Sioux Sports Talk

There’s no question that these two teams have history: bad blood, controversy, and postseason clashes. But rather than looking at the past, both schools are treating this weekend’s action as an important series that will affect the conference race and the national playoff picture.

After narrowly missing out on last year’s NCAA tournament (and the West Regional held at Pepsi Center in Denver), the Pioneers seem poised for a run toward this year’s Frozen Four, also held at Pepsi Center.

They will have to make that playoff run without their leading scorer. Sophomore Brock Trotter, who had amassed season totals of 13 goals and 18 assists in 24 games, signed a pro contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Trotter played his last game as a Pioneer on January 19th against Bemidji State.

It has been a tale of two seasons for Denver. The Pioneers opened the season with a sparkling record of 17-4-0, but have struggled recently, winning only twice in their last seven contests (2-4-1). UND, on the other hand, spent the first half of the season in “Splitsville”, splitting eight consecutive series. The Sioux have been red-hot lately, compiling an 8-1-1 record in the year 2008. North Dakota also holds the nation’s longest current unbeaten streak, bringing an 8-0-1 mark into this weekend’s series.

Denver Team Profile
National Rankings: #6/#6
Head Coach: George Gwozdecky (14th season at DU, 316-199-41, .605)
This Season: 19-8-1 Overall, 13-6-1 WCHA
Special Teams: Power Play 14.2% (19 of 134), Penalty Kill 89.3% (117 of 131)
Last Season: 21-15-4, 13-11-4 WCHA (4th)
Key Players: Freshman F Tyler Bozak (14-12-26), Sophomore F Rhett Rakhshani (10-11-21), Sophomore F Tyler Ruegsegger (10-10-20), Junior D Chris Butler (1-13-14), Senior G Peter Mannino (18-8-1, 2.15 GAA, .921 SV, 4 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #3/#3
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 95-53-13, .630)
This Season: 17-8-2 Overall, 14-7-1 WCHA
Specialty Teams: Power Play 17.5% (21 of 120), Penalty Kill 89.1% (115 of 129)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (10-16-26), Junior F T.J. Oshie (12-14-26), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (11-12-23), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-20-22), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-17-19), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (17-8-2, 1.73 GAA, .934 SV, 4 SO)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: December 1, 2007. UND wins 3-1 in Denver to salvage a split. The Pioneers won the first game, 1-0, on Tyler Bozak’s power play goal.
Last Meeting in Grand Forks: October 29, 2005. Denver wins 7-2 to split the two-game series. North Dakota won on Friday night, 3-1.
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.
All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 126-109-7 (.535). North Dakota leads the series in Grand Forks, 76-39-4 (.655).

Game News and Notes
UND goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux enters the weekend leading the nation in both save percentage (.934) and goals-against average (1.73). The senior netminder has allowed only one goal in seven of his previous eight games. Both Lamoureux and Pioneer senior goaltender Peter Mannino have four shutouts on the season (tied for second among NCAA goalies) . North Dakota junior forward T.J. Oshie has 14 career game-winning goals, ranking third in school history. Freshman Evan Trupp, who scored in overtime to lift North Dakota past Minnesota, now has four game-winning goals this season. With the departure of Brock Trotter, Denver freshman forward Tyler Bozak is the team’s active scoring leader with 14 goals and 12 assists. Bozak could become the second consecutive Pioneer freshman to lead the team in scoring, a feat Brock Trotter pulled off last season. UND sophomore forward Chris VandeVelde has 16 points (7g, 9a) in his last 15 games. Both teams are coming off three-point weekends against Minnesota.

The Prediction
Both schools bring a great deal of talent to the ice. If UND has an edge, it’s on the blue line, both in terms of experience and offensive punch. These games will be tightly contested, and special teams will be key. North Dakota should be rested and ready, and the crowd will make a difference this weekend. UND 2-1, 3-2.

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

All of the talk surrounding this past weekend’s games has been focused on UND head coach Dave Hakstol’s finger and the 160 combined penalty minutes during Saturday’s contest. This has slowly degenerated into discussions about “class” and the difference between “dirty play” and “hard-nosed hockey”.

It should come as no surprise to any of you that I want to write about the hockey games. I am aware that all of the incidents and suspensions are a part of the game story, but it’s reached a point where the games themselves (and some outstanding player performances) have taken a backseat, and that’s a shame.

Let’s begin with two outstanding goaltenders, Minnesota’s Alex Kangas and North Dakota’s Jean-Philippe Lamoureux. While Lamoureux (17-8-2, 1.73 GAA, .934 SV, 4 SO) has been steady all season for the Fighting Sioux, Kangas (5-5-6, 2.16 GAA, .923 SV) has been a spark for the Gophers lately after taking over for Jeff Frazee on January 12th at St. Cloud State. In starting the last six games for Minnesota, the freshman Kangas has allowed only 10 goals.

Both goaltenders were phenomenal in Minneapolis last weekend, matching each other save-for-save. Lamoureux stopped 50 of 52 shots in the two-game series; Kangas, 59 of 62. If Alex Kangas can continue his solid play (equal parts steady and spectacular), the Gophers can make a run at a top-five conference finish and home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.

Evan Trupp’s overtime winner on Friday night was nothing short of spectacular, and belongs in the top three Sioux/Gopher goals of all time, along with Blake Wheeler’s overtime winner in the 2007 Final Five championship game and Neal Broten’s game-winning goal in the 1979 national title game.

Either game could have gone either way last weekend. On Friday, the Sioux were fortunate to escape the first period with a 1-1 tie, despite being outshot 8-2. Throughout the remainder of the contest, UND built momentum and held a 32-14 edge in shots on goal. Even so, Minnesota held on until Trupp’s overtime winner made the final score 2-1.

And in Saturday’s opening frame, Minnesota outshot North Dakota 13-4, but the teams were scoreless after one. UND held a 24-17 edge over the final 45 minutes, but each squad could muster only one third-period tally, and after the aforementioned donnybrook and a heated handshake line, each team had earned a hard-fought point.

A word about shot totals: I understand that many find “shots on goal” to be an overrated stat, and it may be. But it is certainly an indicator of puck possession, time spent in the offensive zone, and scoring chances. After all, you can’t score if you don’t shoot, and you can’t shoot if you don’t have the puck. So along with other stats like faceoff wins, scoring chances, and penalty minutes, “shots on goal” can be a helpful tool. After all, we can’t measure “which team wants it more”, despite what our friends at FSN might think.

UND’s penalty kill continues to impress, as North Dakota skated off all seven Minnesota power plays on the weekend. For the season, the Fighting Sioux have killed over 89 percent (115 of 129) of short-handed situations.

The Sioux were held scoreless in 12 man advantage situations and saw their power play percentage drop to 17.5% (21 of 120). North Dakota has scored only one power play goal in its last 22 opportunities.

North Dakota (17-8-2, 14-7-1 WCHA) has this weekend off before hosting Denver University on February 15th and 16th. Minnesota (12-12-6, 6-10-4 WCHA) travels to face those same Pioneers in Denver this weekend.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and suggestions. For more on the Sioux/Gopher rivalry, click here. For more information on the matchup between the two teams, click here.

In a first look at the PWR a couple weeks ago, I suggested that the superficial similarities to past seasons were deceptive and that this season was different. Since that claim, the Sioux have extended their unbeaten streak to 9, compelling me to hurry up and prove my point before it starts to look even sillier.

At first glance, this season did indeed seem to have one of the slow starts for which Hakstol is becoming famous:

	Record
12-31-2005	13-8-1
12-31-2006	10-10-1
12-31-2007	9-7-1

What, then, made me claim the Sioux weren’t following the same pattern? I was looking at the Pairwise rankings. In each of 2005 and 2006, the Sioux would have been #16 or below if the season had ended at some point in January. In 2007, the Sioux never dipped below 9th, a guaranteed NCAA tournament spot. Here are the charts:

Or in a more interactive format (hover over a datapoint to see the weekend’s results):

2007-08 PWR
2006-07 PWR
2005-06 PWR

Because I had looked at PWR first, I was a little surprised when I dug deeper and found the win-loss table for the first half of this season to be so similar to 2005 and 2006. The similarity in game results but wild difference in PWR seems to come down to who the Sioux played and lost to.

Though the Sioux failed to sweep any opponent in Fall ’07, they also escaped unswept. In contrast, the 2005 and 2006 campaigns featured sweeps of lesser opponents and getting swept by greater opponents. In 2007, the Sioux played tough opponents and managed to stay just above .500 against them, also allowing the Sioux to stay above .500 in TUC and most COP comparisons.

Every Sioux opponent in Fall 2007 is currently a TUC (in fact, every past or future opponent but Alaska-Anchorage and Bemidji State are TUCs, and AA is on the cusp at #26). So, to further try to compare the level of last Fall’s competition to that of ’08 to date, I used KRACH to predict game outcomes. The Sioux should have won 63.5% of their game in Fall 2007 but 73% of their games so far in 2008(*). Though it doesn’t diminish the stark contrast between a 9 game unbeaten streak and last Fall’s sequence of splits, the Sioux have certainly played easier opponents in the former.

FYI — for its remaining series, KRACH predicts a 69.9% winning percentage for the Sioux, though that average is really tugged by its outliers: 52% chance of defeating Denver vs. 88% vs. Bemidji St.

(*) I’m conveniently ignoring that the Sioux splitting against the Fall opponents raises those opponents’ KRACH while their defeating Spring opponents lowers those opponents’ KRACH

Friday, January 26, 2007. Minnesota (21-3-3, 13-2-3 WCHA) and North Dakota (13-11-2, 7-9-2 WCHA) face off at Mariucci Arena in the only regular-season series between the two teams. The Gophers jump out to a quick 2-0 lead in the opening period on goals by Ryan Stoa and Alex Goligoski, and appear to have taken away any hope the Sioux may have had of stealing points from the series.

Cue Robbie Bina. The junior defenseman scored a short-handed goal at 18:05 of the first period, and UND, despite being outshot 15 to 7 in the opening frame, went into the locker room trailing only 2-1. The Fighting Sioux would score the next four goals of the contest (including the only three goals of the second period) and win the opener, 5-3.

North Dakota laid claim to a 2-0 lead in the first period of Saturday’s contest, but Minnesota roared back, scoring three power play goals in a six minute span. Things went from bad to worse when North Dakota, having already given up five power play goals in the first 76 minutes of the series, found itself short-handed yet again.

And you know the rest. Robbie Bina’s 180 footer, the most-watched college hockey goal of all time (298,000 views on YouTube alone), knotted the score at 3-3 and sent Jeff Frazee packing and the Gophers reeling. North Dakota rattled off four more goals and won going away, 7-3.

North Dakota rode the momentum from that weekend sweep to a 14-3-3 record over its final 20 games and a third consecutive Frozen Four berth.

Minnesota, meanwhile, found itself in a bit of a second-half slump, faltering to a 12-9-0 finish after beginning the season 19-1-3.

This season, the roles are seemingly reversed. UND (16-8-1, 13-7-0 WCHA) appears to have righted the ship, winning seven consecutive games and sitting all alone in second place in the WCHA. Minnesota (12-11-5, 6-9-3 WCHA) has won only twice in its last seven contests (2-2-3) and sports a 5-6-5 mark since Thanksgiving. North Dakota, by comparison, is 11-5-0 over that same span.

The Golden Gophers find themselves in sixth place in the conference, one point ahead of Michigan Tech, MSU-Mankato, and St. Cloud State. Minnesota is hoping to avoid going on the road for the first round of the WCHA playoffs. North Dakota is all alone in second place, two points ahead of third-place Denver and nine points ahead of two fourth-place teams, Wisconsin and Minnesota-Duluth. The Fighting Sioux are hoping to stay in one of the top three positions, advance to the Final Five, and avoid the dreaded Thursday play-in game.

That being said, this weekend’s games are critical for league points, momentum, and the all-important Sioux-Gopher rivalry.

In the first two games of this season’s series, the Sioux and Gophers split a pair at Ralph Engelstad Arena, with UND winning 4-2 on Friday night and Minnesota winning 4-3 on Saturday night. North Dakota is 8-2-0 since that weekend split; the Gophers, 3-3-4.

Last season, North Dakota took three of four games from Minnesota, including the aformentioned series sweep at Mariucci Arena and an overtime victory in the NCAA West Regional Final which propelled the Sioux to the Frozen Four. Minnesota defeated North Dakota 3-2 in overtime to claim the WCHA Final Five Championship in St. Paul.

Minnesota Team Profile
National Rankings: #18/#15
Head Coach: Don Lucia (9th season at Minnesota, 232-107-34, .668)
This Season: 12-11-5 Overall, 6-9-3 WCHA (6th)
Special Teams: Power Play 12.6% (15 of 119), Penalty Kill 86.4% (95 of 110)
Last Season: 31-10-3 Overall, 18-7-3 WCHA (1st)
Key Players: Junior F Blake Wheeler (13-12-25), Senior F Ben Gordon (9-12-21), Sophomore F Jay Barriball (3-12-15), Junior D R.J. Anderson (4-7-11), Freshman G Alex Kangas (5-4-5, 2.28 GAA, .918 SV)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #3/#3
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 94-53-12, .629)
This Season: 16-8-1 Overall, 13-7-0 WCHA (2nd)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 19.4% (21 of 108), Penalty Kill 88.5% (108 of 122)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four Semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (10-16-26), Junior F T.J. Oshie (12-14-26), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (10-12-22), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-19-21), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-17-19), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (16-8-1, 1.80 GAA, .932 SV, 4 SO)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: December 8, 2007 (Grand Forks, ND). The Golden Gophers survive a furious two-goal rally in the final four minutes of the hockey game to prevail, 4-3. North Dakota won the opener, 4-2.
Last Meeting at Mariucci Arena: January 27, 2007. Robbie Bina singlehandedly ends Frazee’s night, deflates the Gophers, and earns himself the #1 play on SportsCenter. UND wins 7-3 to complete their first two-game sweep in Minneapolis since 1980.
Most Important Meeting: March 24, 1979. North Dakota and Minnesota meet to decide the national championship, and the Gophers prevail, 4-3.
All-time Series: Minnesota leads the all-time series, 130-121-11 (.517), including a 70-50-4 (.581) record in games played in Minneapolis.

Game News and Notes
UND and Minnesota have each won five of the previous ten meetings between the teams. North Dakota is 10-14-4 in games played at the new Mariucci since it opened in the fall of 1993, but has won the last three contests there. UND has won at least one game on 22 consecutive regular season weekends, the longest streak in the WCHA. Ryan Duncan and T.J. Oshie have each collected 11 points in 10 career games against Minnesota. North Dakota senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux started his 50th consecutive game last Saturday against Alaska-Anchorage, the longest streak in school history. UND junior defenseman Zach Jones has not been whistled for a penalty in 14 consecutive games. Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol is six victories away from 100 for his career.

The Prediction
A sweep is hard to come by at Mariucci Arena, particularly two years in a row. North Dakota has the edge in every category, but something tells me Minnesota will be ready to play. UM 2-1, UND 4-2.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Click here for commentary on the weekend game action.

North Dakota’s power play is on fire, and that spells doom for the Seawolves this weekend.

UND comes into this weekend’s series riding a five-game winning streak. During that five game span, the Sioux have converted 39 percent (9 of 23) of power-play opportunities. Prior to their current winning streak, North Dakota’s success rate with the man advantage was 14.7 percent. For the season, Alaska-Anchorage has killed off less than 80 percent (87 of 109) of its shorthanded situations.

Special teams will definitely be a factor this weekend, as the two teams combine for over 34 penalty minutes per game (UND 19.43, UAA 15.18). The Seawolves have allowed 22 power play goals this season; the Sioux, 14.

Anchorage will need to strike quickly to stay in these games. For the season, North Dakota has outscored opponents 27-7 in the first period, and holds a record of 8-2-1 (.773) when scoring first. When opponents score first, North Dakota is 6-6-0 (.500).

Alaska-Anchorage Team Profile
National Rankings: -/-
Head Coach: Dave Shyiak (3rd season at UAA, 25-58-12, .326)
This Season: 6-10-6 Overall, 2-10-4 WCHA (10th)
Special Teams: Power Play 17.4% (16 of 92), Penalty Kill 79.8% (87 of 109)
Last Season: 13-21-3, 8-19-1 WCHA (10th)
Key Players: Sophomore F Kevin Clark (7-13-20), Sophomore F Paul Crowder (6-11-17), Sophomore F Josh Lunden (10-9-19), Junior D Mat Robinson (2-10-12), Sophomore G Jon Olthius (5-10-6, 3.11 GAA, .880 SV)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #4/#4
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 92-53-12, .624)
This Season: 14-8-1 Overall, 11-7-0 WCHA (3rd)
Special Teams: Power Play 20.4% (20 of 98), Penalty Kill 87.6% (99 of 113)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (10-13-23), Junior F T.J. Oshie (10-12-22), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (9-11-20), Senior D Robbie Bina (2-18-20), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-16-18), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (14-8-1, 1.87 GAA, .929 SV)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: January 13, 2007 (Grand Forks, ND). The Fighting Sioux blank the Seawolves, 4-0, after skating to a 3-3 tie the previous night. A heated exchange during the pre-game warm-up carried over onto the ice, as North Dakota forward Rylan Kaip and Alaska-Anchorage captain Chad Anderson were ejected following their second-period fight. UND held UAA scoreless on 10 power-play opportunities for the weekend.
Most important meeting: March 19, 2004, St. Paul, MN (Final Five Semifinal). North Dakota defeats Alaska-Anchorage, 4-2, to advance to the championship game the following night. The Sioux outshoot the Seawolves, 45-24, and the two teams combine for 56 penalty minutes, 30 in the third period alone.
All-time: North Dakota leads the all-time series, 34-16-2 (.673).

Game News and Notes
UND has won at least one game on 21 consecutive regular-season weekends, tops among WCHA teams. UND senior netminder Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux has 92 career starts, and is now fourth all-time among Sioux goaltenders, behind only Toby Kvalevog (121 games played from 1993-97), Karl Goehring (118, 1997-2001), and Peter Waselovich (104, 1973-77). North Dakota forwards T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan are the top two active career point leaders in the WCHA. Oshie leads the way with 119 points in 108 career games, and Duncan is second with 116 points in 111 games. No other active WCHA player has more than 100 career points.

The Prediction
The Sioux are loaded with talent and hitting their stride. Barring a major letdown or a line brawl, North Dakota will pick up its second consecutive sweep this weekend and head to Mariucci riding a seven-game winning streak. UND 4-1, 4-2.

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

For years, college hockey fans online have been discussing the PairWise Rankings as soon as they could begin calculating them. However, the unofficial start of the “bracketology” season is still when USCHO joins the party with their own PWR calculation and their bracketology column. (As a side note, see Does USCHO Own Pairwise, if you missed it, for an interesting look at whether USCHO owns the term Pairwise, with some of the big players in the story having left comments on the blog).

In games played through January 21, the Sioux are currently 5th in the Pairwise. Though many comparisons have been made between this season and past Hakstol seasons that started slow and ended with a hot run to the NCAA tournament, the PWR tells us this year is different.

The PWR Trend Chart shows the Sioux have never dipped lower than #9 this season, a guaranteed tournament berth if maintained until season end.

While the Sioux could definitely fall (see the caveat at the end of the column), right now we’re interested in how they can rise. A top four ranking could result in a favorable #1 tournament seed. To look at how a team can rise, you need to examine those comparisons that the team is currently losing, and figure out if and how each can be won. From the UND PWR details page, those are:

Clarkson

Clarkson holds only a 2-1 advantage in this comparison.

Clarkson takes the TUC and COP points, with plenty of games remaining in both. If the Sioux can flip either and hold onto their RPI advantage, this could be an easy point to grab.

Remaining COP games include two Clarkson games vs. CC and two UND games vs. SCSU.

Colorado College

Colorado College holds a daunting 4-1 lead in this comparison.

A good run by the Sioux combined with a downturn for CC could let UND snag two of RPI, COP, and TUC, but UND is not in the driver’s seat on this one.

Denver

Though Denver also holds a 4-1 lead in this comparison, UND has more direct control thanks to two remaining head-to-head games (at Grand Forks, Feb 15-16). Those provide the best opportunity for UND to gain ground in a hurry, though even a split would leave UND chasing two of the three TUC, RPI, and COP, just as with CC.

Miami

Miami holds a 2-0 lead.

It’s not guaranteed that Miami will hit the required 10 games vs. TUCs to bring that comparison criterion into play.

That leaves UND needing to take the RPI, which is quite doable.

Michigan

Michigan holds a 3-0 lead in this comparison.

It’s TUC, COP, and RPI leads are more formidable than any of the other teams listed above. This one’s a long-shot.

Caveat lector

Looking at individual comparisons, like I did above, is almost useless this early in the season. Because teams fall into and out of being a TUC, the fortunes of teams such as Mankato (#25) and Michigan Tech (#22) could easily double the size of UND’s lost comparison list.

Then why do we bother? It seems fun.

PWR resources

SiouxSports.com Pairwise table
USCHO Pairwise table
CollegeHockeyNews Pairwise table
USCHO Pairwise explanationrpihockey.net comparison of rankings
SiouxSports.com Rankings Trends Charts

The second-half surge is upon us.

Looking at the 4-2-0 record that UND has posted in the past three weekends, the above point may be debatable. But watching the way this team has played in home series against New Hampshire and Michigan Tech and on the road at St. Cloud State, it is clear that the Sioux are poised and ready for another playoff run.

The second-half schedule is laid out nicely for North Dakota to hold on to a top-three spot in the conference, and perhaps push Denver for second place. Either way, UND is positioned nicely for the Final Five and an NCAA tournament run, thanks in no small part to their strength of schedule and non-conference record.

The Mavericks are the only WCHA team scoring under two goals per game in the conference, and that trend will continue against a much-improved defensive corps, one of the nation’s best goaltenders, and the country’s 5th best penalty kill.

MSU-Mankato Team Profile
National Rankings: #20/-
Head Coach: Troy Jutting (8th season at MSU-M, 117-137-38, .466)
This Season: 9-8-4 Overall, 3-7-4 WCHA (9th)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 10.8% (10 of 93), Penalty Kill 85.8% (97 of 113)
Last Season: 13-19-6, 10-13-5 WCHA (8th)
Key Players: Sophomore F Trevor Breuss (5-11-16), Senior F Joel Hanson (4-8-12), Junior F Mick Berge (10-2-12), Junior G Mike Zacharias (8-5-4, 1.94 GAA, .930 SV, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile
National Rankings: #6/#7
Head Coach: Dave Hakstol (4th season at UND, 90-53-12, .619)
This Season: 12-8-1 Overall, 9-7-0 WCHA (3rd)
Specialty Teams: Power Play 17.4% (15 of 86), Penalty Kill 89.3% (92 of 103)
Last Season: 24-14-5 (Frozen Four semifinalist), 13-10-5 WCHA (3rd)
Key Players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (9-13-22), Junior F T.J. Oshie (10-10-20), Sophomore F Chris VandeVelde (8-11-19), Senior D Robbie Bina (1-17-18), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-14-16), Senior G Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (12-8-1, 1.86 GAA, .929 SV)

By The Numbers
Last Meeting: March 10, 2007. (Grand Forks, ND) North Dakota defeats MSU-Mankato, 2-1, to complete a two-game sweep of the Mavericks in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs. The Sioux advance to the Final Five riding a 14-2-4 second-half record.
Last Meeting in Mankato: October 28, 2006. UND defeats the Mavs, 8-5, to complete a two game road sweep. North Dakota scored the only three goals of the third period for the victory.
All-time: UND leads the all-time series 26-9-7 (.702), including a 9-3-4 (.688) record in Mankato. Remarkably, 10 of the 42 games played between the two teams have come in the WCHA playoffs, with North Dakota winning eight of those ten games.

Game News and Notes
UND has won at least one game on 20 consecutive regular season weekends, tops among WCHA teams. The Mavericks have a six game home unbeaten streak (4-0-2). North Dakota is 5-0-1 in the last six games played at Mankato. UND senior netminder Jean-Phillippe Lamoureux has 90 career starts for North Dakota, and is tied with Scott Brower (1984-88) for fourth all-time among Sioux goaltenders. North Dakota forwards T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan are the top two active career point leaders in the WCHA. Oshie leads the way with 117 points in 107 career games, and Duncan is second with 115 points in 110 games. No other active WCHA player has more than 100 career points.

The Prediction
UND has the advantage in every category and every area of the ice. The only thing weighing against a North Dakota sweep is that Mankato has been playing well at home and the Sioux have not won a Friday road game. I think UND takes a small step in the right direction, and gains three points on the weekend. 2-2 tie, UND 3-0.

Thank you for reading. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

The first half of the WCHA season has been wild and unpredictable. It is remarkable to me that:

1) Only three teams (Colorado College, Denver, and North Dakota) have winning records in the conference.
2) Those same three teams are the only three WCHA schools to score more goals than they’ve allowed in conference play.
3) If the season ended today, Minnesota and Wisconsin would both be on the road for the first round of the conference playoffs.

Denver and Minnesota-Duluth are at the top of my list of midseason surprises, as I predicted them to finish 7th and 9th in the league, respectively. Minnesota gets my vote for the biggest disappointment, as I expected them to challenge for the league title and they may very well be on the road for the opening round of the WCHA playoffs.

Here’s a midseason capsule for each conference team. (Preseason predictions are mine, and a full season preview article can be found here.)

#1 Colorado College Tigers (Preseason #4)
WCHA record: 15-3-0
Conference statistics: 3.44 goals scored/game (1st), 1.67 goals allowed/game (1st)
Home series remaining: St. Cloud State, MSU-Mankato, Denver (one game)
Road series remaining: Michigan Tech, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver (one game)
Key players: Junior F Chad Rau (17-11-28), Sophomore F Bill Sweatt (5-10-15), Senior F Jimmy Kilpatrick (11-10-21), Senior F Scott McCulloch (5-6-11), Senior D Jack Hillen (3-12-15)

Midseason report: The question about whether junior goaltender Drew O’Connell would be good enough has been answered. The answer is freshman Richard Bachman. Bachman has stolen the top spot in net, playing in 18 of 22 games and posting a record of 15-3-0 to go along with a 1.61 goals against average, a save percentage of .940, and two shutouts.

#2 University of Denver Pioneers (Preseason #7)
WCHA record: 12-4-0
Conference statistics: 3.13 goals scored/game (3rd), 2.19 goals allowed/game (2nd)
Home series remaining: Minnesota, Alaska-Anchorage, Colorado College (one game)
Road series remaining: MSU-Mankato, North Dakota, Michigan Tech, Colorado College (one game)
Key players: Sophomore F Tyler Ruegsegger (10-10-20), Sophomore F Rhett Rakhshani (7-8-15), Sophomore F Brock Trotter (12-17-29), Junior D Chris Butler (1-10-11), Senior G Peter Mannino (17-5-0, 1.96 GAA, .927 SV, 4 SO)

Midseason report: Denver’s super sophs are averaging over one point per game, and freshman Tyler Bozak’s ability to provide offensive punch (10-11-21) has been a pleasant surprise. Mannino has proven more than capable of handling the goaltending duties after splitting time last year. A home and home series against Colorado College on the last week of the regular season may well decide the conference race.

#3 University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (Preseason #1)
WCHA record: 9-7-0
Conference statistics: 3.31 goals scored/game (2nd), 2.25 goals allowed/game (3rd)
Home series remaining: Alaska-Anchorage, Denver, St. Cloud State
Road series remaining: MSU-Mankato, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth
Key players: Junior F Ryan Duncan (9-13-22), Junior F T.J. Oshie (10-10-20), Senior D Robbie Bina (1-17-18), Junior D Taylor Chorney (2-14-16), Senior G Phillippe Lamoureux (12-8-1, 1.86 GAA, .929 SV, 4 SO)

Midseason report: Lamoureux has been outstanding. North Dakota has not yet found the right linemate for Oshie and Duncan, although they are getting more scoring from other lines. As in recent seasons, a disappointing first half has all but dashed any hopes of hoisting the MacNaughton Cup.

#4 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (Preseason #9)
WCHA record: 6-6-4
Conference statistics: 2.50 goals scored/game (5th), 2.81 goals allowed/game (4th)
Home series remaining: Minnesota, Colorado College, North Dakota
Road series remaining: Wisconsin, Michigan Tech, Minnesota
Key returning players: Junior F Nick Kemp (7-6-13), Junior F MacGregor Sharp (5-7-12), Junior F Michael Gergen (5-5-10), Junior D Josh Meyers (5-8-13), Sophomore G Alex Stalock (8-7-5, 2.43 GAA, .909 SV, 2 SO)

Midseason report: The losses of Raymond and Niskanen were brutal, but Sandelin’s squad has found balanced scoring, as eight Bulldogs have scored four or more goals. Stalock has been good enough between the pipes to keep Duluth in contention for a top-five finish and home ice for the playoffs.

#5 Saint Cloud State University Huskies (Preseason #5)
WCHA record: 6-8-2
Conference statistics: 2.94 goals scored/game (4th), 2.94 goals allowed/game (7th)
Home series remaining: MSU-Mankato (one game), Michigan Tech, Wisconsin
Road series remaining: MSU-Mankato (one game), Colorado College, Alaska-Anchorage, North Dakota
Key players: Sophomore F Ryan Lasch (17-17-34), Sophomore F Andreas Nodl (11-17-28), Freshman F Garrett Roe (15-17-32), Senior F Nate Dey (9-7-16), Senior D Aaron Brocklehurst (2-11-13)

Midseason report: Despite a difficult second-half schedule, this team will contend for home ice and an NCAA berth. The Huskies suffered six straight losses before Christmas, including five by one goal, but appear to have righted the ship with solid weekends against North Dakota and Minnesota. Garrett Roe is the front-runner for league rookie of the year.

#6 Michigan Tech University Huskies (Preseason #6)
WCHA record: 5-8-1
Conference statistics: 2.07 goals scored/game (9th), 2.93 goals allowed/game (6th)
Home series remaining: Colorado College, Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth, Denver
Road series remaining: Alaska-Anchorage, St. Cloud State, MSU-Mankato
Key players: Senior F Peter Rouleau (8-8-16), Senior F Tyler Shelast (11-5-16), Senior F Jimmy Kerr (7-4-11), Junior D Geoff Kinrade (1-10-11), Junior G Michael-Lee Teslak (4-4-2, 1.72 GAA, .934 SV, 1 SO), Junior G Rob Nolan (5-7-0, 2.75 GAA, .892 SV)

Midseason report: The Huskies started out 4-1-0 in the conference before hitting a 2-5-1 stretch before the holiday break. The injury to Teslak has forced Nolan to the forefront, and Michigan Tech will struggle until they get Teslak back.

#6 University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (Preseason #2)
WCHA record: 5-8-1
Conference statistics: 2.43 goals scored/game (6th), 3.00 goals allowed/game (8th)
Home series remaining: North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota-Duluth
Road series remaining: Minnesota-Duluth, Wisconsin, Denver, Alaska-Anchorage
Key players: Sophomore F Jay Barriball (3-11-14), Senior F Ben Gordon (7-12-19), Junior F Blake Wheeler (12-10-22), Senior D Derek Peltier (1-9-10)

Midseason report: The Gophers were already struggling to find offense before Kyle Okposo (7-4-11) bolted for the pros after 18 games. Goaltending has been suspect, and Minnesota might find itself on the road for the first round of the playoffs.

#6 University of Wisconsin Badgers (Preseason #3)
WCHA record: 5-8-1
Conference statistics: 2.43 goals scored/game (6th), 3.43 goals allowed/game (9th)
Home series remaining: Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth, MSU-Mankato
Road series remaining: Alaska-Anchorage, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, St. Cloud State
Key players: Junior F Ben Street (9-12-21), Freshman F Kyle Turris (9-13-22), Sophomore D Jamie McBain (2-8-10), Senior D Kyle Klubertanz (4-9-13), Junior G Shane Connelly (8-10-1, 2.63 GAA, .910 SV, 1 SO)

Midseason report: The Badgers have found some scoring after finishing last in the league in goal production last year. The problem has been defense and goaltending. Only Alaska-Anchorage (3.57 goals allowed/game) has been worse than Wisconsin.

#9 Minnesota State University-Mankato Mavericks (Preseason #8)
WCHA record: 3-7-4
Conference statistics: 1.79 goals scored/game (10th), 2.86 goals allowed/game (5th)
Home series remaining: North Dakota, St. Cloud State (one game), Denver, Alaska-Anchorage, Michigan Tech
Road series remaining: St. Cloud State (one game), Wisconsin, Colorado College
Key players: Sophomore F Trevor Breuss (5-11-16), Senior F Joel Hanson (4-8-12), Junior F Mick Berge (10-2-12), Junior G Mike Zacharias (8-5-4, 1.94 GAA, .930 SV, 3 SO)

Midseason report: The Mavericks have tightened up defensively after giving up 3 or more goals 17 times (and 5 or more goals nine times) in 28 league games last year. The problem has been scoring, as only three players have more than five points in the league.

#10 University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves (Preseason #10)
WCHA record: 2-9-3
Conference statistics: 2.14 goals scored/game (8th), 3.57 goals allowed/game (10th)
Home series remaining: Wisconsin, Michigan Tech, St. Cloud State, Minnesota
Road series remaining: North Dakota, MSU-Mankato, Denver
Key players: Sophomore F Kevin Clark (7-10-17), Sophomore F Paul Crowder (6-10-16), Sophomore F Josh Lunden (9-7-16), Junior D Mat Robinson (2-10-12)

Midseason report: The unexpected departure of goaltender Nathan Lawson thrust senior net minder Jon Olthuis into the spotlight, and he hasn’t done enough to bail out the Seawolves, who have given up 3 or more goals in 10 of 14 WCHA games thus far.

Final Thoughts
The league race may go down to the wire, with Denver and Colorado College playing a home and home series on the final weekend of the regular season. The Final Five could see some new and unlikely participants this season, as Minnesota and Wisconsin could be on the outside looking in.

Thank you for reading. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Midway through the second period, Michigan Tech and North Dakota were tied at 1-1 and Sioux defenseman Robbie Bina was headed to the penalty box, yet another in a series of UND penalties through the first 30 minutes of the hockey game.

The Sioux used a tenacious penalty kill to fire up the crowd, and shortly after the penalty expired, UND rode that momentum to goals by Joe Finley (10:53 of the second) and Matt Watkins (11:50) to take the Huskies by storm. It was all North Dakota after that, as Taylor Chorney added a third period tally and North Dakota won, 4-1.

So many positive things to note in this edition of the Game React. Evan Trupp, Darcy Zajac, Watkins, and Finley all played possibly their best games of the season, and Jean-Phillipe Lamoureux was solid yet again, allowing only an early second period goal on 15 shots.

After a first period in which shots from the point were slow to develop, UND began shooting quickly during the final forty minutes, and the result was goals from defensemen Joe Finley and Taylor Chorney and numerous other scoring chances. The assignment for the blueliners seemed to be “shoot and shoot again”, a trend I would like to see continue.

Junior forward T.J. Oshie continues to display amazing hands and all-out effort on every shift, qualities that remind me of Zach Parise during his two seasons at North Dakota.

One note about Darcy Zajac. After being held in the offensive zone early in the first period, his retaliation, which was called a two-minute minor for roughing, could have been a five minute major for cross-checking with intent to injure. I’m surprised UND escaped this exchange without a shorthanded situation.

Sophomore forward Chris VandeVelde had another strong game, and is playing like an upperclassman. He tallied two assists and won 14 of 18 faceoffs on the night. For the season, he has now tallied 7 goals and 11 assists in 20 games.

UND finished 1 for 5 on the power play tonight; MTU was 0 for 5 with the man advantage. North Dakota also continues to play well in 4 on 4 situations.

The Sioux improve to 11-8-1 (8-7-0 WCHA) on the season; the Huskies fall to 9-10-2 (5-7-1 WCHA). North Dakota is now 2-1-0 against Michigan Tech this season; UND has outscored MTU 11-4 in the three games.

North Dakota remains in third place in the WCHA, one point ahead of fourth place Minnesota-Duluth, who capped a furious comeback with an overtime winner at home against MSU-Mankato to keep pace with the Sioux.

The same two teams face off at Ralph Engelstad Arena at 7:07 on Saturday night. For more on the matchup between the two teams, click here.

I thank you for reading, and welcome your comments and suggestions. Check back after Saturday’s contest for more reaction, news, and notes.