Sioux Sports Talk

In the NCHC, it is clear that Denver/North Dakota will be at the top of the league rivalries. Despite having played just four games in the past two years, the schools definitely do not like each other. The feud goes all the way back to Geoff Paukovitch’ illegal check on Sioux forward Robbie Bina during the 2005 WCHA Final Five.

Since that 2005 Final Five contest (a Denver victory), the two teams have met six times in tournament play. Denver won the 2005 NCAA title with a victory over North Dakota and claimed a 2008 WCHA Final Five win as well. UND has won the last four playoff games between the schools, including three consecutive victories in the WCHA Final Five (2010-2012) and the 2011 NCAA Midwest Regional final which sent the Fighting Sioux to the Frozen Four.

A key storyline for DU this season has been the play of its first-year players, particularly the emergence of freshman forward Danton Heinen. The 6-foot, 161 pound phenom from Langley, British Columbia leads the Pios in scoring with 29 points in 26 games. Heinen, who played his junior hockey with the Surrey Eagles (BCHL), notched just a single assist in the December home split against North Dakota but turned it on in January, collecting nine points in the first seven games of 2015. Nationally, Jack Eichel (Boston University) has been the most impressive freshman (15-28-43 in 25 games to lead the nation in scoring), and Michigan’s Dylan Larkin has 31 points in 22 contests, but Heinen is still the third-most prolific scorer among first-year players (by comparison, North Dakota’s top-scoring freshman is Nick Schmaltz, who has potted three goals and notched 16 assists for 19 points in his first 23 college games).

And a second newcomer to the DU roster is also making a difference in 2015. After sophomore goaltender Evan Cowley started ten of the first fourteen games of the season for the Pioneers, freshman Tanner Jaillet has flipped the script and taken the job away from his teammate. Since January 1st, here are the splits:

Evan Cowley: 0-1-1 (four appearances), 2.59 goals-against average, .926 save percentage, zero shutouts
Tanner Jaillet: 6-3-0 (ten appearances), 1.64 goals-against average, .940 save percentage, one shutout

Cowley, from nearby Arvada, Colorado, played in only five games last season (1.76 GAA, .949 SV%), so the two Denver netminders have almost the same amount of game experience.

By contrast, UND’s upperclassmen have been carrying the load. North Dakota’s seniors shined in recent home sweeps of Niagara and Colorado College and again at Nebraska-Omaha. The seven skaters (forwards Connor Gaarder, Mark MacMillan, Brendan O’Donnell, Michael Parks, and Stephane Pattyn along with defensemen Nick Mattson and Andrew Panzarella) combined for 32 points over the last six games and now rank as the fourth-most productive senior class in the nation with 98 points (Mercyhurst 147, Air Force 111, Minnesota 99).

Offensive capability from the blue line is another reason for UND’s continued success. After leading the nation in scoring by defensemen last year, UND is second in the country in that category this season. Through 27 games, North Dakota blueliners have scored 16 goals and added 60 assists for 76 points, or 2.81 points per game. Only Minnesota State-Mankato (2.97 points/game) has scored at a higher rate this year.

UND junior netminder Zane McIntyre is now squarely on the bubble for a Hobey Baker nod after a rather pedestrian performance in his last weekend of action (59 of 65 saves in a split at UNO). McIntyre, who now sits 11th in the country in goals-against average (1.96) and 10th in save percentage (.931), has played the seventh-most minutes in the nation and is tied for second in victories (19). In my opinion, the junior from Thief River Falls, Minnesota will need to continue registering victories and pick up one or two more shutouts over the next month to remain in contention for college hockey’s highest individual award.

It should also be noted that Zane McIntyre is also statistically the best goaltender in North Dakota hockey history. His career goals-against average (2.08) and save percentage (.926) rank as the best all-time at UND. Former goaltending greats Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux, Jordan Parise, Aaron Dell, and Karl Goehring round out the top five.

One of the biggest reasons for UND’s success this season has been North Dakota’s ability to hold a lead. During the 2014-15 campaign, Dave Hakstol’s squad is unbeaten (16-0-1) when leading after the first forty minutes of play. In fact, over the past seven years, North Dakota is converting almost 90 percent of second intermission leads into victories and has just seven losses in the last 145 such situations (129-7-9).

Dave Hakstol has his team in a much better position than last year, when North Dakota’s NCAA tournament hopes went down to the wire. With a sparkling 9-1-1 non-conference record, UND currently sits in second place in the Pairwise rankings, one of five NCHC teams in line to make the NCAA tournament. Nebraska-Omaha (4th), Minnesota-Duluth (5th), Miami (7th), and Denver (9th) would all make the field of 16 if the season ended today. Of the remaining three league teams on the outside looking in, St. Cloud State is the closest to making the tournament, as the Huskies are currently tied for 21st.

On a sad note, Denver head coach Jim Montgomery’s father passed away this morning. This, via Twitter:

Jim Montgomery @DUCoachMonty 7:26 AM – 13 Feb 2015 The man who impacted my life the most has passed away. I will miss our daily phone calls and the wisdom and love you gave me. Love you Dad

DU assistant coach David Carle will act as head coach. From all of us at SiouxSports.com, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Montgomery and Denver families.

Denver Team Profile

Head Coach: Jim Montgomery (2nd season at DU, 36-25-7, .581)

Pairwise Ranking: 9th of 59 teams
National Rankings: #9/#9
This Season: 16-9-1 overall, 9-7-0-0 NCHC (5th)
Last Ten Games: 6-4-0 overall, 5-4-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 20-16-6 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinalist), 10-11-3-2 NCHC (6th)

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.15 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 22.5% (23 of 102)
Penalty Kill: 87.6% (78 of 89)

Key Players: Freshman F Danton Heinen (10-19-29), Senior F Daniel Doremus (7-15-22), Sophomore F Trevor Moore (13-13-26), Junior F Quentin Shore (8-10-18), Senior D Joey LaLeggia (9-15-24), Junior D Nolan Zajac (5-14-19), Sophomore G Evan Cowley (7-5-1, 2.05 GAA, .927 SV%, 2 SO), Freshman G Tanner Jaillet (9-4-0, 1.97 GAA, .927 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 279-139-42, .652)

Pairwise Ranking: 2nd of 59 teams
National Rankings: #2/#3
This Season: 19-6-2 overall, 10-5-1-0 NCHC (2nd)
Last Ten Games: 7-3-0 overall, 5-3-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

Team Offense: 3.44 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.15 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.9% (23 of 110)
Penalty Kill: 84.8% (95 of 112)

Key Players: Junior F Drake Caggiula (11-16-27), Senior F Michael Parks (9-18-27), Senior F Mark MacMillan (15-8-23), Freshman F Nick Schmaltz (3-16-19), Senior F Brendan O’Donnell (10-5-15), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (3-18-21), Sophomore D Paul LaDue (3-9-12), Sophomore D Troy Stecher (1-8-9 in 19 games), Junior G Zane McIntyre (19-6-2, 1.96 GAA, .931 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: December 13, 2014 (Denver, CO). One night after falling 4-1 to the homestanding Pios, North Dakota used a balanced attack to gain the road split. Despite being outshot 33-26, the Green and White built a 3-0 lead and held on for a 3-1 victory. Seven different UND players figured in the scoring, and junior netminder Zane McIntyre made 32 of 33 saves for his thirteenth victory of the season. Each team went 0-3 on the power play.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: December 8, 2012. After the teams battled to a 2-2 tie in the opener, it was all UND in a penalty-filled rematch. The hometown squad could have been deflated after allowing two goals during Dan “Jimmer” Senkbeil’s major for checking from behind, but North Dakota’s specialty teams came through in the end, scoring a power play goal, a shorthanded goal, and an empty netter to ice the 6-3 victory. Rocco Grimaldi and Carter Rowney each had four-point nights and, along with freshman linemate Drake Caggiula (two assists), turned in a ten point performance and a combined plus-5.

Most Important Meeting: It’s hard to pick just one game, as the two teams have played four times for the national title. Denver defeated UND for the national championship in 1958, 1968, and 2005, while the Sioux downed the Pioneers in 1963. But the game that stands out in recent memory as “the one that got away” was DU’s 1-0 victory over the Fighting Sioux in the 2004 NCAA West Regional final (Colorado Springs, CO). That North Dakota team went 30-8-4 on the season (Dean Blais’ last behind the UND bench) and featured one of the deepest rosters in the past twenty years: Brandon Bochenski, Zach Parise, Brady Murray, Colby Genoway, Drew Stafford and David Lundbohm up front; Nick Fuher, Matt Jones, Matt Greene, and Ryan Hale on defense; and a couple of goaltending stalwarts in Jordan Parise and Jake Brandt.

Last Ten Games: North Dakota has had slightly the better of it lately, going 5-4-1 (.550) in the last ten meetings between the schools and outscoring Denver 33-26 over that span. The two teams have also met once in the WCHA Final Five (St. Paul) and once in the NCAA regionals during this most recent stretch, with UND winning both of those playoff games.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 139-119-9 (.537), including an 81-42-6 (.651) advantage on home ice. North Dakota last home sweep of the Pioneers came on February 15th and 16th, 2008.

Game News and Notes

UND is 6-6-1 on Friday nights and 13-0-1 on Saturdays. Senior forward Brendan O’Donnell has eight goals in his last thirteen games (UND’s all-time record is 19-0-1 when O’Donnell scores a goal). Denver is 4-5-1 on the road this season; North Dakota is 11-3-2 at home. Denver senior defenseman Joey LaLeggia and North Dakota senior forward Mark MacMillan are two of four players tied for the league lead in points (both have 18 points in 16 NCHC contests). MacMillan, whose twelve goals in conference play lead all scorers, has a career line of 45-52-97 in 145 games played and needs just three points to join UND’s Century Club.

The Prediction

Even though the rosters and past results point to yet another split, UND is playing better hockey right now and is looking for more than three league points this weekend. Friday’s game will be close, with the home crowd pushing the Green and White over the edge. It’s all North Dakota in the rematch. UND 3-2 (OT), 5-2.

After opening the season with a home sweep of Alabama-Huntsville, the Colorado College Tigers hosted UND at the World Arena. North Dakota erupted for ten goals in the two game sweep and sent the Tigers reeling. That home series started a stretch of fifteen games with only victory (and that against Wisconsin, a team that everyone is beating these days).

On the positive side, CC has won two of its last three to bring their season record to 5-14-1. One of those victories was against NCHC foe Nebraska-Omaha, the Tigers’ first league win of the year.

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

UND and Colorado College met five times last season (all in Grand Forks), with North Dakota winning four of the five contests. CC notched an overtime victory in Game 2 of the NCHC quarterfinals to force a third and decisive game. Dave Hakstol’s crew ended the Tigers’ season with a 4-3 victory on Sunday night.

Nationally, Dave Hakstol has his team in a much better position than last year. With a sparkling 9-1-1 non-conference record and sixteen victories overall, UND currently sits in fourth place in the Pairwise rankings, one of five NCHC teams in line to make the NCAA tournament. Nebraska-Omaha (2nd), Minnesota-Duluth (5th), Miami (6th), and Denver (t-12th) would also make the field of 16 if the season ended today (no other league school is in the top twenty). In the second half of the season, North Dakota will face UNO, Denver, and Miami as well as Western Michigan and St. Cloud State.

North Dakota’s seniors shined in last weekend’s sweep of visiting Niagara. The seven skaters (forwards Connor Gaarder, Mark MacMillan, Brendan O’Donnell, Michael Parks, and Stephane Pattyn along with defensemen Nick Mattson and Andrew Panzarella) combined for seven goals and seven assists (and a +15 rating). MacMillan and Parks each had two goals in Saturday’s 7-0 triumph.

UND junior netminder Zane McIntyre strengthened his case for a Hobey Baker nod with another dominating performance last weekend. He made 42 of 43 saves in the two victories and notched his first shutout of the season. McIntyre, who now sits on the top ten in the country in goals-against average (1.87) and save percentage (.933), has played the fifth-most minutes in the nation and is tied for first with 16 victories. In my opinion, the junior from Thief River Falls, Minnesota will need to maintain or improve upon those numbers and pick up one or two more shutouts over the next two months to remain in contention for college hockey’s highest individual award.

Colorado College Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Haviland (1st season at CC, 5-14-1, .275)

Pairwise Ranking: 43rd of 59 teams
National Rankings: NR
This Season: 5-14-1 overall, 1-9-1-0 NCHC (8th)
Last Season: 7-24-6 overall, 6-13-5-1 NCHC (7th)

Team Offense: 2.25 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 4.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 18.3% (15 of 82)
Penalty Kill: 80.7% (67 of 83)

Key players: Junior F Cody Bradley (8-10-18), Junior F Hunter Fejes (5-9-14), Senior F Scott Wamsganz (5-6-11), Sophomore F Sam Rothstein (4-7-11), Sophomore D Jaccob Slavin (2-8-10), Senior D Aaron Harstad (3-2-5), Freshman G Chase Perry (1-7-1, 3.64 GAA, .884 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 276-138-42, .651)

Pairwise Ranking: 4th of 59 teams
National Rankings: #2/#2
This Season: 16-5-2 overall, 7-4-1-0 NCHC (3rd)
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

Team Offense: 3.48 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.09 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.8% (20 of 96)
Penalty Kill: 87.8% (86 of 98)

Key Players: Junior F Drake Caggiula (9-15-24), Senior F Michael Parks (8-15-23), Senior F Mark MacMillan (11-8-19), Freshman F Nick Schmaltz (3-14-17), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (3-17-20), Sophomore D Paul LaDue (3-8-11), Junior G Zane McIntyre (16-5-2, 1.87 GAA, .933 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: October 18, 2014 (Colorado Springs, CO). North Dakota scored five times on nine chances with the man advantage in a 7-2 throttling of the homestanding Tigers. UND’s Mark MacMillan had a hat trick (including two shorthanded goals) and added two assists to go along with his two goals in Friday night’s 3-1 North Dakota victory. Zane McIntyre made 52 of 55 saves in the weekend sweep.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: March 16, 2014. In the third and decisive game of their first round playoff series, Colorado College gave the Green and White all they could handle, scoring an extra attacker goal with 90 seconds remaining to pull within one. UND netminder Zane McIntyre (nee Gothberg) stood strong at the end, however, making 27 saves in the contest and preserving a 4-3 North Dakota victory. CC played perhaps its best, most complete hockey of the season in the three-game series.

Most Important Meeting: March 27, 1997. UND defeated Colorado College, 6-2, in the Frozen Four Semifinals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Two nights later, North Dakota downed Boston University, 6-4, to claim its sixth NCAA Championship. North Dakota and Colorado College also met in the 2001 East Regional (Worcester, Mass.), with UND prevailing, 4-1.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 145-80-10 (.638), including a stellar 87-21-6 (.789) record in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota has won seven of the last ten meetings between the teams, outscoring CC 39-27 over that span. All three of UND’s losses over that stretch have been by a single goal, including two overtime defeats in league playoff action (WCHA Final Five in 2013, NCHC Quarterfinal in 2014).

Game News and Notes

CC has just one victory on the road this season and sports a 1-11-1 (.115) record in games away from the Springs. UND head coach Dave Hakstol has an overall record of 22-13-1 (.625) against Colorado College. Two North Dakota forwards have scored ten or more career points against Colorado College: junior forward Drake Caggiula has scored seven goals and added four assists in his twelve career games against CC, while senior forward Mark MacMillan is averaging a point per game (8-6-14 in 14 games) against the Tigers. For the second time in two seasons, a college hockey team in Colorado has a new coach (Jim Montgomery took over for George Gwozdecky at DU last year). Friday’s opener can be seen on CBS Sports Network, with a puck drop of 7:07 p.m. (thirty minutes earlier than normal).

The Prediction

UND should fare well in this matchup, as they have more top-end talent and depth than the Tigers. The only way that Colorado College can stay in these games is to draw penalties and score on the power play. Watch for a hat trick sometime this weekend. UND 4-1, 6-2.

The last game between these two teams featured three of that season’s ten Hobey Baker finalists: Niagara junior goaltender Carsen Chubak (who led the nation with six shutouts) and North Dakota senior forwards Danny Kristo and Corban Knight faced off in the 2013 NCAA Midwest Regional. UND prevailed 2-1 behind a pair of third period goals, but would fall 4-1 to eventual national champion Yale in the regional final.

This season’s version of the Purple Eagles does not appear to be headed back to the NCAAs. Niagara is currently dead last in the Pairwise Rankings, and will need to win the Atlantic Hockey postseason tournament to make the program’s fifth appearance in the national tournament. NU has competed at the Division I level since the 1996-97 campaign.

Niagara opened up this season with nine consecutive losses but managed to string together three straight victories from November 8th to November 22nd (their only three wins of the season). Since that time, Dave Burkholder’s squad has gone 0-6-2 for a combined season mark of 3-15-2.

The problem for the boys from Niagara Falls has been, well, everything. NU has given up four or more goals THIRTEEN times this season. The Purple Eagles have scored three or more goals only six times, and four or more goals only once. The Niagara power play is abysmal (7 goals on 94 chances, 7.4%), and they’ve given up 25 power play goals to opponents (killing less than 75% of penalties). NU’s power play and penalty kill numbers rank 57th and 56th respectively among all 59 NCAA men’s hockey teams.

And NU’s three wins came by way of an overtime victory over Bentley (10-9-2, 40th in the Pairwise) and a sweep of Army (5-14-2, 57th). According to KRACH, Niagara has played the easiest schedule in all of college hockey, and they’ve still managed only three victories. To put that in perspective, North Dakota picked up their third win on October 18th. By my calendar, that’s three months ago. And KRACH lists UND as having the 7th toughest schedule in the country to this point in the season.

Through their first twenty games, Niagara has only one skater with ten or more points. By comparison, North Dakota’s roster features eight skaters with double digit point totals, led by junior forward Drake Caggiula (9-14-23) and senior forward Michael Parks (6-14-20). UND has scored eighteen power play goals while allowing just twelve and have also scored eight shorthanded goals (tops in the country) while allowing only two.

Dave Hakstol’s squad has already posted a 7-1-1 (.833) record in non-conference games this season, his best mark in eleven years as head coach. The only blemishes on that mark are a home loss to Bemidji State and a tie against Providence. UND won the other game in both of those series, and also swept on the road at Wisconsin and at home against Lake Superior State. North Dakota picked up a single win against Air Force in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in overtime on Bryn Chyzyk’s shorthanded tally with six seconds remaining. That victory could prove huge in the final Pairwise rankings at the end of the season.

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference as a whole has a stellar record against other leagues so far this season, a far cry from last year’s troubles. Currently, four conference schools appear in the top seven in the Pairwise rankings: #2 Minnesota-Duluth, #4 Nebraska-Omaha, #6 North Dakota, and #7 Miami. Denver is currently #17 in the Pairwise, with St Cloud State at #21 and Western Michigan tied for #25. With only a handful of non-conference games remaining, the NCHC could easily place four or even five teams in the NCAA tournament after sending just three (and barely that) a year ago.

NCHC overall record vs. other conferences: 48-24-4 (.658, best in the country)

NCHC record vs. Atlantic Hockey: 3-2-0 (.600)
NCHC record vs. Big Ten: 13-2-0 (.867)
NCHC record vs. ECAC: 13-6-2 (.667)
NCHC record vs. Hockey East: 7-7-1 (.500)
NCHC record vs. WCHA: 12-7-1 (.625)

The six teams in the Big Ten (Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin) are a combined 35-40-6 (.469) in non-league play, the second-worst winning percentage in college hockey (Atlantic Hockey, 12-48-4, .219). Not including a 9-1-2 mark against Atlantic Hockey, the Big Ten sports a dismal 26-39-4 (.406) record against the other four major hockey conferences.

Niagara Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Burkholder (14th season at NU, 232-210-57, .522)

Pairwise Ranking: 59th of 59 teams
National Rankings: NR
This Season: 3-15-2 overall, 3-11-2 Atlantic Hockey (11th)
Last Season: 15-20-5 overall, 11-11-5 Atlantic Hockey (6th)

Team Offense: 1.95 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 4.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 7.4% (7 of 94)
Penalty Kill: 74.2% (72 of 97)

Key Players: Senior F Isaac Kohls (4-6-10), Junior F Hugo Turcotte (5-4-9), Freshman F Robert Angiolella (5-3-8), Junior F Dan Kolenda (4-5-9), Senior D Keegan Harper (2-4-6), Senior D Nick Cecere (2-3-5), Junior D Matt Dineen (0-3-3, 52 PIM), Sophomore G Jackson Teichroeb (3-9-2, 3.11 GAA, .903 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 274-138-42, .650)

Pairwise Ranking: 6th of 59 teams
National Rankings: #3/#2
This Season: 14-5-2 overall, 7-4-1-0 NCHC (3rd)
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

Team Offense: 3.24 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.24 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.5% (18 of 88)
Penalty Kill: 87.0% (80 of 92)

Key Players: Junior F Drake Caggiula (9-14-23), Senior F Michael Parks (6-14-20), Senior F Mark MacMillan (9-7-16), Freshman F Nick Schmaltz (3-13-16), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (3-13-16), Sophomore D Paul LaDue (3-7-10), Junior G Zane McIntyre (14-5-2, 2.01 GAA, .930 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 29, 2013 (Grand Rapids, MI). In the semifinals of the NCAA Midwest Regional, Niagara scored first but couldn’t make it hold up. UND outshot the Purple Eagles 20-7 in the third period, making two of them count and escaping with a 2-1 victory. Ten current North Dakota skaters appeared in that playoff game, but none registered a point. Zane McIntyre was the goaltender of record, stopping 28 of 29 shots and earning his first NCAA tournament victory.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: October 26, 2002. UND scored three goals in the first four minutes of the second period and downed the Purple Eagles 5-3 in the second game of a non-conference series. North Dakota goaltender Jake Brandt was pulled after allowing three goals on twelve Niagara shots. Hat tricks by Brandon Bochenski (in Friday’s 6-4 victory) and Zach Parise (Saturday) helped propel the Fighting Sioux to the series sweep.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series 5-0 and has outscored the Purple Eagles 20-10. The teams first met on March 25, 2000 (NCAA West Regional). Jeff Panzer tallied three assists to lead North Dakota to a 4-1 victory over the Purple Eagles at Mariucci Arena. UND forward Lee Goren scored early in the third period after NU cut the lead to 2-1 in the middle frame. Andy Kollar made 26 saves for the Fighting Sioux, who outshot Niagara 43-27.

Game News and Notes

Niagara is 1-8-1 away from home and has not won a non-conference game all season. The Purple Eagles play their home games at Dwyer Arena (capacity 2100). NU has been dreadful in 2nd and 3rd periods this season, scoring only 24 goals and allowing 59 over their first twenty games. UND is 4-5-1 on Friday nights and 10-0-1 on Saturdays. Friday’s opener will be Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder’s 500th game behind the bench. North Dakota fans are encouraged to “Green Out” the Ralph this weekend; official glow-in-the-dark shirts will be available for purchase at the Sioux Shop and other merchandise outlets.

The Prediction

In the battle of the coaching Daves, Hakstol’s crew can’t afford a hiccup this weekend against college hockey’s worst team. I expect one game to be close, and I’ll go with Friday’s opener since UND has been virtually unstoppable on Saturdays. Don’t be surprised if North Dakota freshman netminder Cam Johnson sees the ice in this series. UND 4-2, 6-1.

51-20-12. That’s the record that Minnesota-Duluth compiled from 2010-2012. In 2010-11, the Bulldogs won the national title, and they followed that up with a berth in the Northeast Regional final at the end of the 2012 campaign (falling to Boston College).

But the last two years have been a different story. UMD won only thirty games combined over the past two seasons. Despite a national championship to his credit, head coach Scott Sandelin is only eight games over .500 (259-251-67, .507) during his tenure at Duluth. Now in his 15th season behind the bench, Sandelin has notched 20 or more victories six times, claimed one WCHA playoff championship, led Duluth to the national tournament four times, and brought his teams to two Frozen Fours.

By contrast, UND head coach Dave Hakstol, now in his eleventh season coaching at his alma mater, already has over 270 wins to his credit (273-137-42, .650). In each of his ten previous campaigns, Hakstol has won at least 20 games and brought UND to the NCAA tournament. He boasts two MacNaughton Cups (WCHA regular season title), four Broadmoor trophies (WCHA playoff title), and six Frozen Four appearances.

At the end of the 2010-11 season, many expected these two squads to go to battle for the national title. Duluth held up their end of the bargain, dispatching Notre Dame in their semifinal. UND fell short, however, falling to Michigan 2-0 in heartbreaking fashion.

In the current race for the top spot in the NCHC, Minnesota-Duluth is tied with Miami for first place while North Dakota is in fourth place (two points back). With each victory worth three points, the top four places (those three schools, plus Nebraska-Omaha) will ebb and flow all the way until March.

This season, North Dakota is 7-1-1 (.833) in non-conference play, with only a January home series versus Niagara (3-13-2, .222) remaining outside of their league schedule. Duluth has struggled a bit out of the NCHC, going just 5-3 over their first four non-conference weekends. The Bulldogs lost to Minnesota at the IceBreaker South Bend, Indiana) in October but rebounded to sweep a home-and-home series against the Gophers in November. UMD could face Goldy a fourth time at the North Star College Cup (St. Paul, Minnesota) later this month. Duluth also has a non-conference series with Northern Michigan in early February.

North Dakota’s remaining league schedule features two home games each against Colorado College, Denver, and St. Cloud State and road series at Nebraska-Omaha, Western Michigan, and Miami. Duluth will close the regular season by hosting Western Michigan, St. Cloud State and Nebraska-Omaha and traveling to face Denver, Miami, and Western Michigan.

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference as a whole has a stellar record against other leagues so far this season, a far cry from last year’s troubles. Currently, five conference schools appear in the top 14 in the Pairwise rankings: #3 Minnesota-Duluth, #4 Miami, #6 Nebraska-Omaha, #7 North Dakota, and #14 Denver. With only a handful of non-conference games remaining, the NCHC could easily place four or even five teams in the NCAA tournament after sending just three (and barely that) a year ago.

NCHC overall record vs. other conferences: 46-24-4 (.649, best in the country)

NCHC record vs. Atlantic Hockey: 3-2-0 (.600)
NCHC record vs. Big Ten: 13-2-0 (.867)
NCHC record vs. ECAC: 13-6-2 (.667)
NCHC record vs. Hockey East: 5-7-1 (.423)
NCHC record vs. WCHA: 12-7-1 (.625)

The six teams in the Big Ten (Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin) are a combined 35-39-5 (.475) in non-league play, the second-worst winning percentage in college hockey (Atlantic Hockey, 12-47-4, .222). Not including a 9-1-2 mark against Atlantic Hockey, the Big Ten sports a dismal 26-38-3 (.410) record against the other four major hockey conferences.

Minnesota-Duluth Team Profile

Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (15th season at UMD, 259-251-67, .507)

Pairwise Ranking: 3rd
National Rankings: #7/#7
This Season: 12-6-0 overall, 7-3-0-0 NCHC (t-1st)
Last Season: 16-16-4 overall, 11-11-2-2 NCHC (t-4th)

Team Offense: 3.33 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.22 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.0% (18 of 90)
Penalty Kill: 81.6% (62 of 76)

Key Players: Sophomore F Dominic Toninato (13-5-18), Junior F Austin Farley (7-8-15), Junior F Tony Cameranesi (4-9-13), Sophomore F Alex Iafallo (3-10-13), Junior D Andy Welinski (6-7-13), Sophomore D Carson Soucy (2-4-6), Freshman G Kasimir Kaskisuo (11-4-0, 2.12 GAA, .920 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 273-137-42, .650)

Pairwise Ranking: 7th
National Rankings: #1/#1
This Season: 13-4-2 overall, 6-3-1-0 NCHC (4th)
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

Team Offense: 3.26 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.16 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 21.4% (18 of 84)
Penalty Kill: 86.9% (73 of 84)

Key Players: Junior F Drake Caggiula (8-14-22), Senior F Michael Parks (6-14-20), Senior F Mark MacMillan (8-7-15), Freshman F Nick Schmaltz (3-12-15), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (3-11-14), Sophomore D Paul LaDue (3-6-9), Junior G Zane McIntyre (13-4-2, 1.95 GAA, .929 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: February 22, 2014 (Duluth, MN). North Dakota blitzed the Bulldogs 6-2 to complete the road sweep (UND won 3-0 in Friday’s opener). Freshman defenseman Paul LaDue scored two power play goals while Rocco Grimaldi, Mitch MacMillan, Dillon Simpson, and Jordan Schmaltz all registered two-point nights. The Green and White went 3-for-4 with the man advantage and held Duluth scoreless on five power play opportunities.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: November 16, 2013. One night after dropping a 4-2 contest to homestanding North Dakota, the Duluth Bulldogs doubled up UND 6-3 behind two goals from Adam Krause. Zane Gothberg took the loss in net for North Dakota after relieving Clarke Saunders, who allowed three goals on 13 shots in the first period.

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

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 139-76-9 (.641), including a 77-32-3 (.701) record in games played in Grand Forks.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 6-3-1 (.650) in the last ten games between the teams, outscoring Duluth 43-21 over that stretch. Two of the three losses were by a single goal.

Game News and Notes

North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol is 22-8-3 (.712) against Minnesota-Duluth in his head coaching career. UND sophomores Paul LaDue and Luke Johnson each scored five points in their four games against Duluth last season. UMD has the top scoring offense in the league (3.33 goals/game), with sophomore center Dominic Toninato leading the way with 13 goals (best in the NCHC). Both head coaches this weekend are alumni of the University of North Dakota: Dave Hakstol (’92) and Scott Sandelin (’86) both played for UND.

Media Coverage

Friday’s game can be seen on Midco Sports Network, while Saturday’s rematch will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.

The Prediction

These two teams haven’t played a meaningful game since December 13th. To put that in perspective, most of us hadn’t started our holiday shopping at that point. It is important for both squads to find and reestablish their brand of hockey for the second half of the season and the playoffs. With that being said, the edge goes to the home team. I’ve got North Dakota winning Friday’s opener, with the finale going down to the wire. UND 4-3, 3-3 tie.