Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Good Start, Better Finish

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The first road trip of UMD's young season got off to an auspicious start Friday night, and the finish to a 5-2 win over Providence was even better than the start.

The Bulldogs got a goal from their fourth line just 3:11 into the game, as Keegan Flaherty tipped in a goal-mouth feed from Scott Kishel after Kishel stole a puck in the neutral zone and led the charge three on one/two.

(The Friars kind of had someone back. It was sort of a three-on-one mixed with a three-on-two mixed with a two-on-one. But I digress. And blab. And confuse people.)

Yeah, I know Providence evened the score later in the period, but there are a few important takeaways from Friday's game.

For starters, UMD never trailed in the game. Travis Oleksuk gave them the lead for good in the second period. Mike Seidel added a goal two minutes later (baseball style!), then Oleksuk and Caleb Herbert (power play) scored in the third period for UMD.

The special teams game was a win. Herbert's goal on the power play was the only special teams goal of the night, but even without that, it was a win for the Bulldogs. They severely limited Providence's chances on the man advantage, and even created a couple opportunities for J.T. Brown short-handed. Oleksuk's second goal of the night came one second after a power play ended, so it was basically a power play goal, even though it didn't count as one.

When Providence carried a chunk of the first period, UMD regrouped and didn't let it happen again in the game. You can question the opponent if you want, but this was a badly-needed performance and win for the champs.

The finish was the most impressive. After taking a one-goal lead into the second intermission, UMD out-scored Providence 2-0 in the third period, out-shot the Friars 13-5, and held the Friars to just ten shot attempts in the period, all of them from outside the slot (five on each side of the offensive zone, none particularly threatening).

Kenny Reiter was shaky on a couple shots, but pretty solid. The first goal was a weird play, where it looked like the initial shot was blocked, and no one could find it for what felt like five minutes before it was shot into the net. On the second, there was a defensive breakdown, leaving a Providence player wide open at the side of the net for an easy goal.

Not sure what UMD will do in goal Saturday. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if either guy started. I know there are a lot of fans who think these games mean more than the league games do, and the PairWise certainly presents a solid argument for that being the case. But I don't think coaches see it the same way at this point. I still think they look at the league games as being the most important things on a schedule, because points are on the line. This might be a good opportunity to keep Aaron Crandall fresh, because even if you start rolling with Reiter as the No. 1 goalie, it's good to have the second guy ready to play in case something bad happens.

Freshman Adam Krause, who took a seat with defensman Luke McManus for the series opener, should be in the lineup Saturday on the fourth line, with Keegan Flaherty moving to the left wing and Krause serving as Jake Hendrickson's right wing. The fourth line had a good night Friday, chipping in a goal and some good shifts with puck possession, even when they weren't matched up against Providence's fourth line.

The Friars looked a bit like a team in transition in this game. Nate Leaman's teams at Union became progressively more and more difficult to play against, capped by last year's team that was outstanding. A good in-your-face, grinding, battle-for-every-puck-and-every-inch team that made life hell for its opponents. Coaching a different guy's recruits, you saw flashes of that style from the Friars, but it wasn't anything remotely close to 60 minutes of it.

UMD needs more of the same Saturday to finish off the sweep. It would be a very nice way to close out the first road trip of the season, and it would ensure some smiles on the trip home, despite the 4:00am Eastern wake-up call Sunday.

(Zombies!)

******

Some odd happenings around the WCHA Friday. In Bemidji, the Beavers beat Michigan Tech 6-5 in their home opener. BSU scored five straight after trailing 3-1 in the first. It started when the Beavers pulled Dan Bakala after he allowed three goals on four shots (yup, his save percentage on the night was .250).

Meanwhile, goaltending was also optional in St. Cloud, where St. Cloud State beat New Hampshire 7-5. The Huskies trailed early, but scored three second-period goals to take a 5-2 lead they wouldn't relinquish. It's St. Cloud State's second win of the season after a three-game losing streak.

Speaking of "optional goaltending," Wisconsin beat North Dakota 5-3 in a game where all the scoring happened in the first two periods. Neither starting goalie was sharp, but North Dakota was the only one to make a change, pulling Brad Eidsness after he allowed four goals on 18 shots.

Also Friday, Denver rallied past Minnesota State 4-2, and Minnesota improved to 5-0 with a 6-0 drubbing of Vermont.

******

The most bizarre happening was in Marquette, Mich., where Northern Michigan beat Michigan 5-3. During the second period, NMU's Andrew Cherniwchan got tangled up with Michigan goalie Shawn Hunwick, and a fracas ensued.

(The only YouTube showing up at the moment is one of the crowd at Berry Events Center reacting to Hunwick getting ejected. It's great if you like cheering crowds and music, but it accomplishes nothing else. If I ever see a video of the incident online, I'll update.)

Hunwick ended up taking a major penalty for contact to the head, and a game misconduct. Adam Janecyk had to finish the game in goal for Michigan, allowing four NMU goals on 15 shots (Hunwick had a shutout going).

The senior goalie was apologetic via Twitter after the game.

Cherniwchan and Michigan's Luke Moffatt took matching majors for fighting, which comes with an automatic game disqualification in college hockey. Neither will be eligible to play in Saturday's rematch, while Hunwick will be.

******

Saturday's coverage starts at 5:30 from Providence, on 94X and the Bulldog Sports Radio Network (KQ 105.5, KQ 106.7). You can hear the game online at www.94xrocks.com.

(Monday) Hockey Notes and Thoughts: This One Was Undoubtedly and Undeniably Earned

The officiating may have made Red Berenson crabby after the game -- though it also could have been the reality of another tough Frozen Four loss for his great program.

However, there was a reality expressed by Berenson at his postgame press conference, when he stated he thought UMD was the better team.

He wasn't as willing on Friday to say the same of his own team after its 2-0 upset of North Dakota. He said multiple times that he felt his team was fortunate to advance, and he felt North Dakota was a better team. They probably were, but Shawn Hunwick was a man in goal with 40 saves.

On Saturday, for the second time in a row at the Frozen Four, the Wolverines were not the better team.

This time around, they weren't fortunate enough to get a great goaltending performance or a fortunate bounce. They got the goaltending, but couldn't get the bounces to overcome a better team.

Some might say that the Yale and Michigan games went the way they did because UMD got fortunate breaks from whistle-happy officials. Of course, that's a pretty narrow-minded view of things, but it's your right to think that way if you do.

Reality dictates that there are different truths. Yale complained that the game was taken away from them with a five-minute major that was called eight seconds after a three-goal deficit was cut to two. But what they conveniently forgot was that Yale played nearly 15 minutes of five-on-five hockey in the third period, and mustered a grand total of four shots on goal.

As for Michigan, they had as many shot attempts (nine) in the third period as Mike Connolly had shots on goal in the game.

In overtime, UMD used their superior depth and skating ability to wear down the Wolverines. A couple of silly icings didn't help, and Berenson's decision not to use his timeout with Matt Rust's line stuck on the ice proved deadly for his team.

Was it a product of Michigan being too locked-in on matching up Rust's line with Jack Connolly's line? Was it a typical coach not wanting to burn a timeout when the game was starting to take the look of one that could last a while?

We'll probably never know.

No matter what, UMD deserves this. They were better than Michigan Saturday, outside of a stretch in the last part of the first period after the Wolverines took a 1-0 lead. They were good enough to beat Michigan, and would have been good enough to beat anyone else this tournament could have placed in front of them.

Simply, the Bulldogs were not going to be denied.

On this night, they didn't wait for a lucky bounce or a fluke bleeder goal to make it happen. They earned everything they got, and they showed why they set such high expectations for themselves when the season started.

******

If you're going to be in Duluth Wednesday night, you're invited (and encouraged) to stop by Amsoil Arena for the formal and official championship celebration. Doors at the arena will open at 5, with the proceedings getting underway at 6.

******

A few stats from the weekend:

• Thanks to that one-for-nine Saturday, UMD's power play "only" clicked at nine-for-32 in the NCAA Tournament. Bums.
• UMD's penalty kill was awesome throughout the tournament, but never better than at the Frozen Four. They went 23 for 26 in the tourney, but were nine for nine in the Frozen Four, holding Notre Dame and Michigan to a combined total of four shots on goal. Let that one sink in for a second.
• I complained (well, I brought the fact up) during the first intermission that UMD had won just 7 of 20 first-period faceoffs. They must have heard me. The Bulldogs went 44-25 on draws the rest of the game, with Travis Oleksuk going 17-8 over the final two-plus periods.
• The All-Tournament team included J.T. Brown and Kyle Schmidt up front, and Justin Faulk on defense. Michigan's Ben Winnett and Jon Merrill, along with goalie Shawn Hunwick, also made the team. Brown was the Most Outstanding Player.
• Tip of the cap to all the people in St. Paul who worked hard at the arena, most notably Dave Fischer, Mark Bedics, Paul Rovnak, and Wally Shaver, who put up with my deaf ears not hearing the officials' names on Saturday. Also, hats off to everyone at the Embassy Suites for making the four-night stay as comfortable and enjoyable as it was.

Game 42: UMD vs. Michigan (NCAA Final)

ST. PAUL -- Since I took this job in October 2005, I've dreamed of this moment for this program.

You don't need to worry about the radio guy being ready. He's ready.

Are you? Pregame at 5:30 on 94X including special guest Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Wherever you tune in from, please enjoy this moment, as we will do our best to do here.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Connolly (Mike) - Connolly (Jack) - Fontaine
Schmidt - Oleksuk - Brown
Seidel - Hendrickson - Basaraba
Flaherty - Tardy - Grun

Faulk - Montgomery
Bergman - Lamb
Olson - Palm

Reiter - Crandall

Michigan
Hagelin - Caporusso - Brown
Vaughan - Lynch - Treais
Winnett - Rust - Glendening
Moffatt - Rohrkemper - DeBlois

Merrill - Langlais
Clare - Pateryn
Moffie - Bennett

Hunwick - Hogan - Janecyk

Frozen Four: Musical Interlude, Part Deux

ST. PAUL -- I think I've mentioned being superstitious in the past.

That hasn't changed.

It worked Thursday, so here are two more tunes to amp everyone up for what is to come in less than six hours.

Wow. Less than six hours.



Here is one of the Fabulous Mrs. Ciskie's favorites.

Frozen Four: Justin Fontaine Going Out in Style

ST. PAUL -- We've talked a lot about the decisions made by UMD seniors Justin Fontaine and Mike Montgomery to stay when they could have turned pro. While it's nice to see them rewarded for their loyalty to this program, it's also great to see an offensive talent like Fontaine ending his career in style.

As the Bulldogs prepare for what they know is their final game of the season -- Saturday in the NCAA final against Michigan here -- Fontaine is making his final push for a shot at professional hockey when it's all finished up.

Based on how he's played as of late, Fontaine is well-prepared for that opportunity, one that is virtually inevitable.

On his way toward becoming the first UMD player since Mike Peluso to average a point per game over a four-year career, Fontaine carries a career-high 11-game point streak into Saturday's championship game.

Thanks to that run of 19 points in 11 games, Fontaine has improved to 164 career points on 62 goals and 102 assists. That makes him the 14th Bulldog ever to accumulate 100 assists (Jack Connolly is getting close, too). He's one point away from tying Skeeter Moore for 15th on UMD's all-time scoring charts (165 points). If he truly has the game of his life, former All-American defenseman Curt Giles had 171 points. That might be asking a bit too much, though.

Even more incredible, Fontaine did all this after posting 12 points in his freshman season. His production since then has been off the charts, and a huge part of this program's resurgence.

Coach Scott Sandelin has been singing Fontaine's praises all season, making sure everyone remembers that he's not exactly a weak link in UMD's top line.

While Jack and Mike Connolly garner All-American nods, and both were named first-team All-WCHA, it's almost like Fontaine does indeed lurk in the shadows.

In his four years at UMD, he's become a reliable penalty-killer, is certainly a top goal-scorer, and is capable of playing effectively in all zones. He was a quality talent when he showed up, and he has used his 158 (soon to be 159) career games to improve all facets of his game, making him a top free-agent prospect once his season ends in around 24 hours.

While he's been prepping himself for the next level, Fontaine has also shown what it means to end a successful career in style. He gets one more chance on his sport's biggest stage to show how truly valuable a player he is, and it's best that you not bet against him doing just that when the chips are down.

Someone is going to score the biggest goal of his life Saturday at the XCel Energy Center. And there's no better candidate to look at than Justin Fontaine.

Frozen Four: Opportunity Knocks

ST. PAUL -- Close to 24 hours later, things are starting to sink in around these parts.

On Saturday night, for the first time since 1984, UMD will play for the NCAA championship in men's hockey.

The Bulldogs' 4-3 win over Notre Dame Thursday at the XCel Energy Center puts them one win away from history, the kind that will forever define this class of players.

For seniors Mike Montgomery and Justin Fontaine, it's the moment they dreamed of when they turned down chances to play professionally to stay at UMD.

60 minutes Saturday night stands between this team and the biggest achievement of their hockey careers.

The Michigan Wolverines, of course, also stand in the way. It's quite the formidable opponent for UMD, especially when you look at the historical chasm between the two programs.

While UMD coach Scott Sandelin made it clear Friday that his program has tradition and plenty of pride, they don't have 24 Frozen Four appearances, nine NCAA titles, or a coach who will likely hit 800 wins if he sticks around next season.

"We have great respect for their program," Sandelin said of Michigan, coached by the legendary Red Berenson, who held court in the media room before Sandelin.

Berenson told stories from his playing career. "When I played -- and this was in the 1950s -- the WCHA was Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado College, and Denver. That was it," he noted, while mentioning that Wisconsin, a great program in their own right, didn't even exist when he played.

Berenson has been at Michigan -- his alma mater -- since 1984. He has never beaten UMD while with the Wolverines, not that he's had a lot of opportunity to do so, since Michigan has been in the CCHA for some time.

On this one night in St. Paul, a night where UMD will be the visiting team on the ice but the home team when it comes to crowd support, none of that matters. All that matters is which team can bring enough of that extra effort to skate around with the NCAA trophy.

It's going to be a fun battle of small goalies. In an era where goalies under six feet tall are almost dismissed as having any chance to succeed at a high level, the NCAA final features two small-stature goalies who keep coming up big for their respective teams.

For UMD, Kenny Reiter may have allowed a clunker in the opening minute, but he made some huge saves, including a stop on T.J. Tynan on a partial breakaway in the final minute of the first period.

Michigan senior Shawn Hunwick was not a top prospect coming out of the North American Hockey League, the same lesser-regarded junior league Reiter (along with UMD captain Mike Montgomery and senior Kyle Schmidt, to name two) played in. Hunwick showed up at Michigan and simply outplayed a guy who was thought to be a better candidate to be Michigan's No. 1 goalie in Bryan Hogan. At five-seven, Hunwick doesn't look imposing at all, but his athletic ability and smarts make him as dangerous as any goalie UMD will see.

Words cannot describe the excitement in the UMD fanbase as this game draws closer. Bulldog fans far and wide are searching for tickets for Saturday's final, the first for UMD in 27 years. Many recognize the opportunity that awaits this program, and they certainly understand how significant this moment is.

For a fan, that's all you can do at this point. I can't sit here and tell you that guys like Jack Connolly, Mike Connolly, and Justin Fontaine will own the night, just like I can't tell Michigan fans with certainty that Matt Rust, Carl Hagelin, or Chad Langlais will be the most important players in the game.

Like most big hockey games, this is likely to come down to things that we can't predict.

Who will get the bounces?

Which goalie will have a better game?

Who will benefit from the officiating "beans" more?

Who wins the special teams battle?

The answers to those questions will likely determine if Michigan skates with their tenth national championship, or if UMD gets their first.

Unfortunately, they're just not very easy questions to answer. It's kind of like a coin flip.

Frozen Four: Quotable, Part II

ST. PAUL -- Here are a few quotes from Wednesday's press conferences involving Michigan and North Dakota.

Michigan coach Red Berenson on being in Minnesota: “It is interesting that this senior class played their first ever college game in this building. We are proud to be here and we want to put our best foot forward in this tournament. Our program has been in this tournament since I have been here 11 times, only getting to the championship twice.”

Berenson on finding a way to slow down North Dakota: “We need to play our game, and if we let them do what they are good at, they will do it. We need to stay on the ice, be responsible with the puck and be ultra responsible without the puck. If you give this team out-numbered rushes and power-plays they will take you right out of the game."

Berenson on how Michigan can win the game: “Stranger things have happened. You need good goalkeeping, good penalty killing, good back checking, good play coming out of your zone and you need to be opportunistic. We know they are a better team, but we are going to come and play hard."

(Insert eye roll here. Berenson and Denver's George Gwozdecky clearly went to the same sand-bagging school. You'd think North Dakota was playing American International on Thursday.)

Forward Louie Caporusso on what is likely to be a hostile crowd Thursday: “North Dakota is going to have a lot of fans here, but we’re not concerned about the rink or who is coming, we are just concerned with how we are going to play. We have played in these types of atmospheres before; where the other team is bring a lot of noise. I don’t think it has affected us before. We like playing on the road, so if it’s a hostile atmosphere, so be it.”

Forward Carl Hagelin on the difference between this Michigan team and when he was a younger player there: “Maybe this year we are more of a team then we were our freshman year. Back then we had more of a core group of players scoring all the goals and this year we are better defensively and if we want to do better that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Hagelin on thriving in anti-Michigan environments like what they expect Thursday: “Yeah I think it will help us. It doesn’t matter where we play we just have to focus on our task and that is to win the game tomorrow. Every guy on our team is excited and we know it’s going to be packed but we just have to play our game.”

North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol on trying to keep a relatively normal routine for his team: "I don’t know if you would call it absolutely routine, but obviously you try to keep everything that’s under your control into a fairly regular routine. Our guys have talked about it, enjoy the day, have a little bit of fun, but when it’s time to work, go to work and do our jobs. So far today our guys have done a good job on all of those things, and we’ll continue with our day.”

Hakstol on his senior class: “They’ve played such a huge role. They’re the leadership core of this group, which starts with our seven seniors. Our senior class is a great group of young men. They’re extremely resilient and they’ve stuck together over four years. One of the best compliments that I can pay to them is that they’re great teammates, they work hard and they have fun, and they do all those things together. That’s been a real strengthening bond for them and that’s trickled down to our entire hockey team in the locker room.”

Defenseman Chay Genoway on his return for a fifth year at UND: “It has been a great experience so far. Obviously last year was a tough one for me personally. Just to have the chance to do it over again has been pretty special. For this year’s senior class to take me and to have the opportunity to join their class has been a pretty cool thing. They are a group of six guys that are pretty tight knit. It has been a fun ride so far and hopefully we have a lot of memories to come.”

Forward Brad Malone on the key to their long unbeaten streak (UND hasn't lost since Jan. 28): “We focus at the task at hand. What is behind us is behind us. I don’t think that is what is pushing us. We are focused on tomorrow and getting a win and that is all that really matters.”

Why People Rag On Major Junior

For the most part, the debate between NCAA and Canadian major junior hockey is driven by one side.

It's not that the folks behind college hockey don't care about the sport's reputation or image. It's that they have more important things to do than promote themselves.

Perhaps we need to change that.

As written in this space before, this isn't really a good debate. Every kid's development is going to be different, and it will be sparked by different things. There are kids who -- at age 18 -- are better off playing with kids their own age and younger, and others will get better by playing against bigger, older, more experienced competition. The young people involved simply should be given the best information possible so they can make intelligent decisions that are free of any potentially harmful biases.

Consider the case of goalie Jack Campbell. He decided to pull out of a verbal commitment to Michigan so he could go play for the OHL's Windsor Spitfires. Give the kid credit, because he didn't shy away from his decision. On the other hand, maybe he should have.

"I am honored the University of Michigan recruited me to play college hockey. My goal is to be playing in the National Hockey League within a year or two, and I did not want to put Michigan's hockey program in a bad position where I left after one season.

"By going to the Ontario Hockey League, I feel it will accelerate my development so I will be able to more quickly achieve my goal of being an NHL goaltender.

"I feel awful about breaking my commitment to U of M. It's something that was not easy to do or that I intended to do. College hockey is a great game that produces a lot of NHL players and I am grateful for the opportunity the University of Michigan gave me."

With all due respect, this is garbage.

Yes, Campbell might develop better in the OHL. However, it's practically insulting for him to suggest that he'll get to the NHL faster there than he would at Michigan.

Chris Dilks of Western College Hockey crunched the numbers, looking at how quickly first-round CHL goalies got to the NHL. Let's just say it isn't a high rate of quick success.

Over 10 drafts--1999-2008--there has been a grand total of one goalie from the CHL (Dan Blackburn, if you're curious) drafted in the first round that wasn't still eligible for the Calder Trophy (no more than 25 NHL games played, or 6 in two separate seasons) at the end of the timeframe with which Campbell suggests he'll be in the NHL.

Ouch.

Good luck, kid.

You can believe that Campbell invented this philosophy, and maybe he did. However, you hear all the time about how Canadian major juniors are the fast track to the NHL. No one questions it, because all you have to do is prop up Sidney Crosby and you win. But Crosby is a special talent that the QMJHL may never again see. Is it really fair to point a finger at him and talk about how major junior is better than college?

In all honesty, I still feel the same way about this debate. Campbell sure could be doing what's best for himself after some serious thought. However, there are rats crawling all over this, and it's hard to get past the idea that the Spitfires exacted some sort of influence by somehow convincing Campbell and his family that going to Michigan would hurt his development.

Even if it didn't happen in this case, you know it does in others.

When was the last time you heard about a college coach going the extra mile to talk a kid out of going to a CHL-affiliated team?