Monday Musings: UMD Rallies Late, Sweeps Miami, Advances to NCHC Frozen Faceoff

UMD started strong in Saturday's Game 2 against Miami, and appeared poised to blow the RedHawks out of the building in the first period. Shots were 10-0 about halfway through the first, 16-4 for the period, but UMD only led 1-0 on an early Brenden Kotyk goal.

We've seen this script play out a few times through the season. UMD couldn't find another goal, and Miami was very much in the game heading into the second period.

Freshman Nick Wolff's first collegiate goal gave UMD a 2-0 lead in the second, but the inability to find another goal during the first-period surge came back to haunt the home team. Miami got a power play goal to cut the lead in half. Then early in the third, the RedHawks scored goals 1:52 apart for a 3-2 lead that seemed to stun those in attendance.

But like it has all season, the Bulldogs found a way back. Jared Thomas scored for the second time in three games, a sharp-angle shot that seemed to trickle in off the pad of Miami goalie Chase Munroe to tie the game 3-3 with 6:35 to play. Barely two minutes later, Alex Iafallo put a world-class inside-out move on Miami defenseman Grant Hutton before wiring a wrist shot by Munroe for the eventual game-winning goal. Captain Dominic Toninato added a late empty-netter to seal the deal in a 5-3 win that sends UMD back to Target Center for the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

(Iafallo, by the way, takes his second nine-game point streak of the season into the NCHC Frozen Faceoff this coming weekend. He's over 40 points on the season now, and when UMD needed them most, both he and Toninato were stellar this past weekend. If that continues, this team will be very hard for anyone to handle.)

You don't get to 23-6-7 and the second spot in the national rankings (PairWise at least) without figuring a way around a few bumps along the way. Nothing is smooth, not even for what almost appears to be a juggernaut in Denver. UMD has overcome slow starts, big deficits, and now an injury to top defenseman Carson Soucy to keep winning.

Soucy, by the way, got cornered by Matt Wellens during Saturday's game.

Ran into UMD Sr D Carson Soucy at Amsoil. He said he expects to be back “soon.” His season is far from over. #umdmhky

— Matt Wellens (@mattwellens) March 12, 2017

Good news, for sure. UMD used Adam Johnson on defense Friday, and even though Scott Sandelin wouldn't rule out that look in the future, he was playing forward by the third period and played it the whole game Saturday. His line with Kyle Osterberg and Parker Mackay combined for three assists and a plus-five in the game. Jarod Hilderman played on defense, but appeared to be a bit limited in terms of minutes and situations.

Basically playing five defensemen and spotting Hilderman is something UMD can manage at this point, maybe on a game-by-game basis depending on the opponent. I thought Hilderman was quite good in the Saturday game at Western Michigan, so maybe he plays in Friday's semifinal against the Broncos and we'll see what happens on Saturday? Early speculation, as we have the whole week to look at that.

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Perhaps one of the reasons for Johnson being shifted back up front: The play of Wolff. As I said on the air Saturday, one of the joys of seeing every game UMD plays is you can see the young guys make incremental progress each weekend.

And Wolff is absolutely progressing. He's earning more ice time, which makes it tough to justify trying to assimilate Johnson to what's a new position for him at this level.

If you hadn't watched much of UMD in February, you might have missed the jump Wolff has taken in terms of his level of play. He scored his first goal on Saturday as part of a three-point night, but Wolff was also active with team-high six shots on goal and had a plus-four rating. For a guy who's been pretty steadily improving in the defensive zone, Saturday's game was an offensive breakout.

Wolff has shown his physical side more than a few times this season, and for a freshman, he's done a really good job making big hits without taking penalties for being too aggressive. That he hasn't taken a major this season -- while being unafraid to play a physical game -- is saying something, especially when you consider current UMD defensemen Soucy, Willie Raskob, and Neal Pionk all took at least one major penalty as a freshman.

Speaking of Raskob and Pionk, Wolff's emergence also takes more pressure off them, and it indirectly takes some heat off Soucy, who doesn't have to feel the need to rush back in the lineup before he's ready to do so.

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Western Michigan is next up for the Bulldogs, Friday at 4pm in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals. The Broncos needed overtime of a third game to take down Omaha 2-1 on a Michael Rebry game-winning goal.

(The NCHC has set a precedent of letting the top seed express its preference for which semifinal it plays in, and commissioner Josh Fenton said Monday Denver wanted to play in the late game. There's certainly something to be said for keeping the players' routines, and most DU Friday games started at 7:30pm local time. But there's a benefit to being in the early game, because wonky game times are fairly commonplace in the NCAAs, and it's a chance to get the body clocks tuned for the odd 4pm game start that isn't so odd in the national tournament.)

Freshman Ben Blacker was outstanding all weekend for Western, allowing just five goals on 98 shots, including one on 37 in Sunday's series-deciding game.

The teams split four games in the regular season, with Western Michigan winning the Friday games (4-3 in Duluth, then 7-4 in Kalamazoo) before the Bulldogs rallied to take Saturday affairs (2-0 and 6-3).

UMD struggled against Western Michigan's top players, most notably Colt Conrad, Sheldon Dries, and Griffen Molino, and especially in Kalamazoo. This time around, UMD will be the designated home team and able to exercise some control over matchups. Barring injuries or a Soucy return, I would anticipate the same lineup Friday against Western as we saw Saturday against Miami.

In terms of PairWise, UMD remains second, and if you use the predictor tool of your choice for the upcoming weekend, you'll probably find any final seeding between 1-3 is realistic. Lots of different ways to get UMD to any of those spots, not really any ways to get UMD to any spot below the third overall seed.

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A final note of thanks and congratulations to the UMD women's hockey team on a great season. It came to end Saturday with a 1-0 loss to Minnesota in the NCAA quarterfinals. For five seniors -- forwards Ashleigh Brykaliuk, Demi Crossman, Katie McGovern, and Lara Stalder, along with defenseman Sidney Morin -- and junior Maria Lindh (graduating), it was the final game in a UMD jersey.

They laid everything on the line and have nothing to hang their heads about from a superb effort that fell just a goal short.

Brykaliuk and Stalder, per assistant coach Laura Bellamy, deserve kudos as well for facing the media after the game. NCAA-mandated press conferences are a killer to watch when the losing team participates after having their heart ripped out, no matter the sport. Bellamy noted that Brykaliuk and Stalder were given the option to skip out and let other players take the questions of assembled media. Instead, they composed themselves as best they could and did what great leaders do.

Coaches talk all the time about culture. When you have a new staff take over, it's about building a culture the way they want to build it. A big reason Maura Crowell's second season ended in the NCAA Tournament is the culture created in the room, starting with the graduating class. Brykaliuk and Morin were great captains, and all the seniors were fantastic leaders. Thanks to the work they've done, UMD is quickly on the verge of a changed culture, one that expects greatness. For the young players, it was their first taste of big-time, high-level hockey. They'll come back in the fall craving more, and that's exactly what Crowell and her staff want. It's what's worked for so many great programs -- men's and women's, all sports -- over the years.

It's also how Minnesota has remained as good as it's been for so long. Lee Stecklein didn't arrive at Minnesota with national championship rings. She learned how to win from players who won, and now she's passing those lessons down as she wraps up her Minnesota career seeking an unprecedented fourth national title. Someday, that will be how it works at UMD, and it started -- at least in this go-round -- with players like Brykaliuk, Morin, and Stalder. We salute them on their way out, and wish them nothing but the best going forward.

Women's Hockey: Minnesota at UMD (NCAA Quarterfinal)

Should be a good one, as these longtime rivals meet for the second time in the NCAA Tournament. It's UMD first tourney appearance since 2011, first time hosting since 2010.

For UMD, the only injury concern coming in was junior defenseman Catherine Daoust. She's good to go after leaving last Saturday's WCHA semifinal against Minnesota and missing the championship game against Wisconsin.

Winner off to the Women's Frozen Four. Here we go.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Stalder - McGovern - Brykaliuk
Brodt - Mrazova - Lindh
Lowenhielm - Crossman - Astrup
Schugel - Morse - Yanko

Elmes - Morin
Healey - Daoust
Hedin - Brossart

Rooney - Johnson

UMN
Potomak - Pannek - Cameranesi
Reilly - Piazza - Schipper
Schammel - Agnew - Skarzynski
Williamson - Haley - Keller

Stecklein - Wolfe
Baldwin - Marshall
Cline - Robinson

Peters - May - D'Angelo

UMD Women Return to NCAA Tournament

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

UMD Women's Hockey Cleans Up as WCHA Awards are Announced; Stalder a Patty Kaz Finalist

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- I'll be back later with a UMD-Western Michigan preview, but first some big news from the UMD women's program as we traveled east.

First, UMD senior Lara Stalder was named a top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the top player in women's college hockey.

From UMD:

The No. 2 Bulldogs leading scorer with 53 points (22g, 31a) in 32 games, the Luzern, Switzerland native also ranks second in the WCHA in scoring and goals and third in assists.  In the NCAA, Stalder is second in points per game (1.66), third in goals per game, and fourth in assists. as well as tied for first with seven game-winning goals.  Stalder, currently in the midst of a 27 point, 13-game scoring streak, has had 16 multiple point games for the Bulldogs, including seven outings with three or more points.  In 12 games against top-10 opponents, Stalder had seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points.

The fact Stalder hasn't let up against top opponents is a huge point. Also, keep in mind her season numbers were hampered by missing time playing for Switzerland in the Olympic qualifying tournament overseas. Despite that absence (she posted 12 points over three games to help the Swiss secure a spot in the Games next winter), Stalder still is among the most productive players in the nation.

(The other finalists are Wisconsin puck-stopping machine Ann-Renee Desbiens and Clarkson senior forward Cayley Mercer. The objective part of me thinks Desbiens -- who has more wins (25) than goals allowed (21) this season -- has to win this thing, but I also have to think Stalder is right there.)

In addition to that, UMD cleaned up in WCHA postseason awards. Stalder was named the Player of the Year and Student Athlete of the Year.

You know about her credentials, but the WCHA mentions what she does away from hockey, which is just as impressive.

Away from AMSOIL Arena, Stalder has maintained a 3.80 grade-point average in the University of Minnesota Duluth’s prestigious Labovitz School of Business and Economics. A two-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award recipient, she is one of a select number in the school’s ReMAP project that is engaged in analyses of various business in the Duluth area.

We're not done. Senior assistant captain Sidney Morin was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year:

One of the Bulldogs’ co-captains, Morin is the defensive backbone and veteran leader for a Minnesota Duluth team that has won 24 games entering the 2017 WCHA Final Face-Off. The senior from Minnetonka, Minn. has excelled on both ends of the ice, tying for the NCAA lead among defensemen with a plus-37 rating and tying for sixth with 23 points (WCHA-best seven goals and 16 assists). She compiled a league defenseman-high 96 shots on goal in 28 WCHA games, while tying for third with a plus-26 rating and ranking fifth with 14 points (6g-8a). Morin has also helped the Bulldogs hold opponents to just 1.65 goals-per-game, good for second in the WCHA and sixth nationally.

Oh, and second-year bench boss Maura Crowell takes home WCHA Coach of the Year.

In her second season behind the Bulldog bench, Crowell has engineered Minnesota Duluth’s best campaign since the early part of the decade. After guiding UMD to a surprise trip to the WCHA Final Face-Off in 2016, she brings the Bulldogs back to the league playoff championships in 2017 as the nation’s second-ranked team – the program’s highest perch since the 2010-11 season. Minnesota Duluth posted a third-place finish in the WCHA regular season standings with a 19-5-4-1 record, marking the Bulldogs’ highest finish since 2010-11 and most league wins since 2009-10. While playing the nation’s third-toughest schedule to date, UMD enters the Final Face-Off at 24-5-5 overall – the Bulldogs’ most victories since the 2009-10 national champions finished 31-8-2.

Somehow, Morin was only on the All-WCHA second team, while Stalder made the first team. Also, senior captain Ashleigh Brykaliuk made the second team. Senior forward Katie McGovern and sophomore goalie Maddie Rooney are on the third team, while forward Sydney Brodt -- the WCHA Rookie of the Month for February -- is on the All-Rookie team.

UMD faces Minnesota Saturday at 5pm in the WCHA Final Faceoff semifinals. Looking ahead, I have yet to find a scenario where UMD does not make the NCAA Tournament. The possibilities vary wildly, largely based off what happens in the ECAC (St. Lawrence and Clarkson appear in, but Princeton and Cornell remain in the tournament and can crash the party by stealing the autobid) and Hockey East (only Boston College is in the field as of now, not a mortal lock to get in but should, and anyone else winning that league steals an at-large bid). UMD could enter the tournament as a No. 2 seed, even with a loss Saturday, while Minnesota could miss altogether, even with a win Saturday. It's all up in the air. But the Bulldogs are in solid position to host an NCAA game for the first time since 2009. Stalder, Morin, Crowell, and company are a huge part of how this turnaround happened so fast.

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Grind Out Win Over Colorado College to Run Unbeaten Streak to Eight

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Was it pretty? Not even close.

When you look at the standings, however, you'll see it doesn't matter if it was pretty or not. They all count the same, and Adam Johnson's late power-play goal gave UMD a 2-1 win over Colorado College Friday night.

The win run's UMD's unbeaten streak to eight. It also improves UMD to 11-1-2 away from Duluth this season, an .857 winning percentage that leads the country. The Bulldogs also stay within one point of Denver for the top spot in the NCHC, as the Pioneers won at Miami 5-2.

As I said at the top, this wasn't in any way a beautiful game. Under third-year coach Mike Haviland, Colorado College is playing a much more disciplined defensive style. Part of that is out of necessity, as Haviland found a pretty bare cupboard upon his arrival in this fair city and needed to do some quick recruiting just to fill his roster. The 2016-17 roster features 31 players, but only six seniors, and only three of the six play regularly.

Haviland is steadfast in his belief the program is making progress. Freshman goalie Alex Leclerc has benefitted from more consistent play in front of him and has put together a solid season. The Tigers struggle mightily to score goals, but Leclerc and Haviland's defensive system -- when played well -- keep this team in games.

"It's a tough thing to rebuild," Haviland told me Friday. "It doesn't happen overnight, especially when you have to play (No.) 2 and then (No.) 1 every other weekend. There's not a lot of letup in this conference. We're starting to get some guys down the road. It's not pro hockey. It takes three, four, five years to really start to see the (benefits) of the recruiting wars you have to get into."

Haviland also noted that CC's starting goalie has been a freshman in each of his three years on the job. Last year, it was Jacob Nehama, who has been injured most of this year. Before that, Chase Perry was tabbed as the guy before he lost the job to sophomore Tyler Marble, who hadn't played a college game before that season.

Do I expect the Tigers to be trying to grind down opponents five years from now? I don't know. But they are now, and it continues to be a good test for UMD, which finds it more difficult to play its preferred style of hockey against Colorado College.

There were a couple segments of Friday where it looked like UMD was getting a little frustrated. But give the visitors credit. Even when nothing was really going all that well, the Bulldogs didn't sacrifice defensive structure or posture while trying to create offense. UMD used stretch plays to try to open things up a bit. There were a couple times the Bulldogs eschewed a controlled breakout and flew a wing up the rink, and it worked for one Joey Anderson breakaway and should have worked a second time, but he couldn't control the outlet pass.

That was an issue a couple different times during the game. UMD missed out on good rush opportunities when players couldn't keep control of the puck or fanned on shots or passes. Scott Sandelin referenced it postgame with Matt Wellens, using the term "moxie", which works pretty well.

“I thought we could have done a little bit better job with a little more poise or moxie with the shots,” Sandelin said. “We fired some with our head down right into them, but they clawed and got up. They are good at blocking shots.
“We just have to do a little bit better job, but you know what? I don’t care. I don’t worry about how many shots you’re getting because I’d rather have the puck and make them defend. Hopefully we can do more of that and when you do that, maybe things will open up.”

By the way, CC's power play goal in the first period broke a couple long streaks. Freshman goalie Hunter Miska's scoreless run stopped at exactly 97 minutes. Also, UMD hadn't allowed a goal in the Broadmoor World Arena since the 2013-14 season, and its overall scoreless streak in that building ended at 156 minutes, 56 seconds. Three goalies -- Aaron Crandall, Kasimir Kaskisuo, and Miska -- contributed to that stretch for UMD.

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The turning point of the game came at the 1:48 mark of the third period, when UMD junior Karson Kuhlman was given a five-minute major for boarding good friend and Tigers sophomore Westin Michaud. Live action, it looked like textbook boarding, though the major may have been an overreaction to Michaud being banged up and having to leave the game. The only replay I saw was basically live action from the main TV camera, and did nothing to change that opinion. However, based on the reaction I saw on Twitter, the slow-motion replays on CBS Sports Network -- which did the game Friday -- showed very little contact between the two at all.

I still have not seen these replays and can't comment further.

What I can comment on was it was one of UMD's better penalty kills of the season. CC had three shots over the five minutes, all from far away by defenseman Teemu Kivihalme, none of them a very serious threat to get by Miska, who was strong again when he had to be but didn't have to be spectacular, something Sandelin referenced before the game as he implored his team to play a stronger game defensively.

"Overall, we've been a little loose defensively," Sandelin said before Friday's tilt. "Structurally, we need to make sure we're doing the things we need to and helping each other out. We don't want Hunter to have to be great every game. I want him to be comfortable and just play his game and not feel like he's got to win games."

For at least one night, Sandelin got his wish, and that major penalty kill was a huge example of it. Senior Kyle Osterberg hustled to loose pucks and killed precious time. The kill structure was good, keeping things to the outside, and CC didn't have any way to get the puck to the middle of the rink, as UMD defended the slot wonderfully. The Tigers also couldn't get pucks through to Miska, and when they did, he was all over them.

From the point Kuhlman was released from the box to the end of the game, with 13:12 left in the third period, the Tigers had just two shots on goal, both of them in quick succession right after the penalty ended. CC had no shots for the last 12-plus minutes of the game. Better yet for UMD, the Tigers only attempted three shots, two wide and one blocked, both after UMD had taken the lead on Johnson's power-play goal.

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Another example of the in-game improvement Friday:

After a good start in the faceoff circle, things went south for UMD in the second period. Colorado College won 16 of 21 second-period draws, including a couple key offensive-zone faceoffs that forced UMD to retreat when it should have been attacking.

But UMD turned the tables in the third, winning 12 of 17 faceoffs and forcing Colorado College to defend.

I don't care how good a team is on the defensive side of the game. When you're consistently forcing them to play defense, it's a good recipe to wear down the adversary, which is how mistakes happen. Then you can be in good position to take advantage of the lapses in coverage brought on by fatigue.

UMD did a much better job of attacking the Tigers Friday than it did in the previous series in Duluth. Players showed more willingness to go to the tough areas, even if they didn't make plays when there. The next step in this rematch Saturday is to make those quick plays that can lead to more offense. UMD left a few good scoring chances on the table Friday, chances that the Bulldogs have typically been pretty good at bearing down on. I'll take my chances with that kind of performance over the long haul.

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I asked the Twitter people for questions. Here are a few.

Peter Sandelin (@sand0393): Why does college hockey/NCHC struggle with such inconsistency on the 5 minute major call? Ex: Kuhlman. Its such a game-changer.

Got a lot of tweets on the Kuhlman major. I can't comment on it, as mentioned above, because I didn't see the decisive replay angle.

But I can make a comparison to a play that happened in the NHL Thursday night. Wild forward Nino Niederreiter was assessed a major penalty for interference after what appeared at first glance to be a dirty hit on Dallas Stars forward and model Patrick Sharp. Just look at the animation in this article. Looks terrible, right?

But what that piece of animation doesn't show is that Niederreiter was clipped and knocked off balance by Dallas' Radek Faksa and had no time to avoid the contact on Sharp, who had no chance to avoid Niederreiter.

Until officials are allowed to look at video replay on a hit like this -- and possibly Kuhlman's as well -- you're going to continue to see these vast inconsistencies on calls. And let's call it like it is. Officials see a hit like this out of the corner of their eye because it's far enough away from the puck, and they are human beings who see a dangerous play and try to construct how it really happened. Sometimes, they aren't going to be right. All the more reason to allow video replay of the hit.

Look at the replay of that hit by Niederreiter, and it's a minor penalty (by the rule the NCAA uses in the postseason, a penalty must be called in order for it to be reviewed). It's unfathomable to me that officials are still not allowed to look at these plays. And it's not their fault. They don't make the rules.

Kendal (@KendalKillian): I hate this kind of logic normally, but are we sure we as UMD fans want the #1 seed and another date with this CC club?

Probably not. 😄

I get it. This isn't an easy style to play against, and it can be hard on the eyes for fans. But you're kidding yourselves if you think Colorado College is the only team out there that tries to lock teams down defensively.

I mean, Bemidji State, anyone? And if the season ended today, the Beavers would be UMD's first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament.

Cornell, UMass-Lowell, and Providence are other teams currently in the field that can make life a living hell for a team like UMD.

My point? The Bulldogs have to beat this style when it matters most. The more experience they get against it, the better.

(I admit it: I joked privately about this during the game Friday. But UMD isn't throwing the league title to avoid Colorado College in the first round. I can promise you that.)

Eric Burton (@goon48): still want to go to Fargo?

I'm happy to travel to whatever regional UMD is assigned to play in. Good luck sucking me into that trap.

Pat Micheletti (@patmick2626): Who is the best team in the country?

I believe both John Buccigross -- who calls the Frozen Four for ESPN -- and College Hockey News' Joe Meloni have both opined this, so it's not an original thought.

Having only seen Boston University and Harvard on TV makes this tough, but I think UMD and Denver have separated themselves a little bit from everyone else.

Who's better between UMD and Denver? Good luck getting me to answer that. I just hope the Bulldogs get to play DU two more times to find out (NCHC and NCAA tourneys).

Kjestine (@kjestine15): do you think a slower paced game with lots of whistles, like the 1st last night is better for our opponents or us?

Not sure it matters a ton, but it probably leans toward the adversary. This UMD team is pretty good at playing with patience and discipline and taking what is given to it. As long as that continues, I don't see it being a huge issue when teams try to slow the game down. Obviously, it does create some close games, which can be problematic in the NCAAs, which of course are a one-game out. But I'm willing to take my chances with this team.

Thanks to everyone for the questions.

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Elsewhere in the NCHC, Denver got three late goals to get by Miami 5-2. Will Butcher started the rally with the winner after Miami scored twice early in the third to rally from 2-0 down for a tie. Dylan Gambrell scored twice for DU.

In Kalamazoo, Sheldon Dries broke a 2-2 tie with just under seven minutes to play, and Western Michigan went on to beat North Dakota 4-2. Ben Blacker made 32 saves for the Broncos, who opened up a four-point lead on idle St. Cloud State for third place in the conference.

The updated NCHC standings, followed by the max points for each team, are listed below.

CURRENT STANDINGS
Denver 44
UMD 43
Western Michigan 32
St. Cloud State 28
North Dakota 26
Omaha 26
Miami 21
Colorado College 11

MAX POINTS
Denver 59
UMD 58
Western Michigan 47
North Dakota 41
St. Cloud State 40
Omaha 38
Miami 36
Colorado College 26

Also Friday, the UMD women got goals from Katie McGovern and Sydney Brodt in a 2-1 win over St. Cloud State at Amsoil Arena. UMD honors its senior class after Saturday's 4pm game against the Huskies. UMD will more than likely finish third in the WCHA (needs to beat SCSU and have Wisconsin sweep Minnesota in Minneapolis to move to second), which means a home series against the sixth-place team starting Thursday. That sixth-place team will be either Bemidji State, Ohio State, or St. Cloud State, depending on how the rest of the weekend goes. Too many scenarios to try to lay everything out.

UMD Men Enter Stretch Run in Search of Payback

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What has to happen?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peterson eluded to that in December.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anyway, matters at hand. FOCUS, Bruce.

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

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

UMD Women Host Important Series, Look to Help One of Their Own

Back in Duluth, the UMD women's hockey team will host a very special night on Friday. The series that opens against Ohio State is critical for the Bulldogs' chances at home ice in the WCHA playoffs next weekend, but that's not the most important thing happening at the rink.

Julianne "Montana" Vasichek was a two-time All-American as a player at UMD (the nickname works because she is from Great Falls, Mont.). Now the hockey equipment manager and strength and conditioning coach for the women's team, Vasichek is battling a serious illness. The Bulldog program is trying to help.

Vasichek was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis back in 2002, while she was still playing for UMD. If that wasn't bad enough, she was hit with a diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) five years later.

PSC is a very rare disease that affects the liver. Vasichek has undergone multiple procedures to open her bile ducts and place stents (they're called ECRPs, she says she's had around 12-15 of them total). Thankfully, she isn't on the list for a liver transplant because her score is too low. We hope it stays that way.

Many aren't so fortunate.

According to statistics available for December through LifeSources, there were 546 people awaiting liver transplants in the local region (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota) and 15,465 awaiting liver transplants nationally.  Contrast those statistics with only 118 liver transplants performed regionally in 2013, and the numbers show that about 21 people died waiting for a transplant every day.  Vasichek also points out that every 10 minutes, a person is added to the national transplant list, proving how great the need is for awareness of organ donation.

That leads us to this weekend. Vasichek's passion is multi-fold at this point. She wants to raise awareness of PSC and help raise money for research. Vasichek also wants to help get more people registered to be organ and tissue donors.

"I am not really the type of person to sit around and wait for something to happen, I like to make things happen and be involved in the process," she said. "While playing hockey at UMD, I had the opportunity to learn leadership and problem solving skills from great leaders, coaches and teammates that I played with. When I was first diagnosed with PSC and after a short period of adjustment to a life with a new chronic disease, I felt like I wanted to contribute to a solution for myself and hopefully many others."

On Friday, the Bulldogs are asking fans to help by donating to any of a number of great organizations.

If you're going to the games, you can get more information on how to help at Amsoil Arena. If not, here's a list:

PSC Partners Seeking a Cure
www.pscpartners.org

LifeSource (will have a table and representative at the event)

http://www.life-source.org/

United Network for Organ Sharing

http://www.unos.org/index.php

Donor Dudes (sent green sunglasses for the team)

http://www.chrisklugfoundation.org/index.php/donor-dudes

BetheMatch (will be setting up swabbing to add people to bone marrow transplant list)

http://bethematch.org/

 

Also, Vasichek is doing a fundraiser for PSC Partners that you can contribute to here.

Even hit by a splitting headache, Vasichek was in a good mood at the rink Wednesday. She's always in a good mood at the rink. This is a great cause, and we're all pulling for "Montana" as she continues her battle.

UMD Women's Hockey Struggling With Elite Opponents

Earlier this week, UMD announced it would not renew the contracts of head women's hockey coach Shannon Miller or her assistants, Laura Schuler and Gina Kingsbury. There's been much made of this story (read the above link for interviews with both Miller and athletic director Josh Berlo, and you can podcast my interview with Berlo from Thursday morning here -- fast forward to around the top of the show's third hour), and there is probably more to come.

Hopefully, the end of the story includes a long and fruitful playoff run for the women. They've worked hard this season, as evidenced by practices and games I've seen, and they're clearly improved from the start of the year. Miller is doing a very good job, and if the group can rally from this and not let it affect play, there's no reason UMD can't return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since a quarterfinal exit in 2011.

Yes, I said 2011. It's the only sustained NCAA Tournament drought Miller has experienced since joining UMD to launch its women's hockey program in 1999. UMD missed in 2004 after three straight titles, but rebounded to make the national playoffs seven straight years -- with two more titles -- before this three-year absence started in 2012.

That stretch of missing the national tournament has coincided with a precipitous drop in success for UMD against the other elite programs of the WCHA, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Since I couldn't sleep Wednesday night, I started doing some research on this topic. The findings are quite interesting.

After going a respectable 6-7-1 against Minnesota in 2008-2010, it fell off a cliff for the Bulldogs against their biggest in-state rival.

In the four-plus seasons since UMD's last national championship -- won, coincidentally, in 2010 at Ridder Arena -- the Bulldogs have played 21 games against the Gophers. The record? 3-16-2. In those 16 losses, UMD has been shut out nine times. Over the 21 games, UMD has scored 28 goals and allowed 78. A tie (followed by a UMD shootout win for an extra WCHA point) in October broke a streak of 12 straight losses to the Gophers by an aggregate of 55-10.

Against Wisconsin, things haven't been much easier. Over the last 20 meetings stretching to the start of the 2010-11 season, UMD is just 4-14-2 against the Badgers. They've been outscored 55-35. Games have generally been much more competitive, even if UMD isn't winning a significantly higher number of them. UMD is 4-10 against the Badgers in games decided by one or two goals in those last 20 meetings. In the 21 games against the Gophers, only six have been decided by one or two goals, with UMD going 3-3.

(NOTE: This research does not differentiate between regular-season and playoff games. Teams meet four times -- two games at each respective venue -- during the regular season, for a fully-balanced, 28-game league schedule.)

So since the start of the 2010-11 season, the score of the average Minnesota-UMD game: Minnesota 3.7, UMD 1.3

The score of the average Wisconsin-UMD game: Wisconsin 2.75, UMD 1.67

Certainly this is a bigger problem against the Gophers than it is the Badgers, but UMD is not nearly as competitive against the WCHA's two best programs as it used to be.

If you throw in North Dakota, which had a nice run thanks to the Lamoureux twins, the numbers don't get much better. In the same time frame, UMD is 5-9-4 against North Dakota.

Here are the overall winning percentages of the WCHA's top four programs over the last four-plus years (all numbers are through this week):

UMD: 84-59-17 .578 (1 NCAA appearance)
North Dakota: 97-58-13 .616 (2 NCAA appearances)
Wisconsin: 138-27-9 .819 (3 NCAA appearances, 1 title, 1 second place)
Minnesota: 155-18-7 .881 (4 NCAA appearances, 2 titles, 1 second place)

In addition, UMD has not picked up a single point against the Gophers at Ridder Arena since Jan. 14, 2011, a run of seven straight regulation or overtime road losses to Minnesota. UMD's last regular season win at Minnesota was Jan. 23, 2009.

(UMD beat Minnesota at Ridder on March 19, 2010, in the Frozen Four semifinals.)

WCHA teams who have won more recently at Minnesota than UMD has (regular-season games only)? Wisconsin (Nov. 6, 2010), North Dakota (Nov. 17, 2013), and Bemidji State (Nov. 1 of this year). Ohio State (Jan. 11 of this year) has a point at Minnesota more recently than UMD's last point there.

All the while, Miller has continued to be the highest-paid women's hockey coach in Division I (at least that we can find). Over the last four years, via public employee salary postings easily accessed for Minnesota and Wisconsin, Miller has made an average of around $223,000 in base pay. Wisconsin's Mark Johnson has averaged $166,000, while Brad Frost of Minnesota has made $134,000 on average.

(All numbers are rounded for simplicity.)

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It isn't easy to admit it, but there's no question. The program has fallen off a bit in recent years. Part of that is the push forward Minnesota has made since Frost took over. Wisconsin has also surged ahead of UMD. What's even more interesting is how well North Dakota fared against the Bulldogs. You could argue UMD -- a five-time national champion over a span of just ten years -- has been the fourth-best program in the WCHA since the start of the 2010-11 season.

(In fairness, UND has fallen back a bit so far this season, and I don't think I'm qualified enough to say UND has passed UMD in terms of recruiting. It's clear Minnesota and Wisconsin have.)

Maybe it comes back in 2015, but UMD is 1-4-1 against Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, and that was with all but the UND games at home. A six-game run that starts with UND at home in late January will tell us a lot, because that's followed up by roadies to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Beyond that, UMD would surely have to take down either Minnesota or Wisconsin in order to make the Frozen Four, assuming it finishes strong enough to make the NCAA Tournament.

No matter what happens, it won't be a "plug and play" situation for whoever takes over for Miller. It would be tough enough to ever have to take over at UMD for Miller, but the controversy surrounding her departure at the end of this season will only increase the pressure. Make no mistake: There are many who are very loyal to Shannon Miller. You don't win 375 games in one place -- and she'll add to that number before she leaves -- without building up some equity and earning the respect and loyalty of people around you.

Throw in there the fact that UMD is no longer the top program in its conference, nor is it really knocking on the door of a well-established top two. This should be a destination job for any qualified Division I women's hockey coach, but that person will have plenty of work to do to get this team back to legitimate, year-to-year, national contention.

I don't care who gets the job. I just hope whoever does is able to use the program's history and high-quality facilities to get UMD back to the top of the WCHA. It's a place the Bulldogs haven't been in a while, and it'd be nice to knock on the door again.

UMD Women's Hockey Program Ending an Era

The only coach the UMD women's hockey program has ever known, Shannon Miller, will be finishing the 2014-15 season and then moving on from the university.

The school made the announcement Monday night via a press release.

University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey head coach Shannon Miller will not have her contract extended beyond the 2014-15 season, due to financial considerations. Two assistant coaches and a part-time director of operations will also not have their contracts renewed.

“We deeply appreciate and are proud of what Shannon has built and accomplished at UMD,” said Athletic Director Josh Berlo. “She established a winning program, raised it to the highest level of competition and sustained a national championship tradition over the last 15 years. Today’s decision about Shannon’s contract was an immensely difficult and financially driven decision. Unfortunately, UMD Athletics is not in a position to sustain the current salary levels of our women’s hockey coaching staff. However, we remain committed to supporting the Bulldog women’s hockey program.”

Chancellor Lendley (Lynn) Black expressed his deep appreciation for Coach Miller’s tenure: “Thank you for being one of the best coaches in the history of UMD Intercollegiate Athletics.  I will always fondly remember our 2010 trip to the White House!”

Coach Miller came to UMD in 1998 and immediately established the program as a national powerhouse, winning five NCAA championships since the program’s inception. In that time, she developed 28 current and former Olympians, as well as multiple national team coaches. The championship tradition of Bulldog Women’s Hockey was built with players from the United States, Canada and around the globe bringing an international community to Duluth. Coach Miller boasts a .713 winning percentage at UMD.

"I am extremely shocked and saddened by this news, as is our entire staff and team,” said Miller. “But we are committed to staying here to coach these great young women for the rest of the season and to a national championship."

A national search will take place following the 2014-15 season.

UMD is 12-5-3 this season and off until Jan. 10. Senior forward Zoe Hickel was one of the only players to chime in on Twitter Monday night.

Lots of emotions here, and understandably so. I'm in the building quite a bit, but I'm not going to claim great knowledge of the goings-on on the women's side of Amsoil Arena. That said, if you think the players aren't going to speak out in support of the person who brought them here and has been coaching them for however long, you're insane. If they don't come out and support Miller here, something is probably amiss.

Miller has always been courteous and professional in my inquiries to her over the years. I have no gripes, not that I'd necessarily share them in this forum anyway. But I don't.

(And you know me. I'd probably have said something on Twitter if I had a gripe.)

I am scheduled to visit with Josh Berlo on Thursday -- previously scheduled -- and I don't expect to hit him up any earlier than that. Duluth News Tribune noob Matt Wellens did speak both to Berlo and Miller Monday night.

Berlo interview
Miller interview

I'd suggest reading both of them. Good quotes from each party, and Matt asks just about every question I could think to ask myself. And he did it on his day off.

Canada's Defense Shallow at Best

As they did in the World Juniors, Team Canada's entry in the Olympic women's hockey tournament seems to enjoy rubbing their superiority in their opponents' faces.

How did that turn out for Canada in the World Juniors again?



Oh, yeah. That's right.

Karma.

Canada's women's team has won their first two games by a combined total of 28-1. They've outshot Slovakia and Switzerland by a combined 129-21.

They beat Slovakia 18-0 in the opener Saturday, outshooting the outclassed opponents 21-3 in the third period, a period that started with Canada already leading 13-0.

21 shots in 20 minutes while leading 13-0? Really?

Canada's players don't have much of a defense for this behavior, and it's obvious given how meekly they've tried so far.

"I think it's just about getting something out of the game, and making sure we're playing together, and we're getting better each game we play," Apps said. "I think we respect our opponents absolutely, but as far as our team is concerned, in our locker room it's all about getting better each day and moving forward."

How much better are you going to get by pistol-whipping a team that doesn't have a prayer against you?

It's a dumb defense for a senseless tactic. Canada spent the third period of a 13-0 game TRYING TO SCORE GOALS. Meanwhile, Team USA pulled back on the throttle in the second period against China, a team that they didn't dominate quite as badly as Canada did Slovakia, preferring to play a puck-possession, cycling game in the offensive zone. Many of their shots were unscreened, with little traffic in front of the net because Team USA's players chose not to go there.

(In Canada's defense, Slovakia had it coming. They beat Bulgaria 82-0 in 2008. Seriously.)

To follow up 18-0, Canada showed it learned nothing by hanging five third-period goals on clearly-overmatched Switzerland Monday.

If there were a way to disqualify a team for crappy sportsmanship, we'd boot the Canadians. Instead, we're just left to hope Team USA gives them what they have coming to them.

GOPHER WOMEN LOSE TOP PLAYERS

Someday, women's hockey will garner more attention than it does now. For the time being, a story like this is simply of regional interest, and I understand that.

It's a huge coup for the fledgling North Dakota women's program, as they have picked up two prominent transfers from longtime national power Minnesota.

Twin sisters Monique and Jocelyne Lamoureux decided to attend the University of Minnesota to play hockey together, and they were the Gophers' top players during a Frozen Four run in 2008-2009. The pair, from Grand Forks, aren't sticking around to try to build on that success, however.

After a year training for and -- they hope -- competing in the Winter Olympics for Team USA, the Lamoureux sisters are going to follow their bloodlines back to North Dakota. Both their father and older brother were goalies for the North Dakota men's team, so there is reason to think the Lamoureuxs have no ulterior motives.

Whatever the motives, neither the sisters nor their now-former coach are talking publicly.

"I can't get into the specifics about it -- I was definitely shocked when they informed me," Gophers coach Brad Frost said.

... "We feel this is in our best interests. It's what is right for us," Jocelyne Lamoureux said. "Obviously, the Fighting Sioux runs in our family. But Monique and I made the decision, and we have no parting jabs for Minnesota."

The transfer system exists for a reason. You don't want to keep kids from moving on if they are dissatisfied with their college choice. At the same time, you don't want them freely jumping from one school to the next because the coach puts in an undesirable set of rules or something. The Lamoureuxs sit out a year of eligibility, which happens to perfectly coincide with the run-up to the Olympics, and they return to the collegiate ice in the fall of 2010.

(Just a note of clarification, and thanks to Andrea for the e-mail on this: Women's hockey players are not subject to "normal" NCAA Division I transfer rules, but it is the WCHA that has an agreement among its league members that says in-conference transfers will sit out a year before playing.)

UMD WOMEN, UWS/CSS MEN MAKE NCAAs

The UMD women's hockey team is in the eight-team NCAA Tournament. They open defense of their 2008 NCAA Championship Saturday at fourth-seed New Hampshire.

The winner advances to the Frozen Four in Boston March 20 and 22.

The full NCAA Division I Women's Championship bracket can be found here.

Meanwhile, UWS and St. Scholastica have both received at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Men's Championship, according to information I have received. The full bracket has not been announced, but it's expected that both teams will be in quarterfinal play Saturday. The best guess I can muster is that UWS will be seeded first in the West and host MIAC champion Gustavus Adolphus, while St. Scholastica will get the third seed and travel to NCHA playoff champion UW-Stout.

The NCAA Division III Men's Frozen Four is March 21 and 22 in Lake Placid, New York.

HOCKEY HOCKEY HOCKEY

There's enough hockey going on to keep even a diehard hockey fan happy and busy.

Let's take a whirl around this great sport.

College men's hockey

UMD--> Can't hide the truth, can we? Not only was the weekend series against Alaska-Anchorage not what anyone expected or hoped for, it reminded us way too much of last year's UMD team.

There's a good reason why this is Alaska-Anchorage's first road sweep since November 10-11, 2000. It's just been a perpetual struggle for the Seawolves to find their legs when they make one of their insanely long road trips that they make every year. It's also a program that's been known for their disastrous meltdowns in the second half of every season.

Now, instead of the home series they could have had to open the WCHA playoffs, UMD is traveling, and it just so happens to be to Colorado Springs. These are tough roadies to make in the playoffs, because they involve the short-notice booking of a flight for a traveling party of approximately 30 people.

I saw Jeff Papas at the DECC Saturday night, and I told the radio voice of the Bulldogs to make sure he has a lot to read on this trip (I'm way late to the party, but if you're a baseball guy, I recommend David Halberstam's Summer of '49). There's a good chance they will have to leave a day earlier than normal (Wednesday instead of Thursday), and unlike most hotels on the civilized Earth, internet at the hotel in Colorado Springs is not free. Spend three or four nights there, and it can get quite pricey to be plugged in to the superhighway.

Anyway, on to things you care about ...

The boys need to find a way to put the last three games behind them. Ties in Houghton and Minneapolis are hardly shameful, but the way they lost the games to Minnesota (5-3) and Anchorage (5-4 and 4-3) just stinks, and it may be tough to recover from.

They have no choice.

UMD has slipped to 18th in the Pairwise Rankings, which mimic the process used to select teams for the NCAA Tournament. A spot anywhere higher than 15th is usually a good place to be, and 18th will leave UMD on the outside looking in.

Of course, a series win in the Springs would be a great help to UMD's position. Here's hoping that an 0-3-2 string to end the regular season wasn't a sign of things to come, as it's been in the past.

(The Mr. Pessimist in me can't help but remember the 2004-2005 season, when UMD went crazy late in the season, trying to recover from an early losing streak and poor performances in second-half home series against Alaska-Anchorage and Michigan Tech. That Bulldog team fell short of home ice in the WCHA playoffs, and got absolutely whacked in a two-game series at North Dakota. This is not the type of history to repeat.)

UWS

While the NCHA Peters Cup Championship went to UW-Stout Saturday in Superior, the Yellowjackets should still get the top seed among Western teams selected for the NCAA Division III Championship. The pairings are due out Sunday night.

UWS is in a great position, thanks to a balanced attack and experienced goalie Chad Beiswenger, who reminds this observer of St. Norbert's Kyle Jones. You may remember Jones practically carrying the Green Knights to a national title a year ago, pitching back-to-back shutouts at the Frozen Four in Lake Placid. Well, Beiswenger has that kind of talent, and he's had that kind of season.

It's an absolute certainty that UWS will be in the field, a near certainty that they'll host a quarterfinal game Saturday at Wessman Arena, and they're in the best position yet to take home their second title.

St. Scholastica

There may be some bullets coming out of Mark Wick's forehead as I type this on Sunday evening. The Saints are on the bubble to make the NCAA Tournament, and I wish I could reassure them.

There have been too many head-scratching decisions by the selection committee over the years, and while I find it illogical that CSS wouldn't make the tournament, I can't guarantee they will.

I can say UWS will make it because you might as well shut the tournament down forever if the Yellowjackets aren't in.

Scholastica presents a tough out in the tourney (assuming they make it), thanks to a senior class second-to-few in Division III. Goalie Steve Bounds keeps them in every game, which is always nice to have in the postseason. Goals, as you know, can be hard to come by in the playoffs.

College women's hockey

UMD/UWS

Both teams lost in their conference tournament semifinals. UMD is likely to make the NCAAs, while UWS is a longshot.

The problem for UMD is that they are clearly inferior to WCHA champion Wisconsin, and they are probably not as good as Minnesota, either.

The problem for the rest of the country is that nobody is likely as good as any of the above three.

UWS made the Frozen Four a year ago, but appear to have ended their season.

High school hockey

The state tournament begins with Class A games Wednesday at XCel Energy Center. Virginia/MIB represents the north, and they draw top seed Little Falls for a quarterfinal game Wednesday at 6pm.

I like this VMIB team, led by Chris Westin and Garrett Hendrickson, but Ben Hanowski and the Flyers are probably too tough. Will Lustig, the Blue Devils' goalie, holds the key. If he can slow down the unbeaten Flyers' attack, he gives his team a chance to win. If VMIB tries to match firepower with Little Falls, it could turn into a long night.

AA games start Thursday in St. Paul. Duluth East, the Section 7 champion, drew the fourth seed and will play Cretin-Derham Hall in the quarterfinals. The Greyhounds are very impressive, led by UMD recruit Max Tardy and North Dakota recruit Derek Forbort. They are clearly the 'Hounds two best players, and they were easily the two best on the ice in the section final Thursday, as East dismantled Elk River 4-1 (outshot them 42-10).

I think Duluth East has a puncher's chance at a state title, and the potential semifinal matchup with Edina Friday could be one of the best games in a long time at the state tournament.

FROZEN FOUR LIVE BLOG - HERE!

Join us later for live updates from the DECC and the NCAA Women's Frozen Four.

Why? Because the NCAA says we can.