Weekend Match-Ups, 1st Round NCHC games (by Donn)

Here we are the regular season has come to an end in the inaugural NCHC season.  The race for the Penrose Cup is over with SCSU claiming the first ever NCHC regular season title.  Now we are at the first round of playoffs, so let’s get it started in here.

FINAL NCHC STANDINGS 2013-2014

Team………………………W-L-T-SW………Points

St. Cloud St……………….15-6-3-0…………...48
North Dakota……………..15-9-0-0…..…….….45
Nebraska-Omaha………..13-9-2-1…..………..42
Minnesota-Duluth………..11-11-2-2….….……37
Western Michigan………..11-11-2-2…….……37
Denver……………………..10-11-3-2……….…35
Colorado College……….. ..6-13-5-1…….….…24
Miami………………………..6-17-1-1….…….….20

NCHC 1st Round Playoff Series

#21 Western Michigan @ #18 Minnesota-Duluth

Last weekend the Broncos split with NoDak (2-0L, 2-1W) in Grand Forks and the Bulldogs split with UNO (8-2W, 4-1L) in Duluth.

Season series – UMD wins 3-1-0 – split in Duluth swept in Kalamazoo

Well with the teams tying in the standing, with identical records too, it make sense to predict a three game series.  These teams are evenly matched on paper, and similar on the ice. I’m giving my nod to the home team.  BULLDOGS IN 3

#27 Denver @ #26 Nebraska-Omaha (Thurs/Fri/Sun)

Last weekend the Pioneers split with the RedHawks (5-2W, 2-1L) in Denver and the Mavericks split with the Bulldogs (8-2L, 4-1W) in Duluth.

Season series – UNO wins 3-1-0 – swept in Denver and split in Omaha

This is short week for both teams with the series starting on Thursday.  DU was one win away from hosting a first round game, but could pull it off on Saturday night.  Can the Pioneers put last weekend behind them and focus on the Mavericks?  The Pioneers are 6-6-5 on the road, doesn’t get much more even than that, the Mavericks are 9-9-0 at home and 7-7-2 on the road… someone is going to end up with a losing there five hundred record.  MAVERICKS IN 3

#40 Miami @ #5 SCSU

Last weekend the RedHawks split with the Pioneers (5-2L, 2-1W) in Denver and the Huskies split swept CC (7-4, 4-1) in Colorado Springs.

Season series – tied 2-2-0 – splits in both Oxford and St. Cloud  

The RedHawks started the season the number one team in land, now they are 40^th in the pairwise rankings, and the Huskies are 5^th in the PWR.  The Huskies have only 8 loses all season, 6 in the NCHC and 2 are to Miami.  I think the Huskies will be ready when MU comes calling this weekend, but it wouldn’t surprise me if MU forced a three game series.  HUSKIES IN 2

#51 Colorado College @ #10 North Dakota

Last weekend NoDak split with the Broncos (2-0W, 2-1L) in Grand Forks and the Tigers were swept by SCSU (7-4, 4-1) in Colorado Springs.

Season series – UND wins 2-0-0 – UND swept in Grand Forks

The Tigers have been abysmal on the road this season, going 1-13-2 away from Colorado Springs.  CC is currently on a four game skid, after winning the previous three, they have given up 19 goals in those last four loses.  Look for UND to bring the pressure and score early and often, to keep the Tigers in their cage, so to speak.  NODAK IN 2

Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

Here we are the last weekend in the inaugural NCHC season.  The race for the Penrose Cup will be decided this weekend.  We know for sure is both SCSU and UND will be at home for the first round of the playoffs, oh and they are the top contenders for the inaugural league title.  I’m not sure on how all the tie breakers work, but we might have to find out come Sunday!

NCHC STANDINGS 2013-2014

Team………………………W-L-T-SW………Points

North Dakota……………..14-8-0-0…..…….….42
St. Cloud St……………….13-6-3-0…………...42
Nebraska-Omaha………..12-8-2-1…..………..39
Minnesota-Duluth………..10-10-2-2….….……34
Western Michigan………..10-10-2-2…….……34
Denver………………………9-10-3-2……….…32
Colorado College……….. ..6-11-5-1…….….…24
Miami………………………..5-16-1-1….…….….17

NCHC Games

Nebraska-Omaha @ #17 Minnesota-Duluth

Last weekend the Bulldogs swept Miami (5-4, 1-0) in Oxford and the Mavericks swept the Tigers (6-0, 2-1ot) in Omaha.

The Mavericks have almost secured home ice, and with at least a tie this weekend, they will secure a home spot.  The Bulldogs need to win, since they are tied with WMU for the last home ice spot and DU is only two points behind.  Both UMD and UNO beat up on the two bottom teams in the standings, so they both should have some confidence going into the weekend.  UNO is even stevens this year, 6-6-0 on the road and 9-9-0 at home, the Bulldogs are 4-7-3 at home and 10-6-0 on the road.  Perhaps UMD is better of throwing these games, so they are on the road the first round?  SPLIT

Miami @ Denver

Last weekend the RedHawks were swept by the Bulldogs (5-4, 1-0) in Duluth and the Pioneers split with the Broncos (4-2W, 3-1L) in Kalamazoo.

I’m guessing the season can’t end fast enough in Oxford, ugh.  MU has just two wins in 2014, and thus has lost seven of their last eight games.  The Pioneers still have a shot at home ice but they need some help; they need to pass up UMD and WMU.  The RedHawks are 4-9-2 on the road, and they did split with DU earlier this season.  The Pioneers are 9-6-1 in Denver this year.  They will need at least one win this weekend and lots of help or two wins and some help, to host games next weekend.  PIONEERS SWEEP

#3 SCSU @ Colorado College

Last weekend the Huskies split with NoDak (5-2L, 3-1W) in St. Cloud and the Tigers were swept by the Mavericks (6-0, 2-1ot) in Omaha.

This match-up could happen again next weekend too, but with SCSU hosting the games.  The teams meet way back about thanksgiving with the teams tying Friday (CC won shoot out) and SCSU winning the Saturday game.  With the cup on the line, I think SCSU will bring its “A” game to Colorado Springs.  Unless the Huskies are affected by thee, ahem, “haze”, at CC, they should leave a couple of wins.  HUSKIES SWEEP

#21 Western Michigan @ #9 North Dakota

Last weekend the Broncos split with the Pioneers (4-2L, 3-1W) in Kalamazoo and NoDak split with the Huskies (5-2W, 3-1L) in St. Cloud.

These teams met the first week of December in Kalamazoo, with NoDak sweeping the series by identical 3-2 scores.  NoDak is 11-5-1 at home in The Ralph this season and the Broncos are 5-5-3 on the road.  As far as I can recall this will be WMU first ever trip to Grand Forks (correct me if I’m wrong).  The Broncos are in a precarious spot, sitting in a tie for fourth place and the last home ice spot.  And playing on the road at the top team in the conferences barn doesn’t help their cause any.  NoDak has been hot the second half, like usual, and I don’t see them slowing down this weekend at home, with home crowd advantage cheering them on.  NODAK SWEEP

Related articles

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• Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn) (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Weekend Match-Ups (By Donn) (ndgoon.blogspot.com)

Weekend Match-Ups (By Donn)

The rest of the season is nothing but NCHC games, so the race is on for the first ever NCHC regular season championship.  And mathematically everyone still has a shot at the title. 

Last weekend in the Saturday SCSU-UNO game both teams had a player score a hat trick, Kossila for the Huskies and Zombo for the Mavericks, you don’t see that very often!

NCHC STANDINGS 2013-2014

Team………………………W-L-T-SW………Points

St. Cloud St……………….8-4-2-0…………...26
North Dakota………………8-6-0-0……….….24
Denver…………………..…7-5-2-1…………..24
Nebraska-Omaha…………7-5-2-1…………..24
Minnesota-Duluth…………7-6-1-1……….….23
Western Michigan………..6-7-1-1…………...20
Miami………………………4-9-1-1….…….….14
Colorado College……….. 3-8-3-1…….….….13

NCHC Games

Western Michigan @ Miami

Last weekend the Broncos were swept by the Bulldogs (5-2, 3-1) in Kalamazoo and the RedHawks had a bye weekend.

The Broncos suffered their first losses of 2014 last weekend, and head to Oxford this weekend.  These teams just played a series last month, to kick off 2014, which resulted in a Broncos sweep.  But this time around it’s at the RedHawks home rink. Miami started off the season as one of the pre-season favorites to win the league.  Now the RedHawks are looking at a bottom half finish.  If the Broncos sweep the RedHawks this weekend, it would be a monumental task for the Oxford guys to get into the top half.  SPLIT

#15 Denver @ #6 SCSU

Last weekend the Pioneers were on a bye and the Huskies split with the Mavericks (5-3W, 8-6L) in Omaha.

With three points separating the top five teams, it goes without saying that these series are big games for both these teams.  The Pioneer’s hosted the Huskies back a month ago and the teams split that series, SCSU won the opener 6-3 and DU evened it up 5-2 that following night.  I think a repeat is on tap this weekend with each team getting a win.  SPLIT

Colorado College @ #17 Minnesota-Duluth 

Last weekend the Tigers were enjoying an off weekend and the Bulldogs swept the Broncos (5-2, 3-1) in Kalamazoo. 

The Bulldogs are on a good streak, having not lost in their last 5 games (3-0-2).  Meanwhile the Tigers managed only one win in December and one win in January. I don’t think a Bulldog sweep would surprise anyone this weekend, not even the Tigers.  BULLDOGS SWEEP

Nebraska-Omaha @ #16 North Dakota

Last weekend the Mavericks split (5-3L, 8-6W) with the Huskies in Omaha and NoDak was resting up on a bye weekend. 

The Mavericks went winless in December, and managed one win and January and have one win already in February.  NoDak was on a 10 game unbeaten streak until they dropped their last game at Denver.  That last game in DU featured a stellar performance by their goaltender that stopped all 43-shots he faced.  I think NoDak is in the midst of their traditional second half run, and will get back on track this weekend at the expense of Omaha.  NODAK SWEEPS.

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Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

Here we are the last weekend of play, for most teams anyway, before the Christmas break.  The first half of the season seems to have flown by, before we know it, it will be 2014!

NCHC STANDINGS 2013-2014

Team………………………W-L-T………Points

St. Cloud St……………….6-1-1…………...19
Nebraska-Omaha…………5-2-1…………..17
North Dakota………………5-5-0……….….15
Denver…………………..…4-3-1…………..14
Colorado College……….. 2-5-3…….….….10
Miami………………………3-5-0….…….….9
Minnesota-Duluth…………2-2-0……….….6
Western Michigan………..2-2-0…………...6 

NCHC Games

Western Michigan @ # Minnesota-Duluth

Last weekend Broncos were swept (3-2, 3-2) by NoDak in Kalamazoo and the Bulldogs were swept (4-2, 5-1) by the Huskies in Duluth.

Both the Broncos and the Bulldogs are sitting at .500 in the league standings, so neither team has any reason to play desperate this weekend.  However, a sweep by one team would vault them up the standings.  Looking at overall records I have to give the nod to the home team this weekend.  BULLDOGS 3-pts

Non-Conference Games

#20 Denver (8-6-2) @ #18 Rensselaer (8-5-3)

Last weekend the Pioneers split (3-1W, 4-2L) with the RedHawks in Oxford and Engineers tied Quinnipiac (3-3ot) and beat Princeton (5-3) at home in Troy, NY.

The Engineers are playing well at home, with a 4-1-3 record at Houston Fieldhouse this season (NHL size).  The Pioneers are decent on the road with a 1-2-2 record away from Denver.  With these teams having almost identical records, I’m say they stay that way with each team getting a win.  SPLIT – RPI wins Friday, DU wins Saturday

#10 Union (10-3-2) @ #1 St. Cloud St. (11-1-2)

Last weekend the Huskies swept  (4-2, 5-1) the Bulldogs in Duluth and the Dutchmen beat Princeton (3-0) and Quinnipiac (6-4) at home in Schenectady, NY.

This should be a good series in St. Cloud with both teams ranked in the top 10.  The Huskies only loss this this season was to Miami.  The Dutchmen have only lost to Colgate, and dropped a series to Lake Superior State.  With that in mind, Union has had a softer schedule then the Huskies.  SCSU has too much talent and depth for the Dutchmen to handle over a weekend of play.  HUSKIES SWEEP 

Colorado College (2-10-3) @ #15 Wisconsin (6-5-1)

Last weekend the Tigers took 3-pts (4-2, 3-3ot) from the Mavericks in Colorado Springs and the Badgers

The Tigers went winless in the month of November, but have started off December on the right skate.  The Badgers are undefeated in Madison this year and with CC coming to town this weekend (and UAH next weekend), they might be able to keep that record intact until 2014.  I said might; I think CC will steal a game from the former WCHA rival.  SPLIT – CC wins Friday, UW wins Saturday 

Northern Michigan (6-8-2) @ North Dakota (7-7-2)

Last weekend the Wildcats were swept by Minnesota State (3-2, 3-0) in Mankato and NoDak swept the Broncos (3-2, 3-2) in Kalamazoo.

Has NoDak finally found their stride, it is closing in on Christmas and we all know they seem to win more games around and especially after Christmas.  If you are old enough you know that NMU was a WCHA member for many years and has a history with UND.  Thus the guys from Marquette are no strangers to the guys in Grand Forks.  The Wildcats are winless in their last four games and NoDak is on a three game winning streak.  I say they keep on their streaks.  NODAK SWEEP

Denver (8-6-2) @ Massachusetts (4-11-2) (Tuesday)

The Pioneers go a little farther East to Amherst, MA after their weekend in Troy, NY.
The Minutemen play at Colgate this weekend.

I’m going with the Pioneers here, just on a hunch, since this will be both teams third game in five days.

BYE

#12  Miami

#19  Nebraska-Omaha

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Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We have now arrived at the last games of February, which means that the regular season is nearing the end.  It also signals the start of March and the march into the playoff stretch.  The only spot we know for certain is 12^th place, the Seawolves are officially locked into the basement and will play at the league winners rink in three weeks.

WCHA STANDINGS 2012-2013

Team………………………W-L-T………Points

1. St. Cloud St……………15-6-1…….….31
2. Nebraska-Omaha….....14-8-2…....…..30
3. Minnesota State……….14-9-1.…...….29
4. Minnesota……………...12-6-4……..…28
5. North Dakota.………….11-5-6………..28
6. Wisconsin…....………..10-7-7………...27
7. Denver…………..……..10-7-5..….......25
8. Colorado College ……..8-10-4..…..….20
9. Minnesota-Duluth….…..8-12-4……….20
10. Michigan Tech………..6-14-4…..……16
11. Bemidji State……..…..5-13-6......……16
12. Alaska-Anchorage…....2-18-6.....……10

WCHA Games

#7 St. Could St.  @ Colorado College

Last weekend the Huskies and the Tigers were taking breaks from hockey.

The Huskies still control their destiny for the McNaughton Cup, keep winning and win the cup.  The Tigers odds of getting home ice are not good, needing to make up five points in six games, and then they need help, lots of help.  CC hosts MSUM next week before ending the season at MTU.  The Huskies on the other hand have MTU next week and go to UW to end the season.  The Huskies have only one loss in their last eight games, and that was to the UM.  The Tigers are undefeated in their last five games going 2-0-3 over that span.  When a team is desperate like CC, the Huskies better be ready for the kitchen sink to be thrown at them this weekend.  SPLIT

#6 North Dakota @ #10 Denver

Last weekend NoDak was on a bye and Pioneers were also on a bye.

These teams met earlier this year in Grand Forks with UND taking three points in a Friday night 2-2 tie and a win on Saturday 6-3.  NoDak is on a three game winning streak and a five game unbeaten streak, DU is 2-2-1 in their last five contests.  The games in December were not as heated as some of the past season.  And this weekend with valuable WCHA points at stake, I don’t think anyone wants to take any unnecessary penalties.  The Pioneers have played well in Denver this season owning a 10-4-3 record at Magness Arena, NoDak is a respectable 7-5-1 away from The Ralph this year.  I think this series comes down to goal tending and who makes a few timely saves or even steals a game.  SPLIT

Minnesota-Duluth @ #2 Minnesota

Last weekend the Bulldogs got a point from the Beavers (4-2, 1-1ot) in Bemidji and the Gophers split with the Badgers (3-2W, 2-3L) in Madison/Chicago.

The Bulldogs are all but guaranteed a road trip in the first round of the WCHA playoffs.  They would need to run their remaining schedule and get a ton of help.  UMD has not won a game since defeating CC on Jan-18, that’s more than a month.  If a Bulldog had a tail it would firmly tucked between in legs now.  However, UMD can look ahead to next weekend when they host the Chargers from Huntsville, who only have three wins on the season.  The Gophers will be just too much for the Bulldogs to handle, too much speed, and too much talent.  Plus the Gophers are looking to grab the last McNaughton Cup, and need to gain ground on the teams ahead of them.  GOPHERS SWEEP

NON-Conference

Penn State @ #18 Wisconsin (Sun/Mon)

Last weekend the Badgers split with the Gophers (2-3L, 3-2W) in Madison/Chicago and the Nittany Lions swept Oklahoma (4-1, 3-0) in exhibition play.

PSU has a couple of quality wins this year, over Michigan St., Ohio St., and Air Force.  This is the last series for the Lions this year and are current owners of a 12-13-0 record.  The Badgers are playing well and be the best team PSU has seen this season.  I don’t think PSU will get many scoring opportunities against the stingy Badgers defense.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of shut outs in Madison this weekend.  BADGERS SWEEP

Exhibition

US U-18 @ #14 Nebraska-Omaha (Fri)

Last weekend the Mavericks swept the Seawolves (3-0, 6-5ot) in Anchorage.

This is Omaha’s last “break” before the end of the season and playoff run starts.  Since this game doesn’t exist in the record books, I look to see Omaha play a few goalies in this game and see who might be the go to guy.  UNO WINS

BYE WEEK

Alaska-Anchorage  
Bemidji St.
Michigan Tech
#9 Minnesota State

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Weekend Match-Ups (by Donn)

Western Collegiate Hockey Association logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We have a full slate of WCHA games this week with all 12 teams in action against each other.  Most teams are down to their last 8 league games coming into this weekend.  The numbers are starting to show who is likely to be on the top half or bottom half of the bracket. A month from now the regular season will wrap up the WCHA as we have known it for about half a century.  The numbers are looking good for the top 4 teams to host first round games, and they will most likely be hosting the current bottom 4 teams.  That leaves the middle 4 teams to sort things out and fight it out for the last two home series.

WCHA STANDINGS 2012-2013

Team………………………W-L-T………Points

1. St. Cloud St……………14-5-1…….….29
2. Nebraska-Omaha….....12-6-2…....…..26
3. Denver…………..……..10-6-4……......24
3. Minnesota……………...10-4-4……..…24
3. North Dakota.………..…9-5-6…….…..24
6. Wisconsin…....…………8-6-6………...22
7. Minnesota State……….10-9-1.…...….21
8. Minnesota-Duluth….…..8-9-3…………19
9. Colorado College ……..7-10-3..…..….17
10. Michigan Tech………..5-11-4…..……14
11. Bemidji State……..…..4-12-4......……12
12. Alaska-Anchorage…...1-15-6…...……8

WCHA Games

Colorado College vs #9 Denver

Last weekend the Tigers tied the Seawolves twice (2-2ot, 3-3ot) in Anchorage and the Pioneers swept the Bulldogs (3-0, 4-3) in Duluth.

The Gold Pan is looking to move up to Denver this season.  Back in mid-November the Pioneers swept the Tigers with a 6-5 win on the road and a 6-2 in Magness Arena.  All DU needs is a tie or win this weekend to capture the Gold Pan.  The Pioneers have been streaky as of late, but appear to be heading in the upward direction.  The Tigers have been chasing their tail since the calendar flipped to December, since then they have just 2 wins.  But like we all know you can throw the records and recent game outcomes out the window for rivalry games. SPLIT

Alaska-Anchorage @ Michigan Tech

Last weekend the Seawolves tied the Tigers twice (2-2ot, 3-3ot) in Anchorage and the Huskies split with the UNO Mavericks (4-3L, 2-1Wot) in Omaha.

The Seawolves have not won a game since Dec-1, and that was against SCSU.  However, the bright side for UAA is they are now on a two game unbeaten streak.  The down side is they only have six league games left, and after MTU, they play at UNO and end the year at DU (they play in-state rival Alaska in between those series).  The Huskies are 2-1-1 in their last four WCHA games.  MTU can relegate the Seawolves to a 12^th place finish this year, if they can sweep them this year.  If the Huskies can sweep they can try and avoid the top teams in the first round of the league playoffs.  HUSKIES SWEEP

#1 Minnesota @ #8 St. Could St. 
Last weekend the Gophers were off and the Huskies swept the Beavers (4-0, 4-1) in Bemidji.

This is the most important series this weekend, in terms of seeing who will be the controlling their McNaughton Cup title destiny.  Even though SCSU lead UM by five points UM has two games in pocket.  If the Huskies sweep they control their own fate for winning the league.  If UM gets a sweep, they can win the league title, but might need a little help?  SCSU has series at CC, home with MTU, and at UW after this weekend, so they have a favorable schedule to end the season.  With the teams being red hot in 2013, I don’t see anyone losing twice this weekend.  SPLIT

#11 Minnesota State @ Minnesota-Duluth

Last weekend the Mavericks were on a bye and the Bulldogs were swept by the Pioneers (3-0, 4-3) in Duluth.

The Mavericks after a bye weekend find themselves in the bottom half of the standings only two points ahead of the Bulldogs.  The Mavericks have been scoring more goals this year and have been rewarded with more wins.  They need to continue to score three or more a game to give them the opportunity to win.  MSUM can put UMD in the rear view mirror, if they get four points out of Amsoil arena, and improve their chances of getting home ice in the first round.  The Bulldogs still to have hopes of a first round series at home, but need some help to get there.  MAVERICKS 3-pts

#7 North Dakota @ #14 Nebraska-Omaha

Last weekend NoDak took three points from the Badgers (1-1ot, 4-1) in Grand Forks and the Mavericks split the MTU Huskies (4-3W, 2-1Lot) in Omaha.

NoDak plays six of their last eight games on the road.  It starts this weekend with a special game on Saturday, they are playing outside.  With these two teams separated by two points it should be a battle for every inch of ice, well at least of it doesn’t melt outside.  I just hope the weather doesn’t play too much of a factor.  Coach Blais will get welcome his former team to Omaha once again this weekend, NoDak is hoping his team will be a gracious host and give them points this weekend.  SPLIT

Bemidji St. @ #19 Wisconsin

Last weekend the Beavers were swept by the SCSU Huskies (4-0, 4-1) in Bemidji and the Badgers got a point from NoDak (1-1ot, 4-1) in Grand Forks.

The Badgers are currently holding the last home ice playoff spot, but only by a point.  The Beavers are 10 points behind the Badgers for the spot and with only eight games left, which is a pretty tall task.  However, the industrious Beavers can damn up the Badgers chances of getting home ice with taking points out of Madison this weekend.  The Badgers have been, well, awful at the Kohl Center this season, granted they are 5-5-2 their but, those 2 wins are Huntsville and 2 are the Seawolves.  I’m expecting a couple of very low scoring games in Madison this weekend.  I’d be surprised if there was more than four total goals were scored per game.  With that in mind, a bounce here or there could easily determine the winner of these games.  SPLIT  

Monday Afternoon pontifications

My impression on the weekend … On Friday, UND came out flat against a very good team and they got beat, there is no other way to sugar coat this.  I don’t think that anybody in UND’s locker room was happy with the results. Neither were the fans.

After the game the head coach was physically upset and didn’t say much in the postgame press conference. You can see his comments here if you haven’t seen them yet.

I think on Saturday that the guys in green and white did a very good job flushing Friday’s subpar effort and they were the better of the two teams on the ice all game long. North Dakota doubled up the Huskies in shots, but they were still unable to get anything past Ryan Faragher, who was rock solid all weekend long.

On Saturday night after the game, I told Mick Hatten beat writer from the Saint Cloud Times that I think SCSU is one of the better teams that I have seen in person this season. I truly believe that, the Huskies are pretty solid defensively and through the forward lines. They Huskies also have a good fore check and generate a lot of opportunities off of their opponent’s turnovers.

Perusing the messages boards and twitter, I see fans post that say that that losing to SCSU is unacceptable and that the Huskies are not a very good hockey team. Personally, I think those comments are short sighted, and I am going to disagree with that opinion. The Huskies are the first team since the 2008 season to sweep the Denver Pioneers in a weekend series.

While I don’t like watching UND lose to the Huskies, I do think we need to give credit where credit is due, the Huskies are not a bunch of talentless hacks and will be a force at the end of the season, baring injuries to key players.

 If UND doesn’t play the Huskies again this season, I won’t be disappointed.

While this isn’t earth shattering news, I do think that SCSU is probably going to win the WCHA this year, unless they have a total collapse, and baring a bunch of serious injuries. I am also admit, that it pains me to say that.  At the beginning of the season, I had UND winning the league in the Blogger Poll run by A Tradition of Excellence.

Saint Cloud State is a very good hockey team and if you don’t come and play well against them, they will bury you. You can’t take a shift off against a good team like the Huskies. During the game on Friday, UND took all but six minutes off.

The Huskies also have a pretty good freshman class that has paid dividends on the ice for the Huskies.

On the freshman that stuck out last weekend was freshman forward Jonny Brodzinski. The Huskies rookie Brodzinski scored (2g-1a—3pts) on the weekend and was the difference in Friday’s game. SCSU head coach Bob Motzko thinks very highly of his young forward and even compared him to former Sioux power forward Matt Frattin.

What is really interesting is that Brodzinski scored (11g-13a—24pts) in 64 games with the Fargo Force last year now is now tied for third with UND  forward  Rocco Grimaldi (9g-11a—20pts) for 20^th overall in WCHA rookie scoring for all games with (11g-9a—20pts).

Fire Hakstol!!!

I have seen a few people that are dissatisfied with the status of the UND coaching staff. Last season, people were unhappy with Carey Eades, and wanted Brad Berry Back. Now that assistant coach Brad barry is back, I see fans that want coach Eades back.

I do get the anger, no one in the UND fan base likes seeing what transpired over the past two weekends,  but that’s hockey, even the Boston Bruins that won the Stanley Cup, had a short period where they lost  a couple of untimely games and had losing streaks.

Even the 2010-11 team, that went to the Frozen Four, and finished third over-all had a rough stretch where they lost three out of four games during the month of October. The Fighting Sioux also went 5-3 during the month of January as well during the 2010-11 season.

I also think that we need to put thing in perspective. UND isn’t going to fire Dave Hakstol, that’s a fact.  Last spring, coach Hakstol signed an extension for six years and he currently has five years left on his deal.

I will also, predict that UND isn’t going to buy coach Hakstol out at $300,000.00 a year. Honestly, I can’t imagine that UND has 1.5 million dollars just laying around to buy him out. Let’s just say that UND fired him, who would they replace him with. That would also set the program back 2-4 seasons; they would also lose a fair number of the recruits that are already committed to UND.  

Like it or not, Hakstol isn’t going anywhere, I can assure you that.

Personally, I am a fan of Dave Hakstol and I think that sooner rather than later UND is going to win another title. Just a gut feeling.

Saint Cloud takes a bite out of UND.

Seal of the University of North Dakota (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Grand Forks, ND – Fresh off getting only a single point in their weekend series against the Minnesota Gophers last weekend, you would’ve thought that the University of North Dakota Hockey team would come out of the gates with a lot of fire and playing with a purpose.

Tonight, that was not the case. In fact, nothing went right for the University of North Dakota hockey team.

Tonight’s opponents, the Saint Cloud State Huskies were the ones that looked like they were the fifth ranked team in the nation, as they came out of the gates with a purpose, and raced to a 2-0 lead with goals from forwards Johnny Brodzinski and Ben Hanowski.  Not only was UND outplayed, but UND was also out shoot 7-3 in the first period as well.

Coming into tonight’s game, UND had a record of 5-3-3 when the opposition scores the first goal. Make that 5-4-3 with the 3-1 loss to the Saint Cloud State Huskies tonight.

The Second period didn’t start out well for North Dakota either, as they continued to stand around and watch the Huskies make plays. It’s not a stretch to say that UND was beaten to the puck for two and half periods of hockey. The Huskies would out shoot UND 11-5 during the second period.

The game just didn’t get much better in the third period as they would watch the Huskies extend the lead to 3-0 with another goal from the talented freshman Johnny Brodzinski’s.

After the game, Saint Cloud State Husky head coach Bob Moztko was impressed with the play of his freshman forward Brodzinski.

“I am not sure how many shots that he had tonight,” Motzko said. “I didn’t see, but he had eight or nine shots on goal. When he [Brodzinski] shoots the puck people are going to start see that it’s a big league shot, and it’s just deadly – he’s a big strong kid – he gets open, he reminds me of a kid [Matt Frattin] they had here a couple of years ago – a kid that shot every time he had the puck.”

North Dakota would break Husky goalie Ryan Faragher’s shutout bid at the 13:49 mark of the third period with a power play goal from freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi. That was all of the closer UND would get as the Huskies would hang on for the win with UND pressing in the waning minutes of the third, but they were unable to get anything past Faragher.

While Rocco Grimaldi was the only UND hockey player to get a puck past the rangy Husky goalie Faragher, Grimaldi didn’t spend much time relishing his ninth goal of the season.

“It just wasn’t our game,” Grimaldi said. “I can’t even put a finger on it what we did wrong. Just no one starting with myself, no one was inspired to play the game. That can’t happen; we just have to forget now that it’s over and done with and move on tomorrow we need those two points tomorrow.”

The game was rather clean as both team combined for a grand total of five minor penalties for 10 minutes in penalties.  UND was 1/1 on the power play and the Huskies were unable to cash in on their two power play opportunities.

After the game, Saint Cloud State Husky coach Bob Motzko seemed rather pleased with his team’s effort.

“Our guys blocked a lot of shots tonight,” Motzko said. “You’ve got to give yourself a chance here to play good defense,” “Ryan [Faragher] made a few key saves when he had to.”

Tonight, Corban Knight’s 19 game point streak came to an end. This was only the third game in the last 24 that Knight didn’t at least have a point. Breaking it down further, this was also the first time all season long that Knight and Kristo didn’t have a single point.

There really is no way to sugar coat tonight’s game. It was not a good effort at all for the North Dakota Hockey team, and the head coach Dave Hakstol was not pleased with his team’s effort. “We didn’t play very well tonight,” Hakstol said. “ We got our tails kicked in our own building.”

North Dakota is known for it's second half surges, currently has a 3-3-1 record in it's last seven games.

Cross Posted at the Hockey Writers - Combine.

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Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7)

Well this is it, the last weekend of hockey before Christmas.  It seems to me that the first half of the season has just flown by, way too quickly.  The biggest surprise last weekend had to be MTU and UW tying both of their games in Madison.

This will be my last post before the holiday break. So, I wish a Merry Christmas to all the Goon's World readers.  I will have my predictions up after Christmas for all the holiday tournaments.

WCHA STANDINGS 2012-2013

Team………………………W-L-T………Points

1. Denver…………..………7-3-2………....16
2. Minnesota………………6-3-3………….15
3. Minnesota State……….7-5-0.…...…….14
3. St. Cloud St………….…7-5-0………….14
5. Nebraska-Omaha………6-3-1……........13
5. North Dakota.………..…5-2-3…..……...13
7. Colorado College ……..5-4-1..….……..11
8. Michigan Tech………….3-6-3……….….9
8. Minnesota-Duluth….…..3-6-3…………..9
8. Wisconsin…....…………2-5-5………......9
11. Bemidji State……..…..3-7-2.…….........8
12. Alaska-Anchorage…....1-6-3…...….…..5

WCHA Games

#11 Denver @ Bemidji St.

Last weekend the Pioneers got a point (2-2ot, 6-3) from NoDak in Grand Forks and the Beavers split (2-4, 2-1) with the Bulldogs in Duluth.

The Pioneers have been sliding down the hill since their series with CC; they are winless in their last six games, going 0-4-2.  DU has been having a hard time finding the back of the goal, only netting 12 goals in those 6 games.  The Beavers return home to the Sanford Center, after spending the last two weekends on the road (Mankato and Duluth).  BSU ended their three game losing streak by getting a win on Saturday night in Duluth.  The Pioneers did not look that good last weekend in Grand Forks, so they might be looking for a little mental pick-me-up this week.  BSU will need to play strong defensively, to give themselves a chance to get some points.  SPLIT

#8 North Dakota @ Michigan Tech

Last weekend NoDak took three points (2-2ot, 6-3) from the Pioneers in Grand Forks and the Huskies split (1-1ot, 3-3ot) with the Badgers in Madison.

NoDak has been doing well this first half of the season, both defensively and offensively.  This will likely be the last time these two teams meet for some time, with the conferences splitting next year.  Last year the teams only played in Grand Forks with the Sioux taking three points that weekend.  The last time they played in Houghton was March of 2011, with the Huskies taking a pair of beatings, 6-1 and 11-2, that weekend.  But this is a different year, with different players, different coaches, and like the saying goes past performance doesn’t predict future outcomes.  NoDak 3-pts

Colorado College @ #17 St. Could St. 

Last weekend the Tigers got a point (2-4, 4-4ot) from the Gophers in Colorado Springs and the Huskies split (5-6, 2-1) with the UNO Mavericks in St. Cloud.

The Tigers currently trail the Huskies by three points in the standings, but have played two fewer games.  CC would like to get into the top half of the ledger before the Christmas break, but that means they need at least one win and some help.  SCSU will be looking to distance themselves from CC and lock into the top half before the break.  The Tigers are 3-3-0 on the road this year and the Huskies are tough at home in the National Hockey Center this year, going 6-2-0.  I’m going with each team get a win this weekend.  SPLIT

Minnesota-Duluth @ Alaska-Anchorage

Last weekend the Bulldogs split (4-2, 1-2) with the Beavers in Duluth and the Seawolves were swept (1-3, 0-3) by the MSUM Mavericks in Mankato.

The Bulldogs are struggling this year as are the Seawolves, both teams have six losses and three ties on their records.  UMD has played two more games that UAA and those two more games are in the win column.  The long flight could give the Bulldogs the time they need to contemplate their situation or it might be just away to kill time.  This will be the Seawolves last games before Christmas, their next games are Jan. 4-5 at home against UW.  The Seawolves are averaging just less than two goals/game and the Bulldogs are just under three goals/game.  I expect a couple of low scoring games with favors UAA a bit more than UMD.  SPLIT

#20 Minnesota State @ #13 Nebraska-Omaha

Last weekend the MSUM Mavericks swept the Seawolves (3-1, 3-0) in Mankato and the UNO Mavericks split with the SCSU Huskies (6-5, 1-2) in St. Cloud.

Both Mavericks are exceeding their preseason expectations, which is obviously good for both herds.  MSUM is only two points from the top and UNO is only three points from the top.  The difference is that UNO has two games in hand on MSUM.  Omaha is 5-2-1 at home this year and MSUM is 3-3-1 away from Mankato.  Both teams are averaging over three goals per game, so there should be plenty of offense to go around this weekend.  MSUM comes into this series as the hottest team in the conference winning their last six games, all WCHA games mind you.  The caveat is those wins were over the bottom three teams, UW, BSU, and UAA.  MSUM has a much tougher opponent this weekend, but they should be confident given their winning streak.  They just can’t afford to be over confident.  SPLIT

Non Conference Games

Alabama-Huntsville (3-12-1 overall) @ Wisconsin (2-7-5 overall) (Thu / Fri)

Last weekend the Chargers swept (5-2, 4-1) the Finlandia Lions (D-3 school in the MCHA) in Huntsville and the Badgers split with the MTU Huskies (1-1ot, 3-3ot) in Madison.

The Badgers are still winless at home this season and this is their last home series until 2013 (they host Miami Jan. 18-19).  I think this is the weekend they have been waiting for in Madison, their first home win or wins of the season.  I’m going to go with Cardinal and White to go into the Christmas break on a high note.  BADGERS SWEEP

BYE WEEK

#4 Minnesota

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• Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7) (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Weekend Match-Ups (by Sioux 7) (ndgoon.blogspot.com)