January 2020 – Sioux Sports Talk

Weekend Preview: North Dakota vs. Colorado College

After winning just twenty total games over his first three seasons behind the CC bench, head coach Mike Haviland won fifteen games (15-17-5) during the 2017-18 campaign and took Denver to three games in the first round of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs (2-0 W, 2-3 L, 1-6 L).

Last season, Colorado College registered its most wins under Mike Haviland (17) and most since joining the NCHC. CC went 9-12-3-0 and finished 6th in the league.

The feeling among the Tiger faithful has always been that new blood behind the bench would eventually translate into new life on the ice, and CC fans are finally being rewarded for their patience. Colorado College is averaging well over three goals per game since the beginning of the 2017-18 season after averaging just a shade over two goals per contest (215 goals in 107 games) in Haviland’s first three campaigns.

It is abundantly clear that the NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past five seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 280-136-51 (.654) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent nine teams to the Frozen Four (UND and Omaha in 2015, UND and Denver in 2016, Denver and Duluth in 2017, Duluth in 2018, and Denver and Duluth in 2019) over that five-year stretch. Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won the last four national titles.

Despite being picked to finish fourth in the NCHC standings this season, UND has fared remarkably well in conference play, with a record of 10-2-2-2 over its first fourteen league games:

November 8-9 vs. Miami: 7-1 win, 5-4 win
November 15-16 at #2 Denver: 1-1 tie (3×3 win), 4-1 win
November 22-23 vs. St. Cloud State: 4-2 win, 2-1 win (OT)
December 6-7 at #17 Western Michigan: 1-0 win (OT), 8-2 win
January 10-11 vs. Omaha: 3-6 loss, 4-1 win
January 17-18: at Miami: 4-4 tie (shootout win), 5-3 win
January 24-25: at Minnesota Duluth: 4-7 loss, 3-2 win

The Fighting Hawks will only face one currently-ranked opponent during the rest of the regular season:

Jan. 31-Feb. 1: vs. Colorado College (39th in the Pairwise)
February 7-8: No games scheduled
February 14-15: vs. #4 Denver (4th in the Pairwise)
February 21-22: at St. Cloud State (35th in the Pairwise)
February 28-29: vs. Western Michigan (22nd in the Pairwise)
March 6-7: at Nebraska Omaha (24th in the Pairwise)

The last two seasons have been far from milestone campaigns for Brad Berry’s squad, as his teams sputtered to records of 17-13-10 (.550) and 18-17-2 (.514). To put that in perspective, those two teams combined for 35 victories over two seasons, just one more than the 2015-16 team (34-6-4) collected in one season on their way to the program’s eighth national title. Prior to the 2017-2018 season, North Dakota had made fifteen consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, the second-longest streak of all time (Michigan appeared in 22 straight NCAA tourneys from 1991 to 2012). Denver now boasts the nation’s longest active streak with twelve consecutive tourney bids (2008-2019).

Here’s a look at the non-conference records under fifth-year head coach Brad Berry:

2015-2016: 9-1-2 (.833) ~ National Champions
2016-2017: 7-2-2 (.727) ~ NCAA West Regional Semifinalist
2017-2018: 6-2-4 (.677) ~ missed NCAA tournament
2018-2019: 6-4-1 (.591) ~ missed NCAA tournament
2019-2020: 9-1-1 (.864)

For UND, the goal is simple: return to national prominence after a two-year absence from the national tournament. Optimism and upside have turned into results for North Dakota, with plenty of new faces (Shane Pinto, Westin Michaud, Harrison Blaisdell, and Ethan Frisch) adding to an already-impressive lineup.

Michaud is not a new face to college hockey or to UND fans. The graduate student transferred to North Dakota after playing three undergraduate seasons in Colorado Springs.

So far this season, several returning players have seen a noticeable uptick in their production and in their overall play on the ice, most notably junior forward Collin Adams (7-14-21), senior forward Cole Smith (9-6-15), senior forward Dixon Bowen (6-2-8), and junior defenseman Matt Kiersted (4-19-23). Those four players have combined for 67 points in 98 games played (0.68 points/game) after amassing 95 points in 324 games played (0.29 points/game) prior to this year.

It is abundantly clear that North Dakota will have the puck a lot this season, and the numbers bear that out. Through 25 games, the Fighting Hawks lead the nation in shots on goal allowed/game (21.3) and are first in two key puck possession statistics:

Corsi (% of shots taken vs. opponent): 59.6%
Fenwick (% of unblocked shots taken vs. opponent): 59.6%

By comparison, the Tigers are 41st in Corsi (47.4%) and 47th in Fenwick (54.9%), averaging 31.0 shots on goal per game (North Dakota is also averaging 31.0/game) while allowing 35.7 shots on goal against/contest.

Last season, UND trailed only national champion Duluth in both puck possession categories across all Division I teams but could not finish enough of their chances. This year, fans of the Green and White should have already noticed that more shots are going in the net. North Dakota is scoring on a staggering 13.4 percent of their shots on goal, good for the best mark in the country. Last season, UND lit the lamp on only 7.8 percent of their shots on goal (52nd in the nation). Colorado College boasts a shooting percentage of 9.1 percent (32nd of 60 teams).

Here’s another way to highlight North Dakota’s scoring prowess: UND has scored five or more goals in nine of its 25 games this season; in 2018-19, the Fighting Hawks had five such games all year.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are now sitting at 52.9 percent on the season (10th) after leading the nation at 57.1 percent a year ago. The Tigers are dead last in the country with a faceoff win rate of just 41.0 percent.

After sputtering on the power play to open the season with just two power play goals on their first 25 attempts (8.0 percent), UND has scored eighteen power play goals over its past eighteen games (18 for 75, 24.0 percent) and now faces a Tiger penalty kill that has allowed sixteen power play goals this season and is 60th of 60 teams with a penalty kill success rate of just 67.9 percent.

On the other side of the specialty teams ledger, UND had only allowed six power play goals all season long (64 of 70, 90.8%) before the past two road weekends against Miami and Duluth brought them crashing down to earth. The RedHawks scored four power play goals on ten opportunities in their series, and the Bulldogs scored two goals in eight man advantage situations to drop North Dakota’s season-long penalty kill percentage down to 86.4% (8th best in the country).

North Dakota is 1st in the country in scoring offense (4.16 goals scored/game) and 9th in the country in scoring defense (2.16 goals allowed/game), and that leads to the country’s second-best goal differential (+50). Minnesota State (22-3-1) has put up a +58 through their first 28 games.

To put that in perspective: In 2018-2019, North Dakota outscored opponents 93-90 over 37 games (18-17-2). This season, UND (19-3-3) has throttled the opposition by a margin of 104-54 over the first 25 games of the campaign. By comparison, Colorado College has been outscored 62-81 this season for a goal differential of minus-19.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has put up this season’s stellar results while facing the fourth-toughest schedule in the country; CC’s slate of games ranks as the 18th-most difficult out of sixty men’s Division I hockey programs.

This weekend’s series will feature the heaviest team in the country (UND, an average of 194.1 pounds) and the lightest (CC, 177.5 pounds).

Colorado College Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Haviland (6th season at CC, 60-129-18, .333)

Pairwise Ranking: 39th of 60 teams
National Rankings: NR/NR

This Season: 8-13-1 overall (.386), 3-10-1-0 NCHC (8th)
Last Season: 17-20-4 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 9-12-3-0 NCHC (6th of 8 teams)

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 2.82 goals scored/game – 27th of 60 teams
Team Defense: 3.68 goals allowed/game – 57th of 60 teams
Power Play: 15.3% (15 of 98) – 47th of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 67.9% (53 of 78) – 60th of 60 teams

Key players: Senior F Chris Wilkie (17-8-25), Senior F Chris Halloran (8-14-22), Junior F Bailey Conger (4-7-11), Sophomore F Ben Copeland (3-8-11), Senior F Alex Berardinelli (3-8-11), Sophomore F Grant Cruikshank (7-3-10), Sophomore D Bryan Yoon (0-12-12), Freshman D Connor Mayer (1-6-7), Junior D Zach Berzolla (1-5-6), Senior D Kristian Blumenschein (1-4-5), Freshman G Matt Vernon (5-9-1, 3.56 GAA, .901 SV%), Senior G Ryan Ruck (3-4-0, 3.52 GAA, .900 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (North Dakota ’02, 5th season at UND; 109-55-22, .645)

Pairwise Ranking: 1st of 60 teams
National Rankings: #2/#2

This Season: 19-3-3 (.820) overall, 10-2-2-2 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 18-17-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 12-11-1-0 NCHC (5th)

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 4.16 goals scored/game – 1st of 60 teams
Team Defense: 2.16 goals allowed/game – 9th of 60 teams
Power Play: 20.0% (20 of 100) – 25th of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 86.4% (76 of 88) – 8th of 60 teams

Key Players: Junior F Jordan “#HobeyGuchi” Kawaguchi (13-24-37), Senior F Westin Michaud (12-10-22), Junior F Collin Adams (7-14-21), Sophomore F Jasper Weatherby (8-5-13), Freshman F Shane Pinto (11-9-20), Junior F Grant Mismash (7-9-16), Senior F Cole Smith (9-6-15), Sophomore D Jacob Bernard-Docker (3-13-16), Senior D Colton Poolman (2-9-11), Junior D Matt Kiersted (4-19-23), Sophomore D Jonny Tychonick (4-6-10 in 18 games played), Sophomore G Adam Scheel (17-3-2, 2.08 GAA, .903 SV%, 2 SO), Junior G Peter Thome (2-0-1, 1.89 GAA, .895 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 2, 2019 (Colorado Springs, CO). North Dakota built a 2-0 lead in the first period (Cole Smith, Matt Kiersted) and made it hold up in a 2-1 road victory. The Fighting Hawks outshot the Tigers 36-25. CC won Friday’s opener 3-1, with Westin Michaud assisting on the game winner. All four Friday goals were scored in the third period.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: January 12, 2019. North Dakota squandered a two-goal lead before sophomore forward Jordan Kawaguchi netted the game-winner in the opening minute of overtime for a 3-2 victory and a sweep of the weekend series. UND also needed overtime on Friday night, with Ludvig Hoff scoring late in the extra session for a 4-3 win.

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, 160-84-11 (.649), with a remarkable record of 103-22-7 (.807) in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota has six wins in the last ten meetings between the teams, outscoring CC 29-26 over that span. UND had gone unbeaten in 14 straight (13-0-1) against the Tigers until four of the last five series between the schools ended in splits. The only Fighting Hawks sweep in the last ten was the aforementioned January 2019 series at the Ralph which required two overtime winners to accomplish.

Game News and Notes

These two coaching staffs coached against each other at the AHL and NHL levels prior to the NCHC. CC has won two national titles (1950, 1957). Since 1957, the Tigers have appeared in the NCAA tournament thirteen times (most recently in 2011) and advanced to three Frozen Fours (1996, 1997, 2005). UND graduate transfer Westin Michaud collected 29 goals and 62 points in his three seasons at Colorado College. CC senior forward Chris Wilkie is the nation’s second-best goal scorer with 17 goals in 22 games. The Tigers have been outscored 32-17 in third periods this season.

Media Coverage

This weekend’s games will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). The flagship station for the network is 96.1 FM (The Fox). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com.

The Prediction

North Dakota needs two victories this weekend to stay at #1 in the Pairwise, and that should be the goal moving forward, as the Fighting Hawks have much greater success when they have last line change and can put the Hain-Senden-Smith line against the opponent’s best forwards. Mike Haviland has split up Chris Wilkie and Chris Halloran to balance out the scoring, but it won’t matter enough in this series. Look for Peter Thome to start Friday night, with Adam Scheel on Saturday in an effort to get him untracked. Saturday’s game will be closer, but North Dakota will do enough to get the sweep. UND 5-2, 4-3 (OT).

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!

Weekend Preview: UND at Minnesota Duluth

March 17th, 2018. Xcel Energy Center. St. Paul, Minnesota. North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth square off in the third-place game of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff with NCAA tournament hopes hanging in the balance. UND defeats the Bulldogs 4-1, and both teams are left to play the waiting game.

According to twincities.com:

After losing to the Fighting Hawks, UMD needed a win by either Clarkson or Providence to clinch an NCAA tournament berth. Both teams lost, leaving just one obscure scenario remaining for Duluth to continue playing.

Notre Dame’s overtime goal against Ohio State just before 10:00 p.m. (on St. Patrick’s Day) was the exclamation point on that scenario, forcing a tie between the Bulldogs and Minnesota for 12th in the Pairwise rankings — the formula used to select at-large teams and seed the 16-team field.

Notre Dame’s win gave the Bulldogs the tiebreaker for 12th in the Pairwise as UMD’s Ratings Percentage Index — a part of the Pairwise formula — was one ten-thousandth of a point (.0001) higher than the Gophers.

Typically, finishing 13th or 14th in the Pairwise gets a team into the tournament, but not that season, as No. 13 Minnesota and No. 14 North Dakota learned. Because four teams — Air Force (Atlantic Hockey), Michigan Tech (WCHA), Boston University (Hockey East) and Princeton (ECAC) — instead of the usual one or two from outside the bubble won their conference tournament for an automatic bid, that meant No. 12 was the cutoff for at-large teams.

With that unfortunate news, North Dakota saw its streak of fifteen consecutive NCAA tournament appearances come to an end, while Duluth took advantage of its program-record fourth straight tourney bid, winning four consecutive one-goal games to claim the program’s second national title:

Minnesota Duluth 3, Minnesota State 2 (OT)
Minnesota Duluth 2, Air Force 1
Minnesota Duluth 2, Ohio State 1
Minnesota Duluth 2, Notre Dame 1

Before UND’s victory at the 2018 NCHC Frozen Faceoff, Scott Sandelin’s crew had won eight consecutive games against the Green and White. That losing streak for North Dakota was the longest against one team since Wisconsin won nine in a row from 1987-89.

After winning its second consecutive national title (and third in team history) in 2019, the Bulldogs were picked to finish first in the NCHC and capture the program’s first-ever Penrose Cup this year. Things looked to be on schedule for UMD, as they took a 7-1-2 record into St. Cloud last weekend. The Huskies earned a home sweep over Duluth (2-1, 2-0) to send the Bulldogs home reeling. North Dakota, which held a three-point lead over Scott Sandelin’s crew before last week’s games, took five of six points at Miami to extend its lead to eight points over Duluth and nine points over Denver (which tied Omaha twice last weekend, picking up four of six league points).

Despite being picked to finish fourth in the NCHC standings this season, UND has fared remarkably well in conference play, with a record of 9-1-2-2 over its first twelve league games:

After this weekend’s action, the Fighting Hawks will only face one currently-ranked opponent the rest of the regular season:

January 24-25: at #11 Minnesota-Duluth (12th in the Pairwise)
Jan. 31-Feb. 1: vs. Colorado College (37th in the Pairwise)
February 7-8: No games scheduled
February 14-15: vs. #5 Denver (t-4th in the Pairwise)
February 21-22: at St. Cloud State (34th in the Pairwise)
February 28-29: vs. Western Michigan (26th in the Pairwise)
March 6-7: at Nebraska Omaha (28th in the Pairwise)

Here’s a look at the non-conference records under fifth-year head coach Brad Berry:

So far this season, several returning players have seen a noticeable uptick in their production and in their overall play on the ice, most notably junior forward Collin Adams (7-14-21), senior forward Cole Smith (9-5-14), senior forward Dixon Bowen (6-2-8), and junior defenseman Matt Kiersted (2-17-19). Those four players have combined for 62 points in 91 games played (0.68 points/game) after amassing 95 points in 324 games played (0.29 points/game) prior to this year.

It is abundantly clear that North Dakota will have the puck a lot this season, and the numbers bear that out. Through 23 games, the Fighting Hawks lead the nation in shots on goal allowed/game (20.4) and are first in two key puck possession statistics:

Corsi (% of shots taken vs. opponent): 60.6%
Fenwick (% of unblocked shots taken vs. opponent): 60.8%

By comparison, the Bulldogs are 9th in both Corsi (55.2%) and Fenwick (54.9%), averaging 32.7 shots on goal per game (North Dakota is averaging 31.2/game) while allowing 25.7 shots on goal against/contest.

Last season, UND trailed only national champion Duluth in both puck possession categories across all Division I teams but could not finish enough of their chances. This year, fans of the Green and White should have already noticed that more shots are going in the net. North Dakota is scoring on a staggering 13.5 percent of their shots on goal, good for the best mark in the country. Last season, UND lit the lamp on only 7.8 percent of their shots on goal (52nd in the nation). Minnesota Duluth’s shooting percentage is 9.2 percent (28th of 60 teams).

Here’s another way to highlight North Dakota’s scoring prowess: UND has scored five or more goals in nine of its 23 games this season; in 2018-19, the Fighting Hawks had five such games all year.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are now sitting at 53.4 percent on the season (6th) after leading the nation at 57.1 percent a year ago. The Bulldogs are 4th in the country with a faceoff win rate of 54.9 percent.

After sputtering on the power play to open the season with just two power play goals on their first 25 attempts (8.0 percent), UND has scored sixteen power play goals over its past sixteen games (16 for 66, 24.2 percent) and now faces a Bulldog penalty kill that has allowed sixteen power play goals this season (71 of 87, 81.6%). UMD has already scored four shorthanded goals this season, two off of the national lead.

On the other side of the specialty teams ledger, UND had only allowed six power play goals all season long (64 of 70, 90.8%) before heading to Miami last weekend. The RedHawks scored four power play goals on ten opportunities in the series to drop North Dakota’s season-long penalty kill percentage down to 87.5% (8th best in the country).

Two Duluth players are one game misconduct away from an automatic suspension – junior defenseman Scott Perunovich (3-22-25, 60 penalty minutes) and sophomore forward Tanner Laderoute (5-4-9, 38 penalty minutes). Two other Bulldogs – sophomore forward Jesse Jacques (0-1-1, 17 penalty minutes) and sophomore defenseman Hunter Lellig (0-1-1, 17 penalty minutes in four games played) – and two North Dakota players – Cole Smith (9-5-14, 27 penalty minutes) and Shane Pinto (11-7-18, 25 penalty minutes) – have one misconduct each. Head coach Scott Sandelin has been without Hunter Lellig since October.

UMD has been penalized an average of 13.2 minutes per game. North Dakota clocks in at 9.3 penalty minutes per game. Duluth has had 89 power plays and 87 penalty kills this season; UND has had 91 power plays and 80 penalty kills. Last season’s series in Duluth resulted in 119 penalty minutes.

North Dakota is 1st in the country in scoring offense (4.22 goals scored/game) and 4th in the country in scoring defense (1.96 goals allowed/game), and that leads to the country’s second-best goal differential (+52). Minnesota State (22-3-1) has put up a +59 through their first 26 games.

To put that in perspective: In 2018-2019, North Dakota outscored opponents 93-90 over 37 games (18-17-2). This season, UND (18-2-3) has throttled the opposition by a margin of 97-45 over the first 23 games of the campaign. By comparison, Minnesota Duluth has outscored opponents 66-53 this season for a goal differential of plus-13.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has put up this season’s stellar results while facing the fourth-toughest schedule in the country; Duluth’s slate of games ranks as the eighth-most difficult out of sixty men’s Division I hockey programs.

Despite only three losses in NCHC play, Minnesota Duluth is in a precarious Pairwise position (currently 12th) due to a 5-5-2 mark in non-conference play. More than anything else, two October losses at Wisconsin are weighing the Bulldogs down. Wisconsin was ranked #17 at the time but has since gone into freefall, going 6-11-1 since that series (including 4-9-1-1 in the Big Ten) and dropping to 32nd in the Pairwise rankings. Despite the rivalry, UMD fans should be cheering for the Badgers the rest of the way.

Minnesota Duluth Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (20th season at UMD, 381-319-89, .539)

Pairwise Ranking: 12th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #11/#11

This Season: 12-8-2 (.591) overall, 7-3-2-0 NCHC (2nd)
Last Season: 29-11-2 (.714) overall (NCAA national champions), 14-9-1-0 NCHC (2nd)

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game – 19th of 60 teams
Team Defense: 2.41 goals allowed/game – 17th of 60 teams
Power Play: 27.0% (24 of 89) – 5th of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 81.6% (71 of 87) – 29th of 60 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Noah Cates (11-10-21), Sophomore F Cole Koepke (8-11-19), Sophomore F Jackson Cates (7-11-18), Junior F Nick Swaney (7-10-17), Junior F Kobe Roth (9-5-14), Junior F Justin Richards (7-6-13), Junior D Scott Perunovich (3-22-25), Junior D Dylan Samberg (0-13-13), Senior D Nick Wolff (0-5-5), Senior G Hunter Shepard (12-8-2, 2.28 GAA, .911 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (North Dakota ’02, 5th season at UND; 108-54-22, .647)

Pairwise Ranking: 1st of 60 teams
National Rankings: #2/#2

This Season: 18-2-3 (.848) overall, 9-1-2-2 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 18-17-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 12-11-1-0 NCHC (5th)

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 4.22 goals scored/game – 1st of 60 teams
Team Defense: 1.96 goals allowed/game – 4th of 60 teams
Power Play: 19.8% (18 of 91) – 22nd of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 87.5% (70 of 80) – 8th of 60 teams

Key Players: Junior F Jordan “#HobeyGuchi” Kawaguchi (12-23-35), Senior F Westin Michaud (10-9-19), Junior F Collin Adams (7-14-21), Sophomore F Jasper Weatherby (7-3-10), Freshman F Shane Pinto (11-7-18), Junior F Grant Mismash (7-9-16), Senior F Cole Smith (9-5-14), Sophomore D Jacob Bernard-Docker (3-13-16), Senior D Colton Poolman (2-9-11), Junior D Matt Kiersted (2-17-19), Sophomore D Jonny Tychonick (3-6-9 in 17 games played), Sophomore G Adam Scheel (17-2-2, 1.85 GAA, .910 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: February 23, 2019 (Grand Forks, ND). Two 5-on-3 power play goals proved to be the difference for the visiting Bulldogs, as they defeated the homestanding Fighting Hawks 3-2. North Dakota’s Gavin Hain scored with just a tick over two minutes remaining in the contest to draw his team within one, but the equalizer was not to be found. On Friday night, UND scored three of the four first period goals and added a Cole Smith empty netter for a 4-1 victory.

Last Meeting in Duluth: December 1, 2018. North Dakota got two goals in the first five minutes of the hockey game (Jordan Kawaguchi, Grant Mismash) and made that hold up in a 2-1 victory. UND netminder Adam Scheel made 28 of 29 saves. Duluth won Friday’s opener 5-0 behind two goals from Kobe Roth and a 22-save shutout performance by Hunter Shepard. Scheel came on in relief of UND starter Peter Thome (18 saves on 23 shots) and stopped all seven shots he faced in 26 minutes of action. There were 119 minutes of penalties assessed in the weekend series.

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.

The Meeting That Never Was: Both teams advanced to the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four at Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, Minnesota). UND could not get past Michigan, falling 2-0 despite outshooting the Wolverines 40-20. In the other national semifinal, Minnesota-Duluth defeated Notre Dame 4-3 and rode that momentum to the title game. The Bulldogs took the Wolverines to overtime before senior forward Kyle Schmidt scored the game winner and earned UMD their first national championship. North Dakota won two of the three games against Duluth that season, outscoring Scott Sandelin’s team 11-5.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 147-85-10 (.628), including a 60-44-5 (.573) mark in games played in Duluth. The teams first met in 1954, with North Dakota winning the first ten games between the schools by a combined score of 72-16. UMD’s first win over the Fighting Sioux (a 3-2 road victory on December 18th, 1959) did not sit well with the defending national champions. UND defeated Duluth 13-2 the following night.

Last Ten: Duluth is 7-3-0 (.700) in the last ten games between the teams, outscoring the Hawks 34-23 over that stretch. Six of the past ten contests have taken place in the state of Minnesota, with the Bulldogs winning four times.

Game News and Notes

Duluth senior forward Jade Miller (Minto, ND) is the only North Dakotan on the Bulldog roster (15 from Minnesota, two each from Alberta and Ontario, and one each from California, Iowa, Montana, Ohio and Saskatchewan). Both head coaches this weekend are alumni of the University of North Dakota; Brad Berry (1983-86) and Scott Sandelin (1982-86) both played for UND under John “Gino” Gasparini. In 2015, Boston University defeated both Minnesota-Duluth (3-2) and North Dakota (5-3) in the NCAA tournament on their way to the championship game. The Terriers fell 4-3 to the Providence Friars, one win short of a national title. Through twelve league games, North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth boast seven of the top ten scorers in the NCHC. Duluth junior defenseman Scott Perunovich has scored 16 of his 25 points on the power play. This is the only scheduled matchup between the Fighting Hawks and Bulldogs this season.

Media Coverage

Friday’s opener will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Saturday’s rematch will be available on Midco Sports Network and streamed live in high definition via NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com

The Prediction

I can’t see North Dakota taking any more than three points from this series. Both of these teams are used to having the puck and dictating play, and I predict that frustration will mount throughout the series. If one of these games gets out of hand from a penalty perspective, I give the edge in the specialty teams battle to Duluth, particularly on the power play. The Bulldogs are looking to atone for last weekend’s results and also have the goaltending advantage and last line change. If Brad Berry’s crew gives up early leads again this weekend, it could be a sweep for the home team and a very interesting race for the Penrose Cup. As it is, I’ve got the Fighting Hawks scoring enough in the series to take one victory back to Grand Forks. UMD 3-2, UND 4-2.

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!

Weekend Preview: UND at Miami

Over the first six seasons of the NCHC, Miami has averaged a sixth-place finish (8th, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 7th), with a combined league record of 39-70-11-8 (.378).

When the National Collegiate Hockey Conference was formed, Miami appeared positioned to be a dominant program. Prior to the 2013-14 season (their inaugural campaign in the NCHC), the RedHawks had made eight consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, with consecutive Frozen Four bids in 2009 (2nd) and 2010 (3rd). Since joining the NCHC, Miami has just one NCAA tournament appearance (2015), and that ended quickly with a first-round loss to eventual national champion Providence.

For comparison, North Dakota has finished 2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 4th, and 5th in the first six seasons of the new league, for an average finish of 3rd place.

Long-tenured head coach Enrico Blasi was fired during the offseason after posting a fourth consecutive losing season. Over that stretch of time, the RedHawks were 47-81-19 (.384). There is reason for optimism in Oxford, however, with new bench boss Chris Bergeron taking over the program after leading Bowling Green to six consecutive winning seasons, five consecutive years with twenty or more victories, and an NCAA tournament appearance in 2018-2019.

The Fighting Hawks came in at number four in the annual NCHC media preseason poll, trailing Denver, Duluth, and Western Michigan. Miami was picked to finish last in the eight-team league again this year. To this point of the season, UND is 1st in the league standings (8-1-1-1) and Miami is in 5th place (3-6-1-1), two points out of a home ice spot in the playoffs and at the same time just two points ahead of last place St. Cloud State.

Six full seasons have come and gone since the college hockey landscape changed forever. With Minnesota and Wisconsin departing the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the Big Ten after the 2012-13 season, several other conference schools and two members of the now-defunct Central Collegiate Hockey Association created the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and left Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, and Minnesota State behind in a watered-down WCHA.

The blame for UND’s absence from last season’s NCAA tourney rests squarely on the two road losses at Canisius. When North Dakota failed to make the national tournament following the 2017-2018 season, many pointed to the road series at Miami as the “games that got away”. Let’s get in the DeLorean, shall we?

Friday, February 23rd, 2018. Steve Cady Arena. Miami, Ohio. 1.21 jiggawatts…

#12 UND led the unranked RedHawks 3-0 in the second period before surrendering four unanswered goals, the last in overtime. Had the Fighting Hawks held onto the lead and won that game, it would have been invited to the NCAAs for a sixteenth consecutive season. And conversely, Minnesota Duluth, the eventual national champion, would have been watching the tourney from home.

Here’s a look at the non-conference records under fifth-year head coach Brad Berry:

UND has concluded its non-conference schedule for the season; here are North Dakota’s remaining NCHC games in the race for the Penrose Cup:

January 17-18: at Miami (43rd in the Pairwise)
January 24-25: at #8 Minnesota-Duluth (9th in the Pairwise)
Jan. 31-Feb. 1: vs. Colorado College (35th in the Pairwise)
February 7-8: No games scheduled
February 14-15: vs. #4 Denver (4th in the Pairwise)
February 21-22: at St. Cloud State (t-37th in the Pairwise)
February 28-29: vs. Western Michigan (29th in the Pairwise)
March 6-7: at Nebraska Omaha (27th in the Pairwise)

For UND, the goal is simple: return to national prominence after a two-year absence from the national tournament. There is reason for optimism in Grand Forks, with an experienced d-corps, plenty of returning grit and skill, and a crop of freshmen with a tremendous amount of upside.

So far this season, several returning players have seen a noticeable uptick in their production and in their overall play on the ice, most notably junior forward Collin Adams (7-12-19), senior forward Cole Smith (7-5-12), senior forward Dixon Bowen (6-2-8), and junior defenseman Matt Kiersted (2-12-14). Those four players have combined for 53 points in 83 games played (0.64 points/game) after amassing 95 points in 324 games played (0.29 points/game) prior to this year.

It is abundantly clear that North Dakota will have the puck a lot this season, and the numbers bear that out. Through 21 games, the Fighting Hawks lead the nation in shots on goal allowed/game (20.6) and are first in two key puck possession statistics:

Corsi (% of shots taken vs. opponent): 60.3%
Fenwick (% of unblocked shots taken vs. opponent): 60.3%

By comparison, the RedHawks are 51st in Corsi (45.3%) and 54th in Fenwick (44.5%), averaging 25.8 shots on goal per game (North Dakota is averaging 30.7/game) while allowing 32.1 shots on goal against/contest.

Last season, UND trailed only national champion Duluth in both puck possession categories across all Division I teams but could not finish enough of their chances. This year, fans of the Green and White should have already noticed that more shots are going in the net. North Dakota is scoring on a staggering 13.7 percent of their shots on goal, good for the best mark in the country. Last season, UND lit the lamp on only 7.8 percent of their shots on goal (52nd in the nation). Miami’s shooting percentage is 11.6 percent (10th of 60 teams).

Here’s another way to highlight North Dakota’s scoring prowess: UND has scored five or more goals in eight of its 21 games this season; in 2018-19, the Fighting Hawks had five such games all year.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are now sitting at 53.2 percent on the season (10th) after leading the nation at 57.1 percent a year ago. Miami is 21st in the country with a faceoff win rate of 51.2 percent. UND’s best faceoff man this season is Jasper Weatherby (57.8 percent).

After sputtering on the power play to open the season with just two power play goals on their first 25 attempts (8.0 percent), UND has scored thirteen power play goals over its past fourteen games (13 for 57, 22.8 percent) and now faces a Miami penalty kill that has allowed nineteen power play goals this season (66 of 85, 77.6%).

On the other side of the specialty teams ledger, UND has only allowed six power play goals all season long (64 of 70, 90.8%) and currently boasts the fourth-best penalty kill unit in men’s Division I hockey this season.

North Dakota is 1st in the country in scoring offense (4.19 goals scored/game) and 4th in the country in scoring defense (1.81 goals allowed/game), and that leads to the country’s second-best goal differential (+50).

To put that in perspective: In 2018-2019, North Dakota outscored opponents 93-90 over 37 games (18-17-2). This season, UND (17-2-2) has throttled the opposition by a margin of 88-38 over the first 21 games of the campaign. By comparison, Miami has been outscored 60-70 this year for a goal differential of minus-10.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has put up this season’s stellar results while facing the fourth-toughest schedule in the country; Miami’s slate of games ranks as the 24th-most difficult out of sixty men’s Division I hockey programs.

North Dakota is at the top of the league standings after stellar results (8-1-1-1) in its first ten conference games:

North Dakota head coach Brad Berry has a few lineup decisions to make this weekend with Shane Pinto ineligible to play on Friday night (league suspension), captain Colton Poolman unavailable for this weekend (upper body injury), and top defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker questionable (lower body injury). I would expect the Grant Mismash-Collin Adams-Jordan Kawaguchi and Gavin Hain-Mark Senden-Cole Smith forward lines to remain intact, with Jasper Weatherby sliding up into Pinto’s spot between Westin Michaud and Harrison Blaisdell. The fourth line will be some combination of Casey Johnson, Dixon Bowen, Jackson Keane, and Judd Caulfield (Zach Yon is also out with an injury).

On defense, Matt Kiersted will likely be paired with Bernard-Docker, with Gabe Bast, Ethan Frisch, Johnny Tychonick, and Andrew Peski comprising the other two pairs. I expect Josh Rieger to be dressed as the extra skater in the event that Bernard-Docker is unable to take a regular shift on the back end.

Miami Team Profile

Head Coach: Chris Bergeron (1st season at Miami, 6-11-3, .375)

Pairwise Ranking: 43rd of 60 teams
National Rankings: NR/NR

This Season: 6-11-3 overall, 3-6-1-1 NCHC (5th)
Last Season: 11-23-4 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 5-17-2-1 NCHC (t-7th)

Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game – 21st of 60 teams
Team Defense: 3.50 goals allowed/game – 54th of 60 teams
Power Play: 21.7% (15 of 69) – 16th of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 77.6% (66 of 85) – 49th of 60 teams

Key Players: Senior F Gordie Green (9-15-24), Senior F Karch Bachman (7-12-19), Junior F Casey Gilling (5-11-16), Freshman F John Sladic (5-5-10), Freshman F Chase Pletzke (5-6-11), Sophomore D Derek Daschke (6-10-16), Freshman D Jack Clement (4-4-8), Sophomore D Bray Crowder (0-6-6), Senior G Ryan Larkin (5-8-0, 3.72 GAA, .895 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (North Dakota ’02, 5th season at UND; 107-54-21, .646)

Pairwise Ranking: 2nd of 60 teams
National Rankings: #1 (tie)/#2

This Season: 17-2-2 (.857) overall, 8-1-1-1 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 18-17-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 12-11-1-0 NCHC (5th)

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 4.19 goals scored/game – 1st of 60 teams
Team Defense: 1.81 goals allowed/game – 4th of 60 teams
Power Play: 18.3% (15 of 82) – 29th of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 91.4% (64 of 70) – 4th of 60 teams

Key Players: Junior F Jordan “#HobeyGuchi” Kawaguchi (10-20-30), Senior F Westin Michaud (8-9-17), Junior F Collin Adams (7-12-19), Sophmore F Jasper Weatherby (7-3-10), Freshman F Shane Pinto (10-6-16), Junior F Grant Mismash (6-9-15), Senior F Cole Smith (7-5-12), Sophomore D Jacob Bernard-Docker (3-11-14), Senior D Colton Poolman (2-9-11), Junior D Matt Kiersted (2-12-14), Sophomore D Jonny Tychonick (3-6-9 in 15 games played), Sophomore G Adam Scheel (17-2-2, 1.73 GAA, .916 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers:

Last Meeting: November 9, 2019 (Grand Forks, ND). One night after throttling the visiting RedHawks 7-1, North Dakota had all they could handle in a 5-4 victory. UND scored four times in the first period for a two-goal lead and extended that margin with a Collin Adams goal in the middle frame. Miami scored the final two goals of the contest but could not get the equalizer. North Dakota outshot Miami 29-20 for the game and 57-42 for the weekend.

Last Meeting in Oxford:: November 10, 2018. It was a furious third period at Steve Cady Arena, with each team scoring two goals. The difference was that Miami’s Josh Melnick had opened the scoring with a power play marker in the opening frame and the RedHawks prevailed 3-2. North Dakota won 3-1 one night earlier in the conference opener for both teams. UND outshot Miami 68-40 on the weekend.

Most Important Meeting: March 6, 2015 (Oxford, OH). North Dakota claimed the Penrose Cup with a 2-1 road victory over Miami. UND fell flat the following night, losing 6-3 in the final game of the regular season.

Last Ten: UND has picked up six wins and two ties in the past ten contests between the teams, outscoring Miami 37-23 over that stretch of games. North Dakota has only hosted four of the past ten meetings between the schools.

All-time Series: North Dakota leads the all-time series 16-7-3 (.673), including a 5-4-1 (.550) record in games played at Steve Cady Arena. The teams first played in 1999 (Badger Showdown, Milwaukee, WI).

Game News and Notes

Matt Kiersted has one goal and six points in six career games against Miami. With five goals this weekend, North Dakota would match its goal scoring output from all of last season, and UND would equal last season’s victory total with one win. Green Hawks are preferable to RedHawks.

The Prediction

Lines and defensive pairs will be shuffled this weekend with Colton Poolman (upper-body injury; did not travel) and Shane Pinto (one-game suspension) out of the lineup. Miami has been playing better lately and will benefit from the last line change this weekend. I’ve got a hunch that North Dakota will lose a close one on Friday before storming back for an easy victory in Saturday’s rematch. Miami 4-3, UND 5-1.

Broadcast Information

Friday’s opener will be televised live nationally on CBS Sport Network Both games will also be available online at NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games, home and away, can be heard on stations across the UND Sports Home of Economy Radio Network as well as through the iHeart Radio app.

Social Media

Keep up with the action live during all UND hockey games by following @UNDmhockey and @UNDInsider on Twitter. Fans can also read the action via Brad Schlossman’s live chat on the Grand Forks Herald website.

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Omaha

After a trip to the Frozen Four in 2015, Dean Blais could only manage a mark of 35-34-6 over his final two seasons behind the Omaha bench. He was replaced by Mike Gabinet (Omaha ’04), and Gabinet finished up his rookie campaign with an eerily similar record of 17-17-2.

Maverick fans were certainly hopeful that improvement was coming this season, but Omaha sputtered out of the gate with a record of 0-6-1. Things leveled off a bit after that, with a record of 6-4-1 to close out 2018. Once the calendar year turned, however, Gabinet was only able to lead his team to three more wins (the last coming on February 8th) and a season record of 9-24-3.

UNO fans have been a bit more pleased with this season’s results, as the 2019-20 version of the Mavs has already amassed eight victories (8-9-3).

Here’s a look at the non-conference records under fifth-year head coach Brad Berry:

Last weekend’s games concluded UND’s non-conference schedule for the season; here are North Dakota’s remaining NCHC games in the race for the Penrose Cup:

January 10-11: vs. Nebraska-Omaha (34th in the Pairwise)
January 17-18: at Miami (45th in the Pairwise)
January 24-25: at #9 Minnesota-Duluth (10th in the Pairwise)
Jan. 31-Feb. 1: vs. Colorado College (28th in the Pairwise)
February 7-8: No games scheduled
February 14-15: vs. #5 Denver (4th in the Pairwise)
February 21-22: at St. Cloud State (35th in the Pairwise)
February 28-29: vs. Western Michigan (28th in the Pairwise)
March 6-7: at Nebraska Omaha (34th in the Pairwise)

So far this season, several returning players have seen a noticeable uptick in their production and in their overall play on the ice, most notably junior forward Collin Adams (6-12-18), senior forward Cole Smith (7-3-10), senior forward Dixon Bowen (6-1-7), and junior defenseman Matt Kiersted (2-12-14). Those four players have combined for 49 points in 75 games played (0.65 points/game) after amassing 95 points in 324 games played (0.29 points/game) prior to this year.

Two players to watch for Omaha are junior forward Kevin Conley and senior forward Zach Jordan. Conley (8-10-18) was a freshman on Denver’s 2017 national title team before sitting out a year and transferring to Omaha. Jordan (9-3-12) is a load at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds and has already picked up 25 minutes in penalties this season. When picturing Zach Jordan, UND fans could come up with a good comparison by imagining Cole Smith with a harder shot and more straight-away speed (but with the same amount of grit).

It is abundantly clear that North Dakota will have the puck a lot this season, and the numbers bear that out. Through nineteen games, the Fighting Hawks lead the nation in shots on goal allowed/game (21.1) and are second only to Massachusetts in two key puck possession statistics:

Corsi (% of shots taken vs. opponent): 60.1%
Fenwick (% of unblocked shots taken vs. opponent): 59.8%

By comparison, the Mavericks are 18th in Corsi (52.2%) and 24th in Fenwick (51.3%), averaging 30.4 shots on goal per game (North Dakota is averaging 30.9/game) while allowing 28.0 shots on goal against/contest.

Last season, UND trailed only national champion Duluth in both puck possession categories across all Division I teams but could not finish enough of their chances. This year, fans of the Green and White should have already noticed that more shots are going in the net. North Dakota is scoring on a staggering 13.8 percent of their shots on goal, good for the best mark in the country. Last season, UND lit the lamp on only 7.8 percent of their shots on goal (52nd in the nation). Omaha’s shooting percentage is 11.2 percent (11th of 60 teams).

Here’s another way to highlight North Dakota’s scoring prowess: UND has scored five or more goals in eight of its nineteen games this season; in 2018-19, the Fighting Hawks had five such games all year.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are now sitting at 53.0 percent on the season (10th) after leading the nation at 57.1 percent a year ago. Omaha is 33rd in the country with a faceoff win rate of 49.8 percent. UND’s best faceoff man this season is Jasper Weatherby (57.8 percent).

After sputtering on the power play to open the season with just two power play goals on their first 25 attempts (8.0 percent), UND has scored twelve power play goals over its past twelve games (12 for 51, 23.5 percent) and now faces an Omaha penalty kill that has allowed seventeen power play goals this season (64 of 81, 79.0%).

On the other side of the specialty teams ledger, UND has only allowed six power play goals all season long (59 of 65, 90.8%) and currently boasts the seventh-best penalty kill unit in men’s Division I hockey this season. To make matters worse for Omaha, the Mavericks have already allowed four shorthanded goals this season.

The specialty teams could get a bit lopsided this weekend, as Omaha averages 15.7 penalty minutes per game (6th in the nation). UND averages just 9.0 penalty minutes per game (50th).

North Dakota is 1st in the country in scoring offense (4.26 goals scored/game) and 3rd in the country in scoring defense (1.63 goals allowed/game), and that leads to the country’s best goal differential (+50).

To put that in perspective: In 2018-2019, North Dakota outscored opponents 93-90 over 37 games (18-17-2). This season, UND (16-1-2) has throttled the opposition by a margin of 81-31 over the first 19 games of the campaign. By comparison, Omaha has outscored teams 68-62 this year for a goal differential of plus-6.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has put up this season’s stellar results while facing the second-toughest schedule in the country; Omaha’s slate of games ranks as the 28th-most difficult out of sixty men’s Division I hockey programs.

Omaha has turned to two first-year goaltenders to man the crease this season, with Isaiah Saville handling roughly two-thirds of the minutes. Fellow freshman Austin Roden started the past four games for the Mavericks while Saville spent time on USA’s World Junior team, but I would expect Saville to get the start on Friday night after not playing in the world juniors.

Austin Roden: 2-4-1, 2.90 goals-against average, .899 save percentage, 1 shutout
Isaiah Saville: 6-5-2, 3.04 goals-against average, .889 save percentage

Roden previously played for the Merritt Centennials (BCHL), while Saville backstopped the Tri-City Storm (Kearney, Nebraska) of the USHL.

By comparison, North Dakota sophomore goaltender Adam Scheel has played every minute for UND this season, compiling a record of 16-1-2 with a goals-against average of 1.61, a save percentage of .922, and two shutouts. Scheel has to be considered a finalist for the Mike Richter award, given annually to the best goaltender in Division I men’s hockey.

UND has fared far better than Omaha in tight games this season:

One-goal games: UND 5-1, Omaha 3-5
Overtime games: UND 3-0-2, Omaha 1-0-3

North Dakota is at the top of the league standings after stellar results (7-0-1-1) in its first eight conference games:

Omaha Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (3rd season at UNO, 34-50-8, .413)

Pairwise Ranking: 34th of 60 teams
National Rankings: NR/NR

This Season: 8-9-3 (.475) overall, 2-5-1-0 NCHC (t-7th)
Last Season: 9-24-3 (.292) overall (missed NCAA tournament), 5-17-2-1 NCHC (t-7th)

Team Offense: 3.40 goals scored/game – 10th of 60 teams
Team Defense: 3.10 goals allowed/game – 42nd of 60 teams
Power Play: 20.5% (18 of 88) – 18th of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 79.0% (64 of 81) – 40th of 60 teams

Key Players: Junior F Kevin Conley (8-10-18), Sophomore F Taylor Ward (10-6-16), Sophomore F Tyler Weiss (3-12-15), Senior F Teemu Pulkkinen (4-9-13), Freshman F Ryan Brushett (1-12-13), Senior F Zach Jordan (9-3-12), Freshman D Brandon Scanlin (2-9-11), Senior D Ryan Jones (2-5-7), Senior D Dean Stewart (1-6-7), Freshman G Isaiah Saville (6-5-2, 3.04 GAA, .889 SV%), Freshman G Austin Roden (2-4-1, 2.90 GAA, .899 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (North Dakota ’02, 5th season at UND; 106-53-21, .647)

Pairwise Ranking: 1st of 60 teams
National Rankings: #1/#1

This Season: 16-1-2 (.895) overall, 7-0-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)
Last Season: 18-17-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 12-11-1-0 NCHC (5th)

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 4.26 goals scored/game – 1st of 60 teams
Team Defense: 1.63 goals allowed/game – 3rd of 60 teams
Power Play: 18.4% (14 of 76) – 31st of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 90.8% (59 of 65) – 7th of 60 teams

Key Players: Junior F Jordan “#HobeyGuchi” Kawaguchi (10-18-28), Senior F Westin Michaud (8-8-16), Junior F Collin Adams (6-12-18), Sophmore F Jasper Weatherby (6-3-9), Freshman F Shane Pinto (9-6-15), Senior Junior F Grant Mismash (5-8-13), Senior F Cole Smith (7-3-10), Sophomore D Jacob Bernard-Docker (3-11-14), Senior D Colton Poolman (2-9-11), Junior D Matt Kiersted (2-12-14), Sophomore D Jonny Tychonick (3-6-9 in 14 games played), Sophomore G Adam Scheel (16-1-2, 1.61 GAA, .922 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers:

Last meeting: March 9, 2019 (Grand Forks, ND). One night after Nick Jones scored the third-period game winner for a 2-1 North Dakota victory, Jordan Kawaguchi potted his own GWG just sixteen seconds into overtime and UND prevailed 5-4. Omaha scored the final two goals of the third period (Nate Knoepke, Tristan Keck) to force the extra session. The Fighting Hawks outshot the Mavericks 86-45 in earning the weekend sweep, their final victories of the 2018-2019 season.

Most memorable meeting: The game that UND fans will long remember is the outdoor game played at TD Ameritrade Park (Omaha, Nebraska) on February 9th, 2013. One day after winning a tight 2-1 contest indoors, North Dakota throttled UNO 5-2 on a sunny, melty afternoon. Mavericks netminder John Faulkner was pulled after allowing three goals on five shots in just ten minutes of game action. In my opinion, this hockey weekend solidified the notion that for UND hockey, it’s always a home game.

Last ten: North Dakota has won seven of the last ten contests between the schools, outscoring the Mavericks 36-25 over that stretch.

All-time: UND leads the all-time series 22-11-1 (.662), including an 11-6-1 (.639) record in games played in Grand Forks. North Dakota owns a record of 17-8-1 (.673) against the Mavericks since both teams joined the NCHC. The teams first met on November 19, 2010.

Game News and Notes

In 2015, both North Dakota and Omaha advanced to the Frozen Four but neither team made the championship game. UND fell to Boston University 5-3, while the Mavericks were upended 4-1 by eventual national champion Providence. Since joining the WCHA in 2011 (and later the NCHC), the Mavs have never reached the Twin Cities for the second weekend of the conference tournament despite having home ice in three of those eight years. Hawks’ senior defenseman (and captain) Colton Poolman has two goals and fourteen points in fourteen career games against Omaha. The Mavericks have not made the national tournament since their run to the Frozen Four in 2015. With a sweep this weekend, North Dakota (16-1-2) would match their win total from all of last season (18-17-2). UND junior forward Jordan Kawaguchi is fourth in the country with 28 points and eighth in the country with 18 assists. #HobeyGuchi

Broadcast Information

Both games of this weekend’s series will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network and also streamed on NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app).

Social Media

Must-follow Twitter accounts for this weekend:
@OmahaHKY (official men’s hockey team account), @omavs (official Athletic Department feed), @RedArmyOmaha (Omaha fan organization), @unocowbell (UNO alum), @SusannahDunn (Omaha hockey fan)

Mav Hockey hashtags: #EveryoneForOmaha, #OmahaHKY

The Prediction

If the faceoff percentages and fancy stats (Corsi, Fenwick) are any indication, the Fighting Hawks will have the puck most of this weekend. The results of this series will rest on the goaltending efforts of Omaha’s two freshman netminders. Unfortunately for the Mavs, I don’t think that either one will hold up particularly well, and I expect North Dakota’s home winning streak to continue. UND 5-3, 4-2.

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Alabama-Huntsville

Alabama-Hunstville was a Division II men’s hockey powerhouse from 1993 to 1998, amassing a record of 110-21-9 (.818) en route to two national championships and two other second-place finishes. The Chargers made the NCAA tournament twice in eleven seasons as a member of the CHA, but have struggled mightily over the past fourteen seasons, going 92-323-40 (.246) including a dreadful 47-169-21 (.243) mark as a member of the WCHA.

Eight years ago, the future of Division I hockey at Alabama-Huntsville appeared grim. After competing in college hockey’s top division from 1987-1992 and again from 1999-2010 as a member of the now-defunct CHA, the D-I Independent Chargers received news that they would be dropped down to a club program.

During this time of uncertainty, sophomore netminder Clarke Saunders decided to transfer to UND. Because the Chargers’ program appeared to be going under, Saunders was eligible to play at North Dakota right away rather than having to sit out a year (typically required by the NCAA).

According to Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy, “community support and grassroots efforts… paid off after a December 2011 meeting between the Save UAH Hockey group and the school’s new president.” (Read the full story from Greg Wyshynski here.)

After a solid eleven-year run in the CHA (158-172-34 [.481], two regular season titles, two league playoff titles, and two NCAA tournament appearances), Alabama-Huntsville has struggled to find its footing in the WCHA (no titles or NCAA tourney bids). Head coach Mike Corbett’s best year behind the UAH bench was in 2017-18, when he led the Chargers to an overall record of 12-23-2. Since joining the WCHA in 2013, Corbett’s squad has suffered twenty or more losses each season, and this year’s group (1-14-3) is well on its way to that dubious distinction yet again.

And there is more troubling news on the horizon for the Chargers. Seven WCHA schools are planning to form a new conference beginning with the 2021-22 season, shrinking the geographical footprint down to just three states – Minnesota (Bemidji State and Minnesota State), Michigan (Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, and Northern Michigan), and Ohio (Bowling Green) – and leaving Alaska (Fairbanks), Alaska Anchorage, and Alabama-Huntsville behind. UAH has since submitted a letter of withdrawal to the WCHA and plans to leave the league after the 2020-21 season.

Last season’s losses at Canisius College in early January were certainly instrumental in keeping North Dakota out of the national tournament, but other inter-conference losses and ties last year didn’t help, either. UND went just 6-4-1 in out-of-conference games in 2018-19 and missed the NCAAs for the second consecutive season after appearing in fifteen consecutive tourneys (2003-2017). Many fans of the Green and White are looking at this weekend’s home series against Alabama-Huntsville as this year’s version of the Canisius games, hoping against hope that North Dakota doesn’t look past the Chargers and suffer a loss or two on home ice. The difference this season is that UND has put together such an impressive first half that an unexpected loss would not be as devastating as some might guess.

Here’s a look at the non-conference records under fifth-year head coach Brad Berry:

This weekend’s games will conclude UND’s non-conference schedule for the season; after this weekend, here are North Dakota’s remaining NCHC games in the race for the Penrose Cup:

January 10-11: vs. Nebraska-Omaha
January 17-18: at Miami
January 24-25: at #10 Minnesota-Duluth
Jan. 31-Feb. 1: vs. Colorado College
February 7-8: No games scheduled
February 14-15: vs. #7 Denver
February 21-22: at St. Cloud State
February 28-29: vs. #19 Western Michigan
March 6-7: at Nebraska Omaha

So far this season, several returning players have seen a noticeable uptick in their production and in their overall play on the ice, most notably junior forward Collin Adams (5-8-13), senior forward Cole Smith (6-2-8), senior forward Dixon Bowen (6-1-7), and junior defenseman Matt Kiersted (2-10-12). Those four players have combined for 40 points in 68 games played (0.59 points/game) after amassing 95 points in 324 games played (0.29 points/game) prior to this year.

It is abundantly clear that North Dakota will have the puck a lot this season, and the numbers bear that out. Through seventeen games, the Fighting Hawks lead the nation in shots on goal allowed/game (21.9) and are second only to Massachusetts in two key puck possession statistics:

Corsi (% of shots taken vs. opponent): 59.1%
Fenwick (% of unblocked shots taken vs. opponent): 58.4%

By comparison, the Chargers are last in the nation in both Corsi (38.7%) and Fenwick (36.9%), averaging only 20.8 shots on goal per game (North Dakota is averaging 30.2/game) while allowing 35.3 shots on goal against/contest.

Last season, UND trailed only national champion Duluth in both puck possession categories across all Division I teams but could not finish enough of their chances. This year, fans of the Green and White should have already noticed that more shots are going in the net. North Dakota is scoring on a staggering 13.8 percent of their shots on goal, good for second-best in the country and best among teams which have played more than twelve games. Last season, UND lit the lamp on only 7.8 percent of their shots on goal (52nd in the nation). Alabama-Huntsville’s shooting percentage this season weighs in at 8.3 percent (42nd in the country).

And here’s another way to highlight North Dakota’s scoring prowess: UND has scored five or more goals in six of its seventeen games this season; in 2018-19, the Fighting Hawks had five such games all year.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are now sitting at 53.3 percent on the season (10th) after leading the nation at 57.1 percent a year ago. Alabama-Huntsville is the second-worst team in the country with a faceoff win rate of just 42.3 percent. UND’s best faceoff man this season is Jasper Weatherby (59.4 percent).

After sputtering on the power play to open the season with just two power play goals on their first 25 attempts (8.0 percent), UND has scored eleven power play goals over its past ten games (11 for 42, 26.2 percent) and now faces a dreadful Alabama-Huntsville penalty kill that allowed nineteen power play goals in the first half of this season (53 of 72, 73.6%).

On the other side of the specialty teams ledger, UND has only allowed six power play goals all season long (54 of 60, 90.0%) and currently boasts the seventh-best penalty kill unit in men’s Division I hockey this season.

North Dakota is 1st in the country in scoring offense (4.18 goals scored/game) and 3rd in the country in scoring defense (1.59 goals allowed/game), and that leads to the country’s best goal differential (+44). Incidentally, UND’s pre-break goal differential is its best since the 1986-87 Hrkac Circus team (126-71; +55).

To put that in perspective: In 2018-2019, North Dakota outscored opponents 93-90 over 37 games (18-17-2). This season, UND (14-1-2) has throttled the opposition by a margin of 71-27 over the first 17 games of the campaign. By comparison, Alabama-Huntsville has been outscored 77-31 this year for a goal differential of minus-46.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has put up this season’s stellar results while facing the toughest schedule in the country; Alabama-Huntsville’s slate of games ranks as the 36th-most difficult out of sixty men’s Division I hockey programs.

On the injury front, North Dakota junior defenseman Gabe Bast (upper body injury; 2-1-3 in four official games played) returned to the lineup in exhibition action last Saturday night against the U.S. Under-18 Team; Bast had not played since suffering an upper-body injury on October 19th at Minnesota State. Freshman forward Harrison Blaisdell (2-6-8), junior forward Jordan Kawaguchi (7-17-24), and senior defenseman Colton Poolman (2-8-10) all missed last week’s contest due to illness but are expected to be on the ice this weekend.

Two other North Dakota players will be out of the lineup for Friday’s opener against the Chargers. Sophomore defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker (3-11-14) is playing in the World Juniors for Team Canada, which advanced to Saturday’s semifinal matchup against Finland. Freshman forward Shane Pinto (8-6-14) saw his World Junior campaign with Team USA come to an end in the quarterfinals. Pinto may be able to make it back to Grand Forks in time for Saturday’s game.

Alabama-Huntsville has been able to keep things close in the first period this season (14 goals for, 16 goals against), but the Chargers have been absolutely destroyed in the second period (8 gf, 30 ga) and third period (9 gf, 31 ga). UAH has only scored more than two goals on four occasions this season, with one lone victory (a 4-2 home win against Northern Michigan). UND has scored more than two goals twelve times this year, with only one loss (1-2 at Minnesota State), a 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1), and a perfect home record (9-0-0).

North Dakota is at the top of the league standings after stellar results (7-0-1-1) in its first eight conference games:

Alabama-Huntsville Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Corbett (7th season at UAH, 47-169-21, .243)

National Rankings: NR/NR

This Season: 1-14-3 overall, 1-10-3-1 WCHA (10th of 10 teams)
Last Season: 8-28-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 8-18-2-2 WCHA (8th)

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 1.72 goals scored/game – 57th of 60 teams
Team Defense: 4.28 goals allowed/game – 59th of 60 teams
Power Play: 6.4% (5 of 78) – 59th of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 73.6% (53 of 72) – 57th of 60 teams

Key Players: Junior F Christian Rajic (4-6-10), Freshman F Josh Latta (3-7-10), Sophomore F Jack Jeffers (4-4-8), Sophomore F Tyr Thompson (4-2-6), Junior F Connor Wood (2-3-5), Junior F Connor Merkley (2-3-5), Freshman D Tanner Hickey (2-3-5), Senior F Connor James (0-3-3), Junior G Mark Sinclair (1-10-3, 3.91 GAA, .892 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (North Dakota ’02, 5th season at UND; 104-53-21, .643)

National Rankings: #1/#1

This Season: 14-1-2 overall, 7-0-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)
Last Season: 18-17-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 12-11-1-0 NCHC (5th)

2019-2020 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 4.18 goals scored/game – 1st of 60 teams
Team Defense: 1.59 goals allowed/game – 3rd of 60 teams
Power Play: 19.4% (13 of 67) – 24th of 60 teams
Penalty Kill: 90.0% (54 of 60) – 7th of 60 teams

Key Players: Junior F Jordan “#HobeyGuchi” Kawaguchi (7-17-24), Senior F Westin Michaud (7-8-15), Junior F Collin Adams (5-8-13), Freshman F Harrison Blaisdell (2-6-8), Freshman F Shane Pinto (8-6-14), Senior Junior F Grant Mismash (3-7-10), Senior F Cole Smith (6-2-8), Sophomore D Jacob Bernard-Docker (3-11-14), Senior D Colton Poolman (2-8-10), Junior D Matt Kiersted (2-10-12), Sophomore D Jonny Tychonick (3-4-7 in 12 games played), Sophomore G Adam Scheel (14-1-2, 1.56 GAA, .927 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: January 2, 2016 (Grand Forks, ND). UND blitzed Alabama-Huntsville from the outset, scoring 25 seconds into the game (Paul LaDue) and outshooting UAH 19-5 in the first period. However, a Richard Buri goal with just 13 seconds remaining in the opening frame tied the game and gave the visitors hope headed in to the locker room. Drake Caggiula scored shorthanded midway through the second period, and the home team added two goals in the final two minutes of the contest (Bryn Chyzyk, Tucker Poolman) to put the game away. One night earlier (on New Year’s Day), North Dakota outshot the Chargers 39-19 but could manage only a second-period Bryn Chyzyk power play goal in a 1-0 victory (Cam Johnson earned the shutout for UND).

In a similar situation to this year, North Dakota forwards Brock Boeser and Nick Schmaltz both missed the series due to their participation in the World Junior Tournament.

A Trip Down Memory Lane: October 14, 1989 (Grand Forks, ND). The Fighting Sioux rolled 11-5 over the visiting Chargers to complete the two-game home sweep. UND won Friday’s opener 12-6 behind Lee Davidson’s goal six seconds into the contest, the fastest opening goal in program history. Current UND associate head coach Dane Jackson notched a pair of assists.

All-Time Series: In the short history between the schools, UND has won all four games (noted above). The teams have never met in the Rocket City.

Game News and Notes

Huntsville, Alabama is located just 110 miles south of Nashville, Tennessee, the site of next season’s Hall of Fame Game between North Dakota and Penn State. UAH and Lake Superior State are playing a destination game next month; LSSU will host Alabama-Huntsville for a WCHA contest on February 15th at the GFL Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (also a prominent city in the amazing “Ticket To Ride” game). UND’s 1999-2000 national championship team will be honored at a special 20th anniversary celebration on Saturday night. Chargers head coach Mike Corbett played for Denver from 1993-97, scoring two goals and adding eleven assists in 77 career games played. UND junior forward Jordan Kawaguchi is third in the country with 24 points and sixth in the country with 17 assists. #HobeyGuchi

Broadcast Information

Social Media

Must-follow Twitter accounts for this weekend: @uahhockey (official men’s hockey team account), @weloveuahhockey (an independent website called UAHHockey.com), @UAHChargers (official Department of Athletics feed), and @GameDayUAH (game day updates).

The Prediction

Let’s get this out of the way first: UND and Alabama-Huntsville are polar opposites of one another – as good as the Fighting Hawks were over the first three months of the season, the Chargers were bad. Dakota has outscored opponents 40-12 in nine games at the Ralph this season, and that trend will continue this weekend. I see the first game as a close contest, with the home squad throttling UAH in the recap. UND 2-1, 7-2.

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!