Game 9: UMD at St. Cloud State

ST. CLOUD, Minn. -- For UMD, it's not been a happy place. But no one really cares to talk about it.

For coaches, it's all about tunnel vision. What's in front of them matters, but what's behind them often is not.

I didn't bother asking Scott Sandelin about UMD's awful record in this building (4-17-2 under Sandelin, 0-8-2 in the last ten going back to March 2007). He doesn't want to talk about it. We've been down that road before.

St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko noted that stats like this are more for the fans' amusement most of the time. Players don't care, or at least coaches want you to think they don't. And coaches will never admit caring.

Even if the players truly cared, does it resonate with them? Do you think Karson Kuhlman knows that UMD hasn't won here since he was 11 years old? If he knows, do you think it's going to affect his performance this weekend?

Doubtful.

No, it's about this matchup. And if it's like last year's matchup, it will end up being close. The Bulldogs let the Saturday home game against SCSU get away from them last year, but that was about it. Even with a 4-0 deficit in the first period of the Feb. 14 game here, UMD shook it off and made it a hockey game. It led the Friday game in Duluth last year, and it was tied twice in the Saturday game here, before Jonny Brodzinski did Jonny Brodzinski things in the final minutes and the Huskies won.

UMD has improved its defensive play, goaltending, and special teams so far. SCSU looks to be a little less explosive offensively, but they still have a strong defensive corps and they're good on special teams. We'll see if the Bulldogs have closed what gap existed last year.

Other links
UMD getting offensive on penalty kill
UMD-SCSU series preview

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Crandall
Farley - Cameranesi - Kuhlman
Osterberg - Decowski - Boehm
Young (Blake) - Thomas - Young (Austyn)

Johnson - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely

SCSU
Murray - Kossila - Brodzinski
Benik - Morley - Russell
Oliver - Rehkamp - Bertsch
Winiecki - Peterson - Tedesco

Prochno - Prow
Nevalainen - Daly
Widman - Ilvonen

Lindgren - Reijola - Phillippi