The table has been set. The stakes are high. The Penrose Cup will be in the Herb Brooks Arena (aka the Concrete Center) this weekend. If either team sweeps, they "would" clinch at least a share of the the Penrose Cup.
The SCSU Huskies (12-5-3-0 NCHC, 18-7-5 overall) and University of North Dakota (13-7-0-0, 18-9-3) are currently tied at the top of the NCHC standing with four games remaining in regular season.
The order is tall for UND, in their last 10 games against the Huskies they hold a 4-5-1 record and they haven’t had much success against Husky goalie Ryan Faragher. The last time UND beat SCSU was on (11/09/2012) when Clarke Saunders shutout the Huskies 3-0.
Records: UND has a 14-2-1 record the last 17 games. SCSU 7-6-3 record the last 16 games.
Over the last couple of seasons, Husky goalie Faragher has had UND’s number. In the last two seasons, Faragher has a 4-1-1 record against UND. This includes a series sweep earlier this season in Grand Forks. During his career against UND, the junior goalie has 6-3-1 record with a .940 save percentage and a 1.79 GAA.
Second verse same as the first.
At the Ralph Engelstad Arena, Faragher has been nothing short of amazing, compiling a 4-1-1 record, a.957 save percentage and a 1.50 goals against average. UND hopes their fortunes will change this weekend against the Huskies. The Green and White need to emerge from this weekend’s series with at least a series split, to keep their title hopes alive. To be successful this weekend UND is going to have to get pucks past Faragher. Sounds simple right?
From this week’s game notes: In the last 13 games, UND goalie Zane Gothberg is 11-0-2, with a 1.75 GAA and a .931 save percentage. In 21 games this season, Gothberg is 13-5-3, has a 2.12 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Against the Huskies, Gothberg is 0-3-0, 3.10 GAA and has a .902 save percentage. Saunders is 1-1-1, 2.27 GAA and has a .920 save percentage.
7 Danny Kristo–10 Corban Knight–27 Carter Rowney
21 Brendan O’Donnell–16 Mark MacMillan–13 Connor Gaarder
9 Drake Caggiula–19 Rocco Grimaldi–29 Bryn Chyzyk
28 Stephane Pattyn–17 Colten St. Clair–11 Derek Rodwell
2 Andrew MacWilliam–5 Nick Mattson
4 Derek Forbort–24 Jordan Schmaltz
18 Dillon Simpson–20 Joe Gleason
33 Clarke Saunders
31 Zane Gothberg
SCSU’s lines
11 Kalle Kossila–19 Drew LeBlanc–21 Brooks Bertsch
16 Jimmy Murray–26 Nic Dowd–17 Joey Holka
27 Nick Oliver–8 Cory Thorson–22 Jonny Brodzinski
18 Garrett Milan–13 David Morley–37 Joe Rehkamp
28 Andrew Prochno–14 Nick Jensen
7 Kevin Gravel–40 Tim Daly
2 Jarrod Rabey–12 Ethan Prow
29 Ryan Faragher
33 Joseph Phillippi
35 Rasmus Reijola
29 Brock Nelson–10 Corban Knight (A) –7 Danny Kristo
16 Mark MacMillan–27 Carter Rowney–15 Michael Parks
13 Connor Gaarder–9 Mario Lamoureux (C) –20 Joe Gleason
8 Dan Senkbeil–28 Stephane Pattyn–14 Taylor Dickin
Defense Parings
18 Dillon Simpson–24 Ben Blood
2 Andrew MacWilliam (A) –5 Nick Mattson
22 Andrew Panzarella UND Goalies
31 Brad Eidsness
32 Aaron Dell
UND Starting goalie: Brad Eidsness with the start, 3-1-0 record with a 2.48 GAA, and .915 SV%.
UND Scratches: Rcco Grimaldi, Derek Forbort, Brendan O’Donnell, Derek Rodwell
WCHA officials: Todd Anderson, Brad Shepherd, Tony Czech and Jeff Schultz
10 Ben Hanowski–12 Travis Novak–11 Jared Festler
8 Cory Thorson–26 Nic Dowd–22 David Eddy
27 Nick Oliver–13 Jordy Christian–21 Brooks Bertsch
18 Garrett Milan–16 Joe Rehkamp–17 Joey Holka
SCSU Defense Pairings
28 Andrew Prochno–14 Nick Jensen
7 Kevin Gravel–40 Tim Daly
4 Taylor Johnson–2 Jarrod Rabey SCSU Goalies
29 Ryan Faragher
33 Joe Phillippi
36 Nate Hardy
SCSU Starting Goalie: Ryan Faragher (7-9-3, 2.83 GAA, .909 SV%)
Television: Charter (Channel 87 in St. Cloud viewing area), Comcast St. Paul (Channel 13), Comcast Minneapolis (Channel 23). No local TV in Grand Forks, ND.
This weekend has turned out to be rather interesting, not so much in the good way either, the positive, UND split with the Gophers last weekend.
The negative, UND found out that it had lost yet another player to a season ending injury.
Here is the current injury list, Season ending injuries: Rocco Grimaldi (knee surgery), Derek Rodwell (shoulder), Out Brendan O'Donnell (upper body), defenseman Derek Forbort (undisclosed), Michael Parks (questionable) walking wounded, Corban Knight and Mario Lamoureux. As you can see the @injuryninja has not been kind to the UND hockey team this season.
Here is this week’s version of the Cardinal Country Clomp Feast, congrats to Ryan Cardinal as he and his wife added a new addition to their family… [click to listen]
While the WCHA tends to let the various schools deal with issues, the ECAC recently issued a reprimand for Yale coach Keith Allain. Courtesy of Ken Schott Parting Schotts blog; ECAC Hockey reprimands Yale coach Allain.
WCHA alums dot NHL All-Star rosters, and it means a change of plans for Faulk [USCHO.COM]
Tyler Buckentine and Brian Halverson have this week’s WCHA conference picks. [USCHO.COM]
No. 17 North Dakota (12-9-2, 8-8-0 WCHA) at St. Cloud State (9-11-4, 6-7-3 WCHA)
Tyler: The Huskies need to build off the National Hockey Center crowd sure to be loud, build a good-sized lead going into the third period because North Dakota has scored the third-fewest amount of goals in the WCHA after 40 minutes. UND has scored clutch third-period goals, but has yet to come back from a two-goal deficit in the third period. Both teams are banged up this weekend and though UND is suffering more from injuries, it has the edge in talent. Split
Brian: North Dakota has won six of the past eight meetings (6-1-1) after the teams split a pair in Grand Forks earlier this season and is 8-2-1 overall in its past 11 games leading into the series. UND has won three of eight conference road games but two of those came in their only road seep of the season at Alaska-Anchorage. SCSU meanwhile has lost just twice at home in WCHA play and has yet to sweep or be swept in a conference series this season. Split is written all over this one.
They say a tie in hockey is like kissing your sister, while I won’t argue that fact because I have no idea, tonight’s tie between the UND Fighting Sioux and SCSU Huskies feels almost as bad as a loss. I feel like the Sioux let one point slip away tonight. It was a missed opportunity and luckily for the UND Fighting Sioux the teams below them in the standings lost as well. UMD, UNO and DU all lost tonight so their tie tonight against the SCSU Huskies isn’t as costly as it could have been.
I guess the vaunted Black Jerseys weren’t enough for the Fighting Sioux to break the “jinx” that is Friday nights in the National Hockey Center in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. They say that all streaks eventually must come to an end, this was a streak that I would have like to see ended tonight, the Sioux are something like 25-1-3 in the black jerseys since 2007.
Michigan Tech ended their streak of futility by winning their first hockey game since October 15th, 2010; Denver University was the unlucky recipient of that streaking ending win. I am glad that MTU has that elusive win out of the way, because I would hate to see UND be that team that loses to the Michigan Tech Huskies the last weekend of the regular season March 4th and 5th in Houghton, Michigan. That's why they play the games, there is no give mes in the WCHA. Sucks to be Denver and it couldn't have happened to a better team. Yeah I would love to see the morning skate in Denver tomorrow, I would be willing to bet that morning practice won't be fun tomorrow.
Back to clichés again, there are no mails in points in the WCHA and while the SCSU Huskies aren’t a very good hockey team this season, you still have to play hockey for 60 minutes to beat them, your team can’t a period of hockey off and still expect to win the hockey game. I thought the Sioux took a few shifts off tonight and were caught not moving their feet during the middle part of the game.
I thought the Sioux had trouble with turnovers as well and failed to get pucks deep at key times in the game, twice this lead to goals for the Huskies. The Fighting Sioux defense also left their goaltender in vulnerable situations at key times in the game, the power play goal that SCSU scored the Ben Hanowski was a perfect example of what not to do while killing a penalty, the Sioux defenders were standing and not clearing out the front net and Aaron Dell was screened on the shot, that can't happen in the post season. That's unacceptable the coaching staff will make adjustments.
The game started out well tonight, the Sioux raced to a 2-0 lead before they kind of fell off of the quick pace they set in the first period and stopped moving their feet. I thought that the Sioux had a really good chance at ending their unimpressive winless streak in the National Hockey Center as well, but it wasn’t to be tonight. My reason for optimism, was two fold, SCSU isn't having a very good season and that SCSU starting goalie Mike Lee had been dismal against the Fighting Sioux, Lee has an 0-4 career record against the Fighting Sioux and an unimpressive 5.32 goals-against average and a lackluster.863 save percentage against the UND Fighting Sioux. Tonight it wasn't meant to be I guess. On the flip side of that equation, the Fighting Sioux have an 8-1-1 record the last ten games at the National Hockey Center on Saturday nights.
Here are some stats for you on how valuable Matt Frattin is to the Fighting Sioux, according to the UND SID, UND's Matt Frattin has four goals and three assists in his last four games. He has scored 35 goals in 45 games dating back to last Feb. 13 at SCSU.
Goon's three stars of the game
