Category: Men’s Hockey

As most of you have already figured out, this morning’s blog post, “Hobey Baker committee adds Gothberg to list of finalists” was an April Fools’ joke.

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

Here are my other four favorites from years past:

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

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

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

2013: “After further review: UND and Yale to replay West Regional final”

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

For the first time in its 34 year history, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award committee has acknowledged an oversight and is now working to correct it.

Specifically, an 11th player has been added to the list of finalists just one day before the field will be narrowed to three in what is known as the “Hobey Hat Trick”.

That player: North Dakota sophomore goaltender Zane Gothberg.

Leading up to the March 20th announcement of ten finalists, Gothberg had a record of 17-8-3 with a goals-against average of 2.08, a save percentage of .922, and two shutouts.

Those numbers were solid, but not spectacular enough to bump Ferris State’s C.J. Motte, Wisconsin’s Joel Rumpel, or Minnesota’s Adam Wilcox – fellow goaltenders all – off of the list of ten finalists.

But a Hobey committee member, speaking on condition of anonymity, said early this morning that after watching the second-year netminder from Thief River Falls, Minnesota outduel two of the other finalists (Wisconsin’s Rumpel and Ferris State’s Motte) at the Midwest Regional last weekend, they felt it was only right to add another name to the list.

“Talking about the goalies, Wilcox has been great all year. Rumpel and Motte also. But (in Cincinnati) Gothberg showed us that he belonged, too. And then we went back and looked, and he’s been great for North Dakota all year. But we couldn’t take anybody else off the list. So we just sort of thought that we could try something different. I mean, everybody knows that (Johnny) Gaudreau’s going to win it, and so if we can generate a little bit of interest this week by thinking outside the box about the thing, we might get a little bit more buzz.“

Over the past four games since the list of ten finalists was unveiled, Gothberg has gone 3-1, making 116 of 122 saves for a .951 save percentage and a 1.40 GAA . He saved his best for last, making 44 of 45 saves over 82 minutes in a double overtime victory over Ferris State in the regional final.

Remarkably, UND’s star between the pipes was passed over for not one but two awards at the NCAA Midwest Regional. Teammate Rocco Grimaldi was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, and Bulldog netminder C.J. Motte was named to the all-tourney team.

“We think he got jobbed, and that entered into it, too. He deserved something after the show he put on (against Ferris State), and this is what we came up with to reward his performance.”

With that stellar performance, Gothberg is now averaging less than two goals allowed per game (1.99) on the season and takes a record of 20-9-3 into the Frozen Four.

And to that last point, my source indicated that North Dakota’s 20th appearance in the Frozen Four also led to the decision, in a manner of speaking. The other three schools competing for an NCAA title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania next weekend (Boston College, Union, and Minnesota) all have Hobey Baker finalists.

“And yeah, we looked at that, too. We saw that with Johnny Hockey and the other guy (Kevin Hayes) from BC, and Gostis-whateverhisnameis (Shayne Gostisbehere) from Union, and the Gopher goalie, that it would kind of be a neat thing to market if UND got somebody in, too. Frozen Four, four different conferences, four teams with a Hobey finalist, you know? Oops, oh yeah, and Gaudreau’s linemate, too.”

Two former North Dakota players have won college hockey’s highest individual honor. Tony Hrkac won the award in 1987 after setting a record for points in a season (46-70-116 in 48 games) that will never be broken. And twenty years later, Sioux forward Ryan Duncan took home the hardware despite some criticism that he was the third-best player on his own line (he played with T.J. Oshie and Jonathan Toews).

Four Minnesota players have won the Hobey (Neil Broten in 1981, Robb Stauber in 1988, Brian Bonin in 1996, and Jordan Leopold in 2002), while two Boston College players (David Emma in 1991 and Mike Mottau in 2000) have done the same. Union is looking for the program’s first Hobey Baker winner.

Another North Dakota goaltender, Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, was a Hobey Baker finalist in 2008, but despite a record of 26-11-4 with a 1.64 goals-against average, a .934 save percentage, and six shutouts, he was not named to the Hobey Hat Trick. North Dakota fans are used to Hobey heartbreak, as Jeff Panzer (who lost to Ryan Miller in 2001), Zach Parise (who was passed over for Junior Lessard in 2004), and Matt Frattin (who fell to Andy Miele in 2011) all came within a whisper of hockey immortality. And the year before the award’s inception, UND’s Mark Taylor was named the national player of the year after scoring 33 goals and adding 59 assists for 92 points in 40 games and leading the Fighting Sioux to their third NCAA title.

A news conference to formally announce the 11th member of this year’s Hobey class and further explain the rationale behind this unique development is scheduled to air at 4:01 p.m. Eastern time on ESPNU. The Hobey Hat Trick will be revealed as previously scheduled on Wednesday, April 2nd. I’ve got my prediction for the top three Hobey hopefuls here.

Before the ten Hobey Baker finalists were announced on Thursday, March 20th, I took my yearly shot at predicting the ten finalists. I managed to hit seven out of ten, correctly picking forwards Josh Archibald (junior, Nebraska-Omaha), Greg Carey (senior, St. Lawrence), Johnny Gaudreau (junior, Boston College), Kevin Hayes (senior, Boston College), defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (junior, Union), and goaltenders Joel Rumpel (junior, Wisconsin) and Adam Wilcox (sophomore, Minnesota).

The three finalists I missed on were junior goaltender C.J. Motte of Ferris State (I had senior goaltender Sam Brittain of Denver instead), Ohio State’s Ryan Dzingel (I had UMass-Lowell’s sophomore netminder Connor Hellebuyck in his spot), and Nic Dowd, senior forward from St. Cloud State (I had junior forward Austin Czarnik of Miami).

I did have Motte listed as one of my six honorable mention selections, but I completely missed on Nic Dowd. He’s definitely a great two-way player and team leader, but I just didn’t think he had the offensive numbers to crack the top ten. At the time of the announcement, the 6-2, 196 pounder from Huntsville, Alabama had collected 21 goals and notched 18 assists for 39 points in 36 games played (1.08 points/game). That mark was the lowest of all forwards in the Hobey top ten.

Ultimately, the reason I chose Austin Czarnik (12-33-45 in 35 games, 1.29 points/game at the time of the Hobey balloting) over Dowd is that Czarnik’s RedHawks had just gone to SCSU and swept the Huskies in the first round of the NCHC playoffs. Although the St. Cloud captain collected three points on the weekend (compared to two for Czarnik), I felt that the team’s results didn’t bode well for his inclusion on the Hobey list. The voters weighed St. Cloud State’s league championship (and Dowd’s role therein), and made a good choice in Nic Dowd.

I also felt good about picking Hellebuyck. I had this to say about the selection:

Conner Hellebuyck, sophomore goaltender, Massachusetts-Lowell
15-8-2, 1.87 goals-against average, .938 save percentage, 4 shutouts

Hellebuyck has the national save percentage lead by four points over Sam Brittain and Adam Wilcox, and he’s got the lowest GAA in the country, too. He’s only appeared in 25 games this season, and that might work against him, but he hasn’t lost back-to-back games since his first two starts of the year.

Ultimately, though, the voters went with OSU junior forward Ryan Dzingel, who had amassed 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points in 34 games for an Ohio State team that was fourth best in the Big Ten with an overall record of 16-13-5 at the time the picks were made. I didn’t think that Dzingel’s numbers were off the charts enough to get him in ahead of Hellebuyck, but evidentally the voters wanted Motte in over both Brittain and Hellebuyck and weren’t about to fill the Hobey top ten with four netminders.

And now, on to the Hobey Hat Trick. This is the first year in recent memory where one player has, for all intents and purposes, already won the award. Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) is a stone-cold lock to take home the trophy, particularly after the junior forward from Carneys Point, New Jersey scored three goals and added five assists in two victories at the NCAA East Regional last weekend. Gaudreau now has 35 goals and 42 assists for 77 points in 39 games (1.97 points/game) and has his Eagles in yet another Frozen Four.

“Johnny Hockey” has collected the most points in a season since 2002-03, when Colorado College junior forward Peter Sejna had 36 goals and 46 assists (82 points) for the Tigers and senior forward Chris Kunitz scored 35 goals and added 44 assists (79 points) for Ferris State.

Because the award itself is a forgone conclusion, more of the excitement is focused on the other two spots in the Hobey Hat Trick.

It is important to note that two of the other schools in this year’s Frozen Four have Hobey finalists (Minnesota and Union), and their performances over the past two weekends might sway voters in their favor.

Minnesota sophomore goaltender Adam Wilcox lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament but rebounded in the NCAA West Regional (St. Paul, MN). Wilcox stopped 46 of 49 shots on the weekend in victories over Robert Morris and St. Cloud State and posted a shutout in the regional final that propelled the Maroon and Gold to the Frozen Four. The second year netminder from South Saint Paul brings a record of 25-5-6 to Philadelphia with a 1.89 goals-against average of and a save percentage of .934 with four shutouts. Another factor in his favor is that Minnesota has been at or near the top of the polls all season, and Wilcox has carried the load, playing over ninety percent of his team’s minutes between the pipes.

I’ve got Wilcox in my Hobey Hat Trick.

The case is a bit murkier for Union junior defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. He’s been everything for the Dutchmen this season, but he’s more steady than flashy and he only added one assist in four playoff games since the ten finalists were announced. The assistant captain now has eight goals and 21 assists this season, and he didn’t make a jump offensively from his sophomore season. I’d love to see Gostisbehere rewarded for leading his team to 30 victories (the highest win total in program history) and Union’s second appearance in the Frozen Four, but I just don’t see it.

So who will be the third member of the prestigious Hobey Hat Trick?

I don’t see another goaltender making the cut, particularly since Wisconsin’s Joel Rumpel and Ferris State’s C.J. Motte were both outplayed in the Midwest Regional by North Dakota’s Zane Gothberg.

And I’m not about to put Nic Dowd or Ryan Dzingel in my top three if I didn’t have either of them in my original list of ten. For better or worse, that’s how I feel.

So that leaves us with the following list:

Josh Archibald, junior forward, Nebraska-Omaha
29 goals, 14 assists (43 points) in 37 games (1.16 points/game)

Greg Carey, senior forward, St. Lawrence
18 goals, 39 assists (57 points) in 38 games (1.50 points/game)

Kevin Hayes, senior forward, Boston College
27 goals, 36 assists (63 points) in 39 games (1.62 points/game)

Josh Archibald played his last college game on March 15th, signing a pro contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins . His 29 goals were third best in the nation this season, but the Mavericks’ lack of success in the postseason and his relatively low point total (18th in the country) hurt Archibald’s chances.

Greg Carey’s Saints also played their final game of the season on March 15th, and ended the year at 15-19-4. Carey’s 39 assists are the second-most in the country (behind only Gaudreau), but he was held off the score sheet six times in his last 13 games and, in my opinion, didn’t do enough down the stretch (only 12 points combined in February and March) to make a run at the top three.

And that brings us to Kevin Hayes. The senior Eagle solidified his Hobey resume with seven points (three goals, four assists) in two NCAA regional games last weekend. Of course, it’s the age-old question of whether Hayes is benefitting from Gaudreau’s incredible skill (and the answer is yes, he is), but Hayes also makes Johnny Hockey better. The 6-3, 205 pound right winger from Dorchester, Massachusetts (seven miles from BC’s campus) creates space for his smaller, quicker linemate.

Hayes has six game winning goals on the season, compared to just one for Greg Carey. The Eagles have played the sixth-toughest schedule in the country, compared to Nebraska-Omaha at 13 and St. Lawrence at 18. And Hayes’ development has been nothing short of phenomenal. After tallying 17 goals in 102 games over his first three seasons in Chestnut Hill, he’s lit the lamp 27 times in 39 games this year.

It’s been five years since teammates appeared together in the Hobey Hat Trick (Boston University’s Colin Wilson and Matt Gilroy in 2009), but I think that this is another one of those years. The award will go to Johnny Gaudreau, with Adam Wilcox and linemate Kevin Hayes sitting right there with him.

So there’s my Hobey Hat Trick: Johnny Gaudreau, Kevin Hayes, and Adam Wilcox.

Four Minnesota players have won the award (Neil Broten in 1981, Robb Stauber in 1988, Brian Bonin in 1996, and Jordan Leopold in 2002), while two Boston College players (David Emma in 1991 and Mike Mottau in 2000) have done the same.

And as always, I encourage everyone to read about the original Hobey Baker, hockey player and war hero.

Who ya got?

After the 2012-13 season, North Dakota moved from the WCHA to the NCHC, Wisconsin departed for the Big Ten, and Ferris State joined the WCHA after being a long-time member of the now-defunct CCHA.

Wisconsin finished 2nd in the Big Ten this season, while North Dakota ended up just behind St. Cloud State in the NCHC.

And Ferris State won the regular season title in the first year of the new-look WCHA and comes into the game tonight with 29 wins on the season. Bob Daniels, in his 22nd year behind the FSU bench, has his team playing a smart, physical brand of hockey backed by Hobey finalist C.J. Motte between the pipes.

Motte’s line is impressive. The junior netminder has a record of 28-8-3, a goals-against average of 2.20, a save percentage of .928, and five shutouts this season, including one yesterday in the Midwest Regional semifinal.

After blanking Colgate 1-0 behind a first period power play goal by freshman Gerald Mayhew, the Bulldogs find themselves one game away from the Frozen Four. If they advance, it would mark the second such appearance in three seasons.

Ferris State has played the 45th toughest schedule in Division I men’s hockey, the weakest slate of any team in the NCAA tournament not named Robert Morris. Including the regional games yesterday, the Bulldogs have played seven games against other teams in the NCAAs, going 2-5-0:

3 games versus #11 Minnesota State (0-3-0)
4 games versus #12 Colgate (2-2-0)

North Dakota has played nine games against the tournament field, with a record of 4-4-1:

1 game versus #4 Wisconsin (1-0-0)
4 games versus #8 St. Cloud State (1-3-0)
2 games versus #14 Vermont (1-0-1)
2 games versus #17 Denver (1-1-0)

After defeating Wisconsin last night, Dave Hakstol has the boys from Grand Forks on the cusp of their sixth Frozen Four appearance in his ten seasons behind the North Dakota bench and the ninth in the past 18 seasons overall. North Dakota has also appeared in twelve consecutive NCAA men’s ice hockey national tournaments, the longest active streak in the country. These results speak to the consistency of the program and aid in recruiting, as the coaching staff can assure potential recruits that they will have an opportunity to compete for a national title every season at UND.

Ferris State Team Profile

Head Coach: Bob Daniels (22nd season at Ferris State, 379-388-87, .495)

Pairwise Ranking: 4th
National Ranking: #6
This Season: 29-10-3 overall, 20-6-12 WCHA (1st)
Last Season: 16-16-5 overall, 13-12-3-1 CCHA (5th)

Team Offense: 3.26 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.19 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.1% (30 of 175)
Penalty Kill: 86.8% (171 of 197)

Key Players: Senior F Garrett Thompson (16-16-32), Junior F Justin Buzzeo (14-18-32), Senior F Cory Kane (13-18-31), Senior F Andy Huff (11-13-24), Senior D Scott Czarnowczan (6-19-25), Junior D Jason Binkley (3-21-24), Junior G C.J. Motte (28-8-3, 2.20 GAA, .928 SV%, 5 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (10th season at UND, 259-132-40, .647)

Pairwise Ranking: t-11th
National Ranking: #13
This Season: 24-13-3 overall, 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)
Last Season: 22-13-7 overall (NCAA West Regional finalist), 14-7-7 WCHA (3rd)

Team Offense: 3.10 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.48 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.4% (31 of 178)
Penalty Kill: 82.8% (140 of 169)

Key Players: Sophomore F Rocco Grimaldi (17-22-39), Sophomore F Michael Parks (12-18-30), Junior F Mark MacMillan (10-16-26), Sophomore F Drake Caggiula (11-13-24), Freshman F Luke Johnson (8-13-21), Senior D Dillon Simpson (7-15-22), Sophomore D Jordan Schmaltz (6-17-23), Sophomore G Zane Gothberg (19-9-3, 2.05 GAA, .923 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 28, 2003 (Minneapolis, MN). Ferris State used three assists from Chris Kunitz and 44 saves by Mike Brown to topple the Fighting Sioux 5-2 in the West Regional semifinal at Mariucci Arena. UND goaltender Jake Brandt was not particularly sharp, allowing three goals on twenty shots over the first two periods before being pulled in favor of Josh Siembida. Ferris State went 2-for-3 with the man advantage and sealed UND’s fate with an empty net goal in the final twenty seconds. North Dakota, which outshot the Bulldogs 46-27, received goals from David Lundbohm and Ryan Hale but failed to score on four power play opportunities and hit six posts. Head coach Dean Blais quipped, “We hit the pipe so hard I thought that puck was going to split in half.”

Most Important Meeting: With a trip to the NCAA Frozen Four (Philadelphia, PA) on the line, tonight’s Midwest Regional final is the most important meeting between the two hockey programs.

All-time Series: North Dakota is 5-1-0 all-time against Ferris State, outscoring the Bulldogs 32-20. The teams first met in December 1981, with the Fighting Sioux throttling the boys from Big Rapids, Michigan 5-2 and 6-2 at the original Ralph Engelstad Arena. UND would go on to win their fourth national title a little more than three months later, defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 5-2 for the championship.

Exactly 13 years to the day after their first series, the two schools met once again in Grand Forks, with the Green and White rolling to an 8-6, 5-2 sweep. And the sixth meeting between the two teams took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan on December 28th, 1997. North Dakota defeated the Bulldogs 6-3 to claim the championship of the Pepsi Invitational one night after downing Cornell 5-1.

Game News and Notes

Ferris State has outscored opponents 51-20 in the first period this season and boasts a record of 21-1-0 when leading after twenty minutes of play. North Dakota will have two seniors playing in today’s game (Dillon Simpson and Derek Rodwell), while FSU can dress as many as five. This is the third appearance in the NCAA tournament for the Bulldogs. Ferris State advanced to the regional final in 2003 and appeared in the national title game in 2012, losing 4-1 to Boston College.

The Prediction

It’s difficult to know what type of game we’ll see today. I fear that we’ll have a parade to the penalty box, which would seem to favor the Bulldogs. If Hakstol is able to roll four lines and gain momentum through a hard forecheck, it’ll be off to Philadelphia. C.J. Motte can’t shut out two teams in a row, can he? The first goal is big for both squads, and I think it goes UND’s way. North Dakota 4, Ferris State 2.

Here’s what I’ve got for the regional round:

West Regional:

Minnesota over Robert Morris
Notre Dame over St. Cloud State

Notre Dame over Minnesota

Midwest Regional:

Ferris State over Colgate
North Dakota over Wisconsin (link to game preview)

North Dakota over Ferris State

Northeast Regional:

Denver over Boston College
UMass-Lowell over Minnesota State-Mankato

UMass-Lowell over Denver

East Regional:

Union over Vermont
Providence over Quinnipiac

Union over Providence

Comment with your predictions below, and we’ll see who is still standing on Sunday!

There has been plenty written (check out a couple of good stories here and here) about the roller coaster ride of emotions that North Dakota faced after defeating Western Michigan 5-0 in the 3rd place game of the NCHC tournament (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN). The team had done its part, but needed some help to make the NCAA’s.

That help came in the form of the Wisconsin Badgers, former WCHA foe and long-time rival. On Saturday night, across the river at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Bucky was facing Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament championship. Down 4-2 with seven minutes remaining, UW scored twice in twenty seconds and rang a shot off the post in overtime before Mark Zengerle notched the game-winner at 7:48 of the first extra session.

To be fair, North Dakota’s 23-13-3 record and second-place finish in the NCHC would be good enough for an at-large bid in most seasons. But the new league did not fare well out of conference (37-31-16, .536), including an abysmal 9-17-8 (.382) mark against Hockey East and the ECAC.

Thanks to Wisconsin, UND has new life and nothing to lose. If #4 North Dakota manages to defeat the top-seeded Badgers, it would face the winner of #2 seed Ferris State (28-10-3, 20-6-2 WCHA) and#3 seed Colgate (20-13-5, 13-6-3 ECAC) for a trip to the Frozen Four (Philadelphia, PA).

Wisconsin is a veteran squad (ten seniors, six juniors) with a Hobey finalist (junior Joel Rumpel) in net. The Badgers have lost only five times since November 30th (20-5-1) after a 4-5-1 start (sound familiar?) and have given up more than three goals just twice in the past 26 games, the aforementioned Big Ten championship victory over the Buckeyes and a 5-4 overtime loss at Michigan State on March 14th.

Badger netminder Joel Rumpel has allowed 13 goals in the past four games (3.25 goals/game) after going through a nine game stretch from February 1st through March 8th where opponents scored a total of 14 goals (1.56 goals/game). Could it be that Rumpel is tiring after playing more than 75 percent of his team’s minutes in goal? The junior from Swift Current, Saskatchewan has not had a break since he came on in relief of Landon Peterson on January 3rd, a stretch of twenty consecutive games.

By comparison, UND sophomore goaltender Zane Gothberg has played less than 75 percent of the minutes for the Green and White, and teammate Clarke Saunders has started five games since January 24th. Gothberg’s numbers (2.05 goals-against average, .923 save percentage, 3 shutouts) are comparable to Rumpel’s (2.03 goals-against average, .930 save percentage, 2 shutouts), and he posted a shutout in his last start to give North Dakota a shot in the national tournament.

North Dakota has now advanced to the NCAA men’s ice hockey tournament for the twelfth consecutive season, the longest active streak in the country. A streak like that speaks to the consistency of the program and aids in recruiting, as the coaching staff can assure potential recruits that they will have an opportunity to compete for a national title every season at UND.

Wisconsin Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Eaves (12th season at UW, 255-179-53, .578)

Pairwise Ranking: t-3rd
National Ranking: #4
This Season: 24-10-2 overall, 15-6-1 Big Ten (2nd)
Last Season: 22-13-7 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinalist), 13-8-7 WCHA (t-4th)

Team Offense: 3.28 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 19.0% (24 of 126)
Penalty Kill: 84.6% (121 of 143)

Key Players: Senior F Mark Zengerle (10-33-43), Sophomore F Nic Kerdiles (15-22-37), Senior F Michael Mersch (22-13-35), Senior F Tyler Barnes (13-14-27), Junior D Jake McCabe (8-17-25), Senior D Frankie Simonelli (6-13-19), Junior G Joel Rumpel (21-5-1, 2.03 GAA, .930 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (10th season at UND, 258-132-40, .647)

Pairwise Ranking: 14th
National Ranking: #13
This Season: 23-13-3 overall, 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)
Last Season: 22-13-7 overall (NCAA West Regional finalist), 14-7-7 WCHA (3rd)

Team Offense: 3.05 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.49 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.9% (31 of 173)
Penalty Kill: 83.1% (138 of 166)

Key Players: Sophomore F Rocco Grimaldi (14-22-36), Sophomore F Michael Parks (11-17-28), Junior F Mark MacMillan (9-14-23), Sophomore F Drake Caggiula (11-12-23), Freshman F Luke Johnson (8-13-21), Senior D Dillon Simpson (7-15-22), Sophomore D Jordan Schmaltz (6-17-23), Sophomore G Zane Gothberg (18-9-3, 2.05 GAA, .923 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: February 2, 2013 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota used two goals from Michael Parks and two assists each from Rocco Grimaldi and Carter Rowney to down the visiting Badgers 4-1. UND freshman netminder Zane Gothberg made 21 of 22 saves to earn the victory, and the Green and White converted two of eight man advantage situations and held UW scoreless on five power plays. The two teams skated to a 1-1 tie in Friday’s opener. There were 205 minutes of penalties called in the weekend series.

Last Meeting in the NCAA Tournament: March 30, 2008 (Madison, WI). North Dakota overcame a two goal deficit and a partisan Kohl Center crowd to down the Badgers and advance to the Frozen Four. Rylan Kaip and Ryan Duncan scored goals less than 50 seconds apart in the third period, and Andrew Kozek completed the comeback with the game winner 1:47 into overtime. Hobey Baker finalist Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux made 41 saves for UND, which also saw T.J. Oshie assist on the game-tying and game-winning goals.

Most Important Meeting: March 27, 1982 (Providence, RI). A 2-2 tie after two periods turned into a 5-2 Sioux victory, as Phil Sykes netted a hat trick and led UND to its fourth National Championship. Glen White scored the first goal of the game for North Dakota and assisted on two of Sykes’ goals. Darren Jensen backstopped the Green and White and was named to the all-tournament team along with Sykes, defenseman James Patrick, and forward Cary Eades. This title would be the second of three North Dakota titles won at the Providence Civic Center (1980, 2000).

All-time Series: Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 86-65-12 (.564), although North Dakota is unbeaten (2-0-0) all-time in NCAA postseason play against the Badgers.

Last Ten: The Green and White have had Bucky’s number lately, going 5-3-2 (.600) in the last ten tilts. UND is unbeaten in the last four (3-0-1), outscoring UW 14-7.

Game News and Notes

Despite coaching for two fewer seasons than his counterpart on the UW bench, North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol has collected three more victories than Mike Eaves. Hakstol is 12-4 in NCAA regional games, and, with four more victories, would tie coaching legend Dean Blais (262-115-33) for second-most wins all time at North Dakota. Wisconsin has ten seniors on its current roster, with nine expected to be in the lineup this weekend. North Dakota has only four, including two (Mitch MacMillan, Clarke Saunders) who are not expected to play today.

The Prediction

If this game were played ten times, the Wisconsin would win seven or eight. But I’ve got a feeling that UND will play fast and loose with nothing to lose against the top-seeded Badgers and take an early lead. It’s looking more and more like the first team to three goals will win the game, and I’ll take the Green and White. North Dakota 3, Wisconsin 2.

Bonus Prediction

I’ve got Ferris State taking down Colgate 4-1 in the other regional semifinal. Check back tomorrow for a preview of the regional final on the way to Philadelphia and the Frozen Four.

There are plenty of storylines for the inaugural NCHC Frozen Faceoff this weekend at Target Center in Minneapolis. Three of the four participating teams (Western Michigan, Denver, and Miami) can only advance to the NCAA tournament by winning the as-yet-unnamed trophy which goes to the league playoff champion. And North Dakota has a bit more breathing room: many scenarios exist which put them in the national field of 16 with one win particularly since Penn State’s double overtime victory over Michigan yesterday has the Green and White at 11th in the Pairwise.

The other interesting thing to note about the playoff format is that teams will play a third place game on Saturday afternoon. Before the old WCHA expanded to 12 teams and the league playoff format changed, the Final Five used to have a “consolation championship”. We found some teams competing to move up in the Pairwise while other squads had already mailed it in, knowing that they were in the NCAAs for certain or that their season had already ended.

And I think that could be the case this weekend.

If North Dakota wins on Friday night, the two teams playing for third place on Saturday (Miami vs. Denver/Western Michigan) will have nothing to play for.

If North Dakota loses on Friday night, the stakes will be different. In that situation, UND would still have a chance to make the national tournament with a victory, while its opponent will have very little motivation remaining (save the spoiler role that so many teams relish). Advantage: North Dakota.

So Dave Hakstol’s crew would certainly advance to the NCAAs with two wins and has a fairly good chance of receiving an at-large bid with one win this weekend. By my calculations, the combined odds of all of those scenarios give UND more than a 65 percent chance of making the national tournament.

#2 North Dakota advanced after a hard fought three game home series against #7 Colorado College. Dave Hakstol reunited linemates Stephane Pattyn, Derek Rodwell, and Conner Gaarder for Sunday night’s game three, and the line was very effective in all zones. Expect these three to be matched up against Miami’s top unit as much as possible in Friday night’s semifinal.

The other three schools at the Frozen Faceoff were all road teams in the first round of the NCHC playoffs. #8 Miami swept at #1 St. Cloud State, #6 Denver defeated #3 Nebraska-Omaha in three games, and #5 Western Michigan took down #4 Minnesota-Duluth with a pair of one-goal victories in a battle of teams with identical records.

Remarkably, only two of the six teams from the previous WCHA advanced to the Frozen Faceoff, while the other two schools (Western Michigan and Miami) came from the now-defunct CCHA.

Miami has been reenergized by the return of forward Blake Coleman (18 goals and 7 assists in 25 games). The junior from Plano, Texas missed 11 games due to injury (from December 7th to February 15th, including the series at North Dakota) but has scored eight goals in eight games since his return.

Two of the top three teams in the NCHC during the regular season are sitting at home this weekend. #1 SCSU (21-10-5, 10th in the Pairwise) is assured of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAAs, while Nebraska-Omaha, this year’s #3 seed, saw its season end at 17-18-2. UNO was in the WCHA for three years but never made it to the Final Five.

Colorado College (7-24-6) had its 2013-14 campaign ended at the hands of North Dakota, and Scott Owens’ bunch now have a record of 25-43-11 over the past two years.

And Minnesota-Duluth (16-16-4) missed the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season after posting four straight 20-win campaigns and a national title in 2011.

Teams were reseeded after the first round of the league postseason tournament, so we have the following semifinal pairings:

Semifinal #1 (Friday, 4:00 p.m.): #5 Western Michigan vs. #6 Denver Pioneers
Semifinal #2 (Friday, 7:30 p.m.): #2 North Dakota vs. #8 Miami

The winners of those two games will compete for the playoff championship and an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Friday’s losing teams will face off at 3:30 p.m. in Saturday’s third place game.

All four of the teams competing this weekend play their home games on NHL-sized ice (85×200), the same size as the narrower ice sheet inside Target Center.

#6 Denver Pioneers vs. #5 Western Michigan Broncos

2013-2014 Season Series (Denver leads 3-1):

November 15 (at DU): Denver 5, Western Michigan 3
November 16 (at DU): Denver 1, Western Michigan 0

February 28 (at WMU): Denver 4, Western Michigan 2
March 1 (at WMU): Western Michigan 3, Denver 1

Denver Team Profile

Head Coach: Jim Montgomery (1st season at DU, 18-15-6, .538)

Pairwise Ranking: 26th
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 18-15-6 overall, 10-11-3-2 NCHC (6th)
Last Season: 20-14-5 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinalist), 14-9-5 WCHA (t-4th)

Team Offense: 2.62 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.21 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.2% (33 of 163)
Penalty Kill: 86.7% (144 of 166)

Key Players: Freshman F Trevor Moore (13-17-30), Sophomore F Quentin Shore (7-18-25), Sophomore F Gabe Levin (5-16-21), Junior F Ty Loney (10-13-23), Junior D Joey LaLeggia (11-11-22), Senior D David Makowski (10-14-24), Senior G Sam Brittain (17-13-6, 2.06 GAA, .934 SV%, 5 SO)

Western Michigan Team Profile

Head Coach: (Andy Murray, 3rd season at WMU, 59-39-19, .585)

Pairwise Ranking: t-19th
National Ranking: #19
This Season: 19-14-5 overall, 11-11-2 NCHC (t-4th)
Last Season: 19-11-8 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 15-7-6-3 CCHA (3rd)

Team Offense: 2.63 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.55 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 13.6% (24 of 177)
Penalty Kill: 84.7% (172 of 203)

Key Players: Senior F Shane Berschbach (15-22-37), Junior F Justin Kovacs (13-19-32), Senior F Chase Balisy (13-24-37), Sophomore D Kenney Morrison (4-15-19), Junior D Jordan Oesterle (2-14-16), Sophomore G Lukas Hafner (9-6-2, 2.06 GAA, .925 GAA, 2 SO)

The prediction: Denver has a couple of edges in this contest – Hobey finalist Sam Brittain has been lights out for the Pioneers, and WMU has been dreadful on the power play. The only edge in the Broncos’ corner is the experience of head coach Andy Murray, longtime NHL coach in his third season behind the Western Michigan bench, versus the relative inexperience of the Pios’ Jim Montgomery. I’ve got DU in this one, but it’s close. Denver 3, Western Michigan 2.

#8 Miami RedHawks vs. #2 North Dakota

2013-2014 Season Series (North Dakota leads 3-1):

October 18 (at Miami): North Dakota 4, Miami 2
October 19 (at Miami): Miami 6, North Dakota 2

February 14 (at UND): North Dakota 3, Miami 2
February 15 (at UND): North Dakota 9, Miami 2

Miami Team Profile

Head Coach: Enrico Blasi (15th season at Miami, 325-215-56, .592)

Pairwise Ranking: t-32nd
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 14-19-3 overall, 6-17-1-1 NCHC (8th)
Last Season: 25-12-5 overall (NCAA Midwest Regional finalist), 17-7-4-4 CCHA (1st)

Team Offense: 2.92 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.08 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.9% (33 of 158)
Penalty Kill: 80.1% (129 of 161)

Key players: Sophomore F Riley Barber (19-24-43), Junior F Austin Czarnik (12-33-45), Junior F Blake Coleman (18-7-25 in 25 games), Sophomore D Matthew Caito (3-12-15), Junior D Ben Paulides (3-3-6), Sophomore G Ryan McKay (9-12-3, 2.75 GAA, .911 SV%, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (10th season at UND, 257-131-40, .647)

Pairwise Ranking: 11th
National Ranking: #11
This Season: 22-12-3 overall, 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)
Last Season: 22-13-7 overall (NCAA West Regional finalist), 14-7-7 WCHA (3rd)

Team Offense: 3.08 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.54 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.5% (30 of 162)
Penalty Kill: 83.3% (135 of 162)

Key Players: Sophomore F Rocco Grimaldi (13-22-35), Sophomore F Michael Parks (11-17-28), Junior F Mark MacMillan (9-14-23), Sophomore F Drake Caggiula (11-12-23), Freshman F Luke Johnson (8-12-20), Senior D Dillon Simpson (7-14-21), Sophomore D Jordan Schmaltz (5-17-22), Sophomore G Zane Gothberg (17-8-3, 2.08 GAA, .922 SV%, 2 SO)

The Prediction: This will definitely be more of a scorefest than the first semifinal. The teams combined for 30 goals in their first four contests, with North Dakota outscoring Miami 18-12. Playoff hockey typically means that things will be a little tighter, but I can still see either team scoring four goals on the other. I’ll say that this one goes to overtime, with the partisan Green and White crowd making the difference for UND. North Dakota 4, Miami 3 (OT).

Here’s what UND fans want to happen to maximize UND’s chances of making the NCAA tournament. No math here, I promise.

UND

UND needs itself to do as well as possible. Anything short of one win makes an NCAA tournament bid pretty unlikely. Two wins gets UND an auto bid so none of the rest would matter.

Other conference tournaments

UND wants as many of the following four conference tournaments to be won by the listed teams as possible:

• Big Ten — Minnesota, Wisconsin
• ECAC — Union, Quinnipiac
• WCHA — Ferris State
• Hockey East — Mass.-Lowell, Notre Dame, Providence

The more of these we get, the fewer of the following we need.

Primary competitors for at-large bids

UND wants some of these teams to lose so there are fewer competitors for at-large bids:

• Michigan
• Minnesota State
• Colgate
• Cornell

And to a lesser degree, these teams doing poorly can help primarily if UND loses its first game:

• Ohio State
• New Hampshire

This is my yearly attempt to predict the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. In the past, my results have been mixed, from a high of seven to a low of four.

This is the first year in recent memory where one player has basically already won the award. Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) is a stone-cold lock to take home the trophy, so more of the excitement is focused on the ten finalists and the other two spots in the Hobey Hat Trick.

Remarkably, “Johnny Hockey” has 69 points already (32 goals, 37 assists in 37 games, an average of 1.86 points/game), and his Eagles are leading the nation in scoring with 4.05 goals per game. Boston College is idle this weekend after dropping a first-round playoff series against Notre Dame, but if Jerry York’s boys make a deep NCAA tournament run, Gaudreau could top Miami forward Andy Miele’s mark of 71 points (24 goals, 47 assists) set in 2010-11.

If Gaudreau can surpass Miele’s 71, he will have collected the most points in a season since 2002-03, when Colorado College junior forward Peter Sejna had 36 goals and 46 assists (82 points) for the Tigers and senior forward Chris Kunitz scored 35 goals and added 44 assists (79 points) for Ferris State.

The other remarkable thing about this college hockey season is how many goalies are putting up outstanding numbers. The six netminders featured in this article (four on my top ten list plus two honorable mention selections) have backstopped their teams to 117 victories with 18 shutouts. Here’s the average stat line from those six combined:

A record of 20-8-4, a 2.08 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage, and 4 shutouts.

So despite the fact that scoring is up across college hockey this season (2.82 goals scored/game this year, compared to 2.74 goals/game in 2012-13), the top goaltenders are eyeing for a spot in the Hobey Hat Trick.

Here’s my best shot at the ten Hobey Baker finalists:

Skaters (in alphabetical order):

Josh Archibald, junior forward, Nebraska-Omaha
29 goals, 14 assists (43 points) in 37 games (1.16 points/game)

Archibald would have had a stronger case had the Mavericks survived their first round NCHC playoff series against Denver. UNO’s season may be over, but I still think his 29 goals (second-most in the country) speak loudly enough to get him in the top ten.

Greg Carey, senior forward, St. Lawrence
18 goals, 39 assists (57 points) in 38 games (1.50 points/game)

A returning finalist, this Hamilton, Ontario product has scored the second-most points in the country this season. Although the Saints were swept by Colgate last weekend, Carey was spectacular, figuring in on three of four SLU goals in the series (two goals, one assist). Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that he went from scoring 28 goals a year ago to collecting 39 assists in his senior season.

Austin Czarnik, junior forward, Miami
12 goals, 33 assists (45 points) in 35 games (1.29 points/game)

Czarnik is a returning finalist who currently ranks sixth in the country in points per game. Last week, I would have thought that the RedHawks record would work against him, but Miami’s sweep at NCHC champion St. Cloud State in the first round of the league playoffs (and his two points in the series) works in his favor.

Johnny Gaudreau, junior forward, Boston College
32 goals, 37 assists (69 points) in 37 games (1.86 points/game)

The junior Eagle has only been held off the point sheet twice all season; at Minnesota back in October and in his last game, a decisive game three playoff loss against Notre Dame. Since the committee began awarding “Hat Tricks” ten years ago, no player has been in the final three in consecutive seasons. Gaudreau will be the first (21-30-51 last year, and career marks of 74-91-165 in 116 games) and he’ll take home the hardware.

Shayne Gostisbehere, junior defenseman, Union
8 goals, 20 assists (28 points) in 36 games (0.78 points/game)

There are only two defensemen in the top fifty in the country in scoring, and neither one is named Shayne Gostisbehere. Junior Steve Weinstein (1-37-38) plays for Bentley (41st in the Pairwise), while freshman Gavin Bayreuther (9-27-36) plays for St. Lawrence (32nd). With that said, I’ll take Gostisbehere, a returning All-American who has his Dutchmen in position for a #1 seed in the national tournament.

Kevin Hayes, senior forward, Boston College
24 goals, 32 assists (56 points) in 37 games (1.51 points/game)

The nation’s number three scorer plays on a line with Gaudreau, so it’s the age-old question: is his linemate inflating his numbers, or is he making his linemate better? Either way, the Eagles are flying high with 150 goals and on pace to shatter their own mark of 157 goals set in 2011-12, the highest total in college hockey over the past three seasons. Hayes is in.

Goaltenders (in alphabetical order):

Sam Brittain, senior goaltender, Denver:
17-13-6, 2.06 goals-against average, .934 save percentage, 5 shutouts

Brittain has played the second-most minutes in all of college hockey, has made the most saves (1063), and has his Pioneers in the inaugural NCHC Frozen Faceoff. He played brilliantly in his team’s upset sweep at Nebraska-Omaha last weekend, stopping 64 of 65 Maverick shots to earn both victories.

Connor Hellebuyck, sophomore goaltender, Massachusetts-Lowell
15-8-2, 1.87 goals-against average, .938 save percentage, 4 shutouts

Hellebuyck has the national save percentage lead by four points over Brittain and Adam Wilcox (Minnesota), and he’s got the lowest GAA in the country, too. He’s only appeared in 25 games this season, and that might work against him, but he hasn’t lost back-to-back games since his first two starts of the year.

Joel Rumpel, junior goaltender, Wisconsin
19-5-1, 2.00 goals-against average, .931 save percentage, 2 shutouts

This is the “between the pipes” pick that I’m the most iffy about. Rumpel just gave up eight goals in a weekend split at Michigan State, and he’s fallen outside the top five in every major goaltending category. That being said, he had a stretch of nine straight games prior to that in which he gave up two or fewer goals, including a pair of 2-1 victories over Minnesota. I might regret this choice, but I’ll keep Rumpel in.

Adam Wilcox, sophomore goaltender, Minnesota
23-4-6, 1.91 goals-against average, .934 save percentage, 3 shutouts

Wilcox is the key component in Minnesota’s spectacular season. He got out-dueled by Rumpel when the two went head to head in February (Wisconsin won both games 2-1), but aside from those narrow defeats, he hasn’t lost since November 24th. Wilcox was even more impressive within the Big Ten Conference, going 13-2-3 with a 1.64 GAA, .941 SV%, and two shutouts while leading the Gophers to the league title.

Honorable Mention:

Brett Gensler, senior forward, Bentley
21 goals, 32 assists (53 points) in 37 games (1.43 points/game)

Kevin Goumas, senior forward, New Hampshire
17 goals, 33 assists (50 points) in 38 games (1.32 points/game)

Jean-Paul LaFontaine, junior forward, Minnesota State
20 goals, 1 assists (39 points) in 38 games (1.03 points/game)

Matthew Zay, junior forward, Mercyhurst
17 goals, 25 assists (42 points) in 34 games (1.24 points/game)

CJ Motte, junior goaltender, Ferris State
26-7-3, 2.19 goals-against average, .928 save percentage, 4 shutouts

Clay Witt, junior goaltender, Northeastern
17-12-3, 2.37 goals-against average, .932 save percentage, 4 shutouts

So what do you think? Who would you include? Leave out? Feel free to comment below, and thanks for reading!

With full credit to GW Gear, the folks who created the slogan in quotation marks above (and a t-shirt), I’d like to offer a few thoughts on this notion that “North Dakota fans travel well”.

I’ve taken over 40 hockey road trips over the past 17 seasons, and it seems to me that the contingent of UND fans traveling to road arenas and tournaments is growing larger all the time.

Nowhere is this more evident than at the conference tournament in the Twin Cities. Legions of Sioux fans used to descend on St. Paul and Xcel Energy Center every March, and this year they’ll be headed across the river to turn Target Center into yet another home weekend for the boys from Grand Forks.

It certainly helps that UND has won its first round series and advanced to the final weekend of the playoffs in each of the past twelve seasons. Despite the fact that half of those series went to a decisive Game 3, fans have grown accustomed to seeing the Green and White represented – first at the WCHA Final Five, and now at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. With that expectation, many followers of North Dakota hockey have taken to buying their ticket packages well in advance rather than waiting to see if their team will be there and then scrambling to make arrangements with just a few days to spare.

In other words, the team’s consistency has created crowds.

It’s also rewarding as a fan to hear the players, coaches, and media members take notice and share their appreciation. Mark Schuttenhelm (writing for the Jamestown Sun) had this to say in his article about the February 2013 series in Omaha that featured an outdoor game on Saturday:

Coach Hakstol and many of the players were clearly moved by the fan support. A few quotes from the postgame press conferences … coach Hakstol called the fan turnout “phenomenal.” Danny Kristo called it “unbelievable,” “humbling,” and “felt like a home game.” Zane Gothberg described it as “absolutely incredible” and “something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.” Approximately 9,500 fans attended Friday night’s game in Omaha vs. UNO’s average home attendance of about 6,000. The attendance at Saturday’s outdoor game was 13,650. Those are some impressive numbers.

And more recently, here are a few tweets from current North Dakota players after Sunday night’s Game 3 victory over Colorado College:

Bryn Chyzyk ‏@chyz21
Big win last night can’t wait to see the Sioux fans take over the Target center this weekend #rolltribe

Stephane Pattyn ‏@GeneralPattyn28
Wow thank you for all the kind words everyone!! Huge win for our team. Can’t wait to see the sea of green at the Target Center! #sioux

Dillon Simpson ‏@Simmer18
Thank you Grand Forks for four amazing years of playing in the Ralph. SEE YOU ALL IN MINNEAPOLIS!!

Another example of people taking notice comes from Denver University. The Pioneers players, coaches, and athletic department grew so weary of all of the green in their own rink that they implemented a ticket policy specifically designed to keep North Dakota fans out of Magness Arena. The short-lived, short-sighted rule only created more interest and excitement for the series in January of this year, and the UND fans did not disappoint.

In the “for what it’s worth” department, the NCHC could implement a ticket policy specifically designed to increase the number of Pioneers fans at Target Center this weekend (let’s say, for example, giving them all free ticket packages), and I think they’d get fewer than 100 takers on that offer. They just don’t show up.

The NCHC Frozen Faceoff needed North Dakota in the tournament. Not so much for this season, although it helps, but for the future. Many UND fans already had their ticket packages for this weekend, and would have attended regardless. But a conference tourney without the Green and White would have caused most fans to reconsider buying packages in advance for next season’s Faceoff. So North Dakota’s consistency helps the league, both now and in the future.

And to this point, here’s a view inside the Twitterverse from the past 16 hours (since UND’s Game 3 victory went in the books), illustrating the collective relief and celebration felt across the NCHC:

The Red Army ‏@RedArmyUNO (UNO hockey’s Premier Fan Organization)
Well, at least the NCHC won’t be bankrupt after one year.

Shane Frederick ‏@puckato (College Hockey writer for the Mankato Free Press)
And the giant “Whew!” you just heard was from the NCHC folks. North Dakota (and their fans) will be at Target Center next weekend.

Schlossman ‏@SchlossmanGF (College Hockey writer for the Grand Forks Herald)
Guessing that the delay in the NCHC game time announcement is because officials at league/Target Center/CBS are doing jag bombs right now.

And to sum it up, here’s Chris Peters (The United States Of Hockey) commenting on this unique phenomenon:

If there’s one thing you can say about North Dakota hockey fans, they’re passionate. That passion makes UND’s among the best, if not the best traveling fan base in all of college hockey. That has occasionally made their away games seem a lot more like home.

And this weekend will mark yet another such occasion. It is indeed always a home game. See you all in Minneapolis!

Fans, now it’s your turn. What are your favorite road trip venues? Memories? What’s it like to be a part of a large, vocal road crowd? Please share your thoughts below, and thanks for reading!