Frozen Four: Johnson, Donato Present Challenges for Defenses

CHICAGO -- We already discussed some of the basic similarities that we'll see in the first national semifinal Friday night, when UMD battles Harvard.

As mentioned in that post, both teams have dynamic sophomore forwards, capable of scoring from almost literally anywhere.

For UMD, it's Hibbing native Adam Johnson. Senior Alex Iafallo has the team lead in goals with 19, but Johnson has scored some massive goals -- and some impressive ones -- this season. Case in point, his overtime winner in the NCAA West Regional final against Boston University.

AN OVERTIME WINNER TO GO TO THE #FROZENFOUR! pic.twitter.com/2zq2XFiPGh

— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) March 26, 2017

Mentioned it at the time, but what an impressive play by Johnson, who naturally downplayed it to an extent.

“I took a one-timer and the shot got blocked," he said that night. "I was fortunate enough to get it back on the wall and I saw an opening. I just tried to fake a shot and get that guy to bite and shoot it by him. I found the corner and it was a good feeling.”

It's the kind of play Johnson has become quite adept at making. His shot -- and his ability to get that shot through to goaltenders -- has been a factor for UMD all season.

And when in doubt, Johnson has proven he has enough skill to score from behind the goal line, a trick he's successfully pulled off at least three times this season.

"Really quick feet," Iafallo said of his sometimes-linemate. "Very agile. He makes a lot of juice. Very good hands. He's been great for us. Especially on that power play, the last goal in overtime. Just simple things like that. He's very good at it."

It isn't so simple. Boston University coach David Quinn gave Iafallo credit on that play at first, for keeping the puck in the offensive zone with a strong pinch after BU won the faceoff and captain Doyle Somerby wrapped the puck around the wall. But Johnson's play -- firing the initial shot off Somerby, realizing he was stunned, and taking the puck right back at him -- was outstanding. UMD coach Scott Sandelin has preached a shoot-first mentality on the power play, and as of late the Bulldogs have turned a corner in that area.

Starting Feb. 3, UMD scored at least once on the man advantage over eight straight games. Since then, over 14 games total, the power play is 15-for-63 for a 23.8 percent clip that has lifted UMD's season total to an even 20 percent. Not the best season UMD has ever had on the power play, but it's gotten better and more productive and, more importantly, more dangerous. Johnson plays a huge role in that. With him and fellow sophomore Neal Pionk up top, teams have to respect the point shot, allowing more room to maneuver down low for guys like Iafallo, Dominic Toninato, and Joey Anderson.

Harvard sophomore Ryan Donato was a more highly-touted prospect heading into college, but he does a lot of the things Johnson does for UMD. The second-round pick of the Boston Bruins is the son of head coach Ted Donato, a former NHLer himself. Ryan Donato has a lethal shot, one that he's used to post a Crimson-leading (tied with senior Tyler Moy) 21 goals this season.

He can fly, an asset Johnson shares, and one Donato used to knife through the Air Force defense for a huge goal in the regional final win March 25. He also has a lethal shot and, like Johnson, can score from practically anywhere. He scored four goals against Union Feb. 10 and has 25 points in 23 games since the calendar flipped to 2017.

Overall, Sandelin is impressed with what Harvard brings to the table in this national semifinal.

"I think they're very balanced," he said. "Obviously, they've got some very talented forwards up front. Their top two lines especially. There's a lot of skill, a lot of deception. They're a puck-possession team. I've been impressed with their poise and composure."

That skill leads to a dangerous Harvard transition game, one that UMD can't feed into, not with turnovers and not with other mistakes, like slow or poorly-timed shift changes.

"Watching the tape," Sandelin said Wednesday, "I think a couple of their opponents had bad line changes, which led to some goals off rushes. We've got to have good rush coverage, making sure we're doing little things like that, making sure we're not changing at the wrong times. Those are mistakes that we just can't catch up."

******

The second game pits two old friends against one another. Denver coach Jim Montgomery got his start in this profession when he took a gig as a volunteer assistant at Notre Dame, working for Jeff Jackson.

Now, with Montgomery in his fourth year at DU, their paths cross on the sport's biggest stage.

"He's a great young coach," Jackson said of Montgomery. "He's got a great future ahead of him. He's got all the right aspects to being a great coach. I'm proud of him. I'm happy for him."

"For me, I'm happy," Montgomery said. "I think it shows that our relationship is special and that I learned from a great coach because he's here again for the sixth or seventh time in his career, and I've managed to get back here for the second year in a row.

"So whatever he taught me, I've been able to apply, and I think both teams play with a lot -- I guess the same way, and we don't beat ourselves, and we're hard to play against."

Jackson won three titles at Lake Superior State, but is seeking the first in Notre Dame history. Denver has seven titles, but none since 2005, when George Gwozdecky was still at the helm.

Frozen Four: Bulldogs, Harvard Share Similarities

CHICAGO -- You don't always know what you're going to see when you face an unfamiliar foe on a stage like the NCAA Frozen Four.

Thursday, UMD will see an unfamiliar opponent, yes, in Crimson-hot Harvard (16 straight wins, 17-0-1 last 18 games). The teams haven't met since the 1995-96 season (a UMD non-conference sweep backstopped by current Bulldog volunteer assistant coach Brant Nicklin). They haven't played in the postseason since UMD swept Harvard in a two-game, total-goals series in 1985. The two only have one common opponent this season (Boston University, which UMD beat to get to the Frozen Four, and Harvard split two games with).

But the Bulldogs aren't unfamiliar with Harvard's style, and they sure aren't strangers to a team being carried by great seniors and high-end young skill.

The Crimson might have Tyler Moy, Sean Malone, and Alexander Kerfoot up front, but UMD has Dominic Toninato and Alex Iafallo. Harvard has dynamic skill on the blue line with Adam Fox, but UMD has stud sophomore Neal Pionk. Ryan Donato might attract a lot of attention for Harvard adversaries, but so does Adam Johnson for Bulldog opponents. And while Merrick Madsen might tower over Hunter Miska in terms of height, both have been a huge reason for their respective teams getting to this point.

"The style they play, we've seen some of that," UMD coach Scott Sandelin said. "They do have some similarities to teams we've played. So that's good, as far as going up against that.

"Again, it's a very solid team that you've got to play a very, very -- hopefully minimize the mistakes, especially with pucks, and certainly, again, hopefully continue to do what we've done and capitalize on our opportunities, because I think we've done a good job of that this year when we get them."

Crimson coach Ted Donato, who was part of the last Harvard Frozen Four team in 1989, feels similarly.

"I think they have some size and strength and defensive prowess," he said, "kind of like Cornell at times, and certainly up front I think they have some play makers, and they have some size and strength as well. I think their goaltender is playing as well as anybody in the country."

I leave the direct comparisons to coaches whenever possible, but watching this Harvard team it's hard to not be impressed. Donato has three lines that can really go, and while Fox is their most dynamic defenseman, there's no question guys like Wiley Sherman and John Marino can bring it, too. Madsen is just a force in net. He's 6-5 and plays as positionally sound as anyone I've seen this season. The Crimson do a very good job of blocking shots, but they also clear lanes so Madsen can see shooters and square up to them.

Before the Boston University game, I chatted with Sandelin about trying to beat a big goalie in BU freshman Jake Oettinger.

"He's going to stop everything he sees cleanly," Sandelin said. "We've got to create some second, third opportunities. We've got to get him moving. Get some moving screens and get pucks there to maybe get him opened up a bit. He just takes up so much of the net."

Asked about beating Madsen, Sandelin offered this:

"First of all, let's get pucks to the net. Again, you've got to attack. We've got to get inside, you know. I think anybody will say that to try and score, but they do a great job defending. They block a lot of shots. They really do a good job inside the dots. So they don't make it easy. When you have those opportunities, you've got to try and get pucks to the net, take pucks to the net, and if you do have shot opportunities, not a lot of them are going to get through because they do a good job blocking shots too. So you might have to look at other ways."

******

Is this just another game?

I would say, in an ideal world, all these players are able to treat this as such while also enjoying and savoring the moment they're in. Only four of 60 teams get to be here (thanks, Cap'n Obvious), and it's a special opportunity for all these coaches and players.

"This is a great opportunity, and every time you get here, you feel pretty lucky to be in the position that we're in," Sandelin said.

Miska talked about how tall the United Center is ("That's him," Sandelin quipped about his sometimes-eccentric star freshman goalie). But while it might have been momentarily weird to be in such a big building, Miska isn't about to do anything out of the ordinary to get ready for this national semifinal game.

"I'm going to treat it like any other game," Miska said. "I'm not going to change what I do on a daily basis. Just going to go do my daily routine and play my game."

Harvard players concurred.

"I think we're trying to treat it like any other game," Kerfoot said. "It's really exciting to be here at the (Frozen) Four. It's our goal all year long. Especially us three being seniors, it's pretty exciting just to end our college careers here.

"I think, if we get too caught up in everything else, we won't be as focused on our game. So we're just trying to treat this like any other weekend."

"We've played in really big games this year with the Beanpot and ECAC tournament and things like that," Malone added. "I think we could use our experience there and know that we have to come out playing our game hard right away."

(And look at what Harvard did to Boston University in the Beanpot championship game. Beat the Terriers 6-3, outshot them 46-17, including 18-2 in the first period. BU coach David Quinn said his team was "fighting an uphill battle" all night, even when it briefly had a 2-1 lead in the second period.)

While none of these players can draw on Frozen Four experience, there's other big-game experience out there. As an example, there's Harvard's win in the Beanpot, its first Beanpot title in 24 years. UMD won its first conference playoff title since 2009 and its first-ever North Star College Cup title. And individual players with national team experience can draw on that, too.

"You have to take the crowd out of it," UMD freshman Joey Anderson said. "You have to calm down and stick to the game, make sure there aren't too many ups and downs. Keep an even keel."

Ted Donato, however, knows this isn't just another hockey game.

"This is certainly a different game," he said. "I think you can always try to -- in your mind, just think of it as a different game. It's not just another game. But mentally, they're preparing as if it's another big game that they're playing."

UMD's Focus Strong as NCAA Tournament Begins

FARGO, N.D. -- Over the course of a 38-game journey to this point, UMD has not faced what it faces this weekend.

Even in the NCHC Tournament the last two weekends, the Bulldogs knew they would be playing two games on a weekend, no matter how the first one went.

Not the case now.

The only way you play again is if you win.

The Bulldogs' resiliency (© Dan Myers of the Wild) and veteran presence -- along with the steady play of freshman goalie Hunter Miska -- has propelled this team to a No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are a No. 1 regional seed for the first time ever, and will play Ohio State Friday evening in Fargo in the first round. The winner plays either Boston University or North Dakota for the regional championship Saturday.

"Our seniors that came up a game short the last two years of getting to the next step," head coach Scott Sandelin said this week, "I think it's been in their minds. I think they came back for a reason. Absolutely, it's been a goal (to get back)."

If you're looking for a reason this team is so vastly improved from even a year ago, when it had to scratch and claw its way to the national tournament, look no further than that experience.

"You rely on your experience, you rely on your leaders," Sandelin said. "These guys have played in a lot of games, been in a lot of situations. They want more, they came back to try to get it, and they're in a position to do that."

The Bulldogs boast a seven-man senior class that's certainly been a big part of this, but don't forget UMD also has two juniors -- Karson Kuhlman and Jared Thomas -- that sit over 100 games in a UMD uniform. And all these juniors and seniors -- save for Avery Peterson, who didn't join the team until January 2016 -- have been around for a couple great runs that fell one goal short of the Frozen Four.

Add to it this: Every UMD player, outside of Miska and the rest of the freshmen, has been around for an NCAA Tournament run. Peterson was part of the Omaha Mavericks' first-ever trip to the Frozen Four in 2015.

There will be plenty of time to look back and appreciate what's happened here, but there's no question the 2016-17 senior class has helped shape a new culture for Bulldog hockey.

"To come here and find success with a group of guys, be a part of it, is a great accomplishment," senior defenseman Willie Raskob said. "Something I'll take great pride in when we leave here."

"It's been awesome," senior captain Dominic Toninato said. "Our senior class has been tremendous. Being able to grow with them has been awesome. The team as a whole has been great. It's good for the whole program, and the whole city of Duluth."

This has been a mentally tough UMD team all season, too. UMD has conceded the first goal 17 times in 38 games, including in Saturday's crazy NCHC championship game against West Regional host North Dakota. UMD is 10-4-3 when allowing the first goal. To add some perspective, Ohio State is 2-7-4 when the adversary scores first, and even ever-dangerous North Dakota is 9-10-1.

Look at some of the games UMD has won or tied when trailing. Tied UMass-Lowell when down three goals at one point, trailed St. Cloud State 3-1 in both games in St. Cloud and won them both 5-3, fell behind to Minnesota and SCSU at the North Star College Cup and managed to win both games. Oh, and who can forget the Friday game at North Dakota? Gave up the first goal in a hostile building, had two goals disallowed in the first period, had a UND goal count that shouldn't have, and still won convincingly.

Throw in Saturday's game that's hard to describe with actual words, and you have a tough squad that isn't easily phased.

******

Standing in the Bulldogs' way Friday will be a hungry Ohio State team that lacks that experience. Well, at least among the players.

"We tried to prepare them the same way this week," fourth-year head coach Steve Rohlik said this week. "Part of the experience is enjoying it for the first time. We have a lot of guys who are excited and anxious. Our group's going to be ready."

Rohlik and assistant Mark Strobel were both successful players at Wisconsin, with Rohlik a two-year captain and national champion. Strobel played in the NCAA Tournament each year of his Badgers career. This is old hat for them.

Players can't gain NCAA experience -- duh -- without playing in the tournament first. But these guys are adults. The idea of Ohio State being victimized by "wide eyes in the bright lights" is patently ridiculous. The Buckeyes earned their way here, and this is a dangerous offensive team.

Ohio State has a top line that can go, keyed by sophomore Mason Jobst (55 points) -- who lived a mile from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway growing up and still became a really good hockey player (he says growing up there "had a huge impact on my life, kind of formed who I am" -- and seniors Nick Schilkey and David Gust (41 points each, Schilkey has 27 goals). The Buckeyes rode a 32-plus percent power play to an average of nearly four goals per game this season.

"It's huge for our team now, the alumni who have worked hard to get this program where it is," Schilkey said of Ohio State getting back in the tournament. "Getting rewarded with being able to come here is awesome. We're really excited to be here, we feel like we deserve it. It means a lot."

"They play a pace game, score goals, and we like to play the same way," Sandelin said. "Hopefully it's an up and down game."

"We got to be ready to go from the start," Toninato said.

Rohlik conceded there aren't a lot of weaknesses with his adversary Friday, but wasn't about to concede the game.

"They still have to win the game," he said. "We'll be focused and ready to empty the tank (Friday)."

******

For UMD, senior defenseman Carson Soucy (lower body) practiced here Thursday. He didn't take part in team drills, but did plenty of work on his own, including some time at one end of the ice with Sandelin, working on skating, transitions, passing, and puck-handling. Sandelin said "probably not" when asked if Soucy would play this weekend, and went on to repeat the "week to week" timeline we've heard since the week after he was injured in Kalamazoo.

But the Bulldogs are otherwise healthy, with everyone available to play.

The same can't be said for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes will play Friday's game without two top defensemen, seniors Josh Healey and Drew Brevig. Healey picked up a two-game suspension from the Big Ten Conference after his third game misconduct of the season, a contact to the head major he took late in Friday's Big Ten semifinal loss to Wisconsin. Brevig has an injury suffered in the win over Michigan State the day before and did not play against the Badgers.

Rohlik talked up his depth players, noting how hard they've worked and practiced throughout the season, but Healey is the leading scorer among OSU defensemen and Brevig one of the top players in terms of ice time. These aren't insignificant losses, and we'll see if UMD can exploit some things back there Friday. If not, it will be a long evening for the regional top seeds.

Bulldogs Guaranteed Two-Game Weekend for Final Time This Season, Facing Western Michigan at NCHC Frozen Faceoff

Last year, this weekend brought a lot of pressure for the UMD men's hockey team. The Bulldogs knew they had to win at least once at last year's NCHC Frozen Faceoff to be in good position for an NCAA bid.

This year, UMD could win the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and not help its place in the PairWise. The Bulldogs, as I wrote Wednesday, will finish first, second, or third in the final rankings, and will be a No. 1 regional seed next weekend.

(Officially rooting for three NCHC teams to finish in the top four, with North Dakota as a No. 4 regional seed, setting up the possibility of an all-NCHC Frozen Four that the NCAA committee can't stop from happening even if it wanted to.)

First things first, UMD gets another rematch against a recent opponent Friday at Target Center, with a semifinal game against Western Michigan. Fifth meeting of the season between these two top-five PWR teams, and the Broncos have to be seething a bit after UMD ruined Senior Night in Kalamazoo with a 6-3 win March 4.

It'll be the final weekend where teams are guaranteed two games. Starting with regionals next weekend, it's one and done until you either lose a game or hoist the big trophy in Chicago.

Broncos coach Andy Murray, who is in his second Frozen Faceoff but first since the league's inaugural year of 2013-14, knows what his group is up against. He said the preparation doesn't change at all when facing a very familiar opponent.

"We prepare for every league opponent the same way," Murray said this week. "It's all based on what we want to get done in a game, not necessarily adjusting to what the other team does."

The Broncos won eight games last year, including a 1-15-2 finish to the season. Murray has lauded his older players and all the returnees for helping change the culture in the room and improve the commitment level of everyone.

"This is a real special group of seniors we've got," he said. "The group of upperclassmen, first and foremost they're quality people, great students, and they do things right. They were not happy with what happened here last year. They had a taste of what it was like to be in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff their freshman year, and they're glad to be back."

"Last year was definitely a learning lesson," three-year captain Sheldon Dries said. "It was really the mentality of every guy on the team, coming here with a new attitude. Proving something not only to ourselves, but Western Michigan as a whole and the community of Kalamazoo."

On getting back to Minneapolis, Dries said it "means a lot, not just to the seniors but to the whole team."

In recent years, Western Michigan had a reputation of being a team that could clog up the middle of the ice and play strong in its own zone, but didn't have the offensive firepower to back that up.

Now, that's changed. Remarkably.

Not only can Western play strong in the defensive zone, but it's as good a transition team as any out there. Look at the Broncos against UMD in Kalamazoo, where they scored eight goals (five Friday, three Saturday) with a goalie in the net. Of the eight, six of them came off the rush, three in each game.

"In the last series we had, there were a lot of goals scored," UMD coach Scott Sandelin said. "They're a team that plays with a lot of pace. They present some challenges defensively for us. I think we've been a pretty good team (defensively) all year, just need to tighten up a few things. The Saturday game there I think we did a much better job. You don't want to get in a lot of 5-4 games, if it happens it happens, as long as you come out on top."

******

I wrote about Nick Wolff in my Monday blog, discussing his continually-improving play that culminated in his first collegiate goal in Saturday's win over Miami.

Sandelin: "I think him and Danny (Molenaar) have been a really good pair together. I think for him, he's grown through the year. He's gained confidence. He's a little more comfortable with the puck. I think he's had a pretty consistent year for a freshman. He's been one of our pleasant surprises from the start of the year until now. He brings an element that's nice. He brings an edge, he's physical, he competes hard every shift. But he has good hands, he's made a lot of little plays coming out of the zone that maybe go unnoticed, but we notice them."

Call me a jinx all you want, but I noted that he has not taken a major penalty this season. For a bigger, physical defenseman to come in as a freshman and avoid even getting slapped with a head contact major for a big hit that looks worse live than it probably is on replay says a lot about how smart he is and how he plays the game. Wolff has played 31 games. It's not an accident anymore. He knows what he's doing.

"The penalty he took (last weekend), I wouldn't change that," Sandelin said. "He's an imposing guy, he's hard to play against. There's guys in our league who've played against him in high school hockey and junior hockey and they know that. It's been fun to watch him grow through the year, a big part of our D-corps."

With Carson Soucy (lower body) ruled out for the weekend, Wolff, Molenaar, and company will again be asked to carry a bigger share of the workload. They've shown they're capable, and managing those minutes should be at least a little easier in games like this, where UMD is the designated home team and has choice of matchups.

Of course, UMD also possesses some matchup nightmares up front. Adam Johnson was really good in the series in Kalamazoo. After getting knocked around to the tune of a minus-12 aggregate, the line of Dominic Toninato, Alex Iafallo, and Joey Anderson were very sharp in the Saturday game out there. When the teams met in Duluth back in November, Sandelin didn't shy away from matching Toninato's line with Dries' line for the Broncos. Murray really didn't in Kalamazoo, either. I anticipate we'll see a lot of that on Friday as well. Strength vs strength. Whoever's strength plays better has the upper hand.

******

The winner of this semifinal game moves into Saturday's championship and will be facing a team on a winning streak. The question is how long will that winning streak be?

The second semifinal pits North Dakota -- winner of four in a row -- against top-ranked and top-seeded Denver, which enters on a 13-game winning streak. UND's 2016-17 season has some parallels to UMD's 2015-16 campaign, where a seven-game streak late got the Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament. UND needs a win to cement a bid in the tournament, and could actually get as high as seventh overall with a two-win weekend.

Denver is a top three overall team, no matter what, but the Pioneers are chasing a second NCHC playoff title as the NCAAs approach. Good luck dealing with this team, which has high-end skill up front, depth, and a top defenseman in Will Butcher (only NCHC player to make the Hobey Baker top ten finalists) who can play big minutes.

UMD Women Return to NCAA Tournament

From 2000 until 2010, UMD was the pre-eminent program in women's NCAA hockey. The Bulldogs won five national championships (2001-2003, 2008, 2010), while playing for the 2007 championship and making the 2009 Frozen Four.

But 2011 was the last time UMD qualified for the NCAA Tournament. We all know the Shannon Miller saga that followed, and we all know that Maura Crowell was named the second head coach in program history in April 2015.

Now, in just her second season at the helm, Crowell has led the Bulldogs back into the national tournament. And Saturday afternoon, UMD will host an NCAA playoff game for the first time since its last national title in 2010. The Bulldogs welcome their longtime rival Minnesota Gophers, with the winner moving on to the NCAA Women's Frozen Four next week in St. Charles, Mo.

"To be one of eight teams left is a huge honor," UMD senior defenseman and assistant captain Sidney Morin said this week. "What an opportunity we have this weekend. I think we're all going to embrace it and have as much fun as we can."

"We knew we were going to have to play the Gophers at some point to get to the national championship, so why not do it here?," Crowell said. She talked about the familiarity between the two, with Saturday being the sixth meeting this season -- UMD is 3-2 -- and with their meeting last weekend at the WCHA Final Faceoff going into a second overtime before Lara Stalder's dramatic game-winning goal.

"Say we had an eastern team come out here we hadn't seen all year," she noted. "We'd have to made adjustments and break down a lot of video. We're quite familiar with the Gophers. We're able to focus on ourselves a lot more, make sure we're healthy and locked in for the game."

Minnesota coach Brad Frost, whose team has won four of the last five NCAA titles, really liked how the Gophers played in Saturday's game at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis. Minnesota outshot UMD 63-41 and probably could have ended the game much earlier were it not for Bulldog goalie Maddie Rooney, who made 62 saves and was spectacular throughout the weekend.

"I was really proud and impressed with our team, and thought they played extremely well," Frost said this week. "Last Saturday here was Duluth's night, and they earned it. We're looking forward to getting another crack at them (this Saturday)."

The return of senior forward Dani Cameranesi -- whose brother, Tony, wrapped up a four-year run at UMD last season -- certainly boosted the Gophers a bit. She had been out since January with a lower-body injury, but put 14 shots on goal in Saturday's game against UMD. She'll likely be on the top line with Kelly Pannek, the nation's leading scorer, and sophomore Sarah Potomak, who has seen six of her 19 goals this year go for game-winners, and has shown a knack for scoring some big goals in her two short years at Minnesota.

UMD, of course, counters with some of the best seniors in the country. Stalder is a Patty Kazmaier Award finalist with 23 goals and 56 points in just 34 games. 14 of those goals and 27 of those points have come over the last 13 games. Captain Ashleigh Brykaliuk had a 19-game point streak snapped in the first round of the playoffs against St. Cloud State, but she still has 17 goals and 45 points. Katie McGovern earned her way to the top line with Brykaliuk and Stalder, and she's responded with by far her best season, scoring 17 goals and heading into Saturday with 34 points. Morin is the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, with eight goals, 24 points, and a plus-35 rating.

Don't discount UMD's depth. Freshman forward Sydney Brodt has 21 points and has shown real progress throughout the season. Senior forward Demi Crossman is a tremendous skater and two-way player who has potted some big goals. Forwards Kateřina Mrázová and Maria Lindh aren't big names, but they've given this team some quality minutes throughout the season. On the blue line, junior Jessica Healey and freshman Jalyn Elmes are both solid players who might not have big numbers, but can play quality minutes against top players.

While UMD lacks NCAA Tournament experience (something every non-freshman on the Minnesota roster sports), Crowell is quick to note that not only do all three coaches -- Duluth natives Laura Bellamy and Chris Connolly are the assistant coaches -- have NCAA Tournament experience (Connolly won an NCAA title at Boston University in 2009), but many of UMD's players (led by Stalder, a Swiss Olympian) have international experience. Brodt was part of a USA U-18 team that won gold last spring.

And UMD is playing at home. The Bulldog women might not draw the crowds the men do, but the players love being at Amsoil Arena. They've lost just once there this season, and the seniors have talked about making it a real advantage to play there.

"It's an unreal facility," Stalder said. "We love to be in our locker room, sleep at home, to have all those little things. We've shown we're pretty unstoppable at home, and we hope we can do that again Saturday."

"I love the scattered gold seats," Morin noted. "We practice here every day. We're comfortable here. I love it here."

No matter what happens Saturday, it will be the last home game for this stellar UMD senior class. They are hoping to make it a special one, and get UMD to its first Women's Frozen Four in seven years.

Playoffs Begin For UMD With Familiar Opponent

Last year, UMD hosted Miami for the regular season finale. After taking a sweep at the hands of a desperate Bulldog team, the RedHawks took a charter plane back home, only to hop on a bus and make the long journey to Duluth four days later for a playoff series.

This year, Miami was just in Duluth two weeks ago. Now, we get to find out what lessons the Bulldogs learned from that Thursday-Friday series.

"I thought against them, especially the Friday game, we didn't manage the puck very well," UMD coach Scott Sandelin said this week of a 4-3 win and 3-3 tie (three-on-three loss) Feb. 23-24. "Just going back, when we got up, we couldn't find a way to score the third goal. Got to be tighter (defensively). They're a hard team to defend. They move laterally a lot. We've got to defend a lot better."

"This is a new time, so whatever you saw two weeks ago will be thrown out the window," Miami coach Enrico Blasi said. "When you play this time of year, everything will be a little more intense, more magnified."

It's playoff hockey now.

"You have to compete, make sure you're winning your battles," Blasi said before his team made the trek to Duluth. "This is a team (UMD) that's going to work hard, their second effort's really good. You have to pay attention to details."

His team did a good job in those areas two weeks ago. Not so much last week. After a 5-2 loss to North Dakota Saturday in which his team was outshot 27-11 in front of a sellout crowd on Senior Night, Blasi simply said the RedHawks "weren't good enough."

"North Dakota took it to us right from the beginning," he noted.

These are certainly familiar adversaries at this point. This weekend will mark their ninth, tenth, and maybe eleventh meetings in the last 14 months and change. If they don't know each other well by now, they never will.

UMD got four points in that sole regular season meeting two weeks ago, but the prevailing thought was the Bulldogs left two points on the table. Now, to be fully realistic, no one was beating out Denver for the league title, but UMD didn't do a good enough job over six games against the seventh- and eighth-place teams (the Bulldogs went 2-1-3 against Miami and Colorado College) to stay alive in the race for the Penrose Cup.

What has to change? For starters, the Bulldogs need to bear down when they have a chance to put a team away.

Look at Saturday against Western Michigan. The Broncos aren't going to quit on any game at this point, but UMD was up 2-0 late in the first and on a power play. Score, and it's a 3-0 game after one with all three goals coming in the final five minutes. The game might not be over, but it's as close as it can be at the end of the first period. Instead, UMD takes a late penalty, a Western power play starts in the second period, and the Broncos score on a great shot by Matheson Iacopelli to get back in the game.

Later, in a 2-2 game, UMD gets a crazy goal off a scramble in front of the Western Michigan net with four seconds left in the second. Then Avery Peterson and Joey Anderson in the first seven minutes of the third to turn 3-2 into 5-2, and for the most part, the game is over at that point.

That next goal can make a big difference. In both games against Miami two weeks ago, the Bulldogs failed to get that next goal, whether it be for a one- or two-goal lead. The RedHawks made UMD pay both nights, in the Thursday game making UMD get that late power-play goal from Peterson to secure the win, then Friday getting two points with a late tally in regulation and a three-on-three goal.

Miami scored two goals off rushes in the Thursday game, then three off shots from up high Friday, plays where defenders didn't do a good job tracking guys or blocking shots before Hunter Miska had to deal with them. That's another area Sandelin wants his team to clean up, and plenty of time in practice was devoted to it this week.

Miami won't lay down. Blasi is one of the top coaches in the country, and he knows his young team has shown significant progress over the course of the season. With captain Louie Belpedio out (knee injury suffered Feb. 18 against Denver), the RedHawks are thinner on defense, but that was the case in the earlier visit. UMD needs to contain guys like Anthony Louis and Kiefer Sherwood better than they did two weeks ago. Do that, be better about consistently attacking the RedHawks blue line, and take care of the defensive zone, and the Bulldogs will be well on their way to Target Center next weekend.

******

Sandelin and the staff were pleased as punch with Saturday's game. No, it wasn't a perfect performance, but they really liked how the players responded to some real adversity.

As if losing 7-4 Friday wasn't bad enough, senior defenseman Carson Soucy was lost to a lower-body injury late in the third period. He didn't play Saturday and will not play this weekend. In addition, UMD lost forward Kyle Osterberg to an upper-body injury in the first period (he didn't return but is good to go this weekend), and it was already missing freshman Riley Tufte (virus, good to go this weekend).

Instead, a number of other guys stepped to the forefront. Jared Thomas scored his first goal since October 2015. Jarod Hilderman was solid in his third game since Oct. 15. Willie Raskob and Neal Pionk were dynamic at times. Brenden Kotyk, I thought, had a really good game. Avery Peterson was strong. Joey Anderson scored two goals (just his second and third in the last 15 games).

We don't how long Soucy will be absent, but what was witnessed on Saturday was a huge positive sign. Once again, this veteran team responded well to roadblocks being thrown out in front of them.

"The win to me was a huge one for a number of reasons," Sandelin said. "It was one of those times where you find out a little bit about your team. I thought our guys pulled together and played a strong game. It shows our depth, our resiliency, and the character of our team."

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In addition to the NCHC awards that came out Wednesday (if you didn't read, Alex Iafallo first team All-NCHC, Neal Pionk and Hunter Miska second team), Miska Thursday morning was named a semi-finalist for the Mike Richter Award, given to the top goalie in Division I. Miska is 20-5-4 with a 2.14 goals against and .921 save percentage entering the playoffs.

The rest of the group of ten is: Michael Bitzer, Bemidji State; Parker Gahagen, Army; Kyle Hayton, St. Lawrence; Tanner Jaillet, Denver; Merrick Madsen, Harvard; Jake Oettinger, Boston University; Cal Petersen, Notre Dame; Shane Starrett, Air Force; Charles Williams, Canisius.

Five finalists will be named March 23, with the winner announced at the Frozen Four April 7.

Playoff-Type Hockey Awaits UMD as Playoffs Loom

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- What better way to prepare for the postseason if you're either of these teams?

Since the calendar flipped to 2017, Western Michigan is 9-3-2, including an 8-3-1 record in NCHC play that vaulted the Broncos from a home ice contender to a home ice lock heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

Since Jan. 13, UMD is 8-0-3, and over those 11 games, the Bulldogs have conceded just ten even-strength goals. Three of them came in last Friday's 3-3 tie with Miami.

Western Michigan plays a very difficult style for opponents. But things are different. Go back to before the teams met in Duluth in November, when I visited with WMU coach Andy Murray and asked him about how he's adjusted to the way NCHC teams play.

“When you have a poor year as we did last year, you have to take a look at what you’re doing and how you can improve," he said. "I think we changed our methodology. You’re foolish if you stay the same when it’s not working.”

What changed? This team has more speed and skill, for starters. The emergence of Corey Schueneman and Cam Lee gives WMU some serious mobility on the blue line. Up front, three-year captain Sheldon Dries is having another stellar season.

"He is our motor on our team," Murray said this week. "He thinks he's six-foot-four and plays in a five-nine body, but competes and battles and likes going up against other teams' best players."

Dries has produced this year, with 12 goals and 25 points. He has plenty of help, too. Sophomore Matheson Iacopelli was a revelation when these teams met earlier in the season. As teams have started paying more attention to him, he hasn't slowed down one bit. Iacopelli has 19 goals and 31 points to lead the team, and he's a very strong All-NCHC candidate.

(Dries, by the way, should be a good candidate for the league's Best Defensive Forward honors at the awards show before the Frozen Faceoff. But no one asked me.)

Flyers draft pick Wade Allison, a freshman, has 11 goals and 24 points. Sophomores Griffen Molino and Colt Conrad both have double-digit goals and 24 points. Molino will be a guy to watch after the season, as it sounds as if NHL teams are sniffing.

Schueneman and Lee lead a revamped defense that is mobile and can move the puck and join the rush. Lee is going to be a good one, he's only a freshman and has really emerged in the second half.

"They give us some mobility back there that maybe we've lacked in the past," Murray said, adding senior Taylor Fleming is another guy who can skate for the Broncos. "They've helped us move the puck more effectively than we did last year."

"They're a hard team to play against," UMD sophomore forward Adam Johnson said this week. "Always real physical. They've got some skill players and some guys who can score."

"They're fast, they hit hard, they block shots, they do things right," senior defenseman Brenden Kotyk said. "Obviously having Andy Murray as a coach will help that."

"I'm very impressed with their team," Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said. "They've done a really good job of adding more speed and skill to their lineup. It's not just one or two lines. It's lines one through four."

Of course, Western's opponent this weekend isn't exactly a slouch. Much like the Broncos, UMD doesn't have a star carrying the water. Or even a line. Behind senior Alex Iafallo's 34 points are four guys -- Neal Pionk, Adam Johnson, Joey Anderson, and Dominic Toninato -- in the 20s. Four Bulldogs have double-digit goals, and eight players are double-figures in points over the 22 NCHC games to date.

On UMD, Murray says "Tremendous, physical, they play hard-nosed hockey, in your face, can skate, good in transition."

Sounds like the kind of hockey both teams -- locks for the NCAA Tournament -- will see later in March. No better time to prepare than now.

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Lots of work for UMD in practice this week on its defensive play. As assistant Jason Herter told me, it isn't that guys aren't working hard.

"We preach backchecking," he says. "And they backcheck so hard they take themselves out of position. We're trying to get our guys to settle their game down, understand what their job is."

Kotyk said there will be breakdowns, even in the NHL, but "you have to focus on your job.

"We have to make sure our defensive play is really tight."

He says communication is a huge key. Guys have to constantly be talking as they come back defensively.

"The defense start it on a rush," he said. "We can see the whole play. Forwards just turning around from the net can't really see what's going on. It's nice for us to be able to say 'Take far guy,' for example. It also identifies your man as you get into the zone."

UMD's rush coverage has broken down a couple times this season, most recently in the Thursday win over Miami. It's not the only wart Sandelin has found, but it's been a focus this week with the Broncos and then what should be a fantastic NCHC playoff on the horizon.

"Guys are working hard," he said. "We just need to work a little smarter.

"Our first forward back is usually low, and there's been some confusion. Sometimes it's a wing, and the center has to identify that. Sometimes, he gets caught low, and it leaves some gaps. It's just some more communication, reading, simplify things a little bit."

Sandelin also mentioned the team's inability to put opponents away recently. Up 2-0 on Colorado College, the Bulldogs missed a couple chances to make it 3-0 early, then ran into penalty trouble and had to settle for a tie and shootout win. Up 2-0 against Miami last Thursday, UMD had a long shift in the offensive zone, couldn't generate even a great scoring chance, much less the third goal, and eventually Miami scored off a rush to get on the board. Next thing you know, the game is tied and UMD has to grind out a win in the third period. The Bulldogs led 3-2 in Friday's game before Miami got a late equalizer and then an extra point in three-on-three overtime.

"We haven't been able to find the third goal," Sandelin said. "We've left some plays on the rink and missed some opportunities, you have to find a way to get that next goal."

That said, UMD is still unbeaten in 11, and while there might be some things Sandelin and the coaches see that cause aggravation, it's hard to complain about an 11-game unbeaten run against the competition the Bulldogs face on a regular basis.

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Haven't talked much about the Penrose Cup. Frankly, it's still attainable, but you all know the odds are long.

Here's what UMD needs to win the Penrose Cup.

Sweep Western Michigan, and have Denver get no more than two points -- in any way -- out of Omaha. If DU gets two points out of one game and is beaten in regulation in the other, the teams would be tied at 55 points, and UMD would win the tiebreaker based on head to head goals (6-5 in that December series in Denver).

Sweep Western Michigan, and have Denver get one or zero points out of Omaha, and UMD wins the Penrose outright.

UMD can win with a five-point weekend, but only if Denver is swept. Otherwise, the Pioneers will have the league wins tiebreaker.

If UMD gets four points or less out of the series, Denver wins the Penrose without getting a point.

While UMD's players still want to win the league, they also know the more realistic outcome is a second-place finish that will probably send Miami back to Duluth for a best-of-three series next weekend.

"We're not out of it," Johnson said. "We just gotta to try to keep improving and put the pressure on them."

By staying the course and improving against a really good opponent this weekend, UMD also sets the course for a playoff run that starts in a week. After next week, everything left is one-and-done for the Bulldogs, with the obvious goal of getting to Chicago and the Frozen Four.

Bulldogs Celebrate Impactful Senior Class, Face Improving Miami Team in Final Home Series

UMD's seven-man senior class isn't about to complain about this not actually being their Amsoil Arena swan song.

That said, the traditional Senior Night celebration Friday will be an emotional one.

Forwards Alex Iafallo, Kyle Osterberg, and captain Dominic Toninato, along with defensemen Brenden Kotyk, Dan Molenaar, Willie Raskob, and Carson Soucy have combined to play in 856 games for UMD. They bring 156 goals (led by Toninato's 47) and 385 career points (Iafallo has 102) into this weekend's series against Miami, but that doesn't even begin to tell the story of their impact on the program.

"For us as coaches," longtime head coach Scott Sandelin said this week, "the fun part is watching those guys grow and mature. They're all leaders for us. They play big time roles for us. They've been very successful. They set examples on and off the rink by working hard and being good teammates. They've helped continue the culture we've tried to have here."

All seven have been big parts of this season, which will be the third straight for them that ends in the NCAA Tournament. This year's seniors are the first for UMD since 1984-85 to lead the team to three straight national tournament bids.

The group is led by a local captain, Toninato, who might not be producing big offensive numbers but is having one of his best years for UMD. He's second (to Karson Kuhlman) in blocked shots among UMD forwards. He's vastly improved in the faceoff circle at .503 for the season (he credits teammate Jared Thomas for helping him with his technique). And as conference play has heated up, so has his production. Eight of his nine goals and 16 of his 19 points have come in 20 NCHC games.

That he's the captain of his hometown college team makes it all the better for him.

"I honestly couldn't ask for anything better right now," he said last week. "We have some more goals that we want to accomplish, but as of right now I couldn't ask for a better year."

UMD's senior class has shepherded the program through the transition from the 2011-12 senior class led by Hobey Baker winner Jack Connolly. That class finished with a four-year record of 95-40-19 (.679 winning percentage). This group is at 75-53-18 (.575), but one of Sandelin's long-term goals was to see this program become an every-year tournament contender. UMD will make its third straight NCAA tourney for the first time in 32 years, so I'd say they've done a lot to help accomplish the proverbial mission.

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As expected, Sandelin was asked about the Saturday tie against Colorado College during his Wednesday media session. As expected, he took up for his team a bit, but was able to avoid any direct criticism of the officials.

I wrote a bit about this on Monday. Anyone who listened Saturday knows what I think of what happened on the ice. But at the same time, UMD took penalties that were out of character for this group. Dustups behind the play, unnecessary contact penalties, stuff like that ... stuff UMD has largely avoided all season.

"The curse was the first period," Sandelin said. "Maybe we thought things would be easy, but we couldn't get the third (goal). I think some frustration set in, and those things built over the game.

"We had a couple calls that, for me, were going on the whole game. But I can specifically look at three or four penalties on our team that were very unnecessary. We had a good discussion this week. I think our guys learned a lesson."

The Bulldogs are now second in the NCHC at 13-plus penalty minutes per game. Only Western Michigan has more. But a deeper dive shows UMD has only faced 141 power plays this season, 22 fewer than Western Michigan and fourth-most in the NCHC (Miami, Colorado College, and Omaha have also had more penalty kill attempts than UMD).

(In conference play only, UMD leads with 14.9 penalty minutes per game -- Western is at 13.3 -- but its 96 penalty kills faced is eight fewer than Western Michigan. The point? The uptick in penalty minutes is due to an uptick in major penalties, which usually come complete with a game misconduct that counts for ten minutes toward a team's total.)

The Bulldogs need to play with more discipline, yes, but they're not out of control or anything extreme like that.

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Miami visits this weekend for the teams' only scheduled meeting this season. Coach Rico Blasi talked in September about getting his team to do things "the right way" on a more consistent basis and restoring the strong culture his program had for years prior.

"When you don't do things the right way for an entire season, karma is a you know what," he said at NCHC Media Day. "For me, it's about going back to your culture and doing things the right way. If you play the game the right way, you'll get the bounces."

Blasi probably picked a good time to talk about big-picture things like restoring the Miami culture. His team is insanely young this year, with 14 freshmen and six sophomores. One of the three seniors, Anthony Louis, is one of the nation's more underrated players. He leads the RedHawks with 13 goals and 33 points, has developed into a player who Blasi can rely on in all situations, and he is one of just three active NCHC players -- Iafallo and Omaha's Austin Ortega are the others -- with 100-plus career points.

Also formidable is sophomore power forward Kiefer Sherwood, who has 11 goals and 30 points and is over a point per game in NCHC play. Sherwood continues to grow into his six-foot frame, but he's tough to defend when going to the net and he's not afraid of the tough areas. He's a good player, as is sophomore Josh Melnick, who's a little smaller and a lot shiftier. Like Toninato for UMD, Melnick has stepped up his production in conference play, with eight of his nine goals coming against NCHC rivals.

In goal, Miami has used freshman Ryan Larkin for all but two games in goal. He carries a 2.68 goals against and .913 save percentage. Like the team, which was swept at home by Denver last weekend, he has experienced some ups and downs. After playing very well in St. Cloud -- despite the Huskies sweeping the series -- he gave up nine goals (one empty-netter) on 69 shots against Denver.

6:30 pregames both Thursday and Friday on 92.1 The Fan. UMD has already clinched home ice, but these six points are vital for the Bulldogs to stay alive in the NCHC title race. Also be a #GOHUSKIESWOOOOO type of weekend for UMD, as fans should be rooting for St. Cloud State at Denver, no matter how weird it might be to do that.

UMD Men Enter Stretch Run in Search of Payback

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What has to happen?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

North Star College Cup Swan Song Sees Longtime Rivals Bulldogs, Gophers Clash

It was probably the worst-kept secret in Minnesota college hockey. Going back to even before the point that UMD announced a four-year contract for home-and-home series with in-state rival Minnesota, the North Star College Cup was on its last legs.

Looking ahead, the tournament wasn't on the Bulldogs' schedule. If that wasn't enough of a sign, there was no need to announce a separate deal for home-and-home sets against Minnesota if the North Star College Cup were going to continue beyond its initial four-year arrangement. That deal included provisions for the Gophers to play weekend sets against its various in-state rivals, all of which of course used to play in the WCHA.

So when Tuesday afternoon's statement finally came from the University of Minnesota, confirming the end of the North Star College Cup (the U of M operated the event), it was no surprise. Here's the statement:

Following discussions between the five institutions, the decision has been made that the North Star College Cup will not continue after this year’s upcoming tournament. Our institutions had hoped the tournament would appeal more to fans, however the interest level has not grown over the last four years as we had hoped. In addition, teams have expressed interest in rewarding their fans with games at their home venues.

Boilerplate statement that gets the point across.

Attendance has been on the downswing in the two years since a successful inaugural run. An announced crowd of over 14,000 attended the championship game of the first-ever North Star College Cup, where Minnesota beat UMD in a shootout after a 4-4 tie. While the in-house attendance was probably closer to 10,000 or 12,000, it still had to be considered a successful first time.

After that, I opened up the suggestion box, both on this blog and via Twitter. The most common suggestions: Split up the daily sessions so fans don't feel like they're stuck at the arena for seven hours; More fan interaction during timeouts and intermissions; Saturday/Sunday tournament.

Well, they never figured out the sessions/ticket prices. Many fans felt it was too pricey to see teams that still play each other regularly. After all, Bemidji State, for example, was still getting games against Minnesota. The Beavers also are regularly playing UMD, so it isn't as special when they meet in St. Paul. If you're going to charge a premium price for those games, you have to figure out a way to make it more of an event than a "normal" home game for one of the five schools.

That doesn't just get solved by increasing the fan interaction during the games, but that never seemed to come around, either. The WCHA's "Dance Mania" bit was cooky and probably a little weird at times, but it kept fans engaged during the media timeouts. Kiss Cam and Simba Cam are things you can do in that realm, but they get old (especially Kiss Cam). And you can't just rely on marriage proposals in the arena to keep people interested.

The Saturday/Sunday format was attempted last year. It did not work, shock to be sure.

Ultimately, the failure of this event to catch on can be traced to a couple different factors.

I don't believe the money was enough. The statement eludes to this, talking about the lack of appeal to fans. In order for this event to work, the non-Gopher programs in the tournament need to be seeing enough kickback, at least over two years, to justify staying involved (lots of talk about lost home games, but realistically, you're probably going to gain two home games every two years if you don't play in the tournament, because there will be return trips required for non-conference home series most of the time). Doesn't sound like that was happening.

If there had been enough money distributed to the four "outstate" schools (sorry, I hate that term as much as you do, but it's the easiest way of describing them), we would probably not be here right now. Those schools wouldn't be as insistent on opening the dates back up for the possibility of home games.

Also, as already mentioned with ticket prices, which I don't think were outlandish, there is no novelty with these teams playing each other. You're charging more than a fan would pay to see a St. Cloud State or Minnesota State or UMD or Bemidji State home game, but are you giving them more than what they get in said home game? This event wasn't around long enough to truly become a destination event, which is what other traditional college hockey tournaments -- most notably the Beanpot and Great Lakes Invitational -- are.

(The argument here is the Beanpot matches three Hockey East teams and an ECAC team that play each other on a regular basis outside of the Beanpot. But this tournament doesn't have a half-century of tradition built up like the Beanpot. The equity just doesn't exist to make these types of comparisons.)

Am I saying this thing wasn't given enough time? Sort of, but there were too many people unhappy with how things were going for it to continue without changes. Plus, I'll cede to marketing and promotions wizards out there on how all of this could have been put together more effectively, because I am not that.

UMD coach Scott Sandelin brought up an interesting point this week. Was the tournament played at the right time of year?

All five Minnesota teams are in the middle of their conference seasons. League title races are about to heat up, followed by conference tournaments and then the PairWise finally matters. Sandelin wondered out loud: Would this event have been better served on Thanksgiving weekend?

We may never know. UMD's schedule is filled up for next season. Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore told me in December his was filled up, too. You might be looking at 2020-2021 before you can stage this tournament again. If the schools all band together and discuss doing that, you can bet it will take on a much different form.

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Sad as we might all be to see this tournament disappear, it should be a bang-up way to go out. Friday's second semifinal features two teams found near the top of every available ranking, with No. 1 UMD facing No. 6 Minnesota.

The game features a combined 39 rostered Minnesotans on the teams (23 for the Gophers) as they line up in Minnesota's capital city. For UMD, it always seems to mean a little more, and the Bulldog players -- especially as of late -- have had little trouble getting prepared to play against Minnesota.

Over the last six meetings, all UMD wins, the Bulldogs have led in goals 17-4 while outshooting Minnesota by a margin of 33 shots per game to 25.

"They've been good," longtime Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. "If you look at our scores, we didn't get many goals. They've been really good the last three years."

"Having been here a long time," UMD head coach Scott Sandelin said. "I remember not having those opportunities or losing some tough games to them. Everything goes in cycles. We know they're a good team, and we know we're going to have to play good hockey to beat them."

This Gophers team comes in hot. Minnesota lost to Ohio State 8-3 Dec. 3, and the Gophers are 7-1 since then, outscoring adversaries 33-18. Sophomore Tyler Sheehy leads with 32 points (15 goals), and two-year captain Justin Kloos has 11 goals and 27 points. Sophomore defenseman Ryan Lindgren is a good friend of UMD's Joey Anderson, and the two were teammates on the gold medal winning U.S. World Junior team.

You can question schedule strength if you'd like, but Lucia doesn't want to hear it.

"You look at our non-conference, I'd probably argue ours is as difficult as any in the country this year," he said this week. "We've been all over, from Alaska to Boston to New York, I think it makes us a better team."

Lucia is making a strong statement here, considering his team's schedule is rated 14th in the nation (RPI) or 24th (KRACH), depending on where you look (UMD is No. 1 in both). But he's talking about more than just the quality of the opposition. Separate trips to the Boston area and upstate New York (Minnesota played at Clarkson and St. Lawrence), along with a long trek to Anchorage can be taxing on a team. The Gophers didn't win every game, but they appear to have used the travel time wisely, and they're better now for it.

Lucia knows his team will be tested on Friday.

"They're a veteran team," Lucia said. "They have four senior defensemen. They were a goal away from the Frozen Four a year ago. They skate well, they have a nice mix of speed and size and skill. They don't rely on one line to score, but frankly I think the strength of their team is they don't give up much."

I like Lucia's team. They've got some really skilled forwards up front, a tenacious forecheck, and a dangerous power play. The Gophers have struggled a bit in the back, and maybe UMD can attack the blue line and goalie Eric Schierhorn, but the Bulldogs better be careful. Minnesota can torch anyone in transition, so puck management will be a huge key.

******

Since you can't get enough of me, you can find me on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities' Puck Dynasty podcast this week. I joined Nate Wells and Declan Goff for a North Star College Cup preview. Hear that portion of the show around the 37:30 mark.

I'll be on the KQ Morning Show Friday from 6am until whenever I bug out to leave for the Twin Cities. We'll talk plenty of UMD-Minnesota around the silliness. Puncher's chance I drop in on the KDAL Morning Show, too.

Finally, I'll be on Beyond The Pond with Brandon Mileski and whoever he drags onto the show with him Saturday at 10:15am. That's on KFAN in the Twin Cities or 92.1 The Fan in the Duluth/Superior area.

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.

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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.

Bulldogs, St. Cloud State Both Seek Redemption After Tough Weekends

Undoubtedly, last weekend was not what UMD was looking for.

"I don't want to sit here and talk about everything we did wrong," head coach Scott Sandelin said this week. "I want to give CC credit."

Sandelin did that, noting their left wing lock, played to near perfection, caused UMD all sorts of problems.

"We just never got going."

As I wrote on Monday, any complaining or bellyaching about how UMD played or how the officials officiated or how the ice was or anything else had to be predicated by giving the Tigers credit. Feeling good about themselves after a Florida College Classic championship, Colorado College waltzed into Amsoil Arena and played the way it wanted to play. The Bulldogs struggled throughout both games, never seemed emotionally into what was going on, and got the result that level of play would warrant.

But let's be fair to UMD. It was one bad weekend after a long series of good to great weekends. Even the great teams have them. North Dakota got swept at Denver and later lost and tied at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff before going on to win the NCAA title.

If we believe this UMD team has a chance to be a great team, the occasional hiccup is still inevitable. And if the group tackles adversity week to week the way it has tackled adversity during games, there is zero reason to be concerned.

Some examples:

Oct. 7 at UMass-Lowell: Trailed 4-1 midway through the second, rallied to earn 4-4 tie
Oct. 28 vs North Dakota: 3-0 lead became 3-2 in final minute of second, scored only goals of third in 5-2 win
Nov. 4-5 at St. Cloud State: Trailed 3-1 both nights, won both games 5-3
Nov. 12 vs Western Michigan: After late goal gave WMU a 4-3 win Friday, UMD won 2-0 Saturday
Dec. 10 at Denver: After 4-3 loss Friday, UMD won 3-1 Saturday
Dec. 17 at Bemidji State: Gave up goal :44 in, trailed into second period, won 2-1 and didn't allow a shot in back-to-back BSU power plays over final 3:37 of regulation

Sandelin wants to see some emotion this weekend, which he said was lacking last week.

"It was just kind of dead. Very flat. Maybe a combination of not playing enough over 30 or 40 days. We gotta find a way to get back to it. We had a good, very simple talk Monday about getting back to what we need to do, focusing more on the things we need to get better at.

"Hopefully our guys learned the lesson," he said. "Our league is tough. Certainly, we didn't play well enough either night to win two games, but we had opportunities. We have to be better this weekend for sure."

Senior forward Kyle Osterberg noted classes at UMD resumed this week, and that return to "routine" might be a little bit of a boost for most guys. After all, athletes are creatures of habit.

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St. Cloud State, meanwhile, also had a disappointing start to 2017. The Huskies went into break with a 2-1-1 mark over their last four games, including a win and tie at Western Michigan. They've come out of break 1-3, swept by Miami last weekend and having split games at the Desert Hockey Classic the weekend prior.

"It's been good and bad," SCSU coach Bob Motzko said this week. "It's just like our team. We're in every game, it's tight. We don't score like we did a year ago. We don't have an All-American goalie like last year (Charlie Lindgren), but they've given us a chance in every game. I like our hockey team, I like it a lot.

"We're just not there yet, but we're coming."

Sophomore Mikey Eyssimont leads with ten goals, followed by Duluth Marshall graduate Judd Peterson with nine. Freshman Jack Ahcan, a World Junior gold medalist along with Motzko (head coach), video coordinator Matt Chapman, and of course UMD freshman Joey Anderson, has 13 points in 16 games.

The goalies, Jeff Smith and Zach Driscoll, have basically split time, each playing in 12 games and being separated by just 30 minutes played. Smith has a 2.98 goals against and .891 save percentage, Driscoll a 3.13 and .889. Smith started both games at Miami with Driscoll ill, but Motzko said he was back in practice this week and we don't know which goalie will get the nod in the series opener.

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Motzko, by the way, had nothing but praise for UMD's Anderson, who played top-line minutes and was used in many key situations in the World Juniors.

"There was one moment, he's in the hall, and I put my arm around him and said 'Except for Duluth, I love you'. He's a special kid and hockey player. One of my favorites. Last year on that (Under 18) team, (Clayton) Keller and (Kiefer) Bellows got all the accolades for what they did, but I got the feeling Joey was the straw that stirred that drink.

"I found myself using him in the big games the most, because I could trust him. I hate to say it, but you guys got a special one up there."

Motzko was grateful for the chance to work with this team, one he said he knew during evaluation camp in the summer in Michigan had a chance to be special.

Sandelin told reporters Wednesday UMD will "do something" Friday to honor the members of the World Junior team that are part of the Bulldogs and Huskies.

Also, it's Hall of Fame weekend, with the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame inductions set for Saturday. All six inductees -- former men's hockey star and Hobey Baker winner Junior Lessard, Tim Battaglia (baseball and football), Barry Fermanich (baseball and basketball), Lindsey Dietz (basketball), Dave Hicks (skiing and golf), and Angie Jones (softball) -- will be honored on the ice after the first period of Saturday's game. For the radio folk, Lessard will be with us after the second period Friday, and Battaglia after the second period Saturday.