Sioux 3 Huskies 1

FightingSioux.com Photo 

There is not a lot you can say about the UND Fighting Sioux victory over the hapless Michigan Tech Huskies. The win on Saturday night hopefully is the first step in what could be a run deep into the NCAA playoffs culminating with the Sioux winning number “8” which has proven to be a very elusive NCAA Championship. It’s very hard to win an NCAA title and the Sioux have failed four times in the 2000’s to get number 8. From here on out after the Final Five the Sioux are in the one and done, one loss will end their season like 57 other teams that will not win the NCAA title.

Moving forward, the MTU Huskies had what many would call a historic forgettable season and according to Dave Starman of CBS College Sports, told the Pipeline show from Edmonton, Alberta in so many words that MTU head hockey coach Jamie Russell might not be the coach of the Huskies much longer.

Last night’s game was surprisingly closer than the other three games where the UND Fighting Sioux hockey team had outscored the MTU Huskies 25-3 and saw two different Sioux hockey players get hat tricks in the same game. Last night’s game was a different story with the same ending result. The Huskies came out in the third period and limited the time and space of the Fighting Sioux.

MTU forward Ryan Furne scored at the 6:15 mark of the first period and the Huskies lead the game for roughly seventeen minutes. Then the fortunes changed for the UND Fighting Sioux as junior forward Brett Hextall scored the equalizer at the 3:33 mark of the second period. Fighting Sioux freshman forward Tyler Dicken scored his first career goal 2:01 minutes later and the Fighting Sioux never looked back. The game lacked anymore scoring until the 19:54 mark of the third period when Frattin brought everyone that wasn’t standing to their feet when he scored his 33rd goal of the season into an empty net to send the Huskies back to Houghton, Michigan.

After the hockey game the Fighting Sioux were awarded the MacNaughton Cup, however, the Fighting Sioux barely wanted to even look at the Historic MacNaughton Cup and as far from I could see didn’t even touch the cup as they took their team photo. Incidently, the last time the Sioux touched the MacNaughton Cup they lost their next three games in the playoffs and were sent home in the first round of the NCAA playoffs by the UNH Wildcats.

[Box Score]

Goon’s Three Stars of the Game

1.) Taylor Dicken (1g-0a-1pts)
2.) Brock Nelson (0g-1a-1pts) and (0g-3a-3pts) for the weekend
3.) Aaron Dell 1 goal against, 1 goal against all weekend.

Last night bitter sweet victory?

After the game was over and I was watching the awards ceremony with Sioux7 he turned to me and said this could very well be the last time that UND wins the MacNaughton Cup with the nickname Fighting Sioux. I said, “I don’t know we will find out very soon, we will just have to see.”