Author: Dave Berger

Despite only having senior defenseman Chay Genoway for 9 out of the 39 games played to this point, this year’s D corps have surpassed last year in a number of different areas.

For the entire 2008-2009 season (43 games), Fighting Sioux blueliners scored 13 goals and added 55 assists for 68 points. This year, through 39 games (and with between 2 and 7 games left to play), Sioux defensemen have potted 16 goals and 58 assists for 74 points.

(Genoway’s four goals and six assists are included in this season’s total)

On the defensive side of the ice, this year’s squad is allowing 2.10 goals per game on 23.9 shots.
Last year’s team allowed 2.74 goals per game on 26.9 shots.

Certainly some of this is goaltender Brad Eidness, whose numbers compare as follows:

Freshman year (08-09): 24-12-4, 2.56 GAA, .906 SV%, 1 SO
Sophomore year (09-10): 21-9-4, 2.09 GAA, .914 SV%, 2 SO

It’s taken a while for the other Sioux defensemen to adjust to Genoway’s absence, but this team’s recent stretch of nine victories in ten games is a testament to how well the unit has stepped up, adjusted, and filled roles and minutes that underclassmen typically don’t play in the WCHA.

Another key is that both Joe Gleason and Andrew MacWilliam, although freshmen, have played in all 39 games this season, joining Derrick LaPoint and Ben Blood as the four blueliners who have not missed a start (Jake Marto did not play on March 6th against Michigan Tech).

Another injury note: Joe Gleason (nine assists) is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury and is not expected to play in Thursday’s play-in game versus Minnesota-Duluth. Corey Fienhage, who played 26 games in Genoway’s absence before Brent Davidson took his spot in the lineup for the past 5 games, will be back in against the Bulldogs.

I’m not suggesting that North Dakota is fine without Genoway (and now Gleason), or that the team doesn’t miss his presence in the lineup; this is just a way of looking at an injury/hole in the lineup as someone else’s opportunity to step up.

On the other hand, we can only imagine what Genoway in the lineup for 30 more games may have meant to this team’s record, eventual tournament seed, and chances of winning a national championship.

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

This weekend’s games will mark the 15th and 16th meetings between the two teams in the past three seasons. In addition to the normal league schedule, the two teams met at the Great Lakes Invitational in December 2008 and faced each other in the league playoffs each of the past two seasons. In the previous 14 games, North Dakota is 10-3-1 against Michigan Tech and has outscored the Huskies 49-21. Sixteen games in three seasons is believed to be the most against one opponent in that span.

In the past five contests between the schools, the Fighting Sioux have been even more dominant, winning all five and scoring 22 goals while allowing 7.

After opening 2010 with a record of 4-5-2, UND has reeled off five straight victories and secured home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. Michigan Tech has clinched the title of “having to travel to Denver to face the #1 Pioneers and win two games to extend their season”. Two weeks ago, DU swept the visiting Huskies, 5-2 and 5-3.

Michigan Tech has been in a freefall for two years. After collecting 18 victories in 2006-07 and 14 in 07-08, the Huskies have posted a record of 11-51-8 over the past two seasons.

North Dakota can still finish as high as third place in the WCHA, as UND holds the tiebreaker over 3rd place St. Cloud State and 4th place Minnesota-Duluth. Coming into this weekend, the Fighting Sioux trail UMD by two points and SCSU by four points in the standings. Duluth is at Anchorage this weekend, while St. Cloud State travels to Mankato for a pair with the Mavericks.

Michigan Tech Team Profile

Head Coach: (Jamie Russell, 7th season at MTU, 66-163-33, .315)
National Ranking: NR/NR
PairWise Ranking: NR
This Season: 5-26-1, 4-22-0 WCHA (10th)
Last Season: 6-25-7 overall, 2-19-7 WCHA (10th)
Team Offense: 2.12 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 4.19 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 15.6% (22 of 141)
Penalty Kill: 69.1% (121 of 175)
Key Players: Sophomore F Brett Olson (18-12-30), Senior F Malcolm Gwilliam (12-14-26), Junior F Jordan Baker (8-9-17), Freshman D Steven Seigo (4-15-19), Freshman G Kevin Genoe (4-17-1, 3.48 GAA, .904 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (6th season at UND, 148-82-24, .630)
National Ranking: #7/#7
PairWise Ranking: t-6th
This Season: 18-11-5, 31-10-3 WCHA (5th)
Last Season: 24-15-4 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinalist), 17-7-4 WCHA (1st)
Team Offense: 3.15 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.18 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 21.3% (39 of 183)
Penalty Kill: 87.4% (152 of 174)
Key Players: Sophomore F Jason Gregoire (15-12-27), Senior F Chris VandeVelde (13-18-31), Freshman F Danny Kristo (12-15-27), Junior F Evan Trupp (5-22-27), Junior D Derrick LaPoint (2-12-14), Sophomore G Brad Eidsness (17-8-4, 2.21 GAA, .910 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: November 7, 2009 (Houghton, MI). UND defeated the Huskies 4-1 behind two goals from junior Evan Trupp. Trupp also had a goal in Friday’s 4-2 Sioux victory.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: March 14, 2009. North Dakota held on for a 4-3 victory and a sweep of the WCHA first-round playoff series. It would turn out to be UND’s last victory of the 2008-09 season, as the Fighting Sioux lost both games at the WCHA Final Five (to Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin) and dropped their NCAA tournament opener to New Hampshire in overtime.

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, 138-90-9 (.599), including a 77-33-4 (.693) record in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: UND has posted a 7-2-1 (.750) record in the last ten games between the teams.

Game News and Notes

For the third consecutive week, two Fighting Sioux were honored as WCHA Players of the Week. This time around, freshman forward Corban Knight was chosen as the league’s top rookie (his third such honor this season) and sophomore goaltender Brad Eidsness earned Defensive Player honors for the second consecutive week. UND’s power play converts at 26.3 percent when Brett Hextall is in the lineup and just 6.5 percent when he does not play. Michigan Tech freshman goaltender Kevin Genoe made 58 saves last Friday night against Wisconsin. Despite the effort, MTU lost 5-2. North Dakota junior forward Matt Frattin has picked up eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) in his last five games, and has scored five goals and five assists in eleven career games against Michigan Tech. UND will honor its three seniors on the ice prior to Saturday’s game. Chay Genoway, Darcy Zajac, and Chris Vandevelde make up this year’s senior class. Our two children, Alex and Ashley, will ride the Zamboni during the first intermission on Friday night.

The Prediction

All signs point to a North Dakota sweep. Michigan Tech will need to play five on five to to keep it close and have a chance in the third period. If it’s a battle of special teams, the score could get ugly early. North Dakota 5-2, 4-2.

In most seasons during the Hakstol era, there is a midpoint (typically around the start of the new year) when his Fighting Sioux squad begins to get on a roll and pile up wins.

No one knew what to make of this season’s 7-1-1 start, a stretch during which UND was outscoring opponents 3.67-1.56 goals per game.

Everyone knows what happened to Chay Genoway on Friday the 13th of November, 2009. For the sake of this article, we’ll call that midpoint #1. Over the next nine games (up until January 1st and an interesting comparison to the nine games Genoway was in the lineup), UND struggled to a 2-5-2 mark, losing all five games by one goal and playing dead even hockey, scoring 25 goals and allowing 25 goals.

January 1, 2010. Midpoint #2. Since the calendar turned, North Dakota is 7-5-2 and is outscoring opponents 3.07-2.21 goals per game. Most importantly, Brett Hextall’s return has reignited the power play and UND has rattled off three straight victories, outscoring St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth 18-4.

The biggest differences over the past 14 games have been solid defensive play and the goaltending of Brad Eidsness. A comfort level has developed on the back end which allows some of the more offensive-minded blueliners (Derrick Lapoint, Jake Marto, and Ben Blood) to play more effectively in the attacking zone.

Colorado College and North Dakota come into the weekend tied for 5th place in the WCHA, and this weekend’s action might well determine who claims the fifth and final home ice spot in the first round of the league playoffs.

Colorado College Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Owens (11th season at CC, 256-145-38, .626)
National Rankings: #13/#12
PairWise Ranking: 17th
This Season: 17-12-3 Overall, 11-10-3 WCHA (t-5th)
Last Season: 16-12-10 Overall, 12-9-7 WCHA (t-3rd)
Team Offense: 3.34 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.78 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 22.9% (41 of 179)
Penalty Kill: 82.6% (123 of 149)
Key Players: Senior F Bill Sweatt (14-15-29), Senior F Mike Testwuide (18-9-27), Freshman F Rylan Schwartz (6-20-26), Senior D Nate Prosser (3-21-24), Freshman G Joe Howe (15-11-3, 2.74 GAA, .908 SV%, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (6th season at UND, 146-82-24, .627)
National Ranking: #8/#8
PairWise Ranking: 8th
This Season: 16-11-5, 11-10-3 WCHA (t-5th)
Last Season: 24-15-4 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinalist), 17-7-4 WCHA (1st)
Team Offense: 3.16 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.19 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 21.0% (37 of 176)
Penalty Kill: 86.6% (142 of 164)
Key Players: Sophomore F Jason Gregoire (15-12-27), Senior F Chris VandeVelde (12-18-30), Freshman F Danny Kristo (10-15-25), Junior F Evan Trupp (5-19-24), Junior D Derrick LaPoint (2-12-14), Sophomore G Brad Eidsness (15-8-4, 2.22 GAA, .909 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 1, 2009 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota moved into first place in the WCHA with a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory over the visiting Tigers. The Fighting Sioux killed 1:50 of penalty time in the extra frame before Darcy Zajac netted the game winner with 90 seconds remaining. UND and CC battled to a 4-4 tie in Friday’s opener.

Last Meeting in Colorado Springs: November 8, 2008. Tiger forward Eric Walsky scored four goals as CC upended visiting North Dakota 7-4. UND won the series opener 3-1 a night earlier.

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, 132-75-10 (.631), although the Tigers hold a 55-45-4 (.548) edge in games played in Colorado Springs. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 6-3-1 (.650) in the last ten meetings between the teams.

Game News and Notes

Colorado College has not lost this season when leading after one period of play (10-0-2), and have won only twice when trailing after the opening twenty minutes (2-9-0). The WCHA honored a pair of North Dakota sophomores after last weekend, as forward Brett Hextall (four points) and goaltender Brad Eidsness (53 saves on 56 shots) were named Offensive and Defensive players of the week. UND’s power play converts at 26.6 percent when Brett Hextall is in the lineup and just 6.5 percent when he does not play.

The Prediction

This series has split written all over it, but if North Dakota continues to score at a breakneck pace, they could squeeze three points out of the weekend. Friday’s first period is key for both teams, and will forecast how the rest of the weekend will play out. North Dakota 4-2, Colorado College 4-3.

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

If North Dakota has an edge in this series, it’s this: the last time Duluth traveled to Ralph Engelstad Arena to take on the Fighting Sioux was November 24, 2007. The Bulldogs have 15 players on the roster who have never played in Grand Forks.

The Bulldogs have hit a bit of a rough patch lately, winning just twice in their last six games. UMD was swept in a home-and-home with Bemidji State and posted consecutive splits against Wisconsin and Michigan Tech. Duluth was idle last weekend.

North Dakota is coming off of its best 120 minute performance of the season. Despite splitting with the Huskies in St. Cloud, UND carried the play offensively and physically throughout the weekend. If the Green and White hope to improve their position for the NCAAs, they will need to play that brand of hockey from here on out.

Minnesota-Duluth Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (10th season at UMD, 162-184-46, .472)
This Season:  18-11-1 Overall, 14-7-1 WCHA (t-3rd)
National Rankings: #6/#6
PairWise Ranking: t-9th
Team Offense: 3.33 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.70 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 22.2% (41 of 185)
Penalty Kill: 80.4% (127 of 158)
Last Season: 22-13-8 Overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 10-11-7 WCHA
Key Players: Sophomore F Jack Connolly (16-23-39), Junior F Justin Fontaine (17-19-36), Junior F Rob Bordson (8-26-34), Sophomore F Mike Connolly (11-20-31), Sophomore D Brady Lamb (8-7-15), Junior G Kenny Reiter (10-6-0, 2.22 GAA, .917 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (6th season at UND, 144-82-24, .624)
National Ranking: #11/#11
PairWise Ranking: t-13th
This Season: 14-11-5, 9-10-3 WCHA (6th)
Last Season: 24-15-4 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinalist), 17-7-4 WCHA (1st)
Team Offense: 3.03 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.23 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.9% (34 of 163)
Penalty Kill: 86.3% (132 of 153)
Key Players: Sophomore F Jason Gregoire (13-11-24), Senior F Chris VandeVelde (11-16-27), Freshman F Danny Kristo (9-14-23), Junior F Evan Trupp (5-18-23), Junior D Derrick LaPoint (2-11-13), Sophomore G Brad Eidsness (13-8-4, 2.28 GAA, .905 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: December 5, 2009 (Duluth, MN). The Bulldogs got a controversial tying goal from Travis Oleksuk with just over thirty seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime, and completed the comeback just 12 seconds into the extra session to defeat North Dakota 3-2. The Fighting Sioux won Friday’s opener, 4-2.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: November 24, 2007. After defeating Duluth 8-3 on Friday night, UMD’s Drew Akins scored an improbable 80 foot goal for the game winner on Saturday. It was Duluth’s first win in Grand Forks in eleven attempts.

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, 126-70-8 (.637), including a 72-30-2 (.702) record in games played in Grand Forks

Last Ten: North Dakota is 5-4-1 (.550) in the last ten games between the teams.

Game News and Notes

Sioux forwards Chris Vandevelde and Corban Knight were honored by the WCHA for their play last weekend against St. Cloud State. Vandevelde notched two goals and four assists on the weekend and was named co-offensive player of the week, and Knight earned Rookie of the Week honors for his four point effort (one goal, three assists). The Bulldogs have three of the top ten scorers in the league in Connolly, Fontaine, and Bordson. UND will be celebrating the tenth anniversary of its 2000 championship on Saturday night. Members of that team will be available for autographs and Saturday’s game program will feature a pull-out poster of the team.

The Prediction

If North Dakota can put together more series like last weekend’s games in St. Cloud, the wins will start to pile up. I’m not ready to give the Sioux a home sweep just yet, but it’s not out of the question. UND 3-2, 3-3 tie.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments, questions, 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 ends after this year.

Next season, even though the WCHA expands to 12 teams (adding Bemidji State and Nebraska-Omaha) and implements a new rotating schedule, UND and SCSU will continue to play four games each year. For a complete look at the new WCHA schedule, click here.

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 2005, going 3-0-1 against the Huskies. St. Cloud took the trophy back in 2006, sporting a record of 3-1-0 against North Dakota. In 2007, 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. And last year, 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.

Earlier this season, the teams split a weekend series in Grand Forks, so the Cup is on the line this weekend in St. Cloud.

The Challenge Cup will be on display at the Center Ice Club pre-game social this Saturday, February 13th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Legends Bar inside the Holiday Inn (Division Street and 37th Avenue) 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.

Check back later this week for a complete preview of this weekend’s series. As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions.