Month: October 2012

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Alaska-Anchorage

It’s unusual to open the regular season in a non-conference tournament against a conference foe. It’s even more unusual to turn around and host that same conference opponent in the league opener for both schools.

One week after throttling the Seawolves 5-0 with only 15 skaters, North Dakota will have a full complement of weapons in the rematch. UND forwards Danny Kristo, Carter Rowney, Corban Knight, and Brendan O’Donnell all missed last Friday’s tilt but will be on the ice for this weekend’s action. The four have accounted for 7 goals and 10 assists in 19 career games against Alaska-Anchorage.

For Dave Shyiak’s squad, this weekend could go down as the last trip to Grand Forks unless UND hosts the Seawolves in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. North Dakota will be headed to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference next season, while UAA will remain in the new-look WCHA.

Alaska-Anchorage Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Shyiak (8th season at UAA, 78-153-27, .355)
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 2-1-1 overall, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 9-25-2 overall, 5-22-1 WCHA (12th)

Team Offense: 2.75 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.75 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 7.1% (1 of 14)
Penalty Kill: 81.0% (17 of 21)

Key Players: Junior F Matt Bailey (1-3-4), Junior F Jordan Kwas (1-1-2), Sophomore D Austin Coldwell (0-1-1), Sophomore F Derek Docken (1-0-1), Junior G Chris Kamal (1-1-0, 2.40 GAA, .907 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 214-107-30, .652)
National Ranking: #4
This Season: 1-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 1.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 16.7% (2 of 12)
Penalty Kill: 85.7% (6 of 7)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (no games played), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (2-0-2), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (1-2-3), Junior D Derek Forbort (0-1-1), Freshman D Jordan Schmaltz (1-1-2), Junior G Clarke Saunders (1-1-0, 1.01 GAA, .962 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: Friday, October 19, 2012 (Fairbanks, AK). Despite playing with only 15 skaters (nine forwards) due to suspensions and injuries, UND steamrolled Alaska-Anchorage 5-0 in the opening game of the Goal Rush tournament. Sophomore forward Mark MacMillan led the way for North Dakota with two goals, while junior netminder Clarke Saunders stopped all 21 shots he faced to earn the victory.

Last meeting in Grand Forks: February 12, 2011. One night after steamrolling UAA 6-1, North Dakota had a tighter contest on their hands. The Seawolves almost made it out of the first period with a scoreless tie, but Brett Hextall scored a power play goal with under one second remaining in the opening frame. The Green and White would earn the sweep with a 3-1 victory.

Most Important Meeting: March 19, 2004 (St. Paul, MN). The Fighting Sioux and Seawolves met in the semifinal round of the WCHA Final Five, and UND cruised to the championship game with a 4-2 victory.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 45-17-4 (.712), including a dominating 26-3-3 (.859) record in games played in Grand Forks.

Last Ten: UND has an 9-1-0 (.900) record in the last ten games between the teams, outscoring the Seawolves 42-15 over that span.

Game News and Notes

UND has won ten straight home openers. North Dakota freshman goaltender Zane Gothberg will make his first career start in Friday’s opener. Anchorage forward Scott Allen was named to the Brice Alaska Goal Rush all-tournament team last weekend. North Dakota senior forward Corban Knight has collecred nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven career games against UAA. This weekend’s games will be televised on Midco Sports Network, FOX College Sports, DirecTV 623 (Friday), and DirecTV 626 (Saturday). A webcast is available at UNDSports.com, and the radio broadcast can be found locally at 96.1 FM The Fox (KQHT-FM).

The Prediction

UND expects to get balanced scoring up front, and that should start with the drop of the puck. UAA will need to limit penalties and get outstanding goaltending if they hope to steal a point from the series. As it is, though, North Dakota has too much talent and will earn the sweep. UND 5-2, 3-2.

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

WCHA Predicted Order of Finish

I thought I would throw my hat in the ring and give you my predicted order of finish for all twelve teams in the final season of the WCHA as we know it:

#12: Alaska-Anchorage
#11: MSU-Mankato
#10: Bemidji State
#9: Michigan Tech
#8: Nebraska-Omaha
#7: Colorado College
#6: Minnesota-Duluth
#5: St. Cloud State
#4: Wisconsin
#3: Denver
#2: North Dakota
#1: Minnesota

I’ve never been right on the money with these, but I’ve been close. We’ll check back at mid-season and see how things look. Feel free to add your comments or predictions below. As always, thanks for reading.

Brice Alaska Goal Rush Preview: UND at Alaska-Anchorage

Much of the attention leading up to this weekend’s action has been focused on the North Dakota players who will not be suiting up this weekend. Forward Michael Parks has an injury that will sideline him for a few weeks, while more than a few UND players are serving suspensions due to off-ice issues: Danny Kristo, Corban Knight, Carter Rowney, Brendan O’Donnell, and Andrew MacWilliam will sit out Friday’s game, while Kristo will be joined in the stands by Conner Gaarder, Stephane Pattyn, and Andrew Panzarella on Saturday night.

But I would rather focus on the players and teams who will be on the ice this weekend. UND boasts one of the top defensive groups in the country, led by Derek Forbort, Joe Gleason, Dillon Simpson, and newcomer Jordan Schmaltz. Alaska-Anchorage has a young set of blueliners with only one senior on the back end.

Goaltending is a question mark for North Dakota, as neither junior transfer Clarke Saunders nor freshman Zane Gothberg has played a minute in net for the Green and White. UAA, on the other hand, is solid at the position, as juniors Rob Gunderson and Chris Kamal have both seen significant minutes over the past two seasons.

Up front, UND’s scoring threats may be limited on Friday evening. Mark MacMillan, Derek Rodwell, and Rocco Grimaldi will have to come through for North Dakota to be successful. On the Seawolf side of the ledger, Matt Bailey, Jordan Kwas, and Alex Gellert can all light the lamp.

Alaska-Anchorage Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Shyiak (8th season at UAA, 77-152-27, .354)

National Ranking: NR
This Season: 1-0-1 overall, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 9-25-2 overall, 5-22-1 WCHA (12th)

Last season’s team statistics:
Team Offense: 2.36 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.72 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 19.5% (25 of 128)
Penalty Kill: 81.1% (120 of 148)

Key Players (last season’s statistics): Junior F Matt Bailey (10-7-17), Junior F Jordan Kwas (4-10-14), Sophomore D Austin Coldwell (2-12-14), Sophomore F Derek Docken (1-10-11), Junior G Chris Kamal (4-13-0, 3.46 GAA, .877 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 213-106-30, .653)

National Ranking: #2
This Season: 0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Last season’s team statistics:
Team Offense: 3.21 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.57 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 22.0% (40 of 182)
Penalty Kill: 81.1% (137 of 169)

Key Players (last season’s statistics): Senior F Danny Kristo (19-26-45) Senior F Corban Knight (16-24-40), Senior F Carter Rowney (18-15-33), Sophomore D Nick Mattson (6-13-19), Junior D Dillon Simpson (2-16-18)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: December 3, 2011 (Anchorage, AK). Despite outshooting UND 20-17, the Seawolves were undone by Danny Kristo, Brock Nelson, and Corban Knight, who combined for three goals and five points in the second period and chased UAA netminder Chris Kamal from the pipes. In the opener, North Dakota scored three goals in the opening ten minutes of the hockey game and won 5-2.

Most Important Meeting: March 19, 2004 (St. Paul, MN). The Fighting Sioux and Seawolves met in the semifinal round of the WCHA Final Five, and UND cruised to the championship game with a 4-2 victory.
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 44-17-4 (.708), including a slim 17-14-1 (.547) edge in games played in Anchorage.

Last Ten: UND has an 8-1-1 (.850) record in the last ten games between the teams, outscoring the Seawolves 40-16 over that span.

Game News and Notes

The Seawolves have not scored on the power play yet this season (0 for 7). The five North Dakota forwards out of the lineup on Friday night have 117 career goals. Hayden Trupp, the younger brother of former UND forward Evan Trupp, is a freshman for the Seawolves this season.

The Prediction

Goals will be hard to come by in Friday’s tilt, particularly on the North Dakota side. I see a struggle for the Green and White for the first forty minutes, with a late equalizer earning a point for UND. 3-3 tie.

Bonus Prediction

On Saturday night, North Dakota’s offense will get back on track and show glimpses of what this team can do. North Dakota 5, Alaska (Fairbanks) 2.