Monday Musings: High-Intensity NCHC Title Game Goes UMD's Way; Bulldogs Book Trip to Fargo

You've undoubtedly heard it.

"Hard to beat a team (insert a number) times in a row during a season."

It's true. Just look at Saturday night, where UMD tried to beat North Dakota for a fifth time in five meetings this season (sixth time overall). It was anything but easy.

In an intense, emotional, penalty-filled game, the Bulldogs used a late five-on-three goal from Joey Anderson to beat UND 4-3 and claim their first conference tournament championship since 2009. It's the second conference title for UMD under Scott Sandelin, and now the Bulldogs head to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven years. It's the first time ever that any UMD team in any sport has made the national tournament five out of seven years.

Actually, calling it "intense", "emotional", and "penalty-filled" is probably understating it. This was as crazy a game as I've seen in a long time. There were more combined penalty minutes in the Colorado College game Feb. 18, but this game had a level of intensity that one never got to. Saturday was an example of two rivals fighting for something valuable, and it was the kind of night that would be difficult to duplicate.

Unless the teams play again ... with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line. In Fargo. But I digress.

The fact UMD found a way to win this game Saturday night is an unrelenting positive in a season full of them. It was far from a perfect performance, with North Dakota doing a fantastic job of putting the Bulldogs on their heels early, with the help of some sketchy penalty calls. But UMD was frustrated, as evidenced by sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk taking a five-minute major for charging UND goalie Cam Johnson during a short-handed rush.

(Frankly, wouldn't have been mad if Pionk had been tossed for it, but right before the hit, it looks like he loses his balance a bit, as if he were trying to stop and couldn't. Weird sequence looking at the clip, and it was probably enough to keep him in the game.)

After UMD killed the major (had already gone down 1-0 on a Brock Boeser power play goal, so that was a gigantic kill) and the first period ended, Pionk appeared to be speared by UND's Cole Smith. No call came, but UMD captain Dominic Toninato was irate after the period ended (justifiably so), and UMD carried that emotion into the start of the second period.

Toninato, Riley Tufte, and Adam Johnson scored goals 58 seconds apart in the second, and just like that UMD had a 3-1 lead. It took two more long five-on-three UND power plays -- one in the second and one late in the third -- for the Fighting Hawks to level the score on goals by Tyson Jost and Trevor Olson. That set up Anderson's goal, which came after back to back UND penalties gave the Bulldogs their first five-on-three of the game.

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Deep down, I can't imagine either coach was pleased with the penalty minutes his team took in this game. But a deeper dive into the numbers shows that there may have been some mitigating factors involved.

First off, we need to throw out the coincidental penalties and operate under the assumption all those minutes were earned. That will take away 20 of the game's 57 minutes. Of the 37 remaining minutes that were assessed, I don't think any reasonable argument can be made against the following calls:

Pionk's major for charging (5)
Olson's roughing penalty in the second (2)
Jared Thomas' minor for tripping in the second (2)
Rhett Gardner slashing minor in the second (2)
Riley Tufte's penalty for interference late in the second (2)
Johnny Simonson high sticking penalty in the third (2)

That leaves 22 of 37 minutes that were either questionable or not-very-good calls, including the last two on UMD that gave UND the late five-on-three it tied the game with, and the last two on UND that gave UMD the five-on-three it won the game with.

This isn't to completely absolve the players of responsibility for their role in Saturday's various fiascoes. There is no excuse for Pionk blasting Cam Johnson like he did. Similarly, no excuse for Smith spearing Pionk. Gardner and Simonson for UND took silly, unnecessary penalties. This stuff happens, especially when a game is played at the level and intensity this one was. Emotions are bound to run high.

But referees Todd Anderson and Geno Binda have to be considered culpable. More than once, they rewarded both teams for clear embellishment and set a bad tone for the game. I don't know the last time I saw a college hockey game -- especially in the postseason -- where there were four five-on-three power plays. And three of the four were more than a minute in scheduled length. It was too much, and I stand by what I said on the air and on Twitter during the game: It took away from the game. That's unfortunate.

However, it's worth noting that they weren't working the conference championship game by accident. They earned that throughout the season, and that fact shouldn't be forgotten in everyone's consternation over how this game played out.

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Many UMD players should be applauded for their efforts on Saturday. Toninato was a leader in every sense, getting the first goal and on multiple occasions trying to stand up for his teammates. Alex Iafallo not only has points in 11 straight games, but he has ten points in the last five. Anderson has re-emerged after his production slipped after returning from the World Juniors. He has six points in his last five games after being held off the board for five straight.

Osterberg blocked five of the 26 shots UMD got a piece of in Saturday's game. Brenden Kotyk blocked shots and was physical. Hunter Miska made a few brilliant saves in goal and had a fantastic weekend, erasing any questions about his ability to step up and play well in big games as a freshman.

(There were legit questions about Miska in a big-game environment, something CBS Sports Network analyst and brilliant mind Dave Starman referenced on Beyond The Pond Saturday. He answered those questions Saturday night, and did so emphatically.)

Tufte made a few plays, including getting by Christian Wolanin and steaming down the right wing before sniping a shot home to give UMD the lead in the second period. He was a beast at times in Friday's game, too, and it's just fun to watch him show more and more signs of his development.

More than anything, these guys stuck up for one another when necessary and stuck with the game. There were a lot of opportunities to be discouraged and wonder if this was UMD's night. Instead of that, they stayed with what they wanted to do, and as Toninato said Sunday after the selection show, "controlled what we could control."

"Lot of emotions in those games," Sandelin said. "We've played North Dakota a lot. I thought the kill (late in the first after the Pionk major) was outstanding. To get out of that period the way it was going being down one, I was pretty excited for our guys. We finally had a good second period.

"It was an interesting game for sure. Lots of ups and downs."

Plenty to be excited about, as UMD won a couple games playoff-style. By any means necessary.

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Now, it's back to North Dakota. UMD is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional, and will play Ohio State Friday at 5:30.

The Buckeyes can fill the net, led by sophomore Mason Jobst (19 goals, 55 points) and senior Nick Schilkey (27 goals, 41 points). Ohio State averages 3.97 goals per game, but also concedes 2.98 per game.  The power play hits at 32.5 percent, including over 38 percent in Big Ten play.

tOSU is coached by former UMD assistant Steve Rohlik, who was with the Bulldogs from 2000-2010 and recruited many of the players UMD won a national championship with in 2011. Brett Larson was a part of the Ohio State staff before returning to UMD two years ago when Derek Plante stepped down.

"I've seen them a little bit," Sandelin said. "I know they have the ability to score goals and play a real pace game. We've got to keep doing the things we're good at."

Lots of talk about UMD and North Dakota meeting again in the regional final, which could certainly happen, but Ohio State and Boston University will have something to say about that first.

We'll be traveling to Fargo on Thursday morning. Expect content from the team press conferences that day at Scheels Arena. Full game preview coming as well.

Game 38: North Dakota vs UMD (NCHC Championship)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Here we go with the 2017 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship.

UMD will face longtime rival North Dakota for a fifth time this season, trying to extend its program-record five-game winning streak over UND.

On Beyond The Pond (KFAN/92.1 The Fan) Saturday, head coach Scott Sandelin acknowledged UND "probably has this one circled, we've had success against them."

And that's probably an understatement.

"We've got a lot of respect for them," North Dakota coach Brad Berry said after Friday's 1-0 semifinal win over Denver. "We play similarly, we play hard, and we're looking forward to (Saturday). They've had our number all year, and the year before was the other way around."

Should be a great game. North Dakota has won five straight, and used a smothering defensive effort to get by Denver. The Fighting Hawks have outshot their adversaries in each game of this run, and oddly enough actually outshot UMD in two of the four meetings this season -- got shut out in both those games.

Denver beat Western Michigan 3-1 in a gripping third place game. Denver won without its top four scorers, as Troy Terry, Henrik Borgstrom, Dylan Gambrell, and Will Butcher all sat, and also starting goalie Tanner Jaillet. WMU played freshman Ben Blacker in goal, but was still without Sheldon Dries and Wade Allison up front. DU clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, so UMD is playing for the No. 2 spot in this game. The Bulldogs could fall to third with a loss to UND, depending on other results.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Pionk - Kotyk
Raskob - Hilderman
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Shepard - Deery

UND
Gersich - Jost - Poganski
Janatuinen - Gardner - Boeser
Smith - Simonson - Olson
Yon - Bowen - Gornall

Poolman (Colton) - Poolman (Tucker)
Ausmus - Peski
Wolanin - Shaw

Johnson - Hrynkiw

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: UMD Rides Defensive Improvement, Opportunism to Second Straight NCHC Title Game

MINNEAPOLIS -- Not going to lie. UMD giving Western Michigan a five-on-three at the 2:24 mark of the first period seemed like a bad omen. Instead, it was a bit of a tone-setter.

The UMD penalty kill was spot-on Friday, and a stellar third period effort helped carry UMD to a 5-2 win over Western Michigan in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals at Target Center. UMD will play North Dakota, a 1-0 winner over Denver, in Saturday's 7:30pm championship game.

Western had a goal disallowed in the second period, but ended up getting one that counted 1:09 later to tie the game 2-2. The Broncos earned that tying goal, as they had been able to bottle up UMD on a couple of occasions and generate scoring chances with numbers down low. UMD didn't do a great job covering guys, and Colt Conrad buried a rebound by Hunter Miska to draw the game even on one of those occasions.

But the Bulldogs tightened up after that, as did Miska. Alex Iafallo scored a beauty of a goal late in the second period that eventually gave UMD the lead for good. After Parker Mackay capitalized on a great play by Adam Johnson to make it 4-2 in the third, Miska held his ground against a hard-charging Broncos team, which got a four-on-three power play in the final three minutes of regulation and turned it into a five-on-three by pulling goalie Ben Blacker. Miska stopped Western goal-scoring specialist Matheson Iacopelli twice, including once on a really well set up one timer.

"It wasn't probably the prettiest game for either team," UMD coach Scott Sandelin said. "We stayed with it. Hard-fought game, which was what we expected.

"I think their second goal work our bench up for sure. Thought we played better towards the end of the period. Gotta get better in second periods. Didn't think our start was very good."

(Give Western credit, by the way. Andy Murray held three-year captain Sheldon Dries and stud freshman Wade Allison out with injuries. I'm not sure how badly Allison was injured crashing into the end boards in Game 3 against Omaha Sunday, but he was stretchered off and briefly hospitalized before returning to the arena. Either way, the Broncos were short-handed Friday and gave UMD everything it could handle for two periods and then some. This is a really good team that is fixing to do some damage in the NCAA Tournament, possibly as a one-seed if it can win the third-place game Saturday afternoon against Denver.)

Sandelin compared this game to the Saturday game in Kalamazoo on March 4. In that game, UMD kicked away a 2-0 second-period lead, only to get a goal from Johnson with 4.4 seconds left off a mad scramble in front of the WMU net. The momentum carried over into the third, and UMD ended up winning convincingly.

In this game, Iafallo got his goal with 3:49 left in the second, but there's no question there was some residual into the third period.

I thought UMD's defensive effort in the third was as good as we've seen in a while. Miska, yes, had to make some saves, but he was sharper and there weren't any glaringly blown coverages in front of him. The Broncos were coming after UMD, but couldn't get any super chances. The Mackay goal and a Jared Thomas length-of-the-ice empty netter iced the win for the Bulldogs.

The third period was what Sandelin has been looking for. A composed, defense-first effort. UMD didn't generate many chances, but capitalized on the Mackay goal, which was a thing of beauty by Johnson to set up. He waited out a sliding defender, walked back toward the front, bided his time, and sent a cross-crease pass to Mackay for a tap in after Blacker committed to Johnson. Brilliant play and a great goal.

"Didn't really have much," Johnson said of the play. "Just tried to wait, and Parker got to the net."

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It's cliche, but coaches talk about a team's best players being its best players in crunch time.

Let there be no doubt that UMD's top line -- Dominic Toninato, Iafallo, and Joey Anderson -- were good again, and Johnson, centering the second line, was brilliant with three assists, including the dazzler to Mackay.

Again, the six-man defensive corps managed without Carson Soucy, who will not play this weekend (week to week, so we don't know what the plan is beyond this week). Jarod Hilderman's blocked shot set up Kyle Osterberg's goal late in the first, Hilderman's first point in these colors. Neal Pionk was a freaking beast, with an assist, three blocked shots, and a plus-three.

Iafallo has points in ten straight (6-10-16), goals in four straight. Toninato has goals in three straight and is 8-5-13 in the last 11 games. Johnson now is 6-7-13 in the last ten games. Mackay had his first two-point game since the season opener and now has six points in the last six games.

Osterberg's goal snapped a ten-game drought, but he now has four points in the last two games.

Production is coming from all over the place, and there couldn't be a better time than this for it to happen. UMD's last five games: 5, 5, 5, 6, and 4 goals. Not going to lose a lot this time of year when you average five goals per game.

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UMD will face North Dakota for a fifth time this season in Saturday's championship game. The Bulldogs dominated the regular season series, going 4-0 with two shutouts and outscoring North Dakota 17-5.

I will guaran-damn-tee you Saturday won't be nearly as easy as an average score of 4.25-1.25 might suggest. UND is grinding teams down right now, impressively shutting down a potent Denver team Friday night at Target Center. Cam Johnson is playing well in goal, though Denver had a hard time really getting to him on Friday. Remember, as good as UND looked defensively in the semifinal, this game gave up five to St. Cloud State just this past Saturday. It is not an impenetrable defensive group. No one is, for that matter.

This will be a meat-grinder of a game, though. Mark my words. UMD will need to bring the proverbial lunch pails, because North Dakota is going to make the Bulldogs earn every inch of ice throughout the rink if Friday is any indication. The Fighting Hawks -- yes, it's still weird, sorry -- have won five straight games to put themselves back in the NCAA Tournament. Now they're coming for their first NCHC playoff title. And so are the Bulldogs. Someone's hoisting that thing for the first time Saturday, and I know who I want to see do it.

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The dream of an All-NCHC Frozen Four may have died Friday night. North Dakota's win makes it difficult (I couldn't do it) to get UND to a No. 4 regional seed, which I figured was the only way to guarantee the possibility of the four NCHC teams in the tourney being assigned different regionals.

Maybe the committee ends up making that happen, but I don't see it as likely. I believe an NCHC team -- either UMD or Denver -- will join North Dakota in Fargo.

I'll likely jump back on Saturday morning and update PairWise scenarios, but I'm too tired right now to wrap my head around any of that.

We hit the air Saturday at 7pm on 92.1 The Fan. Join us for what should be a fun championship game. Looking forward to it.

Monday Musings: History Made as UMD Dominates for North Dakota Sweep

It's one thing to sweep an NCHC opponent on the road. UMD had already done that twice this season (St. Cloud State and Omaha).

It's another thing to sweep North Dakota on the road. UMD hadn't done that since Jan. 27-28, 1995, nearly 22 years ago.

Lots of neat little factoids came out of Saturday's 4-0 Bulldog win over North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

• It's the first time UMD has ever beaten North Dakota in five straight meetings.
• First time UMD ever swept a four-game regular season series from North Dakota
• First shutout of UND in Grand Forks since Glenn "Chico" Resch and the Bulldogs won 3-0 Nov. 22, 1969
• First shutout of UND in Grand Forks for anyone since St. Cloud State's Ryan Faragher in 2011
• First sweep of UND in Grand Forks for anyone since St. Cloud State in 2013

There's probably more. In fact, I know there is.

UMD's three biggest rivals are widely considered to be Minnesota, North Dakota, and St. Cloud State. The Bulldogs now have six straight wins over Minnesota (a program record), five straight over North Dakota (also a program record), and are 5-2 in the last seven meetings with SCSU. That's an aggregate record of 16-2 over the last 18 meetings.

Of all the things this group of players has accomplished so far, this might be the most impressive. At least temporarily, they've turned UMD's three most significant rivalries on their proverbial ears.

North Dakota junior Trevor Olson, a Duluth native and former linemate of UMD captain Dominic Toninato, gave the Bulldogs much credit after the game.

"They're a good team," Olson told reporters. "Big, fast, physical, veteran group .. . the way they play, they just frustrate teams."

UMD certainly frustrated UND over the weekend. As head coach Scott Sandelin bluntly said of Friday's game: "We were the better team."

UMD was fast, tenacious, and unafraid to get physical against a heavier opponent. The Bulldogs set the tone for the weekend quickly and never let up. On Saturday, North Dakota came out with a big push. Its top line of Brock Boeser, Austin Poganski, and Shane Gersich spent the better part of a minute in the offensive zone after the opening faceoff, getting a couple good scoring chances and nearly popping the game's first goal.

When that didn't happen, and Adam Johnson scored off a UND turnover that became the Bulldogs' first decent scoring chance of the night, it could very well have been over on the spot. If that and Willie Raskob's power play goal later in the first didn't end the game, Toninato and Alex Iafallo working their bag off to create a chance that led to Toninato's short-handed goal in the third sure did.

Instead of UND getting an early goal, momentum, and getting the sellout crowd into the game, UMD jumped on the Fighting Hawks and never let the crowd get involved. Turning one of the loudest buildings in college hockey into one of the world's largest public libraries was a huge development that just added to everything that was going right on this weekend for the Bulldogs.

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So, Riley Tufte had a pretty good weekend. The freshman scored his first college goal in the Jan. 13 loss to St. Cloud State. He then took his act to North Dakota and spent the weekend abusing UND defensemen and winning position/physical battles in front of the net.

Tufte opened UMD's scoring in the Friday win by getting to the front of the net and tipping in a Dan Molenaar point shot. He won another battle in front and got to a rebound off an Avery Peterson shot for UMD's last goal of the game.

That meant Tufte got his first three UMD goals by going to the net and being a presence in front. But the kid can fire it, and he showed everyone Saturday when he stripped Hayden Shaw of a puck at the UND blue line, walked in, and ripped a wrist shot by Cam Johnson to make it 4-0. Earlier, Tufte had been robbed by Johnson on a great passing play that started when Peterson intercepted an outlet pass and found Karson Kuhlman, who sent a one-touch pass to Tufte in front.

The popular question among UMD fans revolves around Tufte at this point. What happened?

Well, if you'd been paying attention, either on the blog or on the air, you'd have known this was coming. It was just a matter of time. Tufte might not have been pleased with his first-half production, but his coaches were pleased with his progress once he found his way into the lineup. Tufte returned from break a determined player, and started playing like a more confident player in the offensive zone. His hard work is now paying off, and there's little doubt Tufte and Peterson are in position to be huge players for this team as the second half continues.

Peterson wins draws, plays with great intensity, and the work he's done with UMD power skating coach Bronwynn Pichetti is showing in games, as he's in better position to be a factor on the forecheck. He's a faster and better overall skater than he was in Omaha, and that improvement has made him a much more dangerous player. Peterson always had scoring ability and was always a smart player who had good intensity. His skating is a big difference in his game now.

(The lesson, young players, is to always work hard on your skating. It's one facet of your game that can make the biggest difference as you move your way up the ladder. Not all elite skaters have the talent to be great players, but a guy like Peterson has all the other skills, and now is seeing the results of his work to become a better skater.)

I've seen jokes on Twitter about UMD's midseason free-agent acquisitions. I'd prefer to refer to Peterson as a trade deadline addition. Either way, Tufte and Peterson have made UMD deeper than it was, and what it was before break was one of the deepest teams in the country.

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UMD has taken back the No. 1 spot in the latest PairWise rankings, which mimic the NCAA Tournament selection process. As of this writing, the meaningless human polls aren't out, but UMD should be atop both.

More importantly, UMD took a huge step forward this weekend. The Bulldogs played a team they are -- right now -- better than, and business was properly handled with few shenanigans along the way. 

(North Dakota has high-end talent, but Tyson Jost missed Saturday's game with injury, Brock Boeser still isn't right, and UND just isn't as deep as it has been in the past. That lack of depth really shows when the top line isn't producing, which it wasn't outside of Gersich's goal Friday, a goal that shouldn't have counted because of offsides. Defensively, the Poolman brothers are good, and captain Gage Ausmus is a really solid player, but again, there just isn't a ton of depth right now. Ausmus not being able to finish the game Saturday was a huge issue for them.)

This weekend, UMD steps out of the NCHC for the final time this season, as it partakes in the final North Star College Cup.

(Both Matt Wellens and I have eluded to this multiple times. I don't think it's been confirmed by anyone at Minnesota, but the clearest indicator the tournament is disappearing came when UMD announced it will play home-and-home series against Minnesota over a four-year stretch that starts after the teams open next season in the Ice Breaker at Amsoil Arena. The tournament hasn't drawn well since its first year, and I'm not sure any of the participants -- except maybe Minnesota -- were happy with the way things were going.)

Friday, the Bulldogs and Gophers resume their long rivalry with the nightcap game at 7, following Bemidji State-St. Cloud State at 4. Minnesota is 14-6-2 overall, and the Gophers lead the Big Ten by two points over Penn State after splitting last week with Wisconsin. Sophomore Tyler Sheehy is having another strong season with 15 goals and 32 points (30 points as a freshman). But Minnesota might be vulnerable in the back. The Gophers enter the weekend with a team save percentage of .892, which compares to .922 for the Bulldogs.

Surely, Don Lucia will have his team ready, being that Minnesota has lost six straight in this rivalry for the first time ever. Yes, ever. It's a great chance for UMD to strengthen its chances at a No. 1 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament.

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By the way, since I'm all about self-promotion, I'll be on the Sit Down And Cheer podcast from the University of North Dakota this week. We taped on Friday after the game, and it was a fun, free-flowing discussion with UND sports information director Jayson Hajdu and longtime UND radio voice Tim Hennessy. I'll tweet the link when it drops, so follow me on Twitter @BruceCiskie.

Game 24: UMD at North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- UMD has played North Dakota 234 times. It has an opportunity Saturday to do something it has never done.

Beat North Dakota in five straight meetings.

My, how the worm turned. UND swept UMD in Duluth with a pair of shutout wins in December 2015, then last February took a pair of 2-1 games in Grand Forks. The Bulldogs finally were able to turn the tables by beating North Dakota 4-2 last March at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, a win that not only spoiled UND's chances at a league playoff championship, but also clinched UMD a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The sweep in Duluth Oct. 28-29 was followed by a 5-3 win on Friday. Now, UMD has suddenly won four straight against the Fighting Hawks. The Bulldogs have clinched their first four-game regular season series win over North Dakota since the 1995-96 season (split 5-3 games in Grand Forks, then 3-1 and 3-2 wins in Duluth). UMD has never swept a four-game regular season series from UND.

One aspect of Friday's game that I didn't bring up in the postgame blog: Faceoffs. Against what was the nation's fourth-ranked faceoff team entering the series, UMD won 35 of 60 draws. That's 58.3 percent of the faceoffs against a team that typically wins them left and right.

Since break, UMD has won 93 of 173 faceoffs, a .537 percentage. It's not world-beating, but it's allowed the Bulldogs to rise from 55th nationally coming out of break to 44th entering this game, with a season percentage of .477.

No changes for UMD, but North Dakota continues to be affected by injuries. Freshman forward Tyson Jost (lower body) left Friday's game in the third period and did not return. He went awkwardly into the goalpost during a play in the first period, looked to be in some pain afterward, but stayed in the game until the third. He is out for the rematch on Saturday. Also out is sophomore forward Joel Janatuinen (undisclosed). He played the whole game and scored the game's last goal, so no idea what happened to him.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery

UND
Gersich - Boeser - Poganski
Hoff - Gardner - Wilkie
Yon - Bowen - Olson
Wolanin - Simonson - Gornall

Poolman (Colton) - Poolman (Tucker)
Ausmus - Shaw
Johnson (Casey) - Peski

Johnson (Cam) - Hrynkiw - Tomek

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Shake Off More Adversity, Beat North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- As if there hadn't been enough tests of UMD's resolve this season, here come two disallowed goals, including a literal buzzer-beater, in the first period. UMD sports information poobah Bob Nygaard couldn't think of the last time UMD had two goals disallowed in the same game, and he was certain it had never happened in the same period before.

So instead of being up 3-1 in Grand Forks after one period Friday night, UMD went to the room in a 1-1 game. A lesser team is rattled by this type of thing, wonders what it has to do to get a bounce.

Not this group.

Adam Johnson went coast to coast as a UMD power play came to an end early in the second to give the Bulldogs the lead for good at 2-1, UMD added two more in the second and went on to a 5-3 win over North Dakota in front of a packed Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Lots to digest from this game, and we'll get to Johnson's incredible goal and the second period surge it jump-started for UMD in a bit, along with the newly-formed UMD line that appears to be a beast for opponents to deal with, but first let's address the disallowed goals and get that out of the way.

On the first, with 4:41 left in the first period, Billy Exell appeared to score on a rebound. Jade Miller fired a puck to the front, across the UND goal crease. Sammy Spurrell collected and tried to jam it home, but UND goalie Cam Johnson came out and challenged. That caused Spurrell -- who was in the crease -- to roll over the top of the goalie. As that happened, Exell threw the puck home, a classic case of goalie interference, by the way it's written in the college hockey rulebook.

Argue it all you want, but Johnson has the first right to that space in the crease. If UND scores on Miska in similar fashion, you're all blowing up my Twitter and probably that of the league. You know this is true. It was a good call.

On the second, the puck legally crossed the goal line without a doubt, and it did so before the clock hit zeroes, except North Dakota challenged the Willie Raskob goal, saying UMD was offside on the zone entry. And UMD was offside. By a lot. Pretty easy call for the officials.

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That second disallowed goal came on a UMD power play that carried into the second period. At the tail end of it, Johnson took control of the puck deep in the UMD zone, went around the back of the net, and started up the rink. He didn't stop until he scored, giving UMD the advantage.

That play seemed to add even more jump to a UMD team that already had plenty of it. If there was any residual effect to the disallowed goals, it was gone. UMD had the lead it probably deserved at that point, and the Bulldogs didn't just try to defend it. They kept attacking.

Sammy Spurrell caught Cam Johnson napping at 5:58 and scored from the left corner to make it 3-1. That ended Johnson's night, as Matt Hrynkiw finished the game for UND. In seven previous appearances against UMD, Johnson had a 1.88 goals against and .943 save percentage. UMD touched him up for three goals on 15 shots in this game.

A Karson Kuhlman dump in bounced to the front of the net, where Avery Peterson beat Hrynkiw for a 4-1 lead late in the second. Hrynkiw had been sharp, but the puck bouncing back to the front appeared to make him freeze, instead of making an aggressive move that he seemed to have time to make.

UND got two in the third, but UMD was able to get a second Riley Tufte goal for big insurance.

The third period wasn't perfect from UMD, but the Bulldogs did enough to get their tenth NCHC win this season and move six points up on Denver for the top spot in the league (more on that in a bit). I wasn't a huge fan of how the Bulldogs finished this game, but the closer score was aided a bit by a Shane Gersich goal that shouldn't have counted. UND was offsides on the play, unquestionably, but UMD was unable to challenge the call because it had used its timeout in the second period.

All in all, UMD did a lot of things that have been difficult to do, most notably chase Cam Johnson from a game. Outside of some not-stellar moments in a pretty meaningless third period, it was as thorough a performance as I've ever seen from the Bulldogs in this building.

******

It feels like UMD got two huge trade deadline acquisitions coming out of break. Peterson and Tufte have both been going, and the performance of that line with Kuhlman in this game was nothing short of prolific.

On this night: Three goals (two by Tufte), three assists (two by Kuhlman), six points (two from each player), 15 shots on goal (Kuhlman had six, Tufte five, and Peterson four), and each player was plus-three if you're into that sort of thing.

It's funny when people ask how this team has evolved. I don't think UMD has gotten worse or anything like that, but it's hard to point to many individual players who are a lot better now than they were, say, before Thanksgiving. But a huge, huge difference in this team now versus November is the play of Tufte and the addition of Peterson. As Dave Starman of CBS Sports Network noted in our chat Friday, there's no question Peterson is having fun again. Whatever happened in Omaha, he wasn't having fun at the rink. From the moment he arrived in Duluth, there's been a different chemistry with the team and staff that has brought out a different Avery Peterson. This version is much more dangerous, and it's a huge get for a team that didn't necessarily need to add a player of his caliber to win.

It also shows the character of everyone involved. Peterson has said it many times. He grew up playing against the other 218 kids on this team, and they would sometimes play together on select teams in the summer and fall. He knew a lot of them. But this team went into break at 12-3-3. They didn't necessarily need to add a piece. If Peterson wasn't such a great fit, maybe it screws with the chemistry and things that were already working. Instead, Peterson couldn't be a better fit, and he's enhanced this team in just the six games he's been able to play in. He's only going to get more comfortable, and look out, NCHC.

The Bulldogs are a sum-of-the-parts group, and while they strive for balance out of all four lines, they'll take what they're getting at the moment. With Parker Mackay out (upper body) for probably a month or more, this line is going to have plenty more chances to show what it can do.

******

Elsewhere in the NCHC, St. Cloud State did UMD a huge solid. The Huskies got a tying goal in the second period from Jack Poehling, then younger brother Ryan scored the winner in overtime as SCSU topped Denver 3-2. Denver starting goalie Tanner Jaillet was pulled after allowing two goals on 30 shots over 40 minutes. Evan Cowley finished the game. As of this writing, there is no word on if Jaillet is healthy or was injured and had to come out of the game. According to reporters on site, Jaillet stayed on the DU bench, but that doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't injured enough to come out.

Duluth East grad Jake Randolph scored on a power play with 6:16 left in the third period as Omaha tied Miami 3-3 in Omaha. The RedHawks got the extra standings point on a three-on-three goal by Scott Dornbrock.

In Kalamazoo, Colt Conrad scored early in the third and Aaron Hadley added insurance late as Western Michigan recovered from kicking away a 2-0 lead and beat Colorado College 4-2.

In the NCHC standings, UMD leads Denver by six points, while third-place North Dakota and Western Michigan are 12 points out. Omaha and St. Cloud State are tied for fifth, with Miami one point behind in seventh. Everyone in the league except SCSU has two games in hand on the Bulldogs.

Saturday is a gigantic opportunity for the Bulldogs to effectively eliminate the defending regular season champs from the race. A win over North Dakota opens up a 15-point gap that is going to be exceptionally tough for UND to make up, even with two games in hand. And, again, UMD is out of league two of the next three weekends (the North Star Cup, then Omaha, then a bye), so points are essential right now.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to the UND lineup. Freshman Tyson Jost was injured at some point in the game and wasn't on the bench in the third period (good eye, Bruce). Defenseman Christian Wolanin was ejected for a check to the head on Peterson, and probably should face a suspension. I'd think Brad Berry comes back with Johnson in goal, but he's been pulled in his last two Friday starts and Hrynkiw was pretty good in relief.

No matter what, boy does UMD have a chance to do something I didn't think it would be able to do this weekend. Hopefully the Bulldogs seize the moment.

Game 23: UMD at North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- As much as UMD fans don't like North Dakota, and as much as anyone can understand the myriad of reasons why this might be the case, this is still a building every UMD fan should take the time to see at least one.

Greetings from the gorgeous Ralph Engelstad Arena, where the Bulldogs try to continue a recent run of success against their longtime nemesis, the University of North Dakota, um, Fighting Hawks (it's still weird, sorry).

UMD got progressively better last weekend, finding a way to eek out an overtime win over St. Cloud State on Saturday after being stymied 2-1 by the Huskies on Friday. North Dakota had to respond on Saturday as well, and did so by beating Miami 3-1 after a 6-3 loss Friday that featured five third period goals by the RedHawks.

The Bulldogs play this series without the services of sophomore forward Parker Mackay (undisclosed injury). He was not practicing this week when your humble correspondent was at the rink. That will mix up UMD's lines, with the most notable change being on the top two lines. Adam Johnson moves back to wing and is on the top line, while Joey Anderson will skate on the second line with Jared Thomas and Kyle Osterberg. The top line can still go without Anderson, as has been proven numerous times over the last year-plus (that was UMD's preferred combination for the second half of last season, too). Can Anderson have an impact on Thomas' game, which has been up and down for a goodly chunk of this campaign? We shall see.

Also, center Sammy Spurrell draws back in on the fourth line as Thomas moves back up. This restores what has become a key piece of the UMD penalty kill.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery

UND
Gersich - Jost - Poganski
Janatuinen - Gardner - Boeser
Yon - Hoff - Bowen
Olson - Simonson - Wilkie

Poolman (Colton) - Poolman (Tucker)
Ausmus - Shaw
Wolanin - Peski

Johnson - Hrynkiw - Tomek

Bulldogs, North Dakota Set For Showdown in Grand Forks

For the UMD Bulldogs, Oct. 28-29 is going to be a highlight of the season, no matter how the season turns out.



More notably at the moment, you can bet North Dakota hasn't forgotten.

"We didn't play that great that series in Duluth," North Dakota sophomore forward Joel Janatuinen said this week. "They kinda gave it to us."

UMD won the Friday game 5-2, taking a 3-0 lead in the second period before UND rallied with two late goals to pull within one. The visitors went into the locker room after 40 minutes with momentum, but it was Neal Pionk giving UMD a much-needed insurance goal on the power play in the third period before Alex Iafallo completed a hat trick by hitting the empty net late.

On Saturday, North Dakota held UMD to two first-period shots, but head coach Scott Sandelin said he didn't mind how his team was playing at that point. UMD got two short-handed and one power-play goal in the second period for a 3-0 lead, and played well defensively in the third to preserve a shutout for freshman goalie Hunter Miska.

It was surely a long ride back home for the Fighting Hawks, and one they haven't forgotten.

"They swept us, so I definitely remember that," UND defenseman Tucker Poolman said.

"You remember the feeling you had when we got on the bus," second-year North Dakota coach Brad Berry said this week.

UMD has been on the other side of this a few times. The Bulldogs know what to expect this weekend.

"You look at a program like North Dakota, they don't get swept often," UMD senior defenseman Willie Raskob told me this week. "There's no doubt they'll come ready to play. They've been playing better hockey since we played them, too."

Sandelin -- who picked up his 300th win at UMD on Saturday -- was more pointed in looking ahead to this series.

"They're a different team," he said of UND. "A team right now that's playing extremely well. They've been scoring a lot of goals, and if you're not prepared to play in that building, you're going to be in the same situation.

"They're always hard on pucks, strong in puck battles and body position. They play physical. If we think we can turn it on and off, we're not going to fare very well. We have to be mentally prepared to go in there and fight for every inch on the rink. If we're not in that mindset, I'm not sure what the weekend's going to be."

There's no doubt Sandelin wants to see better starts out of his team. The Bulldogs haven't been habitually giving up the first goal, but instead it's more than that. The bench boss is looking for his team to start a game on its toes, forcing the issue and getting in opponents' faces. That'll be especially necessary this weekend, and for the record it would have been even if UMD hadn't swept this team earlier in the season.

******

Berry is quick to note, as he should, that this isn't the same UND team that the Bulldogs beat twice in October.

"I think we were going through a time where things were going well," he said of that series, "but we didn't run into a team like (UMD) that was experienced and has a lot of good players and depth in the lineup. We learned a lot from that weekend, we needed to get better. I firmly believe we have gotten better."

Even when handed a chance to make an excuse on a silver platter, Berry refuses to, but I will, at least to an extent.

North Dakota's best player, sophomore forward Brock Boeser, missed time in the first half of the season due to wrist issues, and he eventually would miss the World Junior Championship because of surgery on that wrist. It was a problem that flared up sometime before the UND-UMD series in Duluth, and one that got worse the more he tried to play through it. UND shut him down around Thanksgiving and he had surgery in December.

Without Boeser, North Dakota struggled at times, splitting series with Michigan State and Western Michigan, but the Fighting Hawks went to New York and beat Boston College 4-2 at Madison Square Garden and went into their holiday break 9-6-3.

Without Boeser and star freshman Tyson Jost, a first round pick to Colorado last summer, UND went to Union and won a huge non-conference game 3-1 on New Year's Eve, then swept Omaha by outscoring the Mavs 16-4 over two games in Omaha.

Last week, there was a hiccup, as UND kicked away a 3-1 lead by allowing five third-period goals in a 6-3 loss to Miami. Berry pulled starting goalie Cam Johnson after the third of those five goals, but Matej Tomek allowed two goals on five shots to finish the game. On Saturday, UND cut its shots allowed in half (30 to 15) and won 3-1.

"The last 25 minutes, the game got away from us a little bit," Berry said. "Made a couple adjustments, personnel and structure, and our guys came out hard. We left something on the table as a group Friday, and wanted to rectify that Saturday."

How has this team survived the injuries and offseason departures? Next man up, that's how.

Shane Gersich scored nine goals and had 11 points in 37 games as a freshman. In 23 games this year, he's blown those numbers out of the water, as Gersich leads UND with 16 goals and 30 points.

"He's been real good," Berry said of Gersich. "He works hard in the weight room, skates extra, does extra skill work. He's just a hockey player who wants to get better.

"Last year, we had a few seniors, had Nick Schmaltz and Drake Caggiula in prominent roles. He (Gersich) saw there was opportunity there, and he grabbed it."

******

On the UMD side, I already mentioned freshman Riley Tufte could be an X-factor in the second half of the season. Add another.

Like Tufte, but for different reasons, junior Avery Peterson didn't contribute statistically to this team's first-half success. The two went into the break with a combined zero points, as Tufte worked to figure things out and Peterson waited out his transfer eligibility.

But Peterson has made an impact in a short amount of time. In five games, Peterson has two goals and an assist, and while he didn't factor into the scoring on Kyle Osterberg's overtime winning goal Saturday night, he decisively won the faceoff that set the play up.

Peterson played wing on Friday, then was moved back to the middle on Saturday, and it was a moved that absolutely paid off for the Bulldogs.

"I liked him a lot better in the middle of the rink," Sandelin said. "Won a key faceoff at the end. I think he's much better in the middle of the rink. He's big, he's strong. I love the intensity that he plays with. I think he brought a lot of energy."

Bet on Peterson staying at center for a while. He's legitimately the Bulldogs' second-best option in the middle behind Dominic Toninato, especially if he (Peterson) plays like he did on Saturday. He had a monster game and it's exciting to see if he can build on that this weekend in Grand Forks.

******

This is a huge opportunity for UMD. The Bulldogs lead Denver by three points in the NCHC, and North Dakota sits nine points back in third.

(Denver, by the way, is at St. Cloud State for what should be a great series.)

Remember, the Bulldogs are out of league play two of three weekends after this series (North Star Cup next week, then a home set with Omaha, followed by the only bye of the second half of the season). This is where the lost home points against SCSU and Colorado College could hurt.

If you're a "win the league" person, you've become a huge St. Cloud State fan. And Omaha. Each of those teams plays Denver four times before season's end. SCSU makes a return trip to Colorado Feb. 24-25. And remember, Denver doesn't play UMD or North Dakota again, and just finished up with Western Michigan for the season.

UMD makes this moot by just winning games, of course, but Denver has two games in hand, so remember, the Bulldogs already need help to win the league. Every game UMD loses increases the amount of help required. And I can promise you this group wants to win a league championship. The ultimate goal comes in Chicago in April, of course, but don't think anyone is poo-pooing a league title here. It's important.

Monday Musings: Bulldogs Blow Lead, Win in Overtime

Everything came up roses in the early going for UMD Saturday against St. Cloud State. The Bulldogs weren't overwhelmingly good, but instead pounced on opportunities and took a 3-0 lead on the Huskies when Dan Molenaar scored early in the second period.

But oh how things change when the team playing from ahead gives up a bad goal and becomes undisciplined. Blake Winiecki got SCSU on the board with a bad-angle shot that caught UMD goalie Hunter Miska off-guard. It was a rare miscue for Miska, who has been so solid this season, but it didn't look like he had any idea there was a puck coming his way.

Shortly after that, UMD began a parade to the penalty box. Jared Thomas took a double-minor (two for goalie interference, two for roughing), and St. Cloud State got a power play goal to make it 3-2. Thomas' penalty was just the first, however. Dominic Toninato got a slashing minor, and then Brenden Kotyk was ejected for a hit from behind 31 seconds later, giving the Huskies a long five-on-three and relegating UMD to five defensemen for the rest of the night.

Jimmy Schuldt unleashed a rocket of a one-timer from the high slot to tie the game during the five-on-three, but true to its season-long form, the UMD kill rallied back and killed off the rest of Kotyk's major to keep the game tied.

UMD came up empty on a five-minute power play of its own in the third, but largely controlled five-on-five play. Couldn't get one home, so it wasn't until Molenaar set up Kyle Osterberg's tip for the winning goal that UMD emerged victorious.

Good game, nice crowd, lively building (something we haven't seen enough of this season), and a good way to close out the homestand. UMD has been a much improved home team as of late, and it was uncharacteristic to see the Bulldogs go winless over three at Amsoil Arena (with just four regulation goals scored).

It wasn't a virtuoso, not at all. But heading into the weekend, I was looking for improvement. Friday against SCSU was better than Saturday against Colorado College. UMD took another positive step on Saturday, and not just because it won. Saturday was a more complete effort by the Bulldogs, one that can be built on as North Dakota looms.

******

It's not all duckies and bunnies. There's no panic over the fact UMD has taken major penalties in three of the four games since holiday break ended. Of the three, only one of them -- Willie Raskob's contact to the head major that drew a one-game suspension from the NCHC -- was a truly regrettable hit. Avery Peterson had no intent, but probably deserved an ejection for his hit in the Friday CC game.

The call on Kotyk looked good to me until I watched the replay. By no means is this a rip of the officials involved. They don't get to look at the replays, which appear to show Winiecki was already falling down and Kotyk barely made any contact. Live action, it looked -- and I said this -- like Kotyk followed through on a push to the back, and I can't be mad at the call that was made based on that.

What I can be mad at is the NCAA Rules Committee still refusing to allow video review of potential major penalties in the regular season. Officials were allowed to look at video of such plays during postseason games last year, something that was well-received by everyone involved.

"When there’s so much on the line come playoff time for these schools, I think everyone enjoys the fact that the right call is going to be made a very high percentage of the time," NCHC Director of Officiating Don Adam told me in September.

I continue to hold out hope the committee will see the light. On Will Borgen's interference major in the third period, the officials spent the entire media timeout discussing the hit (a high and late hit on UMD's Neal Pionk) and still hadn't reached a verdict when we came back from break. Allow them to review that video, and there's no doubt in my mind the delay isn't as long.

(By the way, the replay I saw, it looked like Borgen got Pionk square in the head. Since I was pretty vehement about the fact Raskob deserved a suspension for his hit, I would be negligent of my duty if I didn't say Borgen deserves and should get a game for his hit. We'll see if the NCHC takes action.)

Anyway, I really don't think there's any reason for panic. There's an element of bad luck involved here. That said, I am a bit concerned about the poorly-timed run of penalties in the second period of a game UMD led 3-0. The Bulldogs took six penalties in the game, all in the second period. All six infractions occurred in a span of 5:06. Is it worth panicking over a game where the adversary had four power plays? No. But UMD has to do a better job avoiding runs like that.

******

Next up is the return trip up Highway 2, as North Dakota gets the rematch it's probably had circled since UMD finished a home sweep Oct. 29.

(I'm not sure anyone will admit it in Grand Forks, but let's not be dumb. This matters to them, and it should.)

Those two UMD wins in Duluth moved the Bulldogs to No. 1 in the national rankings for the first time. They held that spot -- outside of one week -- until the CC games in Duluth Jan. 6-7 knocked them from the perch.

Since playing UMD, North Dakota has gotten healthier -- Brock Boeser is back from wrist surgery in December, an injury that had impacted him for some time before he got cut open -- and the Fighting Hawks appear poised to make a run. There was a hiccup Friday against Miami, as the RedHawks scored five in the third period to win 6-3, but UND is 4-1 since its holiday break ended, and included in that was a two-game sweep in Omaha where it put up 16 goals.

I do think North Dakota can be vulnerable in the back, a spot it was quite strong last year, but the biggest key for UMD is avoiding matchup nightmares with the UND top lines while playing on the road. Boeser and star freshman Tyson Jost are separated at the moment, so we'll see which line Brad Berry wants dealing with Carson Soucy, and which one has to deal with Pionk. Neither are a picnic to play against.

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Big Second Period Lifts UMD to Seventh Straight Win

MINNEAPOLIS -- When North Dakota took a 1-0 lead just 49 seconds into Friday's NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal at Target Center, it set off quite the celebration for most of the 10,000-plus in attendance, the vast majority of whom were North Dakota supporters.

The Fighting Hawks, 4-0 against UMD on the season coming in, had the lead through a period and their adversary looked a tad tentative. UMD settled in defensively after the Nick Schmaltz goal, but never really found any footing in the offensive zone. UND blocked seven Bulldog shots and Cam Johnson managed seven saves on as many shots in the first.

But the second period -- statistically unkind to the Bulldogs all season -- was good to UMD on this day. The Bulldogs put up a three-spot in the second and went on to a 4-2 win over North Dakota, advancing to their first NCHC title game. UMD faces second-seeded St. Cloud State, a 4-2 winner over Denver, in the championship Saturday at 7:30.

As has been the case throughout what is now a seven-game winning streak, UMD's big guns were, well, big. Dominic Toninato scored the first and last goals, Alex Iafallo and Adam Johnson each had two points, and Willie Raskob picked up two assists.

Toninato's first goal came on a "How did he do that?" shot, top shelf from basically the extended goal line to the left of UND's goalie Cam Johnson. Raskob forced a turnover to hold the puck in the zone at the left point to set up Toninato's chance. Iafallo gave UMD the lead less than four minutes later off a great sequence of passes, Adam Johnson to Raskob to Iafallo at the goalcrease.

The UMD power play wasn't a big hit on Friday, going scoreless in four chances, including a 1:18 five on three in the second period shortly after the Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead. UMD had four shots in the two-man advantage, then hit a pipe after UND got a guy back on the ice.

Both teams traded quality offensive zone time, but UMD turned a good shift into a third goal at the 12:24 mark, when Austin Farley tipped a Willie Corrin shot and tucked it behind the crossbar. North Dakota grinded out a very good shift of its own a little while later, with Troy Stecher cutting the UMD lead to one with five minutes remaining in the period.

Defensively, UMD played a very strong third period, holding UND to 18 shot attempts (eight blocked) and five shots on goal. Kasimir Kaskisuo was up to the task, stopping all five and 22 of 24 on the afternoon/evening. Toninato got the UMD insurance goal with 5:58 left when he blasted home a shot from the slot after an errant centering pass became available and no one picked him up.

For UMD, it was a form of justice. After losing four times in four meetings and scoring only two goals on 139 shots on Cam Johnson, UMD made its 26 shots count on Friday, netting four goals and finally cracking one of the nation's best goaltenders. UMD played well enough to win probably three of the five meetings, but will settle for this very significant victory.

Some notes from the season-long Excel spreadsheet:

--> For the first time this season, UMD has been outshot at even strength in consecutive games (12-8 by Miami, 22-21 by UND). The Bulldogs are now 4-3 this year when outshot at even strength, including wins in three straight games where it's happened.

--> Tony Cameranesi (1-7-8) has points in a season-high seven straight games.

--> Going back to Jan. 30, Alex Iafallo is 5-8-13 in the last 13 games.

--> Would anyone be surprised if I said Karson Kuhlman was the only UMD player with at least one shot on goal in every game so far (four on Friday)?

--> Defenseman Willie Corrin is 1-3-4 in the last four games.

--> Friday the first two-point game in the career of freshman forward Adam Johnson. Won't be the last.

******

What does it mean? Well, I waited to file this until all of Friday's game were over. And the results didn't go enough in UMD's favor.

Because of Northeastern's win over Boston College in the Hockey East semifinals Friday night, the Bulldogs should bank on winning the NCHC title to punch their ticket. If Northeastern and Minnesota win their respective conference titles, there will be no at-large bid available for the Bulldogs to grab should they not beat St. Cloud State.

If Michigan beats the Gophers or UMass-Lowell beats Northeastern, UMD is in, I believe, regardless of its result against St. Cloud State. But the Big Ten final starts at 7pm, so unless the Hockey East game (6pm start) goes UMD's way, we'll be deep into the SCSU game before we know anything meaningful.

#JustWinBaby

Game 37: UMD vs North Dakota (NCHC Frozen Faceoff Semifinal)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Sorry I'm late. Maybe I'll tell the story later.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Welinski - Pionk
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Deery

UND
Cagguila - Schmaltz - Boeser
Gardner - Johnson (Luke) - Poganski
Chyzyk - Simonson - Janatuinen
Gersich - Sanderson - Wilkie

Poolman - LaDue
Ausmus - Stecher
Shaw - Thompson

Johnson (Cam) - Hrynkiw - Tomek

Monday Musings: Bulldogs Extend Season With Sixth Straight Win

We talked Saturday about the importance of the first goal in Game 2 against Miami. Usually, it's something we gloss over, because it's always important but we don't want anyone to think the first goal means the game is over.

36 seconds into the game, Miami was handed a great chance to pick up that first goal. It could have meant life for a team stunned after allowing three third-period goals to fall 5-4 on Friday. Karson Kuhlman, who is among other things one of UMD's best penalty killers, took a penalty himself for kneeing.

But instead of the RedHawks striking first, it was UMD getting a short-handed goal to liven up the building and send Miami reeling. Kyle Osterberg won a puck battle on the left-wing boards and was off to the races, beating goalie Jay Williams five-hole for a 1-0 lead only 91 seconds into the game.

Miami never really got its footing back, as UMD used two more special teams goals to build a lead and win 3-1 to advance in the NCHC playoffs for the first time. The Bulldogs head to Target Center, and we'll talk more about that coming up.

Saturday was definitely one of those weird games you see over the course of a 36-game season. UMD got the early lead and then really did a good job defensively, keeping Miami at bay and keeping the RedHawks from sustaining pressure in the offensive zone. Once Osterberg scored and Welinski added to the lead, it was more about protecting the UMD net than it was about attacking the Miami goal.

In fact, after averaging 27.8 even-strength shots on goal through 35 games, UMD posted all of eight on Saturday.

Eight. In 60 minutes of hockey.

UMD had 19 total shots, eight on the power play and three short-handed. The Bulldogs, frankly, didn't need to risk giving up possessions by throwing pucks toward Williams like mad men. They had a 2-0 lead through one, and it became 3-0 on Tony Cameranesi's shortie in the second period. That was plenty good enough.

It led to one of the stranger games of the season, with Miami unable to penetrate UMD's defense and goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo, and UMD unwilling to take unnecessary chances offensively that could let Miami get some life back in its game.

In a season where the power play struggled mightily at times, the Bulldogs started the playoffs hot. Facing the No. 2 penalty kill in college hockey, UMD scored three power play goals in 11 chances on the weekend (27 percent) against a kill that was clicking at over 92 percent entering the weekend. UMD is the only team to hit Miami for more than one power play goal in a game (two on Friday), and that number could have been three. Adam Johnson's third-period goal Friday that cut Miami's lead to 4-3 came with Miami forward Kevin Morris standing at the door of his team's penalty box. His minor penalty had just expired, the door was opened, but he didn't even get to step out of the box until after Johnson wired a shot by Williams. It's an even-strength goal officially, but you get my point.

Kaskisuo looked a little off Friday, especially in the first 40 minutes. He made a massive stop on an Anthony Louis short-handed break right before that Johnson goal, and he was back to his sharp self in limited duty on Saturday. Miami didn't throw much at him, and didn't score until UMD got a bit greedy and got burned on a late two-on-one rush. Kaskisuo did make a great save on a three-on-two in the first period, but his read to come out hard and challenge defenseman Matthew Caito was probably better than the actual save was. He saw that the other two players were covered and charged after the player who wasn't.

******

The NCHC Frozen Faceoff is next for UMD. The Bulldogs face top-seeded North Dakota Friday at 4pm (Denver vs St. Cloud State at 7:30). The league has North Dakota in the early game as a means of "protecting the top seed," as commissioner Josh Fenton noted in a statement Monday morning.

“After considering many factors, including the student-athletes, the fans and television, the conference has decided to place an emphasis on bracket integrity with the announcement of game times for Friday’s semifinals. Being the top seed in this year’s tournament, North Dakota expressed their desire to play in the first semifinal on March 18. Our membership has indicated it is important to protect the top seed, which was earned throughout the regular season. I expect our membership to have further discussion on this topic in the future.“

I believe in protecting the top seed, so for competitive reasons, this schedule makes a ton of sense. Unfortunately for the league, it will hurt the conference at the box office, especially on Friday. The teams playing early Friday will have about three hours more of rest heading into their Saturday games. Especially for the team that loses Friday, this is an advantage with the third-place game scheduled for 3:30pm.

I do think the league has to talk about this arrangement. CBS can't be at all pleased about the biggest draw in the tournament playing in the early game. And while I appreciate the fact the NCHC isn't being run by television interests, having UND in the early game is also going to do some damage to ticket sales. Let's hope it isn't significant damage.

As for the game, well, UMD is 0-4 against North Dakota this season, with two goals scored on 139 total shots against UND goalie Cam Johnson. If the Bulldogs can't break that hex, nothing else will matter.

But even if UMD gets a few by Johnson, it will have to again deal with that dangerous CBS line (Brock Boeser appears to be elevating his game, by the way) and the improved balance across UND's lines. The Bulldogs did a great job defensively at The Ralph, and it will need more of that Friday.

For those wondering about PairWise, UMD is 13th, and you can see in this graph what the probable final rankings are for UMD depending on this weekend's results. Long answer: There are ways UMD can make the NCAA Tournament without winning a game this weekend. One win makes it likely that UMD will qualify, but it is far from guaranteed. Two wins could be enough to lift the Bulldogs off the fourth seed line and into one of the top 12 positions.

Short answer: #JustWinBaby.

Monday Musings on a Tuesday: Bad Things Keep Happening

Very similar to the Saturday puppy blog, I just don't know what to say to you guys. So this will be quick.

I mean, UMD, by my admittedly biased but hopefully not totally inaccurate estimation, played four good to very good/great games against a great North Dakota team. UMD controlled the majority of the four games, including dictating pace this past weekend in a tough place to play.

Two goals on 139 shots, one power-play goal in 16 chances, and more importantly, zero NCHC standings points.

Zero. As in "none," "not any," or maybe "not even one damn point."

Looks so bad, no matter what the product looked like.

UMD played strong defensively (the Brock Boeser winning goal late Saturday was really the only significant mistake UMD made in its own zone all weekend) and had the puck a lot, especially Friday.

Nothing to show for it.

Plainly, it (bleeping) sucks.

******

Two things from the Twitter crowd.

--> Lots of frustration, which is understandable. I'm not going to directly address the "fire the coach" mob, despite them being convinced they have a good case built around what the Wild have done since Mike Yeo was let go. This coach shouldn't be fired. No one has quit on Scott Sandelin, and changing coaches isn't going to magically cure the run of terrible luck this team has endured.

(Find me a team that's hit more goalposts and broken more sticks to ruin offensive zone possessions than UMD has this season. It's uncanny. You see a defenseman find a soft spot in the circle, someone passes it to his wheelhouse, he winds, and his stick explodes.)

--> People want to know what UMD (25th in the PWR) has to do to get back in at-large consideration. I don't pretend to be a math expert, but I'd say at this point it starts with sweeping St. Cloud, which would also give UMD the season series against a really good team. That can't hurt, though I admit to being clueless about how much it would actually help.

--> Lastly, people want to know if this team can get hot. I believe in this team until there are no more games to call. I'm not giving up and I know the team isn't. There are games to play, so hell yes this team can get hot. I freely admit they're running out of time, but it can happen, and the talent is there. Just ask, well, any coach or scout involved in this league.

******

The not-terribly-smart hit by UND defenseman Troy Stecher on UMD senior Tony Cameranesi at 20:00 of the third period Saturday night drew him a one-game suspension from the league.

Troy Stecher's hit on Tony Cameranesi - no replay from UND broadcast, made my own https://t.co/6LL7dGicFL

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) February 21, 2016

I hated the hit, and I'm glad the league acted. It was pretty cheap, in my estimation, and it came when the game was basically over. There was no "within the context of the game" moment. It was a hit Stecher didn't need to throw, and I'm sure he knows this without some radio hack in Duluth scolding him in a blog.

Stecher's a good player and a trusted leader on his team. He's a better player than he showed on that hit. UND will miss him in Omaha Friday night, and it will welcome him back with open arms on Saturday.

******

From the frying pan to the fire.

UMD heads to St. Cloud State this weekend with one more chance to play spoiler in the league title race. SCSU and UND are tied at 47 points, six points up on Denver, which closes with Western Michigan and Omaha. SCSU finishes with us and then Colorado College, while UND gets Omaha and Western Michigan.

In case you still care about who wins the league.

UMD is tied for fourth with Omaha and Miami. Omaha has the tiebreaker at the moment. Here are the remaining schedules.

Omaha: vs North Dakota, at Denver
UMD: at St. Cloud State, vs Miami
Miami: vs Colorado College, at UMD

And that's it for a brief update. Enjoy the high school hockey section finals this week, and hey the Wild are playing hockey again, so there's that, too. Talk from St. Cloud.

Game 30: UMD at North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- It's not often that I'm genuinely curious how a UMD team is going to respond to something. This is one of those situations.

After Friday's controversial (read: awful) penalty shot call that led to Austin Poganski's overtime winner and a 2-1 North Dakota victory over UMD, I absolutely want to see how the Bulldogs come out in this game.

So much has gone the way of the adversaries this season. UMD hit two more goalposts in Friday's game, outshot another opponent at even strength (25 times in 29 games, including all three against UND), had a lead for a good chunk of the game and never trailed until the winner was scored, and yet gets nothing to show for it but another addition to the "L" column and a drop to 26th (from 23rd starting the night) in the PairWise.

But this is probably the first time that UMD's players can point to a circumstance -- an officiating decision that even a lot of UND press box staff and media were taken aback by -- almost completely out of anyone's control. Could Carson Soucy have made a better defensive play by keeping his feet moving? Maybe, but we'll never know. He did what he felt he had to do to prevent Poganski from cutting to the front of the net by himself, likely never in his wildest dreams thinking it would lead to a penalty shot.

(By the way, as I just told esteemed UND radio voice Tim Hennessy: If that's established as the penalty shot standard and called such consistently, I have zero issues. But I've seen probably a half dozen instances this season -- both for and against UMD -- where guys have had clear breakaways and been fouled from behind with only a minor called. Based on that loose standard, there's no way the Soucy call from Friday comes close. It's undoubtedly a penalty, but that should never be called a penalty shot with how we've defined that in today's game.)

Anyway, the 18 skaters and goalies have to move on. Friday's game was chippy and got quite emotional late. I would expect that with the way it ended and the desperation the visitors have to be feeling at this point, this game might go off the rails in a hurry. Buckle up.

(One lineup change for UMD. Senior forward Austyn Young is out with what is believed to be an upper-body injury. Watch Twitter for updates, as I'll talk to Scott Sandelin in about a half hour.)

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Kuhlman
Osterberg - Thomas - Cameranesi
Johnson - Decowski - Mackay
Young (Blake) - Spurrell - Sampair

Welinski - Pionk
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely

UND
Caggiula - Schmaltz - Boeser
Janatuinen - Johnson (Luke) - Wilkie
Gersich - Simonson - Poganski
Sanderson - Gardner - Olson

Poolman - LaDue
Ausmus - Stecher
Wolanin - Thompson

Johnson (Cam) - Hrynkiw - Tomek

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Suffer Stomach Punch OT Loss to North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Screw it.

I don't want to write it. You don't want to read it.

So just watch this video and let's call it even, mmmK?

Game 29: UMD at North Dakota

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- From the arena that puts everyone else in college hockey to shame, it's go time for the UMD Bulldogs.

At 11-12-5 and 23rd in the PairWise rankings entering the weekend, hope is not lost. A middling non-conference record and three losses to the one-bid WCHA (including two to mid-pack WCHA team Bemidji State) somehow hasn't sunk UMD's at-large hopes.

But the ship is taking on water.

UMD probably needs three wins the next two weekends to continue any hope of that at-large bid. Did I mention UMD is at North Dakota this weekend and St. Cloud State next weekend? Yeah, there's that.

If the Bulldogs can survive the next two weekends with a winning record, then sweep Miami at home March 4-5, it's entirely possible the Bulldogs won't have to win the NCHC Tournament to get in the NCAAs.

Playing a tough schedule has its benefits, I guess.

As for this weekend, it's obviously a tough task. This is a team that UMD has traditionally struggled against, and it's a building UMD has traditionally struggled in. I have UMD at 5-15-3 all-time at the new Ralph Engelstad Arena, which opened for the 2001-02 season.

Silver lining: UMD is 3-3-1 in the last seven games here, and has played quite well even in a few of the games that were lost. There used to be something about this team playing in this building, but the Bulldogs have shown in recent years they're more than capable of winning here.

Good, because now they probably have to, even if the coaches are trying to remove the pressure and preach a "just relax and play" message. In and of itself, that's not wrong.

"The pressure's on them," UMD coach Scott Sandelin said this week. I don't disagree. UND was swept in a road series for the first time since 2011 last weekend, losing twice in Denver. Rookie head coach Brad Berry -- a former teammate of Sandelin's at UND -- liked most of what he saw, but he wasn't thrilled with his team's defensive play.

I would expect that to be a priority for the -- um, er -- Fighting Hawks this weekend. It remains to be seen whether that affects a transition game for UND that is positively lethal, as dangerous as any in college hockey. UND scored three transition goals in the Friday game in Duluth, winning 3-0. It scored two power-play goals in the Saturday game before adding a late empty-netter.

Last weekend, that transition game was vital to the North Dakota offense yet again, but UND was way too sloppy in its own zone to secure a win in either game.

Limiting North Dakota in transition is a big point of emphasis on the weekend. Of course, it was last time, too, and we all saw how that went.

If UMD doesn't solve Cam Johnson, who allowed zero goals in that December series despite facing 78 UMD shots. Sandelin talked Wednesday about seeing some weaknesses in Johnson's game during that Denver series, but he obviously isn't going to identify them publicly, and exploiting them is another matter completely.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Welinski - Pionk
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely

UND
Caggiula - Schmaltz - Boeser
Janatuinen - Johnson (Luke) - Wilkie
Gersich - Simonson - Poganski
Sanderson - Gardner - Olson

Poolman - LaDue
Ausmus - Stecher
Shaw - Thompson

Johnson (Cam) - Hrynkiw - Tomek

(UND lists freshman defenseman Christian Wolanin as an extra skater for warmup. I'll update on Twitter if he is inserted into the lineup for someone.

Monday Musings: Bulldogs Stumble Into Break

I was calling games in 2007-2008, a season I have (somewhat playfully) dubbed "The Year of No Goals." Over 36 games that season, UMD scored 74 goals. The leading point scorer was then-junior MacGregor Sharp, who had seven goals and 17 points. No one had more than five goals in UMD's 28-game WCHA season, in which the Bulldogs scored all of 55 goals. The Bulldogs were shut out six times, including three straight home games in February and March.

On Feb. 22 and 23, Colorado College goalie Richard Bachman blanked the Bulldogs in 3-0 and 4-0 CC wins. UMD ended up not scoring for over 230 minutes, almost four full games.

Simply put, it was the most frustrating season I've been a part of. Great people to be around, but nothing went well enough on the ice. Hell, Alex Stalock was amazing, and had little to no chance most nights because the team simply couldn't score.

This past weekend reminded me of that season.

Credit, first, where it's due. Cam Johnson played great both nights for North Dakota. He had luck on his side more than a couple times, but largely he did a great job making himself big, tracking pucks, and smothering shots to prevent good rebound chances.

That doesn't mean UMD did everything it could have done to score. The Bulldogs didn't get the net enough, especially on Saturday. While there was plenty of contact around Johnson, his rhythm wasn't disrupted enough for the Bulldogs to find success and get some pucks home.

UMD gave North Dakota fits all weekend. The Bulldogs were a beast on the forecheck, and their speed through the neutral zone was something to behold. But UND did a great job in a lot of areas. Outside of a short-handed breakaway by Kyle Osterberg in Friday's game, the Bulldogs didn't generate many odd-man rushes. That's a credit to UND's ability to get back defensively. It goes back to something Denver coach Jim Montgomery said last week. UND's best players are playing 200-foot hockey, and all their guys are following suit. Hard to beat a team when everyone is that committed.

North Dakota's transition game, which is elite, killed UMD on Friday. North Dakota's power play struck midway through Saturday's game after a game-changing boarding major (and game misconduct) to UMD captain Andy Welinski. I still disagree with the call, but the reality is UMD had to find a way to kill that off, and that didn't happen. UND struck twice in 31 seconds late in the power play, and that was all the offense Johnson needed.

******

I don't rip individual players for performance-based reasons, as a general rule. These are amateur athletes and college students, and you might not like the performances, but the effort is usually there. Execution and precision aren't always, and you can bet North Dakota wasn't exactly pleased with its play on the weekend. UND was beaten to a lot of pucks and didn't generate any consistent offense at even strength (outshot a staggering 66-27 on the weekend at even strength). But you can't question either team's effort.

And preseason polls don't matter. They take into account what's happened in the past and returning players, not the relative talent of the teams in the here and now. Because we don't know the relative talent of the teams until they've played.

That said, I have coach after coach telling me how strong this UMD team is. How fast the Bulldogs are. How improved they are defensively. How well their respective team will have to play to beat UMD. I was around in 2007-2008. Dave Hakstol didn't tell me in 2008 how his then-Fighting Sioux would have to play their best hockey to even have a chance against a team that hadn't scored in two games and averaged fewer than two goals per game overall. Brad Berry told me that last week about this year's team.

Yeah, coachspeak has evolved, but Berry didn't need to say that if there wasn't a shred of truth to it.

My point? This team is 7-7-3 at the halfway mark of the season and, while there have been some very good performances in there, combined with what I believe to be an inordinate amount of bad luck, 7-7-3 isn't good enough.

Forget about winning a conference title that means very little big-picture. Look at the big picture. A .500 record, even against this tough a schedule, won't get a team into the NCAA Tournament. If the ultimate goal is to finish the business that went unfinished after BU got that late power play last March, this isn't a way to give yourself a chance.

As I've said in the past, there comes a point in the season where you are what you are. I don't know what that point is, but right now UMD is a .500 team that struggles to win games despite very good goaltending and vastly improved defensive play.

UMD did a lot of good things against a very good -- best I've seen this season -- North Dakota squad. What the Bulldogs didn't do was score, and that's a problem.

******

What will UMD look at during its two-week break? Well, there are a couple changes that we could see to the lines, nothing of significance. My opinion only, but I wouldn't mind seeing centers Cal Decowski and Jared Thomas swap lines. Thomas hasn't scored since Oct. 17, a span of 14 games. Decowski hasn't scored all year, but his line has been productive, and he's shown he can play well with virtually any linemates. He's had time on this line -- with Kyle Osterberg and Austyn Young -- before. And Thomas, a little better offensive player, might give that fourth line another shot in the arm. You aren't losing much in the faceoff circle by making this move, by the way. Both guys are just under .500 for the year.

The power play has improved, but UMD has one group -- led by Tony Cameranesi -- that appears to be playing ahead of the other, which is headed by Dominic Toninato. That Toninato grouping has only combined for 38 points total this season, led by Welinski with ten. If their power play production were better, the overall numbers wouldn't be like they are. I don't know what personnel changes could help the power play, but I wouldn't be shocked if we saw some out of the holidays.

I also think UMD needs to improve its commitment to getting to the front of the net. Too many times on Saturday, players were standing to the side trying to get a stick in the shooting lane and tip pucks. Watch the good net-front guys in this sport, and you don't see them standing off to the side. It's a small thing, but when you have the kinds of struggles we're seeing UMD experience, it could be a huge factor moving into the second half.

The good news is that this team isn't far off. They're close. I'm convinced of it. But this team isn't there yet, and there is a lot of work to be done to get there. Undoubtedly, the coaches will spend time on self-scouting this week, and they'll basically have two weeks out of the break before they play a game that counts, thanks to the Jan. 2 exhibition.

******

That's it for me, barring news that we need to get out there (unlikely). I hope you all have a great Christmas holiday season and a joyous New Year. Be safe and let's all hope for some snow up here to make things a little more white.

UMD plays the Under 18 Team Jan. 2, and is at Miami the following weekend. I'll talk to y'all again before the U18 game.

Game 17: North Dakota at UMD

Boy, I hope you're already here. If not, you might want to rethink whatever your plans were to get down here for the series (and UMD's first half) finale. Traffic is already hideous. Best wishes to you.

Disappointing result for UMD on Friday night. But outside of getting the little black disc behind UND goalie Cam Johnson, what more can you ask them to do?

For starters, I'd say the defense has to tighten up. All three UND goals were transition plays where someone got caught too far up the rink or someone didn't cover a man in the defensive zone. It shows the high-end skill North Dakota possesses, and that's tough to deal with under any conditions. But it also shows how strong UMD was for the vast majority of this game.

I do think the work around the net in the offensive zone could be better. That's not to say someone should plow Cam Johnson over or anything like that. Instead, actually not being as tight to the netfront can sometimes be a good thing. It isn't always good to be up against the top of the crease, because it limits your ability to get to rebounds. Johnson wasn't giving up many, but UMD has to find a way to create some if it isn't going to beat the goalie on the first shot.

Clearly, however, the UMD coaches weren't that displeased with what they saw. The lack of changes on the line chart you're about to read would at least reflect that idea.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Corrin - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
McCormack - Pionk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Deery

UND
Caggiula - Schmaltz - Boeser
Janatuinen - Johnson (Luke) - Wilkie
Chyzyk - Simonson - Poganski
Gersich - Gardner - Olson

Ausmus - Stecher
Thompson - LaDue
Wolanin - Poolman

Johnson (Cam) - Hrynkiw 

Game 16: North Dakota at UMD

The showdown is on. Hopefully you can all beat the traffic.

We'll see if UMD can slay another dragon, so to speak. The Bulldogs were 1-4-1 all-time at Amsoil Arena against Western Michigan before outscoring the Broncos 13-2 in last weekend's two-game sweep here.

North Dakota is 4-1 all-time in this building, including a 5-0 win in the Amsoil Arena opener in 2010, and a 6-2 win in the last game between the teams here, played in 2014. Overall, North Dakota has outscored UMD in this building 21-8.

I don't have to tell you how significant this is in terms of the league standings. The Bulldogs simply can't afford to fall much farther behind UND and St. Cloud State, the top two teams in the conference at this juncture.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Corrin - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Molenaar

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Deery

UND
Caggiula - Schmaltz - Boeser
Janatuinen - Johnson (Luke) - Wilkie
Chyzyk - Simonson - Poganski
Gersich - Gardner - Olson

Ausmus - Stecher
Thompson - LaDue
Shaw - Poolman

Johnson (Cam) - Hrynkiw

Showdown With UND Looms for Bulldogs

The UMD Bulldogs have one series left before holiday break. One more chance to get points and move up in the NCHC standings before a two-week pause.

At this point in the season, potential distractions are plentiful. Final exams, travel home for the holidays, the break itself, etc. But with a marquee series ahead, neither team is hearing anything about that stuff.

"Our focus is not going to be lacking this weekend," UMD senior defenseman Willie Corrin said this week. "I think guys' mindsets are here."

"We know how good they are," said first-year North Dakota coach Brad Berry. "The other part is the rivalry side. Duluth has always brought out the best. It has all the makings of that. We have to make sure our young guys know the rivalry and how intense it gets."

Yeah, both teams will be ready to play.

This weekend's series should bring loud, sold-out crowds both nights, with plenty of UND fans infiltrating Amsoil Arena. It's the kind of home atmosphere UMD has thrived in recently. Fill the building and jazz things up a bit, as they'll be this weekend, and the home team tends to play pretty well.

It'll take everything UMD has. Not only is history not on the Bulldogs' side, but this UND team is very, very good. More on that in a bit.

First, the negative. North Dakota has been successful at Amsoil Arena -- literally -- since it opened its doors. UND won the opening game in the building 5-0 on New Year's Eve of 2010. Overall, North Dakota is 4-1 at Amsoil Arena, with the four wins coming by a combined score of 17-3. The last trip to Duluth was in the 2013-14 season, and North Dakota won 3-0 and 6-2. The Saturday loss was particularly galling, as UND put 22 shots on goal in the first period, 36 over the first 40 minutes. North Dakota is 11-4-1 in the last 16 games against UMD, but the Bulldogs did split in Grand Forks in the teams' only get-together last season.

"They're in our way," Corrin said of North Dakota's position in the NCHC standings.

It's been an interesting season so far in Grand Forks. Despite the shocking resignation of Dave Hakstol last spring (he took the coaching job with the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers), UND was positioned to make a run in the NCHC behind first-year coach Brad Berry, who is no stranger to the culture of North Dakota hockey.

"I was very honored and humbled to be a head coach here," Berry said. "Dave had a lot of success because he did things the right way. He wanted to have a chance to try to do it at the next level. The biggest thing for me is to remain consistent to what we are here at North Dakota.

"He (Hakstol) is a very humble and hard-working guy. The blocks to our program were laid by Gino Gasparini in the 1980s, and Dean Blais in the 90s and 2000s and Coach Hakstol. I want to try to emulate (them) and try to keep the bar up where they've raised it."

Highly-touted freshman goalie Matej Tomek was injured in the offseason and still hasn't played a second for UND. Sophomore Cam Johnson -- who played sparingly last year as UND rode Zane McIntyre to the NCAA Frozen Four -- started the first three games, but was injured in the third game (at Bemidji State), forcing UND to turn to junior and former walk-on Matt Hrynkiw. All he did was go 9-2-1 in goal while Johnson was out.

"He's a 4.0 student, an engineering major," Berry said. "He's a guy that's detailed, hard-working. Came in here as a walk-on. He bought in to what we were doing here. He waited his time, not getting anything as far as permanent promises. He remained constant and steady."

Now Johnson's back, and he's allowed three goals in four starts since his return, including Saturday's 4-0 shutout of Denver. Johnson has a .934 save percentage and will start at least on Friday night.

Despite using a junior and former walk-on who was never promised a second of playing time in college hockey, North Dakota is 14-2-2 and high atop the NCHC at 7-1 so far in league play. UND's lead is three points on St. Cloud State and seven on third-place UMD. The Bulldogs have surged from a tie for seventh to sole possession of third by getting 14 of a possible 15 points in their last five conference games.

******

Last weekend, North Dakota throttled Denver 5-1 and 4-0. Well, "throttled" isn't exactly accurate with the Friday game, which didn't look the part of a 5-1 game as I watched it back. I thought it was a much more even game in terms of puck possession and chances, but UND took advantage of some transition opportunities and got a power play goal.

Now, that is an appropo term for the Saturday result. About halfway through the first period, shots were 4-3 North Dakota. At the end of the first period, shots were 19-3 North Dakota. They ended up 37-18 in favor of UND.

We know how good Denver is, and this was a jarring weekend result. Even when you look at Friday's game as a competitive affair that got out of hand on the scoreboard, it's hard to imagine someone putting the boots to the Pioneers like this in back-to-back games.

UMD coach Scott Sandelin told me this week he felt after watching the games back that it was more a case of North Dakota's level of play than anything Denver did wrong. UND was smothering, especially on Saturday. The Pioneers just couldn't sustain pressure and generate quality chances.

"I couldn't tell if Denver was just off that weekend of if they (UND) were that good," Sandelin said Wednesday, "but it looked like they were that good, so that's what we're preparing for."
Having watched those games back, I do think Sandelin is right. UND is a very, very good team that it will take a great effort to beat.

Sandelin thinks "we're going to need our best 120 minutes of the season" this weekend. That's accurate.

But there are ways. UMD needs to establish its strong forecheck, which won't be easy but can be accomplished by smart puck management and by the Bulldogs moving their feet and playing with high energy and intensity.

Keeping out of the box is huge, too. UND's power play is middling right now in terms of goals and chances, but it's going to get hot. There's too much talent for it not to.

******

Oh, and UMD has to deal with the "CBS" line this weekend. Senior Drake Caggiula, sophomore Nick Schmaltz, and freshman Brock Boeser make up what is probably the most dynamic line in college hockey right now. Berry knows he can deploy the three in any situation and he can use them for 20ish minutes a game, if not a little more if conditions warrant.

The three have combined for an obscene 27 goals and 68 points, and they're a combined plus-75. Even if you think the plus-minus stat is overused and overrated (I do), that's a stupid-good number that shows how explosive and responsible the three are.

With the three of them capable of heavy minutes, UMD might not go with a straight-up match against them. As home team, UMD gets the last change and choice of matchup, and I would expect most of the time the Bulldogs use Dominic Toninato's line against that top UND line. But I also wouldn't be surprised if Tony Cameranesi, vastly improved on faceoffs since his return from injury, took some draws against that line, especially in the offensive zone.

Of course, once you've shut down the CBS line, you still have to stop UND's other lines, keyed by guys like Bryn Chyzyk, Luke Johnson, and Austin Poganski, and their dynamic blue line. Paul LaDue, Troy Stecher, Keaton Thompson, and Tucker Poolman can make plays from the back and are capable of wreaking havoc on adversaries by jumping into soft spots in defensive coverage.

"They have 14 wins for a reason right now," Sandelin said. "They're a team that's got a tremendous first line. They've got pretty good depth through the rest of their lines. Their D-corps is probably, top to bottom, the best in the league." 

That's not to say UND is unbeatable. I think UMD has more depth up front, and goaltending is a push. It could come down to the play of each team's defensemen. If it does, I'll take my chances.

******

For the last time, a reminder. Both games start at 7, and if you want to have a chance to see the opening faceoff either night, you'd best arrive early. There is a lot going on in the DECC complex and surrounding area, and if Saturday's headaches before the Western Michigan game are any indication, it will be tough sledding to get anywhere down there between 6pm and 7pm both nights. Plan accordingly, carpool, arrive early, whatever you need to do. We don't want to see people not able to get in before the start of the game.

Also, please consider bringing an new, unwrapped toy for the annual toy drive Saturday night.