Category: Men’s Hockey

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

North Dakota capitalized on a five minute major penalty midway through the first period, scoring three goals in a span of 91 seconds and all but burying the Beavers in the process.

The major penalty was assessed on Bemidji’s Matt Read for checking from behind. The freshman forward, who entered the game as the Beavers’ leading scorer, was sent to the locker room with a game misconduct.

“Obviously, after that, it really deflates you, it really demoralizes you,” noted BSU head coach Tom Serratore. “The kid that gets kicked out is our best player, so it’s a double whammy.”

The teams traded power play goals in the second period, and Brad Miller’s empty net goal with just over one minute remaining made the final score 5-1.

UND finished 4 of 10 with the man advantage and killed four of five Bemidji power plays.

“The key is not to waste power play time, and we didn’t,” Hakstol said. “We generated a lot of opportunities. The power play was absolutely the difference, and I don’t really recall the last time that it was,” he said. “We’ve had an overtime win. We’ve had a real good comeback win. We’ve had some one-goal wins. Tonight was a night when specialty teams separated us. When you’re playing well, you find different ways to win.”

North Dakota is now unbeaten in its last 12 games (11-0-1) and carries a seven-game home winning streak into Sunday’s series finale.

North Dakota senior netminder Jean-Philippe Lamoureux has now allowed one goal or less in 17 of 30 starts this season. His 20-8-2 record, 1.76 goals-against average, .931 save percentage, and four shoutouts are all Hobey Baker-caliber numbers.

Alright, one rant for today: the wave has NO place in a hockey arena. Even my seven-year old son could smell the pointlessness. “Dad, why are they doing that?”, he asked. “Exactly,” I said.

The two teams take to the ice Sunday afternoon. The UND coaches have hinted at the possibility of starting junior goaltender Aaron Walski between the pipes.

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

Bemidji State is perhaps North Dakota’s most familiar non-conference opponent. This weekend’s matchup will mark the fourth consecutive season in which the schools will play a two-game series. The Beavers have competed well over that span, but have only one tie to go along with five losses over the past six games.

BSU has fared better against the WCHA as a whole. After struggling to a 3-42-3 record against the WCHA in its first six seasons at the Division I level, the Beavers have posted a 10-14 mark in the last three seasons. This season, Bemidji State has a 1-7-0 record in two-game series against St. Cloud State, MSU-Mankato, and Minnesota-Duluth, and single games against Colorado College and Denver. Four of those seven losses were by a single goal. By contrast, UND has an 8-4-0 record against those teams.

The WCHA recently announced a scheduling agreement with Bemidji State (a member of College Hockey America), an agreement that has the team and school officials hopeful for more home games and as many as 12 games each year against WCHA teams beginning in 2010-11.

Bemidji State head coach Tom Serratore believes that the partnership between the schools is not only good from a scheduling standpoint, but also for the development of his players.

“When you play North Dakota, I don’t care what the outcome of the games are,” Serratore said. “We’re going to be a better hockey team (after the series) Sunday night. (UND’s) kids play so hard, with such intensity, and they are so talented that it forces us to be mentally strong. That’s going to make us a better hockey team, I guarantee it.”

North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol had similar praise for the Beavers.

“We’ve had great games against them all the way through,” Hakstol noted. “Bemidji plays with a great deal of intensity. They play extremely hard and with speed. I think that makes for very exciting hockey games for fans to watch. That’s what we’ve seen game in and game out and it will be the same this weekend.”

On the national scene, Bemidji State will need to win the College Hockey America postseason championship to advance to the NCAA tournament. North Dakota is currently in fourth place in the PWR rankings and has locked up home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Bemidji State Team Profile
National Rankings: -/-
Head Coach: Tom Serratore (7th season at BSU, 117-99-28, .537)
This Season: 14-13-3 Overall, 11-4-3 CHA
Special Teams: Power Play 20.4% (29 of 142), Penalty Kill 89.1% (139 of 156)
Last Season: 14-14-5 Overall, 9-6-5 CHA (3rd)
Key Players: Freshmen F Matt Read (8-15-23), Junior F Tyler Scofield (10-11-21), Senior F Matt Pope (12-8-20), Junior D Cody Bostock (6-10-16), Senior G Matt Climie (12-6-3, 1.95 GAA, .921 SV, 5 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #2/#2
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 97-53-13, .635)
This Season: 19-8-2 Overall, 16-7-1 WCHA
Specialty Teams: Power Play 18.0% (23 of 128), Penalty Kill 88.9% (120 of 135)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (11-19-30), Junior F T.J. Oshie (13-16-29), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (11-12-23), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-20-22), Sophomore D Chay Genoway (6-15-21), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (19-8-2, 1.78 GAA, .930 SV, 4 SO)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: January 20, 2007 (Grand Forks, ND). UND fell behind 2-0 in the first period before storming back for a 6-3 victory, completing the non-conference sweep in a home-and-home series with BSU. T.J. Oshie’s goal and three assists were instrumental to North Dakota’s comeback.
Most Important Meeting: For Bemidji State, it would have to be its only victory against the Fighting Sioux – February 7, 1970. The Beavers downed North Dakota, 7-5.
All-time series: UND leads the all-time series, 13-1-1 (.900)

Game News and Notes
The afternoon games were scheduled to accommodate the North Dakota boys and girls state high school hockey tournaments, held this weekend at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. UND will also play a Saturday/Sunday afternoon series at Minnesota-Duluth next weekend. North Dakota carries an 11-game unbeaten streak (10-0-1) into this weekend’s games. The Sioux have won six consecutive home games, and have never won more than seven home games in a row at the new Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Beavers are 1-7-0 against WCHA opponents this season, but four of those losses were by a single goal. Two North Dakota players were honored by the WCHA league office after UND swept Denver University last weekend. Junior forward Andrew Kozek produced six points (4g, 2a) and was named co-offensive player of the week, and sophomore defenseman Chay Genoway was named the league’s defensive player of the week. Genoway scored two goals, added two assists, and played in all situations, anchoring a Sioux defense that held the Pioneers under twenty shots each game

The Prediction
As head coach Tom Serratore says, his Beavers will be a better team Sunday night after going through the experience of playing the Fighting Sioux. Better, yes, but with no more wins. Bemidji State will hang tough, but North Dakota is clicking on all cylinders. UND 3-1, 4-2.

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North Dakota used a furious first period, great goaltending, and an outstanding penalty kill in a 4-1 victory over the Pioneers that completed the weekend sweep. A near-fight in the second period and a brawl at the conclusion of the middle frame punctuated the action and added another chapter to this storied rivalry.

The Fighting Sioux came out of the gate quickly, dominating puck possession and outshooting Denver 13-3 in the first twenty minutes. North Dakota’s first goal came at 13:04 of the first period, with the teams skating four on four. Chay Genoway’s blast from the point was turned aside by DU goaltender Peter Mannino, but Joe Finley’s slapshot found the back of the net.

UND has excelled in four on four situations all year long, outscoring opponents 7-2. It is critical for defensemen to move the puck and join the rush to create scoring chances while skating four on four, and North Dakota has plenty of blueliners who fit the bill. Robbie Bina (two assists), Chay Genoway (three assists), and Joe Finley (two goals), in particular, have been outstanding in 4 on 4 play.

UND’s second goal came less than two minutes later, a power play tally which stood as the eventual game-winner. Freshman Evan Trupp deflected Genoway’s blast past a helpless Mannino, and North Dakota led 2-0. Trupp has now collected 5 goals and 2 assists in his last ten games and leads all Sioux freshmen in scoring with 8 goals and 5 assists on the season.

After blowing a 4-1 lead and losing 5-4 the previous night, Gwozdecky admitted that North Dakota’s effort in the first period overwhelmed his Denver squad.

“Last night probably took more of an emotional toll on our team than I thought it did,” he said. “We really came out and struggled. We were very flat.”

Andrew Kozek and T.J. Oshie worked an offensive zone face-off play to perfection midway through the second period to give North Dakota a three goal cushion. Oshie won the draw forward to Kozek, who beat his man to the front of the goal crease and backhanded the puck past Mannino before the Denver netminder had time to react.

UND senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux was steady as usual, allowing only a second period goal by Brian Gifford and turning away 16 Denver shots. In addition to four shutouts on the season, Lamoureux has allowed a single goal in twelve games. Let me put this another way: North Dakota has played 29 games, and Lamoureux has allowed one goal or less 16 times.

Plenty has been written about the scuffle at the end of the second period. I will say only this: there are many teams in this league who like to start trouble; North Dakota players stand up for each other and know how to finish it. I agree that Radke should have received an additional game suspension for his actions in this game; I am somewhat surprised, however, that the suspension was levied for his earlier near-fight with Denver junior defenseman J.P. Testwuide. I would have been more ok with Radke serving an additional game for the flurry of punches once Brandon Vossberg hit the ice than I am with Radke serving a game suspension for a fight that barely took place and was not called a fighting major by Marco Hunt, the game referee.

T.J. Oshie completed the scoring with a tremendous individual effort. The Sioux junior raced down the puck carrier from behind, stole the puck, and backhanded it from his own blue line and into the center of the empty net. Oshie, who has season totals of 13 goals and 19 assists in 28 games, is among the frontrunners for league player of the year. Oshie and linemate Ryan Duncan have 27 points in WCHA games, and are tied with St. Cloud State sophomore forward Ryan Lasch in the race for the league scoring title.

Remarkably, North Dakota outscored Denver 8-1 in the final 81 minutes of the series after the Pioneers led UND 4-1 with one minute remaining in Friday’s contest.

UND’s penalty killers were spectacular yet again, killing off all four Denver power plays. The Sioux penalty kill is now clipping along at 88.9% (120 of 135). North Dakota’s power play percentage now stands at 18.0% (23 of 128).

Andrew Kozek has found a home on the top line with Duncan and Oshie, and has notched 6 goals and added 3 assists in the 8 games the three Sioux junior forwards have skated together.

North Dakota is now tied with Colorado College in the race for the McNaughton Cup. Both CC (16-5-1 WCHA) and UND (16-7-1) have collected 33 points in league play, and lead third-place Denver (13-8-1) by six points. The Tigers have six league games remaining (two at Duluth, two versus Mankato, home and home with Denver), while the Sioux have only four (two at Duluth, two versus St. Cloud State).

UND (19-8-2 overall, 16-7-1 WCHA) brings a six-game home winning streak into this weekend’s action against Bemidji State (14-13-3 overall, 11-4-3 CHA)

Simply put, this was the most exciting, most thrilling regular season comeback ever witnessed at the new Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Sioux junior forward Andrew Kozek netted the game-winner at 15:15 of the third period and collected his first collegiate hat trick. Skating on a line with fellow juniors T.J. Oshie (one assist) and Ryan Duncan (one goal, three assists), Kozek displayed an NHL-caliber wrist shot on his first two goals and banged home the rebound of a T.J. Oshie wraparound attempt to complete the UND comeback.

North Dakota trailed 4-1 with a minute to play in the second period. Denver was opportunistic in the middle frame, capitalizing on turnovers and rebounds to score three goals on four shots in the first nine minutes of the second period after the teams traded power play goals in the first period.

Enter Chay Genoway. The sophomore defenseman, who has elevated his offensive game, banged home a deflection with exactly one minute remaining in the second period to cut the deficit to 4-2. Genoway now has 6 goals and 13 assists for the Sioux in 25 games played, and has already equaled his point total from all of last season (5-14-19 in 43 games)

But the Sioux would not head to the locker room before adding another tally. Denver once again failed to clear the zone, and Kozek fed the puck to a streaking Ryan Duncan, who tipped the puck past DU netminder Peter Mannino with 27 seconds left to bring the Sioux to within one.

Kozek, who finished with four points on the night, has now scored 12 goals and 2 assists in 27 games this season. In his first two seasons, Kozek tallied 12 goals and 12 assists in 87 games.

North Dakota Jean-Phillppe Lamoureux (18-8-2, 1.81 GAA, .930 SV) allowed four goals on eight shots in the first 30 minutes of the hockey game, but shut down the Pioneer attack the rest of the way and finished with 14 saves. Denver goaltender Peter Mannino (18-9-1, 2.25 GAA, .917 SV) was solid in the first period, stopping 10 of 11 shots. He stopped 14 of 18 shots in the final two periods.

Acting head coach Cary Eades and the rest of the staff did a solid job behind the bench. Two key moments in the hockey game stand out:

On the faceoff in the Denver zone which led to Kozek’s game winner, Eades noted that Denver had sent out their all-freshmen line of Kyle Ostrow, Jesse Martin, and Anthony Maiani. The Sioux head coach, noting a possible mismatch, countered with his top line of Duncan, Oshie, and Kozek along with defensemen Genoway and Finley. The Sioux won the draw, Oshie won two puck battles behind the net, and Kozek banged home the rebound. It is worthwhile to note that Kozek and Duncan were both camped out in front, behind the Denver defense. UND won all of the battles in this sequence, and netted the game-winning goal as a result.

A second key coaching moment occurred during the Sioux penalty kill in the final two minutes of the hockey game. UND attempted to clear the zone, but the puck hit a microphone on its way down the boards. Initially, the referee brought the face-off back in the North Dakota end. Denver coach George Gwozdecky pulled Mannino, and UND was about to face a 6 on 4 situation. But Eades, correctly noting the rules, sent his captains to lobby for a face-off outside the zone. The drop of the puck was moved outside the Sioux blue line, Mannino went back to his goal crease, and it would be another 40 seconds before Denver could pull Mannino for the extra attacker.

These are items that will never appear in the box score, but were instrumental in the final outcome.

UND brings a ten-game unbeaten streak (9-0-1) into tonight’s rematch after beginning the year 9-8-1. Denver, on the other hand, is 2-5-1 in their last eight games after opening the season with a 17-4-0 record.

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