Month: March 2008

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.

Both teams come into this series with plenty on the line. The Huskies (17-14-3, 12-12-2 WCHA) are currently tied for fifth place in the league standings with MSU-Mankato. SCSU and MSU-M have collected 26 points in WCHA action, and both of those schools hope to leapfrog idle Wisconsin, which finished up with a conference record of 11-12-5 (27 points). The Mavericks host Michigan Tech on Friday and Saturday.

North Dakota (23-8-2, 18-7-1 WCHA) is the hottest team in the country, owning a 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1). During that stretch, the Sioux have allowed a total of 19 goals. UND’s winning ways have them right back in the MacNaughton Cup race with Colorado College, two points behind with two games remaining for each team. CC will play a home-and-home series with Denver University this weekend. For more on the MacNaughton Cup’s travel plans for the weekend, click here.

There are a number of players performing at an incredibly high level for each team. Sioux senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (22-8-2) comes into this weekend’s action with the nation’s best goals-against average (1.68). Lamoureux, who has twice been named the league’s defensive player of the week, is second nationally in save percentage (.934) and shutouts (5). Juniors T.J. Oshie (14-21-35) and Ryan Duncan (13-20-33) continue to pace the Sioux offensively, while Chris VandeVelde (14-14-28) and Andrew Kozek (15-3-18) are having breakout seasons. North Dakota is also getting solid contributions from the blue line, as their top four defenseman (Robbie Bina 2-21-23, Chay Genoway 6-16-22, Taylor Chorney 2-18-20, and Joe Finley 4-9-13) have all reached double digits in points. Genoway was injured in early in Sunday’s game at Minnesota-Duluth and did not return. He is questionable for this weekend’s series.

For the Huskies, their top three scorers (Ryan Lasch, Garrett Roe, and Andreas Nodl) are all among the top ten national scoring leaders. No other WCHA player is in the top 15. Sophomore Ryan Lasch (22-24-46) is tied for second in the nation in scoring, and is leading the WCHA with 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in league play. Freshman Garrett Roe (18-22-40) and sophomore Andreas Nodl (17-23-40) are tied for tenth among all Division I players. Surprisingly, Roe also leads all Huskies with 57 penalty minutes. Sophomore Jase Weslosky (14-11-0, 2.20 GAA, .920 SV, 2 SO) has been solid for St. Cloud State, and the Huskies are receiving some production from their blueliners. Senior defenseman Aaron Brocklehurst (3-14-17) and sophomore defenseman Garrett Raboin (1-14-15) have performed particularly well offensively.

The problem St. Cloud has had this season has been in close games. The Huskies are 4-8 in one-goal games and 0-1-3 in overtime contests. So despite outscoring opponents 105-83 for the season (an average of 3.09 goals for and 2.44 goals against/game), SCSU has an overall record of 17-14-3. North Dakota, by contrast, is 5-3 in one-goal games and 2-0-1 when going to overtime. UND is outscoring opponents 104-59 this season (3.15 goals for and 1.79 goals against), and has a sparkling record of 23-8-2.

Specialty teams will be key for this weekend’s games. UND comes in as the second-most penalized team in the country (20.76 penalty minutes/game), while SCSU has collected only 11.38 penalty minutes per game. Further complicating matters for North Dakota is that the Huskies are converting almost 23% of their power play opportunities (4th nationally), while the Fighting Sioux are hovering at right around 18% (17th). Or put more simply, SCSU has scored 38% of its goals with the man advantage; UND, only 27%. Lasch, Nodl, and Roe have scored 31 of St. Cloud’s 40 power play goals. Both teams are very effective at killing penalties. UND has negated 134 of 150 man-advantage opportunities (89.3%-4th nationally); SCSU, 108 of 123 (87.8%-8th)

The UND/SCSU Challenge Cup will be on the line this weekend as the two teams complete their four-game season series. The teams split a pair of games in St. Cloud earlier this season. Incidentally, St. Cloud is the last team to have beaten UND, coming from behind to take Friday’s series opener, 3-2. North Dakota won Saturday’s finale 6-2, chasing goaltender Dan Dunn after scoring three goals in the first period. St. Cloud’s comeback victory on Friday night was UND’s only loss in 2008.

St. Cloud State Team Profile
National Rankings: #11/#11
Head Coach: Bob Motzko (3rd season at SCSU, 61-41-14, .586)
This Season: 17-14-3 Overall, 12-12-2 WCHA (t-5th)
Special Teams: Power Play 22.6% (40 of 177), Penalty Kill 87.8% (108 of 123)
Last Season: 22-11-7 Overall (NCAA East Regional Semifinalist), 14-7-7 WCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Sophomore F Ryan Lasch (22-24-46), Freshman F Garrett Roe (18-22-40), Sophomore F Andreas Nodl (17-23-40), Senior F Nate Dey (10-10-20), Senior D Aaron Brocklehurst (3-14-17), Sophomore G Jase Weslosky (14-11-0, 2.20 GAA, .920 SV, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #1/#1
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 101-53-13, .644)
This Season: 23-8-2 Overall, 18-7-1 WCHA (2nd)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 18.3% (28 of 153), Penalty Kill 89.3% (134 of 150)
Last Season: 24-14-5 Overall (Frozen Four Semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F T.J. Oshie (14-21-35), Junior F Ryan Duncan (13-20-33), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (14-14-28), Junior F Andrew Kozek (15-3-18), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-21-23), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-18-20), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (22-8-2, 1.68 GAA, .934 SV, 5 SO)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: January 5, 2008. North Dakota scored three goals in each of the first two periods and cruised to a 6-2 victory to gain a split of the weekend series. St. Cloud came from behind to win Friday’s opener, 3-2.
Last Meeting in Grand Forks: November 4, 2006. The teams skated to a 2-2 tie after North Dakota won Friday’s game, 3-1. SCSU’s Bobby Goepfert and UND’s Anthony Greico held the teams scoreless over the final 34:36 of the contest, combining to make 32 saves in the third period and overtime.
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, 47-26-8 (.630), and holds a record of 24-11-3 (.671) in games played in Grand Forks

Game News and Notes
St. Cloud State is 7-7-0 on the road; North Dakota is 13-4-0 at home. UND has swept its last four series at Ralph Engelstad Arena (Michigan Tech, Alaska-Anchorage, Denver, and Bemidji State). SCSU forward Ryan Lasch leads teammate Andreas Nodl and Colorado College forward Chad Rau by two points in the race for the league scoring title. Sioux forward T.J. Oshie is three points back. UND’s 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1) is one shy of the school record. Depending on the outcome of this series, UND can finish 1st or 2nd in the WCHA, while St. Cloud can finish anywhere from 4th to 7th. A tentative WCHA schedule has St. Cloud traveling to Ralph Engelstad Arena on December 12th-13th, 2008 and UND heading to the National Hockey Center on January 30th-31st, 2009.

The Prediction
If the Huskies are going to get any points at all, it will be Friday. Senior Night (Saturday) will belong to UND, as North Dakota’s four seniors (Lamoureux, Bina, Rylan Kaip, and Kyle Radke) will close out the conference season on top. 2-2 tie, UND 3-1.

For more on UND’s senior class, click here.

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, I would like to invite you to the UND/SCSU pre-game social on Saturday afternoon from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Southgate Grill and Bar. This event is free and open to all fans 21 and older.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestons. For reaction to Friday’s game, click here. Check back after Saturday’s game for more reaction, analysis, and commentary.

Jean-Philippe Lamoureux demonstrated yet again why he is among the front-runners for the Hobey Baker award, stopping 50 of 51 shots in the two-game series.  The senior netminder now leads the nation in goals-against average (1.68) and is second nationally in save percentage (.934) and shutouts (5) while playing the most difficult schedule in all of Division I.

Lamoureux was named the WCHA defensive player of the week for his efforts against Minnesota-Duluth, the second time he has achieved that honor this season. He is in a tight race with Colorado College freshman goaltender Richard Bachman for the league’s goaltending title. With two games to play, Bachman’s goals-against average in WCHA play is 1.7434, while Lamoureux’s is 1.7729.

On Saturday afternoon, UND scored late in the first and second periods to down the Bulldogs 2-0. North Dakota junior forward T.J. Oshie tipped defenseman Chay Genoway’s blast past an unsuspecting Alex Stalock with 45 seconds to go in the first period, and sophomore winger Chris VandeVelde scored even later in the second, taking a goal-mouth feed from Oshie and walking around Stalock for a power-play tally with only 23 ticks left on the clock.

UND finished 1 for 6 with the man-advantage in the opener, while UMD ended 0 for 4.

Two other noteworthy items from Saturday’s opener:

North Dakota freshman forward Evan Trupp left the game with a leg injury and did not return. Trupp has 8 goals and 5 assists this season.

UND head coach collected his 100th career victory, joining only Dean Blais, John “Gino” Gasparini, and Rube Bjorkman in that exclusive club. Of those four, only Hakstol and Blais amassed 100 wins in less than four seasons.

Sunday’s contest was much the same: a very physical game, with both teams having trouble creating offensive opportunities. Lamoureux was twice helped out by the pipes behind him, but Duluth finally broke the scoreless tie with under nine minutes to go. MacGregor Sharp ended Duluth’s 232 minute scoreless streak (yes, that’s almost four full games without a goal) and the ‘dogs led, 1-0. But UND junior winger Andrew Kozek, who has elevated his play since his ascent to the top line with Oshie and Ryan Duncan, capitalized on a defensive turnover, burying his wrist shot just 100 seconds later and knotting the game at 1-1.

The Sioux carried the play in the overtime, needing less than a minute to deliver the game-winner. Chris VandeVelde knocked a loose puck home before Alex Stalock could cover up with his glove, and UND had completed the road sweep. North Dakota now holds a stellar 10-4-2 road record this season to complement a home mark of 13-4-0.

North Dakota (23-8-2, 18-7-1 WCHA) is now unbeaten in its last 15 games (14-0-1) since a January 4th setback at St. Cloud State. Remarkably, UND has allowed 1 or zero goals 12 times in that stretch, giving up only 19 goals total in the fifteen games. The Sioux host St. Cloud State (17-14-3, 12-12-2 WCHA) next weekend in the final conference series for both teams.

UND finished 0 for 6 on the power play in Sunday’s finale; the Bulldogs were 0 for 4.

For the second consecutive night, North Dakota lost a player to injury. This time it was sophomore defenseman Chay Genoway, who went into the boards hard after being checked from behind by Duluth’s Michael Gergen just 71 seconds into the hockey game. Genoway, one of the team’s most important players, has season totals of 6 goals and 16 assists. Both he and Evan Trupp will be evaluated more fully this week and will be unavailable for this weekend’s series with the Huskies.

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

Please join us for the UND/SCSU pre-game social, an annual event which provides an opportunity for fans of the University of North Dakota and St. Cloud State University to gather, celebrate the great sport of hockey, and award the UND/SCSU Challenge Cup, a traveling trophy which is presented to the team which collects more points in the four regular-season games between the schools.

This event, held on Saturday, March 8th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Southgate Grill and Bar in Grand Forks, is free and open to the public. SiouxSports.com is the title sponsor for the event in Grand Forks, while the Center Ice Club (the official hockey booster organization for the St. Cloud State University Huskies) hosts the social in St. Cloud every year.

Fans of both teams enjoy the camaraderie at these social events and regularly comment that the connection between the two fan bases is among the best in college hockey.

Other businesses which have donated prizes to this event include:

American Federal Bank
AZSioux.com
Barnes and Noble/UND Bookstore
Barry’s Collector’s Corner
Domino’s Pizza
Happy Joe’s Pizza
McPherson’s Jewelry
Nature’s Country Store
Ralph Engelstad Arena
Southgate Grill and Bar
Vaaler Insurance

Please consider joining us for this event. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

In my 2007-2008 WCHA Midseason Report, I lamented the fact that “as in recent seasons, (North Dakota’s) disappointing first half has all but dashed any hopes of hoisting the MacNaughton Cup.”

What a difference a second-half surge makes.

At the time of the article, UND had a conference record of 9-7-0. Colorado College sat at 15-3-0, and Denver was second at 12-4-0.

Fast forward to the last weekend of the regular season, and the records are now:

Colorado College..19-6-1 (39 points)
North Dakota……….18-7-1 (37 points)
Denver………………….16-9-1 (33 points)

In other words, while North Dakota has gone 9-0-1 in the WCHA, Colorado College (4-3-1) and Denver (4-5-1) have collected just four victories each.

I also wrote in that same report that “(Denver’s) home and home series against Colorado College on the last week of the regular season may well decide the conference race.”

Truer words were never spoken. I didn’t know at the time, however, that I’d be talking about the race between Colorado College and North Dakota.

So the league is in an interesting situation. Where does the MacNaughton Cup go? My guess is that the Cup will be in Denver for Friday’s matchup between CC and DU, as a Tigers victory would clinch a share of the league title. Colorado College would also clinch a share with a North Dakota loss on Friday night. UND is hosting a two-game series against St. Cloud State this weekend.

If CC loses and UND wins, we have a problem. Both schools would have 39 points in league play with one game remaining. What would the WCHA do?

I spoke with Doug Spencer, Associate Commissioner for Public Relations in the league office, and he told me he was “99% sure that the MacNaughton Cup is in Colorado”. This stands to reason, because Colorado College had a sizeable lead heading into last weekend’s games. Doug also told me that Bruce McLeod certainly has a handle on all of the various scenarios, and that he (Doug) would let me know more of those details (including whether the league has been in conversation with the University of North Dakota) later on this week.

Teams which have shared the MacNaughton Cup in the past have staggered their trophy presentations over two weekends, with one school hoisting the Cup during the last weekend of the regular season and the other school waiting until the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Jim Dahl has a great overview of the WCHA possibilities, including each team’s remaining games and how they will affect the race.

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