, 2011 (Grand Forks, ND). Four of the six seniors in the lineup scored a goal as the homestanding Sioux wrapped up a four game season sweep of the Beavers. UND won the Sunday afternoon contest 5-1 after downing BSU 5-2 on Saturday afternoon.

Last Meeting in Bemidji: October 16th, 2010. North Dakota throttled Bemidji State 5-2 one night after spoiling the grand opening of the Bemidji Regional Events Center (now known as Sanford Center) by the identical score. UND scored two second period goals in 1:30 to take the lead.

Most Important Meeting: October 15, 2010 (Bemidji, MN). In the first game played at the BREC, North Dakota spotted BSU the opening goal less than two minutes into the contest and then steamrolled the Beavers 5-2. The Fighting Sioux outshot their fellow Green-and-Whiters 38-14.

Last Ten: North Dakota has won the last ten meetings between the teams by a combined score of 43-18. One of the victories came in overtime.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 21-1-1 (.935), including a perfect 7-0-0 in games played in Bemidji. BSU’s lone victory over North Dakota came on February 7, 1970.

Game News and Notes:

Due to Disney on Ice on Friday night, this WCHA series will be played at 7:07 on Saturday night and 5:07 Sunday afternoon. Bemidji has been outscored 16-7 in third periods this season. UND head coach Dave Hakstol needs ten more victories to secure 200 wins in his coaching career. BSU has not scored a power play goal since October 22nd, a span of 15 unsuccessful man advantage opportunities. Sioux forward Danny Kristo was held scoreless against Minnesota, his first weekend without a point this season.

The Prediction

Here’s hoping that North Dakota’s play on the ice this weekend is more Beauty than Beast. UND needs at least three points this weekend to start making headway in the league race. Bemidji has never had success against the Fighting Sioux, and although the teams are closer this year than ever before, I give the edge to UND. 3-3 tie, UND 4-2.

During the Dave Hakstol era at North Dakota, the Fighting Sioux have done everything but win a national title. For Minnesota head coach Don Lucia, it’s a case of “what have you done for me lately?” The Golden Gophers’ titles in 2002 and 2003 seem like so long ago, with many fans calling for a change, despite Lucia’s recent contract extension.

Since Hakstol has been the head coach at UND (beginning in 2004-05), he boasts a 10-7-3 (.575) record against Minnesota in the regular season. More impressively, his playoff mark against the Gophers stands at 5-2-0 (.714). The two losses came on Blake Wheeler’s overtime winner at the 2007 Final Five and in the middle game of a 2010 WCHA playoff series in Grand Forks. Hakstol’s teams have ended Minnesota’s season three times in his seven seasons as a head coach: 2004-05 Frozen Four semifinal, 2006-07 West Regional final, and the 2009-10 WCHA first round playoff series.

Over those seven seasons, Hakstol has made the NCAA tournament seven times (Minnesota: four, missing the last three), has won the MacNaughton Cup twice and the Broadmoor Trophy three times, and has brought his team to the Frozen Four five times. Lucia, by contrast, has claimed one Frozen Four visit, two MacNaughton Cup titles, and one Broadmoor Trophy since 2004-05.

It’s true that the games this weekend are about the players, not the coaches. For Minnesota, sophomore forward Erik Haula leads the nation in scoring, freshman forward Kyle Rau leads all first-year players in scoring, and senior goaltender Kent Patterson has all-world numbers (1.74 goals-against average, a save percentage of almost 94%, and four shutouts on the season). Minnesota is scoring every which way but loose, converting over 35% of power play opportunities and boasting a plus-9 differential in special teams situations.

North Dakota figured to have two great goaltenders in the rotation this season, and so far they haven’t had one. Neither Aaron Dell nor Brad Eidsness has stolen a game for the Green and White this year, and they’ll have to be better if UND hopes to steal a point or two this weekend.

For five Sioux players, it’s a homecoming of sorts. On the blueline, senior Ben Blood (Plymouth), junior Joe Gleason (Edina), and freshman Nick Mattson (Chanhassen) all hail from the Twin Cities area, and they are joined by junior forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie) and freshman forward Connor Gaarder (Edina).

Minnesota Team Profile

Head Coach: Don Lucia (13th season at Minnesota, 297-160-53, .634)
National Rankings: #5/#5
This Season: 7-1-0 overall, 4-0-0 WCHA (1st)
Last Season: 16-14-6 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 13-10-5 WCHA (5th)

Team Offense: 5.38 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 1.75 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 35.9% (14 of 39)
Penalty Kill: 87.5% (35 of 40)

Key Players: Sophomore F Erik Haula (7-10-17), Freshman F Kyle Rau (7-6-13), Sophomore F Nick Bjugstad (6-6-12), Sophomore D Nate Schmidt (1-10-11), Sophomore D Mark Alt (1-4-5), Senior G Kent Patterson (7-1-0, 1.74 GAA, .939 SV%, 4 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (8th season at UND, 190-97-28, .648)
National Rankings: #15/#15
This Season: 3-4-1 overall, 1-3-0 WCHA (t-9th)
Last Season: 32-9-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 21-6-1 WCHA (1st)

Team Offense: 2.75 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.5% (8 of 39)
Penalty Kill: 78.1% (25 of 32)

Key Players: Junior F Danny Kristo (4-8-12) Junior F Corban Knight (4-6-10), Sophomore F Brock Nelson (4-4-8), Sophomore D Derek Forbort (1-2-3), Senior D Ben Blood (1-2-3), Freshman D Nick Mattson (2-3-5), Senior G Brad Eidsness (1-1-0, 3.31 GAA, .895 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: January 15, 2011 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota rattled off four unanswered goals to build a commanding 4-1 lead and withstood 80 seconds of 5 on 3 at the end of the game to earn the victory and a split of the weekend series. Minnesota took the opener, 3-2.

Last meeting in Minneapolis: (January 16, 2010). Despite controlling play for much of the game, North Dakota fell victim to four goals in a six minute stretch of the second period and couldn’t recover, falling 5-1 to the homestanding Gophers. The teams skated to a 3-3 tie one night earlier.

Most important meeting: March 24, 1979 (Detroit, MI). North Dakota and Minnesota met to decide the national championship, and the Gophers prevailed, 4-3.

All-time: Minnesota leads the all-time series by a slim margin, 133-128-14 (.509).

Recent history: North Dakota is 7-3-3 (.654) in the last thirteen games between the schools.

Game News and Notes

North Dakota has been outscored in every period this season. Minnesota has outscored opponents 13-2 in the opening twenty minutes of games this year. North Dakota is five goals away from notching 10,000 goals in program history, dating back to 1946-47. UND head coach Dave Hakstol is 4-2-2 (.625) in his head coaching career at Mariucci Arena.

The Prediction

North Dakota will need to play two complete hockey games to compete for points this weekend. Both nights will be close, and UND could earn a split this weekend, but I feel like Minnesota will tie up Saturday’s game late. MN 5-2, 3-3 tie.

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