After being run out of their own building two weeks earlier, UND used
a balanced attack and scored six goals by six different players to beat the Providence College Friars 6-1 at
Ralph Englestad Arena.
UND's penalty-kill set the tone as the Friars went 0-for-9 on the man advantage and gave up a short-hand goal.
This game was supposed to be a goaltending battle between Zane McIntyre and Jon Gillies. However, UND chased the Friars All-American goalie after two periods of play, putting four pucks past him. Sophomore goalie Nick Ellis relieved Gillies at the start of the third period and UND put two more pucks past him as well.
Head coach Dave Hakstol was
asked how UND was able to get four goals past Gillies.
“We got a little bit of traffic (in front of him) and scored a
couple of rebound goals,” Hakstol said. "Nothing fancy at all. We were in
the right spot at the right time. Did the right things and fortunate to get a
couple by him.”
UND dominated the Hockey
East preseason favorite, but
the UND head coach was quick to give his opponent credit.
“They’re a good hockey team and they’re going to make plays and
they did that,” Hakstol said. “Our guys showed up tonight and played hard
tonight.”
The story of the game was the play of junior forward Drake
Caggiula who scored a short-handed goal and three assists. After the game, Caggiula broke down
UND's game plan.
“We just played our game,” Caggiula said. “UND hockey is playing
fast, playing physical, and just overall being hard to play against and that’s
what we did all night long.”
When Caggiula was asked about UND's success on the penalty-kill
and why they have scored four short-handed goals in five games, he had this to
say.
“That’s the way we penalty kill,” Caggiula said. “We’re
aggressive, and when the opportunity is there we’re more than welcome to take
that opportunity. They always preach if the opportunity is there to take it.
When we’re so aggressive we just create turnovers and we have been lucky so far
and got a couple of short-handed goals off of it. We have to keep doing that.”
Junior forward Bryn Chyzyk likes playing on the penalty-kill and gave his explanation on why UND is scoring so many short-handed goals.
“We’re getting a couple of bounces, and getting some odd man
rushes,” Chyzyk said. “We’re always
pressuring pucks up at the blue line. We’re just pressuring pucks and a couple
of bounces are hopping over their D-men and were taking advantage of that.
Hopefully that will continue.”
With the Win UND improves to 4-1-0. The loss drops Providence to 1-2-0 on the season.
Same two teams tomorrow night at 7:07 pm CT.
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