Author: Dave Berger

I’ve heard more talk this week about what the future holds for this rivalry than I have about this weekend’s games. And that’s not to say that the action on the ice at Mariucci isn’t important – because it is (and more on that in a moment) . It speaks more to how both fan bases want to see these games continue even as Minnesota moves to the Big Ten and North Dakota switches over to the NCHC.

As I sat at Xcel Energy Center last March during the Final Five and watched both halves of the same hockey game, I remarked that these two schools have got to find a way to continue playing each other. It’s important for both sides to put aside pride and personal politics and reach a schedule agreement, one that has each school traveling to the other at least once every four years. It’s good for the fans, it’s good for each program, and it’s good for the sport.

It’s also good for the players. It is my opinion that every four-year player at North Dakota and Minnesota should have the experience of playing in this rivalry, both home and away. So make it simple: keep the rivalry “on” for two seasons (with each school hosting one season and traveling the other), then “off” for two seasons.

It’s not enough to wait for the schools to meet in the NCAA tournament. Yes, we’ve had some thrilling NCAA games recently, but the two teams also went 25 years without meeting in the national tournament (1980-2004).

In 2005, UND defeated Minnesota in the Frozen Four semifinals, and North Dakota also claimed a 3-2 overtime victory over the Golden Gophers to advance to the 2007 Frozen Four. Don Lucia’s club turned the tables last season, ending UND’s season in the West Regional final.

It’s also difficult to wrap my head around the fact that this season’s WCHA Final Five will be the last as we know it. North Dakota has captured the last three Broadmoor trophies, but what fans of the Green and White will remember is last season’s semifinal against Minnesota, the “Timeout Game”. Gopher fans would prefer to dwell on Blake Wheeler’s overtime winner in the 2007 Final Five championship game. Either way, here’s hoping that the two clubs meet one last time on the ice at Xcel Energy Center this March.

And now, as promised, some thoughts on the games this weekend:

Both schools have posted excellent results lately, with identical 7-1-1 records over the past nine games. Minnesota’s play has been more consistent, however, while North Dakota showed defensive lapses over each of the past two weekends (vs. Holy Cross and Colorado College). UND will have to survive the first ten minutes, particularly on Friday night when emotions will be high and the Mariucci crowd (at least the ones who get there on time) will be in full throat. The Gophers have outscored opponents 33-13 in first periods this season, and a slow start will doom the team formerly known as the Fighting Sioux.

Minnesota goaltender Adam Wilcox has been outstanding between the pipes for Lucia and his squad. Wilcox is giving up well under two goals per contest and has notched three shutouts already. Most Most impressively, the freshman netminder stopped 32 of 33 Boston College shots in an 8-1 rout of the Eagles last month.

On the injury front, expect junior forward Erik Haula to return to the lineup for the Gophers after missing time with an injury to his hand. North Dakota appears to have everyone available except forward Derek Rodwell.

Minnesota is clipping along at 25 percent on the power play, so UND needs to play even strength for the majority of the weekend to take points away from Mariucci. North Dakota’s penalty kill has not been great (under 82 percent), and the Gophers draw a lot of penalties, particularly at home.

Minnesota Team Profile

Head Coach: Don Lucia (14th season at Minnesota, 334-176-57, .639)
Pairwise Ranking: 4th
National Ranking: #1
This Season: 16-3-3 overall, 8-3-3 WCHA (t-3rd)
Last Season: 28-14-1 (NCAA Frozen Four Semifinalist), 20-8-0 WCHA (1st)

Team Offense: 3.82 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 1.82 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 25.0% (27 of 108)
Penalty Kill: 90.5% (67 of 74)

Key Players: Junior F Erik Haula (9-17-26), Sophomore F Kyle Rau (13-12-25), Junior F Nick Bjugstad (12-10-22), Junior D Nate Schmidt (3-19-22), Senior D Seth Helgeson (0-3-3), Freshman G Adam Wilcox (15-2-3, 1.65 GAA, .925 SV%, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 226-112-33, .654)
Pairwise Ranking: 7th
National Ranking: #6
This Season: 13-6-3 overall, 8-3-3 WCHA (t-3rd)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.45 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 21.1% (19 of 85)
Penalty Kill: 81.7% (67 of 82)

Key Players: Senior F Corban Knight (10-21-31), Senior F Danny Kristo (13-17-30), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (8-9-17), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (7-10-17), Junior D Derek Forbort (4-7-11), Sophomore D Nick Mattson (2-8-11), Junior G Clarke Saunders (10-4-3, 2.28 GAA, .919 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: March 25, 2012 (St. Paul, MN). In a rematch of the Final Five semifinal played nine days earlier, Minnesota got up by three goals once again. This time, however, the Gophers kept applying the pressure and punched their ticket to Tampa with a 5-2 victory over UND.

Last meeting at Mariucci: November 5, 2011 (Minneapolis, MN). North Dakota had a one goal lead with six minutes remaining, but Nick Larson and Kyle Rau both scored to lift Minnesota to a 3-2 victory and a series sweep of visiting North Dakota. The loss dropped UND to 3-6-1 overall and 1-5 in the WCHA.

Most important meeting: March 24, 1979 (Detroit, MI). North Dakota and Minnesota met to decide the national championship, and the Gophers prevailed, 4-3.

All-time: Minnesota leads the all-time series by a slim margin, 137-130-14 (.512), and boasts a 73-51-6 (.585) record in games played in Minneapolis.

Last ten: The Gophers have won six of the last ten meetings between the schools, outscoring UND 29-26 in those games.

Game News and Notes

Dave Hakstol is 17-13-3 against Minnesota in his head coaching career. North Dakota has not lost an overtime game this season (2-0-3). UND senior forward Danny Kristo (139 career points, the top active player in the NCAA) has eleven career points against Minnesota. Fellow senior Corban Knight (128 career points) is riding a 17 game point streak (8 goals and 21 assists in that span). In an effort to alleviate parking concerns, Minnesota fans are asked to park in St. Cloud and walk to Mariucci Arena.

The Prediction

As I said earlier, the start of each game will be critical. Minnesota is playing with a great deal of confidence, while North Dakota is coming in looking to find some consistency. The last time Dave Hakstol brought his team to Mariucci for a two game set, North Dakota scored a total of two goals. I see one close game and one Minnesota power play fest, with UND hoping for a split but possibly settling for less. UND 3-2, MN 5-1.

When North Dakota and Colorado College faced off in Colorado Springs earlier this season, UND carried the play for much of the weekend but needed some late-game heroics on Saturday night to salvage a series split.

UND’s overtime victory sent the teams in opposite directions: Colorado College has not won since (0-6-1), while North Dakota is undefeated (6-0-1). And there are two glaring reasons why the teams are worlds apart: special teams and goaltending.

Coming in to the home series against North Dakota, the Tigers were clipping along at almost 25 percent on the power play (11 of 45). Since then, they are a tepid 3 of 29 (10.3%). And the goaltending has not been there for Scott Owens’ squad, either. So far this season, both senior Joe Howe and junior Josh Thorimbert have shown extended periods of unsteady play.

On the North Dakota side, the same areas have made the difference. After rotating goaltenders for much of the first half of the season, Dave Hakstol went back to Clarke Saunders for Saturday’s rematch with CC. The junior netminder responded with a solid performance and has played every minute since. And after starting the year 8 for 53 (15.1%) with the man advantage, UND has converted 9 of its last 32 (28.1%).

North Dakota has two players with over 100 career points: senior forwards Danny Kristo (134, tops in the country) and Corban Knight (126). There are seven other players in all of college hockey to have accomplished that feat, and UND has already played against three of them, squaring off against St. Cloud State’s Drew LeBlanc (127), Notre Dame’s T.J. Tynan (110), and CC’s Rylan Schwartz, who is one behind Danny Kristo with 133 points.

With freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi returning from the World Juniors (with a gold medal), UND has an embarassment of riches at forward. Expect Brendan O’Donnell to sit in Friday’s opener, with Grimaldi playing with Carter Rowney and Drake Caggiula on the second line.

Colorado College Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Owens (14th season at CC, 307-197-45, .600)
Pairwise Ranking: NR
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 8-12-2 overall, 5-8-1 WCHA (t-9th)
Last Season: 18-16-2 overall, 15-12-1 WCHA (5th)

Team Offense: 3.36 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.73 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.9% (14 of 74)
Penalty Kill: 76.8% (63 of 82)

Key Players: Senior F Rylan Schwartz (10-17-27), Senior F William Rapuzzi (11-15-26), Senior F Scott Winkler (10-10-20), Senior D Mike Boivin (9-9-18), Junior D Eamonn McDermott (2-12-14), Senior G Joe Howe (4-6-1, 3.50 GAA, .896 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 225-111-33, .654)
Pairwise Ranking: t-6th
National Ranking: #7
This Season: 12-5-3 overall, 7-2-3 WCHA (t-3rd)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.40 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.40 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.0% (17 of 85)
Penalty Kill: 83.8% (62 of 74)

Key Players: Senior F Corban Knight (10-19-29), Senior F Danny Kristo (10-15-25), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (7-9-16), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (7-9-16), Junior D Derek Forbort (4-6-10), Sophomore D Nick Mattson (1-8-9), Junior G Clarke Saunders (10-3-3, 2.17 GAA, .922 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: December 1, 2012 (Colorado Springs, CO). North Dakota was 13 seconds away from being swept out of World Arena when junior defenseman Dillon Simpson stepped in and knotted the contest at two goals apiece. Overtime would only last 51 seconds before freshman forward Drake Caggiula potted the game winning goal for UND.

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

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, 138-77-10 (.636), including a dominating 82-19-6 (.794) record in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 8-2-0 (.800) in the last ten meetings between the teams, including three straight home victories. UND has only outscored CC 39-30 over the last ten games, with seven of UND’s eight victories coming by a single goal.

Game News and Notes

Senior forward Corban Knight is UND’s candidate for college hockey’s Hobey Baker award. Knight is riding a fifteen game point streak, during which time the centerman has potted 8 goals and notched 19 assists. Colorado College head coach Scott Owens has led the Tigers to the NCAA tournament seven times in thirteen seasons, with one Frozen Four appearance. Dave Hakstol has advanced UND to the national tournament in each of his first eight seasons, including five Frozen Fours. North Dakota has ten players averaging a half point per game or more, led by Corban Knight (1.53) and Danny Kristo (1.39). By comparison, Colorado College has seven, with Rylan Schwartz (1.29) and William Rapuzzi (1.18) leading the charge.

The Prediction

I hear more people talking about UND vs. Minnesota than UND vs. Colorado College, but the players and coaching staffs will be ready for this weekend’s games. North Dakota has an edge everywhere on the ice, especially between the pipes where it matters most. It’s possible that the Tigers grab a point in Saturday’s rematch, but I’m giving both games to the Green and White. UND 5-2, 4-3.

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 view 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. The teams split a November series in St. Cloud, so the Challenge Cup is on the line at the end of January.

This event will be held on Saturday, January 26th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Muddy Rivers Bar and Grill (inside the GuestHouse Inn and Suites) in downtown Grand Forks. Muddy Rivers is smoke-free, and the event is free and open to the public (due to the venue, guests must be 21 years of age or older). A free appetizer bar will be available, and a hockey bus will take fans to Ralph Engelstad Arena and back again after the game.

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.

Other sponsors include:

AZSioux.com
Domino’s Pizza
Fargo Force
Happy Joe’s Pizza
Hickey Designs
Muddy Rivers Bar and Grill
Nature’s Country Store
Ralph Engelstad Arena
SiouxPride.com
University of North Dakota Bookstore
Vaaler Insurance
Valley Dairy

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.

Mark your calendars and join us for this event!

Holy Cross. Those two words evoke emotion, memories, laughter, and knowing glances. In my 30 years of watching UND hockey, there are a handful of “remember when” games; as in, “I will always remember where I was when….”

Holy Cross versus Minnesota (and subsequently, versus UND) during the 2006 West Regional held at Ralph Engelstad Arena fits the bill as one of those games (or, rather, one of those weekends) I will always remember. In the first NCAA regional hosted in Grand Forks under the current format, fans were pleased (and perhaps a little concerned) that Minnesota was placed in the same regional as the host, North Dakota. Also making an appearance would be the storied Michigan hockey team, and rounding out the bill would be… Holy Cross? A team UND had faced only once before? From Atlantic Hockey? Did they belong? Could they compete?

Holy Cross versus Minnesota wasn’t just a #1 vs. #4 matchup. Across all brackets, this was #2 vs. #15. Minnesota came in boasting a 27-8-5 record against the best competition in the country, while Holy Cross had collected 26 victories against the rest of Atlantic Hockey. The Crusaders knocked off American International, Connecticut, and Bentley (ever heard of them?) to earn an NCAA berth, while Minnesota had spent the previous weekend battling in the WCHA Final Five. It was clearly a Cinderella story, and the boys in purple blew the lid off Ralph Engelstad Arena with their performance.

But this current version of Holy Cross cannot be characterized as a young upstart any more. Head coach Paul Pearl has been behind the bench for the past 18 seasons, and his team is deep, experienced, and talented. The Crusaders’ top six forwards are upperclassmen, and they’re scoring in bunches. Holy Cross has scored four or more goals in a game seven times (out of sixteen contests) this season.

Pearl has his team playing smart hockey as well: Holy Cross averages just 8.4 penalty minutes per game, the fewest in the NCAA. The Crusaders are undefeated (5-0-0) when leading after two periods of play.

North Dakota’s number one forward line (Corban Knight centering Danny Kristo and Mark MacMillan) combined for 15 points in its last weekend of action at Michigan Tech, and Knight is riding a thirteen game point streak. It’s unclear whether UND head coach Dave Hakstol will shuffle the lines to pair Mark MacMillan with his older brother Mitch, who is finally eligible to suit up for the Green and White after transferring from St. Cloud State. The two had more than a little success the last time they played together, notching 87 goals and adding 86 assists in 59 games when both played for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL).

UND will be without the services of freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi (7-9-16), who is representing Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia this weekend. That loss is offset by the arrival of the aforementioned Mitch MacMillan (transfer) as well as the return of sophomore forward Michael Parks (injury). Last season, Parks scored twelve goals and added ten assists while providing strength in the corners and an ability to get the puck to the net from anywhere on the ice.

Holy Cross Team Profile

Head Coach: Paul Pearl (18th season at Holy Cross, 273-261-65, .510)
Pairwise Ranking: 19th
National Ranking: #20
This Season: 10-4-2 overall, 6-3-2 Atlantic Hockey (t-2nd)
Last Season: 20-15-4 overall, 15-8-4 Atlantic Hockey (t-3rd)

Team Offense: 3.50 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.06 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.8% (15 of 80)
Penalty Kill: 79.0% (49 of 62)

Key Players: Senior F Kyle Fletcher (7-9-16), Junior F Adam Schmidt (9-5-14), Senior F Brandon Nunn (7-5-12 in 8 games), Senior D Evan Zych (0-12-12), Sophomore D Nilan Nagy (1-5-6), Sophomore G Matt Ginn (9-3-2, 2.90 GAA, .909 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 223-111-33, .653)
Pairwise Ranking: 8th
National Ranking: #7
This Season: 10-5-3 overall, 7-2-3 WCHA (t-2nd)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.33 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.44 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 16.0% (12 of 75)
Penalty Kill: 85.3% (58 of 68)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (8-13-21), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (7-8-15), Senior F Corban Knight (8-15-23), Senior F Carter Rowney (5-6-11), Junior D Derek Forbort (4-6-10), Sophomore D Nick Mattson (1-7-8), Junior G Clarke Saunders (8-3-3, 2.19 GAA, .925 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: March 25, 2006 (Grand Forks, ND). In Dave Hakstol’s second year as head coach, UND advanced to its second consecutive Frozen Four with a 5-2 NCAA West Regional victory over the Holy Cross Crusaders. One night earlier, the Green and White handled Michigan 5-1 while the Crusaders toppled Minnesota in overtime. North Dakota forward Jonathan Toews notched a goal and two assists against Holy Cross and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Most Important Meeting: Both meetings between the teams have been important. In addition to the regional final at the Ralph in 2006, the teams also met in the NCAA regionals in 2004 (Colorado Springs, CO). This time, it was Dean Blais (in his final season) coaching North Dakota, and UND scored once in each period to dispatch the Crusaders 3-0. Zach Parise and Brandon Bochenski lead the charge for the Green and White, who would fall to Denver 1-0 one night later, one game short of the Frozen Four.

All-time Series: The teams have only met twice, with North Dakota winning both games by a combined score of 8-2. And how’s that for curious? Holy Cross has made the NCAA tournament twice in program history, and both times came up against UND.

Game News and Notes

Despite coaching only nine seasons to Paul Pearl’s eighteen behind the Holy Cross bench, North Dakota’s Dave Hakstol is only 50 victories behind Pearl in the win column. Holy Cross sophomore netminder Matt Ginn has started all but two of the Crusaders’ games this season. During UND forward Corban Knight’s current thirteen game point streak, the senior has potted six goals and notched fifteen assists. Linemate Danny Kristo is tied for the active scoring lead among all men’s Division 1 hockey players with 130 points, with Knight close behind with 120.

The Prediction

UND should win both games this weekend, but it won’t be easy. Saturday’s rematch will be particularly difficult, as half of the North Dakota fans will be wearing (or at least thinking) purple in honor of the Minnesota Vikings playoff rematch with the Green Bay Packers. Both sides might get confused at the (seemingly) random cheering, as most in attendance will be just as excited about touchdowns as lamp-lighters. In any event, North Dakota carries the day, with Saturday’s contest going down to the wire. UND 4-2, 4-3.

Last season was Mel Pearson’s first as head coach of the Michigan Tech Huskies, and by all accounts, his rookie campaign was a success. Pearson brought energy, enthusiasm, and a new brand of hockey to Houghton, and his team responded with a 6-2-1 start. MTU ended the season by dispatching Colorado College in two games to join its band at the WCHA Final Five for the first time since 2007.

The year before Pearson arrived at MacInnes Ice Arena, the Huskies won four games (4-30-4). Last season, Michigan Tech posted a respectable 16-19-4 record and earned the eighth spot in the league standings, just two points out of the final home ice spot held by St. Cloud State. MTU has never hosted the first round of the WCHA playoffs under the current format.

For the record, Mel Pearson spent the 23 seasons as an assistant coach at Michigan and was behind the bench for the Wolverines 2-0 Frozen Four victory over North Dakota in April 2011 (St. Paul, MN). MTU assistant coach Bill Muckalt and goaltending coach Steve Shields are former Michigan players. Pearson played his college hockey at Michigan Tech.

UND fans may not recognize this year’s version of the Huskies, as Brett Olson (93 points in 127 career games) and Jordan Baker (82 points in 146 games) have both graduated after seemingly playing at MTU forever. Michigan Tech is very young up front, as their top five scoring forwards are first or second year players.

After this season, it is unclear whether North Dakota and Michigan Tech will continue their storied rivalry. UND will move to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, while MTU will remain in the WCHA and maintain ownership of the historic MacNaughton Cup.

Michigan Tech Team Profile

Head Coach: Mel Pearson (2nd season at MTU, 20-27-7, .435)
Pairwise Ranking: NR
National Rankings: NR/NR
This Season: 4-8-3 overall, 3-6-3 WCHA (t-8th)
Last Season: 16-9-4 overall, 11-13-4 WCHA (8th)

Team Offense: 2.87 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.53 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.9% (12 of 67)
Penalty Kill: 75.8% (50 of 66)

Key Players: Freshman F Alex Petan (4-9-13), Sophomore F Blake Pietila (9-2-11), Sophomore F David Johnstone (3-8-11), Senior D Steven Seigo (4-4-8), Junior D Brad Stebner (1-4-5), Senior G Kevin Genoe (3-1-3, 2.83 GAA, .909 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 221-111-33, .651)
Pairwise Ranking: 10th
National Rankings: #8/#8
This Season: 8-5-3 overall, 5-2-3 WCHA (t-5th)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.12 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.62 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 15.6% (10 of 64)
Penalty Kill: 84.5% (49 of 58)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (6-9-15), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (6-6-12), Senior F Corban Knight (5-12-17), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (6-9-15), Junior D Derek Forbort (4-5-9), Sophomore D Nick Mattson (1-6-7), Junior G Clarke Saunders (6-3-3, 2.39 GAA, .916 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: February 18, 2012 (Grand Forks, ND). The two squads had to settle for a 1-1 tie one night after North Dakota won the opener 4-2. Michigan Tech’s Jordan Baker scored a lucky goal off his chest midway through the third period that gave the Huskies one point. MTU rang three shots off the post in the opening frame, while UND forward Corban Knight potted the lone goal for the Green and White early in the third period.

Last meeting in Houghton: March 5, 2011. North Dakota absolutely destroyed MTU on consecutive nights, winning 6-1 and 11-2. Friday night’s win clinched the MacNaughton Cup for visiting UND, but there was no letdown in Saturday’s finale or in the first round playoff games between the schools in Grand Forks the following weekend (8-0 and 3-1 victories). The Malone-Frattin-Trupp line collected six goals and eight assists in the weekend series.

Most Important Meeting: The Sioux and Huskies have never met in the NCAA tournament, so I will go with the most important meeting that never was: in 1965, the Sioux lost to Boston College, 4-3, one game short of the national championship game, where they would have faced the Michigan Tech Huskies, who won the second of their three titles by defeating the Eagles. UND settled for third place that season, downing Brown University, 9-5. North Dakota went 13-3-0 in the regular season in 1964-65, with two of those three losses coming at the hands of Michigan Tech.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 145-93-10 (.605), including a slight 61-55-5 (.525) edge in games played in Houghton. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 9-0-1 (.950) in the last ten meetings between the schools and undefeated in the last 14 (12-0-2). The Green and White have outscored the Huskies 49-13 in the last ten games. The last time Michigan Tech defeated UND was in the first round of the WCHA playoffs in March 2008 (Grand Forks, ND). MTU took the middle game of the three-game series, but North Dakota came back to win on Sunday night to advance to the Final Five.

Game News and Notes

UND head coach Dave Hakstol is 23-5-2 (.800) in his coaching career against Michigan Tech. Either North Dakota or the University of Denver has ended the Huskies’ year each of the past five seasons. UND senior forward Corban Knight is riding an eleven game point streak. Saturday’s rematch will mark the 250th game played between the two storied programs.

The Prediction

Everything points to a UND sweep in this one, but both games will be closer than recent history suggests. Dave Hakstol has his team playing its best hockey of the season, but North Dakota will need to come back late in at least one of these tilts. UND 4-2, 3-2.

Even though it feels like we’re headed to the halfway point of the season, we’re really just over a third of the way through our league games. UND has played ten conference games (out of 28), and sits at 5-2-3 (.650).

The league standings show North Dakota in a tie for fifth place, but that’s misleading since UND (as well as three other teams) has played two fewer games than the majority of the WCHA. A closer look at the top teams reveals that North Dakota is the only program with only two losses in conference play (DU, Minnesota, and UNO have three), and by winning percentage order, UND is tied for 2nd place with Nebraska-Omaha, behind only Denver. The Pioneers have earned three more league points in one extra weekend of WCHA action.

After the games at Michigan Tech this weekend, North Dakota has a tough WCHA road schedule moving forward. The Green and White travel to Minnesota, Nebraska-Omaha, Denver, and MSU-Mankato in the second half. Four points in Houghton is an absolute must, as I see UND earning nine or ten points from the other four series.

At home, it’s a bit easier. After a non-conference series with Holy Cross, North Dakota will host Colorado College, St. Cloud State, Wisconsin, and Bemidji State in league play. Sweeps against the Badgers and Beavers are possible, but I see five or six points against the Tigers and Huskies.

Those results would put UND in the 39-41 point range at the end of the race for the MacNaughton Cup. Over the past five years, the WCHA champion has averaged 41.2 points, with only North Dakota’s 2008-09 league championship (17-7-4, 38 points) coming in under 40 points.

There are some who would say “if only UND had tied Colorado College on Friday night” or “North Dakota deserved to beat Denver in the first game”, but there are also instances where the Green and White stole an extra point or two out of the weekend (Minnesota-Duluth comes to mind), so I think that UND’s current conference mark feels about right for the way they have played to date.

The most encouraging aspect of North Dakota’s first half is that they’ve played their best hockey over the past two weekends, the lines appear to be coming together, and the team is closer to healthy than they’ve been in a long time. As we’ve seen so many times in the past, the second half is going to be quite a ride.

In the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference, it is clear that Denver/North Dakota will be at the top of the league rivalries.

The two schools clearly do not like each other, and the feud goes all the way back to Geoff Paukovitch’ illegal check on Sioux forward Robbie Bina during the 2005 WCHA Final Five.

Since that game (a Denver victory), the two teams have met six times in tournament play. Denver won the 2005 NCAA title with a victory over North Dakota and claimed a 2008 WCHA Final Five win as well. UND has won the last four playoff games between the schools, including three consecutive victories in the WCHA Final Five (2010-2012) and the 2011 NCAA Midwest Regional final which sent the Fighting Sioux to the Frozen Four.

Along the way, we’ve had dasher dances, brawls, illegal checks, devastating hits, and a certain coach losing his way to the visiting locker room.

Both schools seem to get hit by the “early departure” bug each off-season. For North Dakota, forward Brock Nelson (36-32-68 in 84 games) left after his sophomore campaign while goaltender Aaron Dell (49-20-5, 2.15 GAA, .912 SV%, 9 SO) gave up his final season of eligibility. On the Denver side of the ledger, three Pioneers opted not to return: Drew Shore (50-68-118 in 123 games) gave up his senior season, while fellow forwards Jason Zucker (45-46-91 in 78 games) and Beau Bennett (13-25-38 in 47 games) left two years of eligibility on the table.

For North Dakota, the headline is the emergence of Drake Caggiula. The freshman forward has collected six points (four goals, two assists) in his last seven games, including the overtime winner at Colorado College last Saturday night. Caggiula has been skating on a line with fellow freshman Rocco Grimaldi and sophomore forward Mark McMillan.

Denver started the season white-hot (9-1-0) but has since gone 0-3-1 against Yale, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin. North Dakota has split four of its last six series (vs. Boston University, at St. Cloud State, at Notre Dame, at Colorado College) and picked up three points in the other two (vs. Alaska-Anchorage, vs. Minnesota-Duluth).

Because only eight WCHA teams have played ten conference games (UND, Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha, and Alaska-Anchorage have played just eight), the league standings can appear out of balance. But here’s the important thing: the top six teams in the standings (by winning percentage) are facing off against each other this weekend:

Denver (1st) at North Dakota (t-3rd)
Nebraska-Omaha (2nd) at St. Cloud State (t-5th)
Minnesota (t-5th) at Colorado College (t-3rd)

Expect some movement as the top three or four teams begin to rise to the top.

Denver Team Profile

Head Coach: George Gwozdecky (19th season at DU, 432-257-60 .617)
Pairwise Ranking: 11th
National Rankings: #6/#6
This Season: 9-4-1 overall, 7-2-1 WCHA (1st)
Last Season: 25-14-4 Overall (NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinalist), 16-8-4 WCHA (3rd)

Team Offense: 3.71 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.43 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.6% (11 of 59)
Penalty Kill: 86.4% (51 of 59)

Key Players: Junior F Nick Shore (6-12-18), Senior F Chris Knowlton (8-7-15), Senior F Shawn Ostrow (4-6-10), Sophomore D Joey LaLeggia (6-8-14), Junior D David Makowski (5-5-10), Sophomore G Juho Olkinuora (3-1-1, 2.15 GAA, .934 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 220-111-32, .650)
Pairwise Ranking: 13th
National Rankings: #9/#9
This Season: 7-5-2 overall, 4-2-2 WCHA (t-5th)
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.64 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 15.1% (8 of 53)
Penalty Kill: 87.5% (42 of 48)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (5-9-14), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (6-5-11), Senior F Corban Knight (3-11-14), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (5-6-11), Junior D Derek Forbort (3-5-8), Sophomore D Nick Mattson (1-5-6), Junior G Clarke Saunders (5-3-2, 2.38 GAA, .921 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 17, 2012 (St Paul, MN). It was a good day to be wearing green, as North Dakota dispatched Denver 4-0 to become the first team to win three consecutive Broadmoor trophies (WCHA Final Five champions). UND scored the last ten goals in the postseason tournament after netting six straight against Minnesota in the semifinals.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: October 30, 2010. One night before Halloween, it was a scary scene on the ice at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Pioneers senior center Jesse Martin was taken off the ice on a stretcher after receiving a crushing hit from UND’s Brad Malone. DU scored just after the major penalty expired and put the game out of reach with a shorthanded tally and an empty net goal. UND won the series opener by a final of 4-3.

Most Important Meeting: It’s hard to pick just one game, as the two teams have played four times for the national title. Denver defeated UND for the national championship in 1958, 1968, and 2005, while the Sioux downed the Pioneers in 1963. And just last season, North Dakota defeated Denver in the WCHA Final Five championship game.

Last Ten Games: North Dakota has had a slight edge lately, going 6-4-0 (.600) in the last ten meetings between the schools. Only four of the last ten games between the teams have taken place in Grand Forks, with the Pioneers claiming a victory in three of the four contests. The two teams have also met three times in the WCHA Final Five (St. Paul) during this most recent stretch, with UND winning all three games.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 135-116-8 (.537), including a stellar 80-42-5 (.650) mark in games played in Grand Forks.

Game News and Notes

UND has only lost once in six home games this season (3-1-2). DU has only played three games this season away from home, winning all three. North Dakota’s Corban Knight is riding a nine game point streak, the longest streak by a UND player in three years. Denver head coach George Gwozdecky just might squat on the dasher in front of his team’s bench.

The Prediction

Everything on paper points to a split, but the way both teams played last weekend, I have a feeling that North Dakota will earn three points. The teams will battle all weekend long, with a parade to the penalty box slowing down at least one game in the series. 3-3 tie, UND 4-3.

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

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

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

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

Colorado College Team Profile

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

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

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

North Dakota Team Profile

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

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

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

By The Numbers

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

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

Most Important Meeting: March 27, 1997. UND defeated Colorado College, 6-2, in the Frozen Four Semifinals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Two nights later, North Dakota downed Boston University, 6-4, to claim its sixth NCAA Championship. North Dakota and Colorado College also met in the 2001 East Regional (Worcester, Mass.), with UND prevailing, 4-1.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 137-76-10 (.637), although Colorado College has a 56-47-4 (.542) edge in games played in Colorado Springs. The teams first met in 1948.

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

Game News and Notes

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

The Prediction

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

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

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

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

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

Notre Dame Team Profile

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

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

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

North Dakota Team Profile

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

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

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

By The Numbers

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

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

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

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

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

Game News and Notes

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

The Prediction

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Minnesota-Duluth Team Profile

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

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

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

North Dakota Team Profile

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

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

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

By The Numbers

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

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

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

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

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

Game News and Notes

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

The Prediction

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