Monday Musings: Second Period Dooms UMD in Split

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Sorry. Can't help myself.

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

Why? Because hockey. That's why.

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

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

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

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

Game 7: UMass-Lowell at UMD

Happy Halloween from Amsoil Arena, where UMD looks to do more than just scare UMass-Lowell. The Bulldogs seek their second sweep of 2015-16 on this night, and will do so against a motivated RiverHawks team that has more than enough talent -- led by their extremely capable goalie -- to earn a split.

UMD has a few areas it will try to improve, including the power play. Yes, it scored the winning goal Friday in a 2-1 triumph. And it was a very nice goal, a greasy goal made possible by good work in front of the UML net. But UMD also surrendered two short-handed breaks in a previous power play. Might want to clean that up.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Pionk - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Fons

UML
Smith - Gambardella - Louria
White - Fallon - Dmowski
Wilson - Campbell - Francis
McGrath - Master - Chapie

Zink - Kapla
Folin - Mueller
Panico - Forney

Boyle - Cleary

(NOTE: Boyle started Friday, when the  goalies were listed in the other order. Don't know if this means Cleary is starting. Clearly, I'm an idiot, but follow me on Twitter for updates.)

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Grind Out Quality Win

It was a game much more entertaining than the final score indicated, as the UMD Bulldogs won a goaltenders' duel at Amsoil Arena Friday night.

UMD sophomore Kasimir Kaskisuo and UMass-Lowell senior Kevin Boyle traded big save after big save, but a Dominic Toninato rebound goal late in the second period gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish. The win runs UMD's unbeaten streak to five since a season-opening loss at Bemidji State.

The game started a bit slowly, but UMD's Blake Young got a minor penalty for playing hockey charging just short of the 6:00 mark of the first. UMD killed it off without allowing a shot, and the Bulldogs started to get going after that. The first ended scoreless, but UMD ended up leading 11-4 in shots, and the Bulldogs started getting the better of zone possession as the period wore on.

All the game's scoring came in the second period, and after the teams traded goals, it was UMD's fourth line that really got things working. Cal Decowski, Charlie Sampair, and Blake Young had a great shift, with Young and Decowski both getting a couple shots, and while they didn't score, they hemmed UML in for quite a long time and eventually drew a penalty. 11 seconds into the power play, Toninato banged home a rebound off an Alex Iafallo shot that hit the post, and UMD led 2-1.

Lowell generated some real possession time in the third period, but only managed 11 shots on goal. There were a couple sequences where the Bulldogs struggled to get the puck out of their zone, and when they did, it didn't go more than six feet across the blue line before it was rapped back in. The RiverHawks, however, didn't get a lot of great looks at Kaskisuo, who made his best saves on a futile UMD power play early in the second period. A couple bad turnovers gave UML two short-handed breaks in the same UMD power play. Kaskisuo stopped both of them to keep the game scoreless.

This might have been the best game "Kas" has played at UMD. He made a few point-blank saves in the second period, and he did a good job controlling rebounds. His defense blocked 17 shots, which helped him, but he was strong from the outset, despite not seeing any shots of any kind for the first half of the first period.

It's obvious Kaskisuo improved over the offseason. Outside of a couple hiccups, mainly in the Bemidji State game, his rebound control has been exemplary. He's standing tall and making the saves he's supposed to make. Also, his puck play -- while still not at Stalockian levels -- has certainly gotten better. It's certainly early, but Kaskisuo is at a .933 save percentage through six starts, which would mark a superb improvement over his solid freshman numbers. I don't think it's necessarily reasonable to expect a goalie to post that kind of save percentage over 34 games against this kind of schedule, but if he does, it's a bonus for UMD and bodes well for the kinds of goals this team has.

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I was looking for a few things this weekend. I wanted to see how UMD responded to UML's "pack it in" defensive game. The RiverHawks do an outstanding job in their own end, and it's rare that you see the puck cycle down low and have the offensive player not outnumbered. UMD players coughed up a few pucks Friday because they were trapped and outnumbered deep in the offensive zone. But as the game wore on, the Bulldogs appeared to wear down UML a bit with a strong forecheck. They got that going by being smart about dump-ins and getting to pucks quickly. Every line generated pressure and chances, and every line had at least four shots on goal in the game.

I liked how UMD got to Boyle and kept the pressure on him. He's a whale of a goaltender, very athletic and fundamentally sound. He played a great game, and UMD did a lot of good things to keep the heat on.

With the goalie pulled in the final 1:30 or so, the RiverHawks never really got a great look to the net. UMD won a couple faceoffs and battles, and the clock ran out when Kyle Osterberg, who assisted on Andy Welinski's goal to open the scoring in the second period, dumped it down the rink.

I know it ended 2-1, but it was a very entertaining, very cleanly-played game between two very good teams. Whatever happens on Saturday, this is a quality win for UMD and will absolutely help them going forward.

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Six NCHC teams played games for conference points on Friday. In Kalamazoo, Western Michigan never trailed in handing Omaha its first loss of the season in a 4-2 game. Ohio State transfer Collin Olson started for WMU in goal and made 31 saves, and the Broncos got goals from four different players. Sheldon Dries gave Western the lead for good in the second period, then Aaron Hadley added insurance in the third.

In St. Cloud, the homestanding Huskies dominated Miami, winning 3-0. SCSU outshot the RedHawks 40-15, including 17-4 in the first period. Patrick Newell scored twice for St. Cloud State, and goalie Charlie Lindgren made the 15 saves for a shutout.

In Colorado Springs, the kids were all right for North Dakota in a 5-2 win over Colorado College. All five UND goals came from rookies, with Chris Wilkie tallying twice. Goalie Matt Hrynkiw made 19 saves for the win, as the Tigers fell to 0-7.

Also, Denver got a late goal from Will Butcher to tie Boston College 3-3, but Matthew Gaudreau scored with 36 seconds left to lift the Eagles to a 4-3 win over the Pioneers. Danton Heinen scored twice for DU, which plays Boston University Saturday to close out the weekend out east.

Local Division III teams also kicked off their seasons Friday night. St. Scholastica got a goal from Dylan Nowakowski with 54 seconds left to complete a comeback from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits and get a 3-3 tie against UW-River Falls. The Saints welcomed back head coach Mark Wick, who missed the end of last season on medical leave. He revealed to the Duluth News Tribune he was battling depression.

In Ashland, UWS got third period goals from Anton Svensson and Jordan Neduzak to beat Northland 3-1. The Yellowjackets head to the Upper Peninsula for a Saturday game against Finlandia.

Game 6: UMass-Lowell at UMD

We solemnly swear to not make electricity jokes.

This marks UMD's first Friday night home game of the season. It also marks UMass-Lowell's first game outside of the state of Massachusetts (four home games and one at Merrimack so far for the RiverHawks).

As I wrote about earlier, I expect this to be a very interesting weekend. UMD likes to push the pace and use its speed. UMass-Lowell is closer to a lockdown-variety team, and a very fundamentally sound one.

Too bad healthy scratches can't just leave the team for the night, because the Wild have healthy-scratched defenseman Christian Folin, and his younger brother Niklas -- a freshman -- is a top-pair blue-liner for UMass-Lowell.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Pionk - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Molenaar

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Fons

UML
White - Fallon - Dmowski
Smith - Gambardella - Louria
Edwardh - Master - Chapie
McGrath - Campbell - Francis

Mueller - Folin
Zink - Kapla
Panico - Forney

Cleary - Boyle

(NOTE: Looks like UML lists goalies numerically. Grr. Anyway, we're assuming Boyle starts until someone says he isn't.)

Bulldogs Battle for Space Against Big, Experienced RiverHawks

This is going to be a meat-grinder.

The Bulldogs have long looked comfortable playing what basically amounts to racehorse hockey. When a team wants to engage UMD in a game of "up and down the rink," the Bulldogs are at their best. UMD wants to play with pace, and sometimes struggles when the opponent won't allow that to happen.

That's what I expect this weekend. UMass-Lowell is one of the better defensive teams that we'll see this season, led by senior goalie Kevin Boyle and his obscene .961 save percentage. But to watch UML play -- I watched back the Merrimack games from last week -- is to appreciate how good a job this team does defensively.

The RiverHawks just don't give much up to the opponent. It's exceptionally hard to get to the net and make anything happen against these guys, and that's something assistant coach Jason Herter addressed this week when we spoke.

"We're challenging our guys to get to the net and move their feet," he said. In order to get and sustain pressure and earn quality scoring chances against UML, UMD will have to move its feet at a very high and consistent level.

Merrimack had 35 shots on goal in the Warriors' 1-1 tie against Lowell last Friday. What I don't see are the kinds of quality chances it takes to beat a goalie of Boyle's caliber. He's a 6-1 goalie who played like he's 6-4 or 6-5. I'm very impressed with what I saw from him last weekend. He could be a tough nut for UMD to crack.

Herter said this UML team reminds him a bit of the Western Michigan team that knocked off UMD in the NCHC playoffs two years ago in Duluth. With just the Merrimack games to go on, I'd argue those Broncos may have had more speed and pure skill, but the RiverHawks play their system to a tee, as well and as consistently as any UMD opponent I've studied.

I do think UMD has more speed and forward depth than Merrimack, and that could be a different layer of a challenge for UMass-Lowell.

"They will be the strongest team that we have played so far," head coach Norm Bazin said this week of UMD. "They've got eight seniors and seven juniors so you're thinking about 15 upper classmen guiding their team, they've got good goaltending, they've got big defensemen and speedy forwards so they've got a good mix.  We want to play our game and see where it takes us; it should be exciting hockey."

UML has veterans, too, with seven seniors and four juniors. Like UMD, the RiverHawks have four players at 100 or more career games. As Herter pointed out, UML has a large number of players who came in after spending time in junior hockey, most commonly the USHL. It's another trait largely shared by UMD, but the RiverHawks have five 1991 birthdates among their seniors compared to two for UMD.

I'm looking forward to this series. I think it's a great challenge for the Bulldogs. Last year, UMD didn't necessarily play well against tougher defensive-minded teams, especially WMU. To make plays this weekend, UMD needs to take advantage of smaller windows than maybe they'll get against other opponents. UML does a great job defending its net, starting with Boyle, but the five skaters on the ice play a role there, too. The Bulldogs have to use their speed and skill to spread out UML as much as possible.

Special teams are always huge, and the RiverHawks have killed all 18 power plays they've given opponents. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Bulldogs have cooked up on the power play. The numbers are not good, but for the most part, the power play has done good things even when it hasn't scored. Last weekend is more of an exception, but UMD cleaned a few things up Saturday against Notre Dame, and hopefully will take another step this weekend.

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Glenn "Chico" Resch is sure one of a kind.

The former UMD goaltender gets the ultimate Bulldog Hockey tribute Friday night at Amsoil Arena, when the school retires his No. 1 jersey. The affable Resch will be in Duluth this weekend, but he also stopped by Amsoil Arena last week on hockey media day. Not surprisingly, he held court for the assembled professional journalists.

Oh, and I was there, too.

He joked about how he didn't believe a request from UMD Athletic Director Josh Berlo to get a hold of him was anything important. Then he heard from alum Walt Ledingham, who told him Berlo really had something important to tell Resch. When we met with Resch last week, he still seemed a bit in shock it was really happening.

Nearly 35 years later, the man they call "Chico" still raves about his time at UMD.

"My world was never the same after I graduated (from UMD) in 1971," Resch said. "I have so much to be thankful for."

Resch played goalie for UMD starting in the late 1960s, and served as team captain as a senior in 1970-71, when he earned All-WCHA second team honors and was also named UMD's Outstanding Senior Athlete that year. From there, Resch played 14 years in the NHL with the New York Islanders, Colorado Rockies, New Jersey Devils, and Philadelphia Flyers before retiring in 1986. He played in three NHL All-Star Games, becoming the first former Bulldog to do that.

After his playing career ended, Resch moved into broadcasting, working UMD games on TV with the great Jim Rich before becoming the lead analyst for the New Jersey Devils, primarily on the MSG Networks.

There, Resch formed one of the NHL's most popular local broadcast teams with NHL play-by-play legend Mike "Doc" Emrick. Resch retired after the 2013-14 season, his 18th calling Devils games on TV. The duo was so beloved among Devils fans that the team held special nights in Emrick's honor after he left to work full-time doing games on NBC, and for Resch when he retired.

I had a chance to interview Resch in 2010, the week UMD played its final games at the DECC. I called on a number of alumni to help send the place out with a bang, and Resch really delivered. It didn't take much to get him going, though I'll always remember him being more than willing to talk about his UMD memories with me, and equally upset that he couldn't get out of his MSG television responsibilities with the Devils to be at the last game in person.

Head coach Scott Sandelin calls Resch a "great guy," and is happy to see his program honoring greats from the past. Resch will be the fourth men's hockey player to have his jersey retired, joining Huffer Christiansen, Brett Hull, and Bill Watson, whose No. 14 was retired last year.

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Arrive at Friday's game early to see the Resch ceremony at 6:45. He'll be signing autographs and greeting fans after the first period, and if you're tuning into the game on the radio, we'll have him on after the second period.

I know some fans are nervous about UMD "over-retiring" numbers, but I look at it as a cool way to engage our fans in the history of the program. Resch is a fantastic guy and someone who will embrace this honor, similar to Bill Watson last year.

Monday Musings (on a Tuesday): Bulldogs Break Out Ties in South Bend

I bring two ties on every road trip. I know, I should probably bring more, but two games, two ties.

UMD brought two ties home on the bus from South Bend Saturday night/Sunday morning. The Bulldogs, arguably, should have won Friday before a 3-3 draw against Notre Dame. The Irish, arguably, should have won Saturday before a 3-3 tie.

T'was that kind of weekend.

It was an entertaining series, as most of us expected. Notre Dame has a reputation for being a bit on the boring side, but I've never agreed with that. The Irish have too much skill to consistently be branded that way. That's not to say Jeff Jackson doesn't want his kids to play defense. He does. It's saying he does turn the kids loose and lets them display their speed and skill, especially in the middle of the rink. These teams tend to play enjoyable, watchable, clean hockey against each other. It was the last of a four-series deal between the programs (two weekends in each city, with UMD also getting invited to last year's IceBreaker in South Bend), but hopefully they're able to work it out to play each other more in future seasons.

The Bulldogs weren't their crispest or best over the weekend, but yet UMD found a way to avoid losing either game. Friday night, the Bulldogs blew a 2-0 lead, thanks in large part to an anemic power play that struggled with faceoffs, zone entries, and general possession. Saturday's tie came despite a power play that struggled some more, though it did unquestionably show improvement on faceoffs, zone entries, and possession.

UMD never was good enough to put a lot of pressure on a Notre Dame defensive corps that I thought was a bit vulnerable going in. I didn't think there was enough net drive by the Bulldogs, and while they still generated gobs of pressure, there were at least a half-dozen quality rebound opportunities that ended up being harmlessly cleared away because no one in a maroon sweater was crashing down low.

Speed was a big advantage I expected UMD to exploit, especially at forward. While Tony Cameranesi's line -- with Austin Farley and Karson Kuhlman -- made more than a few plays by using their speed, there wasn't of that on the weekend.

Honestly, when you read this, you probably think UMD lost a game. The fact that didn't happen is a credit -- in large part -- to a couple entities: The penalty kill, and Kasimir Kaskisuo.

Kas' save percentage actually went down on the weekend, but don't be fooled. He was superb, especially on the penalty kill in Friday's game. And don't be fooled by the knuckle puck that he let squeak by him from Notre Dame freshman Dylan Malmquist in the first period Saturday. He bounced back from that to put in another strong effort.

The kill allowed two goals in 11 power plays on the weekend, but was actually better than even that number would indicate. UMD outshot Notre Dame on its power plays Saturday, with five short-handed shots compared to four power-play shots for the Irish. At one point, I got to use the "Who's on the power play?" line everyone loves so much, especially when it's your team executing a penalty kill well enough to make it a valid line.

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And what can we say about Cameranesi? The guy plays with reckless abandon, to the point that I'm almost concerned about the risks he takes. But good luck getting him to slow down. This is how Tony Cameranesi plays, and when his team needed him most. the senior really cranked up the jets and used his speed to score a huge goal in Saturday's game.

We call that "leadership" around here.

Cameranesi scored later in the second Saturday to cut the lead to 3-2, then set up Neal Pionk's first career goal that tied things up in the third. He's one guy who constantly was using his speed to make plays, and it showed. That line -- Cameranesi, Farley, and Kuhlman -- was UMD's best down the stretch last year, and it's been the most consistent so far.

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UMD hosts UMass-Lowell this weekend. Arrive early Friday to watch the school retire the No. 1 worn by goalie Glenn "Chico" Resch, who will hopefully join us on the radio Friday night. That ceremony was scheduled for the first intermission, but has been moved to pregame, so keep that in mind if you have tickets for Friday.

Lowell is a very good defensive team, one that's allowed only five goals in five games (3-0-2 record). The RiverHawks tied Merrimack 1-1 in both games of a home-and-home series over the weekend to kick off their Hockey East schedule.

It's a good challenge for UMD, trying to score goals against a team that simply doesn't give up much. UML was outshot 58-33 by Merrimack, but got two ties out of it.

UMD has outshot its opponents 116-71 at even strength over the last four games. Keep that up, and hopefully we'll see good results this weekend.