Month: November 2012

When Scott Owen’s Colorado College squad came to Grand Forks last November, the Tigers were ranked #4 in the country with a record of 7-2-0. CC was scoring 4.33 goals per game and converting over 25% of their power play opportunities.

North Dakota allowed 9 goals to Scott Owen’s squad but came away with two victories (by scores of 7-6 and 4-3). Beginning with that weekend, the Tigers posted a disappointing 11-14-2 record the rest of the way and missed out on the WCHA Final Five and the NCAA tournament.

CC played (and lost) many close games a year ago, especially down the stretch, and this year will be no different. The Tigers have already played seven one-goal games this year, and goaltending will be key to their success. So far this season, both senior Joe Howe and junior Josh Thorimbert have shown flashes of brilliance and extended periods of unsteady play.

North Dakota has two players with over 100 career points: senior forwards Danny Kristo (123) and Corban Knight (108). There are seven other players in all of college hockey to have accomplished that feat, and UND has already played against two of them, squaring off against St. Cloud State’s Drew LeBlanc (112) and Notre Dame’s T.J. Tynan (101). This weekend, UND will go against Rylan Schwartz, who is tied with Kristo for the NCAA active scoring lead with 123 points.

Colorado College Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Owens (14th season at CC, 306-191-44, .606)
National Ranking: #18
This Season: 7-6-1 overall, 4-2-0 WCHA (t-5th)
Last Season: 18-16-2 overall, 15-12-1 WCHA (5th)

Team Offense: 3.71 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 24.4% (11 of 45)
Penalty Kill: 73.5% (36 of 49)

Key Players: Senior F Rylan Schwartz (7-10-17), Senior F William Rapuzzi (7-10-17), Senior F Scott Winkler (8-6-14), Senior D Mike Boivin (6-6-12), Junior D Eamonn McDermott (2-10-12), Senior G Joe Howe (3-3-1, 3.45 GAA, .900 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 219-110-32, .651)
National Ranking: #7
This Season: 6-4-2 overall, 3-1-2 WCHA (t-5th)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 15.2% (7 of 46)
Penalty Kill: 85.7% (36 of 42)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (5-9-14), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (6-4-10), Senior F Corban Knight (2-9-11), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (5-3-8), Junior D Derek Forbort (3-3-6), Sophomore D Nick Mattson (1-4-5), Junior G Clarke Saunders (4-2-2, 2.09 GAA, .934 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: November 26, 2011 (Grand Forks, ND). One night after North Dakota won a wild 7-6 contest (13 goals on only 41 shots), the teams got into a special teams battle, with UND prevailing 4-3. The two squads traded power play goals, with Danny Kristo’s shorthanded tally six minutes into the final frame holding up as the game winner for the Green and White.

Last Meeting in Colorado Springs: January 29, 2011. One night after falling 4-2 to homestanding Colorado College, North Dakota came out in the black jerseys and throttled the Tigers 6-0. Six different players scored for the Green and White and Aaron Dell earned the shutout with 20 saves. The win moved UND’s record in the “business suits” to 25-1-2.

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, 137-76-10 (.637), although Colorado College has a 56-47-4 (.542) edge in games played in Colorado Springs. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 7-2-1 (.750) in the last ten meetings between the teams, including four straight victories. UND has only outscored CC 41-34 over the last ten games, with six of UND’s seven victories coming by a single goal.

Game News and Notes

Colorado College has been outscored 20-11 in first periods this season. With one point this weekend, Danny Kristo will tie Lee Goren, Bryan Lundbohm, and David Lundbohm for 44th on UND’s all-time scoring list. Kristo has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in seven career games against the Tigers. If you are planning to watch the webcast of this weekend’s games (via cctigers.com), beware the floating Tiger head.

The Prediction

In close, tightly-contested games, three things make the difference: team defense, goaltending, and special teams. Colorado College has the edge on the power play, but every other column favors North Dakota. If UND can adjust to the altitude and wide sheet, they could earn more than a split this weekend. I’m reversing the Friday/Saturday trend and calling for a better North Dakota performance in Saturday’s rematch, with a big first period carrying UND to victory. CC 4-2, UND 5-2.

It’s a battle of the Crossed ND’s this weekend as North Dakota heads to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is fresh off a rare road sweep of Michigan (3-1, 4-1), while UND had a home battle with Minnesota-Duluth last weekend, taking three points from a series that probably should have gone to the Bulldogs.

Notre Dame was a member of the WCHA from 1971-1981, posting three winning seasons in ten campaigns. The Fighting Irish have had more success lately, winning the CCHA league title twice in the past six seasons. Jeff Jackson’s Golden Domers have already played five games this season against teams headed to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in 2013-14, splitting series with Minnesota-Duluth and Western Michigan and handing Nebraska-Omaha a 3-2 defeat in the championship game of the Icebreaker tournament.

The Fighting Irish have eight skaters and two goaltenders on their roster under six feet tall, including junior forward T.J. Tynan, who at 5’8” and 165 lbs. could be considered Rudy on skates. Tynan notched his 100th collegiate point last weekend against Michigan, joining UND’s Danny Kristo and Corban Knight as three of the nine active mens’ college hockey players with at least 100 points. Considering Tynan is just eleven games into his junior season (94 games total games played), that’s quite an accomplishment.

The two teams figure to make the NCAA field of 16, and this weekend’s games are critically important for pairwise comparisons and seeding in the tournament. North Dakota showed signs of weakness against Duluth, and will need to shore up their play in the defensive zone (breakouts, coverage, and penalty kill) if they hope to escape South Bend with points this weekend.

Notre Dame Team Profile

Head Coach: Jeff Jackson (8th season at Notre Dame, 168-100-30, .614)
National Ranking: #6
This Season: 8-3-0 overall, 5-1-0-0 CCHA (t-2nd)
Last Season: 19-18-3 overall, 12-13-3-0 CCHA (8th)

Team Offense: 2.82 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 1.64 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 12.2% (6 of 49)
Penalty Kill: 90.9 % (40 of 44)

Key Players: Junior F Anders Lee (5-4-9), Junior F Bryan Rust (3-5-8), Junior F T.J. Tynan (2-3-5), Sophomore D Robbie Russo (4-3-7), Junior D Stephen Johns (0-7-7), Junior G Steven Summerhays (7-3-0, 1.51 GAA, .939 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 218-109-32, .652)
National Ranking: #7
This Season: 5-3-2 overall, 3-1-2 WCHA (t-4th)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.20 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.40 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 15.4% (6 of 39)
Penalty Kill: 84.4% (27 of 32)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (4-8-12), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (5-4-9), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (4-3-7), Junior D Derek Forbort (3-3-6), Freshman D Jordan Schmaltz (1-1-2), Junior G Clarke Saunders (3-2-2, 2.24 GAA, .927 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: November 27, 2010 (Grand Forks, ND). Sophomore blueliner Sam Calabrese scored the game tying goal with just over three minutes remaining and the Fighting Irish killed two UND power plays in overtime as the teams battled to a 2-2 tie. North Dakota took the series opener 6-3 behind Jason Gregoire’s three point effort (two goals, one assist).

Last Meeting in South Bend: January 17, 1981. The two teams skated to a 1-1 tie one night after UND throttled the Fighting Irish 7-3. The tie would snap North Dakota’s nine-game winning streak over Notre Dame, during which time the Green and White outscored the Golden Domers 58-29.

Last Ten: North Dakota has a 6-1-3 (.750) record over the past ten games.

Most Important Meeting: March 15, 1980. In WCHA playoff action, the Fighting Sioux dispatched with Notre Dame with a 7-4 victory after winning the opener 10-4. UND would go on to win its third national championship two weeks later.

All-time Series: The series is tied 16-16-3. The Fighting Irish won 15 of the first 20 meetings between the two teams, but UND has evened the ledger with an 11-1-3 mark over the past fifteen games. Notre Dame boasts a home record of 9-6-1 (.594) against North Dakota.

Game News and Notes

The Fighting Irish appeared in the national championship game in 2008, falling 4-1 to Boston College. Notre Dame ranks second in the NCAA in scoring defense (1.64 goals allowed per game). Three players on the ice this weekend have 100 career points: UND’s Danny Kristo (121) and Corban Knight (105) are joined in the Century Club by Notre Dame’s T.J. Tynan, who notched his 100th collegiate point on November 15th against Michigan. The puck drops at 6:35 p.m. Central time on Friday and 4:05 p.m. Central time on Saturday. Free video webcasts are available at www.und.com.

The Prediction

I correctly predicted a three point weekend for North Dakota the last time around, but I don’t think it will go that well for UND in the rematch. Dave Hakstol’s best chance for points will come in Friday’s opener, with Notre Dame winning handily on Saturday night. UND 3-2, Notre Dame 4-1.

51-20-12. That’s the record that Minnesota-Duluth compiled over the past two full seasons. In 2010-11, the Bulldogs won the national title, and they followed that up with a berth in the Northeast Regional final at the end of the 2012 campaign (falling to Boston College).

So the view is decidedly different for Scott Sandelin’s squad early this year. UMD has won just twice in eight games (2-5-1) and are winless over two WCHA weekends (0-3-1). Duluth finds themselves in last place in the league standings and traveling to Ralph Engelstad Arena on a short week of practice.

For the Green and White, the Friday/Saturday trend continues. UND is now undefeated on Friday nights (4-0-0) and winless on Saturdays (0-3-1). Last season , North Dakota had a fairly even split: 11-5-1 on Fridays and 14-6-2 on Saturdays.

Two current North Dakota forwards are members of UND’s Century Club (100 career points). Corban Knight (102 points) joined Danny Kristo (116) two weekends ago. With one more point, Kristo will pass former UND star Zach Parise, but Parise accomplished his 116 career points in only two seasons (2002-2004).

On the injury front, UND sophomore forward Michael Parks (10-12-22 as a freshman last season) has not played in a regular season game this year (lower body injury) but is expected to suit up for Friday’s opener.

At the end of the 2010-11 season, many expected these two squads to go to battle for the national title. Duluth held up their end of the bargain, dispatching Notre Dame in their semifinal. UND fell short, however, falling to Michigan 2-0 in heartbreaking fashion.

North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth are two of eight schools scheduled to begin play in the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference beginning next season. Four other current WCHA member schools (Colorado College, Denver, St. Cloud State, and Nebraska-Omaha) will join them.

Minnesota-Duluth Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (13th season at UMD, 219-215-59,.504)
National Rankings: NR
This Season: 2-5-1 overall, 0-3-1 WCHA (12th)
Last Season: 25-10-6 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional Finalist), 16-7-5 WCHA (2nd)

Team Offense: 2.38 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.88 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 23.3% (10 of 43)
Penalty Kill: 80.5% (33 of 41)

Key Players: Senior F Mike Seidel (5-4-9), Freshman F Tony Cameranesi (3-4-7), Freshman F Austin Farley (2-4-6), Senior D Wade Bergman (0-6-6), Freshman D Andy Welinski (1-2-3), Freshman G Matt McNeely (1-3-1, 2.78 GAA, .892 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 217-109-31, .651)
National Ranking: #6
This Season: 4-3-1 overall, 2-1-1 WCHA (6th)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.12 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.2% (5 of 29)
Penalty Kill: 87.5% (21 of 24)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (1-6-7), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (3-3-6), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (3-3-6), Junior D Derek Forbort (2-3-5), Freshman D Jordan Schmaltz (1-1-2), Junior G Clarke Saunders (3-2-1, 1.98 GAA, .931 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: February 11, 2012 (Duluth, MN). North Dakota claimed an early 2-1 lead before the Bulldogs scored the next four goals. Duluth held off a furious UND comeback for a 5-4 victory and a split of the weekend series. UMD forward Jack Connolly was involved al night long, potting two goals and assisting on the other three.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: November 6, 2010. The Bulldogs held on to the top spot in the WCHA standings with a 3-2 overtime victory over homestanding North Dakota. UMD senior forward Justin Fontaine netted the game-winner on a 2-on-1 less than a minute into the extra frame.

Most Important Meeting: March 22, 1984 (Lake Placid, NY) Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota met in the national semifinal game, with the Bulldogs defeating the Fighting Sioux 2-1 in overtime to advance to the championship. UND went on to defeat Michigan State 6-5 (OT) for third place, while Duluth fell to Bowling Green 5-4 in four overtimes, the longest championship game ever played.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 135-75-8 (.638), including a 75-31-2 (.704) record in games played in Grand Forks.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 7-3-0 (.700) in the last ten games between the teams. UND has outscored Duluth 36-19 in the past ten contests. All three losses were by a single goal, including two overtime defeats.

Game News and Notes

UND forwards Carter Rowney and Danny Kristo each have seven career points against the Bulldogs. Duluth has scored more than half of their goals this season on the power play. Both head coaches this weekend are alumni of the University of North Dakota: Dave Hakstol (’92) and Scott Sandelin (’86) both played for UND.

The Prediction

UND will come out flying on Friday after last Saturday’s dismal performance in St. Cloud. The Bulldogs won’t have an answer for North Dakota’s team speed and will find themselves in an early hole. Saturday’s rematch will be a tighter checking affair that will go down to the wire. I feel like North Dakota will rally to tie late and survive overtime for a three point weekend. UND 4-1, 2-2 tie.

Trend #1: In the early part of the 2012-13 season, North Dakota is 3-0 on Friday nights and 0-2-1 on Saturday nights. UND has scored 13 goals in weekend openers but only 6 goals in the second game of the weekend.

Trend #2: Over the past ten seasons, North Dakota has not won a Friday game in St. Cloud (0-6-4), but has posted an unblemished 10-0 record in Saturday rematches at the National Hockey Center.

All three of UND’s Saturday games this season could be classified as a disappointing result:

North Dakota held a lead against Alaska in the Goal Rush tournament but gave up consecutive goals to fall 2-1. UND settled for a 3-3 tie against Alaska-Anchorage after outscoring the Seawolves 9-1 in two earlier victories. And last weekend, the Green and White gave up three third period goals to Boston University in a 4-2 defeat.

For St. Cloud State, last Saturday night’s 6-1 loss at Denver snapped a string of five consecutive victories. SCSU had blanked the Pioneers 3-0 in the series opener.

On the injury front, UND forward Michael Parks has not been cleared to play, while SCSU forwards Ben Hanowski, David Morley, and Joey Benik are also out of the lineup.

There are eight current NCAA Division I men’s hockey players with at least 100 career points, and three of them will be on the ice this weekend. North Dakota’s Danny Kristo (115) and St. Cloud State’s Drew LeBlanc (108) will be joined by UND’s Corban Knight, who notched his 100th career point last Saturday night.

St. Cloud State Team Profile

Head Coach: (Bob Motzko, 8th season at SCSU, 142-112-34, .552)
National Rankings: #15
This Season: 5-3-0 overall, 3-1-0 WCHA (t-1st)
Last Season: 17-17-5 overall, 12-12 4 WCHA (6th)

Team Offense: 3.88 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.1% (7 of 41)
Penalty Kill: 83.8% (31 of 37)

Key Players: Junior F Nic Dowd (6-6-12), Senior F Drew LeBlanc (3-8-11), Freshman F Kalle Kossila (4-4-8), Junior D Nick Jensen (0-8-8), Freshman D Ethan Prow (2-4-6), Sophomore G Ryan Faragher (4-3-0, 2.23 GAA, .926 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 216-108-31, .652)
National Ranking: #6
This Season: 3-2-1 overall, 1-0-1 WCHA (t-6th)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.17 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 14.8% (4 of 27)
Penalty Kill: 88.2% (15 of 17)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (1-5-6), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (2-2-4), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (3-3-6), Junior D Derek Forbort (2-1-3), Freshman D Jordan Schmaltz (1-1-2), Junior G Clarke Saunders (2-1-1, 1.73 GAA, .933 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 15, 2012 (St. Paul, MN). The first of two goals by UND forward Brock Nelson broke a 1-1 second period tie and propelled North Dakota to a 4-1 victory and a berth in the Final Five semifinals against Minnesota. Aaron Dell made 29 saves and earned the win, while SCSU netminder Mike Lee saw his career mark against the Green and White fall to 0-5-1.

Last Meeting in St. Cloud: January 21, 2012. North Dakota survived a late goal review to hold off the homestanding Huskies 3-2. UND’s Corban Knight potted a pair of goals in the road win and the Green and White held SCSU scoreless in seven power play opportunities on the weekend. The victory jumpstarted UND to a 14-3-1 record the rest of the way.

Most Important Meeting: March 17, 2001 (St. Paul, MN). St. Cloud State defeated North Dakota 6-5 to claim the 2001 WCHA Final Five Championship. Derek Eastman scored the game-winner in overtime after UND scored three goals in the final ten minutes of regulation to force the extra session.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 59-31-11 (.639), with a slight edge of 23-17-6 (.565) in games played at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

Last Ten: North Dakota has had the edge lately, posting a 7-2-1 (.750) record in the last ten meetings between the teams. UND has outscored St. Cloud State 31-22 during that span.

Game News and Notes

UND has lost just twice in the last eleven meetings between the teams (8-2-1). North Dakota and St. Cloud State are two of eight teams who are moving to the National Collegiate Athletic Conference next season, and all eight of those teams are ranked in the top 25 this week. This weekend’s games are two of four contests in the race for the UND/SCSU Challenge Cup.

The Prediction

The Friday/Saturday trend will continue, with North Dakota falling just short on Friday night before pulling away in Saturday’s rematch. It will take UND a period or two to adjust to the wider sheet, but once they do, the lamp will light. SCSU 3-2, UND 5-2.

On a Personal Note

I look forward to this series every year because of the unique relationship we have with the Center Ice Club, the official hockey booster organization for the St. Cloud State University Huskies. On behalf of SiouxSports.com and the Center Ice Club, I would like to invite you to the UND/SCSU pre-game social on Saturday afternoon from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the upper level of Brothers Pub (119 Fifth Avenue South) in St. Cloud. This is a great opportunity to meet fans on both sides of the rivalry, win fabulous door prizes, and view the Challenge Cup. This event is free and open to all fans 21 and older.

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

Beginning with the 2002-03 season, the WCHA changed its schedule rotation, creating “rivals” which would play each other four times each season. St. Cloud State and North Dakota were partnered up in a scheduling system that ended in 2009-10.

At that time, even though the WCHA expanded to 12 teams (adding Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha) and implemented a new rotating schedule, UND and SCSU continued to play four games each year. It is also assumed that North Dakota and St. Cloud State will partner up for four games each season in the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

Over the past eight seasons, the fans have made their mark on the partnership between the schools. The UND/SCSU rivalry 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 04-05, going 3-0-1 against the Huskies. St. Cloud took the trophy back in 05-06, sporting a record of 3-1-0 against North Dakota. In 06-07, the Sioux won two games and tied the other two, collecting six points and the Challenge Cup. The next season, the teams shared the Cup, with UND and SCSU each winning one game and tying the other two. In 08-09, North Dakota sprinted to the lead in the Challenge Cup race by winning both games in Grand Forks but needed a Saturday victory in St. Cloud to salvage a split on the weekend and reclaim the Cup. The following year (09-10), both series were splits, and the Challenge Cup was shared once again. Two years ago, UND claimed seven of eight points (3-0-1) and took back the trophy, while last season (2011-12) went down as another tie.

If you’re keeping track at home, UND has won the Cup four times, St. Cloud has claimed the trophy once, and the schools have shared the Challenge Cup three times. North Dakota has won the trophy in each odd-numbered season and will be hoping to do the same this year (2012-13).

This weekend’s games in St. Cloud will be the first two of four Challenge Cup games between the schools.

The Challenge Cup will be on display at the Center Ice Club pre-game social this Saturday, November 10th from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the upper level of Brothers Pub (119 5th Avenue South) in St. Cloud. This is a great opportunity to meet fans on both sides of this hockey rivalry. There will be complimentary food and door prizes. The event is free and open to all fans 21 and older.

For a full preview of this weekend’s game action, click here.

The last time these two teams played, UND forward Jason Gregoire was named the WCHA preseason rookie of the year and fellow rookie Brett Hextall became the first California native to suit up for the Green and White.

This season, North Dakota forward Rocco Grimaldi was picked as the favorite to win the WCHA rookie of the year award. Grimaldi, who was born in Rossmoor, California, has picked up at least a point in all six games he has played for UND.

These non-conference matchups are critical for both schools, as UND and BU figure to be in the mix for the NCAA tournament at the end of the year. Over the past eight seasons, North Dakota has taken advantage of its non-league games, going 40-13-10 (.714) over that stretch.

The legendary Jack Parker will be behind the bench as the head coach of the BU Terriers. Parker, in his 40th season at the helm, has coached over 1400 games and led the Terriers to three NCAA titles (1978, 1995, 2009). Jack Parker has led BU to 33 winning seasons in his career. During one nine season stretch (1989-1998), Boston University made nine consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, advanced to the Frozen Four seven times, and played in four title games, claiming the trophy in 1995.

Boston University Team Profile

Head Coach: Jack Parker (40th season at BU, 879-457-113, .646)
National Ranking: #12
This Season: 3-1-0, 3-1-0 Hockey East (2nd)
Last Season: 23-15-1 (NCAA West Regional semifinalist), 17-9-1 Hockey East (t-2nd)

Team Offense: 3.25 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.8% (3 of 16)
Penalty Kill: 85.0% (17 of 20)

Key Players: Sophomore F Cason Hohmann (3-3-6), Senior F Wade Megan (3-1-4), Sophomore F Evan Rodrigues (0-5-5), Junior D Garrett Noonan (1-2-3), Freshman D Matt Grzelcyk (0-3-3), Freshman G Matt O’Connor (3-0-0, 1.75 GAA, .945 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 215-107-31, .653)
National Ranking: #5
This Season: 2-1-1 overall, 1-0-1 WCHA (t-3rd)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.25 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 1.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.6% (3 of 17)
Penalty Kill: 91.7% (11 of 2)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (0-4-4), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (2-0-2), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (2-2-4), Junior D Derek Forbort (2-1-3), Freshman D Jordan Schmaltz (1-1-2), Junior G Clarke Saunders (1-1-1, 1.64 GAA, .940 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: October 10, 2008 (Boston, MA). The Terriers blitzed North Dakota 5-1 in the opening game of the 2008 Ice Breaker Tournament. Early in the second period, UND knotted the game at 1-1. Within 38 seconds, Boston University had scored two goals and was off to the races. Brad Miller scored the lone goal for the Green and White.

Last meeting in Grand Forks: December 28, 1996. One night after North Dakota notched a 6-4 victory over the visiting Terriers, the two teams skated to a 2-2 tie in the rematch. Almost exactly three months later, UND downed BU 6-4 to claim its sixth national title.

Most important meeting: March 29, 1997. UND scores five goals in the second period and goes on to defeat Boston University 6-4 for the 1997 NCAA championship. David Hoogsteen scores two goals for the Fighting Sioux, including a back-breaker with six seconds remaining in the middle frame.

All-time record: North Dakota leads the all-time series, 11-7-1 (.605), helped by a stellar 5-0-1 (.833) record in games played in Grand Forks. When the newly-formed Hockey East began play in 1984-1985, it created a five-year interlocking schedule with the WCHA. During that time, Boston University and North Dakota met 7 times, with John “Gino” Gasparini’s Fighting Sioux squad going 6-1-0 against Jack Parker’s Terriers.

Last Ten: Boston University has had the better of the play of late, going 6-3-1 against UND in the last ten matchups. The Terriers have outscored UND 43-33 during that span.

Game News and Notes

North Dakota has given up a total of six goals in four games this season. Last season, both UND and BU lost in the West Regional to Minnesota. UND senior center Corban Knight would join North Dakota’s Century Club (100 career points) with a goal or assist this weekend. There are currently 83 members of that exclusive fraternity, including fellow senior Danny Kristo (113 career points). The Terriers play on a hybrid sheet of ice at Agannis Arena; the playing surface is 90 feet wide; five feet wider than NHL rinks but not as wide as the Olympic ice sheets (100 feet wide).

The Prediction

Boston University has never won a game in Grand Forks, but they will steal at least a point (and probably more) this weekend. Both squads are still juggling line combinations and improving every week. Look for a tentative opening 30 minutes and a furious finish to both games. UND 3-2, BU 5-3.