The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux senior class for 2007-08 offers a little bit of everything, from goaltending and grit to memorable goals and big hits. Robbie Bina, Rylan Kaip, Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, and Kyle Radke bring experience, determination, versatility, and heart to this year’s lineup.
As freshmen, this class was not exceptionally large, just extremely talented. UND brought in only five players, and more than one coach said “they went five-for-five” with this recruiting class. Along with Kaip, Lamoureux (2003-04 United States Hockey League Goaltender of the Year), and Radke (2003-04 Albert Junior Hockey League Defenseman of the Year), the 2004-05 incoming freshman class included Rastislav Spirko and Travis Zajac (2003-04 British Columbia Hockey League Most Valuable Player), both of whom gave up their final two seasons of eligibility. Robbie Bina will play his final season with this group after sitting out the 2005-06 season following a broken neck and surgery to repair a shattered vertebra.
Here’s a look at the four Sioux seniors for 2007-2008:
#28 Robbie Bina
Position: Defense
Height/Weight: 5′-8″ 180 lbs.
Born: January 4, 1983
Hometown: Grand Forks, North Dakota
Previous team: Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Awards and Honors: 2007 NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team, 2006-07 WCHA All-Academic Team
Draft rights: Undrafted
UND Statistics by Season:
1 goal, 7 assists; 6 penalty minutes in 31 games played (2003-04)
0 goals, 9 assists; 8 penalty minutes in 32 games played (2004-05)
10 goals, 22 assists; 46 penalty minutes in 43 games played (2006-07)
UND Career Totals:
11 goals, 38 assists for 49 points; 60 penalty minutes in 106 games played
Season Outlook: Bina became a terrific two-way defenseman last season, and will contend with Taylor Chorney for the top point total among Sioux blueliners. His physical play and ability to join the rush have made him an asset in special teams situations and at even strength.
News and Notes: His 106 career games played rank second to Kyle Radke (110) among returning Sioux players. Bina is best known for coming back from a broken neck suffered during the 2005 WCHA Final Five. He is also famous for scoring a 180 foot, short-handed goal against the University of Minnesota during a two-game sweep in January 2007. (Videos of said goal have been viewed over 230,000 times at last count.) Scored 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists) in his final 29 games of 2006-07 after scoring two (1g, 1a) in the first 14 games of the year and 19 points (2g, 17a) in his first 77 career games.
#17 Rylan Kaip
Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6′-1″ 195 lbs.
Born: January 21, 1984
Hometown: Radville, Saskatchewan
Previous team: Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)
Awards and Honors: Named UND’s team captain for the 2007-2008 season
Draft rights: Atlanta Thrashers (9th Round, 2003)
UND Statistics by Season:
0 goals, 4 assists; 20 penalty minutes in 22 games played (2004-05)
3 goals, 5 assists; 76 penalty minutes in 42 games played (2005-06)
5 goals, 7 assists; 55 penalty minutes in 38 games played (2006-07)
UND Career Totals:
8 goals, 16 assists for 24 points; 151 penalty minutes in 102 games played
Season Outlook: Kaip has the ability to score timely goals, and adds a physical presence up front. Not one to deliver a fiery speech in the locker room, look for Kaip to lead by example on the ice.
News and Notes: Has seven points (5g, 2a) in 15 career postseason contests. It took Kaip 60 games to notch his first career goal at UND, and less than twenty minutes to notch his second, as UND upended the Wisconsin Badgers 4-3 in the 2006 Final Five semifinal game. In the 2007 postseason, Kaip scored game-winning goals against Minnesota State University-Mankato in the first round of the WCHA playoffs and against Michigan in the semifinal round of the NCAA West Regional. Missed the second half of the 2004-05 season with post-concussion syndrome. Was an assistant captain for the Sioux last season. Rylan has been described as “like Rory McMahon with a touch of Mike Prpich”.
#1 Jean-Philippe Lamoureux
Position: Goaltender
Height/Weight: 5′-8″ 152 lbs.
Born: August 12, 1984
Hometown: Grand Forks, North Dakota
Previous team: Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Awards and Honors: 2003-2004 USHL Goaltender of the Year, 2004-2005 WCHA All-Rookie Team, 2007 WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team, 2007 NCAA West Regional All-Tournament Team
Draft rights: Undrafted
UND Statistics by Season:
18 games played, 7-8-2 record, 2.19 goals against average, .914 save percentage (2004-05)
14 games played, 5-7-0 record, 2.61 goals against average, .911 save percentage (2005-06)
37 games played, 21-12-4 record, 2.42 goals against average, .913 save percentage (2006-07)
UND Career Totals:
69 games played, 33-27-6 record, 2.39 goals against average, .913 save percentage, 4 career shutouts
Season Outlook: Lamoureux will be the go-to guy between the pipes this season, as the other two goaltenders on the roster, sophomore Anthony Greico (8 games played) and junior Aaron Walski (2 games played), are relatively untested. If Jean-Philippe can post similar numbers to his first three seasons, the Fighting Sioux will contend for the conference title and an eighth national championship.
News and Notes: Started the last 25 games of 2006-07, posting a 17-4-4 record with a 2.20 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. Wore number 34 for his first two seasons before switching to number 1 last year. Had an 11 game unbeaten streak (8-0-3) last season. Career goals against average (2.39) and save percentage (.913) both rank third all-time among UND goaltenders. His father, Jean-Pierre Lamoureux, played for UND from 1979-1982.
#26 Kyle Radke
Position: Defense/Forward
Height/Weight: 6′-0″ 212 lbs.
Born: May 13, 1985
Hometown: Bashaw, Alberta
Previous team: Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL)
Awards and Honors: 2003-2004 AJHL Defenseman of the Year
Draft rights: Undrafted
UND Statistics by Season:
1 goal, 2 assists; 16 penalty minutes in 25 games played (2004-05)
3 goals, 12 assists; 100 penalty minutes in 44 games played (2005-06)
2 goals, 3 assists; 109 penalty minutes in 41 games played (2006-07)
UND Career Totals:
6 goals, 17 assists for 23 points; 215 penalty minutes in 110 games played
Season Outlook: Radke’s toughness and versatility will translate into 40 or more games played for the third season in a row. With five other returning defenseman (and incoming recruits Derrick LaPoint and Jake Marto), he is expected to play primarily at forward for this year’s Fighting Sioux. His point totals will look more like his sophomore season (15 points) than his junior campaign (5 points).
News and Notes: His 110 games played is the most among returning UND players, and he is the only Sioux player to suit up in the last three Frozen Fours. In 2006-2007, Radke played forward for UND’s last 21 contests after playing 19 of his first 20 games on defense. After ranking third on the Fighting Sioux team with 100 penalty minutes in 2005-2006, he led the Sioux in both penalties (49) and penalty minutes (109) last season. The only Sioux players to come from Bashaw, Alberta are Kyle Radke and Brad Berry (who played defense for UND from 1983-86 and was an assistant and associate coach at North Dakota from 2000-06).
This is the first in a four-part series. Check back later for news and notes on UND’s other three classes. I encourage you to check out my WCHA 2007-2008 season preview. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.