Sioux Sports Talk – Page 26 – UND fans discuss the Fighting Hawks

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Wisconsin

A quick rewind to March 2014:

Plenty was written about the roller coaster ride of emotions that North Dakota faced after defeating Western Michigan 5-0 in the 3rd place game of the NCHC tournament (Target Center, Minneapolis, MN). The team had done its part, but needed some help to make the NCAAs.

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

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

Thanks to Wisconsin, UND had new life and nothing to lose. #4 North Dakota managed to defeat the top-seeded Badgers (UW had gone 20-5-1 since November 30th, 2013) and outlasted #2 seed Ferris State for a trip to the Frozen Four (Philadelphia, PA).

Since that regional semifinal eight months ago, the Badgers have become virtually unrecognizable. Head coach Mike Eaves graduated ten seniors (including forwards Mark Zengerle, Michael Mersch, Tyler Barnes, and Jefferson Dahl along with blueliners Frankie Simonelli and Joe Faust) and watched two underclassmen (forward Nic Kerdiles, 26-45-71 in 60 games played, and defenseman Jake McCabe, 14-44-58 in 100 gp) leave early. Overall, those twelve players scored 90 of Wisconsin’s 120 goals. In other words, the Badgers only return 30 total goals from last season (by comparison, UND’s returning players notched 97 goals a year ago).

So it’s no surprise that Wisconsin is winless, scoring less than one goal per hockey game. The Badgers are also scoreless on 18 power play opportunities this season and are giving up almost three goals per contest.

If there’s any reason for optimism in Madison, it’s that things can only get better for Bucky. This weekend’s non-conference series against North Dakota will mark the first home games of the year for UW, and the Badgers have yet to open their conference schedule, so there’s no league hole out of which to climb. Two of Wisconsin’s four losses came at the hands of unbeaten Northern Michigan, while UW also went winless at the Kendall Hockey Classic in Anchorage, Alaska.

North Dakota fans were able to experience some late-game heroics last Saturday night against Air Force. Junior forward Drake Caggiula tied the game with under 30 seconds remaining in regulation, and fellow junior Bryn Chyzyk netted the game-winner with seven ticks left on the overtime clock. Chyzyk notched his overtime tally off a brilliant play and feed from Michael Parks, who created the shorthanded two-on-one situation with a strong individual effort in the neutral zone.

Prior to that, the last time UND tied a game with an extra attacker goal in the final minute of regulation and completed the comeback with an overtime victory was on March 16, 2003. That date happened to be Game 3 of the WCHA playoffs against Denver. On that night, Mike Prpich tied the game at 19:19, and Nick Fuher won it with 64 seconds remaining in the first overtime session. That Sunday victory also started North Dakota’s streak of twelve consecutive league playoff (WCHA Final Five, NCHC Frozen Faceoff) appearances.

On the injury front, UND senior forward Mark MacMillan (five goals and two assists in five games) is expected to be out until after Christmas after suffering a wrist injury against Providence. North Dakota will miss his scoring touch over the next two months, as the Green and White face tough league opponents Miami, St. Cloud State, Nebraska-Omaha, and Denver (along with non-conference foe Lake Superior) over the next five weeks.

After leading the nation in scoring by defensemen last year, UND is second in the country on the young season. Through seven games, North Dakota blueliners have scored seven goals and added fifteen assists for 22 points, or 3.14 points per game. Only Massachusetts-Lowell has scored at a higher rate (6-19-25 in seven games, 3.57/game).

Another key to North Dakota’s early success has been special teams play. With an equal number of power play and shorthanded situations (40 each), UND has scored nine power play goals while only allowing five. Furthermore, Dave Hakstol’s crew has scored five shorthanded goals in the first seven games of the season, tied for most in the country (Minnesota-Duluth).

Wisconsin Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Eaves (13th season at UW, 255-184-53, .572)

National Ranking: NR
This Season: 0-4-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big Ten
Last Season: 24-11-2 overall (NCAA Midwest Regional semifinalist), 15-6-1 Big Ten (2nd)

Team Offense: 0.75 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.75 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 0.0% (0 of 18)
Penalty Kill: 72.7% (8 of 11)

Key Players: Freshman F Ryan Wagner (0-2-2), Senior F Brad Navin (1-0-1), Senior F Joseph LaBate (0-0-0), Junior D Kevin Schulze (0-0-0), Senior D Chase Drake (0-1-1), Senior G Joel Rumpel (0-3-0, 2.72 GAA, .884 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 265-134-41, .649)
National Ranking: #2/#2
This Season: 5-1-1 overall, 2-0-0-0 NCHC (t-1st)
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

Team Offense: 3.43 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 22.5% (9 of 40)
Penalty Kill: 87.5% (35 of 40)

Key Players: Senior F Michael Parks (1-6-7), Junior F Drake Caggiula (2-6-8), Freshman F Nick Schmaltz (1-6-7), Junior F Bryn Chyzyk (2-2-4), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (1-3-4), Sophomore D Paul LaDue (3-4-7), Junior G Zane McIntyre (5-1-1, 1.92 GAA, .931 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 28, 2014 (Cincinnati, OH). UND junior forward Mark MacMillan broke a 2-2 tie with under two minutes remaining in the game as North Dakota advanced to the Midwest Regional final with a 5-2 victory. After a lengthy review to determine whether there was goaltender interference or if MacMillan had played the puck with a high stick, the goal stood. Rocco Grimaldi added two empty-net goals for the Green and White, which gave him a hat trick in the contest (the first of his collegiate career). Joel Rumpel made thirty saves for the Badgers, who lost for just the sixth time since November 30th.

Last Meeting in Madison: October 22, 2011. UND forward Danny Kristo potted two goals to bring North Dakota back from a 3-1 deficit, but it wasn’t enough, as the home squad answered with two third period tallies to put the game out of reach. Brock Nelson added an extra-attacker goal with 40 seconds to play, but UW prevailed 5-4, completing the home sweep. The Green and White outshot Bucky 42-15, but Joel Rumpel made 38 saves to Aaron Dell’s 10, and that told the story. The Badgers won Friday’s opener 5-3. It was the first time that North Dakota lost their opening two WCHA games since 1994-95.

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

All-time Series: Wisconsin leads the all-time series, 86-66-12 (.561), including a 46-27-3 (.625) record in Madison.

Last Ten: The Green and White have had Bucky’s number lately, going 6-3-1 (.650) in the last ten tilts. UND is unbeaten in the last five (4-0-1), outscoring UW 19-9.

Game News and Notes

Despite coaching for two fewer seasons than his counterpart on the UW bench, North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol has collected ten more victories than Mike Eaves. Hakstol recently passed coaching legend Dean Blais (262-115-33) for second-most wins all time at North Dakota. After this weekend against UND, Wisconsin will face Colorado College and Denver on November 21st and 22nd. The Badgers don’t open up Big Ten league play until December 5th against Penn State and won’t play their second conference series until January 16th at Minnesota. North Dakota senior forward Michael Parks has scored five goals in seven career games against UW.

The Prediction

If these games were played in Grand Forks, I’d say that North Dakota would win a couple of 3-1, 4-1 games. But they’re not, and there’s something about the Kohl Center crowd. Yes, the Badgers are winless on the young season, but they’re playing in front of the Kohl Center crowd for the first time this year. That counts for something, and sweeps are hard to come by in Mad-town. I’m going with Rumpel returning to last season’s form and stealing one for Bucky. UND 4-1, UW 2-1.

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game Preview: UND vs. Air Force

Since moving to Atlantic Hockey in 2006, Frank Serratore has brought the Air Force Falcons to the NCAA tournament five times in eight seasons.

Air Force pushed Minnesota to the limit in the 2007 West Regional, leading the Gophers 3-1 with under nine minutes remaining before surrendering three goals in a span of four minutes. The Falcons lost an overtime heartbreaker to Miami in 2008, but finally broke through against Michigan in the 2009 tourney, defeating the Wolverines 2-0 before falling to Vermont 3-2 in double overtime, one game short of the Frozen Four.

Air Force would drop another overtime contest against Yale in the 2011 East Regional, and ran up against Boston College in 2012, losing 2-0 to Jerry York’s Eagles.

Despite a twenty win season a year ago, the Falcons did not make the NCAA tournament.

A national tournament bid is the expectation in Grand Forks, as North Dakota has an active streak of twelve consecutive NCAA bids (best in the nation). UND has also made the tourney in 17 of 18 seasons overall dating back to 1996-97. With a current non-conference record of 2-1-1, Dave Hakstol’s squad has seven games remaining against non-NCHC opponents. After Saturday’s game against Air Force, UND will travel to Wisconsin for two games at the Kohl Center next weekend. North Dakota’s final four non-conference games will be at home: two each against Lake Superior (December 5-6, 2014) and Niagara (January 16-17, 2015).

Saturday’s contest will mark the eighth time that North Dakota will take part in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. UND is 3-3-1 all-time in the annual event, and first hosted the Hall of Fame Game on October 5, 2001, the grand opening of the new Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Green and White have fared better in more recent Hall of Fame Games, defeating Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 and Michigan State 6-0 in Grand Forks (2003 and 2007, respectively) and blitzing the Bulldogs 5-0 in Duluth during the grand opening of Amsoil Arena (December 30, 2010).

After leading the nation in scoring by defensemen last year, UND is at the top of the charts once again. Through six games, North Dakota blueliners have scored six goals and added fifteen assists for 21 points, one better than Union and four points ahead of Massachusetts-Lowell and St. Lawrence.

Air Force Team Profile

Head Coach: Frank Serratore (18th season at AFA, 295-281-62, .511)
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 2-4-0 overall, 2-2-0 Atlantic Hockey (t-5th)
Last Season: 21-14-4 overall, 15-9-3 Atlantic Hockey (t-3rd)

Team Offense: 2.67 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.50 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.7% (6 of 29)
Penalty Kill: 87.0% (20 of 23)

Key players: Senior F Cole Gunner (2-5-7), Senior F Chad Demers (3-2-5), Senior F Scott Holm (2-3-5), Sophomore F A.J.Reid (3-1-4), Sophomore D Johnny Hrabovsky (0-6-6), Freshman D Phil Boje (2-1-3), Sophomore G Chris Truehl (2-4-0, 3.36 GAA, .861 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 264-134-41, .648)
National Ranking: #3/#2
This Season: 4-1-1 overall, 2-0-0-0 NCHC (t-1st)
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

Team Offense: 3.50 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 25.0% (9 of 36)
Penalty Kill: 86.5% (32 of 37)

Key Players: Senior F Michael Parks (1-4-5), Junior F Drake Caggiula (1-6-7), Freshman F Nick Schmaltz (1-5-6), Junior F Bryn Chyzyk (1-2-3), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (1-3-4), Sophomore D Paul LaDue (3-4-7), Junior G Zane McIntyre (4-1-1, 1.93 GAA, .935 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: October 7, 2011 (Grand Forks, ND). Sophomore forward Brock Nelson tallied two third period goals as North Dakota staged a comeback over the visiting Falcons in the semifinals of the IceBreaker Tournament. In the second period, Cole Gunner assisted on both Air Force goals as the Falcons built a 3-2 lead. Nelson also notched an assist on UND’s first goal, giving him three of his 47 points on the season.

All-time Series: UND has won all four games against Air Force, outscoring the Falcons 27-6. North Dakota hosted a November 1980 series as well as a single game in 1988.

Game News and Notes

Air Force head coach Frank Serratore has been a collegiate head coach for 22 seasons. He was an assistant coach at North Dakota from 1987-1989. UND has already scored four shorthanded goals in six games this season, equaling last season’s total (four in 42 games). Two of this season’s four shorties came off the stick of injured forward Mark MacMillan. The school record for shorthanded goals in a season is 18, set in 1986-87 (48 games). On the national college hockey scene, #1 Minnesota and #2 Union have already lost this weekend.

The Prediction

In his final game at Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grafton native (and current Air Force senior) Chad Demers will make an impact. Aside from that, I just don’t think that Frank Serratore’s squad has the depth to match up with North Dakota and roll four lines for sixty minutes. If the Falcons can notch a couple of power play goals, however, this game might get interesting. UND 4, AFA 2.

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Providence College

Providence College rolls into Grand Forks this weekend to play in a highly-anticipated matchup between two of the top five teams in the country. North Dakota advanced to the Frozen Four a season ago, while the Friars fell to eventual national champion Union in the final of the NCAA East Regional (Bridgeport, CT).

Expectations are high for both programs, and non-conference success is an important step toward fulfilling those title hopes. Since Providence is an unfamiliar foe for fans of the Green and White, I connected with Mark Divver (hockey writer for the Providence Journal) to fill us in on what to expect this weekend (and beyond) from the Friars:

Dave Berger, SiouxSports.com: What should UND fans expect from Providence this weekend? Who are the players to watch?

Mark Divver, Providence Journal: North Dakota fans will see a seasoned (19 returnees), balanced, well-coached team that is backstopped by one of the top goalies in college hockey. Providence College is a team that should be in the Frozen Four conversation come March if they stay healthy.

Players to watch are Ross Mauermann, a tireless worker; Noel Acciari, a devastating hitter when healthy; Jon Gillies, one of the best goalies in the country; three NHL draft picks on defense in John Gilmour, Jake Walman and Anthony Florentino; freshman sniper Brian Pinho; senior winger Nick Saracino.

Gillies is a standout, but the heart and soul of the Friars are captains Mauermann and Acciari. Mauermann is one of the great feel-good stories in college hockey. He came to PC as a walk-on and hasn’t stopped working from day one. There is no harder hitter in college hockey in the east (I can’t speak for the west) than Acciari. He has a rib injury, so if he plays he might have to curtail his checks.

Freshmen Walman and Pinho are top recruits. They are the type of NHL prospects consistently brought in by perennial national contenders such as, well, North Dakota. The fact that they chose Providence College bodes well for the future of the program.

DB: Do you expect junior centers Mark Jankowski and Noel Acciari to play against North Dakota? What would their presence mean to the lineup?

MD: As you probably know, second-line center Jankowski (shoulder) did not make the trip. But the Friars are as deep up front as they’ve been in years, so they should be able to get by without him for the short term. Pinho is a winger, but is capable of playing in the middle, too.

Acciari is questionable because of his injury, but I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t play. He is a very tough kid – he played a good part of last season with not one but two sprained knees. How physical he can be with his injury remains to be seen. His teammates look up to him, so his presence is very important in a hostile environment.

Another injured player is top four defenseman Tom Parisi (shoulder), who won’t play. Gilmour and Drew McKenzie will be in the lineup for the first time this season, which will help balance the loss of Parisi.

DB: What will the Friars need to do to have success in this important non-conference series? How would you describe their style of play? What do they do well?

MD: Staying out of the penalty box is key for the Friars. They need to play hard between the whistles, but stay away from after-the-whistle scrums.

PC hopes to play with more pace this season after upgrading their team speed over last couple of seasons. They have some defensemen – particularly Gilmour and Walman — who can move the puck and join the attack.

DB: What are the players and coaches saying about this matchup? Is this a weekend that’s been circled on the calendar for a while? Or is it just another pair of games?

MD: I’ve been busy covering the Boston Bruins and Providence Bruins lately, so I haven’t been around the Friars much. Still, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that they are very excited. This isn’t just another road trip. Playing North Dakota at the Ralph is a rare treat. It’s as good as it gets in college hockey.

DB: How will the players and coaches handle the increased expectations this season? With a trip to the regional final last year, is a Frozen Four berth a possibility for this club?

MD: PC’s experienced coaching staff should keep the team focused. I don’t expect expectations to be an issue.

With the East Regional at the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence and the Frozen Four just up the road in Boston, PC has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put the program back on the map without venturing far from home.

I predicted in my season preview that the Friars will reach the Frozen Four. They have the goaltending, a solid defense and a balanced attack. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see a rematch of this weekend’s series in Boston in April.

My thanks to Mark Divver (@MarkDivver on Twitter) for his time and his contributions to this preview. If you’re interested, you can find his game preview for the Providence Journal here.

Providence College Team Profile

Head Coach: Nate Leaman (12th season at PC, 192-173-52, .523)
National Ranking: #5
This Season: 1-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 Hockey East
Last Season: 22-11-6 overall (NCAA East Regional finalist), 11-7-2 Hockey East (3rd)

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.00 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 0.0% (0 of 7)
Penalty Kill: 62.5% (5 of 8)

Key players: Freshman F Brian Pinho (2-0-2), Senior F Ross Mauermann (0-2-2), Junior F Noel Acciari (0-0-0), Junior F Nick Saracino (1-1-2), Sophomore D Anthony Florentino (0-2-2), Junior D Tom Parisi (1-1-2), Junior G Jon Gillies (1-1-0, 2.89 GAA, .885 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 263-134-40, .648)
National Ranking: #3
This Season: 3-1-0 overall, 2-0-0-0 NCHC (t-1st)
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

Team Offense: 3.25 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.25 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 29.2% (7 of 24)
Penalty Kill: 81.8% (18 of 22)

Key Players: Senior F Michael Parks (0-4-4), Senior F Mark MacMillan (5-2-7), Junior F Drake Caggiula (0-3-3), Freshman F Nick Schmaltz (1-3-4), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (1-0-1), Sophomore D Paul LaDue (2-4-6), Junior G Zane McIntyre (3-1-0, 2.21 GAA, .929 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: January 20, 1989 (Providence RI). North Dakota defeated the homestanding Friars 3-2 in an interconference matchup. In the early years of Hockey East, a scheduling agreement was put in place between the WCHA and Hockey East that had each conference counting these types of games in its league standings.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: November 29, 1987. In another WCHA-HEA tilt, the Fighting Sioux dispatched Providence College 6-4.

Most Important Meeting: Because of the added attention on the upcoming matchup and what the results of this series might mean for title hopes on both sides, I will call this weekend’s games the most important meetings between the two programs.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 8-5-0 (.615), including a 5-2-0 record in games played in Grand Forks. North Dakota has won the last five games between the two teams, outscoring the Friars 23-10.

Game News and Notes

Providence College plays its home games at Schneider Arena, which holds just over 3000 fans. UND senior forward Mark MacMillan notched his first career hat trick last Saturday night at Colorado College and scored five goals in the weekend sweep. The Friars tied the United States Under-18 team in exhibition action last Thursday. Three of North Dakota’s seven national titles were captured at the Providence Civic Center. Providence College head coach Nate Leaman has built his roster from 13 different states and four Canadian provinces, while UND’s players hail from seven states and four provinces.

The Prediction

It’s hard to imagine anything other than a split in this series. I’ve got North Dakota as the favorite in Friday’s opener as the Friars adjust to Ralph Engelstad Arena and the hometown crowd. Providence goaltender Jon Gillies will make his presence known in the rematch. UND 4-2, PC 3-1.

Weekend Preview: UND at Colorado College

It was time for a change in Colorado Springs.

That much was apparent after last season, when Scott Owen’s squad found lots of different ways to lose. The primary culprit was that Colorado College was not able to finish games. The Tigers scored first in 17 of 37 games last year and played opponents even in the first period (28 goals scored, 28 goals allowed). But CC was just 2-12-3 when taking the early lead and were outscored 93-46 in the final two periods and overtime a year ago.

The past two seasons were the most difficult of Owens’ coaching career. After 13 winning campaigns behind the bench (299-185-43, .608), his teams went just 25-43-11 (.386) from 2012-14.

The Tiger faithful are hopeful for a couple of reasons. The first is that CC should be strong defensively, with key returning blueliners Jacob Slavin and Peter Stoykewych leading the way. And the second is the feeling that new blood behind the bench will 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.

For North Dakota, the time is now. Head coach Dave Hakstol returns almost every piece from last season’s Frozen Four squad (only forward Rocco Grimaldi and defenseman Dillon Simpson could be considered huge losses), and the addition of new talent has the fans talking titles in Grand Forks. But the weight of those expectations could prove too much to bear, as evidenced by the 5-1 drubbing that Bemidji State laid on the Green and White in the season opener for both schools.

UND and Colorado College met five times last season (all in Grand Forks), with North Dakota winning four of the five contests. The teams are scheduled to play four regular season league games against each other this season, with the Tigers returning to Grand Forks on January 23rd and 24th for a weekend series.

Incidentally, 11 of the 22 players on North Dakota’s travel roster for this weekend have never played in Colorado Springs. Junior forward Coltyn Sanderson, sophomore forward Wade Murphy, senior defenseman Andrew Panzerella, and sophomore goaltender Matt Hrnkiw did not make the trip. The Tigers tend to play better at home, collecting five of their seven victories a year ago on the wider Olympic ice surface at World Arena.

Colorado College Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Haviland (1st season at CC)
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 2-0-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 7-24-6 overall, 6-13-5-1 NCHC (7th)

2013-14 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 2.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.27 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 12.2% (17 of 139)
Penalty Kill: 78.6% (110 of 140)

Key returning players (2013-14 statistics): Junior F Cody Bradley (6-10-16), Junior F Peter Maric (1-1-2 in 12 games), Junior F Alex Roos (10-7-17), Sophomore F Sam Rothstein (6-14-20), Sophomore D Jaccob Slavin (5-20-25), Senior D Peter Stoykewych (1-8-9), G Tyler Marble (no official statistics)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 261-134-40, .646)
National Ranking: #3
This Season: 1-1-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

2013-14 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.02 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.43 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.2% (32 of 186)
Penalty Kill: 83.4% (146 of 175)

Key Returning Players (2013-14 statistics): Senior F Michael Parks (12-18-30), Senior F Mark MacMillan (10-16-26), Junior F Drake Caggiula (11-13-24), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (6-18-24), Senior D Nick Mattson (4-9-23), Junior G Zane McIntyre (20-10-3, 1.99 GAA, .926 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 16, 2014 (Grand Forks, ND). 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.

Last Meeting in Colorado Springs: December 1, 2012. One night after dropping a 5-3 decision to the homestanding Tigers, North Dakota took the hosts to overtime before downing CC 3-2. Defenseman Dillon Simpson scored an extra attacker goal with 13 seconds remaining to force the extra session, and then-freshman Drake Caggiula potted the game-winner less than one minute into added time.

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, 143-80-10 (.635), although Colorado College holds a 57-48-4 (.541) edge in games played in Colorado Springs. The teams first met in 1948.

Last Ten: North Dakota has won six of the last ten meetings between the teams, outscoring CC 35-31 over that span. Three of the past ten contests have gone to overtime, and six of ten have been decided by a single goal.

Game News and Notes

CC opened the regular season with two victories over Alabama-Huntsville last weekend, marking the Tigers’ first home sweep since November 2012 (Bemidji State). UND head coach Dave Hakstol has a record of 20-13-1 (.603) against Colorado College. North Dakota forward Drake Caggiula has scored seven goals in his ten career 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).

The Prediction

UND should fare well in this matchup, as they have the ability to move the puck through all three zones and the forward depth required to play a weekend series at altitude. Furthermore, the boys from Grand Forks can expect a predominantly green and white crowd at World Arena, proving yet again that for North Dakota hockey, it’s always a home game. UND 3-2, 4-2.

NCHC 2014-15 Season Preview and Predictions

There’s plenty of intrigue headed into NCHC 2.0, the second season of the nation’s newest college hockey conference.

And there’s a recurring theme: the teams with an established goaltender feel like they can contend for the league title and beyond, and the teams with question marks between the pipes will be searching for answers.

Miami (junior Ryan McKay, 23 career victories), Nebraska-Omaha (senior Ryan Massa, 18), and North Dakota (junior Zane McIntyre, 29) appear to have their goalie situations solidified, with Colorado College, Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, and St. Cloud State dealing with the losses of Josh Thorimbert, Sam Brittain, Aaron Crandall, and Ryan Faragher, respectively.

And at Western Michigan, there’s a race developing between Junior Lukas Hafner and senior Frank Slubowski, but will it really matter if the Broncos can’t score?

There are two main reasons why goaltending is more important now than ever. The first is that games are more tightly contested than ever before, with most league games decided by one or two goals. And the second is that teams will rely on their netminders (especially early in the season) as new and returning players adjust to new roles and new linemates.

Here’s how the teams ended up last season, the inaugural campaign for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference:

1. St. Cloud State
2. North Dakota
3. Nebraska-Omaha
4. Minnesota-Duluth
4. Western Michigan
6. Denver
7. Colorado College
8. Miami

What follows is my prediction for the league standings, from #8 all the way up to #1. (Media prediction in parenthesis)

#8 Western Michigan Broncos (#7 in the media poll)

Head Coach: Andy Murray (4th season at WMU, 60-42-19, .574)

2013-14 Season: 19-16-5 overall, 11-11-2-2 NCHC (t-4th)
Team Offense: 2.58 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.65 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 13.3% (24 of 181)
Penalty Kill: 84.8% (178 of 210)

Key losses: F Chase Balisy (13-24-37), F Shane Berschbach (16-22-38), D Dennis Brown (2-11-13), D Jordan Oesterle (2-15-17)

Key returning players: Junior F Colton Hargrove (11-13-24), Senior F Justin Kovacs (13-20-33), Junior F Josh Pitt (9-9-18), Senior F Will Kessel (6-6-12), Junior F Nolan LaPorte (11-13-24), Sophomore D Chris Dienes (2-3-5), Junior D Kenny Morrison (4-15-19), Junior G Lukas Hafner (9-6-2, .2.06 GAA, .925 SV%, 2 SO) Senior G Frank Slubowski (10-10-3, 2.86 GAA, .905 SV%)

Potential impact freshmen: F Aidan Muir, D Scott Moldenhauer

2014-15 season outlook: Question marks abound with this team. There’s uncertainty in net (Hafner appears to have overtaken Slubowski as the team’s #1), and the Broncos lost their top two scorers from last season. Western Michigan is perhaps the most physically intimidating team in the league, but can they score enough and kill enough penalties to be relevant in the NCHC? Andy Murray’s club will be miserable to play against, but three goals will be enough to top WMU on most nights.

#7 Colorado College (#8 in the media poll)

Head Coach: Mike Haviland (1st season at CC)

2013-14 Season: 7-24-6 overall, 6-13-5-1 NCHC (7th)
Team Offense: 2.00 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.27 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 12.2% (17 of 139)
Penalty Kill: 78.6% (110 of 140)

Key losses: F Alexander Krushelnyski (11-13-24), F Archie Skalbeck (6-9-15), F Jeff Collett, (3-7-10), D Eamonn McDermott (0-5-5), G Josh Thorimbert (7-23-6, 3.17 GAA, .895 SV%, 1 SO)

Key returning players: Junior F Cody Bradley (6-10-16), Junior F Peter Maric (1-1-2 in 12 games), Junior F Alex Roos (10-7-17), Sophomore F Sam Rothstein (6-14-20), Sophomore D Jacob Slavin (5-20-25), Senior D Peter Stoykewych (1-8-9), G Tyler Marble (no official statistics)

Potential impact freshmen: D Garrett Cecere, D Duggie Lagrone, D Teemu Kivhalme, G Chase Perry

2014-15 season outlook: Will a coaching change lead to improvement all over the ice? Because that’s what the Tigers need. A shaky goaltending situation and lack of proven scoring has many doubting the Tigers’ chances at an upper-division finish. But Mike Haviland has had success in the coaching ranks and could be just what the doctor ordered in Colorado Springs.

#6 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (#6 in the media poll)

Head Coach: Dean Blais (6th season at UNO, 92-87-18, .513)

2013-14 Season: 17-8-2 overall, 13-9-2-1 NCHC (3rd)
Team Offense: 3.16 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.24 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 20.4% (37 of 181)
Penalty Kill: 80.8% (147 of 182)

Key losses: F Josh Archibald (29-14-43), F Ryan Walters (7-27-34), F Zahn Raubenheimer (6-5-11), F Johnnie Searfoss (4-8-12), F Brock Montpetit (14-19-33), D Nick Seeler (4-6-10), D Michael Young (3-19-22)

Key returning players: Senior F Dominic Zombo (17-17-34), Sophomore F Austin Ortega (9-10-19), Sophomore F Jake Guentzel (7-27-34), Sophomore D Ian Brady (4-17-21), Junior D Brian Cooper (2-7-9), Senior G Ryan Massa (11-9-1, 2.74 GAA, .899 SV%, 1 SO)

Potential impact freshmen: F Jake Montgomery, F Avery Peterson, F Jake Randolph, F Tyler Vesel, D Luc Snuggerud

2014-15 season outlook: UNO needs to replace the most talented group in program history, and they just might have the new recruits to do it. Ryan Massa will need to play well enough in net to keep Dean Blais’ squad competitive over the first half of the season until the pieces start to come together for the Mavs. Otherwise, the hole might be too deep to crawl out of.

#5 Denver Pioneers (#4 in the media poll)

Head Coach: Jim Montgomery (2nd season at DU, 20-16-6, .548)

2013-14 Season: 20-16-6 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinalist), 10-11-3-2 NCHC (6th)
Team Offense: 2.67 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.33 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 19.8% (34 of 172)
Penalty Kill: 86.6% (149 of 172)

Key losses: D David Makowski (10-14-24), G Sam Brittain (19-14-6, 2.22 GAA, .929 SV%, 5 SO)

Key returning players: Sophomore F Trevor Moore (14-18-32), Senior F Ty Loney (11-15-26),Junior F Quentin Shore (7-18-25), Senior F Daniel Doremus (9-15-24), Senior F Zac Larraza (10-10-20 in 34 games), Senior D Joey LaLeggia (12-13-25), Junior D Nolan Zajac (5-18-23)

Potential impact freshmen: F Tanner Jaillet, F Danton Heinen, D Tariq Hammond

2014-15 season outlook: Denver has all of the ingredients to have a successful season: veteran leadership, a strong set of blueliners, and top-end talent. All of the ingredients, that is, except a proven netminder. Sam Brittain was everything for the Pios, and his absence leaves a huge void. Will Evan Cowley or Greg Ogard take the reins and lead this team to the NCAA tournament? If so, the sky’s the limit for DU.

#4 Minnesota-Duluth (#5 in the media poll)

Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (15th season at UMD, 248-246-67, .502)

2013-14 Season: 16-16-4 overall, 11-11-2-2 NCHC (t-4th)
Team Offense: 2.89 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.89 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 15.8% (26 of 165)
Penalty Kill: 81.7% (147 of 180)

Key losses: F Caleb Herbert (12-19-31), F Joe Basaraba (8-10-18),F Max Tardy (1-1-2), G Aaron Crandall (14-12-3, 2.76 GAA, .900 SV%, 1 SO)

Key returning players: Junior F Tony Cameranesi (7-14-21), Senior F Justin Crandall (14-13-27), Sophomore F Alex Iafallo (11-11-22), Sophomore F Kyle Osterberg (14-13-27), Sophomore F Dominic Toninato (7-8-15), Junior D Andy Welinski (5-14-19), G Matt McNeely (2-4-1, 2.82 GAA, .894 SV%)

Potential impact freshmen: F Brett Boehm, F Karson Kuhlman, F Jared Thomas, G Kasimir Kaskisuo

2014-15 season outlook: There’s a lot to be hopeful for in Duluth. Scott Sandelin has a stable of forwards who are poised to make a jump in scoring this season. The Bulldogs will need to solidify their goaltending situation if they hope to secure home ice for the playoffs, and I think they’ll get just enough out of McNeely and Kaskisuo to do just that.

#3 St. Cloud State Huskies (#3 in the media poll)

Head Coach: Bob Motzko (10th season at SCSU, 185-137-40, .566)

2013-14 Season: 22-11-5 overall (NCAA West Regional finalist), 15-6-3-0 NCHC (1st)
Team Offense: 3.58 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.82 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 25.3% (37 of 146)
Penalty Kill: 76.9% (93 of 121)

Key losses: F Nic Dowd (21-20-41), F Cory Thorson (9-11-20), D Kevin Gravel (10-13-23), G Ryan Faragher (20-9-4, 2.79 GAA, .905 SV%, 1 SO)

Key returning players: Junior F Jonny Brodzinski (21-20-41), Junior F Kalle Kossila (13-27-40), Senior F David Morley (9-23-32), Junior F Joey Benik (12-15-27), Junior F Kimmy Murray (13-12-25), Sophomore F Ryan Papa (6-16-22), Senior D Andrew Prochno (3-16-19), Sophomore D Niklas Nevalainen (2-6-8), G Charlie Lindgren (2-2-1, 2.42 GAA, .905 SV%, 1 SO)

Potential impact freshmen: F Judd Peterson, F Patrick Russell, F Blake Winiecki, D Mika Ilvonen, D Nathan Widman

2014-15 season outlook: Bob Motzko has strung together back-to-back conference titles on the back of Ryan Faragher, but now the job is left to Charlie Lindgren and Rasmus Reijola. The Huskies will once again have a world-class power play, but will there be enough 5 on 5 scoring and depth at the center position to win the close games?

#2 North Dakota (#1 in the media poll)

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 261-134-40, .646)

2013-14 Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four semifinalist), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)
Team Offense: 3.02 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.43 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.2% (32 of 186)
Penalty Kill: 83.4% (146 of 175)

Key losses: F Rocco Grimaldi (17-22-39), F Derek Rodwell (5-5-10), D Dillon Simpson (7-16-23),

Key returning players: Junior F Drake Caggiula (11-13-24), Sophomore F Luke Johnson (8-13-21), Senior F Michael Parks (12-18-30), Senior F Mark MacMillan (10-16-26), Senior F Brendan O’Donnell (7-11-18), Junior D Jordan Schmaltz (6-18-24), Senior D Nick Mattson (4-19-23), Sophomore D Paul LaDue (6-15-21), Junior G Zane McIntyre (20-10-3, 1.99 GAA, .926 SV%, 3 SO)

Potential impact freshmen: F Nick Schmaltz, D Tucker Poolman

2014-15 season outlook: North Dakota is built to win this year. Dave Hakstol has all of the tools at his disposal: scoring depth, leadership, a wealth of talent and playmaking ability, outstanding goaltending, the best defensive corps in the country, and motivation after last season’s abrupt ending. But will the weight of pre-season expectations prove to be too much for the boys from Grand Forks?

#1 Miami RedHawks (#2 in the media poll)

Head Coach: Enrico Blasi (16th season at Miami, 313-196-53, .592)

2013-14 Season: 15-20-3 overall, 6-17-1-1 NCHC (8th)
Team Offense: 2.92 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.03 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 21.6% (35 of 162)
Penalty Kill: 80.5% (136 of 169)

Key losses: F Max Cook (1-8-9), F Byron Paulazzo (3-2-5 in 22 games)

Key returning players: Senior F Austin Czarnik (13-34-47), Junior F Riley Barber (19-25-44), Senior F Blake Coleman (19-9-28 in 27 games), Junior F Sean Kuraly (12-17-29), Sophomore F Anthony Louis (12-13-25), Senior F Alex Wideman (7-9-16), Junior D Matthew Caito (3-13-16), Sophomore D Matt Joyaux (1-4-5), G Ryan McKay (10-13-3, 2.70 GAA, .913 SV%, 4 SO)

Potential impact freshman: D Louie Belpedio

2014-15 season outlook: Miami struggled for much of last season, with injuries playing a factor. The RedHawks also lost 12 one-goal games a year ago, and in order to reverse that trend, the defensemen will need to add scoring (only nine goals and 45 total points in 2013-14). Coach Blasi has virtually his entire team back, but can they go from worst to first? If there’s a roster that can do it, this is it.

So there you have it. Do you agree? Disagree? Who do you have coming out on top? Feel free to post your predictions below, and check back in December for a midseason report.

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Bemidji State

Last season, North Dakota and Bemidji State played a home and home series during a January blizzard. This year, it’s the official opener for both teams, with a zero percent chance of snow.

There are family connections on both rosters in 2014-15. North Dakota freshman forward Nick Schmaltz joins older brother Jordan (a junior defenseman) in UND’s lineup, and his puck handling skills and vision were on full display in Sunday’s exhibition tilt against Manitoba. Fans of the Green and White should look forward to the Schmaltz brothers on the same power play unit, at least early in the season.

And Tom Serratore has his own version of Slapshot’s Hanson brothers in triplets Myles, Gerry, and Leo Fitzgerald. Miles and Gerry were second and third in scoring last season for the Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL), and the three forwards have been described as “throwback hockey players”. The Beavers have not played an exhibition game this season, but Serratore indicated that the Fitzgerald brothers would be playing together on the same line.

The teams will play a home and home series this weekend, with Bemidji traveling to UND for Friday’s opener before returning home to host North Dakota on Saturday night. BSU will have a week off before traveling to Mariucci Arena to take on the top-ranked Golden Gophers for a pair of games, while Dave Hakstol’s club will open up NCHC action next weekend at Colorado College.

These games are critical for North Dakota’s postseason aspirations. Last season, Dave Hakstol’s squad went 5-2-3 in non-conference action and barely made the playoffs, while Bemidji State sported an abysmal 0-7-3 record in non-league games. UND’s other non-conference opponents this season will be #3 Providence, #10 Wisconsin, Lake Superior State, and Niagara.

Bemidji State Team Profile

Head Coach: Tom Serratore (14th season at BSU, 211-207-56 .504)
National Ranking: NR
This Season: 0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 WCHA
Last Season: 10-21-7 overall, 10-14-4 WCHA (t-8th)

2013-14 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 2.42 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 3.11 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 14.5% (23 of 159)
Penalty Kill: 85.8% (139 of 162)

Key Returning Players (2013-14 statistics): Junior F Cory Ward (18-11-29), Junior F Markus Gerbrandt (15-10-25), Sophomore F Brendan Harms (7-14-21), Senior D Matt Prapavessis (5-17-22), Junior D Graeme McCormack (3-14-17), Senior G Andrew Walsh (7-12-4, 3.04 GAA, .904 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (11th season at UND, 260-133-40, .647.)
National Ranking: #2/#2
This Season: 0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 25-14-3 overall (NCAA Frozen Four appearance), 15-9-0-0 NCHC (2nd)

2013-14 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.02 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 2.43 goals allowed/game
Power Play: 17.2% (32 of 186)
Penalty Kill: 83.4% (146 of 175)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: January 18, 2014 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota used a balanced attack and some unlikely goal scorers to defeat Bemidji State 4-2. Conner Gaarder, Derek Rodwell, and Andrew Panzarella, who had combined for five goals on the season, all scored against the Beavers. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Bemidji in Friday’s opener. UND outshot BSU 76-32 on the weekend.

Most Important Meeting: October 15, 2010 (Bemidji, MN). In the first game played at the BREC, North Dakota spotted BSU the opening goal less than two minutes into the contest and then steamrolled the Beavers 5-2. The Fighting Sioux outshot their fellow Green-and-Whiters 38-14.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 7-1-2 (.800) in the last ten meetings between the teams, outscoring the Beavers 34-17 over that stretch of games.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 26-2-3 (.887), including an 8-1-1 (.850) record in games played in Bemidji. BSU’s two victories over North Dakota came 41 years apart (1970 and 2011).

Game News and Notes

North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol needs just three more coaching victories to pass Dean Blais and become the second-winningest head coach in program history. Bemidji State returns twenty letterwinners from last year’s roster. Junior forward Mark MacMillan leads UND with ten points in eight career games against the Beavers. UND will honor longtime WDAZ sports director Pat Sweeney prior to tonight’s contest.

The Prediction

UND will come out flying against the Beavers, showcasing the skill and depth that has them near the top of the national rankings. Saturday’s rematch in Bemidji will be a tougher contest, with North Dakota scoring late to earn the sweep UND 4-1, 2-1.

Twenty Storied Programs: #5 through #1

Last month in Philadelphia, Union became the 20th program to win an NCAA Division I men’s college hockey championship. Since 1948, teams have competed for the coveted trophy, and the Dutchmen will raise a banner celebrating this past season that will hang forever.

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at all twenty teams who have made it to the mountaintop. Today, we’re discussing the top five programs of all time. Follow the links to have a look at #20 through #16, #15 through #11, and #10 through #6.

#5 Boston University Terriers

National Championships: 5 (1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009)
Frozen Four Appearances: 21 (most recent, 2009)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 32 (most recent, 2012)
Conference Playoff Titles: 12 (most recent, 2009)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 14 (most recent, 2009)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: LW Chris Drury (1998), D Matt Gilroy (2009)

Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Cleon Daskalakis (1984), John Cullen (1987), Shawn McEachern (1991), David Sacco (1993), Mike Grier (1995), Jay Pandolfo (1996), Chris Drury (1996, 1997), Michel Larocque (1999), John Curry (2007), Colin Wilson (2009)

Other notable former players: Tony Amonte, Adrian Aucoin, Shawn Bates, Nick Bonino, Chris Borque, Joe DiPenta, Rick DiPietro, Paul Fenton, Mark Fidler, Mike Fidler, Scott Lachance, Dan LaCouture, Rick Meagher, Freddy Meyer, Jack O’Callahan, Tom Poti, Joe Sacco, Kevin Shattenkirk, Dave Silk, Mike Sullivan, Keith Tkachuk, Ryan Whitney, Brandon Yip, Scott Young

Boston University didn’t join the ECAC until the 1961-62 season but still managed to appear in four Frozen Fours as an independent in the 1950s. Jack Parker had a remarkable nine-season stretch with the Terriers from 1989 until 1998, winning 254 games (against just 82 losses), five Hockey East regular season chmapionships, and four Hockey East playoff titles. BU also advanced to nine straight NCAA tournaments over that span, appearing in the Frozen Four seven times with a national title (1995) and three runner-up finishes. The Terriers have only appeared in one Frozen Four in their past nine NCAA tourneys, but they made the most of their visit to Washington, D.C. with a pair of one-goal victories to earn the program’s fifth national title.

#4 Boston College Eagles

National Championships: 5 (1949, 2001, 2008, 2010, 2012)
Frozen Four Appearances: 24 (most recent, 2012)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 33 (most recent, 2014)
Conference Playoff Titles: 13 (most recent, 2012)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 14 (most recent, 2014)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: C David Emma (1991), D Mike Mottau (2000), LW Johnny Gaudreau (2014)

Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Scott Harlow (1986), Brian Leetch (1987), Craig Janney (1987), Tim Sweeney (1989), Greg Brown (1989, 1990), David Emma (1990), Brian Gionta (1999, 2000, 2001), Jeff Farkas (2000), Ben Eaves (2003), Tony Voce (2004), Patrick Eaves (2005), Chris Collins (2006), Nathan Gerbe (2008), Cam Atkinson (2011), Brian Dumoulin (2012), Johnny Gaudreau (2013), Kevin Hayes (2014)

Other notable former players: Andrew Alberts, Harvey Bennett, Brian Boyle, Doug Brown, Scott Clemmensen, Steven Gionta, Bill Guerin, Peter Harrold, Steve Heinze, Chuck Kobasew, Krys Kolanos, Chris Kreider, Ben Lovejoy, Marty McInnis, Ian Moran, Joe Mullen, Brooks Orpik, Marty Reasoner, Cory Schneider, Rob Scuderi, Ryan Shannon, Tim Sheehy, Ben Smith, Kevin Stevens, Bob Sweeney

The Jerry York era has been astounding at Boston College. In twenty seasons behind the bench, York has collected seven regular season titles, nine league playoff titles, fifteen NCAA tournament appearances, ten Frozen Four bids, and four national championships. But the flip side of that equation is that in the 47 seasons that BC competed for an NCAA title before York’s arrival in Chestnut Hill, the Eagles only played in the national title game three times and won exactly one championship (1949). So the question is this: are we talking about the storied history of Boston College, or the storied history of Jerry York?

#3 Minnesota Golden Gophers

National Championships: 5 (1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, 2003)
Frozen Four Appearances: 21 (most recent, 2014)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 35 (most recent, 2014)
Conference Playoff Titles: 6 (most recent, 2007)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 15 (most recent, 2014)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: C Neal Broten (1981), G Robb Stauber (1988), C Brian Bonin (1996), D Jordan Leopold (2002)

Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Steve Ulseth (1981), Bryan Erickson (1982, 1983), Scott Bjugstad (1983), Pat Micheletti (1985), Robb Stauber (1989), Larry Olimb (1992), Brian Bonin (1995), Mike Crowley (1996, 1997), Jordan Leopold (2001), Keith Ballard (2004), Ryan Potulny (2006), Adam Wilcox (2014)

Other notable former players: Russ Anderson, Mike Antonovich, Nick Bjugstad, Aaron Broten, Paul Broten, Tom Chorske, Ben Clymer, Alex Goligoski, Tom Gorence, Darby Hendrickson, Paul Holmgren, Craig Johnson, Erik Johnson, Phil Kessel, Trent Klatt, Reed Larson, John Mariucci, Paul Martin, John Mayasich, Chris McAlpine, Jack McCartan, Rob McClanahan, Joe Micheletti, Corey Millen, Warren Miller, Kyle Okposo, Tom Pederson, Lance Pitlick, Mike Polich, Mike Ramsey, Erik Rasmussen, Dave Snuggerud, Thomas Vanek, Blake Wheeler, Tom Younghands, Doug Zmolek

With this most recent season in the books, Minnesota is now tied with Michigan for the most NCAA tournament appearances (35), but they’ve also missed the tourney six times in the past 17 seasons. The past three seasons have put the Gopher faithful in a much better mood, however, with three straight league titles, two Frozen Four appearances, and a combined record of 82-30-12 (.710). In the six-team Big Ten, Minnesota will be in a position to add quite a bit of new hardware to the trophy case every season.

#2 University of North Dakota

National Championships: 7 (1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000)
Frozen Four Appearances: 20 (most recent, 2014)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 29 (most recent, 2014)
Conference Playoff Titles: 7 (most recent, 2012)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 15 (most recent, 2011)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: C Tony Hrkac (1987), LW Ryan Duncan (2007)

Hobey Baker Award Finalists: James Patrick (1983), Jon Casey (1984), Scott Sandelin (1986), Steve Johnson (1988), Russ Parent (1990), Greg Johnson (1991, 1992, 1993), Jason Blake (1997), Curtis Murphy (1998), Jason Blake (1999), Jeff Panzer (2000, 2001), Zach Parise (2003, 2004), Brandon Bochenski (2004), T.J. Oshie (2008), Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (2008), Matt Frattin (2011), Corban Knight (2013), Danny Kristo (2013)

Other notable former players: Earl Anderson, Murray Baron, Ed Belfour, Perry Berezan, Brad Berry, Brad Bombardir, Dave Christian, Mike Commodore, Matt Greene, David Hale, Alan Hangsleben, Dennis Hextall, Dave Hudson, Ryan Johnson, Bob Joyce, Brian Lee, Craig Ludwig, Brad Malone, John Marks, Troy Murray, Brock Nelson, Chris Porter, Russ Romaniuk, Gord Sherven, Doug Smail, Geoff Smith, Drew Stafford, Phil Sykes, Mark Taylor, Dave Tippett, Jonathan Toews, Gary Valk, Dixon Ward, Landon Wilson, Rick Wilson, Travis Zajac, Rick Zombo

Since 1957, North Dakota has just one stretch of “lean years”, otherwise known in Grand Forks as the Rube Bjorkman era. Bjorkman coached the Fighting Sioux from 1968-1978, and his teams collected exactly zero trophies. Otherwise, UND has been relevant and competitive throughout the history of the program, with multiple Frozen Four appearances in every decade. The longest title drought in program history is just seventeen seasons, the best such mark among the top five schools. The future is bright as well, with a current streak of twelve consecutive NCAA tournament appearances (the longest active streak in the country) and nine Frozen Four bids in the past eighteen years.

#1 Michigan Wolverines

National Championships: 9 (1948, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1964, 1996, 1998)
Frozen Four Appearances: 24 (most recent, 2011)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 35 (most recent, 2012)
Conference Playoff Titles: 9 (most recent, 2010)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 12 (most recent, 2011)

Michigan collected ten Frozen Four appearances and six national titles in the first ten seasons of the NCAA tournament. The stretch from 1957-1990 was positively horrid for the Wolverines, with just one WCHA regular season title and three appearances in the national tournament in a span of 33 years. Head coach Red Berenson brought the Maize and Blue back to prominence with 22 consecutive NCAA bids, twelve Frozen Four appearances, and two more national titles (1996, 1998). The bloom has come off the rose somewhat, however, as the Wolverines have not made the NCAAs since 2012 and have just two Frozen Four appearances in the past eleven seasons. Berenson’s teams are just 36-32-7 (.527) over the past two years, and the winds of change have started to blow in Ann Arbor.

Hobey Baker Award Winners: C Brendan Morrison (1997), C Kevin Porter (2008)

Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Denny Felsner (1991, 1992), Brian Wiseman (1994), Steve Shields (1994), David Oliver (1994), Brendan Morrison (1995, 1996), John Madden (1997), Bill Muckalt (1998), Mike Comrie (2000), Andy Hilbert (2001), T.J. Hensick (2005, 2007), Louie Caporusso (2009), Shawn Hunwick (2012)

Other notable former players: Gordon “Red” Berenson, Mike Brown, Mike Cammalleri, Andrew Cogliano, Greg Fox, David Harlock, Pat Hughes, Matt Hunwick, Jack Johnson, Mike Knuble, Mike Komisarek, Josh Langfeld, Bill MacFarland, Al Montoya, David Moss, Jeff Norton, Eric Nystrom, Jed Ortmeyer, Max Pacioretty, Rob Palmer, Steve Richmond, Dave Richter, Blake Sloan, Chris Tamer, Marty Turco, Mike Van Ryn, Aaron Ward

The Final Analysis:

It is very apparent to me that the top four teams in the rankings could really be placed in any order, and whichever program captures the next national title will vault to the top of the charts. It is perhaps most remarkable that the University of North Dakota is one of the hockey giants, considering that the other four schools in this installment all hail from the three hockey hotbeds in the United States (Massachusetts, Michigan, and Minnesota).

So now it’s your turn. Do you agree or disagree? Who would you have as your number one program of all time? And check back later this month as we take a look at the five teams most likely to break through and win their first national title.

A special thank you goes out to SiouxSports.com user “franchise” for all of the information about Hobey Baker finalists for this article.

As always, thank you for reading. I encourage you to leave your comments below and follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and analysis.

Twenty Storied Programs: #10 through #6

Ten days ago in Philadelphia, Union became the 20th program to win an NCAA Division I men’s college hockey championship. Since 1948, teams have competed for the coveted trophy, and the Dutchmen will raise a banner celebrating this past season that will hang forever.

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at all twenty teams who have made it to the mountaintop. Today, we’re discussing programs ranked #10 through #6. Follow the links to have a look at #20 through #16 and #15 through #11.

#10 Cornell Big Red

National Championships: 2 (1967, 1970)
Frozen Four Appearances: 8 (most recent, 2003)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 19 (most recent, 2012)
Conference Playoff Titles: 12 (most recent, 2010)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 8 (most recent, 2005)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: None
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Joe Nieuwendyk (1987), Doug Murray (2002), Dave LeNeveu (2003), David McKee (2005), Ben Scrivens (2010)
Other notable former players: Byron Bitz, Brad Chartrand, Sean Collins, Ken Dryden, Darren Eliot, Colin Greening, Brian Hayward, Kent Manderville, Brian McCutcheon, Matt Moulson, Douglas Murray, Riley Nash, Ryan O’Byrne, Jean-Marc Pelletier

Cornell was a Division I independent until the 1961-62 season, when the Big Red joined the ECAC. From 1966-73, Ned Harkness and Dick Bertrand combined to claim five regular season titles, five playoff titles, six tournament appearances, six Frozen Fours, two national titles, and two other runner-up finishes. Since that time, Cornell has never gone more than five seasons without appearing in the NCAAs. The only “lean years” for this program were during the Brian McCutcheon era (1987-1995), when the Lynah faithful were treated to just a single appearance in the NCAA tournament. Current head coach Mike Schafer has returned the Big Red to prominence in his 19 seasons behind the bench, and Cornell shows no signs of slowing down.

#9 Maine Black Bears

National Championships: 2 (1993, 1999)
Frozen Four Appearances: 11 (last, 2007)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 18 (last, 2012)
Conference Playoff Titles: 5 (last, 2004)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 4 (last, 1995)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: LW Scott Pellerin (1992), LW Paul Kariya (1993)
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Mike Golden (1988), David Capuano (1988, 1989), Jean-Yves Roy (1991, 1992), Jim Montgomery (1993), Chris Imes (1995), Steve Kariya (1999), Greg Moore (2006), Gustav Myquist (2010, 2011), Spencer Abbott (2012)
Other notable former players: Shawn Anderson, Bob Beers, Ben Bishop, Keith Carney, Brett Clark, Bob Corkum, Niko Dimitrakos, Mike Dunham, Chris Ferraro, Peter Ferraro, Brian Flynn, Ben Guite, Jim Howard, Doug Janik, Mike Lundin, Dustin Penner, Ted Purcell, Garth Snow, Eric Weinrich

Maine has competed at the Division I level since the 1977-78 season and joined Hockey East in 1984. Two stretches stick out with the Black Bears. From 1986-1995, Maine won seven combined regular season and playoff titles, went to the NCAAs eight times, made five Frozen Fours, and claimed their first national title. Then, from 1998-2007, the pride of Orono, Maine won two playoff titles and advanced to nine consecutive national tournaments, appearing in six Frozen Fours with a national championship in 1999 and two 2nd place finishes (2002, 2004). It’s been tougher sledding lately, with just one tournament appearance in the past seven seasons, but there’s plenty to be excited about with this program.

#8 Michigan State Spartans

National Championships: 3 (1966, 1986, 2007)
Frozen Four Appearances: 9 (most recent, 2007)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 27 (most recent, 2012)
Conference Playoff Titles: 11 (most recent, 2006)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 8 (most recent, 2001)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: C Kip Miller (1990), G Ryan Miller (2001)
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Ron Scott (1982, 1983), Craig Simpson (1985), Kelly Miller (1985), Mike Donnelly (1986), Bobby Reynolds (1989), Kip Miller (1989), Bryan Smolinski (1993), Anson Carter (1995), Chad Alban (1998), Mike York (1998, 1999), Shawn Horcoff (2000), Ryan Miller (2002), John-Michael Liles (2003), Jim Slater (2004), Jeff Lerg (2008), Torey Krug (2012)
Other notable former players: Justin Abdelkader, Norm Barnes, David Booth, Rod Brind’Amour, Jeff Brubaker, Danton Cole, Jim Cummins, Bob Essensa, Brian Glennie, Derek Grant, Steve Guolla, Adam Hall, Andre Hutchinson, Duncan Keith, Tim Kennedy, Ken Leiter, Chris Luongo, Drew Miller, Kevin Miller, Joe Murphy, Rem Murray, Jeff Petry, Doug Roberts, Corey Tropp, Mike Weaver, Neil Wilkinson, Jason Woolley

Michigan State suffered through some pretty lean years in the WCHA. From 1959-1981, the Spartans made the NCAA tournament only twice (1965-66 and 1966-67), but won a national title in 1966. Over the past 33 seasons, MSU has made the tournament 24 times, with six Frozen Four appearances and two more national championships. It’s been a tough go over the past six years, with just two winning seasons and one NCAA tourney appearance, but in the six team Big Ten Conference, Sparty will be back.

#7 Wisconsin Badgers

National Championships: 6 (1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006)
Frozen Four Appearances: 9 (most recent, 2010)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 24 (most recent, 2013)
Conference Playoff Titles: 9 (most recent, 2013)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 3 (most recent, 2000)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: C Blake Geoffrion (2010)
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: John Newberry (1982), Tony Granato (1987), Paul Ranheim (1988), Duane Derksen (1992), Steve Reinprecht (2000), Dany Heatley (2001), Brian Elliot (2006), Jamie McBain (2009), Brendan Smith (2010), Justin Schultz (2011, 2012), Joel Rumpel (2014)
Other notable former players: Mike Blaisdell, Rene Bourque, Adam Burish, Jim Carey, Chris Chelios, Jake Dowell, Davis Drewiske, Bruce Driver, Mike Eaves, Brian Engblom, Patrick Flatley, Jake Gardiner, Tom Gilbert, Sean Hill, Mark Johnson, Curtis Joseph, David Maley, Ryan McDonagh, Scott Mellanby, Brian Mullen, Mark Osiecki, Joe Pavelski, Brian Rafalski, Barry Richter, Mike Richter, Jack Skille, Paul Stanton, Derek Stepan, Gary Suter, Ryan Suter, Dean Talafous, Dave Tanabe, Kyle Turris, Brad Winchester

Wisconsin played as a Division I independent until the 1969-70 season, at which point the Badgers were admitted into the WCHA. Head coaches Bob Johnson and Jeff Sauer kept UW competing at a high level throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Current head coach Mike Eaves has continued that tradition, adding a sixth title to the trophy case in 2006. Since their inaugural season in the WCHA, Bucky has made the NCAA tournament in 25 of 45 seasons overall, with 34 years of twenty victories or more.

#6 Denver Pioneers

National Championships: 7 (1958, 1960, 1961, 1968, 1969, 2004, 2005)
Frozen Four Appearances: 14 (most recent, 2005)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 24 (most recent, 2013)
Conference Playoff Titles: 7 (most recent, 2008)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 11 (most recent, 2010)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: D Matt Carle (2006)
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Ed Beers (1982), Dallas Gaume (1986), Dave Shields (1990), Wade Dubielwicz (2002), Rhett Rakhshani (2010), Marc Cheverie (2010)
Other notable former players: Bruce Affleck, Glenn Anderson, Tyler Bozak, Chris Butler, Mike Christie, Kevin Dineen, Marshall Johnston, Cliff Koroll, Antti Laaksonen, Pete LoPresti, Keith Magnuson, Tom Martin, Peter McNab, Craig Patrick, Matt Pettinger, Rich Preston, Craig Redmond, Mark Rycroft, Drew Shore, Paul Stastny, Vic Venasky, Jason Zucker

The Denver Pioneers have a similar resume to the Michigan Wolverines, with five titles before 1970 but only one NCAA postseason appearance between 1973 and 1995 Head coach George Gwozdecky took the reins beginning with the 1994-95 campaign and guided the Pios to 12 tournament appearances (and two national championships) in his 19 seasons behind the bench, but he’s since been replaced by Jim Montgomery. I am confident that DU can compete for both regular season and postseason hardware going forward.

Follow this link for a look at the top five teams on the all-time champions list. And check back later this month for a look at the five teams most likely to break through and win their first national title.

A special thank you goes out to SiouxSports.com user “franchise” for all of the information about Hobey Baker finalists for this article.

As always, thank you for reading. I encourage you to leave your comments below and follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and analysis.

Twenty Storied Programs: #15 through #11

On Saturday night in Philadelphia, Union became the 20th program to win an NCAA Division I men’s college hockey championship. Since 1948, teams have competed for the coveted trophy, and the Dutchmen will raise a banner celebrating this season that will hang forever.

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at all twenty teams who have made it to the mountaintop. Yesterday, I went through #20 through #16, and today we’re discussing programs ranked #15 through #11…

#15 Rensselaer Engineers

National Championships: 2 (1954, 1985)
Frozen Four Appearances: 5 (most recent, 1985)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 9 (most recent, 2011)
Conference Playoff Titles: 3 (most recent, 1995)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 5 (most recent, 1985)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: None
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Adam Oates (1985), Joe Juneau (1990, 1991), Neil Little (1994), Eric Healey (1998), Joel Laing (2000), Marc Cavosie (2002), Chase Polacek (2010, 2011)
Other notable former players: John Carter, Jerry D’Amigo, Ken Hammond, Larry Landon, Mike McPhee, Kraig Nienhuis, Brandon Pirri, Brian Pothier, Daren Puppa, Brad Tapper, Graeme Townshend

The Engineers have a habit of popping up for short stints and then disappearing for 10 years or so. Here’s a look at the all-time tournament appearances: 1953, 1954, 1961, 1964, 1984, 1985, 1994, 1995, 2011. When Rensselaer is on top of the college hockey world, they really go all out. Head coach Mike Addesa followed up a 32-6-0 campaign in 1983-84 with an other-worldly 35-2-1 national championship season. But since then, RPI has only seen the NCAAs three times in the past 29 years. And with only one twenty-win season in the past decade, it’ll be an uphill climb for head coach Seth Appert to compete in the ECAC going forward.

#14 Harvard Crimson

National Championships: 1 (1989)
Frozen Four Appearances: 12 (most recent, 1994)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 21 (most recent, 2006)
Conference Playoff Titles: 7 (most recent, 2006)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 10 (most recent, 1994)

Harvard has a rich and storied tradition, with each decade filled with memorable games and remarkable accomplishments. But despite 12 Frozen Four appearances, the Crimson have only advanced to three championship games, losing to Wisconsin (1983) and Michigan State (1986) before breaking through against Minnesota in 1989. Harvard found a recent run of success with five straight tourney appearances and three playoff titles between 2001 and 2006, but the boys from Cambridge, Massachusetts have only collected 94 wins in the eight seasons since then.

Hobey Baker Award Winners: D Mark Fusco (1983), C Scott Fusco (1986), LW Lane MacDonald (1989)
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Scott Fusco (1985), Lane MacDonald (1987), Allen Bourbeau (1989), Peter Ciavaglia (1991), Ted Drury (1993), Sean McCann (1994), Dov Grumet-Morris (2005)
Other notable former players: Craig Adams, Dan Bolduc, Ted Donato, Alexander Killorn, Louis Leblanc, Craig MacDonald, Steve Martins, Bob McManama, Dominic Moore, Dylan Reese, Neil Sheehy, Don Sweeney, Noah Welch

#13 Lake Superior Lakers

National Championships: 3 (1988, 1992, 1994)
Frozen Four Appearances: 4 (most recent, 1994)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 10 (most recent, 1996)
Conference Playoff Titles: 4 (most recent, 1995)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 3 (most recent, 1996)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: None
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Mark Vermette (1988), Bruce Hoffort (1989), Jim Dowd (1991), Darrin Madeley (1992), Brian Rolston (1993), Keith Aldridge (1996)
Other notable former players: Will Acton, Bates Battaglia, Kevin Czuczman, Chris Dahlquist, John Flesch, John Grahame, Paul Jerrard, Dan Keczmer, Sandy Moger, Steven Oleksy, Derek Smith, Rob Valicevic, Doug Weight

From 1987-1996, the Lakers were a college hockey dynasty. Head coaches Frank Anzalone and Jeff Jackson amassed a combined record of 277-80-39 (.749), and Lake Superior appeared in nine straight NCAA tournaments with three national titles and a runner-up finish in 1993. Perhaps the most astounding fact of all is that the best Laker team, the 1990-91 squad, went 36-5-4 but lost their first round NCAA playoff series to Clarkson and didn’t make the Frozen Four. Still, it’s been 18 seasons since those glory days without a single noteworthy accomplishment or tournament appearance. Until that changes, the Lakers are stuck in the past.

#12 Michigan Tech Huskies

National Championships: 3 (1962, 1965, 1975)
Frozen Four Appearances: 10 (most recent, 1981)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 10 (most recent, 1981)
Conference Playoff Titles: 1 (1962)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 6 (most recent, 1976)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: None
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Jamie Ram (1994), Colin Murphy (2005)
Other notable former players: Lou Angotti, Gary Bauman, Chris Conner, Chris Durno, Tony Esposito, John Grisdale, Steve Jensen, Al Karlander, Bob Lorimer, George Lyle, Randy McKay, Gord McRae, Glenn Merkosky, Damian Rhodes, Jarkko Ruutu, Andre Savage, John Scott, Lorne Stamler, Andy Sutton, Tim Watters, Clay Wilson, Warren Young, Mike Zuke

John MacInnes coached Michigan Tech from 1956 until 1982, and under his leadership the Huskies were one of the top programs in the country for the better part of two decades. In a 17 year stretch, MTU appeared in eight Frozen Fours, with three national titles and three runner-up finishes. The issue for the boys from Houghton is that in the past 34 years, there has been absolutely nothing to cheer about. No regular season titles, no postseason titles, and no NCAA tournament appearances. For 34 years straight. And in that stretch of time, MTU has managed only two winning seasons: 17-15-5 in 1992-93 and 18-17-5 in 2006-07.

#11 Colorado College Tigers

National Championships: 2 (1950, 1957)
Frozen Four Appearances: 10 (most recent, 2005)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 20 (most recent, 2011)
Conference Playoff Titles: 1 (1978)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 9 (most recent, 2008)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: LW Peter Sejna (2003), C Marty Sertich (2005)
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Jay MacNeil (1995), Peter Geronazzo (1996), Brian Swanson (1997, 1999), Tom Preissing (2003), Brett Sterling (2005, 2006), Marty Sertich (2006)
Other notable former players: Joey Crabb, Mark Cullen, Dave Feamster, Jack Hillen, Doug Lidster, Curtis McElhinney, Eddie Mio, Doug Palazzari, Toby Petersen, Nate Prosser, Chad Rau, Jaden Schwartz, Greg Smith, Colin Stuart, Mark Stuart

When it’s coming up on 60 years since your program’s last national title, the shine starts to come off of the trophy. As evidenced by the statistics above, Colorado College has had plenty of successful regular seasons over the past twenty years, but the lack of postseason success is astounding. The Tigers never won the WCHA Final Five despite appearing in the title game three times, and they’ve only appeared in one Frozen Four since 1997. And after the 1957 championship, CC only made the NCAA tournament once in the next 37 seasons. A new coach might breathe some life into this team, but it’ll be an uphill climb in the NCHC.

Check back next week for a look at #10 through #6 on the all-time champions list. And once we’re through with the twenty programs which have claimed college hockey’s biggest prize, we’ll take a look at the five teams most likely to break through and win their first national title.

A special thank you goes out to SiouxSports.com user “franchise” for all of the information about Hobey Baker finalists for this article.

As always, thank you for reading. I encourage you to leave your comments below and follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and analysis.

Twenty Storied Programs: #20 through #16

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at all twenty teams who have made it to the mountaintop, beginning today with #20 through #16…

#20: Bowling Green Falcons

National Championships: 1 (1984)
Frozen Four Appearances: 2 (most recent, 1984)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 9 (most recent, 1990)
Conference Playoff Titles: 4 (most recent, 1988)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 7 (most recent, 1987)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: LW George McPhee (1982), C Brian Holzinger (1995)
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Brian Hills (1982, 1983), Nelson Emerson (1988, 1989, 1990), Rob Blake (1990), Jordan Sigalet (2005)
Other notable former players: Gary Kruzich, Brian MacLellan, Ken Morrow, Greg Parks, Kelly Perrault, Jeff Wells

Bowling Green collected a whole bunch of hardware between 1975 and 1990, and the Falcons haven’t been back to the national tournament since then. Head coaches Ron Mason and Jerry York left for greener pastures (Michigan State and Boston College, respectively), and it’s been downhill for 25 years. Current head coach Chris Bergeron has a chance at returning the Falcons to glory in the new-look WCHA, but with Ferris State and Minnesota State the class of that league, he’ll have to catch lightning in a bottle.

#19 Northern Michigan Wildcats

National Championships: 1 (1991)
Frozen Four Appearances: 3 (most recent, 1991)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 8 (most recent, 2010)
Conference Playoff Titles: 2 (most recent, 1981)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 3 (most recent, 1991)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: None
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Steve Bozek (1981), Gary Emmons (1986, 1987), Phil Berger (1988), Brad Werenka (1991), Scott Beattie (1991, 1992), Tuomas Tarkki (2005), Mark Olver (2010)
Other notable former players: Dallas Drake, Erik Gustafsson, Tom Laidlaw, Mike Santorelli, Ed Ward, Steve Weeks

Northern Michigan has only been a Division I program since 1976, and the Wildcats quickly rose to prominence with two Frozen Four appearances (and one runner-up finish) in their first five seasons at college hockey’s top level. After that meteoric ascent, it took head coach Rick Comley another ten years to win a national title. Walt Kyle is just the second coach in the program’s history, and he has taken NMU to the national tournament just once in his twelve seasons behind the bench.

#18 Yale Bulldogs

National Championships: 1 (2013)
Frozen Four Appearances: 2 (most recent, 2013)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 6 (most recent, 2013)
Conference Playoff Titles: 2 (most recent, 2011)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 3 (most recent, 2010)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: None
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Bob Brooke (1983), Mark Kaufmann (1993), Ray Giroux (1998), Jeff Hamilton (1999, 2001), Chris Higgins (2003)
Other notable former players: Mark Arcobello, John Emmons, Craig Ferguson, Bob Kudelski, Brad Mills, Randy Wood

The Yale Bulldogs have certainly burst on the scene lately, with only two seasons of note (1951-52 and 1997-98) before this recent stretch of success. It remains to be seen whether Keith Allain can bring the Elis back to the top of the ECAC with Quinnipiac, Colgate, and Union in the picture. Yale has gone 128-64-17 (.653) over the past six seasons, though, so I expect them to be back in the playoff hunt before too long.

#17 Union Dutchmen

National Championships: 1 (2014)
Frozen Four Appearances: 2 (most recent, 2014)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4 (most recent, 2014)
Conference Playoff Titles: 3 (most recent, 2014)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 3 (most recent, 2014)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: None
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Troy Grosenick (2012), Shane Gostisbehere (2014)
Notable former players: Steve Baker, Kyle Bodie, Mario Giallonardo, Jeff Hutchins, Duane Joyce, Nolan Julseth, Keith Kinkaid, Trevor Koenig, Jeremy Welsh, Kelly Zajac

Union has only been competing at the Division I level since 1991, and they’ve really only risen to prominence in the past five years. UC went 18 years without a twenty-win season, and since then they’ve done it five straight times. The Dutchmen have collected 127 victories over the past five campaigns, with three regular season titles, three league playoff titles, four NCAA tournament appearances, two Frozen Four bids, and the most recent national title. Still, it remains to be seen whether Union can continue this type of success over the long term.

#16: Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs

National Championships: 1 (2011)
Frozen Four Appearances: 4 (most recent, 2011)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 8 (most recent, 2012)
Conference Playoff Titles: 3 (most recent, 2009)
Regular Season Conference Titles: 3 (most recent, 1993)

Hobey Baker Award Winners: D Tom Kurvers (1984), RW Bill Watson (1985), LW Chris Marinucci (1994), RW Junior Lessard (2004), C Jack Connolly (2012)
Hobey Baker Award Finalists: Brett Hull (1996), Derek Plante (1993), Jack Connolly (2011)
Other notable former players: Pat Boutette, Jason Garrison, Curt Giles, Jim Johnson, Dave Langevin, Norm Maciver, Bob Mason, Matt Niskanen, Mark Pavelich, Shjon Podein, Mason Raymond, Jay Rosehill, Dennis Vaske

Head coach Scott Sandelin took the Bulldogs to the top of the college hockey world just three seasons ago, but the consistency hasn’t been there. In his 14 years at Duluth, he has earned one league playoff title and four NCAA tournament bids. Sandelin has made the most of his time in the national tourney, however, with two Frozen Four bids in four chances. His predecessor, Mike Sertich, made the NCAAs in each of his first three seasons (1982-85) with two regular season titles, two playoff titles, and two Frozen four bids, but after that unbelievable start he took his team to the national tournament just once in his last fifteen years behind the bench.

Here’s a look at #15 through #11 on the all-time champions list. Check back later this week for the top ten.

And once we’re through with the twenty programs which have claimed college hockey’s biggest prize, we’ll take a look at the five teams most likely to break through and win their first national title.

A special thank you goes out to SiouxSports.com user “franchise” for all of the information about Hobey Baker finalists for this article.

As always, thank you for reading. I encourage you to leave your comments below and follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and analysis.