Monday Musings: Colorado College Rallies for Tie, UMD Penalty Kill Saves Standings Point

Lots of frustration on the UMD side of the Broadmoor World Arena Saturday night. The Bulldogs couldn't have asked for a better start, getting two goals inside of the first two minutes and holding a 2-0 lead after one. Dominic Toninato tipped in a Neal Pionk wrist shot for a power-play goal 58 seconds in, then Alex Iafallo raced by the Colorado College power play for a breakaway shortie 49 seconds later.

For most of the first period, outside of Colorado College's three power plays, the Bulldogs controlled the puck, were content to let the Tigers chase, and had their way with things.

(More on this in a second. I'll be circling back.)

Things went quickly south, however, as the penalties racked up. Despite UMD's strong depth of killers, players started to tire from all the chasing, which led to more penalties. In all, UMD took a season-high 35 penalty minutes, and Colorado College had ten power plays on the night, including 4:52 of time during three-on-three overtime that UMD was somehow able to kill.

After that incredible PK work, Iafallo was able to score in the first round of a sudden-death shootout to rescue an extra point in the NCHC standings for the Bulldogs, who are now two points behind Denver for first place.

Unfortunately, the penalties were the big story for UMD. We've seen some small discipline breakdowns over the course of the season, and a good chunk of that is basic human nature. It's going to happen every now and then. But what happened Saturday was the worst we've seen this year. It was a team-wide calamity that never let up, even in the latter stages of the game and in overtime.

Could an argument be framed that the officials applied a different standard after the first period? Yes. Even watching the game back, there are more than a couple instances of UMD players being held, hooked, or interfered with that weren't called. On the Tigers' tying goal, the turnover that led to the rush started with blatant interference on UMD's Parker Mackay that was not called (though similar contact was called against UMD earlier). So I get this can be really difficult for fans to stomach, and I'm sure the players and coaches were livid on the bench and probably after the game, too. And anyone who listened to the game knows I was displeased, too.

But this stuff happens in hockey, UMD knows this (it's happened already this season, multiple times), and the Bulldogs failed to make any adjustments to how the officials started calling the game in the second period. The penalty trouble continued until CC pulled within one in the final seconds of the middle frame.

Carson Soucy took four penalties for 19 minutes, including a major for contact to the head in overtime that we'll discuss, Willie Raskob three for six minutes, Riley Tufte and Avery Peterson each two for four minutes.

And they were all penalties. This is undeniable. By the letter of the law, each call was correct. Again, can you argue the home team should have had more than it did? Yes. But UMD can't control how the adversary plays or how the officials officiate. It didn't do a good enough job controlling what it could control in this game.

Three of the four biggest offenders are older players who simply have to know better. One is a captain. This simply can't happen, no matter how frustrating the circumstances might be.

Talking to a couple guys on the trip home Sunday, I'm not concerned long-term. This will go down as a lesson learned, and the Bulldogs will move on. 

******

Soucy's major for a check to the head of Colorado College forward Tanner Ockey came in the final seconds of overtime. It carried over to three-on-three overtime, which meant CC had a four-on-three power play for 4:52. At that point, getting the full allotment of three points was out the window, and frankly the thought of getting two points wasn't exactly top of mind.

(By the way, I expect the NCHC to suspend Soucy for the hit, forcing him to miss Thursday's opener against Miami. It was pretty flagrant head contact, and it came late enough in the game that precedent would suggest he'll have to sit a game for it. Plus, it was similar enough to Soucy's hit on Bemidji State's Leo Fitzgerald -- or Myles, or Gerry, honestly I can't remember which one -- that justifiably drew a one-game suspension last season.)

(UPDATE: Sounds like no suspension for Soucy, certainly good news for UMD.)

But somehow, UMD survived that long power play for the Tigers. CC had three shots on goal, two of them from distance by defensemen. UMD blocked five shots and one other attempt missed the net. Particularly exemplary over the long kill were senior forward Kyle Osterberg and junior Karson Kuhlman. Iafallo and Toninato get marks as well, though some of their better work came during the myriad of CC power plays in regulation time.

Assistant coach Jason Herter does a lot of the penalty kill work, and it was great this past weekend. The Bulldogs killed two majors and allowed just six shots on goal combined. Somehow with three guys out on an Olympic surface, CC still got more shots blocked than it got on goal.

With everything that went wrong on Saturday, UMD should consider itself fortunate to have gotten one point out of that game, much less two. The penalty kill saved the bacon. It's a shame so many fans have forgotten how good they were amid panic over the lost point and how it might affect the Bulldogs' Penrose Cup chances.

******

The penalty trouble wrecked what was probably the best 20 minutes UMD's started a game with all season. All four lines were in on the action, generating gobs of puck possession and quality scoring chances. What was a 2-0 game could have been, by any rights, 3-0 or 4-0 after one, the Bulldogs were that good.

It adds to the frustration over how the game evolved in the second period. UMD was dominating the game at even strength, and it didn't matter which line was on the ice. But the team took four penalties in the second, all of them completely unnecessary. Eventually, the Tigers -- as much as their power play struggled -- were going to cash in. It was just a matter of time.

But Scott Sandelin preached a puck possession game plan, and the players executed it to perfection for 20 minutes. Then the wheels started coming off.

******

UMD dropped to second in the Pairwise behind Denver, thanks to Denver's gigantic edge in RPI rating after the weekend games. DU is .6033, UMD .6032, and that one-onethousandth of a point is the difference between the No. 1 and No. 2 overall teams in the ranking. If it flips back to UMD's favor, the Bulldogs will regain the top spot in the Pairwise. That's how close those two teams are right now.

If you use the College Hockey News page, you can project future results. If you put UMD down for a loss in each remaining game, it drops the Bulldogs all the way to fourth, still a No. 1 regional seed. Let that one process for a second.

Speaking of CHN, they also have what's called a "probability matrix" that lists the chance of a team getting in the tournament and also the best percentage chances at various seeds in the tournament. A few notes:

• UMD is 100 percent in the tournament
• UMD has an 83 percent chance of being the No. 1 or No. 2 overall seed
• The chances of UMD not being a No. 1 regional seed are less than one percent
• The 20,000 simulations generated for the matrix do not find any where UMD is seeded below eighth.
• Denver is also 100 percent in, and No. 5 overall Western Michigan is at 99.5. Murky beyond that for the NCHC. North Dakota is at 37 percent, St. Cloud State 35, Omaha only at 12 percent.

Miami is in town for games Thursday and Friday this week. The short week is necessitated by Amsoil Arena being booked for high school hockey sectional games Saturday (7AA during the day, 7A at night). The RedHawks were swept by Denver this past weekend by matching 5-2 scores. Both games were tied 2-2 before DU erupted for the last three goals of the game. On the season, Miami is seventh in the conference, 1-7-1 in its last nine games. Anthony Louis is still putting up points (33 in 30 games this year), Kiefer Sherwood is having a solid season, and freshman goalie Ryan Larkin has put up a .914 save percentage in conference play.

Not only do we have to watch and see if Soucy is punished by the conference, but senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk missed Saturday's game with a lower-body injury. It's hard to imagine -- no matter how badly UMD might want to win a conference championship -- any chances will be taken with the big man on a short week, especially considering the short week means they'll have an extra day to get ready for the trip to Kalamazoo next week.

UMD will announce the winner of its annual Fan Favorite voting Thursday, and Friday is Senior Night.

Game 30: UMD at Colorado College

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Another picture-perfect day in Colorado Springs, as it sounds like it was back in Minnesota. Another big game here for UMD, as the Bulldogs look to at the minimum keep pace with Denver atop the NCHC.

UMD found a way to win on Friday. Colorado College kept to its structure very well and played a pretty strong defensive game, but the Bulldogs missed on some potentially glorious opportunities they don't normally miss on. Can they find that little bit of extra poise and make those plays if they're there again?

One lineup change for UMD. Senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk missed a good chunk of Friday with a lower-body injury. He sits, and in his place freshman Jarod Hilderman plays. It'll be just the second game for Hilderman since Oct. 15, and only his fifth game overall. He's paired with fellow rookie Nick Wolff, but don't be surprised if pairings are mixed up based on matchups. What you see on the chart is likely not always what you'll get on the ice, methinks.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Anderson
Osterberg - Johnson - Mackay
Tufte - Peterson - Kuhlman
Young - Thomas - Exell

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Molenaar
Wolff - Hilderman

Miska - Deery

CC
Bergh - Gerdes - Hansen
Berardinelli - Rothstein - Van Horn
Gooch - Kehoe - Michaud
Heil - Ockey - Makara

Blumenschein - Farny
McCaskill - Pernitsky
Kivihalme - Israel

Leclerc - Shatzer

CC lists David Radke, a sophomore who has played in one game this season, as an extra skater for warmup. If he plays, we'll update via Twitter @BruceCiskie.

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Grind Out Win Over Colorado College to Run Unbeaten Streak to Eight

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Was it pretty? Not even close.

When you look at the standings, however, you'll see it doesn't matter if it was pretty or not. They all count the same, and Adam Johnson's late power-play goal gave UMD a 2-1 win over Colorado College Friday night.

The win run's UMD's unbeaten streak to eight. It also improves UMD to 11-1-2 away from Duluth this season, an .857 winning percentage that leads the country. The Bulldogs also stay within one point of Denver for the top spot in the NCHC, as the Pioneers won at Miami 5-2.

As I said at the top, this wasn't in any way a beautiful game. Under third-year coach Mike Haviland, Colorado College is playing a much more disciplined defensive style. Part of that is out of necessity, as Haviland found a pretty bare cupboard upon his arrival in this fair city and needed to do some quick recruiting just to fill his roster. The 2016-17 roster features 31 players, but only six seniors, and only three of the six play regularly.

Haviland is steadfast in his belief the program is making progress. Freshman goalie Alex Leclerc has benefitted from more consistent play in front of him and has put together a solid season. The Tigers struggle mightily to score goals, but Leclerc and Haviland's defensive system -- when played well -- keep this team in games.

"It's a tough thing to rebuild," Haviland told me Friday. "It doesn't happen overnight, especially when you have to play (No.) 2 and then (No.) 1 every other weekend. There's not a lot of letup in this conference. We're starting to get some guys down the road. It's not pro hockey. It takes three, four, five years to really start to see the (benefits) of the recruiting wars you have to get into."

Haviland also noted that CC's starting goalie has been a freshman in each of his three years on the job. Last year, it was Jacob Nehama, who has been injured most of this year. Before that, Chase Perry was tabbed as the guy before he lost the job to sophomore Tyler Marble, who hadn't played a college game before that season.

Do I expect the Tigers to be trying to grind down opponents five years from now? I don't know. But they are now, and it continues to be a good test for UMD, which finds it more difficult to play its preferred style of hockey against Colorado College.

There were a couple segments of Friday where it looked like UMD was getting a little frustrated. But give the visitors credit. Even when nothing was really going all that well, the Bulldogs didn't sacrifice defensive structure or posture while trying to create offense. UMD used stretch plays to try to open things up a bit. There were a couple times the Bulldogs eschewed a controlled breakout and flew a wing up the rink, and it worked for one Joey Anderson breakaway and should have worked a second time, but he couldn't control the outlet pass.

That was an issue a couple different times during the game. UMD missed out on good rush opportunities when players couldn't keep control of the puck or fanned on shots or passes. Scott Sandelin referenced it postgame with Matt Wellens, using the term "moxie", which works pretty well.

“I thought we could have done a little bit better job with a little more poise or moxie with the shots,” Sandelin said. “We fired some with our head down right into them, but they clawed and got up. They are good at blocking shots.
“We just have to do a little bit better job, but you know what? I don’t care. I don’t worry about how many shots you’re getting because I’d rather have the puck and make them defend. Hopefully we can do more of that and when you do that, maybe things will open up.”

By the way, CC's power play goal in the first period broke a couple long streaks. Freshman goalie Hunter Miska's scoreless run stopped at exactly 97 minutes. Also, UMD hadn't allowed a goal in the Broadmoor World Arena since the 2013-14 season, and its overall scoreless streak in that building ended at 156 minutes, 56 seconds. Three goalies -- Aaron Crandall, Kasimir Kaskisuo, and Miska -- contributed to that stretch for UMD.

******

The turning point of the game came at the 1:48 mark of the third period, when UMD junior Karson Kuhlman was given a five-minute major for boarding good friend and Tigers sophomore Westin Michaud. Live action, it looked like textbook boarding, though the major may have been an overreaction to Michaud being banged up and having to leave the game. The only replay I saw was basically live action from the main TV camera, and did nothing to change that opinion. However, based on the reaction I saw on Twitter, the slow-motion replays on CBS Sports Network -- which did the game Friday -- showed very little contact between the two at all.

I still have not seen these replays and can't comment further.

What I can comment on was it was one of UMD's better penalty kills of the season. CC had three shots over the five minutes, all from far away by defenseman Teemu Kivihalme, none of them a very serious threat to get by Miska, who was strong again when he had to be but didn't have to be spectacular, something Sandelin referenced before the game as he implored his team to play a stronger game defensively.

"Overall, we've been a little loose defensively," Sandelin said before Friday's tilt. "Structurally, we need to make sure we're doing the things we need to and helping each other out. We don't want Hunter to have to be great every game. I want him to be comfortable and just play his game and not feel like he's got to win games."

For at least one night, Sandelin got his wish, and that major penalty kill was a huge example of it. Senior Kyle Osterberg hustled to loose pucks and killed precious time. The kill structure was good, keeping things to the outside, and CC didn't have any way to get the puck to the middle of the rink, as UMD defended the slot wonderfully. The Tigers also couldn't get pucks through to Miska, and when they did, he was all over them.

From the point Kuhlman was released from the box to the end of the game, with 13:12 left in the third period, the Tigers had just two shots on goal, both of them in quick succession right after the penalty ended. CC had no shots for the last 12-plus minutes of the game. Better yet for UMD, the Tigers only attempted three shots, two wide and one blocked, both after UMD had taken the lead on Johnson's power-play goal.

******

Another example of the in-game improvement Friday:

After a good start in the faceoff circle, things went south for UMD in the second period. Colorado College won 16 of 21 second-period draws, including a couple key offensive-zone faceoffs that forced UMD to retreat when it should have been attacking.

But UMD turned the tables in the third, winning 12 of 17 faceoffs and forcing Colorado College to defend.

I don't care how good a team is on the defensive side of the game. When you're consistently forcing them to play defense, it's a good recipe to wear down the adversary, which is how mistakes happen. Then you can be in good position to take advantage of the lapses in coverage brought on by fatigue.

UMD did a much better job of attacking the Tigers Friday than it did in the previous series in Duluth. Players showed more willingness to go to the tough areas, even if they didn't make plays when there. The next step in this rematch Saturday is to make those quick plays that can lead to more offense. UMD left a few good scoring chances on the table Friday, chances that the Bulldogs have typically been pretty good at bearing down on. I'll take my chances with that kind of performance over the long haul.

******

I asked the Twitter people for questions. Here are a few.

Peter Sandelin (@sand0393): Why does college hockey/NCHC struggle with such inconsistency on the 5 minute major call? Ex: Kuhlman. Its such a game-changer.

Got a lot of tweets on the Kuhlman major. I can't comment on it, as mentioned above, because I didn't see the decisive replay angle.

But I can make a comparison to a play that happened in the NHL Thursday night. Wild forward Nino Niederreiter was assessed a major penalty for interference after what appeared at first glance to be a dirty hit on Dallas Stars forward and model Patrick Sharp. Just look at the animation in this article. Looks terrible, right?

But what that piece of animation doesn't show is that Niederreiter was clipped and knocked off balance by Dallas' Radek Faksa and had no time to avoid the contact on Sharp, who had no chance to avoid Niederreiter.

Until officials are allowed to look at video replay on a hit like this -- and possibly Kuhlman's as well -- you're going to continue to see these vast inconsistencies on calls. And let's call it like it is. Officials see a hit like this out of the corner of their eye because it's far enough away from the puck, and they are human beings who see a dangerous play and try to construct how it really happened. Sometimes, they aren't going to be right. All the more reason to allow video replay of the hit.

Look at the replay of that hit by Niederreiter, and it's a minor penalty (by the rule the NCAA uses in the postseason, a penalty must be called in order for it to be reviewed). It's unfathomable to me that officials are still not allowed to look at these plays. And it's not their fault. They don't make the rules.

Kendal (@KendalKillian): I hate this kind of logic normally, but are we sure we as UMD fans want the #1 seed and another date with this CC club?

Probably not. 😄

I get it. This isn't an easy style to play against, and it can be hard on the eyes for fans. But you're kidding yourselves if you think Colorado College is the only team out there that tries to lock teams down defensively.

I mean, Bemidji State, anyone? And if the season ended today, the Beavers would be UMD's first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament.

Cornell, UMass-Lowell, and Providence are other teams currently in the field that can make life a living hell for a team like UMD.

My point? The Bulldogs have to beat this style when it matters most. The more experience they get against it, the better.

(I admit it: I joked privately about this during the game Friday. But UMD isn't throwing the league title to avoid Colorado College in the first round. I can promise you that.)

Eric Burton (@goon48): still want to go to Fargo?

I'm happy to travel to whatever regional UMD is assigned to play in. Good luck sucking me into that trap.

Pat Micheletti (@patmick2626): Who is the best team in the country?

I believe both John Buccigross -- who calls the Frozen Four for ESPN -- and College Hockey News' Joe Meloni have both opined this, so it's not an original thought.

Having only seen Boston University and Harvard on TV makes this tough, but I think UMD and Denver have separated themselves a little bit from everyone else.

Who's better between UMD and Denver? Good luck getting me to answer that. I just hope the Bulldogs get to play DU two more times to find out (NCHC and NCAA tourneys).

Kjestine (@kjestine15): do you think a slower paced game with lots of whistles, like the 1st last night is better for our opponents or us?

Not sure it matters a ton, but it probably leans toward the adversary. This UMD team is pretty good at playing with patience and discipline and taking what is given to it. As long as that continues, I don't see it being a huge issue when teams try to slow the game down. Obviously, it does create some close games, which can be problematic in the NCAAs, which of course are a one-game out. But I'm willing to take my chances with this team.

Thanks to everyone for the questions.

******

Elsewhere in the NCHC, Denver got three late goals to get by Miami 5-2. Will Butcher started the rally with the winner after Miami scored twice early in the third to rally from 2-0 down for a tie. Dylan Gambrell scored twice for DU.

In Kalamazoo, Sheldon Dries broke a 2-2 tie with just under seven minutes to play, and Western Michigan went on to beat North Dakota 4-2. Ben Blacker made 32 saves for the Broncos, who opened up a four-point lead on idle St. Cloud State for third place in the conference.

The updated NCHC standings, followed by the max points for each team, are listed below.

CURRENT STANDINGS
Denver 44
UMD 43
Western Michigan 32
St. Cloud State 28
North Dakota 26
Omaha 26
Miami 21
Colorado College 11

MAX POINTS
Denver 59
UMD 58
Western Michigan 47
North Dakota 41
St. Cloud State 40
Omaha 38
Miami 36
Colorado College 26

Also Friday, the UMD women got goals from Katie McGovern and Sydney Brodt in a 2-1 win over St. Cloud State at Amsoil Arena. UMD honors its senior class after Saturday's 4pm game against the Huskies. UMD will more than likely finish third in the WCHA (needs to beat SCSU and have Wisconsin sweep Minnesota in Minneapolis to move to second), which means a home series against the sixth-place team starting Thursday. That sixth-place team will be either Bemidji State, Ohio State, or St. Cloud State, depending on how the rest of the weekend goes. Too many scenarios to try to lay everything out.

Game 29: UMD at Colorado College

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Since back-to-back 2-1 losses to Colorado College and St. Cloud State, UMD hasn't lost in seven games. The Bulldogs have ground out low-scoring wins, fought their way from behind, and jumped on teams.

The lineup you see in the series opener is one that I think UMD can roll into the postseason with, provided a couple things.

• Obviously, everyone has to stay healthy. This team's been pretty fortunate when it comes to man-games lost, and let's not take that for granted. Parker Mackay missed six games, and Nick McCormack is out with a practice injury, but UMD has been lucky with its front-line guys, who play a ton of minutes. Captain Dominic Toninato has twice left games, once after blocking a shot and once after taking what appeared to be a check near the head after a shot. But he's barely missed a shift.
• There have been tweaks. Players who were moved to different lines need to be willing to embrace their new roles. Specifically, Adam Johnson has to be more consistent as a center. He improved greatly on faceoffs as he gained experience, but he wasn't always a solid defensive player. With Johnson's speed and playmaking ability (he can make plays at full speed that most guys wish they could make a three-quarters speed), he should be a force in the middle. Also, Jared Thomas has to be willing to be a fourth-line center. He's been killing penalties more and more lately, partially because of Mackay's injury, but he acquitted himself well. One of Thomas' best games of the second half was Jan. 14 against St. Cloud State, when he played on the fourth line. He won draws, was physical, and it made his line better.

I was a huge fan of junior Blake Young's game against Omaha before break. That and two good weeks of practice are why he's in the lineup. He can stay there if he doesn't forget what made his game so good against the Mavericks. He needs to be physical, win battles and races, and use his size and underrated skating ability to be a factor on the forecheck against the smallish Colorado College defense.

Looking forward to this series. As I wrote in the preview, CC is markedly worse at home (1-11, 53-24 goals) versus in road/neutral games (6-8-2, 41-34 goals). I believe the Bulldogs are going to try to carry pucks into the offensive zone, taking advantage of the extra room on the Olympic ice. If UMD can play with its traditional speed -- something I don't believe happened against this team in Duluth -- it can accomplish that task, making things much more difficult on the Tigers' defense.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Anderson
Osterberg - Johnson - Mackay
Tufte - Peterson - Kuhlman
Young - Thomas - Exell

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery

CC
Bergh - Gerdes - Hansen
Berardinelli - Rothstein - Van Horn
Gooch - Kehoe - Michaud
Heil - Ockey - Makara

Blumenschein - Farny
McCaskill - Pernitsky
Kivihalme - Israel

Leclerc - Shatzer

CC lists David Radke, a sophomore who has played in one game this season, as an extra skater for warmup. If he plays, we'll update via Twitter @BruceCiskie.um

UMD Men Enter Stretch Run in Search of Payback

(NOTE: Check my earlier update on Minnesota Mr. Hockey finalists, including a lot of local and UMD flavor, here.)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- With Denver and UMD both sitting at six games left in the regular season, and the Pioneers a one-point lead on the Bulldogs in the conference standings, it's obvious what UMD needs for the league title it so covets.

(And make no mistake, guys, UMD wants this. Ask any of the players. Ask the coaches. This means something to them, and they're operating right now with the full intention of going for the NCHC title and not resting in the final weeks now that a home-ice spot is clinched. UPDATE: Or maybe it isn't clinched. UMD still needs one point. Long story. Please don't make me tell it. Thanks to Michael Weisman of the NCHC for setting the record straight.)

The stretch run should be fun for fans of both teams. Obviously, there are bigger fish to fry, but I've been given no indication that either team is going to fade away and just be happy with home ice in the first round.

For UMD, it starts here in beautiful Colorado Springs. Great weather greeted the team as it arrived Thursday, and that theme is expected to continue into the weekend. Of course, the focus is elsewhere.

Normally, the No. 1 team in the polls and PairWise facing a seven-win team that is last in its conference wouldn't lead to a lot of conversation. However, Colorado College got the better of a two-game series in Duluth last month, and that fact has the undivided attention of these Bulldogs.

UMD coach Scott Sandelin was blunt this week in talking about what happened in that January weekend set.

"I don't think we gave them enough respect," he said. "I thought they were the hungrier team."

If that was an issue in January, it isn't now.

"Especially them coming into our building and taking those four points," senior captain Dominic Toninato said this week, "it makes us want it more."

What has to happen?

Well, for starters, UMD can't be shocked into playing, as the coaches might say. The home team fell behind early to CC in a 2-1 loss on Jan. 7. The Bulldogs never led, and weren't a serious threat once CC took the lead for good in the second period. It just wasn't a great night, as UMD made mistakes in the neutral zone and fed into the Tigers' defensive ways.

"We didn't get inside the dots very much," Sandelin said. "They just wanted it more than we did, and we didn't respond very well."

The Bulldogs struggled against Colorado College freshman Alex Leclerc, who made 69 saves on 72 shots in what was his best weekend of the season. Leclerc was pressed into duty when incumbent Jacob Nehama proved insufficently recovered from offseason surgery and was once again shelved. He's had his moments, including the win and tie in Duluth and a 3-0 shutout of North Dakota Jan. 28 that still stands as CC's only home win this season to date. After a tough start, Leclerc has rebounded a bit to a .901 save percentage on the season, as CC's team save percentage has improved to .894.

Part of that is predicated on third-year coach Mike Haviland getting his team to buy in to his more defensive-minded system. Under Scott Owens, Colorado College was as wide-open a team as any you could find. The older guys -- namely senior forwards Luc Gerdes, Sam Rothstein, and Matt Hansen -- are holdovers from that system. That they're among CC's leading scorers this season, along with being among the top guys in plus-minus, underscores the buy-in Haviland is getting.

******

What appears to be true, however, is that Haviland's system is tougher to perfect on the Olympic ice sheet CC calls home.

In 12 games at the Broadmoor World Arena, Colorado College is 1-11, outscored by adversaries 53-24, basically 4.5 goals allowed per game to two scored.

In 16 road/neutral site games (all but one played on NHL-size ice), the Tigers are 6-8-2, and that goal differential is only 41-34.

The sample size isn't exactly gargantuan, so this could be a coincidence. But it's worth noting that the Tigers succeeded against UMD, in large part, by forcing the Bulldogs to dump pucks and win races and/or battles to gain offensive zone possession.

On the big sheet, will UMD have to resort to dump-and-chase hockey? I doubt it. The extra width of the rink could very well play to the Bulldogs' advantage this weekend. Now, this is predicated on UMD maintaining an attack mentality, playing with speed, and executing the plan, three things that didn't really happen against CC in Duluth. Combine a better commitment to that style of hockey with the additional room players will have in Colorado Springs, and you could be looking at a better recipe for much-needed NCHC points this weekend.

Sandelin said a couple different times this week that clean plays will be very hard to come by against this team. The Bulldogs have thrived on transition opportunities and odd-man rushes this season. We're hard-pressed to think of any of either happening in the earlier meeting between these teams. A bigger ice sheet isn't going to create them, either. UMD is still going to have to show a willingness to win board battles, win races for loose pucks and to be smart about puck placement when it's time to dump the puck and go after it.

"Hopefully the bigger rink will help," Sandelin said, "but they're a team that doesn't give up very much. Sometimes, you have to be patient and take what the game gives you.

"If we can get cleaner transition out of the (defensive) zone, come through the neutral zone with some speed and get pucks behind their D, and if you're going to do that you have to forecheck."

******

One thing that works in UMD's favor this weekend is a roster as close to full health as it's been all season.

Sophomore forward Parker Mackay returns after missing six games with an upper-body injury. He was able to skate while he was out, but it's doubtful he'll be in full game shape this fast. That said, no one will complain about his return.

"I'm not expecting him to go in there and be where he'll be a week or two from now," Sandelin said. "I hope he brings that energy and is a good 200-foot player.

"His impact, the type of player he is, we've missed that. He's kind of that gritty power forward type guy who has some skill. Can kill penalties, too. It'll be nice to have him. One of our most competitive guys."

Mackay should slot on the second or third line, which will necessitate some changes to UMD's forwards. Projections below. If everything works out well, UMD will be as heavy a team as it's been all season, and there will be smart 200-foot players on all four lines. The Bulldogs are never going to be a big-hitting type of team, but the third and fourth lines will present good size and intensity and difficult matchups for opposing coaches.

Projected UMD lines
Iafallo - Toninato - Anderson
Osterberg - Johnson - Mackay
Tufte - Peterson - Kuhlman
Young - Thomas - Exell

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery

******

Back in Duluth, the UMD women finish the regular season with Friday night and Saturday afternoon games against St. Cloud State. The Bulldogs still have a small chance to finish second in the WCHA standings, as UMD trails Minnesota by four points in the standings heading into the weekend. Minnesota is home to take on Wisconsin, which is unbeaten in 14 games since losing to Minnesota in early December.

No matter what, the Bulldogs know they'll host a first-round WCHA playoff series next weekend (SCSU, Bemidji State, or Ohio State will visit). That will be a Thursday-Friday-Sunday (if necessary) series, so make your plans now.

Wins this weekend will also help UMD keep in position to host an NCAA playoff game, something second-year coach Maura Crowell doesn't want to look at now ("We haven't talked about the home games coming up," she said, "just what's right in front of us"), but certainly a source of pride for everyone involved in the program.

(UMD is No. 2 in the PairWise rankings, but Minnesota is right behind the Bulldogs in third, and there's a chance even a split against Wisconsin is enough to push the Gophers past UMD. The top four host quarterfinal games, but UMD needs wins this weekend to avoid needing another big win to stay in the top four. One thing is certain: The WCHA is getting at least three teams in the NCAA Tournament after years of only getting two despite being the strongest league in the country. And there's a money chance three WCHA teams are hosting quarterfinals. Break out the checkbook, NCAA. You'll be flying teams west this year, whether you want to or not.)

Another source of pride: The five-player senior class (six players when you count junior Maria Lindh, who will also be honored after Saturday's game). Two-year captain Ashleigh Brykaliuk and two-year assistant Sidney Morin will play their final regular-season game in Duluth Saturday, along with forwards Demi Crossman, Lara Stalder, and Katie McGovern.

The impact of the six is not measured in numbers. But if you'd like, they average 126 career games between them, and they're over 400 points with nearly 175 career goals.

"I can't say enough about them," Crowell said. "I love them. They empty the tank every game. They go as we go. The character and personality of the team is based on them. They set the tone every day in practice."

Monday Musings: Denver Sweeps CC, Takes NCHC Lead From Idle UMD; Bulldogs Head to Colorado Next

Hope everyone enjoyed the bye weekend. Last one of the season for UMD, so naturally instead of sitting on the couch, I went to Wild games Friday and Sunday. Great time both trips, thanks for asking. 😜😎

UMD continues its prep for the stretch run this week, as the Bulldogs' NCHC title hopes will be determined by six games over the next three weekends to finish the regular season.

And UMD now knows it will start that stretch run from a chase position.

Denver took care of business over the weekend, sweeping longtime rival Colorado College in a home-and-home series to run its winning streak against the Tigers to 12 and taking a one-point lead on UMD for the top spot in the NCHC. DU won 2-1 at home Friday before routing the Tigers 5-1 in Colorado Springs Saturday. The Pioneers are playing incredibly well, with five straight wins and an 8-2 record since the calendar flipped to 2017. Over that ten-game run, DU has six games of five or more goals.

Of course, UMD has been no slouch since the break. The Bulldogs stumbled out of the gates in January, going 0-2-1 over the first three games. Since then, UMD is 6-0-1, including a two-game sweep at North Dakota and a championship at the North Star College Cup. The Bulldogs also have tightened defensively as of late, giving up just five goals over five games with two Hunter Miska shutouts thrown in. Only two of those five goals were scored at even strength.

******

It's a two-horse race in the NCHC, with Denver (41 points) and UMD (40) both having clinched home ice for the NCHC playoffs and UMD 11 points up on third-place Western Michigan in the standings. Let's look at the remaining schedules for both.

Denver
at Miami -- the teams tied twice in Denver Nov. 18-19, with DU winning both shootouts
vs St. Cloud State -- they split Jan. 20-21 in St. Cloud
at Omaha -- DU swept a home series from the Mavs Jan. 27-28

UMD
at Colorado College -- we all know what happened Jan. 6-7 in Duluth, ugh
vs Miami -- first meeting this season
at Western Michigan -- they split Nov. 11-12 in Duluth

You can't base a ton off the early-season meetings, but it's clear that both teams have difficult paths to the end of the regular season. Miami will give them both fits, thanks to an improving group of forwards and the play of freshman goalie Ryan Larkin, who has a very solid .920 save percentage despite his team not giving him a ton of run support. St. Cloud State is playing exceptionally well right now and just got a huge home sweep of Miami, but UMD has to deal with the Colorado Springs trip and fun with altitude off a bye week. And the Tigers beat UMD in Duluth in their last meeting.

So don't be shocked if the league title isn't decided until the last week of the season, with Denver in Omaha and UMD in Kalamazoo. And on the surface, the edge has to go to Denver with that in mind. Little explanation should be necessary.

(Both Omaha and WMU can be overly reliant on special teams to create goals, which isn't optimal as we enter a time of the season where there are usually not as many penalties in games. However, UNO is explosive up front, and Western might be the most underrated team in the league offensively.)

As for the rest of the league, here's how it looks.

DU 41
UMD 40
WMU 29
SCSU 28 (but only four games left)
UND 26
UNO 26 (but only four games left)
Miami 21
CC 11

Max point totals:
DU 59
UMD 58
WMU 47
UND 44
SCSU 40
Miami 39
UNO 38
CC 29

We don't know much. UMD and Denver will be at home for the first round (SCSU can only tie UMD, but UMD has the tiebreaker based on head to head wins) no matter what. Colorado College will be on the road. Nothing else is decided, as UNO and Miami could get home ice by going on a late run, and there's still time for someone currently in a home-ice position to fade out of it.

******

UMD heads to beautiful Colorado Springs this weekend. Usually, I'd openly wonder how good the Bulldogs will be coming out of a bye and playing at high altitude, but I don't doubt they'll be ready for this series. CC waltzed into Amsoil Arena and took four points from UMD Jan. 6-7 in what's easily been the low point of UMD's season to date. I can't guarantee UMD will play well, but I can be virtually certain this team will be prepared to play.

The Bulldogs have seen much success on Olympic ice in recent years, a story I love rehashing whenever they play at Minnesota. St. Cloud State, or Colorado College, the last bastions of the big sheet that this team plays on even a semi-regular basis.

In the last 12 games UMD has played on the big ice, it is 11-1, with the only loss last season to Northern Michigan. Over its last 30 games going back to the 2011-12 season, UMD is 18-9-3.

Should be a fun weekend. Weather looks fantastic, and TV VOX Zach Schneider is traveling on this trip. We'll show him the ropes. Or I'll sunbathe at the hotel while watching Baskets on Hulu. One or the other. Either way, talk next from Colorado barring any big and unexpected news at media day Wednesday. Follow @BruceCiskie on Twitter for the other stuff that happens.

Monday Musings: Lethargic, Lackluster Bulldogs Get What They Have Coming in Saturday Loss

A long, long time ago, UMD coach Scott Sandelin responded to a blowout loss by saying something along these lines (I'm paraphrasing, but the general point is accurate):

"They got what they deserved, and we got what we deserved."

Whenever those were spoken, it was indeed after a blowout loss by UMD. But they are often true when a game is played, no matter the final margin. They were true again on Saturday, when Colorado College got what it deserved, and UMD got what it deserved.

The final result was a 2-1 Tiger win, and while there are a lot of things I want to discuss in this here blog entry, the first thing that has to be done -- because it's 1) true, and 2) the right thing to do -- is to give credit where it's due.

Colorado College played very well defensively. The Tigers blocked 29 shots on the weekend (20 Friday), disrupted UMD's passing lanes, and got strong goaltending from freshman Alex Leclerc (.939 save percentage in six starts before the weekend, .958 save percentage in two games against UMD).

CC got timely goals from Mason Bergh (Saturday) and Sam Rothstein (short-handed on Friday) to shift momentum, and a five-on-three goal from Teemu Kivihalme Saturday provided the game's final margin. That stung for UMD because it came after a long five-on-three kill had started very well for the home team.

Sometimes, it's not necessarily about how many goals a team scores, but more when those goals happen. Rothstein's goal sparked one of the worst stretches of hockey UMD has played all season, and Bergh's Saturday marker seemed to take some life out of the UMD bench, as it was CC's first real scoring chance of the night.

Leclerc didn't really make any mind-blowing, "How did he do that?" saves. But he was a rock when his team needed him. The numbers over eight games tell you that he's playing well, and his team is defending well in front of him.

******

What happened? Well, it wasn't just the Tigers playing well. UMD wasn't sharp. Passes weren't crisp, guys weren't catching the accurate ones. Movements weren't those of a confident, sure-of-themselves group. Everything just looked a little off. And when you're even five percent off in the NCHC, you're probably not going to win. It was a good, hard reminder of the required level of play each night in this difficult league.

In another reminder of how not-sharp UMD was this past weekend, the Bulldogs took their first two major penalties of the 2016-17 season in the series. Avery Peterson was ejected for a check from behind Friday, and Willie Raskob got a game misconduct -- and likely a one-game suspension from the NCHC to be announced early this week -- for contact to the head on Saturday.

(A segment of UMD fans bristle when I argue a Bulldog should be suspended. If a CC player had delivered that hit to a UMD player, there'd be Bulldog fans advocating that player be removed from the league. So please understand we are trying to operate with a modicum of fairness, even though you all know we want UMD to win. I thought Raskob's hit was over the line and unnecessary, and it certainly warrants a suspension. He's not a dirty player. He made a mistake. It happens, but the fact he's not a dirty player doesn't excuse him from the rules.)

Heard a lot of fans complaining about the long break between games. One person even told me the break was a week longer than it was, because it felt like it was that long. Before the weekend series even started, I had two players privately tell me how tough it has been to get back in the groove after the holiday break, largely because the team had just finished up a two-week break before the Denver series.

None of these things were meant to be excuses. I mean, the player conversations I had came days before the CC series even began on Friday. They didn't know how it was going to play out, even if the words became a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Heck, I had conversations with people before the holiday break about how different it would be coming out of that one versus preparing for Denver. First off, that was a No. 1 vs No. 2 series and there was plenty of hype. Also, keep in mind the players were in a normal routine of school and practice during the week.

The other team is on break, too, however, so the logic can only take you so far. The Bulldogs needed to play better than they did, and surely they'll be reminded of that throughout the week as St. Cloud State approaches on Friday.

******

I've tried to exercise more and more patience with the officials. I've defended them in arguments with people, to the point where I'm sure some longtime followers wonder if there's something wrong with me. 😁

When I wrote about the re-emphasis of "standard of play" by the NCAA in September, it came with the obvious caution that not all officials are going to call the game the same way. That said, the hope was players and coaches would adjust and we'd see a quick improvement in the way the game was going to be played.

Apparently, that standard of play expired at the end of 2016.

And if you don't believe me, ask Matt Wellens, who saw the same game I did (I think):

This weekend — tonight especially — the rules emphasis appeared nonexistent, as if we were transported back to the 2015-16 season.
Holding along the boards? No call.
Chipping players or impeding them as they came into the offensive zone? No call.
Hooking? Some got called, but too many “red flag” moments when the stick got parallel with the skater and made contact went uncalled.
It made this series tough to watch, and the fans who had come to expect one thing got frustrated they were back to getting what they were told was now dead.

I'm all for letting the kids play. We don't need to see 20 power plays in a game. However, when there are constant restraining fouls being let go (both ways, yes, but it went more one direction than the other), it makes the game almost impossible. This was the most-like-2004ish hockey game I've seen since, well, 2004. That, friends, isn't a good thing.

The signature moment came while UMD was killing off Raskob's major on Saturday. Dominic Toninato decided to drive into the offensive zone, basically by himself, while UMD changed behind him. He was impeded trying to drive the net, lost the puck, and then took an illegal check while not in possession of the puck near the end boards.

I know players have been known to embellish contact while killing a penalty in hopes of getting a call to nullify the power play, but the second hit was interference and probably roughing as well. Nothing was called. Very frustrating for everyone in attendance, to say the least.

The NCHC has been better than this (I actually think, in whole, the league has done a great job enforcing standard of play while not taking too much away from the games), and I'm fully confident it will be again. But Saturday was difficult to watch, and might not have been with a little more love given to the standard of play emphasis.

(Long-view, UMD needed to do a better job fighting through some of the stickwork and body restraint that was going on. Goes back to the Bulldogs just not being totally in tune with the details of the game, something they've been quite good at most of the season.)

******

Moving on now, thankfully. UMD won't be No. 1 entering this weekend against St. Cloud State. Games are 7pm Friday and Saturday at Amsoil Arena.

The Huskies will be pretty much as ticked off as the Bulldogs entering the weekend. St. Cloud State lost a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 overtime loss to Miami on Friday, then never led in a 4-1 loss on Saturday.

The turning point of Friday was when SCSU forward Jacob Benson was given a five-minute major for contact to the head and a game misconduct when he backed into a Miami player in the neutral zone. The contact appeared to be with the RedHawk player's head, but it was a weird play that was similar to some big hits by Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall over the years. I know a lot of SCSU fans were irritated with the call, but honestly looking at the replay I don't have a huge issue with it. Good chance it wasn't a correct call, but remember the officials don't get multi-angle replay views before deciding on a major penalty call. And I can't argue the idea that hit looked really bad live action.

(Potential major penalties can be reviewed, but only in the postseason.)

St. Cloud's goaltending has been a bit suspect this year, as the Huskies have struggled to replace departed star Charlie Lindgren. Sophomore Mikey Eyssimont has ten goals, Duluth native Judd Peterson nine, and World Juniors gold medalist Jack Ahcan has 13 points in 16 games. SCSU's depth isn't what it was last year, but this is still a dangerous team that has a solid power play and just doesn't take a lot of penalties.

Looking forward to a good series. UMD wasn't at its best last weekend, but there's no reason to be worried unless it happens again right away. With this group, I'm betting strong that it won't.

Game 20: Colorado College at UMD

While the second period of Friday's game left much to be desired, the UMD Bulldogs still found a way to get two NCHC standings points out of the evening, thanks to sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk's rocket of a one-timer with 41.7 seconds left in the third to tie it, then another blast for a power play goal 18 seconds into three-on-three overtime.

More will be needed to secure the five points that are now maximum for the series.

UMD will welcome back freshman forward Joey Anderson for this game, after he sat Friday to rest following the World Junior Championship. With Anderson's return, the forward lines are jumbled a bit, and freshman Jade Miller will be scratched.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Anderson
Osterberg - Thomas - Mackay
Tufte - Johnson - Kuhlman
Peterson - Spurrell - Exell

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery - Shepard

CC
Bergh - Gerdes - Hansen
Berardinelli - Rothstein - Halloran
Kehoe - Ockey - Michaud
Burmaster - Van Horn - Makara

Kivihalme - Farny
Blumenschein - Israel
McCaskill - Josefchak

Leclerc - Shatzer

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Get Late Pionk Goal for Tie

When the chips were down Friday night, UMD did what it's done for most of the 2016-17 season.

It found a way.

Friday's game was far from pretty, certainly leaving much to be desired on the Bulldogs' side, but UMD was able to grind out a 2-2 tie against last-place Colorado College at Amsoil Arena.

Sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk's rocket of a one-timer beat CC goalie Alex Leclerc with 41.7 seconds left in the third period to tie the game. After a scoreless overtime, the teams went to three-on-three overtime for an extra point in the NCHC standings. It was actually four-on-three, as a UMD power play carried over, and Pionk buried another blast from up high to end the game and get the Bulldogs that valuable point.

Lots to talk about here, and I'm going to try to be somewhat brief while covering as much as possible.

First, the Friday game. Not nearly good enough from UMD overall on this night, especially in the second period. The Bulldogs looked good at the start of the game, playing with some energy, but struggling to get a lot of quality scoring chances. The Tigers have played much better defensive hockey over a stretch that is now seven games, and they showed why in this game, frustrating the Bulldogs and limiting those grade-A opportunities.

Avery Peterson got his first in a Bulldog uniform with 6:04 left in the first, banking a shot in off a CC defenseman. Things were looking good less than 90 seconds later, when UMD was set to start its second power play of the game. That's where things started to turn the wrong direction. Luc Gerdes set up Sam Rothstein for a pretty short-handed goal to tie the game, and the Bulldogs fell a little flat for the better part of 20 minutes after that happened.

The second period might have been the worst of 57 20-minute periods UMD has played this season to this point. Just not much went right, from Peterson getting ejected for a hit from behind -- the first major called on UMD this season -- to Colorado College taking the lead 30 seconds into the power play, to the Bulldogs failing to execute much of anything in the offensive zone for a good chunk of the stanza.

Things did start to change in the third period. UMD looked sharper and started getting some pucks on Leclerc, who made a couple really good stops on in-close shots to keep it 2-1. Out of a UMD timeout with 48 seconds left, Dominic Toninato won a key faceoff, and Adam Johnson put the puck on a tee for Pionk on the left side. Tic-tac-toe-blast-twine-tie.

It appeared CC coach Mike Haviland wanted a pick called on the faceoff, but his efforts were in vain. It might be something to watch for in Saturday's rematch, as UMD didn't get the benefit of a couple potential faceoff interference calls, either.

Pionk's three-on-three goal was a missile from the high slot that Leclerc didn't really have a chance on.



Shot attempts in the third period and overtime were 38-6 in UMD's favor, and shots on goal were 24-3 for UMD. To get that kind of rebound performance after a rough second period -- again -- shows the kind of resolve in the group right now.

******

UMD chose to sit freshman forward Joey Anderson for Friday's game. Anderson is optimistic about returning Saturday, but it isn't a guarantee. I do think he'll play, as long as he is able to get some rest. When I spoke to Anderson before Friday night's game, he said he hadn't slept since the USA-Canada World Junior game the night before.

Assuming Anderson plays, Sandelin will have to scratch two forwards for the first time this season. Nothing about this will be easy, and even tougher than figuring out who has to sit will be drawing up the lines.

So IF Anderson plays, here's a primer on what to watch for.

First off, I don't see any way the top line in this scenario isn't Toninato with Alex Iafallo and Anderson. Why mess with a line that was so good before Christmas?

That's where it gets complicated. Adam Johnson played well after being moved back to center Friday when Peterson got ejected. Kraig Karakas was right to recommend Johnson stay at center, and it makes sense to have him on the second line. That leaves three centers -- Peterson, Jared Thomas, and Sammy Spurrell -- to center two lines. I believe all five play, and I think Peterson is the most likely candidate to move to wing.

Spurrell and Billy Exell aren't coming out of the lineup when they're as good as they are at killing penalties. Riley Tufte continues to play well. He isn't going to eat popcorn during the games. Guys like Karson Kuhlman, Parker Mackay, Kyle Osterberg, etc., aren't getting scratched.

I believe Jade Miller -- who started well and has not really had any cover-your-eyes games -- is going to be the odd man out.

Taking a total stab at the potential lines:

Iafallo - Toninato - Anderson
Osterberg - Johnson - Kuhlman
Tufte - Thomas - Mackay
Peterson - Spurrell - Exell

This looks a lot like lines from earlier in the season, only with Peterson instead of Miller on the fourth line. If Tufte warrants more of a look, maybe swap him with Osterberg and give that third line a bit more speed.

Either way, UMD has plenty of options, and this is a nice problem to have.

That's all for now. Check Twitter @BruceCiskie for more. Chat with the actual lines before Saturday's game.

Game 19: Colorado College at UMD

It's not often that gold medalists get welcomed back to UMD the day after winning said gold medal, but freshman forward Joey Anderson will feel the love during this series opener. Of course, he'll feel it while not playing, as UMD has chosen to give Anderson a night off after he helped the United States win gold at the World Junior Championship Thursday night.

Anderson played 24:35, including nearly eight of the 20 minutes in overtime to lead all U.S. forwards. Since UMD coach Scott Sandelin had already talked about wanting to rest him in Friday's game, it's not at all surprising he will be a healthy scratch. Probably for the only time in his career here.

Same lines and defensive pairings as the Saturday win in Bemidji. Once Anderson returns, it'll be interesting to see how things change.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Johnson
Osterberg - Thomas - Mackay
Tufte - Peterson - Kuhlman
Miller - Spurrell - Exell

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery - Shepard

CC
Bergh - Gerdes - Hansen
Berardinelli - Rothstein - Halloran
Kehoe - Ockey - Michaud
Burmaster - Van Horn - Makara

Kivihalme - Farny
Blumenschein - Israel
McCaskill - Josefchak

Leclerc - Shatzer

(CC lists Alex Pernitsky as an extra skater for warmup. If he draws in, I'll update the lines on Twitter @BruceCiskie.)

Bulldogs Welcome Back Gold Medalist Joey Anderson, Kick Off Second Half

For UMD's seven Canadian-born players, Thursday night was probably a little bittersweet. The home country fell in the gold-medal game of the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, but yet one of their own won gold in the process.

UMD freshman Joey Anderson returns to the team Friday after being absent since Dec. 15 for USA Hockey training camp and then the tournament itself. He missed the home-and-home series with Bemidji State to take part in the camp and take his shot at the 23-man roster, and he didn't just scrape by and barely make the team. Anderson became a mainstay on the U.S. penalty kill, and his work on the top line was exemplary, even if he didn't stand out on the scoresheet.

Team USA twice rallied from two-goal deficits against Canada in Thursday's game at Montreal, then used a Troy Terry shootout goal to win 5-4 and claim its fourth gold medal at the WJC, first since 2013 (Seth Jones, Johnny Gaudreau, Jacob Trouba, John Gibson, etc.).



The question now: Will Anderson, whom I believe is due back in town inside of six hours before faceoff, be in the lineup for Scott Sandelin's No. 1 Bulldogs as they open the second half against Colorado College?

Anderson told Dave Starman, who worked the World Juniors for NHL Network and did a great job and will be in Duluth for Friday's broadcast on CBS Sports Network, that he texted UMD's coaches saying he wants to play.

Well, duh.

That, however, was before Anderson played 24:35, including 7:49 in overtime to lead all U.S. forwards, in the gold-medal game.

Sandelin spoke at his press conference Wednesday about Anderson, and he gave every indication he was prepared to hold Anderson out of the Friday lineup, especially were the U.S. to play for gold.

(His press conference came before the Russia game, where Anderson also saw plenty of ice time as the game went a full ten-minute overtime before the Americans won in a shootout.)

"He and I talked," Sandelin said. "I didn't even ask the question because I know the answer (he wants to play). We'll see how everything goes. These are pretty emotional games, pretty high intensity. Playing four games in a row in four days, we'll see. Might be okay. You hear a lot of guys who do that, they want to keep playing. We'll see how the travel goes, but I'm probably leaning towards him having one night off and getting back at it Saturday."

Keep in mind, not only has Anderson played high-intensity games the last two nights, but he's played big minutes and played in big situations. It isn't an easy decision for Sandelin, and there isn't any kind of rule he can rely on. When Anderson arrives, I'm sure there will be a conversation. Perhaps it happens via phone before Anderson even gets to Duluth. If the player feels strongly about playing, I tend to think he'll play. Sandelin can read the situation and limit his minutes if necessary, and UMD has plenty of forward depth to pick up the slack should that be an issue.

Either way, it's fantastic. Love that the U.S. won, love that Anderson played such a big role. The World Juniors is a wonderful tournament and a great experience for these kids. Even if they're tired now, they'll be better players for having been a part of the event.

******

Colorado College is the next opponent for UMD, and at least for your humble correspondent, it feels like UMD hasn't played in a month. Friday will be just the fifth game in 42 days for the Bulldogs, who went into break in first place in the NCHC. UMD is guaranteed to stay there at least another week, regardless of this weekend's results, as Denver -- a point back of the Bulldogs -- is out of conference this weekend against Arizona State.

The Tigers are in last place, three points back of seventh-place Miami, as the second half opens. Colorado College, however, should be riding a high after taking the championship at the Florida College Classic last week, thanks to a 3-0 win over Merrimack and a 2-1 overtime victory against Cornell in the title game. Before break, CC played two overtime games at Miami, losing a shootout in one and falling in five-on-five overtime in the other.

The Tigers' defense is improving. CC allowed 25 goals over five losses starting with a 6-2 defeat to Omaha Nov. 5. It's given up just 11 goals in six games since, so while the Tigers are only 2-3-1 in those six games, it's clear that third-year coach Mike Haviland is getting better play from his team.

Up front, sophomore forward Mason Bergh has nine goals, including four on the power play. Freshmen Nick Halloran and Alex Berardinelli each have eight points (five and three goals, respectively). Sophomore Westin Michaud of Cloquet has four goals, though only one of them has come in conference play. Freshman goalie Alex Leclerc has taken the reins in goal, posting an .884 save percentage in over 750 minutes. But over this six-game stretch, Leclerc's up to a .939 save percentage now, including 49 saves on 50 shots in Florida.

"They've got some nice players," Sandelin said. "Some nice freshmen. They compete. They've got good team speed. They've got a good mixture, some small, speedy guys. I thought they were very tenacious on the puck in the two games (Florida). If our guys go into it without the respect factor for their team, we're going to have a huge challenge on our hands. We've got to go in with the right mindset."

So, in short, look out. If UMD isn't ready, there's a good chance the Tigers can shock the top-ranked team into playing. Don't be surprised if one of these games is a meat-grinder.

******

One more reminder: All games going forward can be heard only on 92.1 The Fan out of the Twin Ports. To listen live online (desktop and mobile devices all work), click here. Streams will be activated 15 minutes prior to pregame each night. Hit me up with questions.

Game 27: Colorado College at UMD

As Scott Sandelin is occasionally prone to say, you can't have a great weekend if you don't win on Friday night.

Check.

Now, on to winning Saturday night.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Farley - Toninato - Kuhlman
Iafallo - Thomas - Cameranesi
Johnson - Decowski - Mackay
Sampair - Spurrell - Young (Austyn)

Welinski - Pionk
Soucy - Molenaar
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Deery

CC
Gooch - Ockey - Bergh
Fejes - Rothstein - Gerdes
Bradley (Trey) - Bradley (Cody) - Heil
Burmaster - Hansen - Roos
(Warmup skater: King)

Kivihalme - Kwiecinski
Farny - McCaskill
Israel - Emilio

Nehama - Marble

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Rally and Get Rewarded for Effort

A happy Saturday blog for the first time in a while. The Bulldogs hadn't won a Friday game since Dec. 4 against Western Michigan, a run of five straight Friday non-wins (0-4-1).

Won't be a really long blog, but I wanted to get some thoughts out there on the game. Plenty of programming notes on the bottom of this.

When Luc Gerdes scored on a power play early in the second period to put Colorado College ahead of UMD 2-0, it appeared that the home and Friday futility would quite possibly continue, despite another strong first period effort.

UMD outshot CC 16-6 in the first, took 32 shots, missed two tap-in goals and a couple potential tip-in goals, and watched Cody Bradley score the only goal of the period when a bad pass intended for his brother Trey bounced to him in the slot. Of course it bounced right to him, right?

The Bulldogs have been given numerous chances to pack it in, lamenting their terrible luck this season. Yet they keep coming, and they were finally rewarded on Friday night.

Austin Farley ripped a wrister top shelf to break UMD's long power play drought at 39 chances and get the home team on the board less than two minutes after Gerdes' goal. Farley's line with Dominic Toninato and Karson Kuhlman was going all night, and it was Kuhlman who made a great move to the net to tie the game in the second period. Farley got an assist on that goal, by the way, for his 100th career point.

Kuhlman had a great night, creating chances by making power moves to the net. Probably should have had a hat trick, but CC's Jacob Nehama was able to do just enough to keep the door shut on a couple other great chances Kuhlman created.

Toninato had a strong night as well, picking up two assists to triple his season total. He's been among UMD's best players in all phases, especially since the calendar turned to 2016, and it's nice to see him getting points to show for it.

Frankly, I really liked most of everything I saw from UMD tonight. Cal Decowski's line (Adam Johnson and Parker Mackay) was a minus on the night, and Willie Corrin and Brenden Kotyk were each minus-two in the back, but that's not indicative of the team effort. The new "second" line of Jared Thomas, Tony Cameranesi, and Alex Iafallo were stellar, with Iafallo getting his first two-point game of the season (two goals) and scoring a nice rebound goal to put UMD ahead for good in the third.

Even the fourth line of Sammy Spurrell, Charlie Sampair, and Austyn Young contributed solid shifts, even when stuck out there against the Bradley line of CC a couple times.

Neal Pionk had a great game, as did partner Andy Welinski (two assists each, both plus-four). Pionk's poise is that of a seasoned Division I veteran, but he shows that poise in his 26th game. It really is a sight to see, and it's not something that should be taken for granted.

It was a good team effort by UMD, and for a team that has struggled to score, getting five had to feel really good. The net drive was there, the net front presence was there, and the goals came as a result.

Simple formula, and this is how it looks when it works. It just hasn't worked often enough this season, even though the effort was there numerous times.

******

Lots of Hockey Day Minnesota coverage on Saturday. If you can't make it to Bayfront Park, join us on 92.1 The Fan at 9:30. Jeff Papas will call Duluth Denfeld vs Eveleth-Gilbert at 10am, and Kraig Karakas and I will be on the mic for Duluth East vs Lakeville North at 1pm. Lots of interviews around the games, as we tell the story of how this event came to be and what it means for Duluth's hockey community.

Also, I'll be on Beyond The Pond on KFAN in the Cities with Brandon Mileski and his crew at around 10:25, and you can catch me later in the day on KFAN with Joe Nelson in the 2pm hour. #overexposed

Game 26: Colorado College at UMD

From the friendly confines of Amsoil Arena. Well, they have yet to be as friendly as we'd like. Still need to work on that.

In UMD's last nine home games, it is 2-5-2 while being outscored 22-19. If you remove the two wins (both over Western Michigan), that margin is 20-6. Six goals in seven games on home ice. And trust me, UMD head coach Scott Sandelin hasn't forgotten about the importance of winning here.

"I think we've got to take advantage," he said. "The bottom line is we've got to establish this as a tougher place to play, and we haven't done that this year. We've kind of been Jekyll and Hyde in our own building."

Vastly improved Colorado College is the opponent in this series. The Tigers are 6-6-1 since a ghastly 0-13 start, and if any of you think we'll seeing the same team it saw in November in Colorado Springs, you're sadly mistaken. CC is probably one of the more improved teams in the country when you look at the start to the season and the way the Tigers are playing now.

Reminder, I'm on Beyond The Pond with Brandon Mileski and crew Saturday at 10:25 on KFAN FM 100.3 in the Cities. The show normally airs in Duluth, but will be pre-empted by Hockey Day coverage from Bayfront. Duluth folks can listen live on iHeartRadio if you're so inclined, and the show is usually available on podcast, too.

Also, if you're a TV watcher, Friday's game is on FSN. Or just #ListenToTheRadio so my son can eat.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Farley - Toninato - Kuhlman
Iafallo - Thomas - Cameranesi
Johnson - Decowski - Mackay
Sampair - Spurrell - Young (Austyn)

Welinski - Pionk
Soucy - Molenaar
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Deery

CC
Gooch - Ockey - Bergh
Fejes - Rothstein - Gerdes
Bradley (Trey) - Bradley (Cody) - Heil
Burmaster - Hansen - Roos

Kivihalme - Kwiecinski
Farny - McCaskill
Israel - Emilio

Nehama - Marble

Impact Freshmen Help Keep UMD Afloat

Heading into the season with eight seniors and two highly-touted freshmen, UMD coach Scott Sandelin was clear what he thought expectations were of the latter.

For forward Adam Johnson of Hibbing and defenseman Neal Pionk of Hermantown, it wasn't going to be enough to come in and make the adjustment to college hockey. They were put in roles that showed the coaching staff expected them to be impact players.

For both, it's fair to say there have been ups and downs, but there's no question they've made an impact. Johnson has contributed on the power play from the start of the season, and while he only has ten points as we get ready for this weekend's series between the Bulldogs and Colorado College, his speed and smarts are obvious virtually every time he hops the boards.

Pionk has been a top-pair defenseman for a large part of his freshman season, playing both on his off-side and his natural right side with senior captain Andy Welinski, who is also right-handed but plays on the left side with Pionk nowadays.

"Maybe we were too stupid to try that earlier in the year," Sandelin quipped a few weeks ago when asked about having Welinski on the left side of that pairing after Pionk played that side earlier in the season. "I talked to Andy about playing the off side. I think he really enjoys it. I know I did when I played. I think it's good for him, not only for us, but it's good for him down the road to learn that."

When asked if he had a preference, Pionk said he'd "go right side for now," but he said he'll play where he's told.

"You see the ice differently from the left side," Pionk added. "On the right side, you're more fluid going up the ice. There are benefits to both sides."

With two goals and ten points in 25 games, Pionk has shown no real signs of slowing down. He's playing big minutes and largely playing them well. It's a great thing for his development, and for UMD's future, as Pionk figures to be a top defenseman in this program for a long time to come.

Along the way, though, a third guy has emerged for UMD as a freshman who can be counted on in big spots. Parker Mackay came to UMD from the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Spruce Grove Saints, where he was a captain last year. Mackay doesn't have the local ties Johnson and Pionk do, nor did he commit years ago like they did. Compared to those two, Mackay was a late addition to the 2015-16 class, and he's shown himself to be a very worthy addition.

"He's extremely competitive," Sandelin said. "He's done a really good job for us. He cares, and he works extremely hard. He's getting better because he wants to."

Sandelin relayed a story from Friday's loss to Northern Michigan, saying Mackay was one of the first players off the ice when the game ended, and he was practically in tears.

"That was one you don't want to lose," Mackay said this week of a game where UMD held a 3-2 lead in the third period before NMU rallied to win on a late power-play goal. "It's frustrating throwing games like that away late in the season."

Mackay was injured at the end of the first period Friday, taking a puck to the neck while blocking a shot. Sandelin saluted his freshman, saying "That's the sacrifice you make as a teammate," while Mackay told me he got lucky.

"It hit me flat instead of spiraling," he said.

He didn't miss a shift.

Saturday, UMD jumped all over Northern Michigan with three goals in the first, including two in the first four minutes. Mackay had the second of those, his fourth goal of the season. Early in his UMD career, Mackay has the look of a player who can play on any line and in any situation.

He singled out senior Cal Decowski's leadership in helping him adjust to the college game: "He's a guy that leads by example, working hard on and off the ice. He doesn't take shortcuts. Always staying positive, always has the right things to say. It's been good to follow him."

When you look at the UMD roster, it's littered with guys who could make really good captains in future seasons (assuming they don't leave early, obviously). I'm talking about guys like Carson Soucy, Dominic Toninato, Karson Kuhlman, Kyle Osterberg, Pionk, and definitely Mackay. There's no questions UMD not only recruits high-end talent, but Bulldog coaches are searching for the right kind of character to mesh and develop into leaders for the team in their upperclass years.

It's a huge development for a UMD team that has seen so many experienced players struggle offensively. We don't need to keep harping on those problems, but it's clear a lot of veterans haven't produced the way they have in the past or the way they were expected to this season. Getting impact from a guy like Mackay has gone a long way toward keeping this team in the NCAA Tournament race (very much alive) and in the race for home ice in the NCHC playoffs.

******

Colorado College visits this weekend. UMD won 5-0 and 6-0 in Colorado Springs Nov. 20-21, but look at some of these numbers:

Colorado College was 0-12 after UMD won those games, and the Tigers fell to 0-13 the following Friday by losing to Air Force. Since then, the Tigers are 6-6-1, and they've swept Miami, won at St. Cloud State, tied at North Dakota (a game they trailed 4-0 in the first period), and beaten Omaha at home.

CC was outscored 53-18 over those first 13 games, but a much more respectable 43-39 over the 13 games since. Not earth-shattering, but certainly a lot better than the start of the season.

"They've beaten some good teams," Mackay said of the Tigers since the Bulldogs were there in November.

"Their power play is getting better and has produced," Sandelin said, "and their goalie (Jacob Nehama) has played outstanding for them. They're a team that poses a different set of challenges. This is a much, much improved team."

UMD better be careful. The Bulldogs got lucky the first time around, in that they played Colorado College at a great time. That team had zero confidence, and it was obvious. As soon as UMD scored in each game, it was basically over for the night. The Tigers offered very little pushback. Things are so much different now that this team was not phased at all by falling behind 4-0 in the first period at North Dakota. That wouldn't have been the case in November.

If UMD gets positive results this weekend, it will have earned them.

Monday Musings: Bulldogs Earn Much-Needed Win

There was good and bad for UMD in Saturday's 3-1 win over Northern Michigan in Marquette. Obviously, with the end result being a win that snapped a five-game winless streak, and no one obviously getting shelved by an injury, the good outweighs the bad.

We'll start there and save the negative for later.

UMD ground out a win against an opponent that wants to slow the pace of the game. Saturday's game was played at NMU's pace, with not many scoring chances either way. This has been an issue for past UMD teams, but the Bulldogs stuck with their tight defense and didn't give NMU much of anything. The Wildcats' only goal came off a UMD mistake, as Adam Johnson tried to weave through the neutral zone and coughed up the puck. Dominik Shine got it back over the UMD blue line and fed Darren Nowick to cut UMD's lead to 3-1.

Not only did that close the scoring, but the Wildcats didn't seriously threaten after that goal, either. By no means was it pretty, but it was an effective defensive performance by a team that really needed one.

Going into Friday, head coach Scott Sandelin really wanted to see his team play tighter defensively. While there were spurts of it in the series opener, NMU scored four goals, and three of them came off questionable defense (including a transition goal that UMD allowed not even 30 seconds after taking the lead in the third period).

The effort in the UMD zone was much more consistent and effective on Saturday, and the Bulldogs were rewarded for it with a victory.

Offensively, it wasn't pretty. In fact, I'm not sure what the final 40 minutes consisted of, because there weren't a lot of hockey-type things happening. But the Bulldogs jumped on NMU freshman goalie Matthias Israelsson, making his fourth appearance of the season, for two goals on three shots in less than four minutes. Matthias Dahlstrom took over from there, but the damage was done when Tony Cameranesi and Parker Mackay scored for a 2-0 lead. Dominic Toninato jammed in a rebound late in the first to make it 3-0.

The Bulldogs didn't do a whole lot offensively the rest of the night, but they also didn't have to. They weren't threatened.

It was a win, a win where Mackay continued his ascent by scoring again and contributing a very nice game. A win where senior captain Andy Welinski chipped in another point for a three-point weekend. A win where Kasimir Kaskisuo made 19 saves and was solid in net. A win where Alex Iafallo picked up his first assist of the calendar year. A win.

******

Good thing it was a win, because it takes the stain off the last 40 minutes, which was honestly some of the worst hockey I've seen all season. That's not all on UMD. The Wildcats didn't appear to have much urgency, even late in the game down by two goals. It wouldn't be fair to say NMU was content to lose the game 3-1, but it did look like that at times. Like I said, UMD went against a team that likes to slow the game down and limit scoring chances, and the Bulldogs didn't have to worry about chasing the game like they did Friday, because they scored first Saturday and never looked back.

It also makes the power play's performance less painful.

But that one still stings.

The power play was scoreless in seven tries. It generated just three shots on goal, marking the same number of shots on goal UMD got short-handed. The Bulldogs are now scoreless in their last 36 power plays going back to Dec. 11. Of those 36 power plays, UMD has been held without a shot on goal in 17 of them, including eight of 11 over the weekend against Northern Michigan.

There's been some bad luck -- goalposts, missed nets, "How did he do that?" saves, etc. -- thrown in to ruin effective man advantage efforts by UMD. Not all 36 power plays have been garbage, far from it, actually. But they've all had the same net result: No goals.

On Saturday, the power play looked like a group that didn't think it had a chance to score. Movements and passes were deliberate. Players appeared indecisive, unsure of themselves. And from my seat, our power play just looked way too easy to defend.

The system hasn't changed. We've seen it work. This was a power play hitting at over 20 percent before the slump started. But it works when passes are crisp and decisions are quick. That didn't appear the case on Saturday, and I don't know how that gets fixed.

I do know that is has to be better. We've beaten this subject to death, and yet it will inevitably come up again this week. I'm not going to call for personnel changes, largely because they just made personnel changes and constantly switching up personnel won't solve the issue.

(In fairness, special teams are far from a disaster. The penalty kill continues to shine, and it is probably equal parts Kaskisuo and the killers doing a good job. That's good to see. They're not overly relying on Kaskisuo to save the bacon, and instead doing things like preventing clean zone entries and blocking shots to make his life easier at times.)

******

Next up is a three-game homestand that will play out over five days. It starts with Colorado College in town Friday and Saturday. The Tigers are a .500 team since an 0-13 start to the season, and clearly CC is playing better hockey. I watched back the Tigers' games at St. Cloud State Jan. 8-9, and CC earned that split.

The Tigers have also swept Miami since UMD played in Colorado Springs Nov. 20-21 (5-0 and 6-0 wins). CC rallied from 4-0 down to eventually steal a point at North Dakota two weekends ago, and this past week the Tigers beat Omaha 5-1 Friday before losing 6-1 on Saturday. In the Saturday loss, CC was held to just 12 shots on goal.

It's also Hockey Day weekend, so we invite you to make a day of it on Saturday. Outdoor high school games at Bayfront Park start at 10am, and there's plenty of time after the second high school game to grab dinner and join us inside Amsoil Arena for the second game against the Tigers.

The homestand concludes with Bemidji State next Tuesday, Feb. 9. That's a makeup from the power outage-spoiled home opener that was scheduled for Oct. 9.

Game 13: UMD at Colorado College

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- This is a good time to remind you of a longtime stance of mine:

"Weather the storm" is rarely a good game plan.

UMD may face a bit of a storm in this game. Colorado College coach Mike Haviland was pretty blunt in his assessment of Friday's 5-0 UMD win, and his captain, Sam Rothstein, called himself and the rest of the team's upperclassmen out.

You can bet they'll come out stronger in the series finale. It's up to UMD to do the same or more.

As assistant coach Brett Larson said before the Omaha series, the coaching staff wants their players to match and exceed the intensity level of the opposition.

The first goal is highly important in this game. Haviland talked about how hard it's been on his team playing catch-up hockey all the time. The Tigers haven't led since the first period of an Oct. 16 loss at UMass-Lowell. They lost the lead in the first period that night, never reclaimed it, and haven't led a game since. Colorado College has, entering Saturday's game, played 531:40 without once leading a game. If UMD can score first and not let up, the Bulldogs will be in great shape.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Johnson
Farley - Cameranesi - Kuhlman
Osterberg - Thomas - Young (Austyn)
Sampair - Decowski - Mackay

Corrin - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Molenaar

Kaskisuo - McNeely

CC
Gooch - Bradley (Cody) - Gerdes
Bradley (Trey) - Rothstein - Roos
Fejes - Heil - Hansen
Burmaster - Ockey - Martello

Kivihalme - Lagrone
McCaskill - Emilio
Farny - Kwiecinski

Nehama - Marble - Shatzer

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Snap Slide at Expense of Winless, Undermanned Tigers

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Honestly, Friday night was mostly what I had hoped to see to start this weekend series.

UMD jumped on Colorado College early and -- outside of a couple second-period lapses and a big gaffe in the third that we'll discuss -- never looked back in a 5-0 win at the Broadmoor World Arena.

This was UMD's most complete game of the season, but it came at the expense of an undermanned Colorado College team that looked overwhelmed from the opening faceoff, something that has to fire up second-year coach Mike Haviland. To play like that out of a bye week, when the Tigers had actually played pretty well the previous weekend against Denver, well let's just say that won't sit well with any coach. Haviland has been around the block enough to know how to deal with it.

The problem: He already basically admitted his team's having issues with its confidence.

"I do worry about confidence," Haviland told me before the game. "We had some issues early on in the year, when we'd get a goal scored we kind of went down a bit and I had to be a cheerleader on the bench."

UMD was in control from the start on Saturday. The opening faceoff ended up in CC's zone within a few seconds, and Dominic Toninato, Alex Iafallo, and Adam Johnson went to work. If the puck left the Colorado zone before Austin Farley opened the scoring 72 seconds in, it didn't stay out very long. The game's barely started, and an 0-10 team is behind 1-0 while having barely touched the puck.

Going back to Haviland's comment, he did say he thought his team had shaken that habit. If it had, there was a big-time relapse on Friday. UMD played probably 65-70 percent of the first period in the Colorado College zone. I put the first-period shot chart on Twitter (see it here), and it tells a pretty grim story for the home team. UMD attempted 30 shots to Colorado College's seven, and the Tigers blocked more UMD shots (ten) than it had attempts of their own. None of CC's shots came from below the top of the faceoff circles, showing how non-existent their net drive was.

(I didn't get second- and third-period shot charts until after the game. CC was better in the second, but the third was another meh 20 minutes for the offense.)

I'll throw out a couple more thoughts about the work Haviland has ahead of him in Colorado Springs in a bit, but this is a UMD-centric blog, and to not talk about the Bulldogs and the guys who played well is a disservice to them and the work they put in Friday.

******

As you can imagine, when winning 5-0 and outshooting the adversary 39-19, there aren't a lot of passengers. Somehow, Alex Iafallo, Jared Thomas, and Cal Decowski didn't have any shots, and Willie Corrin also went shotless on the evening. Otherwise, every UMD skater had at least one shot, and no one had more than Tony Cameranesi's five, so it was a pretty well-balanced attack.

In fact, here's the breakdown of shots by line and defensive pairing:

Iafallo - Toninato - Johnson: 5
Farley - Cameranesi - Kuhlman: 11
Osterberg - Thomas - A. Young: 6
Sampair - Decowski - Exell: 5

Corrin - Welinski: 1
Soucy - Raskob: 7
Molenaar - Pionk: 4

That's what it looks like when everyone is pulling on the chain and contributing. When you have the fourth line forechecking and generating chances like it did Friday (I thought Sampair was especially active and had a couple other good chances besides his goal), UMD will win a lot of hockey games. This team is at its best when it's a bear to play against, as it was Friday, but it's also at its best when everyone is getting the job done. That was also the case.

Just think about it: We haven't talked about Kasimir Kaskisuo yet, and he posted a shutout. Let's be honest, Kas could have gotten some homework done during the first period. His biggest challenge was likely to avoid getting bored. The Tigers got the first five shots of the second period, but Kaskisuo looked sharp, and he honestly wasn't tested a ton after that.

Well, outside of one play. The wonderful @umdhockeygifs Twitter account has animation of it. It looks like Colorado College was able to win a race near the UMD blue line. Raskob appeared to make a poor decision to step up, and he missed his guy. That helped spring Christian Heil and Teemu Kivihalme in on Kaskisuo on a two-on-none. It looks like Kaskisuo poked the puck away from the slot as Heil tried to pass to Kivihalme. No matter what happened, it was a massive fail and the Tigers didn't even get credit for a shot when they had a two-man breakaway.

That was really it in this game for Colorado College. The Bulldogs did a great job forechecking and applying constant pressure to the puck. While I'm sure CC will produce a better effort on Saturday night, the Tigers are now 0-11, outscored 43-15, and have lost the last seven while being outscored 28-6 and shut out four times. Even with a better effort, UMD has to be "favored" on Saturday.

******

I addressed a bit of the Tigers' issues in the Thursday blog (read it here). Looking at this team (I watched back the Tigers' games against Denver, and then obviously watched them a third time Friday), it seems more is at play here.

First off: Tyler Marble -- who started Saturday -- and Jacob Nehama are not the problem. Yes, Colorado College could be more competitive with elite goaltending, and neither goalie has elite numbers. But it's not fair to blame this solely on the goalies. It's taking a broad brush to the problem.

Part of the issues here are timing. Haviland took over for Scott Owens last year, and he inherited a team with some nice pieces. However, he now has 14 freshmen as he tries to overhaul the roster. But to bring in those 14, much of the late recruiting involved players that weren't getting Division I looks.

Some of these freshmen -- Trey Bradley, especially -- look like they'll be pretty good. I like Cole McCaskill on the blue line, too. I assume we'll see Nehama in goal in Saturday's rematch.

But Haviland can't be happy with his upperclassmen. Captain Sam Rothstein was invisible Friday. Juniors Luc Gerdes, Heil, and Alex Roos didn't do much. Kivihalme is a really nice defenseman, but he can't do it all alone, and it felt like he played 25 minutes in the first two periods. He's also only a sophomore, someone Haviland thinks "has a chance to play in the NHL."

There's a lot of work ahead for Haviland and his staff. It isn't good for anyone -- not here, not in the NCHC -- to have Colorado College be this bad. It won't last forever, but I don't know when it will end. I still believe this group can do some good things, but not when they're playing with such a lack of confidence and drive.

******

Elsewhere in the NCHC, the North Dakota Fighting Hawks debuted in St. Cloud, and got a win. UND held off St. Cloud State 4-3 in front of a big crowd at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Drake Caggiula had a hat trick, and goalie Matt Hrynkiw made 36 saves. Nick Schmaltz had three assists for the Fighting Hawks, and that is officially weird to type.

In Oxford, Ohio, Miami and Omaha played to a 3-3 overtime tie, which meant three-on-three hockey at Steve Cady Arena. It didn't last long. Wild prospect Louie Belpedio scored 49 seconds into the three-on-three period, giving the RedHawks an extra point in the NCHC standings. Austin Ortega's ninth goal of the year knotted things at three about midway through the third period. Freshman Jack Roslovic had a goal and an assist for Miami.

Non-conference, Denver got second-period goals from Trevor Moore and Evan Janssen to erase a 3-1 deficit and tie Wisconsin 3-3. That's how the game ended. Quentin Shore also scored for the Pioneers, who were outshot 32-24 by the Badgers. Wisconsin won an exhibition shootout 1-0 because the night wasn't already long enough for the assembled media.

Also on Friday, St. Scholastica beat Northland 4-2 at Mars Lakeview Arena. I bring this up not because the Saints are now 3-1-1, or because they scored three in the third to complete a comeback from 2-0 down to win. Instead, I bring it up because CSS won despite being outshot 51-27. The Lumberjacks outshot the Saints 30-7 in the second period. How? Because CSS had two players sent off for checking from behind at the same time. That gave Northland a five-minute five-on-three power play, something I can safely say I've never seen. Fans in attendance ended up not seeing it, either. Less than three minutes into the power play, Northland got tagged for too many men on the ice, nullifying the five-on-three for two minutes. The Lumberjacks didn't score with the man advantage and the score stayed 2-1, setting the stage for the Saints' comeback.