UND vs. MTU game three WCHA playoffs

Game is on DirecTV 626 and Fox College Sports

UND Forward Lines

21 Brendan O’Donnell–10 Corban Knight (A) –7 Danny Kristo (A)
19 Rocco Grimaldi–27 Carter Rowney (A)–15 Michael Parks
25 Mitch MacMillan–16 Mark MacMillan–13 Connor Gaarder

Drake Caggiula 9–28 Stephane Pattyn–17 Colten St. Clair

UND Defensive Parings

2 Andrew MacWilliam (C)–18 Dillon Simpson
4 Derek Forbort–24 Jordan Schmaltz
5 Nick Mattson –20 Joe Gleason

UND goalies

33 Clarke Saunders

31 Zane Gothberg
35 Tate Maris

Not In the lineup: 11 Derek Rodwell , Andrew Panzarella (22), Dan Senkbeil (8), Coltyln Sanderson (26),  Bryn Chyzyk (29).

Michigan Tech Huskies Forward lines

19 Blake Pietila–10 Tanner Kero–23 Alex Petan
12 Ryan Furne–8 Jacob Johnstone–14 Chad Pietila
20 Blake Hietala–7 Jujhar Khaira–28 Milos Gordic
18 C.J. Eick–9 Dennis Rix–13 Aaron Pietila

Michigan Tech Huskies Defense Pairings

16 Steven Seigo (A) –34 Riley Sweeney
29 Walker Hyland–24 Daniel Sova
3 Bradley Stebner (A) –25 Carl Nielsen (C)

Michigan Tech Goalies

31 Pheonix Copley

30 Jamie Phillips

Ref Marco Hunt (15) , Derek Shepherd (3)  Lines Andy Kokken (70) Justin Hill (83).

(Edit) MTU No goal, the puck went over the net.

Edit: if this was a goal, the puck wouldn't have shot up into the air. Meaning one thing, the puck in question went over the top of the net. There were also people sitting behind the UND net, that said they saw the puck go over the top of the net as well. So, the right call was made.

In looking at these two images, I don't know, it's hard to say. Like I said earlier, the officiating was equally poor all weekend long for both teams and wasn’t a factor in the game. Both teams will have to play through it tomorrow night, obviously, and one teams is going to advance to the Final Five next week. s/t Tim Boger.

Furne beat Saunders, but had his shot stopped by a defenseman. UND full strength. #mtuhky #followthehuskies
— Michigan Tech Hockey (@mtuhky) March 17, 2013

Related articles

• UND hockey: Time for crunching numbers is over, it's crunch time (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• UND hockey: Time for crunching numbers is over, it's crunch time (thehockeywriters.com)
• UND finds tough sledding against Tech (thehockeywriters.com)
• UND Slugs Out Win Against Tech (insidehockey.com)

UND finds tough sledding against Tech

“It was a hard fought playoff game and we came up one goal short,” head coach Dave Hakstol said. Well two if you believe the video replay that was shown on television monitors the Ralph Engelstad Arena press box.

We only got one look at “shot” in question and then it was gone from the screen, for some reason we didn’t get a second look at the no-goal in question.

USCHO Blogger Timothy Boger has a gif on his blog that proves otherwise, I guess that is up to you to decide.

We can discuss whether or not Michigan Tech (13-19-4) scored a goal on their first power play of the night, the fact remains that the officiating was equally poor all weekend long for both teams and wasn’t a factor in the game.

Both teams will have to play through it tomorrow night, obviously, and one teams is going to advance to the Final Five next week.

The crowd was barely seated when the Tech Huskies were able to dent the twine first at the 00:20 mark of the second period, with a goal from Tanner Kero.

UND came into the game with a 9-4-5 record when the opposition scores first, you can make that 9-5-5 with the 2-1 loss to the Michigan Tech Huskies.

This was UND’s first loss to the Michigan Tech Huskies since January 28, 2008, when UND lost 2-1 to Michigan Tech in the Great Lakes Invitational.

The game was a carbon copy of the Bemidji State series from a couple of weeks ago. The Huskies collapsed around their net and played a defensive style brand of hockey and made it tough for UND (20-11-7) to generate any offense whatsoever.

Finally, senior forward Danny Kristo was able to break through and got the equalizer at the 14:57 mark on a nice shot. “It was just a good play,” head coach Dave Hakstol said. “He came up with the puck; he got a quick shot to the net. I don’t know where it went in, it found a hole. We didn’t find a lot of holes on him [Phoenix Copley] tonight.”

As always, the electrifying, but recently snake bitten Rocco Grimaldi, had a breakaway and a glorious opportunity to take a lead in the game, but was hooked at the last second by a Tech defender, causing him to miss a glorious opportunity.

Michigan Tech Huskies turned a UND turnover into the game winning goal at the 17:58 mark of the third period when C.J. Eick scored the game winning goal sending the fans to the exits and spoiling the UND fans plans for Sunday evening.

Tonight’s game was summed up best by this frank statement. “Its playoff hockey and if you don’t bring your best you won’t like the outcome, senior defenseman Andrew MacWilliam said. We kind of lulled there in the second period and it came back to bite us. We have to regroup and be ready to play tomorrow.”

“It was a hard fought game,” senior defenseman Joe Gleason said. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot in the second period; we didn’t have a very good period. We had a great response in the third period. Definitely our best period of the night, if we can play like that for 60 minutes tomorrow it should be a good outcome for us tomorrow night.”

Nonetheless, UND ended up losing a heart breaker to pesky Michigan Tech Huskies and pushed the series to a game three. The same two teams will face-off tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. central, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Cross-posted at the Hockey Writers Combine.

Related articles

• UND Hockey: Slugs out win against Tech (thehockeywriters.com)

UND: The Weekend Ahead (3/15-3/17)

This weekend, the University of North Dakota entertains the Michigan Tech Huskies in the first round of the WCHA playoffs at Ralph Engelstad Arena, March 15-17, 2013.

Historically, this is also the last WCHA playoff home series before UND moves to the NCHC next season.

Matchup: North Dakota (19-10-7, 14-7-7 WCHA) #4 versus #Unranked Michigan Tech (12-18-4, 8-16-4 WCHA).

Dates: March 15-17, 2013

Times: March 15: 7:37 p.m. (CT); March 16: 7:07 p.m. (CT), March 17: 7:07 p.m. (If Necessary)

Radio: UND 96.1 (KQHT-FM) – The Fox.

Webcast: undsports.com

TV: Midco/FCS

Live Stats: wcha.com

Series History: All-Time: UND leads the series against the Huskies 147-93-10 (.608). UND leads the series against the Huskies in Grand Forks, North Dakota 82-33-5 (.704). UND leads the series in Houghton, Michigan 63-55-5 (.533). At Neutral sites, MTU Leads 2-5-0 (.286) Last 10 games against the Huskies, UND leads 9-0-1 (.950). This season; UND leads the series 2-0 (1.000).

Players to Watch:

North Dakota: Forwards: Corbin Knight (14g-31a—45pts), Danny Kristo (21g-24a—45pts), Rocco Grimaldi (13g-18a—31pts), Mark MacMillan (13g-12a—25pts), Carter Rowney (9g-15a—24pts). Defense: Dillon Simpson (3g-18a—21pts), Joe Gleason (5g-11a—16pts), Joe Gleason (5g-11a—16pts), Nick Mattson (3g-12a—15pts), Derek Forbort (4g-9a—13pts), Jordan Schmaltz (3g-9a—12pts) Andrew MacWilliam (1g-9a—10pts). Goaltenders: Clarke Saunders 12-6-4, 2.30 GAA, .915 save percentage, Zane Gothberg 7-4-3, 2.52 GAA, .918 save percentage.

Michigan Tech Huskies: Forwards Alex Petan (15g-18a—33pts), David Johnstone (10g-19a—29pts), Jujhar Khaira (6g-18a—24pts), Blake Pietila (14g-9a—23pts), Tanner Kerio (10g-13a—23pts) Defense: Steven Seigo (6g-11a—17pts) Riley Sweeney (1g-11a—12pts), Brad Stebner (1g-8a—9pts). Goalies: Phoenix Copley 7-14-1, 3.19 GAA, .899 save percentage, Kevin Genoe 2-3-3, 3.09 GAA, .908 save percentage.

UND Officials Web Page

Michigan Tech Web Page

DirecTV will not be able to pick up Friday's game. Still awaiting word on Saturday and Sunday (if necessary).
— North Dakota MHockey (@UNDMHockey) March 13, 2013

Cross-Posted at the Hockey Writers Combine

Related articles

• WCHA Web Media Poll: Week 22 (thehockeywriters.com)
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The Weekend in Review; slugging through the snow in the north country (Sanford Center)

This past weekend, I went to Bemidji to watch the Bemidji State Beavers and the Minnesota Gophers play in a two game series at the Sanford Center. This was the last time the Beavers and the Gophers would play as members of the WCHA.

Obviously, most of us are aware of the upcoming realignment so we won’t review that again.

With UND out of town and in Mankato, it was an opportunity to go to another WCHA series within driving distant, that didn’t involve UND.

I also hadn’t seen the Gophers live this season, so I wanted to take a look, if you know what I mean.

I thought about driving to Mankato and watching UND and MSU, but after looking at the road conditions on the internet, it appears that was a good decision not to go. 

The Sanford Center experienced its biggest crowd ever on Saturday night, 4,415 fans showed up to watch UMN and BSU, and there were a lot of Gophers jersey’s in the crowd.

Next season, UND fans are going to have to help the BSU fans pack that place on January 17, 2014 when UND comes to town to play the BSU Beavers in a non-conference tilt, to break that record. 

I think this is what the City of Bemidji had in mind when they built the Sanford Center, I was down town getting gas on Saturday and even with all of the fresh snow, the downtown was hopping.

For me, this is the third series that I have been to at the Sanford Center and in comparing some of the other rinks around the WCHA that I have been to, the place is a nice facility. 

While the Sanford Center might not have the “bells and whistles” of the Ralph Engelstad Arena, not many places do, the Sanford Center is an awesome facility and probably one of the best in the new WCHA going forward.

Head coach Tom Serratore should be able to use the Sanford Center to his advantage to land some good recruiting classes.

In 2010, I got take a tour of the facility and it’s got a lot of things recruits look for when they look at hockey programs. I was very impressed with the weight room.

I would say that the Sanford Center is definitely a destination for college hockey fans. For those that are wondering, they serve beer and Dunn Brother’s Coffee.

While no one will ever accuse me of being Marilyn Hagerty, the Sanford Center’s   cheese burgers are phenomenal, and simply awesome and roughly about the same price as the ones at the Ralph. Size wise, their burgers are actually bigger in my opinion.

The bag of popcorn was reasonably priced and too big to consume in one sitting, I actually threw away about a third of it.

In comparing the Sanford Center to other arenas I have been to, it’s better than the National Hockey Center pre-renovations and it’s better than the old DECC or Amsoil Arena, in my opinion, to quote our favorite radio announcer Bruce Ciskie, “apologies to those arenas.”

I am sure there will be those fans that disagree with me on this, but hey, that’s just how I feel on the matter.

Related articles

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Series ticket packages for first round of WCHA playoffs on sale Tuesday

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Series ticket packages for the University of North Dakota's Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) first-round playoff series will go on sale to the general public and UND students on Tuesday, March 6, at 10 a.m. Central.

Student tickets will be available online only at Ticketmaster.com. General public ticket packages can be purchased by calling 1-800-745-3000, logging on to Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the UND Ticket Office at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. The ticket office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

UND students will receive an e-mail with a keyword needed to purchase a series ticket package. Student ticket packages will be held for students until the student pre-sale ends on Thursday, March 7 at 5 p.m. All unsold student tickets will then be released to the general public at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 8. Students may purchase up to four reserved seating student tickets per UND student ID.

Series ticket packages are $40 for adults and $20 for students and youth.

Single-game WCHA first-round playoff tickets will go one sale on Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m. Single-game tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students and youth. Single-game tickets are subject to availability.

The first round of the WCHA playoffs take place March 15, 16 and 17 (if necessary). Game times are 7:37 p.m. on Friday and 7:07 on Saturday and Sunday. All times Central. UND's first-round opponent has not yet been determined.

UND clinched home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs with a 2-2 overtime tie Saturday night against Bemidji State. It is the 11^th straight year UND will host the first round, the longest active streak in the league.

UND Women’s Hockey; Lamoureux sisters Lasso Mavericks 8-1

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Grand Forks, ND – All good things must come to an end.

Last night, I came home after the men’s game between UND and BSU and told my wife that I couldn’t miss today’s game between the UND women and Minnesota State Mavericks.

The reason I wanted to go to the game today – this was going to be a historic event – this was going to be an end of an era, sort of.

It was the last chance for me and 1259 in attendance to watch Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux play hockey at Ralph Engelstad Arena, ever, barring an unforeseen meltdown and the UND hockey team would send their fans home with something to cheer about.

That meltdown did not happen, as the UND women ran around and through the Minnesota State Mavericks out of the Ralph Engelstad Arena 8-1.

During their time in the green and white the Lamoureux twins have racked up a lot of goals and gave goalies around the WCHA fits.

The twins paced UND with 10 points among them, leaving the sister tandem ranked 1-2 all-time in the WCHA for points Jocelyne Lamoureux (125g-158a—284pts) and Monique Lamoureux (112g-152a—264Pts).  Today, with her (2g-4a—6pts) Monique also passed former Wisconsin Badgers forward Hillary Knight (143g-119a—262pts).  That’s no small accomplishment since Monique is a defenseman and Hillary Knight is a forward.

If you haven’t watched them play, the twins are worth the price of admission. They’re electric, dynamic and they’re world class players that are part of an exciting line-up that comes to work every day and gives their best effort.

Like yesterday, the UND women came out with a bit of an edge and it appeared as if they had something to prove and pushed the lead to 5-1 after one period of hockey outshooting the Minnesota State Mavericks 23-10.

And of course, UND chased Mavericks goalie Erin Krichiver at the 15:40 mark of the first period, after putting four goals past her, Deanielle Butters replaced her in the Maverick net  and she received roughly the same treatment from a UND hockey team as well, as she let in four goals as well.

After the game, Jocelyne Lamoureux came out to the postgame press conference still wearing her game jersey, and you could tell that the senior forward was taken back by the moment.

“It’s pretty sad you know,” Jocelyne said. “We took the last lap as seniors together. It’s sad that it’s over, we found our parents in the crowd, gave them a wave.  It’s hard to believe that it’s over, here, at the Ralph. I haven’t taken my white jersey off yet, we’re going blacks (jerseys) the rest of the way, were going to be away for the rest of the season. Hopefully we can make some good things happen, but right now we’re going to take it all in and appreciate everything that I got here, while I’ve got it.”

Jocelyne’s sister Monique came to the press conference after and she was also affected by the moment as well.

“You can probably see that I was crying 10 minutes ago,” Monique said. “I am usually the first one out of the locker room. There were three or four of us that just sat there in our equipment for a little bit. It’s sad that it’s over here, but hopefully we have five more games left [NCAA Playoffs].”

The irony is, UND is known for taking penalties and at times playing undisciplined hockey and having a parade to the penalty box. Today, UND had one minor penalty called against them, after the game, UND head coach Brian Idalski was asked if he ever thought that he would see his team only get called for one minor penalty.

“No, honestly, what do we average 14 minutes a game,” Idalski said. “You talk about Jocelyn and Monique and I think they get a bad rap, but they’ve been great and very disciplined here down the stretch and penalty free. A solid effort, that discipline goes a long way.

UND will now travel to the Minneapolis to play in the Final Face-Off next weekend at Ridder Arena.  With the win, UND remains in the eighth position of the pairwise ranking of the pairwise rankings

UND vs. MSU WCHA Playoffs game two

UND Forward Lines

91 Ashley Furia —17 Jocelyne Lamoureux (C) —19 Meghan Dufault

3 Michelle Karvinen (A) — 63 Josefine Jakobsen—2 Mary Loken

10 Andrea Dalen ­—51 Becca Kohler— 15 Megan Gilbert

6 Allison Parizek –– 11 Shannon Kaiser —13 Layla Marvin

UND Defense Pairings

4 Sam LaShomb — 18 Monique Lamoureux (A)

22 Tanja Esenschmid – 8 Samantha Hanson

7 Jordan Slavin – 16 Tori Williams

UND goalies

1 –Shelby Amsley-Benzie

30 Jorid Dagfinrud

Minnesota State Maverick Forward Lines

15 Tracy McCann – 25 Lauren Smith (A) –13 Kathleen Rogan

18 Nicole Germaine—26 Kari Lundberg (C) –11 Natalie Stoltz

3 Lauren Zrust –23 Melissa Klippenstein – 29 Casy Hirsch

21 Haley Northcote – 16 Lindsay Nagel – 10 Katie Johnson

Minnesota State Defensive Pairings

20 Emilia Anderson – 28 Danielle Scholzen

14 Erika Magnusson – 5 Lauren Barnes

27 Shelby Moteyunas – Giulianna Pallotta

Minnesota State Goalies

33 Erin Krichiver

37 Danielle Butter

30 Brianna Quade

United States forward Jocelyne Lamoureux in a game against the ECAC All-Stars on January 3, 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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UND vs. Denver; College Hockey’s Hatfield-McCoy feud

Fighting Sioux (University of North Dakota) vs. Denver Pioneers (University of Denver, #14 Tom May), WCHA Final FIVE 2008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This season, since the NHL lockout has been over, NBC Sports Network has been doing a weekly rivalry game on Wednesdays nights between the various NHL teams.

This Friday night, there will be another rivalry game on NBC Sports Network between college hockey’s versions of the historicHatfield-McCoy feud.

Actually, both games will be on television this weekend, when the University of North Dakota (16-8-6, 11-5-6 WCHA) travels to Denver, Colorado to play their heated rival the Denver Pioneers (15-9-5, 10-7-5 WCHA) in a pivotal two game series, this series will go a long way in determining seeding for the WCHA playoffs.

As I mentioned earlier, Friday’s game will be on NBC Sports Network at 9:00 PM (CT) and Saturday’s game will be on Root Sports at 8:00 (CT).

Also at stake this weekend, is the all-important Pairwise rankings. A couple of wins would solidify either team’s standings for the NCAA playoffs and a couple of losses could knock you down a place or two.

Over the course of the last ten seasons North Dakota and Denver have had some entertaining games.

If you go on Youtube.com and conduct a search, you would literally find hours of videos of goals, scrums and dustups between Denver and North Dakota.  I can only imagine that we will be able to add a few more videos to that collection when this weekend is over.

North Dakota and Denver have a history in the playoffs and the Green and White have beaten DU in the final game of the last two WCHA Final Fives. North Dakota also has a 7-2-0 record the last 10 games against Denver.

One could say that it’s gut check time, but it’s also crunch time as well.

Freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi, who has played in a series against the Denver Pioneers earlier in the season at the Ralph Engelstad Arena, was asked why he thought the games between the Denver Pioneers and North Dakota were so intense.

“I think both teams are extremely competitive and well coached,” Grimaldi said. “Overall good teams offensively and defensively, the better the games are the more you build a rivalry with that team, I guess. When you have good games all the time, when you play someone, eventually rivalries are built.”

Senior forward Danny Kristo was more to the point when asked about the rivalry between the two teams.

“I think Mac [Andrew MacWilliam] hates these guys the most,” Kristo said. “I don’t need to beat around the bush but I don’t think our coaching staffs like each other too much, either. Obviously, both teams have a lot of respect for each other because both teams are always there at the end of the year.”

During an earlier series between the two teams, sophomore forward Steph Pattyn had this to say about playing against the Denver Pioneers.

“It’s kind of a personal rivalry for a couple of our guys,” Pattyn said.  “I know that Mac [Andrew MacWilliam] just really doesn’t like these guys.”

This is a series that gets everyone’s blood boiling. The fans of both teams love these games. The coaches and players involved in this rivalry love the games as well. You can bet that all of the body-checks will be finished, when these two teams meet this weekend. Emotions will run high, and you can also count on a few dust-ups and scrums happening between the two teams.

When it’s all said and done, the team that plays with the most discipline will probably prevail this weekend.

Denver is leading the WCHA in penalty minutes with 496 and that total could be a lot higher when the weekend is over. North Dakota is sitting in number three spot with 475.

Let the feud, err, I mean rivalry begin.

Cross Posted at the Hockey Writers Combine. 

(Video) Marvelous North Dakota Hockey

This is a nice video that was taken by Marv Leier, during last weekend's game between Wisconsin and North Dakota. Leier films the game footage for Midco from his perch between the players benches. I bet he could tell us a story or two about some of the things that he has seen and heard.

Wisconsin's Michael Mersch will not be suspended

I just got off of the phone with Greg Shepherd the head of WCHA officials and this is what I know. According to Shepherd, Badgers forward Michael Mersch came off of the bench on a line change and he would've had to enter the altercation in question to be suspended. In other words, Mersch will not be suspended by the WCHA.

So, after reading that, if you're still in disbelief like I am, you’re not alone. If Mersch had jumped off of the Wisconsin player’s bench and then entered the altercation in the Wisconsin end, Mersch would've then been suspended.

This doesn’t pass the smell test, even if you were in altered state of mind.

So, if you’re confused, you’re not alone. I guess the fact that Mersch jumped off of the bench challenged UND forward Steph Pattyn to a fight, while he was being escorted off of the ice by one of the officials.  In addition, it’s obvious by the video that Mersch came off of the Wisconsin players bench, while the previous play had been whistled dead; then took off his helmet. Apparently, this is not relevant in this case.

I don’t know many coaches that allow their hockey players to change lines during an altercation, take off their helmet, and then challenge an opponent to a fight, while said play is stopped. Usually they wait until the puck is dropped, and then challenge someone to a fight.

You’re not supposed to change lines during an altercation. I have to give the WCHA credit; they’re easy to get clarification from on incidents.

WCHA Power Rankings: Week 17

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is the week 17 WCHA Power Rankings. This season, I have been doing the WCHA Power Rankings with Taylor Seibel, who is a contributor for College Hockey Weekly.

1. Minnesota  – (18-4-4, WCHA 10-4-4) – This past week, the Minnesota Gophers were off. This weekend, the Gophers travel to Saint Cloud to play the Huskies at the National Hockey Center. This series could decide who wins the WCHA regular season title.

2. Saint Cloud State – (17-10-1, WCHA 14-5-1) – This past weekend, the Huskies swept (4-0 W – 4-1 W) the Bemidji State Beavers at the Sanford Center. This weekend, the Huskies entertain the Minnesota Gophers at the National Hockey Center.

3. University of North Dakota – (14-8-6, WCHA 9-5-6) – This past weekend, UND took (1-1 T – 4-1 W) three points against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The weekend, UND travels to Omaha to play the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in a two game series at the CenturyLink Center on Friday night. Saturday’s game will move outdoors to the TD Ameritrade Park. UND and UNO have played six times in their history and they have a 3-3-0 record against each other.

4. Nebraska Omaha – (16-10-2, WCHA 12-6-2) – This past weekend, the Mavericks split (4-3 W – 1-2 L) their weekend series with the Michigan Tech Huskies as the CenturyLink Center in Omaha. This weekend, the Mavericks entertain North Dakota at the CenturyLink Center on Friday night. Saturday’s game will move outdoors to the TD Ameritrade Park. UNO and UND have played six times in their history and they have a 3-3-0 record against each other.

5.  Denver University – (15-8-4, WCHA 10-6-4) – This past weekend, the Denver Pioneers swept (3-0 W – 4-3 W) the Bulldogs at Amsoil Arena. This weekend, the Pioneers play the Colorado College Tigers in a home and home series.

6.  Minnesota State Mankato – (16-9-3, WCHA 10-9-1) – This past weekend, the Mavericks were off. This weekend, the Mavericks travel to Duluth to play the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs at Amsoil Arena.

7.  Wisconsin – (11-9-6, WCHA 8-6-6) – This past weekend, the Wisconsin Badgers took (1-1 T – 1-4 L) one point against North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena. This weekend, the Badgers entertain the 11^th place Bemidji State Beavers at the Kohl Center. The Badgers have a 6-0-0 record all-time against the Beavers.

8.  Colorado College – (10-14-4, WCHA 7-10-4) – This past weekend, the Colorado College Tigers took (3-3 T – 2-2 T) two points against the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves at Sullivan Arena. This weekend the Tigers play the Denver Pioneers in a home and home series.

9. Minnesota Duluth – (10-13-3, WCHA 8-9-3) – This past weekend, the Bulldogs were swept (0-3 L – 3-4 L) by the Denver Pioneers at Amsoil Arena. This weekend, the Bulldogs entertain the Minnesota State Mavericks at Amsoil Arena. Saturday night, the Bulldogs had a 3-1 lead going into the third period before giving up three goals in 91 seconds to lose 4-3.  

10. Michigan Tech – (8-13-4, WCHA 5-11-4) – This past weekend, the Huskies split (3-4 L – 2-1 W) their weekend series with Nebraska-Omaha at the CentryLink Center. This weekend, the Huskies entertain the last place Alaska Anchorage Seawovles during the Winter Carnival.

11. Bemidji State – (5-16-5, WCHA 4-12-4) – This past weekend, the Beavers were swept (0-4 L 1-4 L) by the Saint Cloud State Huskies at the Sanford Center. This weekend, the Beavers travel to the Kohl Center to play the Wisconsin Badgers. The Beavers are winless in 10 games (0-8-2), and they have not won since December, 15, 2012. The Beavers are 0-6-0 all-time against the Badgers. 

12. Alaska Anchorage – (3-16-7, WCHA 1-15-4) – This past weekend, Seawolves took (2-2 T – 3-3 T) two points from the Colorado College Tigers at Sullivan Arena. This weekend, the Seawolves travel to Houghton Michigan to play the Huskies at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena during the Winter Carnival. The Seawolves are mired in horrible streak and have won one game in the last 20 games (1-15-6), breaking it down further the Seawolves have not won since December 1, 2012.

Taylor Seibel’s WCHA Power Rankings

1. St. Cloud State – (17-10-1, 14-5-1 WCHA) – The Huskies are on a roll following a weekend sweep over Bemidji State.  In conference play, SCSU is 8-0-1 in their last 9 WCHA games.  St. Cloud hosts Minnesota in a pivotal series next weekend that could very well determine who will win Big Jim’s Cup.

2. Minnesota – (18-4-4, 10-4-4 WCHA) – The Gophers were off this past weekend.  Minnesota is second in the league in winning percentage, and still has a tremendous chance of winning the WCHA for the second consecutive season.  Next weekend, a trip to St. Cloud is in store for the Gophers.

3. North Dakota – (14-8-6, 9-5-6 WCHA) – North Dakota finally ended their 5 game winless streak, the longest during Coach Hakstol’s tenure, with a 4-1 victory on Saturday over Wisconsin.  The 3 points vaulted North Dakota into a three-way tie for third in conference.  Next weekend, North Dakota takes on former coach Dean Blais and his UNO Mavericks.

4. Nebraska Omaha – (16-10-2, 12-6-2 WCHA) – The Mavericks struggled with the visiting Michigan Tech Huskies this weekend, scoring only a split.  Next weekend, North Dakota comes to Omaha in a key WCHA series for both sides, and the series will include an outdoor game on Saturday.

5. Denver – (15-8-4, 10-6-4 WCHA) – Denver used a furious rally late in the third period on Saturday to complete a sweep over Duluth in Duluth.  Next weekend, the Gold Pan will be on the line, as Denver squares off against in-state rival Colorado College.

6. Wisconsin – (11-9-6, 8-6-6 WCHA) – The Badgers were only able to take one point in Grand Forks this weekend, largely due to an ineffective special teams unit.  On the weekend, the Badgers were 0-8 on the powerplay, while North Dakota scored 3 of their 5 goals with the man advantage.  Next weekend, the Badgers host Bemidji State in WCHA play.

7. Minnesota State – (16-9-3, 10-9-1 WCHA) – The Mavericks were off this past weekend.  Mankato has an excellent shot at home ice this season, but they will need to continue to play solid hockey.  Next weekend, the Mavericks travel to Minnesota Duluth to take on the Bulldogs in WCHA action.

8. Colorado College – (10-14-4, 7-10-3 WCHA) – The Tigers missed a golden opportunity to tally up points in the conference by managing only 2 draws against Alaska Anchorage this weekend.  The Tigers road to home ice doesn’t get any easier next weekend, as arch-rival Denver is on the schedule in a crucial home and home series to decide the Gold Pan.

9. Minnesota Duluth – (10-13-3, 8-9-3 WCHA) – The Bulldogs were minutes away from a convincing victory on Saturday over Denver, but collapsed and watched their weekend end with 0 points.  Next weekend, the Bulldogs look to get back on their feet as they host Minnesota State in WCHA play.

10. Michigan Tech – (8-13-4, 5-11-4 WCHA) – The Huskies surprised many with an overtime victory on Saturday in their series with Omaha to take 2 points.  Of Michigan Tech’s 5 WCHA wins this season, 3 of them have come in OT, giving the Huskies an impressive 3-0-4 record in the extra session in conference play.  Tech hosts Alaska Anchorage next weekend.

11. Bemidji State – (5-15-5, 4-12-4 WCHA) – Taking on St. Cloud State is no easy task, and that proved true this weekend for the Beavers as the Huskies swept Bemidji in Bemidji.  Next weekend, the Beavers travel to Madison to take on the Badgers, and they hope to end their winless streak that dates back to December 15^th. 

12.  Alaska Anchorage – (3-16-7, 1-15-6 WCHA) – The Seawolves managed two draws against the visiting Tigers from Colorado College this weekend.  UAA’s six draws in conference play ties them with North Dakota and Wisconsin for the most sister-kissers this season.  Next weekend, UAA travels to Houghton to take on Michigan Tech in WCHA play.