(Vine) Zane McIntyre's Shot on Goal

Last night, Zane McIntyre reminded me of former New Jersey Devils goalie Marty Brodeur with his attempt on net. The shot was stopped with a very high stick.

Quinnipiac's Brayden Sherbinin Hit on UND's Keaton Thompson

Here's the video for Quinnipiac's Brayden Sherbinin hit on Keaton Thompson. Sherbinin received a major for checking from behind. You can make your own decision on the hit.

UND Press Conference. Hakstol and Pattyn

Well, another conference tourney is upon us. I really like the extra things the NCHC does during a season and during the conference tourneys. You get all of the video at this link.

UND leads Nation in Attendance for College Hockey Again

Since the 2005-06 season, UND has either lead or come in second for attendance in Division I College Hockey.

UND WHKY: Border battle

Grand Forks, N.D. -- Rewind to Nov. 21 of last year and the North Dakota women's hockey was on a eight-game winless skid. The team was swept by the Minnesota Gopher powerhouse and the newly revitalized Bemidji State program. They had a loss and a tie against Wisconsin.

Nothing seemed to be going right at that point in the season. But since Dec. 12, the team has gone 8-1-1. Most recently tallying back-to-back sweeps of Ohio State and BSU. Last weekend North Dakota was able to pull off a in and tie against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

The games that North Dakota has won as of late haven't been high scoring or glamorous, but the program has done enough of the right things to claw themselves back from sixth place in the WCHA to fourth.

The keys to UND's success have been the defense and being backstopped by junior goaltender Shelby Amsley-Benzie. Amsley-Benzie has allowed only four goals in the last six games and has three shutouts against nationally ranked opponents. She has also been named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week twice since the beginning of 2015.

Currently North Dakota trails Minnesota Duluth in the WCHA standings by three points and is ranked 10th in the Pairwise with only six games remaining in the regular season.

This weekend North Dakota will face rival Minnesota on Friday at 7:07 p.m. and Saturday at 4:07 p.m.. The Gophers are 17-1-4 with the lone loss to Bemidji in Nov. of last year. If UND plans to be successful this weekend against the Gophers they will need carry momentum from the past three weeks and have exceptional goaltending and defense.

UND is hoping to pack The Ralph and break last year's attendance record. Attendees will receive one of these ridiculously fun(ny) foam stick hats. Tickets are available for $1 at The Ralph box office.

UND Second in USCHO Poll

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll

January 19, 2015

	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Minnesota State	(42)	18- 4-1	992	1
2	North Dakota	( 7)	16- 5-2	941	3
3	Boston University		13- 4-4	874	2
4	Harvard	( 1)	11- 3-2	820	4
5	Massachusetts-Lowell		15- 5-3	762	6
6	Bowling Green		14- 4-4	705	7
7	Minnesota-Duluth		13- 8-1	695	5
8	Nebraska-Omaha		15- 6-3	670	8
9	Miami		14- 8-0	607	9
10	Michigan Tech		16- 7-1	527	11
11	Denver		13- 7-1	507	13
12	Vermont		15- 6-2	434	10
13	Yale		11- 4-2	326	18
14	Merrimack		13- 6-2	289	20
15	Colgate		14- 7-1	246	15
16	Michigan		13- 7-0	235	19
17	Minnesota		11- 7-2	228	16
18	Providence		14- 8-1	214	14
19	Boston College		13- 8-2	193	17
20	Quinnipiac		15- 8-1	182	12
Others receiving votes: Robert Morris 45, Western Michigan 5, Penn State 2, Mercyhurst 1.

The latest USCHO.COM poll is out. Five NCHC teams are in the top-15 spots.

WHKY: North Dakota splits with Syracuse

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- North Dakota came out of winter break in non-convference action against Syracuse University. By the final buzzer on Sunday afternoon UND earned a split on the weekend.

It took the first 20 minutes of Saturdays's game for North Dakota to work out the rust from break. With tired 'Cuse players on the ice, Gracen Hirshy scored the first goal of the game.

During the second period UND was able to hold the Orange to four shots on goal. North Dakota maintained the lead and dictate the majority of play for the remainder of the game.

Former Warroad Warriors teammates Layla Marvin and Kayla Gardner both found the scoresheet. This included a two-goal game for Marvin who potted an empty net goal with under a minute remaining in the game.

North Dakota got off to a strong start on Sunday, but ended the first period with a one-goal deficit when The Orange scored on the power play at the 6:42 mark. There were no shortage of chances in the form of odd-player rushes and open nets, but UND was never able to capitalize.

The lone goal for North Dakota came after they were able to tire Syracuse after a power play in the second. As time dwindled on the clock during the third period the pressure mounted. "Kids started gripping their sticks and it was brutal," head coach Brian Idalski said.

North Dakota will resume WCHA conference play when they meet with the WCHA third-ranked, Ohio State Buckeyes this coming weekend. OSU left the weekend with a sweep over the St. Cloud State Huskies.

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.

WHKY: UND sweeps the Huskies under the rug and heads to Madison

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The University of North Dakota women's hockey team picked up their first home sweep of the season over St. Cloud on Sunday.

The sweep didn't come easy. Although UND held the lead for the entire game, the Huskies outperformed themselves from their Saturday afternoon showing. UND was able to hold onto a 3-1 lead to cap off the weekend before heading to Madison, Wisconsin .

North Dakota goes into their Friday and Sunday series against WCHA top-ranked Wisconsin with a three-game unbeaten streak. In their first meeting this season UND settled for a tie and a loss.

The team hopes to ride their recent momentum into this weekend. "I think we have to score early and keep the lead, and play smart like we have been," jr., forward Becca Kohler said. "Now that we have a few games under our belt we're feeling more confident."

Head coach Brian Idalski said that he anticipates a high pace, high intensity series against the Badgers. North Dakota hopes to snap Wisconsin's 10 game unbeaten streak and five game shutout streak.

North Dakota will play Wisconsin Friday at 3:07 p.m. and Sunday at 2:07 p.m.. Web audio streaming can be heard here. For more information and game day notes visit UNDSports.com.

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.

Providence Journal: #5 Friars ready for rough-and-tumble series at #3 North Dakota

#482003271 / gettyimages.com

Interesting take on what the Providence College Friars are expecting from UND. I think this is going to be a highly entertaining series between two talented teams.

Honestly, I don't see UND checking the Friars out of the building, but UND does seem to play more of physical game than they did last season.

Mark Divver, Providence Journal -- Fifth-ranked Providence College (1-1) is expecting a very physical two-game series when it visits third-ranked North Dakota (3-1) this weekend for the first time since President Reagan’s second term in office.

Playing in front of a big crowd in a hostile environment will be a test for the Friars.

“I always think you want to challenge yourself. We’ve done that every year. It’s going to be a great environment. We know it’s going to be great hockey. We want to make sure we’re playing our best,’’ coach Nate Leaman said.

The Friars – who were beaten, 6-4, in November 1987 on their last visit to Grand Forks — will be without center Mark Jankowski (shoulder) and defenseman Tom Parisi (shoulder), neither of whom made the trip. Co-captain Noel Acciari (ribs) is questionable, though he did travel with the team.

Defensemen John Gilmour (lower body) and Kyle McKenzie (disciplinary reasons) are expected to be in the lineup for the first time this season. Also due to return is Nick Saracino, who was held out of last week’s exhibition game against the U.S. National Team Developent Program U-18s for precautionary reasons.

Friars set for weekend series at #3 North Dakota http://t.co/PTFisOaJdC pic.twitter.com/Gdmlu1R97f
— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) October 23, 2014

USCHO:Keaton Thompson Picked as one of 10 Impact Defensemen for 2014-15

Check it out.

Keaton Thompson, North Dakota sophomore

Thompson got off to a slow start as a freshman, sitting out as a healthy scratch for all but one of North Dakota’s first 10 tilts. Once he got his chance, however, he made the most of it, racking up an impressive plus-14 rating and showing signs of developing into the shutdown defenseman that prompted Anaheim to make him a third-round pick in 2013.

His offensive production was modest (3-8–11) but respectable considering that he didn’t really see the ice until after Christmas.

Grand Forks Herald Opinion: For UND teams, ‘North Dakota’ works just fine

This was in the today's Grand Forks Herald Letters to the Editor. I couldn't agree with him more with Hal and Kathy. While some want to rush to find a new nickname. There's nothing wrong with just being "North Dakota"... I can guarantee, that nothing  the nickname committee comes up with is going to be better than this option. Cue the Sun Dogs nickname. I don't think so.

 

We disagree with the editorial position of the Herald, which encourages UND to “pick up the pace” in finding a name for its sports teams (“UND should get after a new nickname,” Page A4, July 31).

The Herald calls UND’s process “tepid,” “timid” and “meek,” claiming the university is “tiptoeing around the issue.”

 

We think this is harsh criticism. We imagine the university is the least anxious of all to resuscitate the arguments that separated the pros from the cons. The statewide vote to drop the name Sioux was a concession that the NCAA forced on the public, but the vote was hardly a signal that people were ready to “move on.”

 

The Herald might be ready for another dust-up, but few others of us are.

 

What is more, as supporters of the Sioux name, we believe the Herald’s suggestion of finding a name that is “powerful,” “inspiring” and “recognizable” is a little naive. The fact is, there isn’t a single, solitary animal or bird totem or color (such as “Crimson”) that would serve as an adequate replacement for the name Sioux.

 

That was a name known and respected by all, one that immediately conveyed a sense of power and inspired players to greatness.

 

We suggest that UND continue the name “North Dakota” for its teams. Nothing more. No changes needed. It says who team players are, and it includes the campus community, the local, state and regional fans.

 

And it is, on its own merits, also a powerful name, easily recognized nationally and inspirational in its successes.So, let’s not spend any time or energy to select a new nickname. The UND fight song lyrics already say, “... fight on North Dakota!”Sounds great to us.

 

Hal and Kathy Gershman

Grand Forks

NDSU Tops the 2014 FCS Coaches Preseason Poll

Team (No. 1 Votes)	W-L	Points	Final Rank
1. North Dakota State (18)	15-0	636	1
2. Eastern Washington (6)	12-3	615	3
3. Southeast Louisiana (1)	11-3	542	6
4. New Hampshire	10-5	510	5
5. Montana	10-3	505	8
6. Coastal Carolina	12-3	447	7
7. Towson (1)	13-3	438	2
8. Jacksonville State	12-2	425	12
9. McNeese State	10-3	424	9
10. South Dakota State	9-5	332	14
11. Eastern Illinois	12-2	314	4
12. Fordham	12-2	305	10
13. Villanova	6-5	287	NR
14. Sam Houston State	9-5	277	13
15. Northern Iowa	7-5	263	NR
16. Chattanooga	8-4	238	25
17. Tennessee State	10-4	237	17
18. Furman	8-6	188	21
19. Montana State	7-5	170	20
20. Maine	10-3	169	11
21. Youngtown State	8-4	162	19
22. William & Mary	7-5	159	NR
23. Bethune-Cookman	10-3	136	16
24. Richmond	6-6	118	NR
25. Northern Arizona	9-3	116	15