Monday Musings: UMD Tramples Omaha for Five-Point Weekend

UMD coach Scott Sandelin made it abundantly clear before Saturday's game that a repeat of Friday -- a 2-2 tie and shootout win against Omaha -- wouldn't be good enough.

In lauding his captain, Dominic Toninato, for a strong game Friday, he also took time to express disappointment in other players.

"You talk about playing the game the right way, you get rewarded, and Dom got rewarded," Sandelin said. "We didn't have as many (players) as we needed (Friday night). There are some guys who need to get going. We had some passengers, and that's not a good thing. We need everyone pulling on the same chain. It's a little frustrating to see that out of some guys that we count on."

Sandelin wanted a better, more composed performance out of his entire group. He got what he wanted.

UMD used two quick power play goals in the second period to open up a lead, and the top-ranked Bulldogs cruised past Omaha 5-0 Saturday night in front of a standing room only crowd at Amsoil Arena.

After Omaha had three power plays come up empty in the first 22 minutes of the game, the Mavericks finally took their first penalties about five minutes later. The first lasted just 15 seconds before Toninato basically centered a pass to Alex Iafallo off the pad of Omaha goalie Evan Weninger. Iafallo had an open net to shoot at for a 2-0 lead. 1:35 later, Joey Anderson tipped an Adam Johnson center point shot for a 3-0 lead. That goal came 11 seconds into a power play, so the Bulldogs had two power play goals in all of 26 seconds of man advantage time. #Efficiency

Leading 3-0 into the third, there were a couple chances for the Mavericks to get back in the game. Kyle Osterberg took a tripping penalty while trying to deliver a hip check along the boards during an Omaha rush. The Mavericks got pressure on that power play, with three shots on goal, but Hunter Miska held his ground well in net. Shortly after that, Teemu Pulkkinen had a golden chance with Miska down and out in the crease, but the freshman goalie was able to get a glove on the shot for a save you'll probably see in the NCHC weekly highlight package when it comes out Tuesday.

UMD put the game out of reach at 12:50 of the third when Avery Peterson tipped a Brenden Kotyk point shot by Weninger to make it 4-0. Neal Pionk got open on the back door and took a perfect shot-pass from Iafallo at 17:31 to cap the scoring, and UMD finished off Miska's fifth shutout of the season. That ties the school single-season record held by Brant Nicklin (currently UMD's volunteer goalie coach), Alex Stalock, and Kasimir Kaskisuo.

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Besides Miska, lots of stellar performances to talk about from Saturday.

Toninato was a beast both nights. I still believe Anderson will eventually return to that line, maybe that happens when Parker Mackay returns from his upper-body injury. But Johnson was very good on Saturday after a bit of a so-so Friday.

(Mackay skated last week and will presumably be able to continue doing that during the bye week. Sandelin was vague last week about a prognosis, but one has to think the Colorado College series isn't out of the question for Mackay. Based on the four-to-six week timeline that was mentioned when he went down, CC is at least a small possibility. Whenever he returns, expect another line shuffle. Maybe Johnson moves back to center, but certainly there will be moving parts.)

I thought this was one of Willie Raskob's better games of the year. Moved the puck well, was involved defensively, and Carson Soucy was a beast all weekend. Outside of a couple flubs with the puck from Nick Wolff early in the game, the defensemen were really good on this night.

Also, the fourth line of Sammy Spurrell, Billy Exell, and Blake Young -- who played for the first time in 11 games -- was on point. Spurrell was ejected in the second period for facemasking, but before that the trio turned in a strong performance. Spurrell won five of seven draws, Young was physical, and Exell used his speed to create a couple scoring chances.

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Up next is a vast nothingness. UMD takes a week off before the trip to Colorado Springs Feb. 17-18. Just a shot in the dark, but I'll guess the team doesn't need any kind of reminder of what happened when Colorado College was in Duluth Jan. 6-7. That two-point weekend serves as the only serious blip in what's been a stellar season to date, and it leaves UMD still with precious little margin for error in the NCHC championship race.

The Bulldogs head into break with a five-point lead on Denver for first place, however the Pioneers face the Tigers this weekend for a home and home having won ten straight meetings against CC.

Both those teams were off last week, but when we last saw CC, Tigers goalie Alex Leclerc, who stymied UMD over two games in Duluth, was doing the same thing to defending national champion North Dakota. Over a two-game split at the Broadmoor World Arena, Leclerc stopped 83 of 88 shots -- including a 45-save shutout in the Saturday game. 

So not much has changed with Colorado College. The Tigers are playing enough defense in front of a talented young goalie whose confidence has to be sky-high at this point. Should be interesting to see if they can reverse their fortunes against the rival Pioneers this weekend.

As far as the blog, nothing new here until probably next Monday, barring news. Last bye of the season, so R-E-L-A-X, enjoy having the No. 1 team in the land, and we'll reconvene next week.

Game 28: Omaha at UMD

Might as well empty the proverbial gas tank in this one. After closing out this two-game series against the Omaha Mavericks, UMD will take its final break of the season before embarking on what it hopes is a long run that ends at the Madhouse on Madison.

The top-ranked Bulldogs had to settle for a 2-2 tie in Friday's series opener after Ian Brady found a puck in the left circle and beat Hunter Miska -- who had been in a collision with teammate Dan Molenaar and lost his stick seconds earlier -- five-hole. Alex Iafallo got UMD a second point in the NCHC standings with a shootout goal. But as discussed on the previous blog, UMD really can ill afford to miss out on more points in this weekend set. Denver is idle and returns against Colorado College next weekend, the last place team in the league and one DU has beaten in ten straight meetings.

To get the full three, a few things to look for improvement on in this game:

• Starts. UMD was sloppy to begin the first and third periods. Omaha was equally sloppy in the first, so that didn't burn the Bulldogs, but Brady's goal came 92 seconds into the third and on a play where UMD was all sorts of out of sorts defensively.
• Better execution in front. The Bulldogs missed on a number of glorious chances Friday, including a partial two-on-zero in overtime where they didn't even get a shot on goal. Even if you're like me and you think this team is one of the best in the country, scoring chances are going to diminish the deeper into the season we go. Games will become tighter, and the ability to take advantage of those more-limited chances will be a gigantic key.
• Tighten up in the defensive zone. Miska made some great saves on Friday, including a how-did-he-do-that number on Teemu Pulkkinen in the final seconds of the second period. That came after Pulkkinen made a move from the left to the middle and got around his defender. Too much of that going on right now. 

That said, we're nitpicking. We're looking at a team that is 17-5-5, No. 1 in the meaningless human polls, No. 1 in the (admittedly meaningless until mid-March) PairWise, No. 1 in other computer rankings (RPI and KRACH), and first place in the NCHC. Let's be on the level here. This team is going to the NCAA Tournament and will be four wins away from a national championship once the tourney gets started March 24 or 25. That'll be the case no matter what happens in the next seven regular-season games or in the NCHC playoffs.

And UMD has earned this place in the college hockey world. The Bulldogs have gotten significant contributions from everyone along the way. They play the game with pace and intensity and have a ton of experience across all four forward lines and three defensive pairings.

I don't mean to try to render upcoming games meaningless, because UMD has areas to improve and still needs to refine its game before March 24 arrives. Just trying to be honest about the big picture. This isn't last season, where the Bulldogs had to scratch and claw to get home ice in the NCHC playoffs and make the NCAA Tournament as the last at-large team in. It's a different kind of year, one that presents different challenges along the way. Now, instead of trying to figure out why a veteran team with good skill and leadership can't score, we're trying to find way to tweak what's being done to make the team even better.

One lineup change for UMD, as junior Blake Young plays for freshman Jade Miller on the fourth line. For Young, it's his first game since Dec. 16 against Bemidji and his 11th of the season.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD

Iafallo - Toninato - Johnson

Osterberg - Thomas - Anderson

Tufte - Peterson - Kuhlman

Young - Spurrell - Exell

Soucy - Raskob

Pionk - Kotyk

Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery - Shepard

UNO

Morelli - Vesel - Ortega
Oloffson - Pulkkinen - Parizek
Keck - Spinner - Galt
Randolph - Alferd - Grannary

Snuggerud - Messner
Jones - Brady
Klehr - Stewart

Weninger - Oldham

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Settle for Series Opening Tie Against Omaha

Relatively quick blog, instead of the 1,500-word masterpiece (😏) you're used to reading from me.

Weird game Friday. UMD and Omaha combined for one whole shot on goal (by Omaha) in the first ten minutes. The first period ended with shots 5-3 UMD, and there was no real great flow to a game we expected to have a lot of pace and intensity to it.

That pace quickened in the second and stayed that way most of the game, and it was a goal by Ian Brady early in the third that gave Omaha a 2-2 tie with the Bulldogs at Amsoil Arena. UMD's Alex Iafallo scored in the shootout to give UMD an extra point in the NCHC standings.

Senior captain Dominic Toninato scored twice in the second period for UMD, his first two home goals of the season. He also missed on a late partial break that could have given UMD the win, but it was good to see Toninato take advantage of a couple great chances in the middle frame. By no means has he struggled this season -- he's probably been UMD's best center from the outset of the season -- but the offense hasn't come like most of us had probably expected.

Lots of good to solid performances on this night. Toninato had two goals and six shots. Iafallo had the shootout goal and four shots in the game. Freshman Joey Anderson had eight shots on goal. Hunter Miska made some spectactular saves among his 23 on the night. Jared Thomas won 11 of 15 faceoffs.

The power play got only the one Toninato goal late in the second on four chances, but it produced 11 shots on goal. UMD's penalty kill, victimized by six power play goals in Omaha, surrendered one in two chances Friday, but its successful kill included a minute of always-dangerous four-on-three time for the Mavericks.

UMD got things cranked up in the third period. Looked like UNO wore down a bit, and the Bulldogs were all over Omaha goalie Evan Weninger, who was rock-solid with 37 saves. UMD outshot the Mavs 14-10 in the third, then 5-0 in standard overtime. They stop counting the stats after that, but shots in the three on three overtime were 5-0, UMD.

The first period was a big box of strange. Never thought we'd get through ten minutes with just one shot for either team, and no one really remembered what that shot looked like. Both teams seemed to struggle handling the puck and advancing it in a way that anyone could make a play.

But once things cranked up in the second, it was just as enjoyable as expected. In the end, UMD was probably the better team, but Weninger and a little luck allowed Omaha to grab a point and tie North Dakota -- a 3-1 loser to St. Cloud State in the other NCHC game Friday -- for fourth place in the conference.

UMD is now two points up on Denver, but the three points available Saturday are absolutely essential. DU plays Colorado College home and home next week while the Bulldogs play against air.

That's about it for now. More before the game Saturday. Also, check out the UMD women as they go for a sweep against North Dakota Saturday afternoon. 3pm start, with $1 tickets available, or you can get in free by bringing a non-perishable food donation to the game. UMD won Friday 2-0 behind goals by Lara Stalder and Sidney Morin, along with 24 saves from sophomore goalie Maddie Rooney.

Game 27: Omaha at UMD

Still getting set up, so will just post the lines.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery - Shepard

UNO
Pope - Vesel - Ortega
Olofsson - Pulkkinen - Parizek
Morelli - Spinner - Galt
Keck - Alferd - Grannary

Snuggerud - Messner
Jones - Brady 
Klehr - Stewart

Weninger - Oldham

(Duluth native Jake Randolph is listed as a game-time decision and will take the pregame warmup. Watch my Twitter @BruceCiskie for an update before faceoff.)

Bulldogs Seek Improved Defensive Play as Omaha Visits; Women Prep for Huge Home Weekend

For UMD, a five-game winning streak does not mean it's time to rest on the proverbial laurels.

If anything, head coach Scott Sandelin is prodding his team for more.

He sees a team that needs to be better at the start of games. He believes the penalty kill might be too reliant on the play of freshman goalie Hunter Miska. Surely, he'd like his team to get to the net more effectively. Like virtually every coach out there, he is in search of more consistency from his group.

This weekend's series against Omaha will test the Bulldogs in a couple of these areas. Primarily, as we saw in Omaha before Thanksgiving, the UMD penalty kill is on notice this week.

The Mavericks' power play has slipped only a bit, from 30 percent when the Bulldogs visited Baxter Arena in November down to around 25 now. It went 1-for-9 against Denver last weekend as the Pioneers swept the two-game series. But it's still dangerous, and UMD will need to account for it after Omaha struck for six (!) power play goals in the November series.

UMD coach Scott Sandelin didn't think his killers did a terrible job in that series. "Just some detail things," he said again this week. However, he was more pointed when discussing the kill's performances as of late.

"I think our penalty kill, we've kind of looked at it, has been masked a bit by good goaltending. We got away from things, working on them this week, and that'll hopefully make us better down the stretch. I think we're getting away from some of the detail things. We can't just strictly rely on Hunter's goaltending to pull us through."

The Bulldog sweep in Omaha featured some great work up front in the Friday game, as UMD scored five even-strength goals and also tallied on its only power play to offset UNO's four power play markers in a 6-4 win. UMD added two more special teams goals (power play and short handed) in a 3-2 win Saturday.

At even strength Friday, UMD outshot the Mavericks 30-13, which makes the 7-1 Omaha advantage in power plays difficult to explain, but it's been nearly three months so you can let it go, Bruce.

Omaha's veteran presence makes this a dangerous team. Justin Parizek, Austin Ortega, Tyler Vesel, David Pope, and Jake Randolph are all producing up front, and Luc Snuggerud is one of the NCHC's better offensive players from the blue line. Its team save percentage is up to .900 now, led by sophomore Evan Weninger (.910). Freshman Kris Oldham struggled early and is up to .895. They split the starts last weekend, so we'll see how Dean Blais uses them this week.

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Blais talked this week about getting pressure on UMD's defensemen. It's doable, but it's easier said than done.

Just ask Minnesota coach Don Lucia, who was effusive in his praise for the Bulldogs' blue-line depth before Friday's matchup at the North Star College Cup.

"They're very good defensively," Lucia said. "When's the last time you saw four senior defensemen in anyone's lineup?

"They're tenacious on pucks. I look back at the last number of years, we just haven't been able to do anything offensively against them."

But UMD has shown some vulnerability in its own zone. The Bulldogs have allowed an average of 23 1/2 even strength shots per game over their last six games after giving up just 19 per game over the first 20. As Sandelin eluded to this week, maybe there's almost too much confidence in Miska, who's certainly earned that with his play. That said, UMD will be better served this weekend if it can do what it did in the Friday game at Omaha and really take the game to the Mavericks.

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Should be an emotional weekend for UMD junior Avery Peterson. The Grand Rapids native will suit up against his former team for the first time. Peterson transferred to UMD after a year and a half with the Mavericks.

"It'll be interesting for sure," Peterson said. "It'll be fun to see them again.

"I still stay in touch with a few of them."

His freshman year was solid, with 11 goals and 21 points in 39 games as Omaha advanced to its first ever Frozen Four. But Peterson only had one assist in 14 games last season before he decided to transfer, and he quickly landed at UMD.

“I had a good freshman year, put up some points, and we had a good team,” Peterson told me in December. “Sophomore year, I knew I just wasn’t in the right place, and I knew I had to make a change."

It didn't take long for Peterson to make an impact with the Bulldogs once he debuted Dec. 17 against Bemidji State. He has four goals and six points in nine games, including a pair of multi-point outings. And you can give Peterson some credit for the emergence of freshman Riley Tufte as a scoring threat. The two have a lot of chemistry, as evidenced by Peterson's breakaway goal last Friday against Minnesota.

Avery Peterson on a breakaway makes it one more. @UMDHockey up 3-1 pic.twitter.com/hjSK8wrErQ

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) January 28, 2017

Peterson still keeps in touch with his old teammates from Omaha. He talked in December about making a lot of friends there, but it isn't lost on everyone how much happier Peterson seems now that he's a Bulldog.

When I chatted with CBS Sports Network analyst Dave Starman in Grand Forks, he referenced how much better Peterson has been playing this season and opined at least part of that was that he was more comfortable in Duluth than he was in Omaha.

Peterson eluded to that in December.

“Nothing against Omaha," he said then, "but the coaching staff here does such a tremendous job with skill development, the vibe in the locker room, just the overall feeling here is so positive.”

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The UMD women's hockey team can secure its first 20-win season under coach Maura Crowell this weekend as it hosts North Dakota. The Bulldogs can also stay very much alive in the WCHA title race, and take another step towards securing their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2011.

UMD (18-4-4, 15-4-3 WCHA) has already sewn up home ice for the first round of the WCHA playoffs, which will begin Feb. 23.

(The UMD men already play a Thursday-Friday series that week against Miami, and the women's playoff series will end up being scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Sunday if necessary, because of high school hockey playoffs going on all day that Saturday at Amsoil Arena.)

The Bulldogs have six games left in the regular season, and trail first-place Wisconsin by ten points. More realistically, I suppose, Minnesota is one point ahead in second place.

In case you're wondering, Wisconsin is at Bemidji State this weekend before hosting UMD and traveling to Minnesota to finish the regular season. The Gophers are at Minnesota State this week, then host North Dakota. UMD gets UND this week, then the Wisconsin trip before finishing the regular season at home against St. Cloud State.

For UMD to catch Wisconsin, it needs to sweep the Badgers next week in Madison, then gain at least four points on them in the other four games. Since Minnesota should be competitive with Wisconsin, it isn't unrealistic to suggest the Bulldogs could catch UW if they can get those six points next Saturday and Sunday.

Anyway, matters at hand. FOCUS, Bruce.

UMD won and tied in Grand Forks in November, but North Dakota is vastly improved as of late. The Fighting Hawks played tough at Wisconsin (two one-goal losses) and got five points against Bemidji State last week to clinch the final home-ice spot for the first round of the playoffs. It's a great goaltending matchup, with UMD's Maddie Rooney (.940 save percentage) up against UND's Lexie Shaw (.934).

More importantly, UMD is trying to pack the place on Saturday afternoon. It's the annual Cram The Am. $1 tickets are available now, and fans can get in free by bringing either a non-perishable food donation or by showing their ticket to Saturday's UMD men's game. It's a great opportunity to see some good hockey, and get a first-hand look at this UMD women's team, which is a lot of fun to watch and has certainly earned your support this season.

Monday Musings: UMD Wins Final North Star College Cup

Lots of important notes out of UMD's North Star College Cup championship Saturday night in St. Paul.

For starters, UMD does indeed claim the beautiful wooden trophy in the event's final season. It's the second of the five trophies -- joining the blue ox trophy won in Bemidji Dec. 17 -- the Bulldogs want to get their hands on this season (NCHC regular season and playoff championships and the NCAA title are the others).

UMD's 2-1 win over St. Cloud State improved the Bulldogs to 4-1 this year against the Huskies. UMD is also now 9-3-3 when the adversary scores first, 10-1-2 away from Duluth, 5-2-3 when trailing after the first period, 4-3-4 when behind after two periods, 7-4 in one-goal games, and 13-5 in games decided by one or two goals.

Kyle Osterberg's overtime goal also lifted the Bulldogs to a season-high fifth straight win.

Guess that three-game winless run out of the holiday break is forgotten about now, eh?

Osterberg got the initial chance on his scoring play, with a long shot off the rush that SCSU goalie Jeff Smith was able to steer aside, but the puck remained in play and Osterberg got to it first. He whipped a perfect pass out to the opposite point, where sophomore Neal Pionk didn't waste much time getting it back to the net. Osterberg had gone around the back of the goal and camped out at the left post, perfect position for the rebound.

(This is courtesy of @UMDhockeygifs, and we couldn't be more grateful.)



It wasn't always pretty. UMD struggled in the first period, and SCSU had more than a few shifts where it controlled the puck in the Bulldogs' end of the ice for a long time. But the Bulldogs blocked 18 shots (four by Jared Thomas, whose goal-scoring struggles are old news, but he was in front of the line Saturday, willing to risk injury to get in the way of shots; and Jimmy Schuldt isn't exactly Ryan Suter when it comes to shooting the puck), and in both games of this tournament, UMD did a great job keeping the adversary away from goalie Hunter Miska.

That isn't to say Miska didn't play well, or that he didn't earn MVP honors for the weekend. 66 saves on 69 shots will do that for someone. But his weekend could have been a lot more difficult than it was had UMD not been so dedicated to blocking shots and keeping the opponent on the perimeter.

It's hard to get a feel for the intensity of a game when you're way up in the press box like we were this weekend, but it didn't seem as if the pace was that of the Minnesota game Friday. This would normally benefit St. Cloud State, and the Huskies did a good job through 38 minutes. But UMD started to get going late in the second period, and really made life difficult for Smith in the third. Alex Iafallo jammed one home 42 seconds into the third to tie the score, and that top line with Iafallo, Dominic Toninato, and Adam Johnson started grinding down the Huskies in the third.

From there, UMD really controlled the overtime, with Smith denying Johnson on a partial breakaway early before UMD finally broke through for the winning goal.

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Our friend Matt Wellens wrote a quality column in Monday's Duluth News Tribune, hopefully putting the end of this tournament to bed. Here's a snippet.

College hockey fans in Minnesota should feel disappointed and betrayed because the North Star College Cup is dead. The State of Hockey no longer has its own tournament to celebrate the college game, as they do in Michigan (Great Lakes Invitational) or Boston (Beanpot).
And you — the fans — are wrongfully being blamed for this tournament's demise.
Now, I know the attendance numbers weren't great, especially when you compare them to what the NHL's Minnesota Wild draw at Xcel Energy Center (19,008 average so far this year) or the records that the Minnesota State High School Hockey League boys state hockey tournament sets every year (22,224 last year for a Friday evening session featuring two Class AA semifinals) in St. Paul.
This year's North Star College Cup was the lowest in four years, drawing a two-day total of only 23,265. The first tournament drew 28,906 in 2014 — and those are just the announced attendance figures. The truth is, there were a lot fewer butts in the seats.
But what do you expect out of a tournament that's just four years old? It needs time to grow, especially since four of the five participants don't get to take part every year. Only the host Golden Gophers participated in all four tournaments.

I would echo much of what Matt wrote. And I never meant to come across as blaming the fans, so please tell me y'all didn't take my writings last week that way.

There's plenty of blame to go around here. As I said on Twitter Saturday, I'm very disappointed that no effort was made to play this tournament a different weekend.

SCSU's Bob Motzko suggested Christmas, but I like Scott Sandelin's Thanksgiving idea the more I think about it. High school hockey really hasn't started yet, and there aren't a lot of youth hockey events played that weekend because it's so early in the season. You have a lot less competition for people, even when you factor in Thanksgiving holiday travel.

I know college hockey interest tends to be a bit lower in the early part of the season, but if we're trying to build a special event, it might involve thinking outside the box.

Further, keep in mind that Minnesota made this event part of its season ticket packages. There's some grumbling that it would have left over 11,000 tickets to sell by the other schools, but it simply isn't realistic to place this tournament on season ticket packages, especially for UMD and Bemidji State. You're looking at four hours of drive time to get from Bemidji to XCel Energy Center, two and a half from Duluth. There's a good chance you love college hockey if you're reading this, and that's appreciated, but the 4,500 season ticket holders UMD has are not going to be happy if they're plunking down an extra $60 for season tickets so they can pay to attend the North Star College Cup if they have no intention of going.

Hopefully this is the last of me on this topic. For now.

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UMD returns home and to NCHC play Friday and Saturday against Omaha. The Mavericks are off a sweep at the hands of Denver. Omaha kicked away a 2-0 lead in a 5-3 loss Friday, and the Mavericks were out of it early Saturday as DU won 5-0. UNO is still fifth in the league, very much alive for home ice and the NCAA Tournament, and you can expect a desperate visitor on Friday night.

UMD wasn't at its sharpest in its four-game homestand out of holiday break, but this has been an improved home team the last couple years and I would expect that to continue down the stretch.

Omaha's power play is still at 25 percent on the season, so the Bulldogs have to do a better job of avoiding penalties this weekend than it did in Omaha, where the Mavericks scored six power-play goals (and none at even strength).

Monday Musings: Bulldogs Swept Out of Omaha

Meandering blog on my day off. Hope you can follow along and make it to the end.

By now, you're well aware that UMD lost 4-2 Saturday in Omaha, marking the Mavericks' first NCHC sweep at new Baxter Arena. Freshman goalie Evan Weninger wasn't tested as much as he was Friday, but he was rock solid again with 35 saves as UMD outshot the Mavericks 37-21, 84-49 on the weekend.

I could shower you with "Patience and it'll come" stuff, but I know you don't want to read that. I'm not going to panic, though I know some of you are and maybe you think I should be. But I also won't go all "cheerleader" on the bit and act like things are all wonderful when the team is 3-4-2 and off to a 0-2 start in league play.

I'm not an idiot. I know things aren't rosy right now. But here are a few important and unimportant points to consider.

--> It's only nine games. Yeah, it's the quarter-pole of the season, but while many of you might think the sky is on the verge of falling, I'd think the same if the Bulldogs were playing at peak efficiency right now. As the coaches have said numerous times, it's a process. That process might not lead to super results in the early going, but the goals this team has can't be reached in October or November. While it's true you can blow title hopes by playing poorly early in the season, there's no way to reasonably argue this team has played that poorly. Not even close.

--> For a comparison, the 2003-04 UMD team went into the season with very high expectations after a hot finish to 2002-03 that saw the Bulldogs barely miss the NCAA Tournament. The 03-04 team started 0-2-1 and was 4-5-1 after ten games. Sitting at a meh 9-8-2 through 19 games, UMD ripped off 13 wins and a tie over the next 14 games. Made the Frozen Four that year. We won't talk about what happened there. The next year, under even higher expectations, the Bulldogs started 5-0-1 before mediocrity reared its ugly head and UMD finished under .500.

--> Last year, UMD went under .500 four times in October before getting hot in November. My point? Every team is different.

--> I will say that I'd like to see someone on the current team take the bull by the horns and step up in times of need. That's not to say guys aren't playing well, but when things aren't going right, who's going to be the one to stop the bleeding? Tony Cameranesi did it in the Saturday game at Notre Dame, which was fantastic, but without him last weekend, it was a missing element against Omaha. Maybe Cameranesi is that guy once he's back, but there are others on the team capable of it. Let's see if others prove capable.

--> Let's give credit where it's due. Weninger was awesome, especially on Friday, and he was strong on his fundamentals all weekend. He outplayed UMD's Kasimir Kaskisuo, who had his moments in both games, but also allowed goals I bet he'd like to have back. Also, UNO got a big weekend from Jake Guentzel, who was all over the ice and even got his name called by this idiot announcer while serving a 10-minute misconduct on Friday. That's how good he was.

--> Speaking of Weninger, saw a few tweets from UMD fans on Saturday -- before I basically stopped looking at tweets from UMD fans -- talking about how they were sick of the "hot goalie" excuse. I'm sick of hot goalies, but if you want to ignore how good goalies are in college hockey right now, you're burying your head in the sand. Weninger entered the weekend with a .955 save percentage, played two games, was really good, and his save percentage went DOWN. Not far (to .954), but it went down.

--> "How did the goalies UMD has faced fare against the Bulldogs and against everyone else?" Well, I'm thrilled you asked. Weninger's save percentage on the weekend was .952, compared to .954 overall. Bemidji State's Michael Bitzer was .933 against UMD, .897 against everyone else. Minnesota freshman Eric Schierhorn posted a .912 against UMD, and he's at .925 overall. Notre Dame's Cal Petersen was .929 in two games against UMD, and .909 overall. Finally, UMass-Lowell's Kevin Boyle was a .926 against UMD, and he's at .949 overall. I'm not too much into stats, but it doesn't appear UMD has been significantly worse statistically than could be reasonably expected against this batch of goalies.

--> UMD opponents have posted a .931 save percentage in nine games. UMD goalies are at .898, a number hurt slightly by the two open net goals allowed last weekend, but one that isn't nearly good enough. You can bet this will get addressed this week (purely my opinion). These losses aren't Kaskisuo's fault, but on the other hand, UMD can't live with every mistake it makes ending up in the back of the net, and that was basically life in Omaha. The Bulldogs aren't ever going to play mistake-free hockey. No one does, and as long as goals are hard to come by, the goaltending has to find a way to be better.

--> On average, UMD is outshooting opponents 28-19 at even strength. It's been outshot at even strength twice (opener vs Bemidji State and the Saturday UMass-Lowell game). UMD has been plus-10 or better in that department five times in nine games. The margin over the weekend was 59-33. I'm not saying definitively that things will turn around, but the possession UMD is generating is not going to be for naught over the course of a long season. Maybe it starts turning around against Denver. Maybe it doesn't.

--> That's about all for now. I'm not going to tell you not to panic, but I really don't think you should panic. There are things to figure out, for sure, but there is nothing happening that can't be corrected.

Game 9: UMD at Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. -- Away we go from Baxter Arena, where UMD tries to avoid what would qualify as a losing streak. The Bulldogs have dropped two straight after a 4-2 loss here on Friday night, and UMD hasn't held a lead in either game. More disturbingly, perhaps, is that the games have only been tied for 21 minutes and 42 seconds out of 120. That's a lot of time playing catch-up hockey, something Scott Sandelin preaches about regularly.

A poor first shift doomed UMD on Friday night. Brian Cooper scored on a lost defensive coverage 24 seconds in, and Omaha actually pressured for more after that before the Bulldogs got their footing. An empty power play, however, was quickly followed by a bad turnover in the UMD zone that led to Fredrik Olofsson's goal that made it 2-0.

1-0 after that start would have been manageable. 2-0 was going to be tough sledding.

UMD didn't help its own cause. The Bulldogs missed the net 19 times on 84 shot attempts Friday, along with drawing iron once. Freshman goalie Evan Weninger, who has a .955 save percentage in five starts for UNO, made 45 saves and got plenty of help from his friends, as the Mavericks blocked 17 shot attempts.

Total attempts on goal: 84-38 UMD. Shots on goal: 47-28 UMD. Even-strength shots on goal: 32-19 UMD. Score: 4-2 UNO.

(Last two games in Omaha, including last year's series finale at CenturyLink Center look like this:

Total attempts on goal: 169-69 UMD. Shots on goal: 87-46 UMD. Even-strength shots on goal: 67-36 UMD. Score: 8-3 UNO.

Let's buck this trend, eh?)

You guys aren't stupid. You know the result matters more than anything in the short-term, and I'm not going to try arguing that point. But Sandelin and his staff have preached this is a process, and if you're going to give them that, you have to understand, then, that a game like Friday will be won by UMD much more often than it's lost.

And even UNO coach Dean Blais, wily veteran he is, has to understand his team caught a few breaks to get those three points. Similarly, he has to understand that his team will have games where it plays like UMD did on Friday and loses anyway.

Sometimes you're the bug (not Austin Farley), sometimes you're the windshield. Or something.

Big-picture, I'll take my chances with most of UMD's game Friday. Yes, the start has to be better, but not every game is going to be a 60-minute virtuoso. Doesn't happen. Hell, you think Blais was thrilled watching his team take silly penalties and get outshot 36-15 over the last 40 minutes? I doubt it.

Anyway, on to Saturday. Only one lineup change for UMD. Same for UNO.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Corrin - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
McCormack - Pionk

Kaskisuo - McNeely

UNO
Pope - Guentzel - Ortega
Randolph - Vesel - Parizek
Olofsson - Alferd - Spinner
Lane - Nogard - Peterson

Cooper - Messner
Snuggerud - Gallo
Brady - Buchta

Weninger - Blankenburg - Thompson

Game 8: UMD at Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. -- Beautiful Baxter Arena is the site for this series. Similar in layout to Amsoil Arena, only the press box is above the suites instead of being below them like it is in Duluth. Still fantastic sightlines, outside of a pole I might have to maneuver around to see play in one of the corners.

$82 million dollar rink opened two weeks ago, and has yet to see a UNO loss. Hopefully that changes this weekend.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Osterberg - Thomas - Iafallo
Farley - Toninato - Kuhlman
Johnson - Decowski - Young (Austyn)
Young (Blake) - Spurrell - Sampair

Corrin - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
McCormack - Pionk

Kaskisuo - McNeely

UNO
Olofsson - Guentzel - Ortega
Randolph - Vesel - Parizek
Pope - Alferd - Spinner
Morelli - Nogard - Peterson

Cooper - Messner
Snuggerud - Gallo
Brady - Buchta

Weninger - Blankenburg - Thompson

Bulldogs' Road Success Tested in New Venue

SOMEWHERE IN, Iowa -- Greetings from I-35. Yes, my wife is driving.

As far as you know.

Anyway, UMD opens NCHC play this weekend at Omaha, and the Bulldogs will get to see the brand-new Baxter Arena, which just opened two weekends ago for a visit from Air Force.

"At least they're one of the teams that won their first game in their building," cracked UMD coach Scott Sandelin, referencing UMD losing to North Dakota in the Amsoil Arena opener, and numerous other teams losing their first games in new buildings (including Sandelin's alma mater, North Dakota, when it opened new Ralph Engelstad Arena).

"The neat thing is I think it's gonna be a great atmosphere," Sandelin said. "It's a little smaller venue than their last one, so it's hopefully going to be a lot like our building. I'm sure the people are very excited. It'll be fun. I think that's what kids want to play in."

Baxter Arena has only been "used" once, a UNO sweep of Air Force Oct. 23-24. The Mavericks have played three of their first four series on the road, including non-conference sweeps of Minnesota State and Vermont, and last weekend's sweep at the hands of Western Michigan.

(We'll have time to talk about this in December when UMD plays the Broncos, but that team is going to beat some people up this year, including possibly the Bulldogs. They are just as big and tough as usual, and they have a great freshman class and some criminally underrated skill guys like Sheldon Dries and Nolan LaPorte. Much of the media is going to regret picking them seventh in the preseason poll, as understandable as that pick was.)

UMD is coming off a tough weekend of its own, losing 6-3 Saturday to UMass-Lowell after a Friday victory. Sophomore forward Jared Thomas of Hermantown is quick to point out that, while UNO is probably a bit irritated over getting swept, his teammates aren't exactly thrilled with their weekend outcome, either.

"They had a tough weekend, too," Thomas said, "so Blais is probably working them hard this week. They'll be ready for us. We'll be ready for them. We weren't satisfied with how we played Saturday."

Assistant coach Brett Larson agrees.

"We're not happy, either, after losing a game Saturday night," he said. "A lot of teams will say 'Let's go in and weather the storm,' but we have a different attitude. We want to try to match their intensity. We respect them a lot, but we want to go in and match that emotional level and compete with them right from the first faceoff."

The Bulldogs are no strangers to hostile environments. UMD is 22-15-2 on the road since the start of the 2013-14 season. Its play away from home helped spark a school record 17-game unbeaten streak in 2011-12. In recent years, it's no secret some of UMD's best work has come on the road.

"The number one thing that makes us that way is we're not afraid to put our fourth line on the ice," Larson said. "We've got a lot of faith in our fourth line. Having that depth, and having third or fourth lines that I think would be second or third lines on a lot of teams, gives you a lot of confidence when you go to play on the road."

******

That depth will be tested this weekend. Senior forward Tony Cameranesi is not on the trip and will not play in the UNO series. Cameranesi suffered an upper-body injury in the third period of Saturday's game (watch it here, courtesy of the wonderful @UMDHockeyGIFs Twitter account) and did not return.

Watching the GIF, it appears he hurt himself trying to finish a check along the corner boards while forechecking.

Cameranesi skated this week, which is certainly a good thing for his conditioning, but he wasn't cleared for contact and didn't do much in practice besides skating. It was pretty clear he had little chance of making the trip and playing.

Larson said it was a pretty easy call to keep him out -- "considering where he was at physically" -- and noted that this weekend is important, but not the endgame.

"It's hard for a lot of people to think about, but it's a process. We're building toward something. This weekend is huge, no doubt, but the rest of the year is even bigger than this weekend."

"I just told him to keep skating," Sandelin said. "He'll be back, hopefully, for Denver."

Not having Cameranesi for this series stinks. It's a matchup I would expect him to thrive in, because Omaha prefers to play an up-and-down game with lots of pace. Of course, it's not like UMD doesn't have speed and skill guys up and down the lineup, and like Larson said, the depth is strong.

Expect Jared Thomas to center Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg to start off Friday's game. Dominic Toninato should work in between Austin Farley and Karson Kuhlman, with Cal Decowski (ahem, CAL DECOWSKI!!1!1!) centering Adam Johnson and Austyn Young. It's an opportunity for chemistry with new linemates for a lot of guys, but I do see benefits.

Osterberg has been playing very well so far this season, and I think his grit complements Iafallo's speed very well. Thomas has been solid on faceoffs lately after a rough start (28-16 the last four games, including 17-7 last weekend). Decowski's experience lends well to him playing a third-line role with a high-skill player in Johnson and a hard worker in Young, who might see some power play time this weekend in Cameranesi's place. Young's a versatile guy with offensive skill who has played a lot of third- and fourth-line minutes and penalty kill, where it opportunities to flash offensive ability are more limited.

"Last year, mentally he had a better approach," Sandelin said last week of Young. "He was a pretty gifted offensive player, and never really got a lot of opportunities. I think last year he realized he needs to be a different kind of player. He's a good faceoff guy, he's got a good stick, he has the ability to score goals.

"He's worked hard, and it was nice to see him get a couple goals."

******

This should be a fun weekend. Beyond the atmosphere we already talked about, the teams just tend to play a fun, watchable brand of hockey.

Omaha features a couple local stars. Former Duluth East center Jake Randolph is a sophomore and is off to a good start with five goals in eight games. 2014 Mr. Hockey winner Avery Peterson from Grand Rapids is pointless in seven games, but scored ten goals as a true freshman. It stands to reason the Minnesota Wild draft pick will get going eventually.

Randolph plays center and wing, and generally is part of a potent second line for UNO. The top line includes the very talented and explosive Jake Guentzel and Austin Ortega. UMD will need to corral and contain those two to have a lot of success this weekend.

UNO's goaltending took a hit with the graduation of star Ryan Massa, who carried the Mavericks at times last season. After a hot start to the year, Kirk Thompson and Evan Weininger were lit up last weekend in Kalamazoo, allowing ten goals in two games, including a 6-1 loss on Saturday to finish the sweep. UNO looked leaky on defense, giving up a lot of chances in front of the net, and UMD's ability to win races and battles in front of UNO's net will be a huge key this weekend.

I wasn't convinced UMD used its speed enough the last two weekends, but both series were against tougher defensive-minded teams. This should be a different style of hockey, and we'll find out if it lends itself more to UMD's speed and skill.

Monday Musings: Second Period Dooms UMD in Split

I sensed quite a bit of consternation on Twitter after UMD's 6-3 loss to UMass-Lowell on Saturday night. Disappointment is one thing, but fans seemed pretty ticked that the Bulldogs dropped the second game of the series.

Surely, the three-goal second period Lowell hung on the hosts left a sour taste, but I was intrigued by some of the responses I saw. Maybe people are just listening to me when I talk about the importance of non-conference games toward the PairWise.

Saw one fan call it the "worst effort I've seen in years." Now, I'm not saying the second period was pretty. It wasn't. But we've seen UMD lose games 8-2 and 5-0 to unranked teams at Amsoil Arena. I can't imagine Saturday's defeat to a team that will be legit top five for at least a chunk of this season would qualify as similarly putrid.

As for the game itself, UML was simply a better team on Saturday than it was on Friday, and UMD couldn't consistently match that level of play. The Bulldogs had spurts, like the start of the second period after Kyle Osterberg's late first-period goal tied the game 1-1. UMD started strong in the second period, carrying the play, but Tony Cameranesi took a slashing penalty that put the RiverHawks on the power play. 35 seconds before Cameranesi was scheduled to be released from the box, freshman defenseman Neal Pionk blocked a shot, dumped the puck down the rink, and headed to the bench. He got tangled with a Lowell player and took a needless slashing penalty.

UMass-Lowell scored on the five-on-three to take the lead, added another goal (both from defenseman Dylan Zink) on the five-on-four to make it 3-1, and controlled much of the rest of the second period, eventually adding a Joe Gambardella goal for a 4-1 advantage. It wasn't a good period, but clearly those two UMD penalties -- Pionk's was especially silly, and it looked like he found the bench for a stretch of the second period as a result of it -- made a big difference in how the game played out.

In the third period, the Bulldogs tried to rally. Off a pretty silly UMass-Lowell penalty, Austin Farley tallied to make it 4-2. Then 52 seconds later, Brenden Kotyk blasted one by goalie Kevin Boyle to cut the lead to one. UMD buzzed for a couple shifts after that, but UMass-Lowell got two insurance goals and salted the win away.

******

This was good October hockey. Both teams can bring it, and both did for large chunks of the weekend. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs' lapse on Saturday was enough to cost them, but there were a lot of good things about the weekend.

UMD scored a pair of power play goals, doubling the season total to four. No, a 12.5 percent power play isn't going to scare anyone, but if the puck movement and shooting continue, UMD will be just fine with the man advantage.

The penalty kill struggled Saturday, but overall the numbers are good, and improvement was there over the weekend. Scott Sandelin wanted more aggression out of his killers, and they generally gave it to him, limiting UML's chances and putting more pressure on the RiverHawks. The back-to-back power play goals were a killer, but the first came off a scramble down low where the puck got kicked up high, and the second was on a great shot from a very tough angle. At first, I think many of us thought Kasimir Kaskisuo gave up a clunker, but the more I saw it, the more impressed I was by Zink's shot. It was really good and hard and in a perfect spot where Kaskisuo had virtually no chance.

******

Finally, UMD opens NCHC play this weekend in Omaha, as the Bulldogs play in Baxter Arena for the first time.



Sorry. Can't help myself.

Anyway, Omaha is 6-2 after getting swept in Kalamazoo by what could be a criminally underrated Western Michigan team (picked seventh in the league). The Mavericks started 6-0 despite being outshot -- sometimes badly -- five times, and they turned around and got swept while outshooting WMU in both games.

Why? Because hockey. That's why.

Dean Blais has another dangerous group, led by dynamic forwards Austin Ortega and Jake Guentzel. Local products Jake Randolph (Duluth East) and Avery Peterson (Grand Rapids) are off to strong starts, while the blue line is led by Brian Cooper and Luc Snuggerud.

Goalie Kirk Thompson was off to a nice start, but got lit up a bit by the Broncos, so we'll see what Blais does in goal.

Baxter Arena -- named for a local auto dealer, not the dog in "Anchorman" -- seats close to 8,000, around half of what UNO's old home, Century Link Center, could hold, but rarely did for hockey. UNO has basically sold out the season in its new digs, which I look very much forward to seeing for the first time on Friday. I'm told it's similar in design to our building, only bigger. And it looked like they had a great atmosphere for the home opener against Air Force. Surely, they'll be pumped to play for points, though I'm intrigued what a Nebraska home football game Saturday night does to our crowd in Omaha, less than an hour away from Lincoln.

We'll watch the status of senior forward Tony Cameranesi this week. He left Saturday's game in the third period with an upper-body injury. Coach Scott Sandelin told Matt Wellens Cameranesi was day to day, which jives with optimism I've heard regarding his status. We'll see if he can get on the ice for practice and hopefully play in Omaha. I trust the UMD staff won't unnecessarily risk his long-term health for points this weekend, so trust that if he is playing, it's because he's been cleared to do so without major risk.

Game 34: Omaha at UMD

Final regular-season home game for the Bulldogs, and it comes with an early start for FSN television.

The Bulldogs weren't at their sharpest Friday in a 1-1 tie that ended with an Omaha shootout win. UNO won a lot of races and a lot of battles, and UMD will have to be better in all zones to get out of here with four points on the weekend.

It will also have to break what's been a bit of a hex on Saturdays. Since Christmas break, UMD has had four chances to win an NCHC series on Saturday (North Dakota, Western Michigan, St. Cloud State, Miami) and is 0-4 in those games, outscored 17-8.

Before the game, UMD will honor seniors Adam Krause, Justin Crandall, Derik Johnson, and Alex Fons. Krause, Crandall, and Johnson have combined to play 366 games in these colors, with 55 goals and 128 points. Obviously, they're hoping to play more in this building, but they get their salute Saturday just in case.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Osterberg - Thomas - Krause
Farley - Toninato - Kuhlman
Decowski - Cameranesi - Crandall
Sampair - Young (Austyn) - Molenaar

Johnson - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Fons

UNO
Nogard - Guentzel - Ortega
Randolph - Vesel - Gallo
Pope - Peterson - Parizek
Polk - Lane - Davis

Cooper - Messner
Snuggerud - O'Rourke
Youso - Brady

Massa - Thompson

Game 33: Omaha at UMD

Greetings from Amsoil Arena. Feels like I was here less than 24 hours ago. Weird.

Anyway, the Bulldogs and UNO Mavericks face off in around two hours. Kasimir Kaskisuo vs Ryan Massa in net.

Hectic few days at work with our changeover to 92.1 The Fan (WWAX-FM) coming Monday. That's the reason for no normal Friday pregame blog.

No Alex Iafallo for UMD. The sophomore was practicing this week and is not in the lineup for the Friday tilt because of illness, I'm told. We'll see about Saturday. Get through this first.

No Saturday blog because I'll be at the Proctor Arena working the Minnesota Hockey 12UA Olympic Region Tournament, which we're hosting this weekend. Saw some great hockey this afternoon, as top seed Brainerd rallied from two goals down to beat Thief River Falls 5-4 in double overtime. Fantastic game. If you're looking for a youth hockey fix this weekend, come up to Proctor.

That said, follow me on Twitter for thoughts and lineup news if there is any during the day Saturday. And don't forget Saturday's game starts at 6pm Central time. Tickets say 7pm, but the game was moved up an hour to accommodate Fox Sports North television.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Osterberg - Thomas - Krause
Farley - Toninato - Kuhlman
Decowski - Cameranesi - Crandall
McCormack - Young (Austyn) - Sampair

Johnson - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Fons

UNO
Nogard - Guentzel - Ortega
Randolph - Vesel - Gallo
Pope - Peterson - Parizek
Polk - Lane - Davis

Cooper - Messner
Snuggerud - O'Rourke
Youso - Brady

Massa - Thompson

Game 14: UMD at Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. -- I'm not sure we can top what the UMD football team did at home this afternoon (congrats, fellas!), but it's our turn to try.

Off a three-goal third period Friday, UMD now seeks a seventh straight win that it can take into its first bye week of the season.

It's been a hell of a grind so far, and UMD has played a lot of games without senior captain Adam Krause -- who is here but was not going to play this weekend. Krause has missed eight games, counting this one. Senior alternate captain Justin Crandall missed two. Sophomore forward Sammy Spurrell has now missed six games and is likely to miss a bunch more, from what it sounds like. Freshman forward Brett Boehm wasn't available this weekend because of injury. Freshman defenseman Nick McCormack has missed some time but could be close to returning.

These injuries have tested UMD's resolve, and its depth. Guys like junior forward Austyn Young and freshman Blake Young have acquitted themselves well lately, and this team has shown it isn't just about its top line.

Friday, the top line didn't score and was a collective minus. UMD won anyway. It's a sign that the Bulldogs are getting reliable goaltending, and it's a sign this is a deep team.

Let's win one more, take a week off, get healthy, and finish the first half strong.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Johnson - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely

UNO
Randolph - Vesel - Parizek
Pope - Guentzel - Peterson
Lane - Zombo - Ortega
Nogard - Mountain - Polk

Cooper - Messner
Snuggerud - Brady
Youso - Gallo

Massa - Thompson - Crossthwaite 

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: UMD Rallies, Runs Win Streak to Six

OMAHA, Neb. -- Hell of a win Friday here. Hell of a win.

This will be a quick blog, as I am with family this weekend on this trip and want to spend some time with them. Watch my Twitter (@BruceCiskie) for more thoughts during the day.

UMD rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Omaha 3-2 Friday at CenturyLink Center. It's the second time UMD has come back from a multi-goal deficit to tie a game. It's the first time UMD has won when trailing by multiple goals through two periods since Jan. 11, 2008, versus Minnesota State. It's the first win of any kind when trailing after two since Nov. 12, 2010, against Michigan Tech.

Both those games were at home. You have to go back to Oct. 16, 2004, to find the last time UMD trailed by two in the third and won a road game (Michigan Tech took a 3-1 lead in the third before UMD ripped off five straight to win 6-3).

Not much happened in the first, but you could tell UNO goalie Ryan Massa wasn't going to be beaten low. Just didn't appear the opportunities were going to come there. I even made a comment -- and this is not a self high-five, I promise, because I could very well have ended up wrong and forgotten I ever said it -- that I wanted to see UMD start testing Massa high.

Sure enough, UMD started shooting higher and got some success in the third. Karson Kuhlman pinballed one in to make it 2-1, then Andy Welinski threw an absolute missile by Massa to tie it before Cal Decowski scored the winner with 2:35 left.

The UNO goalie had a good night with 33 saves. He still has a .947 save percentage, which is obscene. I'd be surprised if Dean Blais didn't come back with him Saturday.

I know Scott Sandelin will come back with Kasimir Kaskisuo. The freshman got beat twice in the second (the David Pope two-on-one goal was probably the worst one he's allowed in weeks, if not since the Minnesota game at the Ice Breaker, and that's being kind of picky about our goaltender, who has been awesome). But Kaskisuo made a big save that led to the rush Welinski scored on. That's a two-goal swing in a game we won by one, and it's something that can't be forgotten.

(Of course, I forgot who had the chance for UNO. I believe it was Dominic Zombo or Austin Ortega, which means it was definitely Jake Guentzel.)

The Bulldogs have won six straight to improve to 9-4. UMD is still tied with Miami atop the NCHC, as the RedHawks beat Western Michigan 1-0. In the other league game, St. Cloud State held off North Dakota 3-1. Colorado College and Denver won non-conference, which keeps the NCHC's stellar record in those games very much alive.

Saturday should be another good game here. UNO will push back hard, and UMD has proven it can answer the bell. Playing with good discipline (two penalties for four minutes Friday) will be a key once again. Keep the Omaha power play off the ice, as Guentzel's return makes that unit quite dangerous.

That's it for me. More on Twitter Saturday as things pop into my head.

Game 13: UMD at Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. -- For the last time, UMD will play a weekend series in the gargantuan and largely empty CenturyLink Center.

(What was your favorite CenturyLink Center Bulldog moment? I'm going with Aaron Crandall's 358-save weekend* last January as the Bulldogs swept UNO.)

(* - Possible exaggeration)

Next year, UNO's home games will be played at the brand-new arena being built on campus in midtown Omaha, probably a good six or seven miles from the CenturyLink Center's downtown location. That'll cut capacity for UNO home games from around 17,000 to around 7,500, a much more manageable number.

(This is especially true in the fall months, where minds even in Omaha are largely preoccupied with Nebraska football, especially since Omaha dropped its football program as it was transitioning its athletic programs to Division I.)

This series pits two hot teams against one another, as UMD has won five straight and Omaha is unbeaten in six. Hopefully there's some excitement around here for the games and we get good crowds. Omaha hasn't played at home since Oct. 11.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Johnson - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Molenaar

Kaskisuo - McNeely

UNO
Randolph - Vesel - Parizek
Pope - Peterson - Davis
Guentzel - Zombo - Ortega
Nogard - Lane - Polk

Cooper - Messner
Snuggerud - O'Rourke
Brady - Gallo

Massa - Thompson - Crossthwaite

Piping-Hot Teams Collide in Omaha

INTERSTATE 35, Minn. -- Don't worry. My wife's driving.

UMD coach Scott Sandelin knows what his team has to do this weekend, as he faces mentor Dean Blais and Omaha at CenturyLink Center.

"We've got to go in there and make sure we do the things we need to do, and we're not living off last weekend."

Surely, UMD's players understand where the veteran coach is coming from. It won't get much better -- not from a standpoint of opponent, quality of game, or atmosphere -- than it was on Saturday at home. It was there that a record crowd witnessed one of the biggest wins UMD has ever posted in the building, 2-1 over then-No. 1 Minnesota to finish a weekend home-and-home sweep.

"It was great," Sandelin said of the charged-up home building. "It's fun when you go out for warmup, and that student section is full. You can feel that electricity. It was nice that we could keep them in it early by scoring. It's a fun place when it's like that. I know the guys feed off that, too."

Sophomore forward Dominic Toninato of Duluth called the weekend "an absolute blast."

"It was a big weekend for us, taking down the number one team," he said.

Now, UMD has to avoid a letdown as it heads south.

(Admittedly, that's quite the liberal use of the word, because UNO is white-hot, having gone unbeaten in six. This is a really good hockey team UMD is facing this weekend. However, UNO struggles to fill its home building, which seats 17,000 or so. The atmosphere isn't all that great. It won't be as bad as the Ice Breaker was, but it won't be nearly as good as the last two weekends were, either. That's what UMD has to be careful with. No big crowds to feed off of this weekend, so they'll have to feed off each other.)

For the Bulldogs, a five-game winning streak hasn't solved every problem that's popped up, but they've done a good job killing off a few demons.

"Our keys have been we've had good starts, and we've made those work," Sandelin said this week. "I think our guys have competed hard and I think our effort's been good. The other part of that is we've been disciplined.

"It's a combination. Defense is everybody. It starts in goal, and Kaz (Kasimir Kaskisuo) has been outstanding for us. He gives us a chance every night. I thought our guys did a good job."

"I don't think we've done too much," Toninato said when asked how the team so quickly turned around poor starts to games, subpar Friday performances, and discipline issues. "I think it's just mental preparation before the game. I think guys are more ready to go from the drop of the puck. Guys are moving their feet, competing hard, and trying to stay out of the box."

UMD will face a very young but high-end Omaha squad. The Mavericks played seven freshmen in their last game, a win at Ohio State Nov. 8. UNO is 6-1-1, hasn't lost since falling 4-2 to Minnesota State Oct. 11, and -- by the way -- hasn't played a home game since that date, either. Dean Blais' young pups have ripped off a six-game unbeaten streak away from CenturyLink Center.

Among those young pups: Last year's Minnesota Mr. Hockey, Avery Peterson of Grand Rapids. In that Ohio State sweep, Peterson scored three times and had a five-point weekend for NCHC Rookie of the Week honors. The Minnesota Wild draft pick played some in the USHL around his high school season, but Peterson is showing that kids don't have to skip years of high school hockey in order to make the jump to college as "true" freshmen. It isn't for everyone, but there's no need for a universal rule on the bit.

Also in Blais' impressive freshman class is Duluth's Jake Randolph. The son of longtime East coach Mike Randolph spent two years in junior hockey with the Omaha Lancers after graduating from East and helping Toninato and linemate Trevor Olson become the most dynamic forward line in the state. After a 44-point debut season with the Lancers, Jake Randolph broke out big-time last year, with 26 goals and 86 points in 60 games.

"Jake's a great player and does very special things," Toninato said of his former Duluth East linemate. "He has great vision on the ice and can protect the puck well. He's making those assists like he did here."

(In case you're wondering, Olson is at North Dakota, where he has played in eight games as a freshman and is still awaiting his first collegiate point. Olson struggled through injuries during his USHL run, playing in just 21 games for Sioux City last season. He had 71 points in 84 USHL games over two seasons. He's a really physical player who will be a solid player at UND once the scoring comes for him, which it will eventually. Until it does, he may bounce in and out of the lineup. Even with that in mind, it's pretty cool to see all three playing at the Division I level. They were other-worldly players at Duluth East.)

Watching that Ohio State series, Blais really is fearless about employing his freshmen in tough situations. There were multiple instances where three freshmen -- Randolph, Tyler Vesel, and Luc Snuggerud in one impressive sequence -- were on a single penalty-kill unit. These guys can play. Snuggerud is already a very good defenseman, with a goal and three points in eight games. With the late departure of Nick Seeler, who eventually transferred to Minnesota, Snuggerud has gotten a great chance to make an impact early, and he appears prepared to take full advantage.

In goal, it's been all about Ryan Massa so far. He's 5-0-1 with a .953 save percentage, 45 points above his career total of .908. He's playing with high confidence, and he's getting some help from his friends, too.

"Massa's been outstanding," Sandelin said, "they haven't given up a lot of goals. They block a lot of shots. They get a lot of sticks in and disrupt a lot of plays."

Blocked shots and sticks in passing lanes are two hallmarks of this UNO defense. UMD has to put a priority on getting pucks to the net and making sure bodies are going to the front, too. Maybe a weekend of trying to solve Adam Wilcox will help the Bulldogs. He was clearly on his game, and UMD did the things it had to do: Created rebounds, got people to the net, tipped shots, and outnumbered Minnesota down low.

Oh, and the Bulldogs need to play with discipline. This UNO power play is hitting at just 16 percent, but there's a lot of skill, with guys like Dominic Zombo, Austin Ortega, and a returning-from-injury Jake Guentzel.

Toninato knows this.

"Omaha's got a pretty good power play, so discipline. Almost like a broken record."

He laughed, but he wasn't joking. Don't play with fire. UMD is likely a deeper team when you look at the forward lines and defensive groups. Like Massa, Kaskisuo is giving his team a chance to win every game it plays. Yes, UMD's power play has been clicking, but a special teams game allows UNO to dodge one of its biggest deficits when you look at this head-to-head matchup, and that's depth.

Good starts and good discipline could lead the way for UMD to have another good weekend.