Bulldogs, Badgers Finish Rivalry (For Now) With Playoff Series

Greetings from the mansion. Travel day tomorrow, and then it's time to hit the Kohl Center for playoff hockey.

UMD and Wisconsin haven't met in the postseason since 1993, when the Bulldogs bested UW 7-5 in the third-place game of the first-ever Final Five (at least the first year it was branded as such). They haven't met in a first-round series since 1991, and UMD has never beaten Wisconsin in a first-round series.

The Bulldogs got hot down the stretch, winning four in a row to close the season on a 4-1-2 run that included an impressive two-game performance against Minnesota that netted the Bulldogs a single lousy point in the standings.

Wisconsin, however, is also going pretty nicely. After a 1-7-3 start, the Badgers have dropped just five games. UW earned home ice with a great run down the stretch, including a 3-1 finish after the Badgers had to shake off a Monday night overtime loss to Penn State a couple weeks ago.

It should be an entertaining series, one where each team will try to cool off hot players. UMD's freshman tandem of Tony Cameranesi and Austin Farley each have 34 points. Farley has a six-game point streak in which he has 13 points on six goals and seven assists. Cameranesi has improved greatly on faceoffs in the second half of the season, and UMD's overall improvement in that area is a big part of the team's uptick in play lately. It's also helped the power play immensely. UMD's special teams are a key this weekend. The Bulldogs are 14 for their last 32 on the power play, including seven of 12 last week as they opened a can on Omaha.

The penalty kill? Also going very well. UMD has killed 25 of the last 27 opponent power plays, and that includes the series at Minnesota, where the nation's top power play got one all weekend.

Wisconsin's special teams were basically a dumpster fire early in the season, but head coach Mike Eaves told me this week he's liking what he is seeing lately. The Badgers have been bolstered offensively by the continued improvement of freshman Nic Kerdiles, who was a late arrival to the team because of a stupid NCAA suspension. It also helps having Mark Zengerle healthy. They comprise two-thirds of the UW top line, with Tyler Barnes skating with them. Michael Mersch (22 goals) is on the second line right now, and his continued strong play there has given the Badgers a little bit of offensive balance on their top two lines.

Special teams could play a huge role this weekend, as always in the playoffs. Paper gives UMD an edge in both areas, but the Bulldogs know full well from their title run two years ago that paper doesn't decide anything when it comes to these things. Nothing.

Both teams are playing for their seasons, and both teams are playing for a shot at what will be the last Final Five of its kind. UMD and UW move on next season, and the leagues they're moving to can only dream to have conference tournaments as magical and entertaining as the Final Five has been over the years.

I have to figure these teams will lay it all on the line, both to preserve their NCAA hopes and also get one more shot at college hockey's greatest conference tournament.

And while UMD is the road team and lower seed, it's hard not to like the Bulldogs' chances. This team has come together nicely, and as long as the back end stays solid, UMD has as good a shot as anyone in the league of pulling a road upset.

WCHA Final Five Should Have Crazy Friday

Before I make my way down I-35 for the semifinals of the WCHA Final Five, here are a few quick thoughts on what's happened and what is to come.

• Michigan Tech gave Denver all it could handle, largely thanks to goalie Josh Robinson. You might not see a better goaltending performance all weekend. He was in good position, saw the puck well, and was aggressively challenging all afternoon. That Denver found a way to beat him was not a problem of Robinson's, but instead an issue with the players in front of him, who seemed to run out of gas in a way. I thought Denver owned a good chunk of the third period, and then they scored too early in overtime for either team to really establish dominance.
• Luke Salazar will be a player to watch Friday afternoon. The Pioneers might not be in the Final Five without him, and his goal late in the third period Thursday extended that game so Jason Zucker could win it in overtime. Coaches like to talk about needing their best players to be their best players, and I'm not disputing that at all. But more often than not, teams get major contributions from guys who are not superstar players (Kyle Schmidt, anyone?).
• I'm not a huge fan of rooting for the Gophers, but you can bet I'll be doing it if UMD wins the Friday afternoon semifinal. As much as I respect North Dakota, this isn't about North Dakota. UMD fans have wanted another shot at the Gophers since October, and this is the best chance to get one with little consequence. Hell, there are realistic scenarios where UMD could still get a No. 1 regional seed if it loses to Minnesota in the championship game. Better than playing them with everything on the line next week.
• Friday night is going to be a bonkers atmosphere in St. Paul. There was a fight in the stands Thursday involving fans of Minnesota and North Dakota. Imagine what it will be like when those teams are actually playing each other. Fans of Friday afternoon's winner are advised to be in the lobby when the game ends, as there should be some cheap tickets available for Saturday's championship game.
• Too much up for grabs the next two days to lay down any kind of prediction which regional UMD will end up in. I'd say with about 85 percent (or maybe a bit higher) confidence that UMD will not be playing in a regional that involves a flight.
• If you're heading down Saturday, remember that the St. Patrick's Day parade in St. Paul will bring in huge crowds of people, hampering your ability to find a ramp to park in, and your ability to drive to where you want to go in downtown. Plan to arrive early so you have time to find a way to get where you want to go and find a spot to park.

Wherever you will be Friday, enjoy. This should be a great environment for the players and fans in attendance.

UMD Readies for Final Five Test

Some of what you're seeing here is similar to last year, when UMD made the trek to St. Paul knowing it had an NCAA Tournament bid locked down.

Armed with that knowledge last year, UMD laid a bit of an egg at the Final Five, losing to Bemidji State 3-2 in overtime in the quarterfinals. We all know what happened from there.



And, yes, that was an excuse to embed this video again. Enjoy.

This time around, UMD is heading down I-35 with not only an NCAA bid in its back pocket, but also the chance to earn the tournament's No. 1 overall seed with a pair of wins at the WCHA Final Five.

"That one stung for a while," senior captain Jack Connolly said. "Obviously you don't want to go down and lose in the play-in game like that."

The Broadmoor Trophy was last won by UMD in 2009.

"We've put ourselves in a great position to try to do that, and it would mean an awful lot for the program to get another one of those," Connolly noted.

Just because it worked out for UMD to lose in the Final Five last year doesn't mean it's a good idea to go that route again.

This Bulldog team is hungry for a shot at Minnesota. Connolly admits it would be great to play the Gophers again. This Bulldog team is also hungry to, in a way, atone for last year's performance in the Final Five.

"I think we're in decent shape," head coach Scott Sandelin said this week. "I know our players are excited to get back there. It's the fourth time for our seniors to play in this tournament."

UMD's fourth straight trip to the Final Five starts with a Friday semifinal game against either Denver or Michigan Tech. Even though Denver is the higher seed, there are arguments for UMD fans to root for that matchup to happen.

For starters, UMD and Denver always seem to play good hockey together. I don't know if it's just a perfect match of playing styles, or if it's because the teams don't hate each other enough to play any other way, but it seems like -- for lack of a better way to describe it -- there is good chemistry between the two. Not only that, but UMD goalie Kenny Reiter has a .943 save percentage in four games (three starts) against the Pioneers.

The Bulldogs, though, might have some unfinished business with Michigan Tech. Hopefully, you haven't forgotten the teams' last meeting, a 5-0 Tech win at Amsoil Arena. I know I still haven't forgotten it, despite my best efforts.

No matter who UMD plays, the goal is clear. Win two games. By doing so, UMD will help its NCAA Tournament seeding, and also head into the tournament on a strong note.

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As for what will happen on Sunday, when the brackets are announced, it's too early to say for sure. I'm of the belief that UMD will be placed in the West Regional in St. Paul unless UMD and Minnesota are on the same or opposite seed lines (meaning they'd play in the first round of the tournament, which can't happen per the NCAA handbook unless a league has at least five teams in). If UMD is not placed in St. Paul for that reason or some other, it will head to Green Bay.

But I think St. Paul is most likely right now.

For those wondering, Michigan Tech would be automatically placed in the Midwest Regional (Green Bay) if it wins the Final Five, because it is the host of that regional. But if that happens, UMD can't be a No. 1 regional seed, and neither can Minnesota. UMD would still end up in Green Bay, as Minnesota can't be moved from the regional in St. Paul.

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Six UMD players have consecutive game streaks higher than 60 games heading into Friday. Jack Connolly is at a school-record 163, Travis Oleksuk 112, and David Grun hit 100 on Saturday. Keegan Flaherty has played in 78 straight games, and Wade Bergman and Jake Hendrickson are both at 62.

WCHA Final Five Set

Thanks to Denver's 3-2 overtime win over Wisconsin Sunday night, the field of six is finally set for the WCHA Final Five, which starts Thursday in St. Paul.

Luke Salazar's wrap-around at 1:40 of overtime pushed the Pioneers into the field, and likely locked DU into the NCAA Tournament, meaning the WCHA will get four teams -- and maybe five -- into the tournament.

Here is the Final Five schedule:

Thursday
No. 6 Michigan Tech  vs. No. 3 Denver, 2pm
No. 5 St. Cloud State vs. No. 4 North Dakota, 7pm

Friday
Michigan Tech/Denver winner vs. No. 2 UMD, 2pm
SCSU/North Dakota winner vs. No. 1 Minnesota, 7pm

Saturday
Semifinal winners, 7pm

Barring a catastrophic turn of events that might be mathematically impossible, Denver and North Dakota will join Minnesota and UMD in the NCAAs. If Michigan Tech or St. Cloud State win the tournament, the WCHA would likely get five teams in the field.

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Work to Do, But UMD Starts Playoffs Strong

Friday night was a pretty good example of playoff hockey, not only in Duluth but many other WCHA venues.

Games were tight on the scoreboard. Many of the games were "loosely" officiated, meaning the standard for a penalty was blatantly obvious (too many men) or flagrant (foul from behind on a breakaway).

In Duluth, only three minor penalties were served, and a fourth was called that led to a penalty shot. Two of the three served minors were for too many men on the ice, and both were so obvious that there was no reason for anyone to question them.

In the end, it wasn't anything related to the power plays that decided the game's outcome. Instead, UMD did what it has done for much of the season's second half, riding even-strength goals to a 4-2 win over Minnesota State.

The Bulldogs got quality shifts out of all four lines, outstanding play out of Travis Oleksuk's line yet again, a strong game from captain Jack Connolly, and two goals by senior defenseman Brady Lamb.

Oleksuk's line was good from the start Friday. JT Brown and Caleb Herbert combined for a great scoring chance in the first 30 seconds. Brown connected just past the halfway mark of the first for the game's opening goal. Herbert -- who played like he was chafed about not being on the WCHA All-Rookie team -- was all over the ice, back-checking, hustling, and playing with an impressive edge.

He also provided some comic relief. On the game's first penalty, a UMD bench minor for too many men, Herbert went to serve the penalty, but decided to take a seat in Minnesota State's penalty box. He was directed to the correct penalty bench, and UMD killed the penalty. It would be MSU's only power play of the game.

Connolly launched some obscene passes to spring linemates Keegan Flaherty and Mike Seidel, but the three were pretty tightly-checked throughout the game. As the game wore on, MSU did a better job on Oleksuk's line, but they couldn't contain the speedy Bulldogs all night.

Lamb's second goal of the game -- which I'm convinced hit the stick of Maverick forward Matt Leitner -- gave UMD the lead for good in the third period, and the Bulldogs withstood a furious MSU rally in the final minute-plus. Wade Bergman's 160-foot shot iced it with five seconds left.

It was a good playoff hockey game, and a good win for UMD, one that temporarily moved the Bulldogs to first in the Pairwise (when all the games of the night were done, UMD had settled into second, behind Boston College). A win on Saturday would move UMD into the WCHA Final Five for a fourth straight season. It would also put UMD in a good position for nothing worse than a top-two NCAA regional seed, no matter how next weekend plays out around the country.

UMD ground out this win in a way. It wasn't at its best in the second period, from the goalie out. MSU's first goal came on a bad rebound allowed by Kenny Reiter, and the second came from a bad-angle shot that trickled through. Those are the kinds of goals everyone allows once in a while, but one of Reiter's strong points is that he rarely lets it happen twice in a month, much less in a game.

Obviously, he'll be working to avoid those errors, but if you remember, Reiter gave up a softie in the Frozen Four last year, but was still one of UMD's best players throughout the NCAA Tournament. It's not exactly cause for alarm.

******

Elsewhere in the WCHA, the road teams in the Mountain time zone were the only ones to succeed on Friday.

Wisconsin got a third-period goal from Sean Little to beat Denver 1-0. In Colorado Springs, it was Michigan Tech outshooting Colorado College 29-17 in a 3-1 win.

Home teams won the other games. Minnesota held off Alaska-Anchorage 2-1, North Dakota beat Bemidji State 4-1, and St. Cloud State got the other shutout and most lopsided win, beating Nebraska Omaha 4-0.

The series all continue Saturday.

UMD Ready to Crank It Up Again

The ultimate prize has yet to be decided, by any stretch. That doesn't happen until April 7, when two teams will collide in Tampa for the right to spend the year known as the national champions.

However, the drive to Tampa is underway in college hockey, as the five Division I leagues hold their postseason tournaments. On the line? Automatic bids to the NCAAs for tournament champions, but there are also 11 at large bids up for grabs, with very few of those 11 being spoken for at this point.

UMD seems to be a virtual lock to make the tournament (various Pairwise information I've searched out shows UMD could fall to 12th in the Pairwise by getting swept this weekend, but even that seems unlikely), but the Bulldogs can remove all doubt this weekend by beating Minnesota State in a two-game WCHA playoff series.

Things went UMD's way in the postseason last year, but not before Bemidji State generally outplayed UMD in a 3-2 win at the WCHA Final Five. That touched off a run of four straight wins that saw UMD claim a national championship.

While the MacNaughton Cup eluded these Bulldogs, UMD is optimistic about its playoff chances, as well it should be.

"We bring a lot of experience into these playoffs," senior defenseman Brady Lamb. "Mostly, just taking care of your body and making sure you stay hydrated. It's a long five week battle, but we think we're up for it."

Minnesota State is an opponent UMD has seen success against this year. UMD has three wins and a tie in four games against the Mavericks, but it's the last of that four-game season series that eats at UMD a bit.

"We gave up a big point Saturday out there, and that hasn't left our memory," Lamb said. "It still burns a little bit."

Playoffs are all about bearing down. You have to be stronger on the puck, make consistently smarter decisions, and avoid the little mistakes that can add up to pucks in the back of your net. UMD knows this from last year, but the Bulldogs have struggled at times to avoid those little mistakes this season. You can't sleep-walk for ten minutes in a playoff game, as UMD did on Saturday in St. Cloud, and expect to have the chance to win or force overtime. You don't give up the kind of puck possession UMD did in a loss to North Dakota Feb. 10 and live another day, and you certainly can't blow leads, something UMD has done multiple times to cost itself points.

Minnesota State has some guys who can play, including freshmen like Zach Palmquist (defense), Matt Leitner, and Jean-Paul Lafontaine (forwards). The future is bright in Mankato thanks to these three, but the present isn't so bad, because the Mavericks know they can play with UMD. They need to look no further than the last time they played the Bulldogs to know that. MSU completely erased the memory of that two-game sweep UMD handed it in Duluth by playing both games tight in Mankato, staying in Saturday's game long enough to rally late to tie, and then control a good bit of overtime.

UMD has to be better this weekend. On paper, the Bulldogs have the better hockey team. But they don't have to look outside of Duluth to see what having the best team on paper gets you. After all, look what happened to Duluth East when its opponent -- an inferior team on paper -- came out and outskated, outhustled, and outexecuted the Greyhounds for the better part of the last two periods. That's how upsets happen.

The old adage is "Will beats skill." We're not talking about people named Will. The power of will beats the power of skill in hockey, especially when the skill doesn't have enough will. Mix a skilled team with the will of a champion, and you have a team that is likely unbeatable.

That's the recipe. Can UMD concoct the potion again?

WCHA Road Warriors Seek Upsets

For six WCHA teams, the chance to be at home for the first round of the WCHA playoffs this weekend certainly presents a tremendous opportunity. Of course, that's not to discount road teams.

Road teams have been traditionally competitive, if not successful, in these opening-round series. In fact, in the last six years, only once (2010) have the home teams swept through the first round unscathed. In every other year during that period, at least one visiting team has advanced to the WCHA Final Five.

This weekend, there are six more opportunities for upsets. These upsets could be crippling to some home teams' NCAA chances, and other teams -- even if they are safe to make the NCAAs -- feel they could ill afford a slip-up and a missed opportunity to play in St. Paul.

Before I preview the UMD-Minnesota State series (likely Friday morning), I wanted to take a few minutes to run through the other five road teams' prospects this coming weekend.

Alaska Anchorage (seeded 12th, at No. 1 Minnesota): Let's be realistic. UAA would need Chris Kamal or Rob Gunderson to stand on their heads to have any success. The Seawolves can't score, haven't had much success in any building this season, and the Gophers are driven this year. It would be a really big deal if UAA won even once in this series, much less twice.

Wisconsin (seeded 10th, at No. 3 Denver): For the Badgers, this has to be weird. On one hand, Wisconsin is tenth in a 12-team league. That never happens to the Badgers. On the other, this Wisconsin team is equipped with two of the WCHA's best players in defenseman Justin Schultz and forward Mark Zengerle. It's a dangerous opponent for a Denver team that was somewhat uneven this season, but did play better down the stretch.

Wisconsin, however, is probably the one team in the bottom five of the WCHA that's capable of winning a road series without its goalie "stealing" a game. Yeah, Joel Rumpel has been really good as of late, but the Badgers have enough talent in Schultz (who will play biiiiig minutes) and Zengerle (one of the best passers in college hockey) to win a game without the goalie being out of his mind.

Bemidji State (seeded 9th, at No. 4 North Dakota): The Beavers have a pretty simple formula heading into this series. They want to chip pucks and play a simple game as much as humanly possible, and BSU needs senior goalie Dan Bakala to play very well. It worked last year in a series win at Nebraska Omaha and a Final Five win over UMD, but then Denver broke the Beavers down and beat them up in the semifinals. Stick to the game plan, stay out of the box, and Bemidji State gives itself a chance. But North Dakota is all-in on a very tight-checking style, one that is difficult for anyone to beat because it also includes massive amounts of puck possession. With how careless the Beavers can be with the puck, it's hard to see an upset.

Michigan Tech (seeded 8th, at No. 5 Colorado College): As Jess Myers has pointed out, Michigan Tech is 0-22 all-time in regular season games at Colorado Springs World Arena. The Huskies, however, are 6-2 at the venue in playoff games. After being swept by the Tigers last weekend, Tech stayed put for the week, spending spring break in Colorado Springs.

Can Tech pull the upset? They're going to have to generate more offense than they did last weekend, when they struggled both nights to get pucks past CC goalie Josh Thorimbert. The Tigers have been up and down all season, so nothing would surprise me here, but I just don't know that I see Michigan Tech turning the tables.

Nebraska Omaha (seeded 7th, at No. 6 St. Cloud State): I was quite impressed with the way St. Cloud State finished the season, finding a way to earn home ice advantage. Nebraska Omaha, meanwhile, wasn't as good. The Mavericks needed just one win over their last four games -- all of which were at home -- to get home ice. They got zero wins, with three of the four losses by one goal, and two of those three one-goal defeats in overtime. That's soul-crushing stuff, and perhaps a road trip is the best way to turn things back in the right direction. UNO is the only WCHA school to never advance to a Final Five, and the Mavs have just one more chance to make it there before they leave the league they just joined.

Game 38: Bemidji State vs. UMD (WCHA Final Five First Round)

ST. PAUL -- Here we go from St. Paul.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Faulk - Montgomery
Bergman - Lamb
Olson - Palm

Reiter - Crandall

BSU
George - Read - Lowe
Billberg - McLeod - Illo
MacQueen - Walters - Cramer
Jubinville - Fisher - Findlay

Areshenko - Hunt
Rendle - Adams
Carlson - MacIntyre

Bakala - Dugas - Bosch

Back in the Capital City

The WCHA converted their league tournament to the Final Five format in 1993. Since that happened, UMD has never made the tournament three years in a row.

Until now.

UMD starts their third straight St. Paul soiree with an afternoon date against Bemidji State, the only other Minnesota team in the Final Five, Thursday at the XCel Energy Center.

The Beavers stunned Nebraska-Omaha in two games during the first round, moving their improbable record against UNO to 5-0-1 this season. That means over one-third of BSU's wins this season came against the Mavericks.

Go figure.

It's easy to just put that series on goaltending, because BSU's Dan Bakala was indeed a difference-maker, but he can't score the goals.

"Our best players played very well," coach Tom Serratore said.

By that, he doesn't just mean Bakala. He's also giving the nod to Matt Read, Jordan George, and Ian Lowe, as he should.

Especially Read.

"We had no secondary scoring this year," Serratore said. "Teams could key on him more. He does everything. He's very versatile, got great depth to his game. He's tough as nails. He's good defensively. He makes plays."

Along with guys like Justin Fontaine and Mike Montgomery from UMD, Read could have bolted for the pros, and there's a chance he'd be in the NHL right now if he had chosen the right free-agent contract.

Instead, Read returned, intent on leading his school into the WCHA, and intent on leaving his mark on the growing Bemidji State hockey program.

While his play was consistently strong throughout the season, Read's Beavers were up-and-down all year long, finishing tenth in the standings and never really even threatening to get a home-ice position. They found the right formula against UNO, however, and they found a way to get into the Final Five in their WCHA debut.

"It's kind of like that run we made to the Frozen Four a couple years ago," Serratore said. "There's a real buzz in the community."

For UMD, it's a trip that will never get old. The Bulldogs are there once again, and this time they're playing with no pressure on them.

UMD is virtually assured -- if not completely -- of a spot in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Anything they can do this weekend is not to cement their spot in the field. Instead, it's gravy on what's been a successful season. Last year, UMD knew they probably needed to beat North Dakota in the play-in game. When they lost 2-0, it brought a good season to a grinding halt. Two years ago, they needed a win over Minnesota to have a shot at the NCAAs. They got it, then added two more on a magical run through the tournament.

No one wants to go one-and-done at the Final Five, but UMD at least can go into Thursday's game without insane pressure to win games. It's hard to say for sure that it will help their mindset, or that the mindset needs help.

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The Bulldogs are playing a tough opponent, one that needs to win to keep their season going. It's a team they've struggled with in the recent past (4-7-1 in the last 12 games against Bemidji), and one that can burn UMD with good top-line play and quality goaltending.

So what does Scott Sandelin do?

Last weekend, he wanted the Connolly-Connolly-Fontaine line to match up against Garrett Roe's line for St. Cloud State.

Will he want FCC to have to deal with Read all afternoon long?

UMD is home team, so they get the last change, and they get to dictate matchups. Getting the Connollys away from Read might end up being a priority, as UMD has a couple lines -- including the third line with emerging sophomore Jake Hendrickson -- that could match up well against Read's group.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the top lines battle one another. Read is a great defensive forward, but FCC hasn't backed down from many (if any) challenges this season. That's why they've been as good as they've been, and why they have played together virtually the entire season.

My guess is that we'll see a bit of juggling Thursday, especially if UMD gets off to a less-than-stellar start. Sandelin won't fool around in a playoff game. He will seek out the best matchups to benefit his team. As home coach for the game, it's a luxury he will take full advantage of.

103:13

If that's what it takes to get UMD into the NCAA field and back to the Final Five, we'll take it, right?



Mike Montgomery said it best ... everyone got their money's worth.

The longest game in UMD men's hockey history lasted into the third overtime before Mike Connolly ended it with -- as both TV's Judd Medak and radio's Kraig Karakas pointed out -- a very similar goal to the one that ended that magical NCAA game against Princeton two years ago.

With the series win, UMD is a lock for the NCAA field when it's announced Sunday. Before that, the Bulldogs have a chance to improve their seeding position. If things go well, they could still earn a top four spot, meaning a No. 1 regional seed. A place in the middle of the bracket does seem a bit more likely, but anything is possible.

We'll have more on the Final Five as the week goes on. For now, just enjoy the video.

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs One Win Away From St. Paul

Writing while watching the Hermantown-St. Thomas Academy game is hard, but we'll try to persevere.

UMD looked strong Friday night at Amsoil Arena, winning 4-2 in front of a less-than-large crowd that appeared distracted at times by the Duluth East game that was going on at the same time.

The Bulldogs got an early lead and then gave up what has to be fairly categorized as a soft goal to tie the score, following the exact script of the team's 8-2 loss to St. Cloud State exactly a month earlier.

Then they flipped the script. They played strong defensively, giving little time and space to St. Cloud's top skill players, Garrett Roe and Drew LeBlanc. Coach Scott Sandelin was able to match his top line of Connolly/Connolly/Fontaine up with Roe's line effectively, which bears watching as the series continues Saturday night.

Line matchups can become important in the playoffs, and Sandelin's ability to use his top line against the Huskies' top group could prove huge as we move forward. UMD has a good defensive line, with Jake Hendirckson, Joe Basaraba, and David Grun. If necessary, Sandelin -- who gets the last line change as the home coach -- could work that group against Roe's line. But if FCC can play against them and be effective, there's no reason to do anything different.

Now, it's time for a follow-up. There are a few areas where UMD needs to be improved over Friday.

Kenny Reiter made a couple nice saves, most notably in the third period. He also allowed a soft goal to David Eddy, and was victimized by that odd goal through the five-hole in the third period. Not going to blame him on that, but it's a goal a lot of today's goalies -- with such butterfly tendencies -- probably wouldn't have given up. Reiter looked a bit uneven at times, like he might have been fighting the puck. He also came up big a few times, making it clear he was seeing the puck just fine, thankyouverymuch. Just need him to be a little more consistent. We know he can do it, as he was a huge factor in last year's playoff run.

Defensively, there were few breakdowns and few poor shifts. St. Cloud State is going to come hard Saturday, especially in the first ten to 15 minutes of the game. UMD has to exceed that intensity level and play the game at the level they did Friday, at the minimum. An early lead might be enough to get SCSU to break down a bit, given that they're playing from their season and know it.

The next time someone says "You make your own luck" to you, slap them. UMD hit five pipes Friday, and had two more go off SCSU goalie Mike Lee, meaning they counted as saves and not pipes. There's no real way to fix that, but UMD did a great job fighting off the bad luck and continuing to work hard and bear down on the net Friday. It's sometimes easier said than done, but it has to continue Saturday to avoid Sunday.

And we all want to avoid Sunday. Though we'll do it if that's what it takes to go to St. Paul.

******

Road teams tasted success Friday. Alaska-Anchorage won at Minnesota, Wisconsin at Colorado College, and Bemidji State at Nebraska-Omaha.

Not to say that St. Cloud State or Minnesota State can't come back, but it's a much more daunting task to win two straight on the road than it is to win one of two. Those Friday night road winners are in much better position to steal their series.

(No, I'm not looking it up, but I'm guessing it's not terribly common for the home team to win Friday and then lose Saturday and Sunday. It's probably happened the other way around far more often.)

I posted on Twitter during the week that I thought Wisconsin, Bemidji State, and UAA had the best shots at winning their series among the five road teams that weren't playing UMD. Nothing really shocked me there on Friday, as Dan Bakala carried the Beavers, Wisconsin rode a strong defense (I had looked at one point in the second period, and CC had 12 total shots on goal despite having five power play chances), and the Seawolves just keep playing well.

Based on the crowds I saw a couple times that I caught UAA on TV, no one in Anchorage had really noticed their improved hockey team. Hopefully, they'll get the message if the Seawolves can manage one more win in Minneapolis.

WCHA Playoff Scenarios

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Beautiful day here in Colorado Springs, though not shorts weather as I was hoping.

Either way, it's nice, sunny, and not freezing cold. I'll take it.

As the weekend's WCHA action approaches, I thought I'd take a quick look at the scenarios present for home ice teams, as well as where UMD could possibly end up in the standings.

There's no easy way to do this, so I'll just give you the facts as I see them. When you see something wrong, leave it in the comments or email me. There's too many moving parts here for me to avoid screwing something up.

NORTH DAKOTA

Remaining games: vs. Bemidji State, at Michigan Tech

The Fighting Sioux have clinched a home-ice position, and they know they'll do no worse than fourth place, even if they somehow lose their last four.

The most likely scenario is that North Dakota, with a two-point lead, wins the league title. However, Bemidji is a tough team, and they didn't go 3-0-1 against Omaha because Omaha sucks. We know they're good, too.

Expecting a ninth-place team to waltz into Ralph Engelstad Arena and get more than a point or two appears unreasonable, and UND certainly isn't going to lose to Tech.

DENVER

Remaining games: at Nebraska-Omaha, vs. St. Cloud State

Gone are the days where the Pioneers would close out the season with a home-and-home against Colorado College. Instead, they get the feisty league newcomers in their home finale, then have to go home for a St. Cloud team that is undeniably playing better hockey as of late.

Not only is Denver a longshot to win the league, but if UMD or UNO get hot these next two weekends, Denver could fall out of the final "Thursday bye" position.

The Pioneers are also guaranteed a top four position at this point. They can finish no worse than in a tie with Wisconsin, and DU won the season series 1-0-1.

Denver can move up, but it seems likeliest they'll stay in second, giving them a bye into the Final Five semifinals if they qualify for the tournament.

NEBRASKA-OMAHA

Remaining games: vs. Denver, at UMD

Until there's head-to-head, UNO owns the tiebreaker over UMD based on league wins (15 to 14). That's why I list them first.

Anyway, the Mavericks have a tough schedule, and they've probably been the most inconsistent of the top four (beat North Dakota twice, swept Wisconsin, lost to Alabama-Huntsville, 0-3-1 vs. Bemidji State). That makes it tough to predict where they'll end up.

Win one game, and they're locked into a top four position. Win them all, and they could finish second. But if they lose them all, they could conceivably fall in the standings, and that wouldn't be a good way for UNO to go into their first WCHA tournament.

We'll call for a fourth-place finish. But a lot of that depends on the last series against ...

UMD

Remaining games: at Colorado College, vs. Nebraska-Omaha

The Bulldogs are in a good position. They're 4-1-1 at Colorado College since the start of the 2008-09 season, and they've played pretty well on the big sheet this season (4-2-1 record).

Omaha will be a doozy of a weekend. Blais vs. Sandelin, and the fact that I know the UMD coaching staff thinks very highly of this UNO team.

While some have said UMD should be happy with a 2-2 record in these games, I think they can aim higher. 3-0-1 is doable, and it should be enough to get them no worse than third, probably second place. Second place is highly valuable because of that aforementioned Final Five bye. It's not necessarily a markedly easier first-round opponent, but we'll get to that.

UMD clinches a top four spot with a win or tie -- or a Wisconsin loss or tie -- at any point. If hell freezes over, the Bulldogs could win the league. Probably not, though.

WISCONSIN

Remaining games: at St. Cloud State, vs. Colorado College

The Badgers could rally into fourth if UMD or UNO go into a free-fall. It isn't going to happen.

Instead, the Badgers are left to fight for their home-ice position. They have a one-point lead on sixth, two points on seventh, and three points on eighth. Even tenth-place St. Cloud State -- the opponent this weekend -- could still catch Bucky.

Wisconsin has impressed at times this year, but they haven't been nearly consistent enough to be a home ice lock at this point. A ceiling of third place and a cellar of tenth is quite the range, but the smart money is on Wisconsin at least splitting their remaining four games. That should be enough to keep a top six position.

Should.

In this league, you never know.

MINNESOTA

Remaining games: vs. Michigan Tech, at Bemidji State

This isn't a cakewalk. Tech got the oh-fer monkey off their back in Denver, and Bemidji has allowed just 74 goals in 30 games.

It's still a recipe for Minnesota to get a minimum of six points. That will put them in a good position to jump to fifth place. They could tie for fourth if they win out and UMD loses out. However, UMD would hold the tie-breaker over Minnesota based on goals scored during their head-to-head meetings (thank you, Mike Connolly), so Minnesota can finish no higher than fifth (UNO won their season series 2-0).

Of course, if a couple upsets happen, Minnesota finds themselves in position to fall into 11th place. It's not a likely scenario, but it could happen. The Gophers have been inconsistent enough this year that it can't be fully ruled out.

COLORADO COLLEGE

Remaining games: vs. UMD, at Wisconsin

They played pretty well against Denver and upset North Dakota before getting pasted at home in the series finale. But the Tigers struggled in Bemidji, got swept at Anchorage, and find themselves needing wins to finish in the top six and avoid a tough-to-book road trip in the playoffs.

(You try finding a flight for close to 30 -- 22 hockey players, coaches, and staff -- on short notice. It's not fun.)

The Tigers are two points out of fifth and three ahead of 11th. That's uncomfortable, especially when eighth (UAA) and ninth (BSU) hold tie-breaker advantages.

With two difficult opponents also looking to improve their position, the Tigers -- who rely heavily on the brothers Schwartz to make their offense go -- could find themselves traveling again.

ALASKA-ANCHORAGE

Remaining games: at Minnesota State

Just two league games remain, but the Seawolves enter the final two weeks with a mathematical chance to earn home ice in the playoffs. The scenario is simple:

1. Sweep Minnesota State (doable, but not likely).
2. Colorado College must get three points or less in their last four games (same).
3. Minnesota must get less than four points or two wins in their last four games (barely even possible).

Minnesota beats UAA on a tie-breaker if the Gophers win two more games in league play (league wins would be even, so since they only played twice, it goes to goal differential, where it's virtually impossible for UAA to win).

The mere fact that UAA has two league games left, and they could mean something, is a victory for this program. They've never had home ice in the WCHA playoffs, and they won't have it this year. But at least it seems like they're starting to put something together up there.

As far as scenarios go, UAA is most likely to finish between eighth and tenth. Anything better than that wouldn't be shocking, but it doesn't look like it's in the cards.

BEMIDJI STATE

Remaining games: at North Dakota, vs. Minnesota

The home ice dream isn't dead, but Tom Serratore's team is probably at a point where they can make plans to travel.

Surely, they'd love to see Omaha again, since they're 3-0-1 against UNO, but they've had a lot of success in Duluth over the years, too.

No matter the opponent, BSU will be a tough out. They don't give up many goals, thanks to the way Dan Bakala is playing. Since they get sixth-place Minnesota at home next weekend, a win against North Dakota this weekend could put a lot of pressure on the Gophers.

With the schedule and the standings as they look now, the Beavers are looking at no better than eighth.

ST. CLOUD STATE

Remaining games: vs. Wisconsin, at Denver

The Huskies are playing better hockey, but it's too late for them to climb the home-ice ladder. This schedule really doesn't help matters, as SCSU has to play two top contenders, one of which is still battling for home ice.

They won't go easily into that playoff road trip night, but the Huskies are looking at a scenario where they'll be fortunate if they can climb into seventh or eighth.

In the end, they have their start to blame for it.

MINNESOTA STATE

Remaining games: vs. Alaska-Anchorage

If the Gophers go 0-4 these last two weekends and other things happen, the Mavericks could climb into sixth.

But let's focus on the realistic.

Minnesota State has had a lot of leads in games this season, but they are a .500 team overall and a .385 team in league play for a reason. They shot themselves in the foot way too many times to be any better.

They won't finish higher than ninth, but tenth or 11th are more likely.

MICHIGAN TECH

Remaining games: at Minnesota, vs. North Dakota

No one wanted to see 0-23-3 become something worse than that. We're all glad they beat Denver on Friday (except Denver ... they weren't happy).

But Tech has clinched last, and they're hitting the road to play the top seed (North Dakota, we believe) in the opening round.

WHAT CAN HAPPEN THIS WEEKEND

North Dakota can win the league if they sweep Bemidji State and Denver gets zero or one point at UNO. The Sioux can clinch a top two spot with two wins if both UNO and UMD fail to sweep their series.

Denver can clinch a top two spot if they sweep UNO while UMD is swept by Colorado College.

Nebraska-Omaha can clinch a top four spot with one point.

Wisconsin can clinch home ice if they get three more points at St. Cloud than Colorado College does against UMD.

Minnesota can clinch home ice if they get three more points vs. Michigan Tech than CC does against UMD.

All-WCHA Team Announced

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Here is the information from the WCHA on the 2010 awards.

The five nationally-ranked teams that make up the field for this week’s 2010 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five championship – the University of Denver, the University of Wisconsin, St. Cloud State University, the University of North Dakota and the University of University of Minnesota Duluth – all had at least two players named to an all-league team while the MacNaughton Cup-champion Pioneers also led with four individual award winners to highlight the annual WCHA Awards Banquet and Ceremony held today (March 18) at RiverCentre in Saint Paul, Minn.

Denver junior goaltender Marc Cheverie was named the WCHA Player of the Year, Michigan Tech senior defenseman Eli Vlaisavljevich is the WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year, Wisconsin junior blueliner Brendan Smith was the head coaches’ choice as WCHA Defensive Player of the Year, North Dakota forward Danny Kristo was the WCHA Rookie of the Year, Denver forward Rhett Rakhshani was honored as the WCHA Scoring Champion, DU’s Cheverie was recorgnized as the WCHA Goaltending Champion, and Pioneers’ head coach George Gwozdecky was named the WCHA Coach of the Year.

The 2010 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five gets underway Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center (18,064) with a quarterfinal matchup between the No. 5 seeded and No. 11-ranked Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (22-16-1) and the No. 4 seeded and No. 5-ranked North Dakota Fighting Sioux (22-12-5) at 7:07 pm CT.

On Friday, there will be two semifinals, with No. 3 seed and No. 6-ranked St. Cloud State (22-12-5) taking on No. 2 seed and No. 3-ranked Wisconsin (24-9-4) in the afternoon tilt at 2:07 pm CT followed by Thursday’s winner against No. 1 seeded and top-ranked Denver at 7:07 pm CT.

Then on Saturday, the 2010 Red Baron™ WCHA Final Five will conclude with the third place game at 2:07 pm CT and the Broadmoor Trophy championship contest at 7:07 pm CT. All five Final Five games are being telecast live by Fox Sports North and audiocast live via wcha.com with the winning team receiving the WCHA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Hockey Tournament, which gets underway the following weekend at four regional sites.

WCHA Player of the Year Marc Cheverie, a junior from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, was also named to the All-WCHA First Team and is the WCHA Goaltending Champion. One of the nation’s elite netminders, he led all WCHA goalies with a 2.05 goals-against average and a .934 saves percentage in conference play to lead the Pioneers to the conference regular season title. A four-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, Cheverie enters the postseason leading all goalies in the country with 24 wins (24-4-3) and ranked third nationally in goals-against average (1.94) and first in saves percentage (.937) and winning percentage (.823).

WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Eli Vlaisavljevich, a senior defenseman from Shoreview, Minn., has been named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete three times and to the All-WCHA Academic Team three times during his collegiate career at Michigan Tech. He currently carries a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average in Bio Medical Engineering and is a candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship. Vlaisavljevich is also among 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for 2009-10, has been awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship and the Michigan Tech’s Provost Award for Scholarship, and was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team. He helps in several elementary classrooms, is a mentor with the Michigan Tech Athletics Koaches Kids Program and volunteers with the Copper Country Junior Hockey Association. Vlaisavljevich appeared in 111 career games for the Huskies with 10 points (3g, 7a). The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year Award is determined from nominations made by the member institutions and each institution then has one final vote. The criteria is as follows: 1) must be a senior student-athlete, i.e. one who is finishing his competition as an eligible player in the WCHA; 2) consistently displays outstanding sportsmanship on and off the ice; 3) is a good student making satisfactory progress toward a degree; and 4) is a good hockey player who has performed consistently as a regular member of the team.

WCHA Defensive Player of the Year Brendan Smith, a junior from Mimico, Ontario, also earned All-WCHA First Team honors as the backbone of Wisconsin’s team. A three-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, Smith led all WCHA defensemen during the regular season in goals (11), assists (18) and points (29). Entering the Final Five, Smith also leads all of those categories nationally as well with 15 goals, 29 assists and 44 scoring points through 36 games. Earlier this season, he tallied two power-play goals in the third period, including the game-winner with 1:22 left in regulation, to lead Wisconsin past Michigan 3-2 in the Camp Randall Hockey Classic played outdoors in front of 55,031 fans.

WCHA Rookie of the Year Danny Kristo, a freshman from Prior Lake, Minn., also earned All-WCHA Rookie Team honors. He led all WCHA rookies with 10 goals and ranked second with 23 points during regular-season conference play for North Dakota. A two-time WCHA Rookie of the Week, Kristo led all UND players with eight power-play goals in the regular season, including six in conference action.

WCHA Scoring Champion Rhett Rakhshani, a senior from Huntington Beach, Calif., led all league players with 35 points (15-20=35) in regular season conference play for league champion Denver and was also named to the All-WCHA First Team. One of three finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, he was a three-time WCHA Offensive Player of the Week, scored points in 28 of his 36 regular season games and had 16 multiple-point games. Heading into the Final Five, Rakhshani had scored 20 goals and set up 29 others for 49 points in 38 games.

WCHA Coach of the Year George Gwozdecky, who led his Denver Pioneers to the WCHA regular season championship and MacNaughton Cup here in 2009-10, is a two-time AHCA (American Hockey Coaches Association) Spencer Penrose Award-winner and now four-time recipient of the league’s coach of the year honor. Gwozdecky led Denver to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2004 and 2005 to become the only person to win an NCAA title as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He has now coached the Pioneers, who enter the Final Five with a nation’s best record of 27-7-4 and are ranked No. 1 in the national polls, to four WCHA regular-season championships. Gwozdecky previously earned the WCHA Coach of the Year award in 1994-95, 2001-02, and 2004-05.

The WCHA Player of the Year, WCHA Rookie of the Year and WCHA Coach of the Year awards are voted on by conference-member coaches, student-athletes, sports information directors and media. There are 80 voters total, with each member institution receiving eight ballots.

The WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year award is selected by league-member Faculty Athletic Representatives, while the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year is selected by the league’s ten head coaches.

Three different conference-member teams are represented on the All-WCHA First Team for 2009-10. Named to the First Team were (statistics are final league games only): F – Rhett Rakhshani, Sr., Denver (28 gp, 15-20=35); F – Blake Geoffrion, Sr., Wisconsin (25 gp, 19-15=34); F – Jack Connolly, So., Minnesota Duluth (28 gp, 12-21=33); D – Brendan Smith, Jr., Wisconsin (27 gp, 11-18–29); D – Patrick Wiercioch, So., Denver (26 gp, 4-16=20); and G – Marc Cheverie, Jr., Denver (17-4-3, 2.05 GAA, .934 sv%).

Members of the 2009-10 All-WCHA Second Team are: F – Justin Fontaine, Jr., Minnesota Duluth (28 gp, 18-15=33); F – Ryan Lasch, Sr., St. Cloud State (28 gp, 15-17=32); F – Tyler Ruegsegger, Sr., Denver (28 gp, 14-17=31); D – Ryan McDonagh, Jr., Wisconsin (28 gp, 3-9=12); D – Nate Prosser, Sr., Colorado College (28 gp, 4-16–20); and G – Brad Eidsness, So., North Dakota (14-8-2, 2.18 GAA, .914 sv%).

Voted to the 2009-10 All-WCHA Third Team were: F – Michael Davies, Sr., Wisconsin (26 gp, 10-22=32); F – Joe Colborne, So., Denver (26 gp, 16-13=29); F – Garrett Roe, Jr, St. Cloud State (27 gp, 14-18=32); D – Garrett Raboin, Sr., St. Cloud State (25 gp, 3-12=15); D – Chay Genoway, Sr., North Dakota (7 gp, 4-3=7); and G – Dan Dunn, Jr., St. Cloud State (9-2-2, 2.76 GAA, .912 sv%).

And members of the 2009-10 All-WCHA Rookie Team are: F – Danny Kristo, Fr., North Dakota (28 gp, 10-13=23); F – Craig Smith, Fr., Wisconsin (28 gp, 6-19=25); F – Rylan Schwartz, Fr., Colorado College (28 gp, 6-14=20); D – Matt Donovan, Fr., Denver (26 gp, 4-11=15); D – Justin Schultz, Fr., Wisconsin (28 gp, 2-14–16); and G – Joe Howe, Fr., Colorado College (12-12-3, 2.90 GAA, .905 sv%).

Seven players named to the various all-league teams were also earlier honored as WCHA Scholar-Athletes for 2009-10. They were goaltenders Marc Cheverie of Denver and Brad Eidsness of North Dakota, defensemen Patrick Wiercioch of Denver and Garrett Raboin of St. Cloud State, and forwards Rhett Rakhshani, Tyler Ruegsegger and Joe Colborne from Denver. Raboin joined DU’s Rakhshani and MTU’s Vlaisavljevich among the 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.

WCHA major award winners and members of the various all-league teams who were honored as member of the All-WCHA Academic Team for 2009-10 included CC’s Nate Prosser, DU’s Marc Cheverie, Joe Colborne, Rhett Rakhshani, Tyler Ruegsegger and Patrick Wiercioch, MTU’s Eli Vlaisavljevich, UMD’s Jack Connolly and Justin Fontaine, UND’s Brad Eidsness, SCSU’s Ryan Lasch and Garrett Raboin, and UW’s Ryan McDonagh.

Voting for the all-league teams in the WCHA is done by conference-member coaches, players, sports information directors and media. Points for the all-league teams are awarded on a five (1st team vote), three (2nd team), and one (3rd team vote) basis.

WCHA Major Award Winners for 2009-10

WCHA Player of the Year
Marc Cheverie, Jr., G, Denver

WCHA Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
Eli Vlaisavljevich, Sr., D, Michigan Tech

WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
Brendan Smith, Jr., D, Wisconsin

WCHA Rookie of the Year
Danny Kristo, Fr., F, North Dakota

WCHA Scoring Champion
Rhett Rakhshani, Sr., F, Denver

WCHA Goaltending Champion
Marc Cheverie, Jr., G, Denver

WCHA Coach of the Year
George Gwozdecky, DU

2009-10 All-WCHA First Team
Pos Name Team Ht Wt Yr Hometown Pts
F Rhett Rakhshani Denver 5-10 180 Sr Huntington Beach, CA 358
F Blake Geoffrion Wisconsin 6-2 188 Sr Brentwood, TN 333
F Jack Connolly Minnesota Duluth 5-8 160 So Duluth, MN 256
D Brendan Smith Wisconsin 6-2 190 Jr Mimico, ON 372
D Patrick Wiercioch Denver 6-4 185 So Maple Grove, BC 243
G Marc Cheverie Denver 6-3 180 Jr Cole Harbour, NS 364

All-WCHA Second Team
Pos Name Team Ht Wt Yr Hometown Pts
F Justin Fontaine Minnesota Duluth 5-11 175 Jr Bonnyville, AB 173
F Ryan Lasch St. Cloud State 5-7 175 Sr Lake Forest, CA 140
F Tyler Ruegsegger Denver 6-0 185 Sr Lakewood, CO 138
D Ryan McDonagh Wisconsin 6-1 216 Jr Arden Hills, MN 149
D Nate Prosser Colorado College 6-2 210 Sr Elk River, MN 144
G Brad Eidsness North Dakota 6-0 175 So Chestermere, AB 143

All-WCHA Third Team
Pos Name Team Ht Wt Yr Hometown Pts
F Michael Davies Wisconsin 5-8 175 Sr St. Louis, MO 109
F Joe Colborne Denver 6-5 195 So Calgary, AB 100
F Garrett Roe St. Cloud State 5-9 175 Jr Vienna, VA 78
D Garrett Raboin St. Cloud State 5-11 175 Sr Detroit Lakes, MN 111
D Chay Genoway North Dakota 5-9 175 Sr Morden, MB 83
G Dan Dunn St. Cloud State 6-5 200 Jr Oshawa, ON 88

All-WCHA Rookie Team
Pos Name Team Ht Wt Yr Hometown Votes
F Danny Kristo North Dakota 5-11 180 Fr Eden Prairie, MN 77
F Craig Smith Wisconsin 6-0 195 Fr Madison, WI 52
F Rylan Schwartz Colorado College 5-10 182 Fr Wilcox, SK 50
D Matt Donovan Denver 6-0 190 Fr Edmond, OK 65
D Justin Schultz Wisconsin 6-1 185 Fr West Kelowna, BC 29
G Joe Howe Colorado College 5-11 190 Fr Plymouth, MN 55

Interesting stuff. Congrats to all.

Final Final Five Preps

UMD battles North Dakota tonight at 7 P.M. in the WCHA Final Five at XCel Energy Center in St. Paul.

Live coverage can be found locally on The Fan 1490 and fan1490.com starting at 6:30. The game can be seen on Fox Sports North.

We'll be at the rink tonight, posting the final lineups as usual around 6:00, and we'll also try to post the All-WCHA announcement once it is released sometime after 4:00. It's expected that UMD's Jack Connolly will make the first team, and Justin Fontaine will likely be on the second team.

If UMD wins, they play Friday at 7:00, and we'll be staying in St. Paul to provide more coverage. If the Bulldogs lose, they will have to wait and see the results of other conference tournaments to see if they can squeeze into the at-large field (not likely), and we'll be heading home Friday morning.

The Final 'Final Five'

The WCHA Final Five has quite a history. Since the league expanded to ten teams and went to this playoff format in 1993, the tournament has grown into the biggest -- outside of the Frozen Four -- in college hockey.

The format -- five teams, five games over three days -- is unique to the sport. It's necessitated by the league's decision to admit all ten member schools to the postseason tournament, instead of cutting out the bottom two like Hockey East does.

(Argue this all you want, but the league had no inclination to leave teams out of the playoffs, and they aren't going to do it when the new format is announced for next year.)

Forcing the bottom two seeds in a five-team event to play (and win) three games in three days for a shot at the title was asking too much for 15 years, before UMD did the "improbable" last year. The Bulldogs beat Minnesota 2-1, North Dakota 3-0, and Denver 4-0 en route to the most surprising championship in the tournament's history.

While this won't be the last year of the Final Five, it's the last year of the Final Five as we know it.

When the WCHA goes to 12 teams for next season, the five-team Final Five will cease to exist forever.

The WCHA has yet to announce a new playoff format, but there is a press conference set for Saturday -- between the third-place and championship games of the Final Five -- where the league will make it official. When they do, it's expected they will announce a five-game, three-day event known as the WCHA Final Five.

However, there will be six teams in the tournament, and the event will no longer include (thank goodness!) a third-place game.

That -- at least according to league sources over the last two months -- is the plan. There was some push to create a three-week tournament similar to what the CCHA and ECAC have now, but that would cut the St. Paul portion of the event down to two days and either three or four games, depending on the status of the third-place game. The league seems to like the value with the "Final Five" brand, and they want to keep it alive.

So as an era ends, what can fans expect this weekend?

Four teams -- Denver, Wisconsin, St. Cloud State, and North Dakota -- have sealed up spots in the NCAA Tournament. This doesn't mean they won't play hard, because this title means a lot to the coaches and players of all four teams.

The fifth seed is UMD. The Bulldogs are 11th in the current Pairwise standings, but can finish anywhere from fifth to 19th, depending on this weekend's results. They are a classic bubble team, and they can count on nothing going their way if they don't win at least twice.

Denver is especially motivated, because while George Gwozdecky was seemingly unending in his praise for UMD's title run last year, he was also clearly bitter that his Pioneers lost the title game to the Bulldogs.

There is no coasting in this tournament. Nothing will be easy. No one is out of the running.

For UMD, everything could be on the line. They're playing a team that already won the season series 3-1, and one that dominated them in a two-game series sweep in February. That was in Grand Forks, however, where North Dakota has owned UMD over the years. This game is in St. Paul, a place where UMD has confidence. The Bulldogs are 7-3 at the XCel Energy Center, including 2-0 against North Dakota. They beat the Sioux 3-0 in the semifinals last year, a game no one gave them a chance in.

Similarly, people are counting them out Thursday, and that isn't wise.

This UMD team can score. As Colorado College found out, they also have pretty good goaltending and aren't afraid to bang the bodies around. These are the bigger keys to Thursday than goal-scoring.

This is a North Dakota team without catalyst Matt Frattin and top young defenseman Joe Gleason. They could be prone to the same kind of hard-nosed, in-your-face attack they usually employ. Of course, the Sioux are deep, so these losses might not mean much in the end. It just looks like it will possibly attack their depth a little bit, leaving them perhaps vulnerable to a desperate team playing for (most likely) their season.

And this isn't Minnesota. UMD knows how to play desperate hockey. They did it all through their five-game WCHA playoff run last year, and the guys on this year's team are fully aware of what that taught them. They're prepared, ready, motivated, and more than good enough to do it again.

While no one had ever won three games in three days at the Final Five before last year, this year represents the last chance for the Bulldogs -- or any team -- to do it under the current format. After this year, it just won't be the same again.

Frattin Deserves Suspension

I'm laid up sick today, but this merits a quick post.

All the talk about hits to the head this year, and yet North Dakota's Matt Frattin apparently thought it would be a good idea to launch himself at an opponent's head.



Don Lucia wasn't pleased.

"That was a vicious hit, say what you want," Lucia said. "It's not the kind of hits we want to see in the game. My own personal feeling, it was more than a five."

It will be a crime if Frattin plays against UMD Thursday. The WCHA tried to send a message with the Aaron Marvin suspension, and Frattin obviously missed the memo.

Playoffs Game 2: UMD vs. Colorado College

An overtime win Friday has UMD back in position to make the WCHA Final Five. The defending league playoff champions now have to deal with what is sure to be an ornery, determined, backs-against-the-proverbial-wall Colorado College team.

Nothing's easy in this sport. Ever.

Lines.

UMD
Fulton - Connolly (Jack) - Fontaine
Bordson - Oleksuk - Connolly (Mike)
Danberg - Akins - Grun
Schmidt - Flaherty - Seidel

Bergman - Lamb
Olsen - Montgomery
Olson - Huttel

Reiter - Hjelle - Crandall

CC
Schultz - Schwartz - Testwuide
Sweatt - Overman - Hamburg
Hall - McMillin - Johnson
DeBoer - Dineen - Winkler

Guentzel - Prosser
Lowery - Marciano
Fredheim - Leaverton

Howe - O'Brien

Playoffs Game 1: UMD vs. Colorado College

Wipe the slate clean.

Here we go.

Lines.

UMD
Fulton - Connolly (Jack) - Fontaine
Bordson - Oleksuk - Connolly (Mike)
Danberg - Akins - Grun
Schmidt - Flaherty - Seidel

Bergman - Lamb
Olsen - Montgomery
Olson - Kishel

Reiter - Hjelle - Crandall

CC
Hamburg - Schwartz - Testwuide
Sweatt - Overman - Schultz
Hall - McMillin - Johnson
DeBoer - Dineen - Winkler

Guentzel - Prosser
Lowery - Marciano
Fredheim - Leaverton

Howe - O'Brien

Playoff Hockey Brings A New Beginning

Over a 36-game regular season, UMD and Colorado College were remarkably similar. The Bulldogs scored 116 goals while allowing 100. Colorado College scored 116 goals and allowed 103.

The teams finished six points apart in the league standings, with UMD winning four more games and posting a slightly better goal differential in league play. The Bulldogs get to play the Tigers at home this weekend, marking the first time UMD has hosted a WCHA playoff series since 2004.

Odds are this will be a good one.

The Tigers were swept in Duluth back in January, and they lost their last game in league play 7-3 at home to Denver. However, the Tigers won their last game on non-Olympic ice (Friday at Denver), and at the same time proved they could win a low-scoring, tight-checking game.

That sounds a lot like playoff hockey.

It's a different game, played at a different level of intensity. For UMD to succeed on home ice this weekend, the formula is really no different than it was last year against Colorado College. Only the venue will change.

The job stays the same. UMD has to play in-your-face hockey. They have to knock the Tigers off their game from the opening shift. Once you get them reeling, use your speed and creativity to make things happen in the offensive zone. The Bulldogs have plenty of playoff experience, thanks to last year's run.

It sure was wonderful watching UMD do what they did a year ago. The Bulldogs carried momentum from their road sweep of Colorado College all the way through a magical WCHA Final Five run.

But that was last year. Last year doesn't matter this year. It's a whole new season, and what happened in 2009 means nothing. The early exit UMD put on CC might motivate the Tigers a bit, but the bottom line is that there is motivation for both sides. The loser of this series is done for the year, likely no matter what else happens. Both teams need to go on a run to assure an NCAA bid, and CC has to get on one to have any chance at an NCAA bid.

They'll lean on their anointed leaders, seniors Drew Akins and Jordan Fulton and junior Mike Montgomery. They'll also look to guys like Mike Connolly, Kyle Schmidt, and Jack Connolly, all of whom can lead, by example if not in any other way.

In the playoffs, your best players have to be your best players. More importantly for UMD, they need their defensemen to step up and play smart, physical hockey while keeping it simple with the puck. Montgomery, Dylan Olsen, Brady Lamb, and Drew Olson are all bigger kids who can bring the pain. Colorado College has one big guy to watch up front -- senior Mike Testwuide -- but largely use smaller forwards who have a lot of speed but maybe not as much grit.

The Tigers tend to struggle as much as any team when playing on the DECC's smaller surface, largely because of their lack of size up front.

This time around, the Tigers may also be hurt by two other factors. They don't have any playoff experience in goal, where freshman Joe Howe plays all the minutes. He's played well, but has never seen the WCHA playoffs. Also, they don't have much depth on defense. Nate Prosser and Gabe Guentzel will take the majority of their key minutes, so the Bulldogs need to work hard to wear them down, then try to take advantage of the other defensemen Scott Owens will use when the top two need a rest.

Coaches aren't around to make major systemic changes this time of year. Instead, it's all about mentally preparing the players for the types of wars they'll endure on the ice, and it's about the leadership in the room keeping guys ready to play. There are no secrets anymore. CC isn't going to come out with a bunch of 6-2 grinders who can easily win battles on the boards. UMD won't counter with a ton of offensive flair or finesse.

Colorado College has to get out into open spaces and use their speed to be effective. UMD has to get pucks to the net and be physical to be effective.

Both coaches know this, and they will emphasize the major and minor points of hockey this weekend. In the end, it all comes down to player execution and not coaching strategery.

It's playoff hockey, and there's nothing better.

UMD Home-Ice Scenarios

The UMD men's hockey team has a number of goals this season. However, one of those goals cannot be met without another. They're sort of married in a way.

The Bulldogs are striving to win the WCHA regular season championship for the first time since 1993. To accomplish that, they first have to do something they haven't done since 2004:

Earn home-ice advantage in the first round of the league playoffs.

UMD is very close to accomplishing this feat, giving the home fans playoff hockey for the first time in six seasons.

Heading into this weekend's two-game series at North Dakota, the Bulldogs have an eight-point lead over the sixth-place Fighting Sioux. Each team has six league games left, for a total of 12 available points.

That means UMD's "magic number" for home-ice advantage in the WCHA playoffs is six points. Any combination of six points accumulated by UMD or lost by North Dakota will give the Bulldogs a coveted home-ice position.

This could happen this weekend. UMD getting a win and a tie in Grand Forks would give them a ten-point lead on the Sioux with four games to go. It would be impossible for North Dakota to catch UMD, as they could only pick up eight points over the rest of the season.

If the Bulldogs just get a split, they would only need one win or two ties in their last four games to clinch home ice.

It's not time to buy your playoff tickets yet, UMD fans, but we're getting real close.

While it will be tough -- if not virtually impossible -- to win the league given the remaining schedules of the contending teams, the Bulldogs are in a good position to play at the DECC the weekend of March 12-13. Not only that, but they're still in a good position to finish third or better, which would guarantee that the Bulldogs will avoid the play-in game at the Final Five, should they advance that far.

These are attainable goals, as is everything else at this point. Not many teams can say this, so UMD fans should take heart and enjoy the stretch run.