Author: Dave Berger

Halloween night…the spookiest night of the year. But for the Michigan State Spartans, the two months since Halloween have been terrifying. MSU has not won since October 31st, going 0-9-2 in that span and also losing 4-2 to the US Under 18 team in exhibition action. The Spartans scored two or fewer goals in 10 of those 12 games and bring a season record of 4-11-3 into the 44th annual Great Lakes Invitational.

It’s been a mixed bag of tricks and treats for the Fighting Sioux in that span. North Dakota beat Wisconsin 3-2 on Halloween night in Grand Forks, and have gone 7-5-1 since that victory. UND has not lost in December (4-0-0 in sweeps of Harvard and St. Cloud State) and now has an overall record of 9-8-1. These next two weekends will mark the final four non-conference games for the Green and White, and provide an excellent opportunity to improve on a 3-3-0 non-conference record and position for the NCAA tournament.

The winner of this matchup will face Michigan or Michigan Tech in Sunday’s championship game at Joe Louis Arena. North Dakota has captured the GLI championship in two of its previous three tournament appearances.

Michigan State Team Profile

Head Coach: Rick Comley (7th season at MSU, 146-96-27, .593)
This Season: 4-11-3 Overall, 2-8-2-2 CCHA (12th)
National Rankings: NR/NR
Team Offense: 1.61 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 10.7% (9 of 84)
Penalty Kill: 87.6% (78 of 89)
Last Season: 25-12-5 Overall (NCAA West Regional Finalist), 19-6-3 CCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Senior F Matt Schepke (7-3-10), Senior F Tim Crowder (3-7-10), Sophomore D Jeff Petry (1-6-7), Senior G Jeff Lerg (3-10-1, 2.88 GAA, .912 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (5th season at UND, 115-64-16, .631)
This Season: 9-8-1 Overall, 6-5-1 WCHA (9th)
National Ranking: #18/NR
Team Offense: 3.33 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.06 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 19.7% (26 of 132)
Penalty Kill: 82.5% (85 of 103)
Last Season: 28-11-4 Overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 18-7-3 WCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Senior F Ryan Duncan (7-8-15), Junior F Chris VandeVelde (4-7-11), Senior F/D Brad Miller (4-14-18), Senior F Ryan Martens (7-7-14), Junior D Chay Genoway (2-16-18), Freshman G Brad Eidsness (9-5-1, 2.72 GAA, .909 SV)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: October 13, 2007 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota blitzed the defending national champions 6-0 in the US Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
Most Important Meeting: March 28. 1987 (Detroit, MI). The Hrkac Circus invaded Joe Louis Arena and took home North Dakota’s fifth national championship with a 5-3 victory over the Spartans.
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 62-35-2 (.636), and holds a record of 6-3-0 in games played on neutral ice. North Dakota has won nine of the previous ten meetings between the schools.

Game News and Notes

UND freshman goaltender Brad Eidsness has appeared in fifteen consecutive games (including fourteen starts). The last freshman netminder to appear in a longer stretch of games was Aaron Schweitzer, who played in the last 18 games of UND’s 1996-97 championship campaign. North Dakota senior forward Ryan Duncan is currently 23rd on the UND career scoring list. Duncan has notched 148 points in his Sioux career and would move into the top 20 all-time with six more points this season.

The Prediction

This looks like a walk-over for North Dakota, but Michigan State is a proud program with a veteran coach, a seasoned goaltender, and a home crowd advantage. I expect this game to be close until the third, when the Fighting Sioux will break it open. UND 5-2.

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

North Dakota headed into the Christmas break on a good note, sweeping the St. Cloud State Huskies 3-2 and 7-4 in a pair of WCHA games at Ralph Engelstad Arena.  Sioux goaltender Brad Eidsness notched both victories to run his season record to 9-5-1.

With the sweep, North Dakota (9-8-1, 6-5-1 WCHA) found itself above .500 for the first time all season and returned to the top 20 in the national rankings.  UND entered the weekend in ninth place in the conference and found themselves all alone in sixth place after downing the Huskies.  The Fighting Sioux are actually in good position for an upper division finish in the league, as they have played two fewer games than most of the teams above them in the standings.

In short, a 6-2-1 stretch has righted the ship after a 3-6-0 start had the green and white in an early hole.

There are many reasons why North Dakota has found more success lately, but I will point to two:

Goaltending.  Since replacing Aaron Walksi midway through a November 14th game against Alaska-Anchorage, SIoux freshman Brad Eidsness has played every minute.  In that ten game stretch, Eidsness is 6-2-1 with a goals-against average of 2.22 and a save percentage of .926.

Balanced scoring.  During that same stretch of games, North Dakota has outscored opponents 40-21.  Eighteen Sioux skaters have scored a goal in the past ten games, including nine players with multiple goals.  The key to UND’s success has been scoring across all four lines and contributions from defensemen.   Of course, North Dakota relies on their top line of Ryan Duncan, Andrew Kozek, and Chris VandeVelde, particularily on the power play.  But those three players have potted 6 goals in the past ten games, while Brett Hextall (4 goals), Matt Frattin (7 goals), David Toews (3 goals), and Ryan Martens (5 goals) have led the recent surge.

Senior forward Ryan Martens has collected 5 goals and 5 assists in the past ten games after notching just 4 goals and 15 assists in his first three seasons at North Dakota (58 games played). 

The top two offensive defenseman, Chay Genoway and Brad Miller, have combined for 4 goals and 24 assists in the past 10 games.  It is perhaps even more encouraging to see contributions from sophomore blueliners Derrick Lapoint and Jake Marto, who have notched 2 goals and 4 assists in the past four games. 

The scoring hasn’t just been balanced, it has been timely.  North Dakota never trailed in last weekend’s series against St. Cloud, and had an answer every time the Huskies got close.

In Saturday’s finale, Jake Marto scored a first period goal less than a minute after SCSU had tied the score at one.  In the second period, Brett Hextall notched the eventual game-winner less than four minutes after the Huskies had pulled to within 4-3.  And most importantly, David Toews potted a huge sixth goal just 42 seconds after St. Cloud had scored to make it 5-4.

Great goaltending, contributions from all parts of the lineup, and timely scoring are a recipe for a weekend sweep and continued success in the second half.

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

As I mentioned in my article about the Challenge Cup, the rivalry between these two schools has picked up since the WCHA made North Dakota and St. Cloud State schedule partners six seasons ago.

Both teams come into this series looking to make a move in the conference standings before the Christmas break. The Huskies (10-6-0, 5-5-0 WCHA) are currently tied for 7th place in the league race, while the Fighting Sioux (7-8-1, 4-5-1 WCHA) have been playing better of late but find themselves in 9th place. The conference standings are a bit misleading, as league leader Wisconsin (7-5-2 in the WCHA) has played four more conference games.

There are a number of players performing at an incredibly high level for each team. Sioux freshman goaltender Brad Eidsness (7-5-1, 2.68 GAA, .911 SV) has been rock-solid since replacing senior Aaron Walski midway through a November 14th game against Alaska-Anchorage. In the past eight games, Eidsness is 4-2-1 with a goals-against average of 2.01 and a save percentage of .933. North Dakota sophomore forward Matt Frattin has scored seven goals in his past seven games and freshman forward David Toews netted his first two career goals last weekend in a sweep at Harvard.

For the Huskies, it’s Roe, Roe, Roe. The sophomore forward has scored 9 goals and added 16 assists this season in only 16 games and is second in the nation in scoring. Senior forward John Swanson has tallied eight goals already this season, and St. Cloud is getting more than adequate goaltending from junior Jase Weslosky (8-5-0, 2.32 GAA, .926 SV).

By comparison, the top UND scorer is defenseman Chay Genoway. His 2 goals and 14 assists (in 15 games) are good for 34th place nationally. North Dakota’s top scoring forward is Brad Miller (4-11-15 in 14 games).

Just like much of last season, St. Cloud has struggled in close games, going 1-3-0 games decided by one goal this year.

This weekend, the two teams will be earning points for the UND/SCSU Challenge Cup, a traveling fan trophy awarded to the team which wins the four-game season series. The teams will square off in St. Cloud on January 30-31 in the final regular season meetings between the schools.

St. Cloud State Team Profile

Head Coach: Bob Motzko (4th season at SCSU, 73-49-16, .587)
This Season: 10-6-0 Overall, 5-5-0 WCHA (t-7th)
National Rankings: #17/#19
Team Offense: 3.69 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.38 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.7% (20 of 107)
Penalty Kill: 80.7% (71 of 88)
Last Season: 19-16-5 Overall (NCAA East Regional Semifinalist), 12-12-4 WCHA (4th)
Key Players: Sophomore F Garrett Roe (9-16-25), Senior F John Swanson (8-7-15), Junior F Ryan Lasch (2-13-15), Junior D Garrett Raboin (5-9-14), Junior G Jase Weslosky (8-5-0, 2.32 GAA, .926 SV, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (5th season at UND, 113-64-16, .627)
This Season: 7-8-1 Overall, 4-5-1 WCHA (9th)
National Ranking: NR
Team Offense: 3.12 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.06 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 19.5% (24 of 123)
Penalty Kill: 81.7% (76 of 93)
Last Season: 28-11-4 Overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 18-7-3 WCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Senior F Ryan Duncan (6-8-14), Junior F Chris VandeVelde (3-7-10), Senior F/D Brad Miller (4-11-15), Sophomore F Matt Frattin (7-3-10), Junior D Chay Genoway (2-14-16), Freshman G Brad Eidsness (7-5-1, 2.68 GAA, .911 SV)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 8, 2008 (Grand Forks, ND). Husky forward Ryan Lasch scored a late power-play goal to salvage a 2-2 tie in the final regular season meeting between the two teams. UND and St. Cloud tied 1-1 in Friday’s opener.
Most Important Meeting: March 17, 2001 (St. Paul, MN). St. Cloud State defeated North Dakota 6-5 to claim the 2001 WCHA Final Five Championship. Derek Eastman scored the game-winner in overtime after UND scored three goals in the final ten minutes of regulation to force the extra session.
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 47-26-10 (.627), and holds a record of 24-11-5 (.663) in games played in Grand Forks.

Game News and Notes

UND freshman goaltender Brad Eidsness has appeared in thirteen consecutive games (including twelve starts). The last freshman netminder to appear in a longer stretch of games was Aaron Schweitzer, who played in the last 18 games of UND’s 1996-97 championship campaign. Eidsness was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week for his two victories last weekend at Harvard. North Dakota senior forward Ryan Duncan is currently 25th on the UND career scoring list. Duncan has notched 147 points in his Sioux career and would move into the top 20 all-time with seven more points this season.

The Prediction

This will be a special teams battle all the way. Both teams score on the power play and give up power play goals at an alarming rate. North Dakota will need to strike a balance between playing a physical brand of hockey and staying out of the penalty box. UND 4-3, 3-3 tie.

On a Personal Note

I look forward to this series every year because of the unique relationship we have with the Center Ice Club, the official hockey booster organization for the St. Cloud State University Huskies. On behalf of SiouxSports.com, I would like to invite you to the UND/SCSU pre-game social on Saturday afternoon from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Southgate Grill and Bar. This event is free and open to all fans 21 and older.

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Check back after the games for reaction, news, and commentary.

Beginning with the 2002-03 season, the WCHA changed its scheduling system, creating “rivals” which would play each other four times each season (and play the other schools twice one season, four times the next, and so on). Minnesota and Wisconsin were paired up, as were Colorado College and Denver. All four of those schools, and particularly Minnesota and Wisconsin, would have made excellent schedule partners for UND.

And which of the remaining teams would become North Dakota’s schedule partner? Alaska-Anchorage? Mankato? No, as the two newest members of the WCHA (1993 and 1999, respectively), the Seawolves and Mavericks were paired with each other. How about Minnesota-Duluth or Michigan Tech, schools which had been members of the conference for over 35 years? No again. Those two schools are just over 200 miles apart, and that was certainly a factor in the decision.

That left St. Cloud State, a familiar foe for Sioux fans from North Central Conference football and basketball games. The St. Cloud State Huskies had been a Division I hockey program for 15 years (and a WCHA member for 12) before the 2002-03 season, and had posted a 83-34-6 (.699) record over the previous three seasons. By contrast, from 1999-02, UND held a record of 76-35-16 (.654).

The two schools had played a handful of meaningful games in the past. In 1991 (St. Cloud’s first in the league), the Huskies and Sioux met in Grand Forks for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. St. Cloud took the opener, 4-2, before falling 10-2 and 7-4 in games 2 and 3. The two teams met in the 1998 and 2000 WCHA Final Five semifinal games, with North Dakota prevailing in both contests. Perhaps the best reason to be optimistic about the rivalry was the 2001 WCHA Final Five championship game, a hard-fought contest which St. Cloud State won on Derek Eastman’s overtime winner.

It’s fair to say that in 2002 there was confusion AND cautious optimism surrounding the potential rivalry between the two teams. (And on a personal note, I had already traveled to St. Cloud for the Sioux/Husky games four times before the rivalry announcement was made, and I was more than pleased that I would now be able to make this trip every year.)

It’s also fair to say that the rivalry has caught on over the past six seasons. The two teams have played eight overtime contests in their 26 regular-season meetings, and points are tough to come by, at home and on the road. The fans have also made their mark on the partnership between the schools, as the UND/SCSU rivalry now has a commemorative fan trophy, thanks to the Center Ice Club at St. Cloud State University:

After sputtering to a 5-8-1 record through the first two months of the season, North Dakota flew into Cambridge, swept the Harvard Crimson, evened its non-conference record at 3-3-0, and served notice that the Fighting Sioux may have turned the corner.

This weekend saw UND sweep an opponent for the first time all season. Last year’s 2007-08 team earned its first sweep on January 11th and 12th against Michigan Tech. That home sweep ignited an 18-game unbeaten streak for the Fighting Sioux (15-0-3) and a trip to the Frozen Four.

Tonight’s game was the close contest that many of us anticipated. Harvard led 3-2 early in the third period before freshman forward David Toews tied the game with 14:00 to play and sophomore forward Matt Frattin gave UND the lead for good just 90 seconds later. Frattin has scored seven goals in his last seven games.

Because the final score read North Dakota 4, Harvard 3, it may seem like a completely different game from UND’s 10-1 blitzing a day earlier. But North Dakota used the same formula to complete the sweep: solid special teams play and spectacular goaltending.

The Fighting Sioux scored three power play goals in five opportunities and held Harvard to two tallies on eight chances. UND freshman netminder Brad Eidsness was at his best when North Dakota needed him the most, turning aside all six Crimson shots while killing off Chris VandeVelde’s major penalty in the first period.

Since replacing Aaron Walski midway through the November 14th game against Alaska-Anchorage, Brad Eidsness is 4-2-1 with a 2.01 goal-against average and a .933 save percentage.

For the weekend, UND went 7 for 14 with the man advantage (raising their season power-play percentage to 19.5) and killed 11 of 13 Harvard power plays.

An encouraging sign for North Dakota is the balanced score sheet. Seven Sioux players are scoring a half-point per game or more, led by defensemen Chay Genoway (2 goals and 14 assists) and Brad Miller (4 goals and 11 assists). Sioux forwards Ryan Duncan, Andrew Kozek, and Chris VandeVelde were expected to carry the scoring load up front, but Ryan Martens (5 goals, 6 assists) and Matt Frattin (7 goals, 3 assists) have been pleasant surprises.

Another key to UND’s success lately has been contributions from the freshman class. Highly touted recruits Brett Hextall, Jason Gregoire, and David Toews have totaled 11 goals and 10 assists in 43 games played this season. That’s a big step forward from last season’s top three freshmen forwards (Matt Frattin, Evan Trupp, and Brad Malone), who tallied 13 goals and 18 assists all season (109 games played).

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

Let the good times roll.

North Dakota rolled into Cambridge, Massachusetts and dominated every aspect of their opener against the Harvard Crimson, cruising to a 10-1 victory.

Where to begin?

The seven Sioux seniors in the lineup combined for seven goals and eleven assists. The all-senior line of Matt Watkins, Darcy Zajac, and Ryan Martens tallied four goals and six assists. And senior defenseman Zach Jones scored his first career goal in his 144th game at North Dakota.

Not to be outdone, Sioux freshman David Toews scored his first career goal and fellow frosh Corey Feinhage picked up his first career assist.

There are a couple of things that I would like to point out that often get overlooked in a game that appears as lopsided as this one does:

First off, Sioux goaltender Brad Eidsness stopped 39 of 40 shots he faced, including 20 of 21 in the second period alone. Coaches often say that a goalie has to be your best penalty killer, and Eidsness was that for North Dakota tonight. The freshman from Chestermere, Alberta turned aside all 13 of Harvard’s power play shots, including eight during a full two-minute 5 on 3 in the middle frame. Two minutes after the Sioux were back at full strength, Toews scored to make it 5-1 and the rout was on. For the game, North Dakota killed all five Harvard power plays.

With the impressive victory, Eidsness saw his season goals-against average drop to 2.65 and his save percentage rise to .910. Since taking over for Aaron Walski midway through the November 14th game versus Alaska-Anchorage, the freshman netminder has posted a record of 3-2-1 with a goals-against average of 1.85 and a save percentage of .936.

A second area that deserves a closer look is the faceoff circle. North Dakota owned the draws tonight, winning 45 out of 68 (66.2%). The top two centerman for UND, Darcy Zajac (18 of 22) and Chris VandeVelde (13 of 16) were particularly lethal. Winning faceoffs is critical, particularly in the offensive and defensive zones, and was a key to victory tonight.

In my weekend preview, I mentioned an area of emphasis for North Dakota:

North Dakota needs to find a way to score at even strength. The Fighting Sioux have scored 36 goals this season, but only 14 of them have come while the teams were skating 5 on 5. UND has struggled on the road (2-4-1), and has not won a game this season when scoring two or fewer goals (0-7-1).

Check and check. North Dakota scored six of its first seven goals at even strength and then followed that up with three late power play tallies. For the game, the Fighting Sioux scored its six even strength goals on 22 shots and went 4 for 9 on the power play (15 shots).

And I ended with this nugget of truth:

Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that North Dakota will come out playing very well on Friday night. If the Fighting Sioux find success early, it could be a long weekend for Harvard.

I would say so. Chasing one goaltender is an accomplishment; chasing two (without an injury situation) is almost unheard of.

So where does that leave us for tomorrow night? If tonight’s third period is any indication, the Harvard Crimson did not take too kindly to being embarrassed on home ice. Expect a tighter, more physical contest in Saturday’s finale. The first period will once again be key. If North Dakota jumps out to the early lead again, it could reignite tempers and the parade to the penalty box. UND would love to get into a special teams battle again.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Check back after Saturday’s game for more reaction and commentary.

This weekend marks the halfway point for North Dakota’s non-conference schedule, and the Fighting Sioux have struggled to a 1-3-0 record outside of the WCHA. With a date with Michigan State on December 27th and a possible clash with Michigan the following night, this weekend’s games against the Harvard Crimson take on an added significance.

UND can look ahead and hope to sweep Bemidji State in a home-and-home non-conference series in January, but if they hope to make a splash in the NCAA tournament, they will need to pick up wins this weekend in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Harvard entered this season with two main question marks: scoring and goaltending.

And the freshmen will lead them.

Freshman phenom Alex Killorn is a Tampa Bay draft pick (#77 overall) who has adjusted quickly to the college game (2 goals and 6 assists in ten games). And fellow frosh Matt Hoyle has performed admirably between the pipes for the Crimson, posting a goals-against average of 2.09 and a save percentage of .929 while playing virtually every minute this season.

Harvard is undefeated at home this year (4-0-0), defeating ECAC opponents Dartmouth, Rensselaer, Clarkson, and St. Lawrence. The Crimson have finished games well, going 4-1-2 when leading or tied after two periods.

North Dakota needs to find a way to score at even strength. The Fighting Sioux have scored 36 goals this season, but only 14 of them have come while the teams were skating 5 on 5. UND has struggled on the road (2-4-1), and has not won a game this season when scoring two or fewer goals (0-7-1).

Harvard Team Profile

National Rankings: NR
Head Coach: Ted Donato (5th season at Harvard, 77-56-13, .572)
This Season: 4-4-2 Overall, 4-3-2 ECAC (t-2nd)
Team Offense: 2.30 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.10 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 16.4% (11 of 67)
Penalty Kill: 87.5% (63 of 72)
Last Season: 17-13-4 Overall, 12-7-3 ECAC (3rd)
Key Players: Freshman F Alex Killorn (2-6-8), Sophomore F Matt McCollum (3-3-6), Junior F Doug Rogers (0-4-4), Junior D Alex Biega (1-3-4) Senior D Brian McCafferty (1-3-4), Freshman G Matt Hoyle (4-4-2, .2.09 GAA, .929 SV, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (5th season at UND, 111-64-16, .623)
This Season: 5-8-1 Overall, 4-5-1 WCHA (t-7th)
National Ranking: NR
Team Offense: 2.57 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.21 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 15.6% (17 of 109)
Penalty Kill: 81.2% (65 of 80)
Last Season: 28-11-4 Overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 18-7-3 WCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Senior F Ryan Duncan (5-6-11), Junior F Chris VandeVelde (3-6-9), Senior F/D Brad Miller (3-7-10), Freshman F Brett Hextall (5-2-7), Junior D Chay Genoway (1-13-14), Freshman G Brad Eidsness (5-5-1, 2.80 GAA, .902 SV)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: December 30, 2005 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota earned a split with a 3-2 victory after the Crimson took Friday’s opener, 1-0.
Most Important Meeting: The Fighting Sioux and Harvard Crimson have met twice in the NCAA semifinals, with UND coming out on top in 1958 (9-1) and 1987 (5-2).
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 6-2-1 (.722). The two teams have never played in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Game News and Notes

Six current Sioux players appeared in the 2005 series against Harvard; none of the six (Duncan, Finley, Kozek, Martens, Miller, Watkins) registered a point on the weekend. UND freshman goaltender Brad Eidsness has appeared in eleven consecutive games (including ten starts). The last freshman netminder to appear in a longer stretch of games was Aaron Schweitzer, who played in the last 18 games of UND’s 1996-97 championship campaign. North Dakota senior forward Ryan Duncan is currently 27th on the UND career scoring list. Duncan has notched 144 points in his Sioux career and would move into the top 25 all-time with two points this weekend. North Dakota sophomore forward Matt Frattin was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week after his hat trick helped the Fighting Sioux hand Cornell its first loss of the season last Friday. Frattin has now scored five goals in his last five games.

The Prediction

Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that North Dakota will come out playing very well on Friday night. If the Fighting Sioux find success early, it could be a long weekend for Harvard. If UND struggles to solve Crimson net minder Matt Hoyle, Harvard could win a couple of close games. UND 4-1, 2-2 tie.

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

Tonight’s game demonstrated what can happen when North Dakota competes at a high level for 60 minutes.

The Fighting Sioux scored four even-strength goals in Friday’s opener after going more than 13 periods of hockey without a 5 on 5 tally. UND went 3 for 7 with the man advantage after Cornell had allowed only one power play goal all season (in 30 opportunities). And North Dakota chased Cornell goaltender Ben Scrivens from the game after scoring five goals on 26 shots. In six games prior to tonight, Scrivens had given up 5 goals TOTAL.

Here were Scriven’s numbers coming into the weekend series:
Four wins, two ties. 0.81 goals-against average, .971 save percentage, 2 shutouts.

And tonight: A 6.34 goals-against average and a save percentage of .808.

Don’t get me wrong, Scriven’s season numbers are still stellar (1.44 GAA, .949 SV). But it’s a good sign that North Dakota got to Scrivens early and often.

The key moment in the hockey game was UND forward Matt Frattin’s second goal. Cornell had pulled to within one on Riley Nash’s breakaway goal less than five minutes into the third period, and the Big Red had all the momentum. Two and a half minutes after Nash’s goal, Frattin and Gregoire came down the wing together, and Frattin beat Scrivens over the shoulder to make the score 5-3 and chase Scrivens from the hockey game.

“When we got down 4-3, we had some really good scoring chances,” Cornell head coach Mike Schafer said. “Hopefully, we learned our lesson that if we do get down (Saturday) night, not to play the way we did in the third, trying to open it up rather than sticking with things a little bit longer in order to get ourselves back in the game,” he added. “It was a tighter game than the score would indicate. It’s just one of those things where you regroup, revamp, and get ready to go again tomorrow.”

North Dakota junior defenseman Chay Genoway has been everything for the Sioux this season. Genoway scored a goal and added three assists to take over the team scoring lead. I have no idea how he was not voted Player of the Game. (For those of you who were not at the arena, Matt Frattin was not one of the choices despite having two goals at the time of the voting).

Genoway was noticeably absent during the starting lineups, even though he was announced as a starter. Maybe he had a wardrobe malfunction.

It’s worrisome that Sioux defensemen Matt Jones, Jake Marto, Derrick LaPoint, and Ben Blood are still scoreless on the season. The four have played a combined 50 games without a point.

The line of Jason Gregoire, Evan Trupp, and Matt Frattin was very effective tonight. For the game, the three forwards tallied 4 goals and 5 assists.

I thought it was a shame that Frattin’s hat trick only garnered a single cap on the ice. I understand that there is a lot going on at the arena, but come on, people! One hat?!? If I thought I could have made it over the netting, I would have launched mine from 306.

Before tonight’s game, Cornell had not allowed a hat trick to any player since January 15, 1999, a streak of 328 games. Incidentally, 1999 is also the last year Cornell surrendered seven goals in a game, losing 7-5 at Rensselaer on February 26th. As you might have guessed, the Big Red last had a losing season in 1998-99 (12-15-4).

North Dakota played a solid first period and then took over the hockey game, outshooting Cornell 25 to 11 over the final forty minutes of play. After trailing 2-1 late in the first, the Fighting Sioux outscored the Big Red 6-1 to close out the game.

UND (5-7-1) handed Cornell (4-1-2) its first loss of the season. With the victory, North Dakota moves to 1-2-0 in non-conference play. The two teams meet again at Ralph Engelstad Arena on Saturday night. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m.

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

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

This event, held on Saturday, December 13th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Southgate Grill and Bar in Grand Forks, is free and open to the public. SiouxSports.com is the title sponsor for the event in Grand Forks, while the Center Ice Club (the official hockey booster organization for the St. Cloud State University Huskies) hosts the social in St. Cloud every year.

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

Other businesses which have donated goods or services for this event include:

Al’s Grill and Catering
American Federal Bank
Barry’s Collector’s Corner
Daydreams Specialties
Domino’s Pizza
Gerrells Sports Center & Hockey World
Happy Joe’s Pizza
McPherson’s Jewelry
Nature’s Country Store
Ralph Engelstad Arena
Red Pepper
Southgate Grill and Bar

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

Cornell is one of the few teams in the country scoring at a slower rate than North Dakota. The Big Red have only tallied 12 goals in their first six games, while the Fighting Sioux have a slightly higher average of 28 goals in twelve games.

So why is Cornell still undefeated (4-0-2), while UND finds itself in yet another November funk (4-7-1)?

Goaltending.

Cornell has been a goaltending factory for years, beginning with Ken Dryden and Brian Hayward and continuing through David LeNeveu and David McKee. The next Big Red netminder to join the Hobey Baker race is Cornell junior Ben Scrivens. Scrivens had a terrific sophomore campaign (19-12-3, 2.02 goals-against average, .930 save percentage, 4 shutouts), and he’s followed that up with unfathomable numbers this season.

Scrivens has played every minute for Cornell this year, and here are the statistics:

Four wins, two ties. 0.81 goals-against average. .971 save percentage. 2 shutouts.

Admittedly, I’m a numbers guy, and some people aren’t. But let’s take a look at what those numbers mean…

In this weekend’s two game series, it would be an accomplishment for North Dakota to score two goals. Total. Scrivens is giving up less than one goal per game.

And the save percentage is even more ridiculous. In order to score three goals, the Fighting Sioux would have to put more than 100 shots on net.

The offensive outlook for North Dakota is not great. The Sioux have not scored an even-strength goal in more than 13 periods of hockey. UND’s power play is catching on, but Cornell has only allowed one power play goal all season (in 30 opportunities).

According to North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol, this opponent might be just what the doctor ordered.

“Maybe this is the right challenge at the right time,” Hakstol said. “We’re a team that’s not scoring goals. We’re a team that’s been sporadic on our power play. Cornell probably presents the best challenge possible for us at this point in our year.”

After losing two non-conference games at the Icebreaker Invitational earlier this season, it is imperative that North Dakota picks up wins this weekend and next weekend at Harvard, or UND will be on the outside looking in at the national tournament field.

Cornell Team Profile

National Rankings: #12/#12
Head Coach: Mike Schafer (14th season at Cornell, 258-139-47, .634)
This Season: 4-0-2 Overall, 4-0-2 ECAC (t-2nd)
Team Offense: 2.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 0.83 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 12.8% (5 of 39)
Penalty Kill: 96.7% (29 of 30)
Last Season: 19-14-3 Overall, 12-9-1 ECAC (t-4th)
Key Players: Junior F Colin Greening (2-3-5), Sophomore F Riley Nash (2-1-3), Sophomore D Jordan Berk (1-1-2), Junior G Ben Scrivens (4-0-2, 0.81 GAA, .971 SV, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (5th season at UND, 110-63-16, .624)
This Season: 4-7-1 Overall, 4-5-1 WCHA (7th)
National Ranking: NR
Team Offense: 2.33 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.33 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 13.8% (13 of 94)
Penalty Kill: 80.6% (58 of 72)
Last Season: 28-11-4 Overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 18-7-3 WCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Senior F Ryan Duncan (4-6-10), Junior F Chris VandeVelde (3-5-8), Senior F/D Brad Miller (3-5-8), Freshman F Brett Hextall (4-2-6), Junior D Chay Genoway (0-8-8), Freshman G Brad Eidsness (4-4-1, 2.85 GAA, .901 SV)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: December 27, 1997 (Grand Rapids, MI). North Dakota defeated Cornell 5-1 in the opener of the Pepsi Invitational. UND went on to win the holiday tournament, topping Ferris State 6-3 in the championship game.
Most Important Meeting: The Fighting Sioux and Big Red have met three times in the national tournament. Cornell beat UND 1-0 in the 1967 seminfinal, and North Dakota returned the favor in the 1968 semifinal, winning 3-1. UND also defeated Cornell 6-2 in the 1997 national quarterfinals.
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 3-1-0 (.750). All four meetings have been on neutral ice.

Game News and Notes

UND freshman goaltender Brad Eidsness has appeared in nine consecutive games (including eight starts). The last freshman netminder to appear in a longer stretch of games was Karl Goehring, who played in ten straight contests in 1997-98. Cornell junior goaltender Ben Scrivens is following in the footsteps of Big Red netminders LeNevue (2001-03) and McKee (2003-06), both of whom became Hobey Baker finalists. North Dakota senior forward Ryan Duncan is currently 30th on the UND career scoring list. Duncan has notched 143 points in his Sioux career and would move into the top 25 all-time with three points this weekend. UND has not won a game this season when scoring two or fewer goals (0-6-1).

The Prediction

It does not look good for the green and white. I’m hopeful for a split, but all four lines need to play well for that to happen. Cornell 2-1, UND 2-1.

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