Friday Game React: UND vs. Michigan Tech

It’s amazing what a little open ice can do.

Junior forwards T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan and sophomore defenseman Chay Genoway led the way with two points each as UND downed visiting Michigan Tech 4-0 in the opening game of this best-of-three playoff series. The winner of the series advances to the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul next weekend.

A word about the “open ice”. Brian Thul and his assistants, Kile Bergren and Nathan Freeman, called nine obstruction penalties (tripping, hooking, holding, and interference) on the evening, and the result was an enjoyable, fast-paced contest. North Dakota’s skill players certainly took advantage of the open ice created by the officials simply calling penalties by the rulebook.

And lest you think I’m praising the officials because the calls went in UND’s favor, think again. The Sioux were whistled for five obstruction penalties to Michigan Tech’s four. Overall, North Dakota took seven minor penalties; MTU, six. I’m suggesting that the officiating we saw tonight was even-handed, and both teams adjusted to it.

Memo to the WCHA: Our league doesn’t need rule changes, we need officials who will enforce the rules which are already in place.

It was especially heartening to see Oshie (one goal, one assist) and Genoway (two assists) return from injury and perform well. Genoway’s skill on the power play and rushing the puck up the ice were both on display. The speedy defenseman leads all Sioux blueliners with 24 points (6 goals, 18 assists), despite playing in only 31 of 36 games.

It seemed to me that Oshie didn’t initiate contact like he normally does, but got stronger as the game wore on. “I felt great, maybe 95 to 100 percent,” said Oshie. “Obviously I wasn’t hitting as much.”

“Neither one was tremendously dynamic tonight, but they were both very good,” said Hakstol of Oshie and Genoway. “I thought they both did a real good, solid job.”

Senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux strengthened his case for a Hobey Baker nod with another fine performance. Lamoureux, who has started every game but one for the Fighting Sioux, stopped all 14 Michigan Tech shots and helped UND kill off all six Husky power play opportunities. Eight of MTU’s 14 shots came with the man-advantage.

“Phil continued what he’s done for us throughout the year,” Hakstol said. “I thought he had good focus tonight. When he needed to make a save, whether it was a routine save or one of the big saves he made, he was there.”

For the season, Lamoureux’s stat line now reads: 23-8-4 (.714), 1.61 GAA, .935 SV, 6 shutouts. His goals-against average and save percentage are tops in the country, and he is tied for first in shutouts. He has played the nation’s toughest schedule, and logged more minutes in net than any of the other goaltenders in the top ten. During North Dakota’s 18-game unbeaten streak (15-0-3), Lamoureux has started 17 games and allowed zero or one goal 13 times. Tonight’s game was the 104th of his career, tying him for third-place on UND’s all-time list with Peter Waselovich (1973-77).

UND’s team defense continues to thrive, blocking shots and limiting chances. For the season, the Fighting Sioux have allowed 1.72 goals per game, the lowest in Division I. North Dakota is scoring an average of 3.08 goals per game, good for 14th.

“They just do a great job of blocking out,” Husky captain Jimmy Kerr said of the Sioux defense. “It’s really hard to get in front of their net. They also do a really good job of blocking shots in front of their net.”

North Dakota’s special teams were impressive yet again. UND scored on two of six power play chances, and blanked MTU on all six man-advantage situations. For the season, the Fighting Sioux have converted 19.1% (31 of 162) of their power play chances and killed 88.8% (142 of 160) of opponents’ power plays. UND’s power play ranks 16th nationally; their penalty-kill is 4th.

Duncan’s goal, UND’s first, came 5:25 into the first period. His wrist shot from the “Duncan Circle” was too much for Teslak to handle, and the Sioux were up 1-0. Teslak stopped 27 of 31 shots on the night, but had some trouble controlling rebounds.

The key stretch in the hockey game was the middle of the second period. North Dakota was dominating in puck possession, shots on goal, and scoring chances, but led only 1-0. T.J. Oshie (from Duncan and VandeVelde) and Darcy Zajac (Jake Marto, Chay Genoway) scored even-strength goals 49 seconds apart, and UND would never look back.

“They scored two goals back-to-back, and playing on the road, the crowd gets going,” said Michigan Tech head coach Jamie Russell. “You can’t give up back-to-back goals like that, and that certainly was a backbreaker.”

Junior wing Andrew Kozek scored a highlight reel goal in the third period to close out the scoring. Kozek got the puck in the slot after nifty passing plays by Ryan Martens and Brad Miller and made no mistake, scoring five-hole after getting Teslak to commit. Kozek leads the team in goals with 16 (in 35 games) after scoring 12 in his first two seasons combined (87 games).

Zach Jones, who had gone 23 games without taking a penalty, was whistled for three minor penalties, one in each period.

North Dakota was the only host school to register a sell-out (11,572) in Game 1 of the first round series. Colorado College drew 5896 fans (80%), Denver drew 4693 (78%), MSU-Mankato drew 4228 (88%), and St. Cloud drew 4005 (70%). I find this very odd.

UND is 20-3-1 this year when scoring the first goal, and has outscored opponents 40-10 in the opening period. North Dakota has now won four of the five games between the two teams this season, outscoring the Huskies 19-5.

North Dakota (24-8-4) and Michigan Tech (13-19-5) will meet again at Ralph Engelstad Arena for Game 2 of the WCHA first-round series. Game time is 7:07 p.m.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions. For more on the matchup between the teams, click here. For reaction to Saturday’s Game 2, click here. Check back after Sunday’s series finale for more reaction, commentary, and analysis.

WCHA Playoff Series Preview: UND vs. Michigan Tech

The last time Michigan Tech came to Grand Forks (January 11th and 12th, 2008), the two teams held average records in the conference. North Dakota’s WCHA record stood at 7-7-0, while the Huskies came in at 5-6-1. It appeared as if Colorado College (13-3-0) and Denver (11-3-0) had run away with the top two spots in the league, with the Sioux and Huskies both in good shape for a home-ice playoff series.

A Sioux sweep of the Huskies by identical 4-1 scores sent the two teams in opposite directions. Michigan Tech has gone 4-7-3 in league play since the series in Grand Forks; North Dakota is undefeated in conference action at 9-0-3. That stretch allowed UND to pass Denver University for second place in the WCHA, while MTU dropped to ninth place, one point behind eighth-place Minnesota-Duluth (9-14-5).

A big key to North Dakota’s first sweep of the season was their defensive play. The Sioux allowed only 33 shots in the two games combined and killed all ten Michigan Tech power plays.

At the time, I wrote the following about UND’s second half schedule and the possibility of a “Hakstol Surge”:

UND is in good shape for a stretch run, as the toughest part of their schedule seems to be behind them. With seven conference weekends remaining, the Sioux will host Michigan Tech, Alaska-Anchorage, Denver, and St. Cloud State, and travel to MSU-Mankato, Minnesota, and Minnesota-Duluth. It is my prediction that North Dakota will still be in third place at the end of the regular season, hosting a first-round playoff series, advancing to the WCHA Final Five, and avoiding the dreaded Thursday play-in game.

That stretch run begins now. UND can strengthen its position with strong showings this weekend and against Mankato and Anchorage. Five wins in those six contests isn’t out of the question, and would give the Sioux much-needed momentum heading down to Mariucci to take on the Golden Gophers in early February.

And North Dakota did me one better, winning all six games against Michigan Tech, MSU-Mankato, and Alaska-Anchorage before taking 3 of 4 points from the Gophers in Minneapolis.

And astute reader yababy8 did me one better as well, correctly predicting that UND would pass Denver for second place in the WCHA:

I think the Sioux make it to second in the WCHA. Factor in a nice sweep of the Pioneers and we just have two games to close in on a tie and we would win the tie breaker 3-1. I think Denver is not as good as their record suggests – We will see!

Nice work, yababy8!

One more word about the “Hakstol Surge”: In Dave Hakstol’s four seasons as head coach at North Dakota, UND has gone 44-32-5 (.574) before the new year and 57-21-10 (.705) after. The difference in the past two seasons is even more remarkable: in the first halves of 2006-07 and 2007-08, the Sioux went 18-17-2 (.514); in the second halves, 29-5-7 (.793).

And now, on to this weekend’s WCHA first round playoff series:

One problem for the Huskies has been scoring. Including the weekend series at Ralph Engelstad Arena, Michigan Tech has scored only 28 goals in its last 16 conference games (1.75 goals/game). For the season, MTU was not much better, netting only 55 goals in 28 league games (1.96 goals/game).

North Dakota, by contrast, scored 85 goals in WCHA action (3.04/game) and allowed only 53 (1.89/game). The Huskies allowed 77 goals (2.75/game) over the course of their conference schedule.

After opening the season 5-2-0 (including a home split with North Dakota) while scoring 22 goals (3.14/game) and allowing 16, the Huskies have scored only 52 goals in 29 games (8-16-5), an average of 1.79 goals/game.

One way to compare the teams offensively is to look at how their top scorers stack up in the league scoring race. Michigan Tech is paced by senior Peter Rouleau, who scored 9 goals and added 13 assists to finish 12th in the conference. The Huskies had only one other player in the top 50, senior Tyler Shelast (6-8-14), who ended up 36th.

North Dakota placed eight players in the WCHA top 36, led by juniors T.J. Oshie (12-17-29) and Ryan Duncan (9-19-28). Oshie and Duncan were two of only six players in the league to average a point or better in conference games. Sophomore Chris VandeVelde notched 12 goals and 12 assists, and the Sioux defensemen performed admirably as well. Rearguards Chay Genoway (5-13-18), Robbie Bina (1-16-17), and Taylor Chorney (2-14-16) were three of the top five scoring blueliners in the WCHA, while Joe Finley tallied 4 goals and 10 assists in league play after scoring 1 goal and 9 assists in his first two full seasons (84 games). Junior Andrew Kozek (12-3-15) rounds out UND’s top eight scorers, and his twelve goals in conference play are tied for the team lead.

Michigan Tech’s top goaltender, junior Michael-Lee Teslak (7-9-4, 2.14 GAA, .920 SV), has started almost every game down the stretch. Over the past four weekends, Teslak has a record of 3-4-0 to go along with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. Before his mid-season injury, he had a GAA of 1.72 and a SV% of .934. Fellow junior Rob Nolan (6-9-1, 2.66 GAA, .899 SV) has played almost half of the minutes in net for MTU this season.

UND, by contrast, is a one-man goalie show. Senior Jean-Philippe Lamoureux played every minute of WCHA action for the Sioux this season, a feat equaled only by Duluth sophomore Alex Stalock, who logged every minute for the Bulldogs. Lamoureux won the league goaltending title, edging Colorado College freshman net minder Richard Bachman, 1.7431 to 1.7536 to notch the best goals-against average in conference games. For the season, Lamoureux leads the nation in GAA (1.66) and save percentage (.934) and is second in shutouts (five) while playing the toughest schedule in the country.

Amazingly, during North Dakota’s 17-game unbeaten streak (14-0-3), Lamoureux has started sixteen games and allowed zero or one goal 12 times.

Michigan Tech Team Profile
National Rankings: Unranked, tied for 22nd in the PairWise
Head Coach: Jamie Russell (5th season at MTU, 54-110-25, .352)
This Season: 13-18-5 Overall, 9-15-4 WCHA (9th)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 14.0% (24 of 171), Penalty Kill 84.2% (144 of 171)
Last Season: 18-17-5, 11-12-5 WCHA (6th)
Key Players: Senior F Peter Rouleau (12-16-28), Senior F Tyler Shelast (13-10-23), Senior F Jimmy Kerr (8-9-17), Junior D Geoff Kinrade (5-12-17), Junior G Michael-Lee Teslak (7-9-4, 2.14GAA, .920 SV)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #2/#2, tied for 4th in the PairWise
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 101-53-15, .642)
This Season: 23-8-4 Overall, 18-7-3 WCHA (2nd)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 18.6% (29 of 156), Penalty Kill 88.3% (136 of 154)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F T.J. Oshie (14-21-35), Junior F Ryan Duncan (13-20-33), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (14-15-29), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-21-23), Sophomore D Chay Genoway (6-16-22), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-18-20), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (22-8-4, 1.66 GAA, .934 SV, 5 SO)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: January 12th, 2008 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota defeats Michigan Tech 4-1 to complete the home sweep. UND defeated MTU by the identical score on Friday night.
Most Important Meeting: The Sioux and Huskies have never met in the NCAA tournament, so I will go with the most important meeting that never was: in 1965, the Sioux lost to Boston College, 4-3, one game short of the national championship game, where they would have faced the Michigan Tech Huskies, who won the second of their three titles by defeating the Eagles. UND settled for third place that season, downing Brown University, 9-5. North Dakota went 13-3-0 in the regular season in 1964-65, with two of those three losses coming at the hands of Michigan Tech.
All-time: UND leads the all-time series, 131-88-8 (.595). The teams first met in 1948.

Game News and Notes
Michigan Tech is 7-0-1 when leading after one period; North Dakota has outscored opponents 39-10 in the first period this season. The Sioux have been whistled for 19.8 penalty minutes per game this year; the Huskies, 16.92. Michigan Tech appeared at the WCHA Final Five last season after traveling to Colorado College and taking two of three games from the Tigers in a low scoring series (2-1 OT, 0-2, 1-0). The Huskies fell to Wisconsin in the Thursday play-in game, 4-0. North Dakota has appeared in the past two WCHA Final Five championship games and three of the past four. UND won the playoff championship over St. Cloud State in 2006 but lost thrilling title games to Minnesota in 2004 and 2007. The Sioux defeated Minnesota for third-place in 2005. Husky sophomore defenseman Eli Vlaisavljevich’s last name is a 35 point Scrabble score – without landing on a triple word square. It is believed to be the best Scrabble score in the WCHA.

The Prediction
North Dakota has had some trouble recently in home playoff series, with five of their last eight first-round matchups going to three games and four of the last ten home playoff games going to overtime. But UND has found a way to advance to the Final Five the past ten times they have hosted the opening round of the playoffs, and they’ll do it again this weekend. UND 3-1, 4-0.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions. For reaction to Friday’s Game 1, click here. For reaction to Saturday’s Game 2, click here. Check back after Sunday’s series finale for more reaction, commentary, and analysis.

Saturday Game React: UND vs. St. Cloud State

UND skated to a 2-2 tie with the visiting St. Cloud State Huskies on Saturday night, extending its school record 17-game unbeaten streak (14-0-3). The teams battled to a 1-1 tie in Friday’s opener. The Sioux last lost a game on January 4th to the very same Huskies in St. Cloud. That loss is North Dakota’s only defeat since the calendar turned to 2008.

Once again, the goaltending was spectacular. UND’s Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (31 saves) and SCSU’s Jase Weslosky (28 saves) turned in impressive performances, and were named WCHA co-Defensive Players of the Week for their weekends of work. In the two-game series, Lamoureux stopped 48 of 51 shots and Weslosky made 57 of 60 saves in battling to two ties. It was the second consecutive week that Lamoureux has earned the honor.

In Saturday’s finale, North Dakota led 2-1 until St. Cloud State was given a man advantage with under four minutes remaining. Sioux winger Andrew Kozek was called for hooking at 16:11 (only the fourth penalty of the game) and the Husky power play made no mistake. Ryan Lasch corralled a rebound of an Aaron Brocklehurst attempt and put it past a diving Lamoureux to knot the game at two. Kozek was the only player sent to the penalty box over the final 56:10 of the hockey game.

The Sioux took the lead late in the second period on Matt Watkins’ eighth goal of the season. The junior winger tipped freshman Derrick LaPoint’s shot up and over Weslosky with 1:08 remaining in the middle frame to put UND up 2-1.

The Huskies’ Brent Borgen knotted the game at one after a mad scramble in front of the Sioux net at the four minute mark of the second period. North Dakota’s Brad Miller scored a power play goal midway through the first period, less than twenty seconds after Tony Mosey went off for cross-checking. Both teams finished 1 for 2 with the man advantage.

St. Cloud controlled the face-off circle for the second consecutive night. The Huskies won 34 of 61 draws on Saturday night after winning 30 of 52 a night earlier. For the weekend, the Huskies won over 56%, led by Garrett Roe, who won 22 and lost only 11 in the two-game series.

It seemed as if referee Todd Anderson and his assistants forgot their collective whistles once again. The teams were called for only four minor penalties after combining for only three penalties on Friday night. Remarkably, Friday’s game, including a five-minute overtime session, took only 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete. Saturday’s game was even quicker, clocking in at 2 hours and 12 minutes (despite the extra frame).

Two of the WCHA’s best were on display this weekend at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Lamoureux edged out Colorado College freshman goaltender Richard Bachman for the league goaltending title (1.7431 GAA to 1.7536 GAA), while SCSU sophomore forward Ryan Lasch took the scoring title with a two point weekend (one goal, one assist). Lasch finished with 34 points (17g, 17a) in league play, edging CC junior forward Chad Rau, whose three points in the final conference series against Denver left him at 33 (23g, 10a) for the year. Remarkably, the 3rd-7th place finishers in the WCHA scoring race were all on the ice in Grand Forks as well. SCSU’s Andreas Nodl (15-16-31) and Garrett Roe (11-17-28), and UND’s T.J. Oshie (12-17-29), Ryan Duncan (9-19-28), and Chris VandeVelde (12-12-24) rounded out the top seven.

Minnesota-Duluth’s Alex Stalock was the only goaltender in the conference to play more minutes in league games than Lamoureux, backstopping the Bulldogs for 1688:36 (28 games) to Lamoureux’s 1686:40 (28 games). Stalock and Lamoureux were the only two goalies to play every WCHA minute for their teams.

UND, which entered the weekend as the second-most penalized team in the nation (20.76 penalty minutes/game), dropped to 19.8 penalty minutes per game (still second in Division I) after this weekend’s series. UND has killed 88.3% of penalties this season (6th nationally), and improved its season power play percentage to 18.6% (16th). SCSU penalty killers have a success rate of 87.3% (9th), while the Huskies’ power play continues to crackle at 23.2% (3rd).

North Dakota ends the regular season at 23-8-4 (18-7-3 WCHA), while St. Cloud holds a record of 17-14-5 (12-12-4 WCHA). Both schools are currently in the top ten (UND t-4th, SCSU t-8th) in the PairWise rankings, which mimic the method used by the NCAA Selection Committee to determine participants for the NCAA Division I men’s hockey tournament. After awarding automatic bids to the playoff champion in each of the six conferences, the committee will grant at-large bids to the top ten remaining teams in the PairWise to create a 16-team field.

The two teams split the regular season series, with each team gaining a win and two ties. UND and SCSU will share the Challenge Cup for the 2007-08 season.

The Sioux and Huskies will both host WCHA first-round playoff series this weekend. UND entertains the Michigan Tech Huskies, while the St. Cloud State Huskies play host to Wisconsin. Both series are best-of-three, with the winners advancing to the WCHA Final Five in St. Paul.

Thank for your reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions. For more on the matchup between the two teams, click here. For reaction and analysis of Friday’s game, click here. For more about the UND/SCSU Challenge Cup, click here.

Friday Game React: UND vs. St. Cloud State

One night before Senior Night at Ralph Engelstad Arena, North Dakota’s elder statesmen came up big in a 1-1 tie with St. Cloud State.

Senior captain Rylan Kaip scored UND’s lone goal, senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoure (22-8-3) turned aside 17 of 18 shots, and fellow classmates Kyle Radke and Robbie Bina turned in impressive performances.

St. Cloud survived a furious first period during which North Dakota generated several quality chances and did everything but score a goal. The Huskies’ first shot on goal came with eight minutes remaining in the opening frame. UND finished with an 8-2 edge in shots on goal over the first twenty minutes, and 30 to 18 for the game.

“We had to weather the storm the first 10 or 15 minutes of the game, and then I thought we played a pretty good game,” SCSU head coach Bob Motzko said.

For the majority of the game, it seemed as if the officiating crew had swallowed their collective whistles. Only three minor penalties were called in the entire hockey game. The Huskies capitalized on the first of their two power plays at 16:43 of the second period after UND’s Brad Malone was whistled for slashing at 16:02. North Dakota did not score on its lone man advantage situation.

Dave Hakstol felt strongly that North Dakota should have been given a power play with under one minute remaining in the overtime. The UND head coach was visibly upset when Ryan Duncan was hauled down from behind while carrying the puck in the slot and no penalty was called.

The game may not even have gone to overtime had a disputed goal review gone St. Cloud’s way. Motzko claimed after the game that an apparent goal scored by the Huskies 75 seconds after Kaip’s game-tying goal should have counted. “It was a goal,” Motzko said. “What do you do? It was clearly a goal. I just watched it.” The third-year coach explained that when sophomore forward Ryan Lasch batted the puck out of the air, it was at his waist. “It wasn’t even close,” he concluded.

I watched the reply no fewer than a dozen times, and I tend to agree with that assessment. The problem is that it was ruled a high stick on the ice, and the lone camera angle that the referees are allowed to use shows nothing to contradict that call. There is no way of knowing from the overhead camera how high Lasch’s stick is when he makes contact with the puck.

So in a game where both teams desperately needed two points, each team came away with one. For North Dakota, that result, paired with Colorado College’s win over Denver, means that they are locked into second place in the WCHA and can not do anything tomorrow night to affect that position. It remains to be seen how that situation will impact their play on the ice during Saturday’s finale. My favorite quote on this matter comes from former Sioux defenseman Andy Schneider, who had this to say after UND defeated Minnesota for third place at the 2005 WCHA Final Five (several Gopher players and coaches were heard explaining that the game didn’t really matter):

“There’s a certain amount of pride when you put on a Sioux jersey. We know how fortunate we are to play here. Going into that Saturday game for third place, it didn’t matter that it was for third place. For North Dakota, we’re playing for the 70 years that there’s been hockey here.”

Last year, the Sioux and Huskies met in St. Cloud on the last weekend of the regular season, and the roles were reversed. SCSU was locked into second place in the WCHA, and North Dakota could move up to third place with a victory. UND spoiled Senior Night for the homestanding Huskies, rolling to a 7-2 win.

Each team has collected three points (one win and one tie) in the race for the Challenge Cup. Whichever team wins Saturday’s series finale will win the UND/SCSU commemorative trophy and have its name engraved on the trophy for the 2007-08 season. If the teams tie again, they will share the Cup. The Challenge Cup will be on display at the UND/SCSU fan social from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Southgate Grill and Bar in Grand Forks.

On Saturday night, St. Cloud needs to collect at least one point to secure home ice advantage for the first round of the conference playoffs. The Huskies, currently tied for 11th in the PairWise rankings (with Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Boston University), could also improve their situation in the national picture with a victory. North Dakota dropped to 4th in the PairWise with the tie on Friday night.

In the first round of the conference playoffs, North Dakota will be playing at Ralph Engelstad Arena against either Minnesota-Duluth (12-15-6 overall, 8-14-5 WCHA) or Michigan Tech (12-18-5 overall, 8-15-4 WCHA), pending Saturday’s game results. Minnesota-Duluth leads MTU by one point in the standings and plays at Minnesota on Saturday night; Michigan Tech faces off with the Mavericks in Mankato. Both Duluth and Michigan Tech lost on Friday night.

Personally, I would rather see Michigan Tech as UND’s opponent for the first round of the playoffs. Yes, North Dakota went 3-1-0 against both MTU and UMD, but the Bulldogs played the Sioux tough last weekend in Duluth and could easily have won one or both of those games.

UND carries a 16-game unbeaten streak (14-0-2) into Saturday’s game, a stretch that ties a school record. St. Cloud State is the last team to defeat North Dakota, posting a 3-2 victory on January 4th. The Sioux have lost only one game in the year 2008, and no opponent has swept North Dakota this season.

Jean-Philippe Lamoureux has definitely earned Hobey Baker award consideration. Lamoureux leads the nation with a 1.6527 goals-against average and his .93415 save percentage is a fraction behind Colorado College freshman Richard Bachman (.93432) and New Hampshire senior Kevin Regan (.93428). UND’s senior netminder has posted five shutouts and allowed only one goal fifteen times while playing the toughest schedule in the country.

Despite being whistled for only two minor penalties, UND is still the second-most penalized team in the country. North Dakota’s average fell from 20.76 penalty minutes per game to 20.26 after Friday’s tilt. The Sioux boast the best defense in the nation, allowing a mere 1.76 goals per game. St. Cloud’s power play percentage of 22.9% is third best in Division I.

The line of Darcy Zajac centering Kyle Radke and Brad Malone brought a physical presence and some offensive spark. This could be the checking line North Dakota employs in the post-season.

The WCHA scoring race will go down to the final game of the regular season, and six of the top seven point getters in the league will be on display at Ralph Engelstad Arena. St. Cloud’s Ryan Lasch (16-17-33) collected an assist to stay one point ahead of Colorado College’s Chad Rau (23-9-32), who scored two goals in the Tiger’s 5-2 win over Denver University. SCSU’s Andreas Nodl (15-15-30) and UND linemates T.J. Oshie (12-17-29) and Ryan Duncan (9-19-28) were held off the score sheet on Friday night, while the Huskies’ Garrett Roe (11-17-28) and North Dakota’s Chris VandeVelde (12-12-24) notched single assists.

Lamoureux (1.7390 GAA) holds a slight edge over Colorado College’s Richard Bachman (1.7536) for the league’s goaltending title, awarded to the netminder with the best goals-against average in WCHA games. No other goaltender in the conference has a GAA under 2.10.

So it seems that North Dakota has plenty to play for on Saturday night: the senior class, Lamoureux’s goaltending title, momentum, the all-important PairWise rankings, and Sioux pride. As then-captain Matt Greene said about that same 2005 Final Five third-place game:

“We were here. There was a game,” Greene said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s three in three nights or five in five, we’ve got to do our job. We’ve got to come out to play. We’re a team that wants to win every game.”

Remember, the 2004-05 Sioux used the momentum from that Final Five third-place victory to advance to the Frozen Four, where they met those very same Gophers 19 days later. North Dakota defeated Minnesota on that day as well, recalling their earlier success.

And last season, UND’s 7-2 victory over St. Cloud State on Senior Night (when the Huskies had “nothing to play for”) carried over into North Dakota’s 6-2 win in the Final Five semifinal exactly two weeks later.

So don’t tell me the game doesn’t matter. And don’t tell the Fighting Sioux.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions. For more on the matchup between the two teams, click here. Check back after Saturday’s game for more reaction, analysis, and commentary.

Game Preview: UND vs. St. Cloud State

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

Both teams come into this series with plenty on the line. The Huskies (17-14-3, 12-12-2 WCHA) are currently tied for fifth place in the league standings with MSU-Mankato. SCSU and MSU-M have collected 26 points in WCHA action, and both of those schools hope to leapfrog idle Wisconsin, which finished up with a conference record of 11-12-5 (27 points). The Mavericks host Michigan Tech on Friday and Saturday.

North Dakota (23-8-2, 18-7-1 WCHA) is the hottest team in the country, owning a 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1). During that stretch, the Sioux have allowed a total of 19 goals. UND’s winning ways have them right back in the MacNaughton Cup race with Colorado College, two points behind with two games remaining for each team. CC will play a home-and-home series with Denver University this weekend. For more on the MacNaughton Cup’s travel plans for the weekend, click here.

There are a number of players performing at an incredibly high level for each team. Sioux senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (22-8-2) comes into this weekend’s action with the nation’s best goals-against average (1.68). Lamoureux, who has twice been named the league’s defensive player of the week, is second nationally in save percentage (.934) and shutouts (5). Juniors T.J. Oshie (14-21-35) and Ryan Duncan (13-20-33) continue to pace the Sioux offensively, while Chris VandeVelde (14-14-28) and Andrew Kozek (15-3-18) are having breakout seasons. North Dakota is also getting solid contributions from the blue line, as their top four defenseman (Robbie Bina 2-21-23, Chay Genoway 6-16-22, Taylor Chorney 2-18-20, and Joe Finley 4-9-13) have all reached double digits in points. Genoway was injured in early in Sunday’s game at Minnesota-Duluth and did not return. He is questionable for this weekend’s series.

For the Huskies, their top three scorers (Ryan Lasch, Garrett Roe, and Andreas Nodl) are all among the top ten national scoring leaders. No other WCHA player is in the top 15. Sophomore Ryan Lasch (22-24-46) is tied for second in the nation in scoring, and is leading the WCHA with 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in league play. Freshman Garrett Roe (18-22-40) and sophomore Andreas Nodl (17-23-40) are tied for tenth among all Division I players. Surprisingly, Roe also leads all Huskies with 57 penalty minutes. Sophomore Jase Weslosky (14-11-0, 2.20 GAA, .920 SV, 2 SO) has been solid for St. Cloud State, and the Huskies are receiving some production from their blueliners. Senior defenseman Aaron Brocklehurst (3-14-17) and sophomore defenseman Garrett Raboin (1-14-15) have performed particularly well offensively.

The problem St. Cloud has had this season has been in close games. The Huskies are 4-8 in one-goal games and 0-1-3 in overtime contests. So despite outscoring opponents 105-83 for the season (an average of 3.09 goals for and 2.44 goals against/game), SCSU has an overall record of 17-14-3. North Dakota, by contrast, is 5-3 in one-goal games and 2-0-1 when going to overtime. UND is outscoring opponents 104-59 this season (3.15 goals for and 1.79 goals against), and has a sparkling record of 23-8-2.

Specialty teams will be key for this weekend’s games. UND comes in as the second-most penalized team in the country (20.76 penalty minutes/game), while SCSU has collected only 11.38 penalty minutes per game. Further complicating matters for North Dakota is that the Huskies are converting almost 23% of their power play opportunities (4th nationally), while the Fighting Sioux are hovering at right around 18% (17th). Or put more simply, SCSU has scored 38% of its goals with the man advantage; UND, only 27%. Lasch, Nodl, and Roe have scored 31 of St. Cloud’s 40 power play goals. Both teams are very effective at killing penalties. UND has negated 134 of 150 man-advantage opportunities (89.3%-4th nationally); SCSU, 108 of 123 (87.8%-8th)

The UND/SCSU Challenge Cup will be on the line this weekend as the two teams complete their four-game season series. The teams split a pair of games in St. Cloud earlier this season. Incidentally, St. Cloud is the last team to have beaten UND, coming from behind to take Friday’s series opener, 3-2. North Dakota won Saturday’s finale 6-2, chasing goaltender Dan Dunn after scoring three goals in the first period. St. Cloud’s comeback victory on Friday night was UND’s only loss in 2008.

St. Cloud State Team Profile
National Rankings: #11/#11
Head Coach: Bob Motzko (3rd season at SCSU, 61-41-14, .586)
This Season: 17-14-3 Overall, 12-12-2 WCHA (t-5th)
Special Teams: Power Play 22.6% (40 of 177), Penalty Kill 87.8% (108 of 123)
Last Season: 22-11-7 Overall (NCAA East Regional Semifinalist), 14-7-7 WCHA (2nd)
Key Players: Sophomore F Ryan Lasch (22-24-46), Freshman F Garrett Roe (18-22-40), Sophomore F Andreas Nodl (17-23-40), Senior F Nate Dey (10-10-20), Senior D Aaron Brocklehurst (3-14-17), Sophomore G Jase Weslosky (14-11-0, 2.20 GAA, .920 SV, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #1/#1
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 101-53-13, .644)
This Season: 23-8-2 Overall, 18-7-1 WCHA (2nd)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 18.3% (28 of 153), Penalty Kill 89.3% (134 of 150)
Last Season: 24-14-5 Overall (Frozen Four Semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F T.J. Oshie (14-21-35), Junior F Ryan Duncan (13-20-33), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (14-14-28), Junior F Andrew Kozek (15-3-18), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-21-23), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-18-20), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (22-8-2, 1.68 GAA, .934 SV, 5 SO)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: January 5, 2008. North Dakota scored three goals in each of the first two periods and cruised to a 6-2 victory to gain a split of the weekend series. St. Cloud came from behind to win Friday’s opener, 3-2.
Last Meeting in Grand Forks: November 4, 2006. The teams skated to a 2-2 tie after North Dakota won Friday’s game, 3-1. SCSU’s Bobby Goepfert and UND’s Anthony Greico held the teams scoreless over the final 34:36 of the contest, combining to make 32 saves in the third period and overtime.
Most Important Meeting: March 17, 2001 (St. Paul, MN). St. Cloud State defeated North Dakota 6-5 to claim the 2001 WCHA Final Five Championship. Derek Eastman scored the game-winner in overtime after UND scored three goals in the final ten minutes of regulation to force the extra session.
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 47-26-8 (.630), and holds a record of 24-11-3 (.671) in games played in Grand Forks

Game News and Notes
St. Cloud State is 7-7-0 on the road; North Dakota is 13-4-0 at home. UND has swept its last four series at Ralph Engelstad Arena (Michigan Tech, Alaska-Anchorage, Denver, and Bemidji State). SCSU forward Ryan Lasch leads teammate Andreas Nodl and Colorado College forward Chad Rau by two points in the race for the league scoring title. Sioux forward T.J. Oshie is three points back. UND’s 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1) is one shy of the school record. Depending on the outcome of this series, UND can finish 1st or 2nd in the WCHA, while St. Cloud can finish anywhere from 4th to 7th. A tentative WCHA schedule has St. Cloud traveling to Ralph Engelstad Arena on December 12th-13th, 2008 and UND heading to the National Hockey Center on January 30th-31st, 2009.

The Prediction
If the Huskies are going to get any points at all, it will be Friday. Senior Night (Saturday) will belong to UND, as North Dakota’s four seniors (Lamoureux, Bina, Rylan Kaip, and Kyle Radke) will close out the conference season on top. 2-2 tie, UND 3-1.

For more on UND’s senior class, click here.

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

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestons. For reaction to Friday’s game, click here. Check back after Saturday’s game for more reaction, analysis, and commentary.

Weekend React: UND vs. Minnesota-Duluth

Jean-Philippe Lamoureux demonstrated yet again why he is among the front-runners for the Hobey Baker award, stopping 50 of 51 shots in the two-game series.  The senior netminder now leads the nation in goals-against average (1.68) and is second nationally in save percentage (.934) and shutouts (5) while playing the most difficult schedule in all of Division I.

Lamoureux was named the WCHA defensive player of the week for his efforts against Minnesota-Duluth, the second time he has achieved that honor this season. He is in a tight race with Colorado College freshman goaltender Richard Bachman for the league’s goaltending title. With two games to play, Bachman’s goals-against average in WCHA play is 1.7434, while Lamoureux’s is 1.7729.

On Saturday afternoon, UND scored late in the first and second periods to down the Bulldogs 2-0. North Dakota junior forward T.J. Oshie tipped defenseman Chay Genoway’s blast past an unsuspecting Alex Stalock with 45 seconds to go in the first period, and sophomore winger Chris VandeVelde scored even later in the second, taking a goal-mouth feed from Oshie and walking around Stalock for a power-play tally with only 23 ticks left on the clock.

UND finished 1 for 6 with the man-advantage in the opener, while UMD ended 0 for 4.

Two other noteworthy items from Saturday’s opener:

North Dakota freshman forward Evan Trupp left the game with a leg injury and did not return. Trupp has 8 goals and 5 assists this season.

UND head coach collected his 100th career victory, joining only Dean Blais, John “Gino” Gasparini, and Rube Bjorkman in that exclusive club. Of those four, only Hakstol and Blais amassed 100 wins in less than four seasons.

Sunday’s contest was much the same: a very physical game, with both teams having trouble creating offensive opportunities. Lamoureux was twice helped out by the pipes behind him, but Duluth finally broke the scoreless tie with under nine minutes to go. MacGregor Sharp ended Duluth’s 232 minute scoreless streak (yes, that’s almost four full games without a goal) and the ‘dogs led, 1-0. But UND junior winger Andrew Kozek, who has elevated his play since his ascent to the top line with Oshie and Ryan Duncan, capitalized on a defensive turnover, burying his wrist shot just 100 seconds later and knotting the game at 1-1.

The Sioux carried the play in the overtime, needing less than a minute to deliver the game-winner. Chris VandeVelde knocked a loose puck home before Alex Stalock could cover up with his glove, and UND had completed the road sweep. North Dakota now holds a stellar 10-4-2 road record this season to complement a home mark of 13-4-0.

North Dakota (23-8-2, 18-7-1 WCHA) is now unbeaten in its last 15 games (14-0-1) since a January 4th setback at St. Cloud State. Remarkably, UND has allowed 1 or zero goals 12 times in that stretch, giving up only 19 goals total in the fifteen games. The Sioux host St. Cloud State (17-14-3, 12-12-2 WCHA) next weekend in the final conference series for both teams.

UND finished 0 for 6 on the power play in Sunday’s finale; the Bulldogs were 0 for 4.

For the second consecutive night, North Dakota lost a player to injury. This time it was sophomore defenseman Chay Genoway, who went into the boards hard after being checked from behind by Duluth’s Michael Gergen just 71 seconds into the hockey game. Genoway, one of the team’s most important players, has season totals of 6 goals and 16 assists. Both he and Evan Trupp will be evaluated more fully this week and will be unavailable for this weekend’s series with the Huskies.

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

UND/SCSU fan social set for Saturday, March 8th

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

This event, held on Saturday, March 8th from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Southgate Grill and Bar in Grand Forks, is free and open to the public. SiouxSports.com is the title sponsor for the event in Grand Forks, while the Center Ice Club (the official hockey booster organization for the St. Cloud State University Huskies) hosts the social in St. Cloud every year.

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

Other businesses which have donated prizes to this event include:

American Federal Bank
AZSioux.com
Barnes and Noble/UND Bookstore
Barry’s Collector’s Corner
Domino’s Pizza
Happy Joe’s Pizza
McPherson’s Jewelry
Nature’s Country Store
Ralph Engelstad Arena
Southgate Grill and Bar
Vaaler Insurance

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

Where’s the MacNaughton Cup?

In my 2007-2008 WCHA Midseason Report, I lamented the fact that “as in recent seasons, (North Dakota’s) disappointing first half has all but dashed any hopes of hoisting the MacNaughton Cup.”

What a difference a second-half surge makes.

At the time of the article, UND had a conference record of 9-7-0. Colorado College sat at 15-3-0, and Denver was second at 12-4-0.

Fast forward to the last weekend of the regular season, and the records are now:

Colorado College..19-6-1 (39 points)
North Dakota……….18-7-1 (37 points)
Denver………………….16-9-1 (33 points)

In other words, while North Dakota has gone 9-0-1 in the WCHA, Colorado College (4-3-1) and Denver (4-5-1) have collected just four victories each.

I also wrote in that same report that “(Denver’s) home and home series against Colorado College on the last week of the regular season may well decide the conference race.”

Truer words were never spoken. I didn’t know at the time, however, that I’d be talking about the race between Colorado College and North Dakota.

So the league is in an interesting situation. Where does the MacNaughton Cup go? My guess is that the Cup will be in Denver for Friday’s matchup between CC and DU, as a Tigers victory would clinch a share of the league title. Colorado College would also clinch a share with a North Dakota loss on Friday night. UND is hosting a two-game series against St. Cloud State this weekend.

If CC loses and UND wins, we have a problem. Both schools would have 39 points in league play with one game remaining. What would the WCHA do?

I spoke with Doug Spencer, Associate Commissioner for Public Relations in the league office, and he told me he was “99% sure that the MacNaughton Cup is in Colorado”. This stands to reason, because Colorado College had a sizeable lead heading into last weekend’s games. Doug also told me that Bruce McLeod certainly has a handle on all of the various scenarios, and that he (Doug) would let me know more of those details (including whether the league has been in conversation with the University of North Dakota) later on this week.

Teams which have shared the MacNaughton Cup in the past have staggered their trophy presentations over two weekends, with one school hoisting the Cup during the last weekend of the regular season and the other school waiting until the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Jim Dahl has a great overview of the WCHA possibilities, including each team’s remaining games and how they will affect the race.

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

Game Preview: UND vs. Minnesota-Duluth

November 23rd and 24th, 2007 (Grand Forks, ND). The Sioux and Bulldogs split a two-game conference series, and North Dakota’s record stood at 6-4-1 (4-4-0 WCHA). Even less impressive was UND’s 3-2-0 home record at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

After Saturday’s game (a 4-2 Duluth victory), I took a look at the October/November records of the past three seasons, all of which ended with Frozen Four appearances:

2004-2005 October/November record: 9-5-2 (7-4-1 WCHA)
2005-2006 October/November record: 8-5-1 (4-4-0 WCHA)
2006-2007 October/November record: 7-6-1 (5-4-1 WCHA)

And again, this season in October and November: 6-4-1 (4-4-0 WCHA)

And I wrote these words about the disappointing start:

Think of that what you will; I’m merely suggesting that we’ve played tough teams, we’ve competed well in almost every game (Saturday vs. CC being the only exception), and we can clearly get better in every phase. And that’s reason for optimism, not pessimism, in my book.

Optimism, indeed. Since that series in Grand Forks, North Dakota has gone 15-4-1, including 12-3-1 in the conference and 10-2-0 at home. UND brings a 13 game unbeaten string (12-0-1) to Duluth, the longest current streak in the nation.

Duluth, on the other hand, has won only six games since earning a split at North Dakota, going 6-9-4 to bring its season record to 12-12-6 (8-11-5 WCHA). The Bulldogs were swept at home by Colorado College last weekend, going scoreless in the two games. UMD is 2-4-2 in their last eight games at home after opening the season 4-0-3 at the DECC.

North Dakota has had the better of the results between the two teams recently, going 8-1-1 against Duluth in the past ten games.

Minnesota-Duluth Team Profile
National Rankings: #15/#15
Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (8th season at UMD, 121-155-37, .446)
This Season: 12-12-6 Overall, 8-11-5 WCHA (7th)
Special Teams: Power Play 11.5% (15 of 131), Penalty Kill 89.2% (132 of 148)
Last Season: 13-21-5, 8-16-4 WCHA (9th)
Key Returning Players: Junior F MacGregor Sharp (6-10-16), Junior F Nick Kemp (7-7-14), Junior D Josh Meyers (5-8-13), Sophomore G Alex Stalock (12-12-6, 2.28 GAA, .915 SV, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #2/#3
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 99-53-13, .639)
This Season: 21-8-2 Overall, 16-7-1 WCHA (2nd)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 19.1% (27 of 141), Penalty Kill 88.7% (126 of 142)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Returning Players: Junior F T.J. Oshie (13-20-33), Junior F Ryan Duncan (13-19-32), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (12-14-26), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-21-23), Sophomore D Chay Genoway (6-15-21), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (20-8-2, 1.76 GAA, .931 SV, 4 SO)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: November 24, 2007 (Grand Forks, ND). Drew Akins broke a 2-2 third period tie with an 80 foot goal, and Duluth added an empty netter to win 4-2 and split the weekend series. North Dakota won the opener, 8-3.
Last Meeting in Duluth: November 12, 2005. After falling behind 2-0 and losing Matt Smaby and Drew Stafford to checking-from-behind penalties, North Dakota scored five goals in the second period en route to a 7-4 victory, completing the weekend sweep of the homestanding Bulldogs. “When we were behind and lost two players I didn’t even feel this team blink,” said North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol. “To come back and win was very significant for this team. I was happy with the drive and the strong will they showed. We haven’t had a period like that all year.” UND won the series opener, 5-3.
Most Important Meeting: March 22, 1984. Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota meet in a National Semifinal game in Lake Placid, New York. The Bulldogs defeat the Fighting Sioux 2-1 in overtime to advance to the title game. UND goes on to defeat Michigan State 6-5 (OT) for third place, while Duluth falls to Bowling Green 5-4 in four overtimes, the longest championship game ever played.
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 126-70-8 (.637), including a 52-37-5 (.580) record in Duluth.

Game News and Notes
North Dakota holds a 14-2-1 record against Duluth over the past five seasons. MacGregor Sharp leads the Bulldogs with 16 points on the season; seven Sioux players have scored 17 points or more. UND senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux saw his string of 55 consecutive starts (a school record which ranks third all-time in NCAA history) come to an end when junior netminder Aaron Walski was given the nod against Bemidji State on Sunday afternoon. Walski collected a shutout in his first career start for the Sioux, but Lamoureux is expected to start both games against the Bulldogs. UND has clinched home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs, and can finish no worse than third place in the conference. North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol has 99 career victories and could join the century club this weekend. Only three coaches in Sioux history (Rube Bjorkman, John “Gino” Gasparini, and Dean Blais) have collected 100 wins at UND. For the second consecutive weekend, the Sioux will play on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. The games are scheduled at 2:07 p.m. each day, and are available on the Fighting Sioux Sports Network.

The Prediction
North Dakota has the top-end talent and an edge in special teams situations that should translate into two victories, but the Bulldogs are smarting after being shut out twice at home last weekend and will find a way to earn at least one point. UND 4-1, 2-2 tie.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions. Check back after the games for news, reaction, and analysis.

Sunday Game React: UND vs. Bemidji State

In a battle of backup goaltenders, UND junior Aaron Walski outdid his Bemidji State counterpart, fellow junior Orlando Alamano.  Walski stopped all 13 shots he faced on the afternoon in his first career start for North Dakota.  The amount of action was a far cry from the legendary 73 shots he turned aside in a 2-1, triple overtime loss in the North Dakota state high school championship game exactly seven years earlier. 

Alamano made 31 of 32 saves for the Beavers, allowing only Andrew Kozek’s game winner with under five minutes to play.  The game was Alamano’s sixth start of the season.

Kozek’s game-winning goal was a product of T.J. Oshie’s effort behind the net.

 “(Oshie) is just a heck of a hockey player,” Bemidji head coach Tom Serratore noted.  “He had people draped all over him. I mean, what do you do? It’s just a heck of a play.”

Andrew Kozek also appreciated Oshie’s effort.

“T.J. just put it in a great spot for me to kind of step into it,” Kozek said. “He had three guys all over him, like he usually does. It was just a great play by him.”

Kozek leads the team with 14 goals. Oshie has 20 assists this season, second only to Robbie Bina’s 21.

North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol said Oshie’s play elevates his teammates.

“His play is at a very high level, and that has a tendency to bring the level of play of the team up,” he said. “It also has the effect of bringing up the confidence level of our hockey team. He did a tremendous job tonight with his effort and playmaking in all areas.”

The number 13 was lucky for Walski, as he turned aside all 13 shots he faced.  13 was also lucky for the entire North Dakota program, as the Sioux are now unbeaten in their last 13 games (12-0-1), a streak that leads the nation.  That stretch has seen North Dakota’s record go from 9-8-1 to a stellar 21-8-2.  UND also extended its home winning streak to eight games, the longest streak in the new Ralph Engelstad Arena.

UND senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux saw his string of 55 consecutive starts (a school record which ranks third all-time in NCAA history) come to an end.

North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol collected his 98th and 99th career victories against Bemidji State, and will look to hit the century mark when the Sioux travel to Duluth to take on the Bulldogs next weekend. Only three other coaches in UND history (Rube Bjorkman, John “Gino” Gasparini, and Dean Blais) have collected 100 wins.  Of those three, only Dean Blais (.679) holds a better career winning percentage than Hakstol’s .639 (99-53-13).

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions. For more on the matchup between the teams, click here. For reaction to Saturday’s series opener, click here.