Category: Blogroll

Over the first three seasons of the NCHC, Miami has averaged a 5th-place finish (8th, 2nd, 5th), with a combined league record of 29-39-4-4 (.440).

This season is looking even worse for the RedHawks. With one weekend remaining in the league schedule, Enrico Blasi’s squad sports a record of 5-12-5-3 (.348), good for seventh place in the eight-team NCHC.

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

For comparison, North Dakota has finished 2nd, 1st, and 1st in the first three seasons of the new league and currently sits in fourth place (9-12-1-1, 29 points) with only this weekend’s games remaining in the regular season. It should be noted that UND is assured of its first losing record in conference play since going 11-15-2 in the WCHA back in 2001-02.

Denver, Duluth, and Western Michigan have locked up the three spots in the league standings (although the order has yet to be determined) and will certainly host the first round of the NCHC playoffs next weekend (March 10-12). That leaves just one home ice spot up for grabs heading into this weekend’s slate of games…

North Dakota is currently tied with Omaha for fourth place in the league standings (29 points each). with St. Cloud State in sixth place with 28. Miami sits six points back of North Dakota and Omaha. Needless to say, points are critical for the Fighting Hawks this weekend, both for playoff seeding and in the Pairwise Rankings (UND is currently 16th). UND holds the head-to-head tiebreakers with both Omaha and St. Cloud State.

Here are the NCHC games being played over the final weekend of the regular season:

Colorado College at St. Cloud State
Denver at Omaha
Minnesota-Duluth at Western Michigan
North Dakota at Miami

Since the teams met in Grand Forks on January 13th and 14th (a split), Miami has scored 21 goals and allowed 34 in ten NCHC contests. Over that same stretch of time (and the same number of league games), North Dakota has scored 21 goals and allowed 32 while suffering three shutouts. The RedHawks have scored more than two goals only four times in the past ten games; the Fighting Hawks, three times. North Dakota is 11-0-1 when scoring four or more goals this season but just 5-14-2 when held under four goals.

Last year, Miami lost to Minnesota-Duluth four straight times to end their season. The Bulldogs hosted the RedHawks on the final weekend of the regular season, sweeping Miami 5-0 and 3-1. In the first weekend of the league playoffs, Enrico Blasi’s squad performed admirably but UMD swept again (5-4, 3-1) to end Miami’s season.

Miami Team Profile

Head Coach: Enrico Blasi (18th season at Miami, 375-264-67, .579)

Pairwise Ranking: 29th of 60 teams
National Rankings: NR/NR
This Season: 9-16-7 overall, 5-12-5-3 NCHC (7th)
Last Season: 15-18-3 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 9-13-2-2 NCHC (5th)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 2.50 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.97 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.4% (27 of 155)
Penalty Kill: 82.6% (128 of 155)

Key Players: Senior F Anthony Louis (13-23-36), Sophomore F Kiefer Sherwood (11-21-32), Sophomore F Josh Melnick (9-18-27), Freshman F Carson Meyer (9-16-25), Junior D Louie Belpedio (6-11-17), Sophomore D Grant Hutton (9-5-14), Freshman G Ryan Larkin (8-14-7, 2.72 GAA, .911 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 50-20-7, .695)

Pairwise Ranking: 16th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #15/#15
This Season: 16-14-3 overall, 9-12-1-1 NCHC (t-4th)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.06 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.58 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.6% (26 of 140)
Penalty Kill: 84.6% (121 of 143)

Key Players: Sophomore F Shane Gersich (19-15-34), Sophomore F Brock Boeser (13-15-28), Freshman F Tyson Jost (13-15-28), Junior F Austin Poganski (9-12-21), Junior D Tucker Poolman (5-18-23), Sophomore D Christian Wolanin (4-12-16), Junior G Cam Johnson (15-11-3, 2.36 GAA, .907 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers:

Last meeting: January 14, 2017 (Grand Forks, North Dakota). UND outshot Miami 34-15 and got points from seven different players (including a second-period shorthanded goal from Rhett Gardner) to defeat the RedHawks 3-1 and salvage a split of the weekend series. In Friday’s opener, MU used five third-period goals from five different goal scorers to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 6-3 victory, chasing Fighting Hawks netminder Cam Johnson in the process. Incidentally, Miami’s comeback was the first time North Dakota had lost when leading after two periods of play since November 1st, 2013.

Last meeting in Oxford, Ohio: March 7, 2015. Miami defeated #1 UND 6-3 behind a four-point night from senior captain Austin Czarnik and 31 saves from Ryan McKay. North Dakota secured the Penrose Cup one night earlier with a hard-fought 2-1 victory. Miami finished 2nd in the league in 2014-15 (six points behind North Dakota), their best finish by far over the first three seasons of the NCHC.

Last Ten: UND has picked up six wins in the past ten contests, outscoring Miami 36-28 over that stretch of games. The RedHawks have only hosted two of the past ten meetings between the schools.

All-time Series: North Dakota leads the all-time series 10-5-1 (.656), but the teams have split the four games that Miami has hosted (two victories each). The teams first played in 1999 (Badger Showdown, Milwaukee, WI).

Game News and Notes

North Dakota and Miami have two of the four largest groups of underclassmen in the country. UND’s 19 freshmen and sophomores have scored 200 of the team’s 266 points this season (81 goals, 119 assists), while Miami’s 20 underclassmen have collected 56 goals and 95 assists (151 of the team’s 224 total points). The RedHawks have been outscored 95-77 in regulation this season but have three wins and seven ties in ten overtime games. The Fighting Hawks lead the nation in average attendance (11,627 per home game), while the RedHawks are 34th (2,528 per home game).

Media Coverage

Friday’s opener will not be televised, but Saturday’s rematch will be broadcast live on FOX College Sports Atlantic. A high definition webcast of both games will be available to NCHC.tv subscribers. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com.

The Prediction

North Dakota’s two conference sweeps this season have come on the road (at St. Cloud State; at Omaha), and I’m calling for a third this weekend in Oxford. It won’t be easy or pretty, but the Fighting Hawks will get the job done. UND 3-2, 3-2.

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

January 7th, 2017. Omaha, Nebraska. UND had just completed a sweep of the homestanding Mavericks. And the word “sweep” does not do justice to North Dakota’s dominance over Omaha that weekend. Brad Berry’s club scored sixteen goals on the weekend and allowed only four. Coupled with a split against Western Michigan and road wins over Boston College and Union, things were looking up for the Green and White…

At the time, North Dakota boasted an overall record of 12-6-3. A winning record in the NCHC (5-4-1-1). A Pairwise ranking of 7th and a national ranking to match. A second-half schedule that appeared favorable: road series at Colorado College, Western Michigan, and Miami and home series vs. Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, St. Cloud State, and Omaha.

Since that offensive outburst in Omaha, UND is averaging just 2.1 goals per contest, and their highest goal output in a weekend series has been six (3-6, 3-1 vs. Miami). North Dakota is just 3-7-0 in the last ten games and could very well find themselves on the road in the first round of the league playoffs for the first time in fifteen seasons.

Omaha, on the other hand, is 4-4-2 in the past ten games and scored twelve goals in their last series, a split against Western Michigan two weekends ago. By comparison, UND could muster only a pair of goals each night in a pair of losses against WMU last weekend.

North Dakota is currently tied with Omaha for fifth place in the league standings (26 points each), with the top four teams hosting in the first round of the NCHC tournament (March 10-12). St. Cloud State is in fourth place with 28, two points clear of UND and UNO. Miami sits five points back of North Dakota and Omaha and has played one more game than those two teams. Needless to say, points are critical for the Fighting Hawks this weekend. Here are the games being played over the final two weekends of the regular season:

February 23-25:
Miami at Minnesota-Duluth (Duluth defeated Miami 4-3 on Thursday, February 23rd. The rematch is set for Friday, February 24th)
Omaha at North Dakota
St. Cloud State at Denver
Western Michigan at Colorado College

March 3-4:
Colorado College at St. Cloud State
Denver at Omaha
Minnesota-Duluth at Western Michigan
North Dakota at Miami

In 2015, both North Dakota and Omaha advanced to the Frozen Four but neither team made the championship game. UND fell to Boston University 5-3, while the Mavericks were upended 4-1 by eventual national champion Providence.

Today’s Trivia Question: Since the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey tournament expanded to 16 teams for the 2002-03 season, very few teams have missed the tourney one year after making a Frozen Four appearance. Omaha accomplished that feat in 2015-16, losing eight straight games to end their season. Who are the other teams who belong in this less-than-elite company?

Omaha Team Profile

Head Coach: Dean Blais (8th season at UNO, 144-128-30, .526)

Pairwise Ranking: 18th of 60 teams
National Rankings: NR/NR
This Season: 15-12-5 overall, 8-10-2-0 NCHC (t-5th)
Last Season: 18-17-1 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 8-15-1-0 NCHC (6th)

Team Offense: 3.38 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.34 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 25.3% (41 of 162)
Penalty Kill: 76.5% (114 of 149)

Key Players: Senior F Austin Ortega (17-22-39), Junior F Tyler Vesel (12-21-33), Junior F David Pope (11-15-26), Junior F Jake Randolph (5-17-22), Junior D Luc Snuggerud (11-18-29), Senior D Ian Brady (3-18-21), Sophomore G Evan Weninger (9-7-4, 3.11 GAA, .904 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 49-19-7, .700)

Pairwise Ranking: 14th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #16/#15
This Season: 15-13-3 overall, 8-11-1-1 NCHC (t-5th)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.06 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.52 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.9% (25 of 132)
Penalty Kill: 84.3% (113 of 134)

Key Players: Sophomore F Shane Gersich (19-15-34), Sophomore F Brock Boeser (11-15-26), Freshman F Tyson Jost (11-14-25), Junior F Austin Poganski (9-11-20), Junior D Tucker Poolman (5-18-23), Sophomore D Christian Wolanin (3-12-15), Junior G Cam Johnson (14-10-3, 2.32 GAA, .907 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers:

Last meeting: January 7, 2017 (Omaha, Nebraska). North Dakota got to UNO netminder Evan Weninger early and often in cruising to a 7-3 victory and the weekend sweep (UND crushed the Mavericks 9-1 in Friday’s opener). Tyson Jost collected four points on the weekend after his emotional return from the World Juniors. Specialty teams were huge for the visitors, as the Fighting Hawks scored six power play goals and a shorthanded goal on the weekend while allowing Omaha just one goal with the man advantage in the two-game series.

Last meeting in Grand Forks: January 16, 2016. North Dakota spotted UNO the a 1-0 lead in the first period, but it wouldn’t last long. Drake Caggiula potted a power play goal with seven seconds remaining in the opening frame and UND added two goals in each of the next two periods to defeat the visiting Mavericks 5-1. Omaha won Friday’s opener 4-3 in overtime, helped along by Jake Randolph’s tally with one tick left on the second period clock.

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

Last ten: North Dakota has seven wins and a tie in the last ten contests between the schools, outscoring the Mavericks 43-22 over that stretch. Four of the last ten games have gone to overtime.

All-time: UND leads the all-time series 14-7-1 (.659) and has a slight edge (5-4-1, .550) in games played in Grand Forks.

Game News and Notes

Dean Blais, who was the head coach at UND from 1994-2004, collected 262 victories at North Dakota and led the school to national titles in 1997 and 2000. The next victory for current UND bench boss Brad Berry will be the 50th of his coaching career. Omaha has scored 41 goals on the power play and allowed 38; UND has scored 25 and allowed 21.

Media Coverage

This weekend’s series will be telecast live by Midco Sports Network. Saturday’s game will also be carried live on FOX College Sports Pacific. A high definition webcast of both games will be available to NCHC.tv subscribers. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com.

The Prediction

I expect two tight contests, with Saturday’s rematch the closer affair. If the Fighting Hawks can stay out of the penalty box, they’ve got a shot at more than a split, but I don’t see it playing out that way. UND 4-3, UNO 4-3.

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

Colorado College has just eight league victories in the past three seasons (8-48-6-2), but head coach Mike Haviland has already equaled the win total from each of his first two seasons:

2016-17: 6-16-2 (.292)
2015-16: 6-29-1 (.181)
2014-15: 6-26-3 (.214)

The feeling among the Tiger faithful is that new blood behind the bench will eventually translate into new life on the ice, and CC fans have seen flashes of that over his first three seasons. Haviland is new to Division I hockey, but he was named the AHL coach of the year in 2006-07 (Norfolk Admirals) and served as an assistant coach with the Chicago Blackhawks for four seasons (2008-12), winning a Stanley Cup in 2010. He was most recently head coach for the AHL’s Hershey Bears.

UND and Colorado College have met six times in each of the past two seasons, with North Dakota going 11-0-1 in those meetings (and winning the shootout after the tie to earn an extra league point), outscoring the Tigers 54-20 in the process.

The two teams have made a habit of meeting in the first round of the NCHC tournament, with North Dakota dispatching Colorado College each of the past three years. That scenario looks less likely this season, with UND hovering in the middle of the pack in the league standings (currently fifth) and the Tigers once again dwelling in the basement. If the season ended today, Colorado College would head to Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota would travel to Omaha for its first road playoff series since 2002.

Interestingly, the Fighting Hawks have played better on the road (5-3-1) than at home (7-6-2) this season, including wins in six straight road games (sweeps at St. Cloud State and Omaha and road victories against Boston College and Union). North Dakota has won just two of its past ten games (2-6-2) at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

As I have suspected for some time, UND senior defenseman Gage Ausmus (2-6-8) has been dealing with some sort of injury. Ausmus, who left last Saturday’s contest against Duluth and did not return, has not been the same player he was last season and is not expected to play this weekend in Colorado Springs. North Dakota will also be without the services of freshman forward Tyson Jost (11-13-24), and thus will need to rely on a more balanced scoring attack to defeat the Tigers. I expect contributions from junior forward Austin Poganski (2-7-9 in eleven career games against CC) and sophomore forward Chris Wilkie (2-1-3 in four games against CC).

Colorado College Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Haviland (3rd season at CC, 18-71-6, .221)

Pairwise Ranking: 34th of 60 teams
National Rankings: NR/NR
This Season: 6-16-2 overall, 2-10-2-0 NCHC (8th)
Last Season: 6-29-1 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 4-19-1-0 NCHC (8th)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 2.13 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.42 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 10.8% (14 of 130)
Penalty Kill: 79.3% (96 of 121)

Key players: Sophomore F Mason Bergh (12-5-17), Senior F Luc Gerdes (4-9-13), Freshman F Nick Halloran (5-4-9), Senior F Sam Rothstein (5-3-8), Junior D Teemu Kivihalme (2-6-8), Sophomore D Cole McCaskill (1-4-5), Freshman G Alex Laclerc (4-13-2, 3.28 GAA, .891 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 47-15-7, .732)

Pairwise Ranking: 11th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #12/#12
This Season: 13-9-3 overall, 6-7-1-1 NCHC (5th)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.32 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.48 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.4% (23 of 113)
Penalty Kill: 82.5% (94 of 114)

Key Players: Sophomore F Shane Gersich (17-14-31), Sophomore F Brock Boeser (11-11-22), Junior F Austin Poganski (8-11-19), Sophomore F Joel Janatuinen (6-8-14), Junior D Tucker Poolman (4-15-19), Sophomore D Christian Wolanin (3-11-14), Junior G Cam Johnson (13-8-3, 2.31 GAA, .907 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 12, 2016 (Grand Forks, ND). Mike Haviland chose to start a clearly-injured Jacob Nehama in net, and it did not go well for the Tigers. Nehama allowed four goals on fourteen shots in the first period before giving way to Derek Shatzer. Nick Schmaltz had three goals and three assists in the weekend sweep for UND, which won the first playoff game by a final score of 7-1. The Fighting Hawks went 5-0-1 against Colorado College during their most recent national championship season, outscoring the Tigers 29-10 in the six meetings.

Last Meeting in Colorado Springs: October 31, 2015. Matt Hrynkiw earned a shutout with a 29 save performance, and North Dakota received goals from Christian Wolanin and Shane Gersich in a 2-0 road victory. Tyler Marble made 40 saves in a losing effort. UND won Friday’s opener 5-2 behind two goals by Chris Wilkie.

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, 154-80-11 (.651), although Colorado College holds a 57-52-4 (.522) advantage in Colorado Springs. North Dakota has 100 victories over the Tigers in Grand Forks (100-21-7, .809). The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota has nine wins and a tie in the last ten meetings between the teams, outscoring CC 44-17 over that span. The last Tigers victory over UND was a 3-2 overtime win in the 2014 NCHC quarterfinals. 19 of the last 25 games have been decided by two goals or less.

Game News and Notes

In second periods this season, North Dakota has outscored opponents 30-13 while Colorado College has been outscored 31-13. UND is 9-0-1 when leading after twenty minutes of play but a dismal 4-9-2 when trailing or tied. These two coaching staffs coached against each other at the AHL and NHL levels prior to the NCHC. The Tigers have appeared in the NCAA tournament twice in the past ten seasons (2008, 2011).

Media Coverage

Saturday’s game will be telecast live on American Sports Network and carried by several ASN affiliates across the country, including WDAY’Z Xtra in Grand Forks. A high definition webcast of the games is also available to NCHC.tv subscribers. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com.

The Prediction

If North Dakota hopes to secure home ice for the playoffs and a 15th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, victories this weekend are critical. There is enough leadership and talent in the UND locker room for a sweep; it’s just a matter of getting it done on the ice. It won’t be easy, but mark the road warriors down for another sweep away from the Ralph. UND 4-1, 4-2.

In late October 2016, the Bulldogs (3-1-2 at the time and ranked #2 in the country) and the Fighting Hawks (5-0-0; then #1) squared off in Duluth. UMD hadn’t won a series against North Dakota since November 2008, but used timely special teams play and excellent goaltending to sweep UND by scores of 5-2 and 3-0.

After that weekend, North Dakota went two more weekends without a victory (0-2-2 against Minnesota and Denver). UND righted the ship with a sweep at St. Cloud State in mid-November and boasts a mark of 8-3-1 beginning with that weekend. Even with this recent run, UND (now ranked #8 in the country) finds themselves in third place in the league standings with twelve conference games remaining. The #4 Bulldogs are on top of the NCHC with a record of 9-4-1-1 (three points ahead of Denver and nine clear of UND) but have played two more league games than the other contenders. Even so, Brad Berry’s squad will need more than a split this weekend if it hopes to gain ground in the race for the Penrose Cup.

Duluth has stayed at or near the top of the Pairwise and national rankings due to their steady play in non-conference games (4-1-3, .688), and the fact that they have only suffered consecutive losses once this season (January 7th vs. Colorado College and January 13th vs. St. Cloud State). The Bulldogs have two non-conference games remaining, as they will take part in the North Star College Cup next weekend. The Bulldogs will square off against #7 Minnesota in the opener and face either Bemidji State or St. Cloud State next Saturday.

Two seasons ago, Boston University defeated both Minnesota-Duluth (3-2) and North Dakota (5-3) in the NCAA tournament on their way to the championship game. The Terriers fell 4-3 to the Providence Friars, one win short of a national title.

Scott Sandelin has brought his team within one game of the Frozen Four in each of the last two seasons but has yet to regain the national championship form his squad experienced in 2011. North Dakota has made the NCAA tournament in each of the past 14 seasons (the longest active streak in men’s Division I college hockey) and finally made it to the mountaintop in Tampa, claiming the program’s eighth national title.

Coming into this season, goaltending was a question mark for the Bulldogs. Kasimir Kaskisuo (19-15-5, 1.92 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, and five shutouts in 39 appearances last season) gave up his final two seasons of eligibility to sign with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs. Kaskisuo won 37 games for UMD in his brief college career. Freshman Hunter Miska has been everything Scott Sandelin could have asked for and then some, taking control of the crease in his nineteen games played (12-4-2, 2.20 GAA, .918 SV%, 3 SO).

According to KRACH, Minnesota-Duluth has played the toughest schedule in the country this season; North Dakota’s slate of games ranks 3rd (with Denver 2nd). In fact, seven NCHC schools boast the seven toughest schedules across college hockey, with Omaha’s ranked 15th.

Minnesota-Duluth Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (17th season at UMD, 300-282-79, .514)

Pairwise Ranking: 3rd of 60 teams
National Rankings: #4/#3
This Season: 13-5-4 overall, 9-4-1-1 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 19-16-5 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional finalist), 11-10-3-1 NCHC (4th)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.14 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.18 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.0% (18 of 100)
Penalty Kill: 80.4% (86 of 107)

Key Players: Senior F Alex Iafallo (10-14-24), Sophomore F Adam Johnson (8-10-18), Freshman F Joey Anderson (6-12-18), Senior F Kyle Osterberg (10-7-17), Sophomore D Neal Pionk (5-13-18), Senior D Carson Soucy (3-10-13), Freshman G Hunter Miska (12-4-2, 2.20 GAA, .918 SV%, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 47-13-7, .754)

Pairwise Ranking: 7th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #8/#8
This Season: 13-7-3 overall, 6-5-1-1 NCHC (3rd)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.48 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.30 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.0% (21 of 105)
Penalty Kill: 82.7% (86 of 104)

Key Players: Sophomore F Shane Gersich (16-14-30), Freshman F Tyson Jost (10-13-23), Sophomore F Brock Boeser (11-11-22), Junior F Austin Poganski (8-11-19), Junior D Tucker Poolman (4-14-18), Sophomore D Christian Wolanin (3-11-14), Junior G Cam Johnson (13-7-3, 2.14 GAA, .913 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: October 29, 2016 (Duluth, MN). The Bulldogs scored three times in the second period – once on the power play and twice while shorthanded – and got a thirty save shutout from Hunter Miska in a 3-0 victory over #1 North Dakota. Duluth, which defeated the Fighting Hawks 5-2 in the opener, secured the home sweep by killing all seven UND power plays.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: February 20, 2016. After sweeping the Bulldogs in Duluth by identical 3-0 scores in December, the games were much closer at Ralph Engelstad Arena. One night after Austin Poganski sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a penalty shot goal in overtime, Brock Boeser scored with 5:21 remaining in the third period to secure the 2-1 victory for UND. Cam Johnson made 59 saves in the weekend sweep.

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

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

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 144-80-9 (.637), including an 80-33-3 (.703) mark in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1954, with North Dakota winning the first ten games between the schools by a combined score of 72-16. UMD’s first win over the Fighting Sioux (a 3-2 road victory on December 18th, 1959) did not sit well with the defending national champions. UND defeated Duluth 13-2 the following night.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 6-4-0 (.600) in the last ten games between the teams, outscoring the Bulldogs 26-22 over that stretch. Duluth has won the last three meetings between these two storied programs.

Game News and Notes

UND sophomore Brock Boeser has three goals and three assists in seven career games against the Bulldogs. Minnesota-Duluth has only lost one game on the road this season (6-1-2). Both head coaches this weekend are alumni of the University of North Dakota; Brad Berry (1983-86) and Scott Sandelin (1982-86) both played for UND under John “Gino” Gasparini. Sandelin picked up career win #300 last Saturday night in a 4-3 overtime victory over St. Cloud State.

Media Coverage

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

The Prediction

This weekend hinges on the play of UMD freshman netminder Hunter Miska. I see this playing out much the same way as it did for the Bulldogs in Denver last month: Miska was average on Friday night (four goals allowed on 31 shots in a 4-3 loss) and outstanding on Saturday (one goal allowed on 39 shots in a 3-1 victory). North Dakota just might have enough to earn a tie in the second game, but I don’t see it. UND 4-2, Duluth 3-2.

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

Over the first three seasons of the NCHC, Miami has averaged a 5th-place finish (8th, 2nd, 5th), with a combined league record of 29-39-4-4 (.440).

This season is looking like more of the same for the RedHawks. Through ten games, Enrico Blasi’s squad sports a record of 3-4-3-1 (.433), good for fifth place in the eight-team league.

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

For comparison, North Dakota has finished 2nd, 1st, and 1st in the first three seasons of the new league and currently sits in third place (5-4-1-1, 17 points) with 14 league games remaining.

Last weekend marked the tenth weekend out of eleven that North Dakota faced off against a ranked opponent; UND went 14-5-1 (.725) against top-twenty teams a year ago but is just 9-5-2 (.625) in those situations so far this season. Here’s a closer look at the grind that the Fighting Hawks had to endure in the first half of the 2016-17 season:

vs. #18 Bemidji State (W 3-2, W 5-4)
at #2 Minnesota Duluth (L 2-5, L 0-3)
at #13 Minnesota (T 5-5, L 0-2)
vs. #2 Denver (T 1-1, L 2-3)
at #12 St. Cloud State (W 4-0, W 3-0)
vs. #3 Boston College (W 4-3)
vs. #18 Western Michigan (W 5-1, L 1-3)
at #10 Union (W 3-1)
at #20 Omaha (W 9-1, W 7-3)

Other ranked teams remaining on the second-half schedule include home series vs. #3 Minnesota-Duluth and a road series at #14 Western Michigan.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has played the third-toughest schedule in the country to date; Miami’s ranks 7th of 60 teams.

Last season, Miami lost to Minnesota-Duluth four straight times to end their season. The Bulldogs hosted the RedHawks on the final weekend of the regular season, sweeping Miami 5-0 and 3-1. In the first weekend of the league playoffs, Enrico Blasi’s squad performed admirably but UMD swept again (5-4, 3-1) to end Miami’s season.

The RedHawks come into this weekend as winners of four straight games after suffering a ten game winless streak (0-7-3) that stretched from October 29th through December 9th.

Miami Team Profile

Head Coach: Enrico Blasi (18th season at Miami, 373-256-65, .584)

Pairwise Ranking: 28th of 60 teams
National Rankings: NR/NR
This Season: 7-8-5 overall, 3-4-3-1 NCHC (t-5th)
Last Season: 15-18-3 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 9-13-2-2 NCHC (5th)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 2.60 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.75 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.8% (19 of 107)
Penalty Kill: 85.3% (87 of 102)

Key Players: Senior F Anthony Louis (11-14-25), Sophomore F Kiefer Sherwood (10-13-23), Sophomore F Josh Melnick (6-11-17), Freshman F Carson Meyer (5-12-17), Junior D Louie Belpedio (3-6-9), Sophomore D Grant Hutton (5-2-7), Freshman G Ryan Larkin (6-6-5, 2.48 GAA, .914 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 46-12-7, .762)

Pairwise Ranking: 7th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #7/#7
This Season: 12-6-3 overall, 5-4-1-1 NCHC (3rd)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.52 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.19 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 21.3% (20 of 94)
Penalty Kill: 81.9% (77 of 94)

Key Players: Sophomore F Shane Gersich (15-13-28), Freshman F Tyson Jost (10-12-22), Sophomore F Brock Boeser (10-11-21), Junior F Austin Poganski (7-10-17), Junior D Tucker Poolman (4-14-18), Sophomore D Christian Wolanin (2-10-12), Junior G Cam Johnson (12-6-3, 2.09 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers:

Last meeting: November 14, 2015 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota used some late-game heroics from Nick Schmaltz (an extra-attacker goal with 94 seconds remaining) to send the game to overtime, and Luke Johnson made the final 4-3 with his tally from a strange angle 83 seconds into the extra session. Matt Hrynkiw started both games of the series in net for UND, who won Friday’s opener 6-2. North Dakota outshot their fellow Hawks 68-35 on the weekend.

Most memorable meeting: March 6, 2015 (Oxford, OH). North Dakota went on the road and took care of business, securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the RedHawks and earning the Penrose Cup, UND’s 16th regular season conference title. UND scored early in each of the first two periods (Keaton Thompson at 2:43 of the first; Conner Gaarder at 1:56 of the second) and survived a furious Miami rally. Zane McIntyre made 43 of 44 saves, including 38 stops in the final two periods. Miami finished 2nd in the league in 2014-15 (six points behind North Dakota), their best finish by far over the first three seasons of the NCHC.

Last Ten: UND has picked up six wins in the past ten contests, outscoring Miami 35-29 over that stretch of games.

All-time Series: North Dakota leads the all-time series 9-4-1 (.679), including a 5-1-1 (.786) mark in games played in Grand Forks. Five of the fourteen all-time meetings between the schools came during the 2013-14 season, with UND picking up wins in three of those five games. The teams first played in 1999 (Badger Showdown, Milwaukee, WI).

Game News and Notes

North Dakota and Miami have two of the four largest groups of underclassmen in the country. UND’s 19 freshmen and sophomores have scored 147 points this season (59 goals, 88 assists), while Miami’s 20 underclassmen have a line of 33-62-95. With four more consecutive starts between the pipes, UND junior goaltender Cam Johnson would equal a record set by Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux, who started 55 straight games in net for North Dakota from 2006-08.

Media Coverage

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

The Prediction

North Dakota is relatively healthy and really rolling right now. Miami could steal a game if goaltender Ryan Larkin can shut down UND’s offense, but I think the home side prevails both nights. UND 4-2, 4-3.

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

North Dakota finds itself looking up at Omaha in the NCHC standings as we begin league play in 2017, but only three points separate 3rd place from 6th place in the conference standings. With Minnesota-Duluth and Denver firmly entrenched as the top two teams over the first half of the season, UND and UNO will be battling St. Cloud State and Western Michigan for the final two home ice positions as we look ahead to the league playoffs.

This weekend will mark the ninth weekend out of ten that North Dakota will face off against a ranked opponent; UND went 14-5-1 (.725) against top-twenty teams a year ago but is just 7-5-2 (.556) in those situations so far this season. Here’s a closer look at the grind that the Fighting Hawks had to endure in the first half of the 2016-17 season:

vs. #18 Bemidji State (W 3-2, W 5-4)
at #2 Minnesota Duluth (L 2-5, L 0-3)
at #13 Minnesota (T 5-5, L 0-2)
vs. #2 Denver (T 1-1, L 2-3)
at #12 St. Cloud State (W 4-0, W 3-0)
vs. #3 Boston College (W 4-3)
vs. #18 Western Michigan (W 5-1, L 1-3)
at #10 Union (W 3-1)

Other ranked teams remaining on the second-half schedule include home series vs. #1 Minnesota-Duluth, #18 St. Cloud State and #20 Omaha and a road series at #16 Western Michigan.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has played the third-toughest schedule in the country to date; Omaha’s ranks 20th of 60 teams.

The Mavericks have played only six games against ranked opponents this season, going a combined 2-4 in series against Massachusetts-Lowell, Minnesota-Duluth, and St. Cloud State.

In 2015, both North Dakota and Omaha advanced to the Frozen Four but neither team made the championship game. UND fell to Boston University 5-3, while the Mavericks were upended 4-1 by eventual national champion Providence.

Today’s Trivia Question: Since the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey tournament expanded to 16 teams for the 2002-03 season, very few teams have missed the tourney one year after making a Frozen Four appearance. Omaha accomplished that feat in 2015-16, losing eight straight games to end their season. Who are the other teams who belong in this less-than-elite company?

Omaha Team Profile

Head Coach: Dean Blais (8th season at UNO, 140-122-28, .531)

Pairwise Ranking: 14th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #18/#17
This Season: 11-6-3 overall, 4-4-0-0 NCHC (5th)
Last Season: 18-17-1 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 8-15-1-0 NCHC (6th)

Team Offense: 3.65 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.85 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 26.7% (28 of 105)
Penalty Kill: 81.2% (78 of 96)

Key Players: Senior F Austin Ortega (14-13-27), Junior F Tyler Vesel (9-14-23), Junior F David Pope (6-13-19), Junior F Jake Randolph (4-13-17), Junior D Luc Snuggerud (6-12-18), Senior D Ian Brady (2-15-17), Sophomore G Evan Weninger (7-3-2, 2.52 GAA, .919 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 44-12-7, .754)

Pairwise Ranking: 8th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #7/#7
This Season: 10-6-3 overall, 3-4-1-1 NCHC (6th)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.05 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.21 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.1% (14 of 82)
Penalty Kill: 81.2% (69 of 85)

Key Players: Sophomore F Shane Gersich (14-11-25), Junior F Austin Poganski (7-9-16), Sophomore F Rhett Gardner (4-6-10), Junior D Tucker Poolman (4-11-15), Sophomore D Christian Wolanin (0-8-8), Junior G Cam Johnson (10-6-3, 2.10 GAA, .915 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers:

Last meeting: February 27, 2016 (Omaha, Nebraska). North Dakota rode a strong second period to a 4-1 victory over the homestanding Mavericks, clinching at least a share of the NCHC regular season championship in the process. UND won Friday night’s opener by a score of 4-2 after the teams split a January series at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

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

All-time: UND leads the all-time series 12-7-1 (.625), including a 7-3-0 (.700) record in games played in Omaha. Four of the last eight games have gone to overtime.

Game News and Notes

Dean Blais, who was the head coach at UND from 1994-2004, collected 262 victories at North Dakota and led the school to national titles in 1997 and 2000. Omaha has scored 28 goals on the power play and allowed 18; UND has scored 14 and allowed 16.

Media Coverage

Friday’s game will not be televised, but Saturday’s rematch will be televised nationally by American Sports Network and available locally in the Grand Forks viewing area on WDAY’Z Xtra. A high definition webcast of both games will be available to NCHC.tv subscribers. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com.

The Prediction

North Dakota will surely miss the presence of forwards Brock Boeser (7-9-16 in 13 games) and Tyson Jost (7-11-18 in 17 games), particularly late in both games. I expect two tight contests, with Saturday’s rematch the tighter affair. If the Fighting Hawks can stay out of the penalty box, they’ve got a shot at more than a split, but I don’t see it playing out that way. UNO 4-3, UND 3-1.

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

The last time Union was on the college hockey map was during the 2013-14 season, when the Flying Dutchman turned a 1-2-1 start into a 32-6-2 record and an NCAA championship behind balanced scoring (seven players scored 31 points or more that year), excellent defensive play, and solid goaltending. This year, the Dutchmen have found themselves back on the map with a record of 14-3-2 behind the top two scorers in the nation and a team that is highly capable of repeating that level of success.

Through nineteen games this season, Union is scoring an astounding 4.05 goals/game (4th overall) but is allowing a somewhat average 2.79 goals/game (26th). North Dakota, on the other hand, is in the middle of the pack both offensively (3.06 goals scored/game, 24th) and defensively (2.28 goals allowed/game, 11th). The Dutchmen are 9-0-0 when scoring five or more goals and 10-1-1 when scoring four or more.

Both teams also boast impressive goaltenders. Senior Alex Sakellaropoulos has posted an incredible 13-1-1 record through 15 games this year for the Dutchmen, with a goals-against average of 2.45 and a save percentage of .920 in those games. His counterpart, junior Cam Johnson, has been putting up solid numbers with nine wins, a 2.16 GAA, a .910 SV%, and three shutouts through 18 games.

If UND hopes to finish the season strongly, it will need to get more offensive production from junior Austin Poganski and sophomores Rhett Gardner, Joel Janatuinen, and Chris Wilkie. The quartet has just thirteen goals in 67 combined games this season after potting thirty goals in 152 games last year.

This weekend will mark the eighth weekend out of nine that North Dakota will face off against a ranked opponent; UND went 14-5-1 (.725) against top-twenty teams a year ago but is just 6-5-2 (.556) in those situations so far this season. Here’s a closer look at the grind that the Fighting Hawks have had to endure in the first half of the 2016-17 season:

vs. #18 Bemidji State (W 3-2, W 5-4)
at #2 Minnesota Duluth (L 2-5, L 0-3)
at #13 Minnesota (T 5-5, L 0-2)
vs. #2 Denver (T 1-1, L 2-3)
at #12 St. Cloud State (W 4-0, W 3-0)
vs. #3 Boston College (W 4-3)
vs. #18 Western Michigan (W 5-1, L 1-3)

Other ranked teams remaining on the second-half schedule include home series vs. #1 Minnesota-Duluth, #18 St. Cloud State and #20 Omaha and road series at #20 Omaha and #16 Western Michigan.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has played the third-toughest schedule in the country to date; Union’s ranks 36th of 60 teams.

Union boasts the two top scorers in the nation in seniors Mike Vecchione (37 points) and Spencer Foo (34). Mike Vecchione is the front-runner for this year’s Hobey Baker award, leading the country in points (37) and goals (18), while Spencer Foo leads the country in assists with 21.

A big storyline this week will be if UND can produce offense with two of their top three scorers out. Sophomore Brock Boeser (7-9-16 in 13 games this year; 27-33-60 last season) battled through a wrist injury for much of the first half of the season but has missed the last five games. He will not be returning to the lineup on Saturday but is gearing towards a return for next weekend’s series against Nebraska Omaha. Freshman Tyson Jost (7-11-18) will also be out of the lineup this week, as he is representing Team Canada at the World Juniors in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A big reason for UND’s success for the better part of the past decade has been North Dakota’s ability to hold a lead. During the 2016-17 campaign, Brad Berry’s squad is unbeaten (9-0-0) when leading after the first forty minutes of play. In fact, over the past nine years, North Dakota is converting almost 90 percent of second intermission leads into victories and has just seven losses in the last 192 such situations (174-7-13).

Union Team Profile

Head Coach: Rick Bennett (6th season at UC, 112-59-27, .634)

Pairwise Ranking: t-4th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #9/#10
This Season: 14-3-2 overall, 8-1-1 ECAC (1st)
Last Season: 13-14-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 6-10-6 ECAC (9th 0f 12 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 4.05 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.79 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 14.91% (17 of 114)
Penalty Kill: 21.6% (71 of 86)

Key Players: Senior F Mike Vecchione (18-19-37, 1.95 points/game), Junior F Spencer Foo (13-21-34), Sophomore F Sebastian Vidmar (8-13-21 in 16 games), Sophomore F Brett Supinski (2-13-15 in 18 games), Senior D Jeff Taylor (6-12-18), Senior G Alex Sakellaropoulos (13-1-1, 2.45 GAA, .920 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 43-12-7, .750)

Pairwise Ranking: 10th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #8/#8
This Season: 9-6-3 overall, 3-4-1-1 NCHC (6th)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.06 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.28 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.28% (14 of 81)
Penalty Kill: 80% (64 of 80)

Key Players: Sophomore F Shane Gersich (13-11-24), Junior F Austin Poganski (5-8-13), Sophomore F Rhett Gardner (4-5-9 in 16 games), Junior D Tucker Poolman (4-10-14), Sophomore D Christian Wolanin (0-8-8), Junior G Cam Johnson (9-6-3, 2.16 GAA, .910 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

All Time Series: Saturday’s contest will be the first meeting between North Dakota and Union in the Division I era., and, as such, will be the most important meeting between the two programs.

Game News and Notes

Messa Rink seats approximately 2225 people and will be the smallest venue in which the UND men’s hockey team has played in 14 years (North Dakota played Providence at Hobey Baker Arena [capacity 2092] on November 1st, 2002). With 14 victories, Union has the most wins in men’s Division I college hockey this season. At this point last season, North Dakota had 15 wins. Shayne Gostisbehere, Union’s Frozen Four MVP in 2014, is now coached by Dave Hakstol as a member of the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. My son, Alex (16), wrote this article on my behalf. Follow him on Twitter @AlexBerger_Fake. Puck drop is set for 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (3:00 p.m. Central).

Media Coverage

Saturday’s game will only be televised locally on Time Warner Cable’s Spectrum Sports (channel 50 in the Schenectady, New York viewing area). The game will also be streamed live at www.unionathletics.tv (for a fee of $8.95). All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com.

The Prediction

For North Dakota to have a chance on Saturday afternoon, they will need to do three things: generate scoring opportunities from the 3rd and 4th lines, shut down the duo of Mike Vecchione and Spencer Foo, and score at least three goals. With both Boeser and Jost out of the lineup, however, I would be very surprised to see UND score at that rate and shut down Union’s top two scorers. North Dakota will jump out to an early lead but will not be able to keep up the offensive pressure. Union 3, UND 1.

North Dakota and Western Michigan have faced off sixteen times since 1997, with UND claiming victory in fifteen of those contests and outscoring WMU 68-28 in the process.

The Fighting Hawks will be fortunate to win two of the four regular-season games against the Broncos this year.

How can both of these statements be true?

Through recruiting and player development, WMU head coach Andy Murray has finally been able to put his mark on the team. Freshmen and sophomores are leading the way for the Broncos, and the combination of speed, size, and skill is one that will be barely recognizable to North Dakota fans.

For the first time since joining the NCHC, the Broncos are looking to finish in the top half of the league standings. WMU had been trending downward (eleven conference victories in 2013-14, six in 2014-15, and just five in 2015-16) but is currently in 3rd place with a mark of 3-4-1-1. North Dakota, on the other hand, sits in 6th place with a mark of 2-3-1-1. UND has not been scoring enough goals in league play, notching twelve in six games for an average of just two per contest. Western Michigan, on the other hand, has scored 23 goals in eight league games (2.88 goals/game).

If UND hopes to end 2016 on a high note, it will need to get more offensive production from junior Austin Poganski and sophomores Rhett Gardner, Joel Janatuinen and Chris Wilkie. The quartet has just eleven goals in 59 combined games this season after potting thirty goals in 152 games last year.

This weekend will mark the seventh weekend out of eight that North Dakota will face off against a ranked opponent; UND went 14-5-1 (.725) against top-twenty teams a year ago but is just 5-4-2 (.545) in those situations so far this season. Here’s a closer look at the grind that the Fighting Hawks have had to endure in the first half of the 2016-17 season:

vs. #18 Bemidji State (W 3-2, W 5-4)
at #2 Minnesota Duluth (L 2-5, L 0-3)
at #13 Minnesota (T 5-5, L 0-2)
vs. #2 Denver (T 1-1, L 2-3)
at #12 St. Cloud State (W 4-0, W 3-0)
vs. #3 Boston College (W 4-3)

Other ranked teams remaining on the second-half schedule include home series vs. #1 Minnesota-Duluth, #17 St. Cloud State, and #20 Omaha and a trip to Kalamazoo in February to face these same Broncos yet again. UND will also play a single game at #15 Union College on New Year’s Eve.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has played the second-toughest schedule in the country to date; Western Michigan’s ranks as the eighth toughest.

Another huge story line for both clubs has been the emergence of a pair of super sophomores. Second-year Bronco Matheson Iacopelli leads the NCHC with 13 goals in 14 games after scoring just once as a freshman. North Dakota sophomore Shane Gersich struggled with illness last year but is tied for the lead in the league scoring race with 22 points. Gersich had 11 points in 37 games as a freshman.

Both teams are also missing key components in their lineups. UND sophomore Brock Boeser (7-9-16 in 13 games this year; 27-33-60 last season) battled through a wrist injury for much of the first half of the season but has missed the last three games. His return to the lineup this weekend is still in question. Western Michigan has been without 6-foot-4-inch, 212 pound junior forward Aidan Muir since November 12th. Muir, a draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, has appeared in 80 career games for the Broncos, collecting 30 points.

Western Michigan and North Dakota boast six of the top ten faceoff men in the league. For the Broncos, Colt Conrad (2nd, 58.8%) and Michael Rebry (t-4th, 54.9%) lead the way, while all four of UND’s centermen have been outstanding:

1st. Tyson Jost (63.2%)
t-4th. Ludvig Hoff (54.9%)
6th. Rhett Gardner (53.9%)
10th. Johnny Simonson (52.4%)

No other NCHC school can claim more than one of the league’s top ten in the “fastest draw” category.

A big reason for UND’s success for the better part of the past decade has been North Dakota’s ability to hold a lead. During the 2016-17 campaign, Brad Berry’s squad is unbeaten (7-0-0) when leading after the first forty minutes of play. In fact, over the past nine years, North Dakota is converting almost 90 percent of second intermission leads into victories and has just seven losses in the last 192 such situations (172-7-13).

Western Michigan Team Profile

Head Coach: Andy Murray (6th season at WMU, 88-88-30, .500)

Pairwise Ranking: 11th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #18/#17
This Season: 7-4-3 overall, 3-4-1-1 NCHC (3rd)
Last Season: 8-25-3 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 5-18-1-1 NCHC (7th)

Team Offense: 3.64 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.93 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 22.1% (21 of 95)
Penalty Kill: 81.0% (68 of 84)

Key Players: Sophomore F Mattheson Iacopelli (13-4-17), Sophomore F Griffen Molino (4-7-11), Freshman F Wade Allison (7-3-10), Senior F Sheldon Dries (4-6-10), Senior D Taylor Fleming (0-13-13), Junior D Scott Moldenhauer (3-6-9), Sophomore G Trevor Gorsuch (4-3-2, 3.07 GAA, .894 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 42-11-7, .758)

Pairwise Ranking: t-8th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #8/#9
This Season: 8-5-3 overall, 2-3-1-1 NCHC (6th)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA Champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.06 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.31 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.1% (13 of 72)
Penalty Kill: 79.7% (59 of 74)

Key Players: Sophomore F Brock Boeser (7-9-16 in 13 games), Sophomore F Shane Gersich (11-11-22), Freshman F Tyson Jost (7-10-17), Junior F Austin Poganski (3-7-10), Junior D Tucker Poolman (4-10-14), Sophomore D Christian Wolanin (0-6-6), Junior G Cam Johnson (8-5-3, 2.24 GAA, .907 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 5, 2016 (Grand Forks, ND). One night after a dominating 8-1 performance that clinched the Penrose Cup outright, North Dakota held on for a 5-4 victory in the regular season finale. The Broncos skated to a 3-1 lead after the first period (chasing netminder Cam Johnson in the process), but UND flipped the script in the middle frame to knot the game at four goals apiece. Drake Caggiula, the ninth different goal-scorer in the contest, potted the game-winner early in the third period. North Dakota won the special teams battle, scoring on the power play, while shorthanded, and during four-on-four action.

Most Important Meeting: March 24, 2012 (St. Paul, MN). North Dakota upended Western Michigan 3-1 in the NCAA West Regional semifinal. Brock Nelson had two points, including an empty net goal with 25 seconds remaining that sent UND to the regional finals against Minnesota. Aaron Dell made 24 saves for the Green and White. The Broncos, who have played at the Division I level since 1975-76, have five NCAA tournament appearances but have not been in the national tournament since 2012.

Lone Broncos Highlight: March 18, 2014 (Grand Forks, ND). Western Michigan’s Colton Hargrove scored a shorthanded goal (his second of the game) eight minutes into the third period to break a 1-1 tie, and the Broncos held on to defeat homestanding North Dakota 2-1 in front of almost 12,000 fans at Ralph Engelstad Arena. WMU’s victory was its first and only win in sixteen games against UND, who won Friday’s opener 2-0. The loss cost North Dakota a chance to win the first-ever Penrose Cup as NCHC champions.

A Trip Down Memory Lane: Saturday, March 22, 2014 (Minneapolis, MN). North Dakota faced a must-win situation in the 3rd place game at the inaugural NCHC Frozen Faceoff, and did not disappoint the partisan crowd. The Green and White rolled to a 5-0 victory behind two first period goals from Conner Gaarder. UND netminder Zane Gothberg made 25 saves for the shutout, and Dave Hakstol’s crew played the waiting game for several more hours before discovering that they had indeed made the NCAA tournament for the 12th consecutive season.

All-Time Series: In the short history between the schools, UND has won fifteen of the sixteen games, outscoring the Broncos 68-28. WMU’s lone victory over North Dakota was the aforementioned 2-1 road win on March 8th, 2014. The teams first met in 1997.

Game News and Notes

UND sophomore forward Brock Boeser collected ten points in the four meetings between the teams as a freshman, including six of his 27 goals on the season. With one victory this weekend, Western Michigan (7-4-3) will equal their win total from all of last year (8-25-3). WMU head coach Andy Murray’s son Brady played two seasons at North Dakota (2003-05) and finished with a scoring line of 27-39-66 in 63 career games. Brady Murray spent most of his professional hockey career in the Swiss-A league (Rapperswil-Jona and Lugano, among other teams) but did appear in four NHL games with the Los Angeles Kings in 2007-08, scoring one goal.

Media Coverage

Both games this weekend will be carried live by Midco Sports Network, with Saturday’s rematch also available on FOX College Sports Central. This weekend’s series will also be streamed live via NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com.

The Prediction

For the second weekend in a row, UND has an edge between the pipes, and that might make all the difference. On a normal Friday night in Grand Forks, it takes the visitors some time to adjust to the atmosphere and the speed of play. I expect tonight’s opener to be just the opposite, with the Broncos showcasing a new brand of hockey from the opening faceoff. If North Dakota can survive the first period relatively unscathed, there will be time to adjust in the locker room. Look for two entertaining games this weekend, with at least one contest headed to overtime. 3-3 tie, UND 4-3.
As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!

The College Hockey Showdown was announced over 14 months ago and instantly became a must-see event for fans of these two programs and college hockey fans in general. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference and the University of North Dakota are co-hosts for this event, and the NCHC chose the two participants for a few very important reasons. Certainly, the league could count on a large following from both sides of what has become a fierce rivalry. Furthermore, over the past decade, North Dakota and Boston College are the top two winningest programs in the country (UND 276 wins, BC 275).

Here’s the full resume for Boston College and North Dakota:

13 National Championships (UND 8, BC 5)
47 Frozen Four Appearances (BC 26, UND 21)
5 Hobey Baker Winners (BC 3, UND 2)

North Dakota: 14 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances
Boston College: 8 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances

In the past 21 seasons…

Boston College has made the tourney 18 times, with eight league titles, nine playoff titles, twelve Frozen Four appearances, and four national titles (2001, 2008, 2010, 2012).

North Dakota has made the tourney 19 times, with nine league titles, six playoff titles, eleven Frozen Four appearances, and three national titles (1997, 2000, 2016).

In his 23rd season behind the BC bench, Jerry York is responsible for four of the Eagles’ five national titles (2001, 2008, 2010, 2012). Last season (his first as North Dakota’s bench boss), Brad Berry helped UND win the program’s eighth championship (and first since 2000).

Since 1957, North Dakota has just one stretch of “lean years”, otherwise known in Grand Forks as the Rube Bjorkman era. Bjorkman coached the Fighting Sioux from 1968-1978, and his teams collected exactly zero trophies. Otherwise, UND has been relevant and competitive throughout the history of the program, with multiple Frozen Four appearances in every decade.

Their opponent tonight can boast no such thing. The Jerry York era has been astounding at Boston College, but the flip side of that equation is that in the 47 seasons that BC competed for an NCAA title before York’s arrival in Chestnut Hill, the Eagles only played in the national title game three times and won exactly one championship (1949). So the question is this: are we talking about the storied history of Boston College, or the storied history of Jerry York?

Before we look forward to tonight’s matchup, let’s look back at some memorable moments in what has become an intense rivalry….

March 28, 1999. Madison, Wisconsin. BC defeats UND 3-1 (en) in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Sioux, who received a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament, lose for only the sixth time all season, and finish the year at 32-6-2, one game short of the Frozen Four.

April 8, 2000. Providence, Rhode Island. UND defeats BC 4-2 (en) in the NCAA title game to claim its seventh national championship. The Sioux rally from a 2-1 deficit after two periods.

April 7, 2001. Albany, New York. BC defeats UND 3-2 (OT) to win its first NCAA crown since 1949. Krys Kolanos nets the game-winner at 4:43 of overtime after UND scores twice in the final four minutes of regulation to even the score.

March 26, 2005. Worcester, Massachusetts. UND defeats BC 6-3 in the NCAA East Regional Final to advance to the first of four consecutive Frozen Fours. Colorado College, Denver, and Minnesota also advance, setting up an all-WCHA Frozen Four.

April 6, 2006. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. BC defeats UND 6-5 in the Frozen Four semifinal. North Dakota scores twice in the final five minutes to make it close, but it’s too little, too late.

April 5, 2007. St. Louis, Missouri. The NCAA Frozen Four semifinal. Yet another in a seemingly endless string of bouts between two heavyweights. Arguably the two hottest teams in the tournament: Boston College, winners of 12 straight games, versus North Dakota, winners of 19 of their last 21 contests. A furious final seven minutes turns a 2-2 tie into a 6-4 Eagles victory.

On Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, there will be a tremendous amount of talent on the ice. Unfortunately, though, Boston College will be without the services of Ryan Fitzgerald (5-11-16 in 16 games) who is out 4-6 weeks after suffering a high ankle sprain against Minnesota last weekend.

North Dakota’s Brock Boeser (upper body injury; 7-9-16 in 13 games) did not take the ice last weekend in UND’s home series against Michigan State, and although he made the trip to Manhattan, his status for tonight’s tilt is still in question.

If UND has an edge in this game, it’s the experience that netminder Cam Johnson brings to his locker room, bench, and crease. Johnson backstopped North Dakota to a national title last season, facing the nation’s hottest team (Northeastern), best line (Michigan’s CCM line), a bitter conference rival (Denver), and the country’s best team (Quinnipiac). On the other side, Boston College goaltender Joe Woll (9-4-1) has played well this season but, as a freshman, has never been on such a large stage.

This weekend will mark the sixth weekend out of seven that North Dakota will face off against a ranked opponent; UND went 14-5-1 (.725) against top-twenty teams a year ago but is just 4-4-2 (.500) in those situations so far this season. Here’s a closer look at the five-week grind that the Fighting Hawks had to endure before Thanksgiving:

vs. #18 Bemidji State (W 3-2, W 5-4)
at #2 Minnesota Duluth (L 2-5, L 0-3)
at #13 Minnesota (T 5-5, L 0-2)
vs. #2 Denver (T 1-1, L 2-3)
at #12 St. Cloud State (W 4-0, W 3-0)

UND carries a 5-2-2 non-conference record into this weekend. After Saturday’s clash with the Eagles, North Dakota’s out-of-conference schedule will conclude with a single game at #17 Union on New Year’s Eve. Brad Berry is hoping to lead the team to a fifteenth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance (longest active streak in the nation), and a large part of that winning tradition is due to success outside of the league. UND has lost just three times in its last 31 non-conference games (23-3-5), and victories this weekend will help secure North Dakota’s postseason aspirations.

Boston College Team Profile

Head Coach: Jerry York (23rd season at BC, 557-268-77, .660)

Pairwise Ranking: t-5th of 60 teams
National Ranking: #3/#4
This Season: 12-4-1 overall, 7-0-1 Hockey East (1st)
Last Season: 28-8-5 (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 15-2-5 Hockey East (t-1st)

Team Offense: 3.71 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.29 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 16.7% (14 of 84)
Penalty Kill: 82.2% (88 of 107)

Key Players: Senior F Matthew Gaudreau (5-13-18), Sophomore F Colin White (9-5-14), Senior F Austin Cangelosi (8-6-14), Sophomore F Christopher Brown (5-9-14), Sophomore D Casey Fitzgerald (5-8-13), Sophomore F Michael Kim (1-10-11), Freshman G Joe Woll (9-4-1, 2.32 GAA, .922 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (2nd season at UND, 41-11-7, .754)

Pairwise Ranking: 13th of 60 teams
National Rankings: #9/#10
This Season: 7-5-3 overall, 2-3-1-1 NCHC (5th)
Last Season: 34-6-4 overall (NCAA Champions), 19-4-1-1 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)

Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.27 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.2% (12 of 66)
Penalty Kill: 80.6% (58 of 72)

Key Players: Sophomore F Brock Boeser (7-9-16), Sophomore F Shane Gersich (11-10-21), Freshman F Tyson Jost (5-10-15), Junior F Austin Poganski (3-6-9), Junior D Tucker Poolman (4-10-14), Senior D Gage Ausmus (0-4-4), Junior G Cam Johnson (7-5-3, 2.19 GAA, .908 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last meeting: October 8, 2011 (Grand Forks, ND). In the championship game of the Icebreaker, UND led 2-1 early in the second period but saw the Eagles score four goals in a span of ten minutes to chase North Dakota netminder Aaron Dell (five goals allowed, ten saves) and take a 5-2 lead into the second intermission. Relief goaltender Brad Eidsness (one goal allowed, seven saves) gave the Sioux a fighting chance, but UND could not put any more pucks past Parker Milner, who finished with 22 saves for the Eagles. Aside from a fog-shortened 0-0 tie on Chestnut Hill, this game marked the fourth consecutive time that BC had scored six goals against North Dakota.

Most important meetings: The Sioux and Eagles have met twice to decide the National Championship, with UND taking the title in 2000 and BC winning it all in 2001.

All-time: The all-time series between the two schools is dead even at 11-11-1 (.500). The teams first met on December 29, 1959, with the Sioux winning 5-3. In addition to the more recent playoff meetings listed above, UND and BC also played in national semifinal games in 1963 and 1965, splitting the two contests. 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 College and North Dakota met 7 times, with John “Gino” Gasparini’s Fighting Sioux squad going 5-2-0 against Len Ceglarski’s Eagles.

Game News and Notes

Opponents have outshot Boston College 176-147 and outscored the Eagles 22-21 in third periods this season. BC has a huge edge (402-304 in shots; 42-17 in goals) over the first forty minutes of play. Boston College leads the nation with twelve victories this season. UND alum Brock Nelson and BC alum Brian Leetch (a Hobey Baker finalist in 1987) will drop the ceremonial first puck.

Pregame Festivities

There are pregame events scheduled at Heartland Brewery (350 5th Avenue, inside the Empire State Building) and Beer Authority (300 West 40th Street). All UND fans are welcome to attend.

Media Coverage

This Saturday’s game will be televised on CBS Sports Network; there will not be a webcast available. All UND men’s hockey games (home and away) can be heard on 96.1 FM and on stations across the UND Sports Network (as well as through the iHeart Radio app). Follow @UNDMHockey for real-time Twitter updates, or follow the action via live chat at UNDsports.com.

The Prediction

If this game were decided by a “fans in Manhattan” contest, North Dakota would have already won in a landslide, as the UND contingent in New York City is quite impressive. As it stands, however, whichever side better handles the pressure of the big stage will have the early advantage. Brad Berry may need to urge his squad on to a furious comeback in the late stages of the game. I see this one going down to the wire (and possibly to overtime), with the Green and White faithful cheering their team to victory over 1500 miles from home. UND 4-3

Thank you for reading. As always, I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Here’s to hockey!