Here we go with the 7AA final, hopefully in front of a huge crowd here at Amsoil Arena.
Lines are as follows:
GRAND RAPIDS
Bischoff (Jonah) - Peterson - Holum (Reid)
Mann - Mackenhausen - Mangni
Frazier - Monley - Crippa
LaRoque (Michael) - Rajala - Sahlstrom
Bischoff (Jake) - Horsmann
Holum (Shafer) - Simonson
LaRoque (Connor) - Mischke
Shepard - Troumbly
DULUTH EAST
Toscano - Forbort - Lundgren
Hughes - Smith - Irwin
Bunten - Kolar - Altmann
Packingham - Sworsky - Little
Moore - Beaulieu
Trapp - Kerr
Marinac
Parker - Sjerven
Live coverage is here.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Denfeld Looks to Make History
It isn't often that history is made.
I mean, technically, history is made all the time. But not this kind of history.
The last time Duluth Denfeld made a state tournament, gas was less than a dollar a gallon, and a movie starring Jessica Tandy was winning tons of awards. The tournament was a one-class affair, with Denfeld advancing by winning Section 2 before falling to eventual runner-up Rochester John Marshall in the semifinals.
Those on that team are old enough to have grandkids now, it's been so long.
Wednesday night at Amsoil Arena, it might all change.
Denfeld will battle cross-town rival Duluth Marshall for the Section 7A championship. A win will send the Hunters off to state for the first time in 24 years, though much of their work is already done. West Duluth hasn't been known for hockey in many years, but the work Kevin Smalley has done over the years has helped reinvigorate the Denfeld program, and the Hunters hit a home run with three mainstay players who are enjoying wonderful senior seasons.
Forward Levi Talarico has topped 30 goals and hit 70 points on the season. He's been the go-to offensive player for most of the season, though it isn't like he lacks help on the roster. Twin brothers Alex and Zach Thompson have been around a while, with Zach having started in goal for most of the last four years.
Alex has nine game-winning goals this season, and his 26 total goals are second on the team to Talarico. Zach has a save percentage of .901 for the season, but he's come up huge in wins like Hermantown and Duluth East, games in which Denfeld was badly outshot but still found a way to get the job done.
Denfeld's push to St. Paul will have to find a way past the experienced Hilltoppers, who don't have the dynamic players like Talarico and Alex Thompson, but have plenty of options to make Denfeld pay for an off night.
Jeremy Lopez leads the team with 35 points, and the Hilltoppers can turn to guys like Kris McKinzie, who has 18 goals, and Matt Klassen, who has 13 and scored the winner in the semifinals against Hibbing. Goalie Caden Flaherty has been good throughout the season, but he's really gotten it going as of late. Marshall has gotten healthy recently, and if the Hilltoppers can contain Talarico and Alex Thompson, they have a very good chance of pulling the upset.
Hopefully, Amsoil Arena sees a big crowd Wednesday night. It could be a huge moment for the western part of Duluth if the Hunters make state, and it certainly would be a great way for this strong Denfeld senior class to close out its time at the school.
I mean, technically, history is made all the time. But not this kind of history.
The last time Duluth Denfeld made a state tournament, gas was less than a dollar a gallon, and a movie starring Jessica Tandy was winning tons of awards. The tournament was a one-class affair, with Denfeld advancing by winning Section 2 before falling to eventual runner-up Rochester John Marshall in the semifinals.
Those on that team are old enough to have grandkids now, it's been so long.
Wednesday night at Amsoil Arena, it might all change.
Denfeld will battle cross-town rival Duluth Marshall for the Section 7A championship. A win will send the Hunters off to state for the first time in 24 years, though much of their work is already done. West Duluth hasn't been known for hockey in many years, but the work Kevin Smalley has done over the years has helped reinvigorate the Denfeld program, and the Hunters hit a home run with three mainstay players who are enjoying wonderful senior seasons.
Forward Levi Talarico has topped 30 goals and hit 70 points on the season. He's been the go-to offensive player for most of the season, though it isn't like he lacks help on the roster. Twin brothers Alex and Zach Thompson have been around a while, with Zach having started in goal for most of the last four years.
Alex has nine game-winning goals this season, and his 26 total goals are second on the team to Talarico. Zach has a save percentage of .901 for the season, but he's come up huge in wins like Hermantown and Duluth East, games in which Denfeld was badly outshot but still found a way to get the job done.
Denfeld's push to St. Paul will have to find a way past the experienced Hilltoppers, who don't have the dynamic players like Talarico and Alex Thompson, but have plenty of options to make Denfeld pay for an off night.
Jeremy Lopez leads the team with 35 points, and the Hilltoppers can turn to guys like Kris McKinzie, who has 18 goals, and Matt Klassen, who has 13 and scored the winner in the semifinals against Hibbing. Goalie Caden Flaherty has been good throughout the season, but he's really gotten it going as of late. Marshall has gotten healthy recently, and if the Hilltoppers can contain Talarico and Alex Thompson, they have a very good chance of pulling the upset.
Hopefully, Amsoil Arena sees a big crowd Wednesday night. It could be a huge moment for the western part of Duluth if the Hunters make state, and it certainly would be a great way for this strong Denfeld senior class to close out its time at the school.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Another Good Effort Leads to Another UMD Loss
MINNEAPOLIS -- When the losing continues, a team can either stay positive and keep working to move in the right direction, or it can give up and wilt away in the shroud of negativity.
So far, UMD seems to have decided to keep working.
And so far, the losing has continued.
Friday night, one of UMD's better efforts of the season -- especially over the first 40 minutes -- was wasted in a seventh loss over eight winless games, 5-3 at Minnesota.
The Bulldogs were quite good over the first two periods, and if it hadn't been for the three posts/crossbars UMD hit in the second, this could have been a different game. Of course, that's been a familiar lament as of late.
It's a good sign, though, that UMD fell behind 2-0 and 3-2 in the second period and didn't stop working. It's also a good sign that the Bulldogs revived what had been a dormant power play (three goals over 34 chances in seven games). Doing it against a kill as good as Minnesota's has to be considered a positive.
For the third game in a row, there were a lot of positives for UMD to claim.
But for the eighth game in a row, one of those positives was not a win.
Does there come a point where this team is just crushed under all the weight of losing, especially losing close games? Maybe, but I'd like to think there is enough spirit in the room to prevent that. So far, the Bulldogs haven't shown a lot of organized quit, certainly not over the last three games.
Minnesota is a really good team. Might be the most balanced and most talented team in the WCHA. And UMD played a hell of a game Friday, proving that it isn't overwhelmed by all that talentness. There is nothing for this group to hang the heads about.
The penalty kill leaned heavily on Matt McNeely in goal, especially in an early third period power play that I really think turned the game in Minnesota's favor. Quality shots and chances, and the crowd started to buzz. The Gophers were able to use that power play -- despite not scoring -- to get going, and UMD couldn't respond. Puck possession became Minnesota's friend, and the Gophers eventually got the Kyle Rau winner late in the third.
The Bulldogs will have a day at some point. It might not happen this weekend, but it won't be for a lack of effort. As long as that effort continues, there is no reason to think UMD can't find a way out of this funk. Hopefully, it happens before the start of the playoffs.
Minus-5.
That was Andy Welinski's plus/minus rating Friday.
The freshman could play hockey until he's 40 at a high level and never do that again. In fact, I'd be willing to bet he doesn't have a night like Friday at any point in his competitive hockey future.
No. 7 wasn't at his best on Friday. He struggled at times with the puck, plays that he normally makes. I still think he's not quite ready for the gobs of ice time he often gets in games like this, but there's been progress this season.
One issue I think he might be having is most prevalent on the power play. Sometimes, it seems he struggles to move laterally and get himself in shooting position. He has a lethal shot, but he has to hit the puck strong and find lanes to get it through traffic.
The short-handed goal wasn't necessarily his fault, but it was a communication breakdown, it seemed, between Caleb Herbert and Mike Seidel coming back. Erik Haula -- who is going to be a really good pro, I believe, despite "only" being a late-round pick of the Wild -- got between them in the slot and was basically wide open for a pass from Zach Budish, who beat Welinski to a loose puck.
Seriously, minus-5 might never happen for him -- or anyone in a UMD uniform -- in the foreseeable future.
So far, UMD seems to have decided to keep working.
And so far, the losing has continued.
Friday night, one of UMD's better efforts of the season -- especially over the first 40 minutes -- was wasted in a seventh loss over eight winless games, 5-3 at Minnesota.
The Bulldogs were quite good over the first two periods, and if it hadn't been for the three posts/crossbars UMD hit in the second, this could have been a different game. Of course, that's been a familiar lament as of late.
It's a good sign, though, that UMD fell behind 2-0 and 3-2 in the second period and didn't stop working. It's also a good sign that the Bulldogs revived what had been a dormant power play (three goals over 34 chances in seven games). Doing it against a kill as good as Minnesota's has to be considered a positive.
For the third game in a row, there were a lot of positives for UMD to claim.
But for the eighth game in a row, one of those positives was not a win.
Does there come a point where this team is just crushed under all the weight of losing, especially losing close games? Maybe, but I'd like to think there is enough spirit in the room to prevent that. So far, the Bulldogs haven't shown a lot of organized quit, certainly not over the last three games.
Minnesota is a really good team. Might be the most balanced and most talented team in the WCHA. And UMD played a hell of a game Friday, proving that it isn't overwhelmed by all that talentness. There is nothing for this group to hang the heads about.
The penalty kill leaned heavily on Matt McNeely in goal, especially in an early third period power play that I really think turned the game in Minnesota's favor. Quality shots and chances, and the crowd started to buzz. The Gophers were able to use that power play -- despite not scoring -- to get going, and UMD couldn't respond. Puck possession became Minnesota's friend, and the Gophers eventually got the Kyle Rau winner late in the third.
The Bulldogs will have a day at some point. It might not happen this weekend, but it won't be for a lack of effort. As long as that effort continues, there is no reason to think UMD can't find a way out of this funk. Hopefully, it happens before the start of the playoffs.
******
Minus-5.
That was Andy Welinski's plus/minus rating Friday.
The freshman could play hockey until he's 40 at a high level and never do that again. In fact, I'd be willing to bet he doesn't have a night like Friday at any point in his competitive hockey future.
No. 7 wasn't at his best on Friday. He struggled at times with the puck, plays that he normally makes. I still think he's not quite ready for the gobs of ice time he often gets in games like this, but there's been progress this season.
One issue I think he might be having is most prevalent on the power play. Sometimes, it seems he struggles to move laterally and get himself in shooting position. He has a lethal shot, but he has to hit the puck strong and find lanes to get it through traffic.
The short-handed goal wasn't necessarily his fault, but it was a communication breakdown, it seemed, between Caleb Herbert and Mike Seidel coming back. Erik Haula -- who is going to be a really good pro, I believe, despite "only" being a late-round pick of the Wild -- got between them in the slot and was basically wide open for a pass from Zach Budish, who beat Welinski to a loose puck.
Seriously, minus-5 might never happen for him -- or anyone in a UMD uniform -- in the foreseeable future.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Game 31: UMD at Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS -- The only stop in the WCHA where a lonely radio guy has to pay to park.
But it's still awesome here. Nice new scoreboard, and the sound system is upgraded (wouldn't take much).
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Seidel - Herbert - Crandall
Farley - Cameranesi - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Johnson - Bergman
McNeely - Fons
UMTC
Rau - Bjugstad - Budish
Warning - Haula - Condon
Michaelson - Isackson - Holl
Serratore - Boyd
Helgeson - Marshall
Reilly - Alt
Skjei - Schmidt
Parenteau
Wilcox - Shibrowski - Coyne
But it's still awesome here. Nice new scoreboard, and the sound system is upgraded (wouldn't take much).
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Seidel - Herbert - Crandall
Farley - Cameranesi - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Johnson - Bergman
McNeely - Fons
UMTC
Rau - Bjugstad - Budish
Warning - Haula - Condon
Michaelson - Isackson - Holl
Serratore - Boyd
Helgeson - Marshall
Reilly - Alt
Skjei - Schmidt
Parenteau
Wilcox - Shibrowski - Coyne
Rivalry Weekend Sees Teams Going in Different Directions
MINNEAPOLIS -- One team appears to be trending upward, while the other is fighting to stay above water.
Unfortunately, this isn't 2009, when surging UMD ended Minnesota's season in the Final Five play-in game.
It's also not 2011, when a destined-to-miss-the-NCAA Tournament Gopher squad fell victim to Mike Connolly's career night (five goals) in a 6-4 UMD win at Amsoil Arena.
No, this time around, the Gophers are trending toward an NCAA spot, and UMD is scuffling, destined to be on the road for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.
"It's not the season we were hoping for, but I think we've been making strides in the right direction," senior Jake Hendrickson said this week. "I think we're going in the right direction for these next couple games."
After thinking more about it this week, it's reasonable to suggest Hendrickson is a lot more right than he is wrong.
Last Friday, UMD beat Bemidji State up and down the rink five-on-five, especially over the game's first two periods. Over the 60 minutes, the Bulldogs held a 34-17 shot advantage and the 2-0 edge in goals at even strength. The penalty kill did UMD in, however, as Bemidji scored four goals in six power play chances on its way to a 4-2 win.
That left opponents seven of 12 on the power play over two games, as a once-solid UMD penalty kill had a couple bad nights in a row.
"Some of it's a little positioning, some of it's stick position," coach Scott Sandelin said Saturday before the teams played to a 1-1 tie. Referring to the first BSU power play goal, a deflected poitn shot, Sandelin said "we gave up what we wanted to."
"To be honest, I don't really know (what happened Friday)," a somewhat exasperated Hendrickson said. "There were some breakdowns in positioning, and they capitalized on it."
Needless to say, that can't happen again. BSU's power play was 16 percent on the season before Friday's explosion. Minnesota's is No. 1 in the nation, at over 26 percent. The Gophers are plus-25 on special teams this season (35 power play goals to ten, with two short-handed goals both scored and allowed by Minnesota), while UMD is minus-one (27 power play goals and one shortie compared to 26 power play goals and three shorties allowed).
For UMD, the first key this weekend: discipline.
Yeah, UMD has a bunch of penalty minutes this season. But focus for a second on something that people don't want to talk about when they say UMD is undisciplined.
So far this season, UMD has had 138 power play chances. Opponents have had 133. So for all the dumb penalties UMD allegedly takes, the Bulldogs apparently do a good job baiting the opponents into taking more.
That said, cutting ruts to the cubicle of shame is not a good idea when playing the Gophers. Just ask Wisconsin.
The Badgers gave Minnesota four power plays last Friday at the Kohl Center. Minnesota scored on three of them. Final score: 3-2.
The kicker? There was nothing magical about any of the goal. Not a thing. Faceoff wins, bodies to the net, rebounds, winning battles on the wall, good puck movement, more bodies to the net.
Seems simple, especially watching Minnesota execute it. This is the kind of team no one wants to play against. It's one that works hard and has high-level, elite skill. Dangerous combination, especially when you consider Don Lucia isn't exactly a moron (my level of respect for the Minnesota coach has been discussed many times in the past, and Gopher fans should be eternally grateful that the oft-maligned Joel Maturi stuck with him when many wanted him gone).
This isn't going to be easy in any way for UMD. A year ago, this would be a marquee matchup, especially on the big sheet. Just imagine all that skill that would have been on display.
Now, UMD needs to win by putting its nose to the proverbial grindstone. There is nothing fancy that comes out of these games this weekend for UMD. Just play a solid, strong, simple game, try to outwork Minnesota, and don't parade to the penalty box, because this power play is not one any Bulldog fan wants to see a lot of this weekend.
It's been a hell of a rivalry, and here's hoping that -- against many, if not all, odds -- there is still time to write one more great story before the WCHA candle is extinguished for these two.
Unfortunately, this isn't 2009, when surging UMD ended Minnesota's season in the Final Five play-in game.
It's also not 2011, when a destined-to-miss-the-NCAA Tournament Gopher squad fell victim to Mike Connolly's career night (five goals) in a 6-4 UMD win at Amsoil Arena.
No, this time around, the Gophers are trending toward an NCAA spot, and UMD is scuffling, destined to be on the road for the first round of the WCHA playoffs.
"It's not the season we were hoping for, but I think we've been making strides in the right direction," senior Jake Hendrickson said this week. "I think we're going in the right direction for these next couple games."
After thinking more about it this week, it's reasonable to suggest Hendrickson is a lot more right than he is wrong.
Last Friday, UMD beat Bemidji State up and down the rink five-on-five, especially over the game's first two periods. Over the 60 minutes, the Bulldogs held a 34-17 shot advantage and the 2-0 edge in goals at even strength. The penalty kill did UMD in, however, as Bemidji scored four goals in six power play chances on its way to a 4-2 win.
That left opponents seven of 12 on the power play over two games, as a once-solid UMD penalty kill had a couple bad nights in a row.
"Some of it's a little positioning, some of it's stick position," coach Scott Sandelin said Saturday before the teams played to a 1-1 tie. Referring to the first BSU power play goal, a deflected poitn shot, Sandelin said "we gave up what we wanted to."
"To be honest, I don't really know (what happened Friday)," a somewhat exasperated Hendrickson said. "There were some breakdowns in positioning, and they capitalized on it."
Needless to say, that can't happen again. BSU's power play was 16 percent on the season before Friday's explosion. Minnesota's is No. 1 in the nation, at over 26 percent. The Gophers are plus-25 on special teams this season (35 power play goals to ten, with two short-handed goals both scored and allowed by Minnesota), while UMD is minus-one (27 power play goals and one shortie compared to 26 power play goals and three shorties allowed).
For UMD, the first key this weekend: discipline.
Yeah, UMD has a bunch of penalty minutes this season. But focus for a second on something that people don't want to talk about when they say UMD is undisciplined.
So far this season, UMD has had 138 power play chances. Opponents have had 133. So for all the dumb penalties UMD allegedly takes, the Bulldogs apparently do a good job baiting the opponents into taking more.
That said, cutting ruts to the cubicle of shame is not a good idea when playing the Gophers. Just ask Wisconsin.
The Badgers gave Minnesota four power plays last Friday at the Kohl Center. Minnesota scored on three of them. Final score: 3-2.
The kicker? There was nothing magical about any of the goal. Not a thing. Faceoff wins, bodies to the net, rebounds, winning battles on the wall, good puck movement, more bodies to the net.
Seems simple, especially watching Minnesota execute it. This is the kind of team no one wants to play against. It's one that works hard and has high-level, elite skill. Dangerous combination, especially when you consider Don Lucia isn't exactly a moron (my level of respect for the Minnesota coach has been discussed many times in the past, and Gopher fans should be eternally grateful that the oft-maligned Joel Maturi stuck with him when many wanted him gone).
This isn't going to be easy in any way for UMD. A year ago, this would be a marquee matchup, especially on the big sheet. Just imagine all that skill that would have been on display.
Now, UMD needs to win by putting its nose to the proverbial grindstone. There is nothing fancy that comes out of these games this weekend for UMD. Just play a solid, strong, simple game, try to outwork Minnesota, and don't parade to the penalty box, because this power play is not one any Bulldog fan wants to see a lot of this weekend.
It's been a hell of a rivalry, and here's hoping that -- against many, if not all, odds -- there is still time to write one more great story before the WCHA candle is extinguished for these two.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Game 30: UMD at Bemidji State
BEMIDJI, Minn. -- A suddenly banged-up UMD team is here for another crack at snapping a losing streak that has reached six.
As already chronicled, sophomore forward Caleb Herbert is not here due to an injury, and another top-six forward is out for this game, as sophomore Justin Crandall will sit out.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Young - Tardy - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Bergman - Corrin
McNeely - Fons
BSU
Orban - Jubinville - Boehm
George - McLeod - Kinne
Illo - Ward - Mattson
Gerbrandt - Cain - Brewer
Areshenko - Wacker
Prapavessis - McCormack
Rendle - Windle
Walsh - Dugas - Mimmack
As already chronicled, sophomore forward Caleb Herbert is not here due to an injury, and another top-six forward is out for this game, as sophomore Justin Crandall will sit out.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Young - Tardy - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Bergman - Corrin
McNeely - Fons
BSU
Orban - Jubinville - Boehm
George - McLeod - Kinne
Illo - Ward - Mattson
Gerbrandt - Cain - Brewer
Areshenko - Wacker
Prapavessis - McCormack
Rendle - Windle
Walsh - Dugas - Mimmack
Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Special Teams Sink UMD
BEMIDJI, Minn. -- Sometimes, this column is used to brag. Sometimes, it's therapy.
Lately, it's more about therapy, unfortunately.
Make it six losses in a row for UMD, as the season continues to fade away. Bemidji State snapped a 12-game winless streak here Friday with a 4-2 win.
In what has become almost routine fashion, a lot went right for UMD. The Bulldogs started strong, controlled most of the game's five-on-five play, and got some superb play from their fourth line of Cal Decowski, Dan DeLisle, and Adam Krause.
But the ten combined power plays in the game told the night's story. BSU -- 16 percent on the power play coming in -- went four for six in its chances, while UMD was scoreless in four opportunities. That 4-0 difference in special teams would probably be too much for even the best team to overcome. Certainly, a UMD team that is scuffling badly isn't going to overcome it.
This is even true on a night like this, where the visitors had a 34-17 edge in even-strength shots on goal.
BSU goalie Andrew Walsh was big when he had to be, especially five-on-five, where the Bulldogs applied loads of pressure, had some quality shots, and got bodies to the net as effectively as they have in weeks. On both UMD goals, the Bulldogs had good net drive, and on the second one, Dan DeLisle wasn't leaving the front of the net without a whistle or a red light being turned on. It worked, as Decowski eventually scored to give UMD a 2-1 lead.
The power play, however, was a different story. UMD couldn't generate enough traffic, and certainly couldn't get the puck there. Bemidji put a lot of pressure on the Bulldogs, and as we've discussed, aggressive penalty kills have been an issue for UMD this season. There have been isolated instances of UMD moving the puck quickly and effectively enough to get chances against that style of kill, but it's never been sustained through a game or weekend series.
Reality is that it's the same old story for this team. It's one that will struggle to score goals consistently. When you're that kind of team, everything else has to click.
Friday, the penalty kill didn't click. Bemidji State created three of the four goals with rock-solid puck movement, both up high and down by the net. UMD didn't have an answer, and couldn't get bodies in the passing or shooting lanes. Freshman goalie Alex Fons was beaten three times on plays where he simply couldn't get left to right -- or vice versa -- quickly enough to do anything about the shot fired.
In Fons' first start, he acquitted himself just fine. I'm not a goaltending aficionado, but it looked like he struggled to move laterally at times, which gave BSU scoring chances that didn't appear very dangerous at first.
On a positive note, I thought he got more comfortable handling dump-ins behind the net the more he did it. Seemed he was more and more confident with it, too. That's a good sign. Goalies these days have to be effective -- at the minimum, it seems -- with going behind the net and stopping dumps on the endboards, then at least leaving them there for the defensemen to start the breakout. Obviously, you'll occasionally see a goalie who starts the breakout for his team, but that's a level not everyone can get to, or needs to.
I'd be surprised if UMD didn't come back with Matt McNeely Saturday. He's had a chance to watch a couple games from the bench, which isn't a terrible thing for a young goalie. McNeely started 11 straight and 13 of 15, which is quite the workload for a freshman. He showed signs throughout that he's more than capable of being a No. 1 goalie at this level, but like the rest of the team, he's struggled to put that consistency together.
More importantly than anything that happens with the goaltending, UMD needs to fix that penalty kill. Once looking like one of the better kills in the league, it's fallen off a cliff the last two games, giving up seven goals in 12 chances. With the power play also struggling, it's going to be really difficult for UMD to end this skid and start trying to generate some positivity for the playoffs.
Elsewhere in the WCHA, Minnesota State kept the train rolling, thanks to a 4-2 win over Michigan Tech that featured four different goal-scorers for the Mavericks. And, yes, one of them was Eriah Hayes. Again.
In Madison, three Minnesota power play goals lifted the Gophers past Wisconsin 3-2. Minnesota went three-for-four on the power play in the game.
Also, Omaha shut out Alaska Anchorage 3-0 up north. The Mavericks only permitted ten shots on goal, which has to mark one the easiest shutouts Dayn Belfour's ever had.
Lately, it's more about therapy, unfortunately.
Make it six losses in a row for UMD, as the season continues to fade away. Bemidji State snapped a 12-game winless streak here Friday with a 4-2 win.
In what has become almost routine fashion, a lot went right for UMD. The Bulldogs started strong, controlled most of the game's five-on-five play, and got some superb play from their fourth line of Cal Decowski, Dan DeLisle, and Adam Krause.
But the ten combined power plays in the game told the night's story. BSU -- 16 percent on the power play coming in -- went four for six in its chances, while UMD was scoreless in four opportunities. That 4-0 difference in special teams would probably be too much for even the best team to overcome. Certainly, a UMD team that is scuffling badly isn't going to overcome it.
This is even true on a night like this, where the visitors had a 34-17 edge in even-strength shots on goal.
BSU goalie Andrew Walsh was big when he had to be, especially five-on-five, where the Bulldogs applied loads of pressure, had some quality shots, and got bodies to the net as effectively as they have in weeks. On both UMD goals, the Bulldogs had good net drive, and on the second one, Dan DeLisle wasn't leaving the front of the net without a whistle or a red light being turned on. It worked, as Decowski eventually scored to give UMD a 2-1 lead.
The power play, however, was a different story. UMD couldn't generate enough traffic, and certainly couldn't get the puck there. Bemidji put a lot of pressure on the Bulldogs, and as we've discussed, aggressive penalty kills have been an issue for UMD this season. There have been isolated instances of UMD moving the puck quickly and effectively enough to get chances against that style of kill, but it's never been sustained through a game or weekend series.
Reality is that it's the same old story for this team. It's one that will struggle to score goals consistently. When you're that kind of team, everything else has to click.
Friday, the penalty kill didn't click. Bemidji State created three of the four goals with rock-solid puck movement, both up high and down by the net. UMD didn't have an answer, and couldn't get bodies in the passing or shooting lanes. Freshman goalie Alex Fons was beaten three times on plays where he simply couldn't get left to right -- or vice versa -- quickly enough to do anything about the shot fired.
******
In Fons' first start, he acquitted himself just fine. I'm not a goaltending aficionado, but it looked like he struggled to move laterally at times, which gave BSU scoring chances that didn't appear very dangerous at first.
On a positive note, I thought he got more comfortable handling dump-ins behind the net the more he did it. Seemed he was more and more confident with it, too. That's a good sign. Goalies these days have to be effective -- at the minimum, it seems -- with going behind the net and stopping dumps on the endboards, then at least leaving them there for the defensemen to start the breakout. Obviously, you'll occasionally see a goalie who starts the breakout for his team, but that's a level not everyone can get to, or needs to.
I'd be surprised if UMD didn't come back with Matt McNeely Saturday. He's had a chance to watch a couple games from the bench, which isn't a terrible thing for a young goalie. McNeely started 11 straight and 13 of 15, which is quite the workload for a freshman. He showed signs throughout that he's more than capable of being a No. 1 goalie at this level, but like the rest of the team, he's struggled to put that consistency together.
More importantly than anything that happens with the goaltending, UMD needs to fix that penalty kill. Once looking like one of the better kills in the league, it's fallen off a cliff the last two games, giving up seven goals in 12 chances. With the power play also struggling, it's going to be really difficult for UMD to end this skid and start trying to generate some positivity for the playoffs.
******
Elsewhere in the WCHA, Minnesota State kept the train rolling, thanks to a 4-2 win over Michigan Tech that featured four different goal-scorers for the Mavericks. And, yes, one of them was Eriah Hayes. Again.
In Madison, three Minnesota power play goals lifted the Gophers past Wisconsin 3-2. Minnesota went three-for-four on the power play in the game.
Also, Omaha shut out Alaska Anchorage 3-0 up north. The Mavericks only permitted ten shots on goal, which has to mark one the easiest shutouts Dayn Belfour's ever had.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Game 29: UMD at Bemidji State
BEMIDJI, Minn. -- It's been quite a while (since October of 2010) between visits to Sanford Center, and it was quite easy to forget how neat this little place is. No building is perfect, but there isn't much to pick away about with this arena.
For the first time since the 2005-2006 season, UMD is going to employ three starting goaltenders in a season, as Alex Fons gets his first collegiate start to open this Friday-Saturday series.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall - Tardy - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Johnson - Bergman
Fons - McNeely
BSU
Orban - Jubinville - Boehm
George - McLeod - Kinne
Illo - Ward - Mattson
Gerbrandt - Cain - Brewer
Areshenko - Wacker
Prapavessis - McCormack
Rendle - Windle
Walsh - Dugas - Mimmack
For the first time since the 2005-2006 season, UMD is going to employ three starting goaltenders in a season, as Alex Fons gets his first collegiate start to open this Friday-Saturday series.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall - Tardy - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Johnson - Bergman
Fons - McNeely
BSU
Orban - Jubinville - Boehm
George - McLeod - Kinne
Illo - Ward - Mattson
Gerbrandt - Cain - Brewer
Areshenko - Wacker
Prapavessis - McCormack
Rendle - Windle
Walsh - Dugas - Mimmack
Red Rock Radio, UMD Agree to Contract Extension
BEMIDJI, Minn. -- Some in-house news of sorts, something you may have seen on my Twitter feed, but I didn't have time to post a blog on it until I got to Bemidji.
My employers at Red Rock Radio and UMD have negotiated a two-year extension of their radio rights agreement. Here is the press release.
My employers at Red Rock Radio and UMD have negotiated a two-year extension of their radio rights agreement. Here is the press release.
Obviously good news for the people I work for, and something I'm excited about. I think it's a good partnership for the radio group, the university, and the fans, so it's a win-win for everyone involved.Red Rock Radio and the University of Minnesota Duluth have signed a two-year extension to their radio rights contract. The extension takes Red Rock’s exclusive rights for UMD football and men’s hockey through the 2014-15 season.“We are delighted to again partner with UMD to provide exclusive radio play by play for fans in the Northland area,” said Shawn Skramstad, Vice President and General Manager for Red Rock Radio.UMD football will continue to air on KQDS-AM (“The Fan 1490”) while men’s hockey is on KZIO-FM (“94X”). All football and men’s hockey games air throughout northeastern Minnesota on KBAJ-FM out of Deer River/Grand Rapids (“KQ 105.5”) and KAOD-FM in the Ely/Babbitt area (“KQ 106.7”).“We're thrilled that Red Rock will continue to be the voice of the Bulldogs for the next years,” commented UMD interim athletic director Karen Stromme. “We're very happy that the games will continue to air throughout northeastern Minnesota, so our fans on the Iron Range can hear Bulldog football and hockey.”“Keeping the UMD football and hockey teams here is a big win for our stations,” said Red Rock Radio Sports Director Bruce Ciskie, who is the voice of UMD men’s hockey. “It’s great to know that we’ll continue to broadcast Bulldog games to all our listeners throughout northeast Minnesota.”Red Rock Radio has held the broadcast rights for UMD football and men’s hockey since the 2009-2010 season.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Bulldogs Searching for Elusive Confidence, Consistency
There's no question that UMD's men's hockey team is lacking consistency. Has been all season. It also appears to be lacking confidence, especially as of late.
Perhaps those things are hidden somewhere along Highway 2 between Duluth and Bemidji, where UMD is playing this weekend.
"It's always frustrating for guys when they're not scoring," sophomore forward Justin Crandall said this week. "I think when you miss a few maybe you start tightening on the stick a little bit.
"You can't lose your confidence, especially this time of year."
In the midst of its longest losing streak in five years, UMD is at Bemidji State, a team that hasn't won since a 5-1 triumph over Denver on Dec. 15. Over a 12-game winless streak, BSU has been shut out three times and held under three goals ten times.
The Beavers beat UMD 2-1 in Duluth Dec. 8, and even in non-wins -- like last weekend's games at Wisconsin -- the team has worked hard. It's a hallmark of Tom Serratore's teams in Bemidji. They don't get outworked.
Unfortunately, UMD has been outworked a goodly amount as of late, and the Bulldogs have paid for it. The answers are right there, though.
"Guys have to be willing to get in those gritty areas and work," Crandall said. "I guess it's easy to talk about, so we've got to prove it this weekend. Score some greasy, dirty goals this weekend."
Crandall is right. There is no use continuing to talk about it. The Bulldogs know what they have to do.
Practice appeared spirited on Tuesday. The group also looked like it was loose, which is a good sign considering the spot it's in right now.
"We had a really good meeting (Monday)," Crandall told me. "There's two ways to go, obviously, up and down. It's not acceptable what's been going on, but try to stay positive and work through it. This week, we're focused on working harder and getting stronger in front of our net and their net."
The sweep by Minnesota State was different than the one by Denver. MSU just beat the Bulldogs up in front of both nets. UMD let too many bodies get in front of its goaltenders -- whether it was Matt McNeely Friday or Aaron Crandall Saturday -- and there wasn't nearly enough net-front traffic at the other end.
Justin Crandall talked about "turnaways," instances of forwards going to the front of the net and turning away without staying to battle for position and pucks in front of opposing goalies. Head coach Scott Sandelin brought up the concept on Saturday with me, and while it appeared to get better on Saturday, the defensive breakdowns may have gotten worse. MSU had too many odd-man situations and too much quality traffic in front of Aaron Crandall for anything good to come out of it. I didn't think Crandall was particularly sharp, but it's also hard to totally blame him for any of the goals (at least the ones that counted).
(It's been a tough thing to watch at times. UMD's goaltending has simply not been good enough a lot of nights. When the team loses by three or more goals, it's easy to pass off a tough night for the goalie because nothing else good happened. However, a team save percentage of .887 compared to .924 for opponents is a huge part of the problem right now. It isn't fair to blame the goalies, but when the team is struggling to score, the goalie sometimes has to steal one, and depending on your definition of "stealing one," the last one to do it in a UMD uniform was either Kenny Reiter or Alex Stalock.)
Stephon Williams is a good goalie, and Bemidji has a pair in Mathieu Dugas and Andrew Walsh that have both given UMD troubles in the past. However, UMD did -- in my estimation -- an inadequate job getting pressure on Williams. This was especially true during the first 35-40 minutes of Saturday's game, when both Lee Davidson and I thought Williams was fighting the puck a bit and could have been had, so to speak.
If UMD is to dig out of this thing -- and there's still plenty of time to make good things happen -- Sandelin and his staff needs a full buy-in from everyone on the ice, from the goalie out. The Bulldogs have to play with pace, play disciplined while also not avoiding contact, put pressure on opponents, get pucks and bodies to the net with a high battle level, and get quality goaltending.
All of these things have happened this season, but as is clear with the team's record being five games under .500, they haven't happened often enough. Eight games remain to figure those things out.
Sophomore forward Caleb Herbert (undisclosed) is not playing this weekend. That leaves the lines looking like this, at least in practice:
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall - Tardy - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Sounds like McNeely and Alex Fons will be the goalies on the trip, but we don't know who starts Friday.
Perhaps those things are hidden somewhere along Highway 2 between Duluth and Bemidji, where UMD is playing this weekend.
"It's always frustrating for guys when they're not scoring," sophomore forward Justin Crandall said this week. "I think when you miss a few maybe you start tightening on the stick a little bit.
"You can't lose your confidence, especially this time of year."
In the midst of its longest losing streak in five years, UMD is at Bemidji State, a team that hasn't won since a 5-1 triumph over Denver on Dec. 15. Over a 12-game winless streak, BSU has been shut out three times and held under three goals ten times.
The Beavers beat UMD 2-1 in Duluth Dec. 8, and even in non-wins -- like last weekend's games at Wisconsin -- the team has worked hard. It's a hallmark of Tom Serratore's teams in Bemidji. They don't get outworked.
Unfortunately, UMD has been outworked a goodly amount as of late, and the Bulldogs have paid for it. The answers are right there, though.
"Guys have to be willing to get in those gritty areas and work," Crandall said. "I guess it's easy to talk about, so we've got to prove it this weekend. Score some greasy, dirty goals this weekend."
Crandall is right. There is no use continuing to talk about it. The Bulldogs know what they have to do.
Practice appeared spirited on Tuesday. The group also looked like it was loose, which is a good sign considering the spot it's in right now.
"We had a really good meeting (Monday)," Crandall told me. "There's two ways to go, obviously, up and down. It's not acceptable what's been going on, but try to stay positive and work through it. This week, we're focused on working harder and getting stronger in front of our net and their net."
The sweep by Minnesota State was different than the one by Denver. MSU just beat the Bulldogs up in front of both nets. UMD let too many bodies get in front of its goaltenders -- whether it was Matt McNeely Friday or Aaron Crandall Saturday -- and there wasn't nearly enough net-front traffic at the other end.
Justin Crandall talked about "turnaways," instances of forwards going to the front of the net and turning away without staying to battle for position and pucks in front of opposing goalies. Head coach Scott Sandelin brought up the concept on Saturday with me, and while it appeared to get better on Saturday, the defensive breakdowns may have gotten worse. MSU had too many odd-man situations and too much quality traffic in front of Aaron Crandall for anything good to come out of it. I didn't think Crandall was particularly sharp, but it's also hard to totally blame him for any of the goals (at least the ones that counted).
(It's been a tough thing to watch at times. UMD's goaltending has simply not been good enough a lot of nights. When the team loses by three or more goals, it's easy to pass off a tough night for the goalie because nothing else good happened. However, a team save percentage of .887 compared to .924 for opponents is a huge part of the problem right now. It isn't fair to blame the goalies, but when the team is struggling to score, the goalie sometimes has to steal one, and depending on your definition of "stealing one," the last one to do it in a UMD uniform was either Kenny Reiter or Alex Stalock.)
Stephon Williams is a good goalie, and Bemidji has a pair in Mathieu Dugas and Andrew Walsh that have both given UMD troubles in the past. However, UMD did -- in my estimation -- an inadequate job getting pressure on Williams. This was especially true during the first 35-40 minutes of Saturday's game, when both Lee Davidson and I thought Williams was fighting the puck a bit and could have been had, so to speak.
If UMD is to dig out of this thing -- and there's still plenty of time to make good things happen -- Sandelin and his staff needs a full buy-in from everyone on the ice, from the goalie out. The Bulldogs have to play with pace, play disciplined while also not avoiding contact, put pressure on opponents, get pucks and bodies to the net with a high battle level, and get quality goaltending.
All of these things have happened this season, but as is clear with the team's record being five games under .500, they haven't happened often enough. Eight games remain to figure those things out.
******
Sophomore forward Caleb Herbert (undisclosed) is not playing this weekend. That leaves the lines looking like this, at least in practice:
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall - Tardy - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Sounds like McNeely and Alex Fons will be the goalies on the trip, but we don't know who starts Friday.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Terrific Homer Jack Edwards' Reaction to Game-Tying Goal Worth Watching
Jack Edwards is the television play-by-play voice for the Boston Bruins on NESN. He's a bit of a homer.
OK, he's a gigantic homer.
And he gets into these games.
Watch him react to the Boston Bruins scoring twice with their goalie pulled to rally from 3-1 down to tie the Rangers Tuesday night.
Fantastic.
OK, he's a gigantic homer.
And he gets into these games.
Watch him react to the Boston Bruins scoring twice with their goalie pulled to rally from 3-1 down to tie the Rangers Tuesday night.
Fantastic.
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Game 28: Minnesota State at UMD
UMD doesn't have any Finnish players on the team, but learning how to finish is a huge key going forward, as the boys learned again on Friday.
The women pumped 40 shots on net in Saturday's game against Minnesota State and lost 2-1, and looking at the shot chart, you can't put a lot of blame on them for it. They had great chances and just couldn't score.
This team has to avoid that fate.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall (Justin) - Young - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Bergman - Corrin
Crandall (Aaron) - McNeely - Fons
MSU
Grant - Leitner - McInnis
Margonari - Blueger - Hayes
Knowles - Lafontaine - Gaede
Gervais - Zuck - Lehrke
Elbrecht - Stern
Palmquist - Buchanan
Nelson - Jutzi
Williams - Cook
The women pumped 40 shots on net in Saturday's game against Minnesota State and lost 2-1, and looking at the shot chart, you can't put a lot of blame on them for it. They had great chances and just couldn't score.
This team has to avoid that fate.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall (Justin) - Young - Basaraba
Danberg - Hendrickson - Flaherty
DeLisle - Decowski - Krause
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Bergman - Corrin
Crandall (Aaron) - McNeely - Fons
MSU
Grant - Leitner - McInnis
Margonari - Blueger - Hayes
Knowles - Lafontaine - Gaede
Gervais - Zuck - Lehrke
Elbrecht - Stern
Palmquist - Buchanan
Nelson - Jutzi
Williams - Cook
Friday, February 08, 2013
Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Not Even Sure What To Put Here
Slumps happen. Bad nights happen.
But what has happened to UMD over the last four games is nothing short of "potentially will-crushing."
On Jan. 19 in Colorado Springs, UMD allowed four straight goals in a 5-1 loss to Colorado College.
Last Friday, UMD basically no-showed a 3-0 home loss to a Denver team the Bulldogs could have caught in the league standings.
Last Saturday, DU scored three goals in a 91-second span of the third period and won 4-3 after UMD basically dominated most of the game.
Friday, looking to see how his team would come out, UMD coach Scott Sandelin watched the Bulldogs make a defensive-zone mistake and give up the first goal.
This time, however, UMD responded well. The Bulldogs scored the next two, took a lead into the third period, and proceeded to epically collapse once on home ice once again.
Minnesota State ripped off three goals and a 22-7 shot advantage in the third period to beat the Bulldogs 4-2 and hand UMD a fourth straight loss.
As has been the case most of the season, there were multiple culprits. Too many mental mistakes to mention. Too many guys letting their minds betray them and drifting away from what had been successful. Not enough people stepping up and leading the team when things start to go bad.
Unfortunately for UMD, mental mistakes and inconsistent effort have become hallmarks, not aberrations. And it once again has sent this team searching for answers.
To make matters worse, sophomore center Caleb Herbert missed most of the game with an undisclosed injury. He's listed as day to day, but there's no way of knowing right now if he'll be available anytime soon. It's just another in a long series of blows for a team that is running out of time to find the elusive answers.
What has to change? UMD has to stop recoiling when something bad happens. Right now, as I mentioned in the preview blog Friday, there isn't a line Scott Sandelin can rely on when things start going south. There is no lockdown line, no "go get a big goal" line. It doesn't just make his job tougher, it makes it nearly impossible.
There is plenty of season left, but it's almost a foregone conclusion at this point that season ticket holders will have a chance to apply their playoff ticket money as a down payment on tickets for next year. This team isn't getting home ice, barring the kind of run through the rest of the schedule that the first 27 games of the season indicate is simply not possible.
Could UMD rip off six wins in the remaining seven league games? Sure. But there isn't any reason to think it will.
That's reality. At this point in the season, you are who you are, after all.
Hats off to Drew Olson. He's been playing hurt a lot this season, and he's trying to put this team on his back. That's leadership. Too bad there isn't enough follow going on right now.
I thought Jake Hendrickson played his rear end off Friday, too, but a mishmash of line combinations after Herbert left the game made it tough for anyone to generate anything consistently.
Get asked a lot about lineup changes. In a case like this, anything conceivable is probably in play, especially if Herbert is ruled out.
There were three forwards and two defensemen who sat out Friday. Frankly, I don't have any reason to not believe that any of them who are deemed healthy should sit again Saturday. What would be the point?
But what has happened to UMD over the last four games is nothing short of "potentially will-crushing."
On Jan. 19 in Colorado Springs, UMD allowed four straight goals in a 5-1 loss to Colorado College.
Last Friday, UMD basically no-showed a 3-0 home loss to a Denver team the Bulldogs could have caught in the league standings.
Last Saturday, DU scored three goals in a 91-second span of the third period and won 4-3 after UMD basically dominated most of the game.
Friday, looking to see how his team would come out, UMD coach Scott Sandelin watched the Bulldogs make a defensive-zone mistake and give up the first goal.
This time, however, UMD responded well. The Bulldogs scored the next two, took a lead into the third period, and proceeded to epically collapse once on home ice once again.
Minnesota State ripped off three goals and a 22-7 shot advantage in the third period to beat the Bulldogs 4-2 and hand UMD a fourth straight loss.
As has been the case most of the season, there were multiple culprits. Too many mental mistakes to mention. Too many guys letting their minds betray them and drifting away from what had been successful. Not enough people stepping up and leading the team when things start to go bad.
Unfortunately for UMD, mental mistakes and inconsistent effort have become hallmarks, not aberrations. And it once again has sent this team searching for answers.
To make matters worse, sophomore center Caleb Herbert missed most of the game with an undisclosed injury. He's listed as day to day, but there's no way of knowing right now if he'll be available anytime soon. It's just another in a long series of blows for a team that is running out of time to find the elusive answers.
What has to change? UMD has to stop recoiling when something bad happens. Right now, as I mentioned in the preview blog Friday, there isn't a line Scott Sandelin can rely on when things start going south. There is no lockdown line, no "go get a big goal" line. It doesn't just make his job tougher, it makes it nearly impossible.
There is plenty of season left, but it's almost a foregone conclusion at this point that season ticket holders will have a chance to apply their playoff ticket money as a down payment on tickets for next year. This team isn't getting home ice, barring the kind of run through the rest of the schedule that the first 27 games of the season indicate is simply not possible.
Could UMD rip off six wins in the remaining seven league games? Sure. But there isn't any reason to think it will.
That's reality. At this point in the season, you are who you are, after all.
******
Hats off to Drew Olson. He's been playing hurt a lot this season, and he's trying to put this team on his back. That's leadership. Too bad there isn't enough follow going on right now.
I thought Jake Hendrickson played his rear end off Friday, too, but a mishmash of line combinations after Herbert left the game made it tough for anyone to generate anything consistently.
******
Get asked a lot about lineup changes. In a case like this, anything conceivable is probably in play, especially if Herbert is ruled out.
There were three forwards and two defensemen who sat out Friday. Frankly, I don't have any reason to not believe that any of them who are deemed healthy should sit again Saturday. What would be the point?
Game 27: Minnesota State at UMD
It's really, really strange to consider the fact that this is the first time UMD has played Minnesota State -- a longtime league rival -- all season.
The pitfalls of a 12-team league on display again, eh?
This is a big weekend for UMD. The Bulldogs need to show a thing or two, especially off Saturday's gut-wrencher.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Crandall (Justin) - Herbert - Seidel
Farley - Cameranesi - Krause
Sampair - Hendrickson - Basaraba
DeLisle - Danberg - Young
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Johnson - Bergman
McNeely - Crandall (Aaron) - Fons
MSU
Grant - Leitner - McInnis
Margonari - Blueger - Hayes
Knowles - Lafontaine - Gaede
Gervais - Zuck - Lehrke
Elbrecht - Stern
Palmquist - Buchanan
Nelson - Jutzi
Williams - Cook
The pitfalls of a 12-team league on display again, eh?
This is a big weekend for UMD. The Bulldogs need to show a thing or two, especially off Saturday's gut-wrencher.
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Crandall (Justin) - Herbert - Seidel
Farley - Cameranesi - Krause
Sampair - Hendrickson - Basaraba
DeLisle - Danberg - Young
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Johnson - Bergman
McNeely - Crandall (Aaron) - Fons
MSU
Grant - Leitner - McInnis
Margonari - Blueger - Hayes
Knowles - Lafontaine - Gaede
Gervais - Zuck - Lehrke
Elbrecht - Stern
Palmquist - Buchanan
Nelson - Jutzi
Williams - Cook
UMD Psyche On Display With MSU In Town
We've been spoiled.
Over the course of the last couple-plus seasons, UMD head coach Scott Sandelin has almost always been able to stop the proverbial bleeding. In the rare instances of something really bad happening on the ice, Sandelin always had a line or a couple guys -- players like Mike Connolly, David Grun, Mike Montgomery, Justin Faulk, and numerous others -- he could call on to hop the boards and make sure one bad thing didn't turn to two. He had a goalie -- whether it was Alex Stalock or Kenny Reiter -- he knew would shake off the inevitable bad goal (everyone allows them).
Now, things are a little more up in the air. UMD doesn't have a lockdown line, as it has in the last couple seasons. It doesn't have a line that dazzles with puck possession.
The Bulldogs are what the Bulldogs are.
Unfortunately, what they are this year is a ~.500 team that might be able to do a little better than that, but only if they figure out the importance of playing 60 minutes in a game and shaking off the inevitable mistakes before they start adding on to each other.
This weekend is a whole different challenge for UMD. Last game, the Bulldogs saw a dazzling 52-minute effort completely blown to smithereens in 91 ferociously horrifying seconds. In those 91 seconds, Denver turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead that it would not relinquish.
Can UMD put that horror in the rear-view mirror and take care of business against No. 11 Minnesota State Friday night?
No one knows.
Sandelin wishes he knew. I'm sure he can't wait for the game to start, because only then will he have an answer. Only after the team plays for a few minutes, and everyone gets on the ice, will he know how his players responded to Saturday's gut-wrenching finish.
Moreover, how will the players respond if something bad happens? A bad bounce, an unlucky break, a soft goal, a great save by the MSU goalie, a shot off the goalpost/crossbar. How does this affect the team's psyche?
This isn't the same group as the last couple years (duh). It's not quite as balanced, and it's not as mentally tough. We'll see how it responds on Friday, because it's getting close to too late to figure this stuff out.
No doubt in my mind UMD has the necessary talent to win this game, and the next one, and the one after that. But the Bulldogs have to play the way they did for 52 minutes Saturday and forget those 91 seconds ever happened.
No question Mike Hastings has to be the front-runner for WCHA Coach of the Year. Hastings has a team that finished 11th last season in contention for home ice as the stretch run continues.
Like any good head coach, Hastings is quick to credit his players, noting that sophomores Matt Leitner and JP Lafontaine have gotten better from last year, when they were both pretty good. He also talked glowingly about the leadership he's seen from his seniors, basically from the second he stepped on campus in Mankato.
"When I came in for the first interview, I ended up talking to the team," Hastings said this week. "Senior goaltender (Phil Cook) stepped up and said 'Hey coach, what are you looking to do here?' All five seniors that we have stepped to the forefront in different ways.
"I look at those guys, from day one when I sat across from each guy, I asked them if they could choose, who would they want to lead you? The two guys who were unanimous out of everybody's mouths were Eriah Hayes and Tyler Elbrecht."
In a year where the top of the WCHA is as heavy as it's ever been, and it's full of teams ready to leave the league, MSU is the one holdover that has a real shot at home ice.
The Mavericks have talent across their lines, they are fast, and they like to push the pace. Freshman goalie Stephon Williams has been a great find, helping keep the team in games where it has struggled to score.
For UMD, this is a key weekend. The Bulldogs need to work hard in all three zones, play with speed, take advantage of scoring opportunities, and get quality goaltending. It sounds simple, but until UMD does it consistently, I'm going to keep hitting the drum.
Over the course of the last couple-plus seasons, UMD head coach Scott Sandelin has almost always been able to stop the proverbial bleeding. In the rare instances of something really bad happening on the ice, Sandelin always had a line or a couple guys -- players like Mike Connolly, David Grun, Mike Montgomery, Justin Faulk, and numerous others -- he could call on to hop the boards and make sure one bad thing didn't turn to two. He had a goalie -- whether it was Alex Stalock or Kenny Reiter -- he knew would shake off the inevitable bad goal (everyone allows them).
Now, things are a little more up in the air. UMD doesn't have a lockdown line, as it has in the last couple seasons. It doesn't have a line that dazzles with puck possession.
The Bulldogs are what the Bulldogs are.
Unfortunately, what they are this year is a ~.500 team that might be able to do a little better than that, but only if they figure out the importance of playing 60 minutes in a game and shaking off the inevitable mistakes before they start adding on to each other.
This weekend is a whole different challenge for UMD. Last game, the Bulldogs saw a dazzling 52-minute effort completely blown to smithereens in 91 ferociously horrifying seconds. In those 91 seconds, Denver turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead that it would not relinquish.
Can UMD put that horror in the rear-view mirror and take care of business against No. 11 Minnesota State Friday night?
No one knows.
Sandelin wishes he knew. I'm sure he can't wait for the game to start, because only then will he have an answer. Only after the team plays for a few minutes, and everyone gets on the ice, will he know how his players responded to Saturday's gut-wrenching finish.
Moreover, how will the players respond if something bad happens? A bad bounce, an unlucky break, a soft goal, a great save by the MSU goalie, a shot off the goalpost/crossbar. How does this affect the team's psyche?
This isn't the same group as the last couple years (duh). It's not quite as balanced, and it's not as mentally tough. We'll see how it responds on Friday, because it's getting close to too late to figure this stuff out.
No doubt in my mind UMD has the necessary talent to win this game, and the next one, and the one after that. But the Bulldogs have to play the way they did for 52 minutes Saturday and forget those 91 seconds ever happened.
******
No question Mike Hastings has to be the front-runner for WCHA Coach of the Year. Hastings has a team that finished 11th last season in contention for home ice as the stretch run continues.
Like any good head coach, Hastings is quick to credit his players, noting that sophomores Matt Leitner and JP Lafontaine have gotten better from last year, when they were both pretty good. He also talked glowingly about the leadership he's seen from his seniors, basically from the second he stepped on campus in Mankato.
"When I came in for the first interview, I ended up talking to the team," Hastings said this week. "Senior goaltender (Phil Cook) stepped up and said 'Hey coach, what are you looking to do here?' All five seniors that we have stepped to the forefront in different ways.
"I look at those guys, from day one when I sat across from each guy, I asked them if they could choose, who would they want to lead you? The two guys who were unanimous out of everybody's mouths were Eriah Hayes and Tyler Elbrecht."
In a year where the top of the WCHA is as heavy as it's ever been, and it's full of teams ready to leave the league, MSU is the one holdover that has a real shot at home ice.
The Mavericks have talent across their lines, they are fast, and they like to push the pace. Freshman goalie Stephon Williams has been a great find, helping keep the team in games where it has struggled to score.
For UMD, this is a key weekend. The Bulldogs need to work hard in all three zones, play with speed, take advantage of scoring opportunities, and get quality goaltending. It sounds simple, but until UMD does it consistently, I'm going to keep hitting the drum.
Thursday, February 07, 2013
Jim Scherr Talks NCHC, Target Center, College Hockey
On Tuesday, I had a chance to interview National Collegiate Hockey Conference Commissioner Jim Scherr. While the majority of that interview will run during Saturday's UMD-Minnesota State game, there was some that had to be gently placed on the proverbial cutting room floor.
I figured I'd post the portion of the interview I had to cut from what will make air.
On Director of Officiating Don Adam and Director of Hockey Operations Joe Novak:
"Well, it'll be fantastic. He's (Adam) been a quality official in the collegiate scene and in the WCHA for a very long time. I think he'll make a better director of officiating than he was an on-ice official, and that's saying a lot. I think he's got the right skill sets and connections and qualities as an individual to really lead that effort.
"Joe is a long-time hockey official and thinks of himself as a hockey official. He's keenly interested in and working on the quality of our overall officiating program as well."
On Target Center and the planning for next year's inaugural NCHC Tournament:
"The arena and their leadership has been fantastic in working with us. As everyone knows, they haven't traditionally hosted a lot of hockey events. We're working very close with them and their operations staff on making sure that all the equipment is upgraded, and the quality of ice, and the quality of the venue, and everything that goes into it to making sure it's an incredible experience for our teams and is on par with the very best in the country.
"So we're working very diligently with Target Center on that, and they've been great to work with. That's number one, making sure for the teams that the locker rooms and the ice and the ice access and conditions for play are great.
"Second, is we want to fill the house. We want to make sure that our teams are playing in front of a strong crowd. The XCel Center and the WCHA and the Final Five have done great, and we'll have some strong competition every other year from the Big Ten. Filling the house is a big priority, so we're working with them on the right promotions for the tournament."
On whether Target Center will try to get a hockey event in advance of the first tournament, as sort of a dry run:
"We're talking to them about getting a game in earlier in the year, whether it's late fall or in the second semester, to be able to test out the facility as well as promote the conference championship.
"Obviously, one of the teams we've looked at is Minnesota Duluth, and/or St. Cloud State, because of the proximity as well as the draw they would have in the venue. So we're looking at a lot of options to get a game in there on an ongoing basis before the conference championship."
There's a lot more from Scherr that is in the final cut of the interview, which can be heard Saturday night. He talks about his transition to running a hockey conference, the upcoming launch of the NCHC logo, and the future of college hockey now that everyone in Division I has a league to play in beyond this season.
I figured I'd post the portion of the interview I had to cut from what will make air.
On Director of Officiating Don Adam and Director of Hockey Operations Joe Novak:
"Well, it'll be fantastic. He's (Adam) been a quality official in the collegiate scene and in the WCHA for a very long time. I think he'll make a better director of officiating than he was an on-ice official, and that's saying a lot. I think he's got the right skill sets and connections and qualities as an individual to really lead that effort.
"Joe is a long-time hockey official and thinks of himself as a hockey official. He's keenly interested in and working on the quality of our overall officiating program as well."
On Target Center and the planning for next year's inaugural NCHC Tournament:
"The arena and their leadership has been fantastic in working with us. As everyone knows, they haven't traditionally hosted a lot of hockey events. We're working very close with them and their operations staff on making sure that all the equipment is upgraded, and the quality of ice, and the quality of the venue, and everything that goes into it to making sure it's an incredible experience for our teams and is on par with the very best in the country.
"So we're working very diligently with Target Center on that, and they've been great to work with. That's number one, making sure for the teams that the locker rooms and the ice and the ice access and conditions for play are great.
"Second, is we want to fill the house. We want to make sure that our teams are playing in front of a strong crowd. The XCel Center and the WCHA and the Final Five have done great, and we'll have some strong competition every other year from the Big Ten. Filling the house is a big priority, so we're working with them on the right promotions for the tournament."
On whether Target Center will try to get a hockey event in advance of the first tournament, as sort of a dry run:
"We're talking to them about getting a game in earlier in the year, whether it's late fall or in the second semester, to be able to test out the facility as well as promote the conference championship.
"Obviously, one of the teams we've looked at is Minnesota Duluth, and/or St. Cloud State, because of the proximity as well as the draw they would have in the venue. So we're looking at a lot of options to get a game in there on an ongoing basis before the conference championship."
There's a lot more from Scherr that is in the final cut of the interview, which can be heard Saturday night. He talks about his transition to running a hockey conference, the upcoming launch of the NCHC logo, and the future of college hockey now that everyone in Division I has a league to play in beyond this season.
High School Hockey: What Should Playoff Seedings Look Like?
Local high school hockey playoffs start in a little more than a week, and it's almost time for the best time on the area sports calendar.
Playoff seeds should be out by the end of next week, and there are a few things left to be decided. That said, here's a look at what teams are worth keeping a real eye on once the postseason begins.
Section 5A
Defending champion: Hermantown
Local teams: Hermantown, Proctor
Hermantown should be the No. 1 seed, as the Hawks lap the field in strength of schedule. The negative there is the Hawks don't have a ton of section games under their belt. St. Cloud Cathedral, who will draw a top three seed, beat Hermantown in St. Cloud earlier this season. Princeton (16-5-1) could be a dangerous team, too, but the Tigers lost to SCC this week. They split their season series, with each winning at home. Hermantown didn't play Princeton. Proctor hasn't had a good first season under Steve Rodberg, winning just four games out of 21 so far and dropping seven straight.
Legacy Christian has a gaudy 9-1 in-section record, but that loss came to Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson, not exactly a juggarnaut. Expect nothing better than a fifth seed for the Lions.
Section 7A
Defending champion: Duluth Marshall
Local teams: All
Looking for its first trip to state since 1989, Duluth Denfeld should have the top seed. The Hunters are 6-0 in the section, 15-7 overall, and have wins over Hermantown and Duluth East outside of section play. Look for the defending champions and Hibbing to be seeded behind Denfeld. Virginia/MIB and International Falls will fight for the last home-ice quarterfinal game, but I think VMIB has the upper hand, having won and tied in the season series.
The Broncos could be a tough out, thanks to strong defensive play and a formidable top line.
Section 7AA
Defending champion: Duluth East
Local teams: Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, Duluth East, Grand Rapids
The local representation should all be really tough. East and Rapids should be the top seeds, with the potential existing for Elk River to swipe the third seed. What would hurt CEC in that regard is -- for example -- this week's 3-0 loss to Andover, a team the Elks beat twice. Elk River doesn't have much in the way of sectional play, with the two Andover wins and a loss to Grand Rapids.
Andover is a darkhorse, floating around .500 but possessing perhaps the best goalie in the section in Chase Perry. The Huskies won two games in the section tournament last year, so there's no reason to assume they can't get to Amsoil Arena again.
Playoff seeds should be out by the end of next week, and there are a few things left to be decided. That said, here's a look at what teams are worth keeping a real eye on once the postseason begins.
Section 5A
Defending champion: Hermantown
Local teams: Hermantown, Proctor
Hermantown should be the No. 1 seed, as the Hawks lap the field in strength of schedule. The negative there is the Hawks don't have a ton of section games under their belt. St. Cloud Cathedral, who will draw a top three seed, beat Hermantown in St. Cloud earlier this season. Princeton (16-5-1) could be a dangerous team, too, but the Tigers lost to SCC this week. They split their season series, with each winning at home. Hermantown didn't play Princeton. Proctor hasn't had a good first season under Steve Rodberg, winning just four games out of 21 so far and dropping seven straight.
Legacy Christian has a gaudy 9-1 in-section record, but that loss came to Mora/Hinckley-Finlayson, not exactly a juggarnaut. Expect nothing better than a fifth seed for the Lions.
Section 7A
Defending champion: Duluth Marshall
Local teams: All
Looking for its first trip to state since 1989, Duluth Denfeld should have the top seed. The Hunters are 6-0 in the section, 15-7 overall, and have wins over Hermantown and Duluth East outside of section play. Look for the defending champions and Hibbing to be seeded behind Denfeld. Virginia/MIB and International Falls will fight for the last home-ice quarterfinal game, but I think VMIB has the upper hand, having won and tied in the season series.
The Broncos could be a tough out, thanks to strong defensive play and a formidable top line.
Section 7AA
Defending champion: Duluth East
Local teams: Cloquet/Esko/Carlton, Duluth East, Grand Rapids
The local representation should all be really tough. East and Rapids should be the top seeds, with the potential existing for Elk River to swipe the third seed. What would hurt CEC in that regard is -- for example -- this week's 3-0 loss to Andover, a team the Elks beat twice. Elk River doesn't have much in the way of sectional play, with the two Andover wins and a loss to Grand Rapids.
Andover is a darkhorse, floating around .500 but possessing perhaps the best goalie in the section in Chase Perry. The Huskies won two games in the section tournament last year, so there's no reason to assume they can't get to Amsoil Arena again.
Saturday, February 02, 2013
Game 26: Denver at UMD
I don't want to call this a must-win for UMD, but ...
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall (Justin) - Herbert - Krause
DeLisle - Hendrickson - Basaraba
Danberg - Tardy - Sampair
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Bergman - McManus
McNeely - Crandall (Aaron) - Fons
DU
Levin - Shore (Nick) - Knowlton
Larraza - Ostrow - Loney
Tabrum - Shore (Quentin) - Allen
Jacobson - Doremus - Arnold
Phillips - Makowski
Zajac - Mayfield
LaLeggia - Didier
Olkinuora - Brittain
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall (Justin) - Herbert - Krause
DeLisle - Hendrickson - Basaraba
Danberg - Tardy - Sampair
Olson - Welinski
Smith - Casto
Bergman - McManus
McNeely - Crandall (Aaron) - Fons
DU
Levin - Shore (Nick) - Knowlton
Larraza - Ostrow - Loney
Tabrum - Shore (Quentin) - Allen
Jacobson - Doremus - Arnold
Phillips - Makowski
Zajac - Mayfield
LaLeggia - Didier
Olkinuora - Brittain
Friday, February 01, 2013
Game 25: Denver at UMD
Lines?
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall (Justin) - Herbert - Krause
Sampair - Hendrickson - Basaraba
Danberg - Decowski - Young
Corrin - Welinski
Olson - Casto
Bergman - Johnson
DU
Levin - Shore (Nick) - Knowlton
Larraza - Ostrow - Loney
Tabrum - Shore (Quentin) - Allen
Jacobson - Doremus - Arnold
Phillips - Makowski
Zajac - Mayfield
LaLeggia - Didier
Olkinuora - Brittain
For Denver, head coach George Gwozdecky is not here. He drove up to his hometown of Thunder Bay to be with his ailing father. Our thoughts are with him and his family. Longtime associate coach Steve Miller is filling in.
Lines.
UMD
Farley - Cameranesi - Seidel
Crandall (Justin) - Herbert - Krause
Sampair - Hendrickson - Basaraba
Danberg - Decowski - Young
Corrin - Welinski
Olson - Casto
Bergman - Johnson
DU
Levin - Shore (Nick) - Knowlton
Larraza - Ostrow - Loney
Tabrum - Shore (Quentin) - Allen
Jacobson - Doremus - Arnold
Phillips - Makowski
Zajac - Mayfield
LaLeggia - Didier
Olkinuora - Brittain
For Denver, head coach George Gwozdecky is not here. He drove up to his hometown of Thunder Bay to be with his ailing father. Our thoughts are with him and his family. Longtime associate coach Steve Miller is filling in.
Stretch Run Begins With Desperate Denver
Last week, we talked about how the UMD Bulldogs needed to find a way to win their exhibition game, in hopes of building some mojo for the stretch run.
Enter the stretch run.
Over the next six weekends, UMD will play 12 games that will rise to near a playoff level in terms of their importance for the Bulldogs. It starts with this weekend's series against Denver, another team looking to springboard toward the top of the league standings over the next six weeks.
Entering the weekend, the Bulldogs sit in eighth place in the WCHA, one point behind Denver in seventh. St. Cloud State leads the league with 25 points, followed by Minnesota and Omaha at 24, then a cluster of three teams (North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota State) at 21.
In the last game that counted, UMD was done in by an opportunistic Colorado College team 5-1 in Colorado Springs. The Bulldogs struggled to get pucks by CC goalie Joe Howe all weekend, and the only goal in this particular game went in off a Colorado defender in front of Howe.
It was a relatively uneven weekend for UMD, from the net out to the forwards. Goalie Matt McNeely was not his sharpest in the loss, and he didn't have a lot of help. UMD struggled on faceoffs, losing the battle both nights. On Saturday, the Bulldogs couldn't get to the net as easily, hindering their second-chance opportunities (the kind of opportunities that brought two of UMD's three goals in a 3-2 win the night before).
These are the kinds of games the Bulldogs can't afford to have over the next six weekends.
Denver comes in a wounded and desperate hockey team. The Pioneers haven't won outside the state of Colorado since Nov. 10 (3-2 at Minnesota State). That and a win in Mankato the night before are the only games Denver has won outside of Colorado this season.
The Pioneers have elite talent, especially on the blue line with David Makowski, Joey LaLeggia, and Nolan Zajac. Nick Shore has continued where brother Drew left off, as he's at a point per game to lead the team in scoring. Chris Knowlton leads in goals with 11, and sophomore Juho Olkinuora has staked an impressive claim to the No. 1 goalie job.
(That's an interesting storyline. The last time I saw Sam Brittain play, he was -- almost literally -- standing on his head to knock UMD out of the Final Five with a 67-save effort in the semifinals last March. Now, he has a .902 save percentage and Olkinuora -- 2.03 goals against and .938 saves -- appears to be the man.)
Denver is exceptionally thin. The Pioneers only had 11 forwards and 17 total skaters available for their series at St. Cloud State two weekends ago. Longtime coach George Gwozdecky has dealt with junior defenseman Wade Bennett retiring before the season due to injury concerns, and then he saw highly-touted freshman Dakota Mermis leave for the OHL's London Knights at midseason. Two forwards are out indefinitely.
With DU at 0-4-2 in its last six road games, and the weight of preseason expectations threatening to sink a once-promising season, the Pioneers will be plenty desperate this weekend. UMD is more than capable of matching that.
Despite that loss to CC, UMD is 7-2-1 in the last ten WCHA games after a poor start (1-5-2 at one point). The Bulldogs have found ways to win close games, they've blown teams out, they've won close games, and they've won high-scoring games. This isn't above UMD. However, the 'Dogs haven't developed the same kind of consistency that the last few teams were able to, and to take the next step, they have to find that game-to-game consistency that can carry them at least to a home-ice position.
The next two weekends will tell us a lot about the Bulldogs' chances. Either UMD has a shot at home ice and maybe an NCAA at-large bid, or they don't. Hopefully, in two weeks, things will still be looking up.
Enter the stretch run.
Over the next six weekends, UMD will play 12 games that will rise to near a playoff level in terms of their importance for the Bulldogs. It starts with this weekend's series against Denver, another team looking to springboard toward the top of the league standings over the next six weeks.
Entering the weekend, the Bulldogs sit in eighth place in the WCHA, one point behind Denver in seventh. St. Cloud State leads the league with 25 points, followed by Minnesota and Omaha at 24, then a cluster of three teams (North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota State) at 21.
In the last game that counted, UMD was done in by an opportunistic Colorado College team 5-1 in Colorado Springs. The Bulldogs struggled to get pucks by CC goalie Joe Howe all weekend, and the only goal in this particular game went in off a Colorado defender in front of Howe.
It was a relatively uneven weekend for UMD, from the net out to the forwards. Goalie Matt McNeely was not his sharpest in the loss, and he didn't have a lot of help. UMD struggled on faceoffs, losing the battle both nights. On Saturday, the Bulldogs couldn't get to the net as easily, hindering their second-chance opportunities (the kind of opportunities that brought two of UMD's three goals in a 3-2 win the night before).
These are the kinds of games the Bulldogs can't afford to have over the next six weekends.
Denver comes in a wounded and desperate hockey team. The Pioneers haven't won outside the state of Colorado since Nov. 10 (3-2 at Minnesota State). That and a win in Mankato the night before are the only games Denver has won outside of Colorado this season.
The Pioneers have elite talent, especially on the blue line with David Makowski, Joey LaLeggia, and Nolan Zajac. Nick Shore has continued where brother Drew left off, as he's at a point per game to lead the team in scoring. Chris Knowlton leads in goals with 11, and sophomore Juho Olkinuora has staked an impressive claim to the No. 1 goalie job.
(That's an interesting storyline. The last time I saw Sam Brittain play, he was -- almost literally -- standing on his head to knock UMD out of the Final Five with a 67-save effort in the semifinals last March. Now, he has a .902 save percentage and Olkinuora -- 2.03 goals against and .938 saves -- appears to be the man.)
Denver is exceptionally thin. The Pioneers only had 11 forwards and 17 total skaters available for their series at St. Cloud State two weekends ago. Longtime coach George Gwozdecky has dealt with junior defenseman Wade Bennett retiring before the season due to injury concerns, and then he saw highly-touted freshman Dakota Mermis leave for the OHL's London Knights at midseason. Two forwards are out indefinitely.
With DU at 0-4-2 in its last six road games, and the weight of preseason expectations threatening to sink a once-promising season, the Pioneers will be plenty desperate this weekend. UMD is more than capable of matching that.
Despite that loss to CC, UMD is 7-2-1 in the last ten WCHA games after a poor start (1-5-2 at one point). The Bulldogs have found ways to win close games, they've blown teams out, they've won close games, and they've won high-scoring games. This isn't above UMD. However, the 'Dogs haven't developed the same kind of consistency that the last few teams were able to, and to take the next step, they have to find that game-to-game consistency that can carry them at least to a home-ice position.
The next two weekends will tell us a lot about the Bulldogs' chances. Either UMD has a shot at home ice and maybe an NCAA at-large bid, or they don't. Hopefully, in two weeks, things will still be looking up.
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