Author: Dave Berger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Cloud State Team Profile

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

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

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

North Dakota Team Profile

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

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

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

By The Numbers

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

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

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

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

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

Game News and Notes

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

The Prediction

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

On a Personal Note

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

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

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

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

Over the past eight seasons, the fans have made their mark on the partnership between the schools. The UND/SCSU rivalry has a commemorative fan trophy, thanks to the Center Ice Club at St. Cloud State University:

The UND/SCSU Challenge Cup is awarded to the team which collects more points in the four regular-season games. As you may be able to see in the photo above, the winning team is engraved for each year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boston University Team Profile

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

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

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

North Dakota Team Profile

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

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

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

By The Numbers

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

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

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

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

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

Game News and Notes

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

The Prediction

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

It’s unusual to open the regular season in a non-conference tournament against a conference foe. It’s even more unusual to turn around and host that same conference opponent in the league opener for both schools.

One week after throttling the Seawolves 5-0 with only 15 skaters, North Dakota will have a full complement of weapons in the rematch. UND forwards Danny Kristo, Carter Rowney, Corban Knight, and Brendan O’Donnell all missed last Friday’s tilt but will be on the ice for this weekend’s action. The four have accounted for 7 goals and 10 assists in 19 career games against Alaska-Anchorage.

For Dave Shyiak’s squad, this weekend could go down as the last trip to Grand Forks unless UND hosts the Seawolves in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. North Dakota will be headed to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference next season, while UAA will remain in the new-look WCHA.

Alaska-Anchorage Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Shyiak (8th season at UAA, 78-153-27, .355)
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 2-1-1 overall, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 9-25-2 overall, 5-22-1 WCHA (12th)

Team Offense: 2.75 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.75 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 7.1% (1 of 14)
Penalty Kill: 81.0% (17 of 21)

Key Players: Junior F Matt Bailey (1-3-4), Junior F Jordan Kwas (1-1-2), Sophomore D Austin Coldwell (0-1-1), Sophomore F Derek Docken (1-0-1), Junior G Chris Kamal (1-1-0, 2.40 GAA, .907 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (9th season at UND, 214-107-30, .652)
National Ranking: #4
This Season: 1-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 26-13-3 overall (NCAA Regional Finalist), 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 1.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 16.7% (2 of 12)
Penalty Kill: 85.7% (6 of 7)

Key Players: Senior F Danny Kristo (no games played), Sophomore F Mark MacMillan (2-0-2), Freshman F Rocco Grimaldi (1-2-3), Junior D Derek Forbort (0-1-1), Freshman D Jordan Schmaltz (1-1-2), Junior G Clarke Saunders (1-1-0, 1.01 GAA, .962 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: Friday, October 19, 2012 (Fairbanks, AK). Despite playing with only 15 skaters (nine forwards) due to suspensions and injuries, UND steamrolled Alaska-Anchorage 5-0 in the opening game of the Goal Rush tournament. Sophomore forward Mark MacMillan led the way for North Dakota with two goals, while junior netminder Clarke Saunders stopped all 21 shots he faced to earn the victory.

Last meeting in Grand Forks: February 12, 2011. One night after steamrolling UAA 6-1, North Dakota had a tighter contest on their hands. The Seawolves almost made it out of the first period with a scoreless tie, but Brett Hextall scored a power play goal with under one second remaining in the opening frame. The Green and White would earn the sweep with a 3-1 victory.

Most Important Meeting: March 19, 2004 (St. Paul, MN). The Fighting Sioux and Seawolves met in the semifinal round of the WCHA Final Five, and UND cruised to the championship game with a 4-2 victory.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 45-17-4 (.712), including a dominating 26-3-3 (.859) record in games played in Grand Forks.

Last Ten: UND has an 9-1-0 (.900) record in the last ten games between the teams, outscoring the Seawolves 42-15 over that span.

Game News and Notes

UND has won ten straight home openers. North Dakota freshman goaltender Zane Gothberg will make his first career start in Friday’s opener. Anchorage forward Scott Allen was named to the Brice Alaska Goal Rush all-tournament team last weekend. North Dakota senior forward Corban Knight has collecred nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven career games against UAA. This weekend’s games will be televised on Midco Sports Network, FOX College Sports, DirecTV 623 (Friday), and DirecTV 626 (Saturday). A webcast is available at UNDSports.com, and the radio broadcast can be found locally at 96.1 FM The Fox (KQHT-FM).

The Prediction

UND expects to get balanced scoring up front, and that should start with the drop of the puck. UAA will need to limit penalties and get outstanding goaltending if they hope to steal a point from the series. As it is, though, North Dakota has too much talent and will earn the sweep. UND 5-2, 3-2.

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

As most of you have already figured out, yesterday’s blog post “Audio from ‘The Timeout’ available for the first time” was an April Fool’s joke.

As I sat and watched the comments roll in, I was reminded of my favorite April Fools’ columns and thought I would share them with you again today.

2008: “T.J. Oshie signs with the St. Louis Blues and gives up a chance to compete with North Dakota at the Frozen Four” (link no longer available)

2009: “Rule Change: Ties in the Frozen Four to be decided by shootout”

2010: “REA to cut beer sizes and raise prices for 2010-11 season”

2011: “NCAA to drop nickname settlement and sanctions altogether if UND wins hockey championship”

2012: “Audio from ‘The Timeout’ available for the first time”

Which are your favorites? More to the point: Which, at the time, did you fall for?

SiouxSports.com has received a transcript of UND coach Dave Hakstol’s stirring timeout speech during the WCHA Final Five semifinal clash with rival Minnesota. The audio feed was picked up by a microphone placed near the UND bench, recorded by FSN, and made available to the media for the first time today.

Dave Hakstol called his timeout with 5:53 remaining in the second period. At the time, North Dakota trailed 23-4 on the shot chart and 3-0 on the scoreboard. After rallying his troops, the Fighting Sioux outshot the Gophers 24-2 and scored six unanswered goals, leaving the Maroon and Gold with few answers.

In the post-game press conference, the UND coach stated that there was nothing special said at all. What follows is a verbatim transcript of the timeout speech. It is left to the reader to determine if Hakstol’s words were special.

“Alright, boys. We’ve got 5:53 left before the break and we need one. We need one goal, we’ve got all our fans here and they’re waiting for a reason to get behind us. Some of you were in this building last April when we couldn’t get that first one, and if we had, the whole thing would have gone our way. So let’s change some of that tonight. Look around you, there’s a lot of green out there, and those fans want to wear green again tomorrow. And remember, this may be the last time you ever put on the Sioux jersey. So think about how you want it to feel when you take it off ninety minutes from now. Courage, pride, honor, overcoming adversity, and winning battles. That’s what it means every time you put that logo on. You’ve got it in you, and it’s yours for the taking. Heck, if we get the first one, we might get seven tonight. Let’s go.”

Ralph Engelstad Arena plans to use the audio from the timeout at UND men’s hockey games next season in much the same way that the “Kid Herb Brooks” speech has been used in the past.

I sent an email to FSN inquiring why it took so long for the audio transcript to be released, and received a reply which said, in part: “We chose not to release the audio until after the two teams met on the ice during the NCAA tournament. We knew that North Dakota’s rabid fan base would seize on this information and create an unfair advantage for UND over the host school Minnesota.”

It’s interesting to hear fans of both schools claiming the “underdog” label in advance of today’s West Regional Final at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

From the Minnesota side: UND is the higher seed, they’re hot right now, and they just throttled the Gophers nine days ago, scoring six unanswered goals on their way to a third consecutive WCHA Final Five championship.

From the North Dakota side: Minnesota is playing at home, they won the MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season champions, and they’re hopping mad after allowing six unanswered goals in the WCHA Final Five semifinals.

I think that both sides are attempting to limit expectations and soften the blow in case their favorite team comes out on the losing end of this latest chapter in a long and storied rivalry.

As I sat at Xcel Energy Center last weekend 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 in alternate years. It’s good for the fans, it’s good for each program, and it’s good for the sport.

After not meeting in the national tournament for 25 years (1980-2004), Sunday’s regional final will mark the third NCAA playoff game between North Dakota and Minnesota over the past eight seasons. UND defeated Minnesota 4-2 in the 2005 Frozen Four semifinals and claimed a 3-2 overtime victory over the Golden Gophers to advance to the 2007 Frozen Four.

More recently, the Fighting Sioux dispatched Minnesota in the first round of the 2010 WCHA playoffs by a combined score of 12-5.

Minnesota can claim a 2007 WCHA Final Five championship victory over North Dakota. Gopher fans will remember Blake Wheeler’s overtime winner, while fans of the Green and White prefer to remember Chris Porter’s sudden death tally eight days later, ending Minnesota’s season and propelling UND to the Frozen Four.

All told, North Dakota is 6-2 in the last eight playoff meetings (WCHA and NCAA) between the teams.

One overlooked factor heading into the West Regional final is that North Dakota will have the last line change as the higher seed. With all of the TV timeouts, Minnesota’s depth will not be as much of a factor as it was during the regular season.

Minnesota Team Profile

Head Coach: Don Lucia (13th season at Minnesota, 317-172-54, .634)
Pairwise Ranking: t-6th
National Rankings: #6/#6
This Season: 27-13-1 overall, 20-8-0 WCHA (1st)
Last Season: 16-14-6 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 13-10-5 WCHA (5th)

Team Offense: 3.63 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.22 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 23.2% (42 of 181)
Penalty Kill: 80.7% (146 of 181)

Key Players: Sophomore F Erik Haula (19-28-47), Freshman F Kyle Rau (18-24-42), Sophomore F Nick Bjugstad (25-16-41), Sophomore D Nate Schmidt (3-37-40), Sophomore D Mark Alt (5-17-22), Senior G Kent Patterson (27-13-1, 2.24 GAA, .910 SV%, 7 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (8th season at UND, 213-105-30, .655)
Pairwise Ranking: 3rd
National Rankings: #4/#4
This Season: 26-12-3 overall, 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)
Last Season: 32-9-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 21-6-1 WCHA (1st)

Team Offense: 3.24 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.51 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 22.3% (40 of 179)
Penalty Kill: 81.2% (134 of 165)

Key Players: Junior F Danny Kristo (18-26-44) Junior F Corban Knight (16-24-40), Sophomore F Brock Nelson (28-18-46), Freshman D Nick Mattson (6-13-19), Senior D Ben Blood (3-18-21), Junior G Aaron Dell (18-9-2, 2.58 GAA, .903 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: March 16, 2012 (St. Paul, MN). Minnesota took three of four games from North Dakota in the regular season and appeared poised to advance to the WCHA Final Five title game, leading UND 3-0 midway through the middle period. But the Fighting Sioux rattled off six unanswered goals, left the Gophers shell-shocked, and ensured that Xcel Energy Center would be green for St. Patrick’s Day the following night.

Last meeting in the NCAA tournament: March 25, 2007 (Denver, CO). Minnesota had defeated UND eight days earlier to win the WCHA Final Five on Blake Wheeler’s diving overtime winner, but North Dakota got the last laugh. Chris Porter scored on a wraparound (Michael Parks, anyone?) midway through the first overtime and the Fighting Sioux were on their way to the Frozen Four. Ryan Duncan and Robbie Bina also scored for the Green and White and Phillippe Lamoureux stopped 27 of 29 Gopher shots.

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, 136-130-14 (.511), but North Dakota has won six of the past eight playoff meetings (WCHA and NCAA) between the two teams.

Recent history: Each team has won five of the last ten games between the schools, and the teams have split four games at Xcel Energy Center.

Game News and Notes

Dave Hakstol is 17-12-3 against Minnesota in his head coaching career. UND junior goaltender Aaron Dell is 13-0 in the month of March. In an effort to alleviate parking concerns, Minnesota fans are asked to park in St. Cloud and walk to Xcel Energy Center.

The Prediction

Just like last Friday night, tonight’s contest will be decided by special teams, goaltending, and momentum. If North Dakota has any edge at all, it’s in the faceoff circle. No matter which way this game goes down, it will add yet another chapter to one of the greatest rivalries in all of college sports. I see this one as a tight game either way, with an empty netter sealing it at the end. If UND head coach Dave Hakstol had more than one timeout at his disposal. I would go with North Dakota. As it is, however, I think Minnesota takes this one and gets their crack at Boston College in the Frozen Four. MN 5, UND 3.

The first game of the 2012 NCAA West Regionals features a team that has made a strong second-half run, winning its conference playoffs with the tournament MVP in goal.

And the other team is North Dakota.

UND fans may not know much about the Western Michigan Broncos, as the teams haven’t played in 14 years and have faced off only four times in college hockey history. But the Broncos, led by first-year head coach Andy Murray (Los Angeles Kings, St. Louis Blues) has his team on a run similar to the Fighting Sioux.

Since the calendar turned to 2012, WMU has gone 11-8-1, but more impressively, they’re unbeaten in their last six games and boast playoff wins over Miami and Michigan en route to the CCHA playoff championship.

For UND, it’s just another second half surge. Dave Hakstol’s club is 15-4-1 in 2012 and has won seven games in a row, including wins over Minnesota and Denver at the WCHA Final Five. Of North Dakota’s four second half losses, only one came at the hands of a team that did not make the NCAA tournament (St. Cloud State).

The difference in this one could come down to experience between the pipes. Western Michigan’s Frank Slubowski is good, but he’s a freshman and hadn’t been playoff tested until last weekend.

North Dakota’s Aaron Dell, a junior, has never lost a game in March, boasting a record of 12-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.21 and a save percentage of .950.

Western Michigan Team Profile

Head Coach: (Andy Murray, 1st season at WMU, 21-13-6 .600)
Pairwise Ranking: 14th
National Rankings: #12/#12
This Season: 21-13-6 overall, 14-10-4-4 CCHA (t-2nd)
Last Season: 19-13-10 overall (NCAA Midwest Regional semifinalist), 10-9-9-5 CCHA (4th)

Team Offense: 2.83 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.23 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.8% (36 of 173)
Penalty Kill: 84.9% (135 of 159)

Key Players: Sophomore F Chase Balisy (13-24-37), Sophomore F Shane Berschbach (10-22-32), Junior F Dane Walters (16-13-29), Junior D Matt Tennyson (11-13-24), Sophomore D Danny DeKeyser (5-11-16), Freshman G Frank Slubowski (17-10-4, 2.03 GAA, .910 SV%, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (8th season at UND, 212-105-30, .654)
Pairwise Ranking: 4th
National Rankings: #4/#4
This Season: 25-12-3 overall, 16-11-1 WCHA (4th)
Last Season: 32-9-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 21-6-1 WCHA (1st)

Team Offense: 3.25 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.55 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 22.6% (40 of 177)
Penalty Kill: 80.9% (131 of 162)

Key Players: Junior F Danny Kristo (18-25-43) Junior F Corban Knight (15-24-39), Sophomore F Brock Nelson (27-17-44), Freshman D Nick Mattson (6-13-19), Senior D Ben Blood (3-17-20), Junior G Aaron Dell (17-9-2, 2.64 GAA, .901 SV%, 2 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: January 3, 1998 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota steamrolled the visiting Broncos 5-1 after taking Friday’s opener by the score of 12-5. UND had traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan the previous season and swept WMU by scores of 6-3 and 5-3.

Most Important Meeting: The two teams have never met in the playoffs, so I will go with Saturday’s regional semifinal as the most important meeting between the two teams.

All-time Series: UND has won all four meetings between the schools. The teams last met during the 1997-98 season.

Game News and Notes

UND head coach Dave Hakstol has a 10-2 record in NCAA regionals and has 41 total playoff wins in his career at North Dakota. WMU head coach Andy Murray is in his first season behind the Bronco bench; Murray’s son, Brady, played for the Fighting Sioux from 2003-05. Both team’s goaltenders (Frank Slubowski, WMU, and Aaron Dell, UND) were named the MVP of their respective conference tournaments last weekend.

The Prediction

This game will be tighter than many fans are suggesting. If the Broncos come out of the gates flying, expect Minnesota fans in attendance to adopt WMU as their own. North Dakota will survive this one, but it won’t be easy. UND 3, WMU 2.

Bonus Prediction:

In the late game on Saturday, Minnesota and Boston University will lock horns for the right to advance to the West Regional final. The Golden Gophers will falter early but find their legs late. I see this one going to overtime, with the Maroon and Gold edging the Terriers. MN 4, BU 3 (OT).