Showing posts with label North Dakota Hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Dakota Hockey. Show all posts
Saturday, February 20, 2016
UND 2, UMD 1 (Video Highlights)
Tonight, I ended up going to the game as a fan. I didn't realize how much I miss with my head in my laptop. My wife was working and my usual babysitter was at the game, too. No way I was missing this game.
In my opinion, the UMD vs. UND games is one of my favorite series. Instead of sitting at home hoping my wife makes it home early enough to make it to the game, I decided to buy a couple of tickets and attend the game. That wasn't cheap by the way.
This season, my eight-year-old daughter hadn't been to a game so I figured it was a good time to have a father, daughter evening, so I ended up taking her to the one of the best games of the year. Good for UND fans, not so good for our friends from Duluth.
This was very big win for UND. I've had a few people ask me about the penalty that led to the penalty shot. I don't know. If I had been officiating this game, I would've probably called a two-minute penalty. We can write it off as, "hey it's Todd Anderson."
Apparently, Todd Anderson made the wrong call on the play in question (per the rule book). As my buddy Ken says, the refs don't follow the rule book anymore. Of course, he's a Penguins fan.
UMD head coach Scott Sandelin wasn't pleased with the call: “I don’t agree with the call at the end. It was a penalty, but I don’t agree with the penalty shot at all,” Sandelin said. “I don’t care if that gets me in trouble. It certainly was a penalty and they capitalized. We had our opportunities, they had their opportunities. It was a good hard-fought battle.”
Friday, December 11, 2015
WHKY: Second period Shelby shuts out Badgers
GRAND FORKS, N.D. --
The University of North Dakota spoiled Wisconsin's 18-game winning streak on Friday with a shut-out win. For the second time this season the Fighting Hawks downed the No. 1 ranked team in the country in an attempt to gain traction on the season.
UND got on the board with a power play goal from Layla Marvin during about a little a little over 12 minutes into the first. Four minutes later Vilma Tanksanen put the Hawks up 2-0 with assist from Rebekah Kolstad and Tanja Eisenschmid.
Shelby Amsley-Benzie faced a flurry of 15 shots during the second period. The Badgers dominated offensively, but weren't able to produce results in the form of goals.
“Shelby was lights out and that’s a big part of [the win]. I thought everyone contributed and played well with a lot of passion,” Head coach Brian Idalski said.
Wisconsin was also able to hold off the Hawks' offense to two shots during the second.
“You know what I told the team?” Idalski said about second period. “That’s the great thing about hockey and having three periods. As soon as it’s over, it’s done, it has no bearing. It doesn’t matter. We were good in the first. Second, we got hemmed in, we turned pucks over too much. I said, 'That’s over, let’s go back to what we were doing in the first; keep things simple, manage the game a little bit.' We did that and grinded it out in the third.”
North Dakota was able to rebound in the third period which included a second assist for Eisenschmid on the third goal of the evening by Becca Kohler.
The Fighting Hawks improved to 11-6-2 overall and 8-5-1 in the WCHA.
Tonight's game marks Amsley-Benzie's fifth shut-out of the year. The Fighting Hawks will attempt to sweep the Badgers Saturday afternoon at 4:07 p.m. at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The University of North Dakota spoiled Wisconsin's 18-game winning streak on Friday with a shut-out win. For the second time this season the Fighting Hawks downed the No. 1 ranked team in the country in an attempt to gain traction on the season.
UND got on the board with a power play goal from Layla Marvin during about a little a little over 12 minutes into the first. Four minutes later Vilma Tanksanen put the Hawks up 2-0 with assist from Rebekah Kolstad and Tanja Eisenschmid.
Shelby Amsley-Benzie faced a flurry of 15 shots during the second period. The Badgers dominated offensively, but weren't able to produce results in the form of goals.
“Shelby was lights out and that’s a big part of [the win]. I thought everyone contributed and played well with a lot of passion,” Head coach Brian Idalski said.
Wisconsin was also able to hold off the Hawks' offense to two shots during the second.
“You know what I told the team?” Idalski said about second period. “That’s the great thing about hockey and having three periods. As soon as it’s over, it’s done, it has no bearing. It doesn’t matter. We were good in the first. Second, we got hemmed in, we turned pucks over too much. I said, 'That’s over, let’s go back to what we were doing in the first; keep things simple, manage the game a little bit.' We did that and grinded it out in the third.”
North Dakota was able to rebound in the third period which included a second assist for Eisenschmid on the third goal of the evening by Becca Kohler.
The Fighting Hawks improved to 11-6-2 overall and 8-5-1 in the WCHA.
Tonight's game marks Amsley-Benzie's fifth shut-out of the year. The Fighting Hawks will attempt to sweep the Badgers Saturday afternoon at 4:07 p.m. at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Monday, November 16, 2015
WHKY: North Dakota splits with the Buckeyes
Grand Forks, N.D. -- North Dakota wanted to sweep Ohio State this weekend, however, it skated away with a split Sunday afternoon.
Saturday afternoon UND threw everything and the kitchen sink at OSU's goaltender, Alex Lamere in the first period. By the end of the first, UND had 20 shots on goal, but only one goal to show for it.
Saturday afternoon UND threw everything and the kitchen sink at OSU's goaltender, Alex Lamere in the first period. By the end of the first, UND had 20 shots on goal, but only one goal to show for it.
The lone first-period goal came at the 12:04 mark from Jordan Hampton with an assist from Samantha Hanson. It was Hampton's first career goal for North Dakota. There were several opportunities for UND to capitalize during the first, but they were unable to complete.
In the second, OSU picked up the pace and wouldn't trail again after potting their first goal which came after a couple of shifts that had North Dakota on its heels.
Early in the third UND's Amy Menke helped take a 2-1 advantage. Menke tallied three goals on on the weekend. A little over a minute later Kendall Curtis scored for the Buckeyes. Followed by another OSU goal from Maddy Field.
That was enough to seal the game for Ohio State after their 2-7-0 record heading into the Ralph on the weekend.
In the second, OSU picked up the pace and wouldn't trail again after potting their first goal which came after a couple of shifts that had North Dakota on its heels.
Early in the third UND's Amy Menke helped take a 2-1 advantage. Menke tallied three goals on on the weekend. A little over a minute later Kendall Curtis scored for the Buckeyes. Followed by another OSU goal from Maddy Field.
That was enough to seal the game for Ohio State after their 2-7-0 record heading into the Ralph on the weekend.
Sunday afternoon shifted North Dakota where they were able to capitalize on their opportunities in the first scoring twice with goals from Kryzaniak and Menke.
Freshman forward, Vilma Tanskanen scored her second goal of the season at the 6:45 mark of the second period.
The Buckeye's Maddy Field was able to break through in the third period for OSU's singular goal of the game, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. Before the game ended, Menke potted her second goal.
Over the weekend, Menke had three goals and registered eight shots on goal. North Dakota skated away with a spilt.
This Friday (7:07 p.m.) evening and Saturday afternoon (4:07 p.m.) UND will face WCHA conference opponent, Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are 2-6 in conference.
Freshman forward, Vilma Tanskanen scored her second goal of the season at the 6:45 mark of the second period.
The Buckeye's Maddy Field was able to break through in the third period for OSU's singular goal of the game, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit. Before the game ended, Menke potted her second goal.
Over the weekend, Menke had three goals and registered eight shots on goal. North Dakota skated away with a spilt.
This Friday (7:07 p.m.) evening and Saturday afternoon (4:07 p.m.) UND will face WCHA conference opponent, Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are 2-6 in conference.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Four Year Athlete Obsolete
According to USCHO.com, 30 players chose to leave their schools early, a majority of which were juniors with just one year left to play. However, there were five freshman who decided to leave after one year, including second overall pick in this year's entry draft, Jack Eichel. Now I do understand that these top NHL draft picks want to be sure that a serious injury doesn't ruin their professional dreams, but seriously. You go to college to play the sport and the university you are playing at is investing time and money in you. Now I'm not saying athletes should stay all four years, but they should spend at least three years with their school of choice.
Another interesting number found off of USCHO.com, 20 of the 59 schools were effected by early departures. Of those 20 schools, 10 of them saw more then one player leave for the NHL. Now I know that doesn't seem like a lot of players considering each of the 59 teams is allowed to roster up to 25 athletes, however top programs like North Dakota, Minnesota, and Boston University have rarely seen an entire class stick together all four seasons since the turn of the century, if at all.
For example, look at a team like North Dakota. This season saw the departures of juniors Zane McIntyre and Jordan Schmaltz to their respective pro teams. The year before, they lost Rocco Grimaldi to Florida, who was a red shirt sophomore at the time, and three seasons ago, would lose junior Derek Forbort to a pro contract. The list just goes on from there.
Maybe someday more athletes will once again decide to play all four seasons of NCAA hockey, but for now, senior classes keep getting smaller and smaller, and the sizes of the incoming freshman classes just keep growing in size.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
NCHC Playoff First Round Preview and Predictions
1 North Dakota vs. 8 Colorado College
These two teams met four times this season with North Dakota winning all four contests, one of which while in Colorado Springs by a 7-2 score and a Mark MacMillan hat trick. When CC came to Grand Forks for a second half series, the story was much different. In two very tightly contested battles, CC would be the thorn in UND's side, making it seem like it was a battle of top five teams in the country. UND would prevail on the weekend with a sweep, but maybe the most well earned sweep of the season.
Who to Watch:
UND: With MacMillan out, probably for the rest of the season, Focus for the offense will go to Senior Michael Parks, who likes to spend most of his time behind the goal line, Junior highlight reel Drake Caggiula, and master playmaker Freshman Nick Schmaltz. However this is a roster that seems to have someone different step up each night and in the second half their top producer has been Senior defender Nick Mattson. Finally, you look to Hobey Baker finalist Zane McIntryre. Zane leads the country in wins with 25, tied with Michigan Tech goalie Jamie Phillips, is 8th in save percentage at .931 and 14th in goals against average at 1.99.
CC: Junior center Cody Bradley is the only Tiger with 10 goals this season, and is also the only Tiger with over 20 points as well. The junior center has been the sole hope for offensive production for the season, but Senior forward Scott Wamsganz is on the 20 point threshold sitting at 19 points for the season. Never count out Sophomore defender Jacob Slavin for making some plays from the point either. Slavin is probably their best defenseman.
Who Wins?
UND should win the best of three series in two games Friday and Saturday, but I think one of these games will be within a goal or two and a very tight defensive battle. UND wins Friday 3-1 and Saturday 5-2, however if UND sits back any, which I don't think will happen, but if they do, look for CC to take advantage and try to force a third game this weekend.
2 Miami vs. 7 Western Michigan
Miami took 11 out of a possible 12 points against the Broncos this season with one overtime tie and shootout victory when they went to Kalamazoo for a series during the second half. The series that took place in Oxford was not as tightly contested, especially during the Saturday night contest with Miami winning by a score of 5-2.
Who to Watch:
Miami: Senior assist machine Austin Czarnik has 31 assists on the season for the RedHawks and a team leading 36 points.Junior Riley Barber shares the team lead in goals with Junior Sean Kuraly who both are at 17 goals for the season. With Seniors Cody Murphy and Blake Coleman both over the 10 goal mark for the season as well, you can't count those two out when it comes to scoring either.
WMU: Although the season ended somewhere they didn't want it to, Sophomore Sheldon Dries and Junior Colton Hargrove both are tied for the team lead in points with 25. Senior Justin Kovacs is not far behind with 24 points this season with 18 of those being helpers.
Who Wins?
I can't see this series ending any other way then a Miami sweep, but if you remember last year, the only home ice team to advance to the Frozen Faceoff last year was North Dakota. For that reason, I think this series goes the distance and WMU wins Friday 2-1 with Miami coming back with a Saturday win of 4-2 and Sunday 3-1.
3 Nebraska-Omaha vs. 6 St. Cloud State
This is the series that I am most looking forward to. With Omaha falling off late in the season to lose the number one spot to North Dakota, and St. Cloud being a thorn in everybodys side this season despite being below the 500 mark, this series has classic written all over it. With both teams getting sweeps this season on their home ice, and the late season sweep of Omaha in St. Cloud a couple weeks ago being the catalyst in Omaha falling in the standings, look for the Mavericks to come out guns a blazing and look to gain some revenge.
Who to Watch:
UNO: Sophomore Austin Ortega set the NCAA record for game winning goals in a season last weekend when he netted his 11th game winner. He is the leader with 18 goals on the season and tied with fellow Sophomore Jake Guentzel with points at 33, the youth movement in Omaha is on. Three of the top five in points for the Mavericks are freshman, Jake Randolph, Tyler Vesel, and Avery Peterson. Also look for Sophomore Justin Parizek to be a threat to score some goals as well.
SCSU: Junior Johnny Brodzinski and Junior Joey Benik lead this team who's power play is top 5 in the NCAA. The top power play unit has combined for over 70 points this season with the extra man, so look for the Huskies to take advantage of every man advantage they are able to get this weekend.
Who Wins?
No question in my mind this one goes the distance. I am taking St. Cloud to take the series and get the "upset" over Omaha as they have been struggling as of late, who is 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. St. Cloud wins Friday 3-2, Omaha Wins Saturday 4-3, St. Cloud wins 2-0.
4 Denver vs. 5 Minnesota-Duluth
With the season series seeing two splits, this series should also be very tightly contested, possibly the tightest of the four series. Duluth does hold the biggest victory this season with a 6-1 victory, but that came in Duluth. Every other game had a two goal or less margin, which is how I expect this to turn out.
Who to Watch:
Denver: Freshman Danton Heinen leads the team with an amazing 42 points this season and Sophomore Trevor Moore is close behind at 39 points. Moore is the team leader in goals this year at 19 goals on the season. However, you can't talk about Denver without talking about Senior defenseman Joey LaLeggia. His puck moving ability and willingness to take it up on the rush has him tagged as one of the top offensive-defensemen in the NCAA.
UMD: The usual suspects Tony Cameranesi, Alex Iafallo and Austin Farley are at it again this season and are leading this team on the helper side of things. the three are all at just 8 goals on the season and look to Dominic Toninato who leads the Bulldogs at 16 goals followed by Justin Crandall who has 12.
Who Wins?
This should be a very close series, but Denver comes out on top. Their firepower will be too much for this UMD team. Denver wins Friday 3-1 and Saturday 4-3.
Friday, February 20, 2015
UND vs. WMU (UND goals, and scrum)
The University of North Dakota with another solid win tonight. UND looked pretty good on the road on Friday night. That's two wins in a row on Friday night. With the win, UND improves to 8-6-1 on Friday nights.
UND will go for the sweep tomorrow night. UND is 13-0-2 on Saturday nights. Junior forward Drake Caggiula scored an absolutely filthy goal tonight. That ended up being the game-winning goal tonight.
Finally, UND benefitted from a blown call on the third goal. Steph Pattyn tripped a Western player in the UND goalmouth and UND defenseman Troy Stecher went up the ice and scored a nice goal.
Western Michigan head coach Andy Murray really went off on the officials after the UND goal. Edit: On second look, it looks like the trip might have directly caused the play that led to the goal.
(Official Box Score)
"Our team’s got a short memory. If something doesn’t go our way, it’s a "‘next shift" mentality. That’s a pretty good trait." - Dave Hakstol
— North Dakota MHockey (@UNDmhockey) February 21, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
NCHC Three Things
With six teams in conference play this weekend, Duluth in non conference play, and NCHC leader,
Omaha, off, this is a big weekend for the six teams in NCHC play to gain some ground in the conference standings. So here are three things I believe will come out of this weekend.
1. North Dakota Puts Offense on Display
The final series of an entire month at home, UND looks to close out this homestand just one point behind Omaha, who sits at 29 points on the season. Last time North Dakota met Colorado College this season, Colorado Springs got a good taste of what the UND offense has with UND outscoring CC 10-3 on the weekend, including a 7-2 victory in the Saturday night game. With scoring coming equally on all four lines for UND, I'd expect them to score plenty of goals once again this weekend and take a sweep of CC into their battle in Omaha next weekend.
2. Miami Returns to Winning Ways
Miami had a rough weekend in St. Cloud in their last week of play and were swept by the Huskies. Their off week last weekend couldn't have come at a better time to regroup and refocus to finish out the stretch run strong and healthy, and with their series against Denver at home this weekend, I expect a successful weekend for the Red Hawks. One game will be close and possibly take overtime because Denver is always a tough opponent and very good this season, but Miami comes out hard Friday night and will win by more than one goal.
3. Western Michigan Continues to Roll
Since late November, the Western Michigan Broncos have been on a roll. at 7-1-2 since November 28, they have been one of the top teams in the conference and are finding success as they look to make another return trip to Minneapolis this March. With now only seven points back of third place North Dakota, this is a team who could possibly keep rolling into home ice once the NCHC playoffs start this March. There recent success will continue into St. Cloud this weekend as they take battle with the toughest sub 500 team in the country. This will be the series to watch in the NCHC this weekend.
1. North Dakota Puts Offense on Display
The final series of an entire month at home, UND looks to close out this homestand just one point behind Omaha, who sits at 29 points on the season. Last time North Dakota met Colorado College this season, Colorado Springs got a good taste of what the UND offense has with UND outscoring CC 10-3 on the weekend, including a 7-2 victory in the Saturday night game. With scoring coming equally on all four lines for UND, I'd expect them to score plenty of goals once again this weekend and take a sweep of CC into their battle in Omaha next weekend.
2. Miami Returns to Winning Ways
Miami had a rough weekend in St. Cloud in their last week of play and were swept by the Huskies. Their off week last weekend couldn't have come at a better time to regroup and refocus to finish out the stretch run strong and healthy, and with their series against Denver at home this weekend, I expect a successful weekend for the Red Hawks. One game will be close and possibly take overtime because Denver is always a tough opponent and very good this season, but Miami comes out hard Friday night and will win by more than one goal.
3. Western Michigan Continues to Roll
Since late November, the Western Michigan Broncos have been on a roll. at 7-1-2 since November 28, they have been one of the top teams in the conference and are finding success as they look to make another return trip to Minneapolis this March. With now only seven points back of third place North Dakota, this is a team who could possibly keep rolling into home ice once the NCHC playoffs start this March. There recent success will continue into St. Cloud this weekend as they take battle with the toughest sub 500 team in the country. This will be the series to watch in the NCHC this weekend.
Friday, January 09, 2015
WHKY Weekend Preview: Green & White meets Orange
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- UND women's hockey returns to play against Syracuse this weekend at the Ralph Engelstad Arena for an afternoon Saturday-Sunday series. The non-conference series will be the first time the teams have met in program history.
UND heads into second-half action after a road sweep of RIT. "We finished stronger than we started. Hopefully we can carry that and be stronger when the play-offs come around," Andrea Dalen said.
This weekend they will focus on containing Syracuse Orange's leading scorers Stephanie Grossi and, fellow freshman, Alysha Burriss. Prior to Saturday's series opener, the Orange are coming off of a 2-0 loss to Colgate.
Look for North Dakota to attempt to carry some momentum and building blocks from the first half of the season. "We want to see a lot more wins, obviously," head coach Brian Idalski said. "I think structurally we're much better. Talent wise, development of some of our younger kids being comfortable within their role."
North Dakota gets underway tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.. Live audio can be heard (free) at UND Sports Tickets are available at the REA box office: adults $7, youth $5 and UND students free with student ID.
UND heads into second-half action after a road sweep of RIT. "We finished stronger than we started. Hopefully we can carry that and be stronger when the play-offs come around," Andrea Dalen said.
This weekend they will focus on containing Syracuse Orange's leading scorers Stephanie Grossi and, fellow freshman, Alysha Burriss. Prior to Saturday's series opener, the Orange are coming off of a 2-0 loss to Colgate.
Look for North Dakota to attempt to carry some momentum and building blocks from the first half of the season. "We want to see a lot more wins, obviously," head coach Brian Idalski said. "I think structurally we're much better. Talent wise, development of some of our younger kids being comfortable within their role."
North Dakota gets underway tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.. Live audio can be heard (free) at UND Sports Tickets are available at the REA box office: adults $7, youth $5 and UND students free with student ID.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
WHKY: North Dakota takes advantage of St. Cloud's woes
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- St. Cloud State University's Lexi Slattery scored late in the third ending the longest scoreless streak in program history. It was too late. North Dakota put up five goals before the shutout ended and tacked on another 21 seconds after Slattery's goal.
Gracen Hirschy, who had two goals on the night, started the scoring around six minutes into the first on an even strength goal. "[We] wanted to play with a lead. That's been very important to us; to get a bit of a cushion and have teams have to open up," head coach Brian Idalski said.
During the second Jakobsen ended her own 11-game scoreless streak by scoring a pair of goals before the game ended. "That's someone that we needed to produce and we're looking for to carry us a little bit," Idalski said. "Getting her to shoot the puck and have her playing with confidence is huge for us going forward."
UND finished yesterday with a dominating 6-1 win, holding St. Cloud to three shots on goal during the first and five in the second. UND carried most of the play throughout the entire game keeping the Huskies in defensive territory.
"I think winning gives you confidence and a lot of things are clicking for us. Systems wise and execution wise we're really doing what we need to do," sophomore defense Halli Krzyaniak said.
North Dakota hopes to carry that momentum into today's game while looking for its first home sweep of the season. UND will host the Huskies in the series finale today at 2:00 p.m. at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Gracen Hirschy, who had two goals on the night, started the scoring around six minutes into the first on an even strength goal. "[We] wanted to play with a lead. That's been very important to us; to get a bit of a cushion and have teams have to open up," head coach Brian Idalski said.
During the second Jakobsen ended her own 11-game scoreless streak by scoring a pair of goals before the game ended. "That's someone that we needed to produce and we're looking for to carry us a little bit," Idalski said. "Getting her to shoot the puck and have her playing with confidence is huge for us going forward."
UND finished yesterday with a dominating 6-1 win, holding St. Cloud to three shots on goal during the first and five in the second. UND carried most of the play throughout the entire game keeping the Huskies in defensive territory.
"I think winning gives you confidence and a lot of things are clicking for us. Systems wise and execution wise we're really doing what we need to do," sophomore defense Halli Krzyaniak said.
North Dakota hopes to carry that momentum into today's game while looking for its first home sweep of the season. UND will host the Huskies in the series finale today at 2:00 p.m. at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Thursday, May 08, 2014
Grimaldi Takes Talents to South Beach
Ok, I know I am a day late on this on, but I needed to figure out how I wanted to word this post. As it was announced yesterday, UND Junior forward, Rocco Grimaldi signed with the Florida Panthers yesterday. The California native would sign a three year entry level deal worth around $3.2 million. Rocco was drafted 32nd overall, which is the second pick of the second round, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minnesota.
I myself have some memories in the two full seasons I was able to see him skate at UND, but my favorite memory is probably when he scored his first goal against Minnesota back in November of 2011. It was a game I was fortunate to be attending while back home for a weekend my freshman year, but what made it most memorable was his celebration. Replicating his idol, Tim Tebow, it possibly was the best celebration in college hockey that season. However, Rocco would miss most of this season due to a knee injury, and was forced to take a medical red shirt for the remainder of the 2011-2012 season.
Rocco was by far the fan favorite in his time at North Dakota, and with good reason. He was fast, and would dazzle the crowd with his great hands. However, his likeness to pull the flashy moves would cost UND at times where taking the shot would be the better option. However, when they did work they were all highlight reel goals that would leave the entire crowd speechless.
Grimaldi would lead UND in points this year with 37 and would make a statement in the NCAA tournament as well. His presence was well felt on the ice greatest in the Wisconsin game when he would earn his first collegiate hat trick, leading UND to a 5-2 victory.
It is hard for me to say if Rocco will have success in the NHL, or even make it into the NHL, but we wish him the best of the luck in whatever his career has in store for him.
Monday, March 24, 2014
UND's Chances at Number Eight
Since it is that time of year again, all of the "fire Hakstol" nonsense is put on hold, well at least until UND makes an exit from the NCAA tournament, if they even do this season.
This UND team is a team that has shown signs on how they can compete with the best teams in the country. On the contrary, they also have shown signs on why there is also a great chance that they could be golfing very early this spring.
Lets take a look at their first round match-up against a tough Wisconsin. The Badgers are coming off of an entertaining overtime victory in the Big Ten title game Saturday night against Ohio State. Finishing second in the Big Ten regular season standings, the Badgers have found themselves in the top 10 of the rankings essentially all season long. However, they are playing a UND team that has almost been unbeatable since their Friday night loss to St. Lawrence all the way back in November.
That being said, this UND team has also shown sides of very poor play. Good examples of this is their 6-3 loss to UNO at the Ralph in February and most recently this past Friday against Miami. The only difference between the two games is UND would put forward a good 60 minutes against Miami, but would miss on great scoring chances that one team just can't miss on.
If that team from the Miami game shows up this Friday against the Badgers, our tournament life is very likely to be limited and the "fire Hakstol" jazz will be back in full force once again. However, if the team from Saturday night, which beat Western Michigan 5-0, shows up, look out NCAA.
So what are the chances I am giving UND to win their eighth national title this year? I'd say probably about a 35% chance at the most. I can hear all of the hate coming in right now, but watching this team play all season, I learned that their play can be very bipolar. Depending on what team shows up this Friday, sorry for stating the obvious here like Pierre, but it will determine how long they can stay in this tournament. Beat the Badgers, and I think this team makes the Frozen Four.
This UND team is a team that has shown signs on how they can compete with the best teams in the country. On the contrary, they also have shown signs on why there is also a great chance that they could be golfing very early this spring.
Lets take a look at their first round match-up against a tough Wisconsin. The Badgers are coming off of an entertaining overtime victory in the Big Ten title game Saturday night against Ohio State. Finishing second in the Big Ten regular season standings, the Badgers have found themselves in the top 10 of the rankings essentially all season long. However, they are playing a UND team that has almost been unbeatable since their Friday night loss to St. Lawrence all the way back in November.
That being said, this UND team has also shown sides of very poor play. Good examples of this is their 6-3 loss to UNO at the Ralph in February and most recently this past Friday against Miami. The only difference between the two games is UND would put forward a good 60 minutes against Miami, but would miss on great scoring chances that one team just can't miss on.
If that team from the Miami game shows up this Friday against the Badgers, our tournament life is very likely to be limited and the "fire Hakstol" jazz will be back in full force once again. However, if the team from Saturday night, which beat Western Michigan 5-0, shows up, look out NCAA.
So what are the chances I am giving UND to win their eighth national title this year? I'd say probably about a 35% chance at the most. I can hear all of the hate coming in right now, but watching this team play all season, I learned that their play can be very bipolar. Depending on what team shows up this Friday, sorry for stating the obvious here like Pierre, but it will determine how long they can stay in this tournament. Beat the Badgers, and I think this team makes the Frozen Four.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
NCHC Awards.
Tonight, the NCHC handed out their individual awards for the leagues most outstanding players and a coach of the year. There were a couple of surprising choices and I would have chosen some others different, but hey they can't make everyone happy.
First lets start with the NCHC Player of the Year, Josh Archibald. Archibald would lead the NCHC in goals with 23 and win the league scoring title with 32 points in 24 league games. The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick also would record two hat tricks this season, one coming against North Dakota at the Ralph in UNO's 6-3 Saturday night victory over North Dakota. Along with Player of the Year, Archibald would also be named Forward of the Year for these same reasons. It's a shame UNO will not make the NCAA tournament because Archibald would be a lot of fun to watch leading his team towards the Frozen Four in Philly come April.
Also taking home two individual awards in this inaugural NCHC season would be Nic Dowd of St. Cloud State. The senior, and LA Kings prospect, would land him the Scholar Athlete of the Year and the league's top defensive forward honors. Dowd would finish sixth in league scoring with 25 points in 24 league games played. The SCSU forward would also finish at a +12 this season and block 19 shots during conference play.
Another player with double the fun for awards this year would be Denver defenseman Joey LaLeggia. He would earn himself Offensive Defenseman of the year and Defenseman of the year. He finished tied for the conference lead in goals scored by a defenseman with six and started off his season with a three game goal scoring streak. LaLeggia would finish the season with 13 points in conference play and would block 23 shots in 19 league games played out of 24 possible.
The Goalie of the Year honors went to Denver's Sam Brittain. He would lead the NCHC with an outstanding .931 save percentage and would claim two of his four shutouts in NCHC play, which would also lead all league goalies. Brittain was named goalie of the week a record six times this season and his 686 saves in league play would be an amazing 81 more saves then any other NCHC goalie would make.
This year's Rookie of the Year, and much deserving Rookie of the Year, was awarded to Colorado College defenseman Jacob Slavin. The Freshman would tie the league best in defenseman scoring with 19 points, and would rank third in all freshman scoring. He would also lead all defenseman with 14 assists, and that would also be good for second among all league freshman. A 2014 World Junior representative, Slavin would show that he is going to be a top blue liner in this conference in his next few years at CC.
Finally, the last major award was the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. SCSU's Bob Motzko would win the award, leading St. Cloud to the very first Penrose Cup this year. The Huskies would earn 15 conference wins,six non conference wins, and were scoring just under four goals a game this season. Although the Huskies would have a slumpish run towards the end of the regular season, and get swept by Miami in the first round of playoffs, this SCSU team could very well see play in the Frozen Four once again this season, especially with the week off to rest, get healthy, and have some good practice time before the NCAA tournament begins next weekend.
Now for who missed out. The only big one in my mind that missed out is North Dakota defenseman Dillon Simpson. Simpson was a lot of peoples choice for defenseman of the year, especially since he rarely made a defensive error that would cost North Dakota. In last weekend's series, Simpson and his d partner Jordan Schmaltz would combine for 21 blocked shots in the three games. If there was anyone left out it is for sure the North Dakota senior captain.
First lets start with the NCHC Player of the Year, Josh Archibald. Archibald would lead the NCHC in goals with 23 and win the league scoring title with 32 points in 24 league games. The Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick also would record two hat tricks this season, one coming against North Dakota at the Ralph in UNO's 6-3 Saturday night victory over North Dakota. Along with Player of the Year, Archibald would also be named Forward of the Year for these same reasons. It's a shame UNO will not make the NCAA tournament because Archibald would be a lot of fun to watch leading his team towards the Frozen Four in Philly come April.
Also taking home two individual awards in this inaugural NCHC season would be Nic Dowd of St. Cloud State. The senior, and LA Kings prospect, would land him the Scholar Athlete of the Year and the league's top defensive forward honors. Dowd would finish sixth in league scoring with 25 points in 24 league games played. The SCSU forward would also finish at a +12 this season and block 19 shots during conference play.
Another player with double the fun for awards this year would be Denver defenseman Joey LaLeggia. He would earn himself Offensive Defenseman of the year and Defenseman of the year. He finished tied for the conference lead in goals scored by a defenseman with six and started off his season with a three game goal scoring streak. LaLeggia would finish the season with 13 points in conference play and would block 23 shots in 19 league games played out of 24 possible.
The Goalie of the Year honors went to Denver's Sam Brittain. He would lead the NCHC with an outstanding .931 save percentage and would claim two of his four shutouts in NCHC play, which would also lead all league goalies. Brittain was named goalie of the week a record six times this season and his 686 saves in league play would be an amazing 81 more saves then any other NCHC goalie would make.
This year's Rookie of the Year, and much deserving Rookie of the Year, was awarded to Colorado College defenseman Jacob Slavin. The Freshman would tie the league best in defenseman scoring with 19 points, and would rank third in all freshman scoring. He would also lead all defenseman with 14 assists, and that would also be good for second among all league freshman. A 2014 World Junior representative, Slavin would show that he is going to be a top blue liner in this conference in his next few years at CC.
Finally, the last major award was the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. SCSU's Bob Motzko would win the award, leading St. Cloud to the very first Penrose Cup this year. The Huskies would earn 15 conference wins,six non conference wins, and were scoring just under four goals a game this season. Although the Huskies would have a slumpish run towards the end of the regular season, and get swept by Miami in the first round of playoffs, this SCSU team could very well see play in the Frozen Four once again this season, especially with the week off to rest, get healthy, and have some good practice time before the NCAA tournament begins next weekend.
Now for who missed out. The only big one in my mind that missed out is North Dakota defenseman Dillon Simpson. Simpson was a lot of peoples choice for defenseman of the year, especially since he rarely made a defensive error that would cost North Dakota. In last weekend's series, Simpson and his d partner Jordan Schmaltz would combine for 21 blocked shots in the three games. If there was anyone left out it is for sure the North Dakota senior captain.
Monday, March 17, 2014
O'Donnell Brings the Luck for UND
In a do or die game 3 tonight for both North Dakota and Colorado College, the two teams were looking to advance to the inaugural NCHC Frozen Face-Off next weekend in Minneapolis.
As the puck dropped in the opening period, UND quickly would take control of the game pressuring the offensive zone early. Just over three and a half minutes into the contest UND would capitalize on an odd man rush to take an early 1-0 lead over the Tigers. What was strange about this you may ask? It was a 2 on 1 with Juniors Stephane Pattyn and Nick Mattson. Pattyn would take a low hard shot right off of the goalie's leg pads which kicked out a rebound right to Mattson. All he had to do then was shoot into the wide open net. UND wasn't finished there, but just three minutes after going up 1-0, CC would tie the game at 1.
On a night where UND's blue liners would contribute a lot, Freshman defender Troy Stecher would fire a laser past the CC goaltender to put UND up 2-1 just past the half way point in the first. The goal was Stecher's second of the season and would shift momentum back UND's way. A little over two minutes later, Pattyn was at it again except this time it would be him that would find the twine just a little over two minutes after the Stecher goal to make it 3-1. This is how the teams would go into the locker rooms at the end of the first and it looked as if UND was going to coast to the victory.
As the second period started, Colorado College came out flying. The Tigers controlled most of the play early on, and for most of the period for that matter. They were all over the puck and not letting North Dakota get too many extensive offensive zone chances. UND would clank a Brendan O'Donnell shot off the post, but that would be about it for them. Michael Morin would find the twine at 17:17 of the second to put them within one goal going into the third.
Things would shift back towards the way of North Dakota in the third, seeing offensive chances from people you necessarily wouldn't expect to see them from. Brendan O'Donnell would get revenge after hitting the post when he would score just two and a half minutes into the third to put UND up 4-2, and proved to be the eventual game winner. Things would get a little more physical and UND would finally get some power play time, but was virtually powerless on them. CC forward Alex Roos would bring the game to 4-3 with just a minute and a half left to cause a little drama in the Ralph, but UND would hold on to win and be the top seed going into Minneapolis next weekend.
The most impressive forward on the ice tonight had to be Junior Stephane Pattyn. His presence was definitely known whenever he would get a shift. Pattyn set the tone early tonight when he assisted on the games opening goal and then would get one of his own as well. Another surprise was that he was sprung on 2 breakaways in the third period. I can't ever remember him getting one in a game let alone two in a period. If anyone can prove me wrong, please do.
Brendan O'Donnell would score the game winner tonight and would move to 11-0-1 all time when he scores a goal. Maybe he is turning into what Mario Lamoureux used to be for UND whenever he scored. UND rarely lost when Lamoureux scored and still haven't when O'Donnell has. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect would have a game to remember leading into the NCHC Frozen Face-Off.
Goalie Zane Gothberg was impressive yet again, being the backbone to this UND victory. In his last 19 starts, including this one, Gothberg has allowed three goals in just three of those starts. Every other game in those 19 starts he has allowed two or fewer with two shutouts in that time. Up for goalie of the year in the NCHC, Gothberg looks to keep pushing this team forward as they head into the NCHC Frozen Face-Off and if they get their NCAA tourney bid.
Tonight would also mark the 13th time this season that UND would score four or more goals in a game. They are now 13-0-0 in their games in which they score four or more this season. They would also improve to 17-1-0 on the season when leading after two periods of play. This home playoff series is the 17th in a row which they have won. Their last home playoff series loss dates back to the 1995-1996 season when they lost to Wisconsin.
Looking ahead to next weekend, UND looks to win the very first Frozen Face-Off championship and lock themselves into the NCAA tournament. No official game times have been released as of yet, but UND is expected to get the night game Friday night, playing Miami, who in their last meeting UND would find the net 9 times against, with puck drop somewhere around 7:30 at the Target Center.
As the puck dropped in the opening period, UND quickly would take control of the game pressuring the offensive zone early. Just over three and a half minutes into the contest UND would capitalize on an odd man rush to take an early 1-0 lead over the Tigers. What was strange about this you may ask? It was a 2 on 1 with Juniors Stephane Pattyn and Nick Mattson. Pattyn would take a low hard shot right off of the goalie's leg pads which kicked out a rebound right to Mattson. All he had to do then was shoot into the wide open net. UND wasn't finished there, but just three minutes after going up 1-0, CC would tie the game at 1.
On a night where UND's blue liners would contribute a lot, Freshman defender Troy Stecher would fire a laser past the CC goaltender to put UND up 2-1 just past the half way point in the first. The goal was Stecher's second of the season and would shift momentum back UND's way. A little over two minutes later, Pattyn was at it again except this time it would be him that would find the twine just a little over two minutes after the Stecher goal to make it 3-1. This is how the teams would go into the locker rooms at the end of the first and it looked as if UND was going to coast to the victory.
As the second period started, Colorado College came out flying. The Tigers controlled most of the play early on, and for most of the period for that matter. They were all over the puck and not letting North Dakota get too many extensive offensive zone chances. UND would clank a Brendan O'Donnell shot off the post, but that would be about it for them. Michael Morin would find the twine at 17:17 of the second to put them within one goal going into the third.
Things would shift back towards the way of North Dakota in the third, seeing offensive chances from people you necessarily wouldn't expect to see them from. Brendan O'Donnell would get revenge after hitting the post when he would score just two and a half minutes into the third to put UND up 4-2, and proved to be the eventual game winner. Things would get a little more physical and UND would finally get some power play time, but was virtually powerless on them. CC forward Alex Roos would bring the game to 4-3 with just a minute and a half left to cause a little drama in the Ralph, but UND would hold on to win and be the top seed going into Minneapolis next weekend.
The most impressive forward on the ice tonight had to be Junior Stephane Pattyn. His presence was definitely known whenever he would get a shift. Pattyn set the tone early tonight when he assisted on the games opening goal and then would get one of his own as well. Another surprise was that he was sprung on 2 breakaways in the third period. I can't ever remember him getting one in a game let alone two in a period. If anyone can prove me wrong, please do.
Brendan O'Donnell would score the game winner tonight and would move to 11-0-1 all time when he scores a goal. Maybe he is turning into what Mario Lamoureux used to be for UND whenever he scored. UND rarely lost when Lamoureux scored and still haven't when O'Donnell has. The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect would have a game to remember leading into the NCHC Frozen Face-Off.
Goalie Zane Gothberg was impressive yet again, being the backbone to this UND victory. In his last 19 starts, including this one, Gothberg has allowed three goals in just three of those starts. Every other game in those 19 starts he has allowed two or fewer with two shutouts in that time. Up for goalie of the year in the NCHC, Gothberg looks to keep pushing this team forward as they head into the NCHC Frozen Face-Off and if they get their NCAA tourney bid.
Tonight would also mark the 13th time this season that UND would score four or more goals in a game. They are now 13-0-0 in their games in which they score four or more this season. They would also improve to 17-1-0 on the season when leading after two periods of play. This home playoff series is the 17th in a row which they have won. Their last home playoff series loss dates back to the 1995-1996 season when they lost to Wisconsin.
Looking ahead to next weekend, UND looks to win the very first Frozen Face-Off championship and lock themselves into the NCAA tournament. No official game times have been released as of yet, but UND is expected to get the night game Friday night, playing Miami, who in their last meeting UND would find the net 9 times against, with puck drop somewhere around 7:30 at the Target Center.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
UND Men's Hockey Media Day
Today, I attended the UND Hockey media luncheon and press event that followed. I was able to interview a few of the UND’s players today and get some great quotes.
There is a lot of energy and enthusiasm surrounding this season’s UND hockey team, based on who is returning from last season’s squad and with who is coming in this season.
Head coach Dave Hakstol was asked about his team’s goaltending situation.
“I expect it to be highly competitive,” Hakstol said.
“Clarke Saunders has the most experience under his belt he has played a lot of minutes at this level but I expect it to be a very competitive position for us and we’ll let that competition play out in different levels the first ten days will tell us something – but also, throughout the season there will be a high level of competition at that position.”
Coach Hakstol was asked about what position defenseman/forward Joe Gleason will play this season.
“He’s is going to be a defenseman,” Hakstol said. “I expect him to be a defenseman solely a defenseman and I expect him to be a guy that gives us real quality minutes back there.”
Here is what coach Hakstol had to say about second year freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi’s health.
“I think he is very close to approaching that level of being 100 percent healthy, Hakstol said. “I don’t think he is there yet – I think it’s something he is going to have to play his way into during the early part of the season to this point everything has been going well.”
I was able to get a chance to interview Clarke Saunders individually. Saunder is a junior goalie; who transferred from University of Alabama Huntsville to North Dakota during the off-season.
I asked Saunders about his expectations coming into this season.
“My expectations are, obviously if I play; to play well,” Saunders said. “If not to be the best teammate that I can… obviously we have a pretty good team this year – whatever my role might be – to do the best as I can.”
Clarke Saunders was asked what he thought about Ralph Englestad Arena.
“It is absolutely beautiful,” Saunders said. “I almost have to pinch myself every time I walk in here. All of us are truly grateful to be a part of this program and the Ralph is a specular piece of a long historic program that UND has.”
I asked Saunders about his style of play – in other words – what kind of a goaltender is he.
“I am a butterfly goalie,” Saunders said. “I feel I am decently strong positionally but also I have a bit of athleticism as well.”
Saunders was asked about his fellow goaltenders Zane Gothberg and Tate Maris.
“Zane’s a great kid, he works really hard and pushes me every day and not to forget Tate as well he an awesome guy; an older guy like me, he [Maris] brings a lot of maturity to the room I really, really get along well with both of the goalie partners and I think we have a really good group some of the guys poke fun at how close we are so that complements how well we work together.”
Senior Forward Danny Kristo was asked about his decision to come back for his senior year.
“It was a long process, it was stressful there for a while… it was kind of a different process than some kids have had to go through,” Kristo said.
“Montreal where I got drafted was going through a different time – they fired their general manager during the midst of my decision – which made it a lot harder – with the thoughts of an NHL lockout; obviously I think I would rather be playing, if I could be playing AHL or playing college, I would much rather be playing college with my friends, which I still feel like with our coaching staff and with our team this year I can still get better in practice and get better in games. I can still do that stuff ultimately that is what your goal is year-by-year is to get better and if I can still do that here, I don’t see… why not come back for a great senior year and hopefully go on a run at the end of the season to put up a banner. “
Here is Danny Kristo’s comments on UND’s scoring depth this season.
“This year is going to be different that last year,” Kristo said. “Last year we had a lot of scoring on our first line but I think if you look at how deep we are this year we’re going to have three scoring lines that are going to be able to score night in and night out and a really solid fourth line that can grind it out down low, so it’s going to be different that last year I think.”
I asked Danny Kristo if he had some unfinished business coming into the season.
“Definitely a sour taste in my mouth,” Kristo Said. “ I definitely didn’t want my last college hockey game… to be a loss against Minnesota, so I think a little bit sour taste but I think that year is over with it’s a new year were just looking forward to start the season off right, starting the season off with the excitement a lot energy on the ice, we got a healthy line up compared to the end of last year, so I think that everyone is excited to get out there.
Danny Kristo had this to say about the prospects of having a full roster.
“I think we have more competition in the locker room,” Kristo said. “I think that might be a little bit of a challenge for our team – at the end of last year we didn’t have a choice – the guys that were healthy – were the guys that were playing, there’s going to be a good battle for guys – they’re going to be battling for spots. I think that practice is going to be more competitive, cause if you’re not working hard in practice someone is going to take your spot.”
Rocco Grimaldi was asked what he thought about Danny Kristo not signing with the Montreal Canadians and coming back for his senior season.
I was excited I wasn’t sure if he was going to come back or not. I was excited obviously he made a good choice … not sure what’s going on with the lockout and everything. I think he is happy about the decision and it should be a good year for him.
Rocco Grimaldi on whether he will be playing this weekend.
Yeah I will be playing this weekend, Grimaldi said. I am feeling a lot better and that’s a good thing.
Rocco Grimaldi was asked if he is a little rusty after missing most of last season with a knee injury.
“I hope not,” Grimaldi said. I got a little bit of the rust out in preseason here with the practices and everything but I am feeling a lot better just about my game in general and getting my smarts back so it will be good to test it [knee] out in a game and get another game under my belt.
Rocco Grimaldi was asked, if he is going to play wing or center.
“We will see,” Grimaldi said. “I am not sure, I am not sure where I will be playing this weekend. Will see, I can do either it doesn’t matter.”
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Schmaltz drafted 25th and LaDue 181
This is what Jordan Schmaltz had to say in his post draft interview - notice when he is asked where he is going to play next season, Schmaltz said that, "North Dakota is the best path for me and it's going to help me develop."
This is what the Los Angeles Kings official web page had to say about Paul Ladue.
With the 181st pick in the sixth round the Kings selected defenseman Paul Ladue. Ladue, who will turn 20 on Sept. 6, played the 2011-12 season with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, recording 34 points (9-25=34), 27 penalty minutes and a plus-36 rating in 56 games. The 6-1, 186-pound native of Bemidji, Minn. led all USHL defensemen in plus-minus (second overall), while ranking tied for sixth among league defensemen in points.
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