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.

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Miska, Bulldogs Survive Gopher Rally, Advance to North Star College Cup Final

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- All good things come to an end. UMD's winning streak over Minnesota, which dates back to a 4-3 loss in South Bend on Oct. 10, 2014, will eventually be broken.

But despite the best efforts of the Gophers, Friday wasn't the night.

Hunter Miska stood tall against a storm of third-period Minnesota shots, powered by four Gopher power plays in the frame, and UMD held on to beat Minnesota 3-2 in the semifinals of the North Star College Cup in St. Paul.

The reward? A fifth meeting with St. Cloud State Saturday night in the last NSCC championship game. That NON-TELEVISED game starts at 7pm, listen on 92.1 The Fan or via your desktop/mobile devices HERE.

Anyway, good game here Friday night. Minnesota pushed early, and got a power play goal from Brent Gates, Jr., for a 1-0 lead barely five minutes in. The Gophers then absorbed a pushback that started around the midway point of the period. UMD had some chances, but didn't bury anything until late in the first, when freshman Riley Tufte picked off a pass up the right-wing boards, walked to the middle, and sniped a sick wrist shot by Minnesota goalie Eric Schierhorn for a 1-1 tie.

From the outset of the second period, UMD was the better team. Minnesota took penalties :19 apart early for a long UMD five-on-three. It took 57 seconds, but UMD cashed in, as Joey Anderson's second effort at a cross-crease pass to Alex Iafallo worked, and Iafallo got the puck by Schierhorn for a 2-1 lead and his first goal in ten games. UMD dominated the period and outshot the Gophers 15-5, but Schierhorn stood tall the rest of the way and kept the margin one goal going into the third.

And when this Bulldog team needed a play, it was Tufte again.

UMD had to kill 3:46 of Minnesota power play time early in the third, including a 14-second five-on-three. The Gophers put up nine shots over that timeframe, but got nothing home. A little more than two minutes later, UMD had little going for itself before Tufte picked off a pass near the UMD blue line and sprung Avery Peterson for a breakaway. Peterson made no mistake, and UMD had a two-goal edge.

Minnesota kept pushing, but Miska kept the Gophers off the board until a late power play goal by Brent Gates that came after a dubious Peterson holding penalty in the neutral zone. The Gophers never got set up in the offensive zone in the final 39 seconds, and UMD had a seventh straight win over its longtime Interstate 35 rival.

It wasn't always pretty. The Bulldogs had to weather quite a storm in the third period. 36 of Minnesota's 69 shot attempts and 22 of the 39 shots on goal came in the third. To the credit of the UMD defense, only six of the 36 attempts came in the prime scoring area, but Minnesota had the puck a lot in the third, no doubt.

(Some of that was the 4-1 edge in power plays Minnesota enjoyed in the third. I'm not going to rag on the Big Ten officiating crew, but let's just say UMD fans should be happy to play in the NCHC, no matter how upset we may get with the officials in that league from time to time. The crews we had in both games Friday were inconsistent as all get out, and in the UMD game, instead of them calling a looser third, it was called much tighter than either of the first two periods. That was capped by the Peterson holding call, which was a hold but was eclipsed by three or four other plays -- both ways, to be fair -- earlier in the game. And for that matter, the contact UMD got on Schierhorn a couple times without a penalty far eclipsed the incidental contact made on Miska by Justin Kloos to draw a penalty in the first period. /rant)

It was one of Miska's strongest games. He saw the puck through screens, played it smartly, and made a couple athletic saves. Coming off the shutout of North Dakota Saturday, Miska showed no lag in his game and was the No. 1 star in our book.

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What can be said about Tufte that hasn't already been said in the last couple weeks?

The sky's the limit at this point. Here's what Scott Sandelin said before Friday's game.

"It was nice and rewarding to see him finally get some goals. Who knows where he can go from here? He's a big body that's hard to contain around the net. Hopefully that will continue."

Before the season, we made it abundantly clear that Anderson was in a better position to make an immediate impact than Tufte. The draft is the draft. Teams are drafting based on pro potential, not potential college production or college readiness. Tufte, with that size and his hands, projects as a better pro than Anderson.

But what happened in the first half was not a shock. Maybe a bit surprising that Tufte was literally held without a point, especially over the last dozen or so games when he was doing a lot of things right and not getting rewarded for it. But Anderson out-producing Tufte shouldn't have made anyone do a double-take.

That said, what Tufte has done since the team returned from break is nothing short of remarkable. In the last five games, he has five goals and seven points. Two of those goals were unassisted, as he stole pucks and sniped shots by the respective goalies. The bottom line for Tufte is the development continues, the confidence grows, and he is going to continue to make quite the impact on this team.

With the emergence of Tufte and the addition of Peterson, UMD got a lot deeper. Once Parker Mackay returns from injury (this could happen as soon as the CC series if everything goes well, but worst case Mackay is back for the postseason), someone -- I'd think Mackay likely to start -- is dropping to the fourth line who hasn't been there really all year. Tough decisions are coming in that regard, but it's a good thing for a UMD team that keeps finding ways to win.

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St. Cloud State advanced to the championship game by beating Bemidji State 2-1. Jacob Benson (power play) and Blake Winiecki (even strength) scored for SCSU, and Jeff Smith made 26 saves in goal for the Huskies. Zach Whitecloud scored the Beavers' only goal. Bemidji State plays Minnesota at 4pm in the third place game.

Should be a fun game. The Huskies are tough in the back, have horses up front, and could be vulnerable in goal. The series in Duluth two weekends ago was fun, and Saturday should be, too.

The other six NCHC teams battled it out for league points. In Oxford, Western Michigan got a second-period goal from Hugh McGing and held on to beat Miami 2-1. Cam Lee also scored for the Broncos, who got 20 saves from goalie Ben Blacker to stay in third place in the NCHC, nine points back of UMD now.

North Dakota rallied furiously from a 2-0 deficit to beat Colorado College 5-2. Duluth native Trevor Olson started the comeback with a second-period goal, then UND got goals in the third from Hayden Shaw, Dixon Bowen, Shane Gersich, and Joel Janatuinen to seal the deal. Matej Tomek started in goal for the injured Cam Johnson (lower body), but was pulled after the first period. Matt Hrynkiw got the win.

In Denver, the Pioneers ralled from a 2-0 hole of their own to win 5-3 over Omaha. Denver struck four times in the second, with Tyson McLellan, Henrik Borgstrom, Dylan Gambrell, and Will Butcher giving the Pioneers a 4-2 lead. Justin Parizek, Austin Ortega, and Mason Morelli had the UNO goals. Denver is within three points of UMD for first place in the conference, and will try to tie the Bulldogs in the standings Saturday.

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If you can't get enough of me, I'm on the Sit Down & Cheer podcast, produced by the University of North Dakota. I joined UND sports information director Jayson Hajdu and longtime radio voice Tim Hennessy. It's over an hour long and was recorded after last Friday's UMD win in Grand Forks.

Also, I'll be on Beyond The Pond Saturday morning at 10:15 with Brandon Mileski and gang on KFAN in the Twin Cities. Hear it on 100.3 FM in the Cities, 92.1 FM in the Twin Ports, or online at kfan.com.

Going to effort getting SCSU coach Bob Motzko before the championship game Saturday. Also have a conversation from earlier this week with Tufte that I think you'll enjoy.

Game 25: Minnesota vs UMD (North Star College Cup)

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Here we go with the last North Star College Cup at XCel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Bulldogs and Gophers will play their only scheduled game of the season, one year after a home-and-home series and two after a crazy year that saw the teams meet five times in five different buildings.

Next season, there is also only one scheduled meeting, as Minnesota will play UMD in the semifinal round of the Ice Breaker in Duluth to kick off the season. A four-year run of home-and-home series will be played between 2018 and 2023, but exact dates are not known at this time.

Anyway, should be a good one. Both teams like to play with pace. Puck management is essential for the Bulldogs against a Minnesota team that has the speed and skill to beat anyone in transition. If UMD can limit those opportunities and make the Gophers' top guys play more defense than they're accustomed to, the odds of a seventh straight win for UMD over Minnesota are good.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Johnson
Osterberg - Thomas - Anderson
Tufte - Peterson - Kuhlman
Miller - Spurrell - Exell

Soucy - Raskob
Pionk - Kotyk
Wolff - Molenaar

Miska - Deery - Shepard

UMN
Pitlick - Kloos - Sheehy
Bristedt - Lettieri - Cammarata
Gates Jr - Szmatula - Reilly
Norman - Romanko - Ramsey

Bischoff - Lindgren
Johnson - Sadek
Zuhlsdorf - Collins

Schierhorn - Lehr - Kautz

(Minnesota does not list its goalies in starting order, necessarily. But we believe it to be Schierhorn.)

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

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

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

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

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

Boilerplate statement that gets the point across.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lucia knows his team will be tested on Friday.

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

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

******

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

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

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

Monday Musings: History Made as UMD Dominates for North Dakota Sweep

It's one thing to sweep an NCHC opponent on the road. UMD had already done that twice this season (St. Cloud State and Omaha).

It's another thing to sweep North Dakota on the road. UMD hadn't done that since Jan. 27-28, 1995, nearly 22 years ago.

Lots of neat little factoids came out of Saturday's 4-0 Bulldog win over North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

• It's the first time UMD has ever beaten North Dakota in five straight meetings.
• First time UMD ever swept a four-game regular season series from North Dakota
• First shutout of UND in Grand Forks since Glenn "Chico" Resch and the Bulldogs won 3-0 Nov. 22, 1969
• First shutout of UND in Grand Forks for anyone since St. Cloud State's Ryan Faragher in 2011
• First sweep of UND in Grand Forks for anyone since St. Cloud State in 2013

There's probably more. In fact, I know there is.

UMD's three biggest rivals are widely considered to be Minnesota, North Dakota, and St. Cloud State. The Bulldogs now have six straight wins over Minnesota (a program record), five straight over North Dakota (also a program record), and are 5-2 in the last seven meetings with SCSU. That's an aggregate record of 16-2 over the last 18 meetings.

Of all the things this group of players has accomplished so far, this might be the most impressive. At least temporarily, they've turned UMD's three most significant rivalries on their proverbial ears.

North Dakota junior Trevor Olson, a Duluth native and former linemate of UMD captain Dominic Toninato, gave the Bulldogs much credit after the game.

"They're a good team," Olson told reporters. "Big, fast, physical, veteran group .. . the way they play, they just frustrate teams."

UMD certainly frustrated UND over the weekend. As head coach Scott Sandelin bluntly said of Friday's game: "We were the better team."

UMD was fast, tenacious, and unafraid to get physical against a heavier opponent. The Bulldogs set the tone for the weekend quickly and never let up. On Saturday, North Dakota came out with a big push. Its top line of Brock Boeser, Austin Poganski, and Shane Gersich spent the better part of a minute in the offensive zone after the opening faceoff, getting a couple good scoring chances and nearly popping the game's first goal.

When that didn't happen, and Adam Johnson scored off a UND turnover that became the Bulldogs' first decent scoring chance of the night, it could very well have been over on the spot. If that and Willie Raskob's power play goal later in the first didn't end the game, Toninato and Alex Iafallo working their bag off to create a chance that led to Toninato's short-handed goal in the third sure did.

Instead of UND getting an early goal, momentum, and getting the sellout crowd into the game, UMD jumped on the Fighting Hawks and never let the crowd get involved. Turning one of the loudest buildings in college hockey into one of the world's largest public libraries was a huge development that just added to everything that was going right on this weekend for the Bulldogs.

******

So, Riley Tufte had a pretty good weekend. The freshman scored his first college goal in the Jan. 13 loss to St. Cloud State. He then took his act to North Dakota and spent the weekend abusing UND defensemen and winning position/physical battles in front of the net.

Tufte opened UMD's scoring in the Friday win by getting to the front of the net and tipping in a Dan Molenaar point shot. He won another battle in front and got to a rebound off an Avery Peterson shot for UMD's last goal of the game.

That meant Tufte got his first three UMD goals by going to the net and being a presence in front. But the kid can fire it, and he showed everyone Saturday when he stripped Hayden Shaw of a puck at the UND blue line, walked in, and ripped a wrist shot by Cam Johnson to make it 4-0. Earlier, Tufte had been robbed by Johnson on a great passing play that started when Peterson intercepted an outlet pass and found Karson Kuhlman, who sent a one-touch pass to Tufte in front.

The popular question among UMD fans revolves around Tufte at this point. What happened?

Well, if you'd been paying attention, either on the blog or on the air, you'd have known this was coming. It was just a matter of time. Tufte might not have been pleased with his first-half production, but his coaches were pleased with his progress once he found his way into the lineup. Tufte returned from break a determined player, and started playing like a more confident player in the offensive zone. His hard work is now paying off, and there's little doubt Tufte and Peterson are in position to be huge players for this team as the second half continues.

Peterson wins draws, plays with great intensity, and the work he's done with UMD power skating coach Bronwynn Pichetti is showing in games, as he's in better position to be a factor on the forecheck. He's a faster and better overall skater than he was in Omaha, and that improvement has made him a much more dangerous player. Peterson always had scoring ability and was always a smart player who had good intensity. His skating is a big difference in his game now.

(The lesson, young players, is to always work hard on your skating. It's one facet of your game that can make the biggest difference as you move your way up the ladder. Not all elite skaters have the talent to be great players, but a guy like Peterson has all the other skills, and now is seeing the results of his work to become a better skater.)

I've seen jokes on Twitter about UMD's midseason free-agent acquisitions. I'd prefer to refer to Peterson as a trade deadline addition. Either way, Tufte and Peterson have made UMD deeper than it was, and what it was before break was one of the deepest teams in the country.

******

UMD has taken back the No. 1 spot in the latest PairWise rankings, which mimic the NCAA Tournament selection process. As of this writing, the meaningless human polls aren't out, but UMD should be atop both.

More importantly, UMD took a huge step forward this weekend. The Bulldogs played a team they are -- right now -- better than, and business was properly handled with few shenanigans along the way. 

(North Dakota has high-end talent, but Tyson Jost missed Saturday's game with injury, Brock Boeser still isn't right, and UND just isn't as deep as it has been in the past. That lack of depth really shows when the top line isn't producing, which it wasn't outside of Gersich's goal Friday, a goal that shouldn't have counted because of offsides. Defensively, the Poolman brothers are good, and captain Gage Ausmus is a really solid player, but again, there just isn't a ton of depth right now. Ausmus not being able to finish the game Saturday was a huge issue for them.)

This weekend, UMD steps out of the NCHC for the final time this season, as it partakes in the final North Star College Cup.

(Both Matt Wellens and I have eluded to this multiple times. I don't think it's been confirmed by anyone at Minnesota, but the clearest indicator the tournament is disappearing came when UMD announced it will play home-and-home series against Minnesota over a four-year stretch that starts after the teams open next season in the Ice Breaker at Amsoil Arena. The tournament hasn't drawn well since its first year, and I'm not sure any of the participants -- except maybe Minnesota -- were happy with the way things were going.)

Friday, the Bulldogs and Gophers resume their long rivalry with the nightcap game at 7, following Bemidji State-St. Cloud State at 4. Minnesota is 14-6-2 overall, and the Gophers lead the Big Ten by two points over Penn State after splitting last week with Wisconsin. Sophomore Tyler Sheehy is having another strong season with 15 goals and 32 points (30 points as a freshman). But Minnesota might be vulnerable in the back. The Gophers enter the weekend with a team save percentage of .892, which compares to .922 for the Bulldogs.

Surely, Don Lucia will have his team ready, being that Minnesota has lost six straight in this rivalry for the first time ever. Yes, ever. It's a great chance for UMD to strengthen its chances at a No. 1 regional seed in the NCAA Tournament.

******

By the way, since I'm all about self-promotion, I'll be on the Sit Down And Cheer podcast from the University of North Dakota this week. We taped on Friday after the game, and it was a fun, free-flowing discussion with UND sports information director Jayson Hajdu and longtime UND radio voice Tim Hennessy. I'll tweet the link when it drops, so follow me on Twitter @BruceCiskie.

Monday Musings: Bulldogs Sweep Overmatched Gophers

No single stat probably shows the shifting of tides in the Minnesota-UMD men's hockey rivalry than this:

Before Scott Sandelin arrived at UMD in 2000, the Bulldogs were 56-111-11 against Minnesota, a pretty terrible .346 winning percentage.

After Saturday's 3-0 win over the Gophers, UMD is 23-23-6 against their longtime I-35 rivals under Sandelin. That'd be .500, and a vast improvement over previous years.

Included in that are the two longest winning streaks UMD has ever had against Minnesota. The current six-game run is a record. It broke the old mark of five, set by the Bulldogs between 2003 and 2004.

So not only is Sandelin now .500 against UMD's biggest rival (sorry, St. Cloud State and North Dakota), but his teams are responsible for the two longest winning streaks against Minnesota in program history.

Sandelin will tell you it's not about him, and he's not wrong. But the players he's recruited and the style he coaches have combined to make UMD more consistently competitive against the Gophers than they've ever been before.

Saturday was another masterful performance, as the Bulldogs outshot the Gophers 17-2 (!) over the first 20 minutes of a 3-0 win. Now, this Minnesota team does not have the look of a serious national contender (yet). The Gophers are too young in key spots, especially center, to make a lot of noise when you look at the level of talent and experience that others possess.

Doesn't matter. UMD needed to see its best players step up. Check. UMD needed to play more consistently. Check. UMD needed its penalty kill to rise up. Check.

******

Two things really stood out to me on the wekend. Sandelin made it abundantly clear he wanted to see more out of his best players. He wasn't going to identify them, but outside of the first period, Dominic Toninato had a rough game against Bemidji, and Tony Cameranesi's line had its struggles.

Both lines were outstanding in both games against Minnesota. Toninato scored twice, including one of the better individual efforts you'll ever see to clinch Friday's win 32 seconds after Minnesota had cut a 2-0 lead in half. The UMD junior scored on this third shot. He simply followed the initial shot to the net and found himself in position for a rebound. Gophers goalie Eric Schierhorn fought that off, but Toninato's third shot found the net from a sharp angle to give UMD a 3-1 lead.

FS North analyst Ben Clymer said it was an example of why Toninato has a chance to play in the NHL, and he talked about the leadership you see from a player when he does something like that in a time of need. To me, it's a sign of something everyone involved with the team has talked about. Leadership doesn't just come from captains. In fact, as Austin Farley told me last week, guys who don't wear letters will step up -- both in the room and on the ice -- and show that leadership and make the team better by doing it.

Toninato's wicked wrister got UMD on the board first Saturday, a great shot into a tight spot over Schierhorn's shoulder that cranked the crowd up to another level. It wasn't as early as his opening minute goal last year at home against Minnesota, but it had the same effect on the crowd and the bench.

Karson Kuhlman was great Saturday, Jared Thomas was strong all weekend, and the Bulldogs saw the kind of effort that will take them places. I still want to see this team bear down more on its scoring chances, but no question the weekend was a huge positive and a giant step in the right direction.

Defensively, I have no complaints. Andy Welinski is off to a great start. Neal Pionk was better Friday than he was Saturday, but I expected him to struggle a little going from big ice to small. You can still see his poise, even when he might not be playing his best. Carson Soucy came off suspension Saturday and was superb. I thought Willie Corrin had a nice weekend, and Nick McCormack played well in Soucy's spot Friday. The blue line is deep and talented, and I'm excited to watch the group develop.

So UMD's best players were their best players. And the penalty kill was great all weekend. Going eight for eight against the high-end skill the Gophers possess is a superb start to the season. The kill has allowed 26 shots in three games and 12 power plays, but not many of them have been of the "Grade-A" variety. When they have been great chances, Kaskisuo has shut the door (like on Hudson Fasching and Justin Kloos in the second period Saturday, preserving the 3-0 lead).

Penalty killing, goaltending, and top-flight players stepping up. Sounds like a formula for long-term success.

******

Now, the challenge may be to avoid a letdown. Notre Dame will host UMD Friday and Saturday at the beautiful Compton Family Ice Arena. The Fighting Irish are off a .500 season, but loaded with more experience this year. I'll talk to coach Jeff Jackson later this week, but I have to think he was about ready to throw a party when Mario Lucia decided to come back for his senior year.

Notre Dame is experienced, but did have to replace leading scorers Vince Hinostroza (left early for pro hockey) and Robbie Russo (graduated). Lucia and captain Steven Fogarty -- both Minnesota kids (eight Minnesota kids on the roster, including four from Edina) -- had four points each in a split against Penn State over the weekend.

Lucia is especially talented and dangerous, but Fogarty is an underrated player who will have a big season. Should be a very good test for the Bulldogs, who aren't lacking in experience or depth.

After freshmen Billy Exell and Parker Mackay made their debuts against Minnesota, forward Blake Young is the only skater who hasn't gotten in a game yet. I'd expect that to happen this weekend, and I'd also be surprised if senior goalie Matt McNeely didn't get a game in before conference play starts in Omaha Nov. 6.

Game 3: Minnesota at UMD

After Friday's impressive UMD win at Mariucci Arena, the Minnesota Gophers are trying something new.

A lot of something new.

Don Lucia appears to have thrown his forward lines in a blender. Lots of changes for a team that has scored one goal in 120 minutes and was outshot in both of its games so far. Friday's 35-25 margin in favor of UMD is even a little deceptive, as the Bulldogs actually had a 35-17 gap at one point before the Gophers got some late pressure, but couldn't crack sophomore goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo.

Not much changes for UMD, but Scott Sandelin does work Parker Mackay into the lineup for his first game in these colors, while Carson Soucy (suspended Friday) and Brenden Kotyk draw back in on the blue line.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Pionk - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Deery

UMN
Reilly - Kloos - Sheehy
Cammarata - Novak - Fasching
Gates, Jr. - Lettieri - Bristedt
Michaelson - Romanko - Ramsey

Seeler - Collins
Bischoff - Glover
Johnson - Brodzinski

Schierhorn - Lehr - Kautz

(I'd almost be willing to bet money Schierhorn starts, but the line chart contains the usual warning. I'll make it official on Twitter as always.)

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Make it Five Straight Against Rivals

In the annals of UMD hockey history, it hasn't always been a given for the Bulldogs to compete with in-state rival Minnesota.

Now, expectations have changed.

UMD tied a school record with its fifth straight win over the Gophers Friday at Mariucci Arena, winning 3-1 and never trailing in the game. It marks three straight games at Mariucci Arena where UMD has won and never trailed. And the five straight wins over Minnesota ties a program record set with a streak that started in February 2013 and continued through four meetings in the 2003-2004 regular season.

To add some perspective, Scott Sandelin's teams are now 22-23-6 against Minnesota in his 15-plus seasons at UMD, a .490 win percentage. That might not signal domination, but it does signal serious improvement. Prior to his arrival, UMD was 56-111-11 against the Gophers, a win percentage of .346.

Rome wasn't built in a day, right?

So not only can UMD establish a new program high with a sixth straight win over Minnesota when it hosts the rematch Saturday at Amsoil Arena, but a win means the Bulldogs are .500 in 52 meetings against Minnesota with Sandelin as head coach.

As assistant coach Brett Larson said this week, the Bulldogs have found a formula for beating the Gophers. It worked again Friday.

Even when the game was 0-0, Minnesota was more focused most of the time on playing tough in its own zone. Outside of a flurry during and after the Gophers' only power play of the game, Minnesota had a whale of a time establishing itself in the offensive zone. The Bulldogs, being outshot 7-4 at one point late in the first period, went on to outshoot Minnesota 31-10 over about a 40-minute span that lasted deep into the third period.

Jared Thomas wired a wicked wrist shot off the crossbar and in to give UMD a 1-0 lead in the second. It was the Bulldogs' first power play goal of the season, and it was quickly followed by a second, as Austin Farley converted a Neal Pionk rebound three minutes later for a 2-0 advantage.

The most impressive UMD sequence, however, came after Brent Gates, Jr., scored for Minnesota at 5:40 of the third period. With the Minnesota fans buzzing for the first time in quite a while, and the public address just finishing announcing Gates' goal, Dominic Toninato drove the slot and -- on his third shot -- scored from a nearly impossible angle to get UMD's two-goal lead restored.

(By the way, that Minnesota goal broke a run of 116:44 without a goal against UMD at Mariucci Arena, dating back to November of 2013.)

The Gophers threatened in the closing minutes with freshman goalie Eric Schierhorn pulled, but never were able to tally, and UMD got its first win of the young season.

******

On a team with 21 returning players, it isn't always easy to stand out as a freshman. Playing time will be scarce most of the season for freshman forwards Parker Mackay and Billy Exell, it's been made clear from the start that Adam Johnson would play a lot, as would Pionk.

To crystalize that, both are on power play units, and both got their first UMD points on Friday night. Johnson assisted on Thomas' goal, and Pionk on Farley's.

It's a just reward for two guys who were, frankly, awesome Friday. Johnson used his speed to create scoring chances that weren't obvious to the naked eye when the play started. Multiple times, we saw Johnson get UMD into an odd-man rush by simply using his speed through the neutral zone.

(Adam Johnson skating full speed and forwards > anyone skating backwards.)

Pionk's poise is clear. It's not just confidence because he's playing with senior captain Andy Welinski. It's maturity beyond his years, and it's really impressive to see. He earned some power play time in the second period, and he made the most of it. Pionk and Dan Molenaar both worked the point on the second unit -- Carson Soucy's spot -- with Soucy suspended for the game. Nick McCormack took Soucy's spot alongside Willie Raskob, and I thought both he and Willie Corrin had some strong points to their games defensively.

Outside of the push I mentioned Minnesota having when its power play ended in the first period, the Gophers simply didn't sustain much offensively until they pulled Schierhorn in the final minutes. This was despite Minnesota winning 37 of 62 faceoffs. It was similar to last year, where teams won faceoffs against UMD, and the Bulldogs had the puck within ten seconds because they were doing the right things and not chasing it around the rink.

******

UMD announced Saturday morning it will host the 2017 IceBreaker tournament at Amsoil Arena. The traditional season-opening event will include Minnesota, Michigan Tech, and Union, and be played Oct. 6-7, 2017.

From a scheduling standpoint, it's significant because Minnesota was not scheduled to visit Duluth in the 2017-18 season until this opportunity presented itself. It will be a great event, and UMD is already beginning its promotional push.

The IceBreaker will be part of 2017-18 season ticket packages, and more information will be available at a later date.

******

In other NCHC action Friday, Miami got a late Jack Roslovic goal to win 3-2 at Ohio State. Omaha got two goals apiece from Fredrik Olofsson and Austin Ortega to win 4-3 at Vermont. UMass-Lowell scored late to fend off Colorado College, 3-2.

Bemidji State got two third-period goals to tie North Dakota 4-4. More significantly, UND starting goalie Cam Johnson was injured, leaving UND down to third goalie Matt Hrynkiw, who allowed two goals on 12 shots. More on Johnson's injury should be available before Saturday's rematch in Grand Forks.

Also, Denver beat Michigan State 4-2, and St. Cloud State beat struggling Minnesota State 4-0 in St. Cloud.

Game 2: UMD at Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS -- Greetings from high atop Mariucci Arena, where UMD will soon begin its quest for a fifth straight win against Minnesota, its main men's hockey rival for over half a century. To put that number (5) in perspective, if UMD wins this game, it will have just its second five-game winning streak against Minnesota ever.

As it stands, this is UMD's third-ever four-game winning streak against Minnesota. The others were between 1972 and 1973 under Terry Shercliffe, and from 2003-2004 under Scott Sandelin. Guess you don't go 77-134-17 against someone by dominating stretches of the rivalry.

But things have turned around as of late. UMD is 5-3-2 in the last ten against Minnesota, which is more than respectable (it's not like the Gophers have been playing garbage hockey lately). Sandelin is 21-23-6 lifetime against Minnesota.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Pionk - Welinski
McCormack - Raskob
Corrin - Molenaar

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Deery

UMN
Gates, Jr. - Kloos - Fasching
Bristedt - Novak - Reilly
Cammarata - Sheehy - Lettieri
Michaelson - Romanko - Ramsey

Seeler - Collins
Bischoff - Glover
Johnson - Brodzinski

Schierhorn - Lehr - Kautz

(We believe Schierhorn starts, but the line chart does not always indicate the starter here. Follow me on Twitter @bruceciskie for the latest.)

Rivalry Renews as Gophers and Bulldogs Meet Again

Unlike some players or coaches UMD may add over the course of time, there's no need to indoctrinate Brett Larson into the rivalry with Minnesota. A Duluth native and former UMD defenseman before joining the coaching staff for his first stint in 2008, Larson knows all about it.

"There's always that mentality that you feel like you have something to prove," Larson said this week. He relayed a story from his childhood, hearing a Minnesota assistant coach do a TV interview where he talked about how big the games were "for the kids from Duluth."

"One of the assistants from the Gophers goes on and says 'Ah, it's such a big weekend for the kids from Duluth. They all wanted to be Gophers but couldn't, so now they're trying to prove themselves.'

"There's nobody more fun to play against, and there's nobody more fun to beat."

It's a mantra echoed by Larson's one-time-boss-and-now-boss-again, head coach Scott Sandelin.

"To me, they're always a fun team to play, and they're always a fun team to beat, if you can. I think our guys feel the same way."

It's Gopher week. No one cares about last week (both teams lost their season openers to teams that were at least perceived to be underdogs heading in). Now, it's go time.

If last week's 3-2 loss to Bemidji State is largely going to be forgotten by Friday, last year's 4-1 record against the Gophers is a distant and possibly repressed memory.

"I don't know if last year matters," Sandelin said. "We're different teams and it's a different year."

Veteran Minnesota coach Don Lucia -- five wins away from 400 on the Gophers bench -- agrees with Sandelin. He pointed out this week that his team has ten new faces who know nothing of last year outside of what they've read and heard.

"I'm not into revenge," Lucia said. "Last year, they had a good team and they played very well against us. They deserved to win those games. They knocked us out last year. So be it."

If anything was going to stick in Lucia's craw about last year's meetings with UMD, it would have to be the last one. His team was practically lifeless -- especially during the second period -- and UMD cruised to a 4-1 win in the Northeast Regional. Lucia called his team "emotionally flat at times" after that game, something you hate to hear a coach say after an NCAA Tournament game. And in Lucia's case, he wasn't bus-chucking or excuse-manufacturing. He was accurate. His team didn't apply serious pressure on UMD until it was too late to matter.

Lucia is human. His players are human. Those back from last year, including talented captain Justin Kloos and future NHL power forward Hudson Fasching, are human. They might say they don't care about last year, but don't be surprised if this Gophers team has a little bit extra in the tank for Friday night at home against basically the only team they couldn't figure out a year ago.

As for lessons from last week, Larson talked glowingly about his penalty kill in Bemidji, which only allowed one power play goal in a relatively high 12 minutes of BSU man advantage time. Keep in mind all 12 minutes came after one of UMD's best killers, defenseman Carson Soucy, was ejected. Soucy won't play Friday thanks to an NCHC suspension, meaning Nick McCormack likely draws in for his season debut against Minnesota.

"I was pleased with our start Saturday for sure," Sandelin said.

"I thought we made some bad decisions and didn't have the right coverage (later in the game). It led to some outnumbered rushes that we need to eliminate."

The Gophers are younger, especially up front, where Kloos centers the top line, and Lucia deploys three freshmen -- Tommy Novak, Tyler Sheehy, and former Minnesota Wilderness standout Darian Romanko -- as the other pivots. UMD has a definite advantage in experience, especially at center, but it'll take solid execution from the start to exploit that.

Freshman Eric Schierhorn started in goal against Vermont on Saturday. As of Lucia's Wednesday press conference, he said he hadn't decided on a goalie plan for the weekend, but it stands to reason Schierhorn will go at least Friday. Lucia has typically been a fan of having a clear-cut No. 1 goalie. We'll see if Schierhorn -- an Alaskan by way of Shattuck-St. Mary's -- can be that guy for the Gophers. He played well against the Catamounts in a 3-0 defeat.

It's been a storied rivalry largely dominated by the Gophers over its 228 previous games. However, UMD is 5-3-2 over the last ten meetings, and UMD is 5-2-1 against the Gophers since the conference shift happened before the 2013-14 season. To keep that run of success going, the Bulldogs need to call on past lessons learned against this team.

The experience is obvious. Honorary Minnesotan Austin Farley has torn up the Gophers for seven goals and ten points in ten lifetime games. Actual Minnesotans Tony Cameranesi and Dominic Toninato have seven goals (five by Toninato) and 17 points (nine by Cameranesi) combined in 18 games. And goalies Kasimir Kaskisuo (four starts) and Matt McNeely (five) have combined to allow a scant 16 goals to Minnesota in over 500 minutes of work, for a 1.88 goals against average and a .935 save percentage.

As Larson pointed out, they found a pretty good formula last year. Maybe it's as simple as remembering what worked and making Minnesota show it can do something about it.

******

Exceptionally sad news came Tuesday night/Wednesday morning for the UMD men's hockey family. Suzie LeGarde Menz, the wife of former UMD men's hockey equipment manager Rick Menz, died in an incident at Twin Ponds in Duluth. Menz was struck by a car that eventually ended up in the water. The driver fled and was later arrested. He is facing criminal vehicular homicide charges, among others, and he has quite a rap sheet, as detailed in the story linked above.

Rick Menz worked for UMD from 1979-2008, a run of dedication toward one of the more thankless jobs in college hockey. The gig of equipment manager is one that includes extremely long hours, along with travel wherever the team goes. Rick retired after the 2007-08 season, but he never really left. As Larson noted this week, he remained involved.

"He's always been around, and he's always been a part of it. Rick's always involved, always around the guys. He's a guy (alumni) want to touch base with when they're around. I know the guys are just praying for his family."

There are no words of conciliation. We offer thoughts and prayers to Rick and his entire family, and to all who knew Suzie. You can read her obituary here, and there's a link there to leave a memory or best wishes to the family.

Monday Musings: Late Goal Sinks UMD in Opener

Imagine this: Your teenage child returns home from school one day, and informs you s/he failed a test. You get mad and start asking questions, and the kid tells you everyone else in class either struggled or flat-out-failed, too.

Doesn't make you feel better, does it?

While it's crazy that the Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9 teams in the preseason USCHO top ten all lost at least one game over the weekend (No. 8 didn't play), it doesn't help UMD much. In fact, it's an empty fact.

What has been probably UMD's most consistent bugaboo since the start of last season -- the penalty bug -- bit again Saturday. This time, it helped conspire to turn a game around the Bulldogs were dominating everywhere but the scoreboard, and the homestanding Bemidji State Beavers took full advantage, scoring with 22.7 seconds left to win 3-2.

By no means is this loss on defenseman Carson Soucy, justifiably ejected for a contact to the head penalty late in the first period, or is it on forward Kyle Osterberg, who got a major for charging in the second period.

Soucy's penalty came at a time where UMD was leading 12-2 in shots, had by far the better scoring chances, and almost had exclusive ownership of the puck. The top line of Dominic Toninato, Alex Iafallo, and Adam Johnson created chance after chance. Toninato finished with six shots, many of them in that opening period, but the Bulldogs couldn't beat star Bemidji State goalie Michael Bitzer early.

The Beavers put up nine shots on goal during the Soucy major, which came after he hit BSU forward Leo Fitzgerald as he flew through the neutral zone chasing the puck. There was little doubt in my mind it would draw a major and an ejection. Beyond the fact it got Soucy -- a player who is in my opinion the most NHL-ready on the UMD roster -- ejected in the first period, it also gave Bemidji State a chance to seize the momentum in a game it had nothing going in.

From that point on, UMD was outshot 31-18 and never looked the same team. From the Soucy major on, the Bulldogs were outshot at even strength 17-9.

Ouch.

The reasons were multiple. Surely, the Soucy major changed momentum a bit and gave BSU some life that it hadn't previously shown. However, the Beavers also were able to take advantage of a UMD blue line fatigued a bit by the ejection. Down to five defensemen, everyone's ice time increased, and Bemidji's forwards looked fresher than UMD's defense did down the stretch.

(This isn't all on Soucy, because there were 17 other skaters playing in the game, and none of them did enough in the second half of the game to reseize the momentum and get things going back in UMD's favor for more than a shift or two at a time.)

That kind of a thing will be less of a factor later in the season.

It's why it's so important to avoid those types of penalties. UMD was in bad enough position having to kill off two five-minute power plays in the game. The fact it lost Soucy on one of those calls made it even more difficult. He's an all-situation player.

It's somewhat fair to bring up discipline. It was a talking point for Scott Sandelin during the week, as well as before the game Saturday. It was an issue last season, unquestionably. It's been a problem in the past. Even with 22 minutes in penalties after Saturday's loss, it's way too early to cast judgments on this year's team. We just don't know if it's going to be an issue going forward.

But we know it can't be.

A season with this much promise can't -- and I mean it can't -- be sabotaged from within. It's up to the leaders and coaches to figure out a way to address the issue without taking away the aggressiveness that has made UMD such an effective team.

There's a line. Soucy definitely crossed it, and Osterberg probably did.

(After viewing both replays, I'd say it's hard to yell about either call. I absolutely agreed with Soucy, and I'll admit to privately wondering if the NCHC would try to send a preventive message by giving him a one-game suspension early in the season. I don't have anyone I know saying it will and I don't believe that will happen, it's just a thought in my head. I think it'd be a stronger possibility if the hit happened in the third period. And, yes, those things have been considered by leagues before, to the point that the new targeting rule in college football calls for players ejected in the second half of a game to sit the first half of the next one. In this case, I think time served of 42-plus minutes is enough. As for Osterberg, an argument exists that his hit wasn't enough to be a major, but the flip side is that -- again without looking at a replay -- it looked obvious he left his feet to deliver the hit, and that's a huge red flag for the men in striped shirts.)

(Remember to follow @umdhockeygifs on Twitter, an account run by a UMD fan named Ben. Animations that you can pause and rewind were posted of both hits. Also, when you watch those GIFs, remember that every time you watch the replay is one more opportunity than the officials got to watch it before issuing a penalty. Someday, I'll write another blog about the need to have replay review available for major penalties in all games, but that will be a different day where I actually have a beef with a call. That threshold is high because many of the ejections happen after bang-bang plays, but I'm sure it'll happen at some point.)

******

Yes, this was a tough week for ranked teams. No. 1 Boston College lost to RPI. No. 3 Boston University lost to Union. No. 5 Denver lost to Air Force. No. 6 Minnesota State was swept at home by Omaha. No. 11 Miami lost and tied against Providence.

It was such a bad weekend that the new No. 1 -- North Dakota -- got there by rallying from two goals down to beat mighty Lake Superior State.

Again, it's way too early for judgments. But if the first weekend of the season is any indication, we're in for another wild ride in 2015-16.

UMD fell to seventh in the USCHO poll, and I do not think UMD will stay there long. The Bulldogs have already seen what they're capable of. Now it's a matter of staying out of their own way enough to let it happen.

******

Minnesota is next, and like UMD, the Gophers are licking their wounds after an upset loss. Minnesota lost 3-0 to Vermont in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at Mariucci Arena. The Gophers are young, nowhere near the experience level of last year's outfit. Captain Justin Kloos is the only center who isn't a freshman, and Don Lucia opted to start a freshman -- Eric Schierhorn -- in goal for Saturday's game.

Minnesota is dangerous, as usual, up front, and while the depth isn't quite there on defense, the presence of Omaha transfer Nick Seeler helps significantly. Jake Bischoff, Ryan Collins, and Jack Glover finish a pretty solid top four.

And if you don't think the Gophers have forgotten last year, when UMD won the last four out of five meetings, you're crazy. They might not admit it out loud, but they remember, and they'll be ready this weekend.

Hey, maybe we'll actually get both games in this weekend. #obligatoryelectricityjoke

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Trample Gophers, Advance to Northeast Regional Final

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Sometimes, you survive and advance.

Friday at Verizon Wireless Arena, it was more like "thrive and advance" for the UMD Bulldogs.

After a sleepy start, UMD put up three goals in a 5:59 span of the first period en route to a 4-1 win over Minnesota in the NCAA Northeast Regional semifinals. The win puts the Bulldogs in Saturday's regional final against No. 1 seed Boston University.

"I thought we started a little slow," head coach Scott Sandelin said. "Kas (freshman goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo) made a couple saves early on, then we found our legs. From that point on, we played a pretty good game."

I'd say.

For the first six or seven minutes, the Bulldogs looked every bit a team coming off a bye. The Gophers took it to UMD, getting the early lead in shots and generating a couple scoring chances, though UMD did a good job sticking with its structure and avoiding big defensive zone breakdowns.

The Bulldogs' third line, centered by Jared Thomas with wings Justin Crandall and Kyle Osterberg, put together a strong shift in the UMN zone, getting UMD its first real scoring chances about eight minutes into the first. It wasn't the turning point, but it started to get the Bulldogs going and get them into the game.

Then Willie Raskob set up Tony Cameranesi for a back-door tap-in to get UMD on the board. From there, it was all Bulldogs until the outcome was decided.

"It's really important against any team," Sandelin said, "but certainly our success against Minnesota in the four wins, we scored the first goal."

Less than three minutes later, Brenden Kotyk set up a Justin Crandall tip that made it 2-0. Then Raskob added one -- that went in off Minnesota junior Mike Reilly -- before the first period ended, and at 3-0, there were actual Gopher fans on social media declaring the end of the game.

Sandelin noted that he implored his guys to do a better job getting to the net, and clearly players took heed.

"We talked pretty much the last two weeks that we need to do a better job of getting to the net, getting pucks to the net," he said. "I thought we did a better job of that and we were rewarded with some goals."

The second period was all UMD on Friday. The Gophers barely had the puck long enough to turn it over. UMD created chances, cycled pucks, intercepted clearing attempts, and had huge gobs of offensive zone time. Each line, it seemed, took a turn doing something of note in the offensive zone.

Minnesota just didn't have anything.

"Maybe it just seemed like we were a bit emotionally flat at times," Gophers coach Don Lucia said.

More than anything, I think this is what surprised me the most. Yeah, Minnesota pushed back in the third period a bit. AJ Michaelson had a nice scoring chance, Hudson Fasching got loose down low a couple times, and Seth Ambroz got a late goal to spoil Kaskisuo's shutout bid (so much for Kaskisuo being overcome by nerves in his NCAA Tournament debut; he said afterward it was just a "normal game" for him). And I've never really thought of the Gophers as a chippy, dirty team that takes cheap shots when it's behind late. 

That said, there just seemed to be a lack of emotion. They weren't engaging UMD physically, instead just standing around and letting the Bulldogs do whatever they wanted.

A reporter asked the Gopher players who were made available at the press conference if they thought the small crowd played a role. For his part, sophomore Vinny Lettieri wasn't having anything to do with it.

"There were more fans here than when we came out in Detroit (at the Big Ten Championship last weekend)," he said.

I've said that I think small crowds at regionals tend to randomize results in some cases.

But in this case, there was nothing random. For the better part of 40 minutes, this was a nationally televised whipping administered by a UMD team that has spent the entire season showing it has Minnesota's number. Over the last seven meetings dating to last season, UMD is 5-1-1 against the Gophers with four straight wins. Considering Minnesota hasn't been some middling outfit the last two seasons, that's a really impressive number.

******

This sets up what should be a great regional final Saturday between UMD and Boston University. The Terriers got a Danny O'Regan overtime goal to edge past No. 4 seed Yale 3-2 in the first game Friday. Hobey favorite Jack Eichel set up the winner with a blast from right point that came off the pad of Yale goalie Alex Lyon and went right to O'Regan for the winner.

O'Regan, Eichel, and Evan Rodrigues have combined for 65 goals and 173 points this season. Eichel has 67 points on 24 goals and 43 assists. Oh, and he's a draft-eligible freshman.

(BU dressed eight freshman skaters on Friday. Neither team is blessed with much NCAA Tournament experience.)

BU coach David Quinn -- an alum in his second season after taking over for retired legend Jack Parker -- made it clear Thursday that his team is not a one-line team. Second-line center Cason Hohmann has 28 points, and right wing Ahti Oksanen has 24 goals after getting one Friday.

But UMD got goals from its second and third lines, plenty of pressure from its top line, and fourth-line wings Austyn Young and Charlie "Chuck" Sampair had five shots between them against Minnesota. It's a one-game snapshot, but BU's third and fourth lines combined for six shots against Yale, two for Nick Roberto and three for Robbie Baillargeon.

I think that will be a huge part of Saturday's game. Definitely bears watching. Will UMD's depth make the difference? Or is Boston University's high-end top line going to be too much for UMD to handle?

Also, with somewhat limited time to study up, how will Quinn handle matchups. He's the home team coach, so he has last change. I'd guess he tries Eichel's line against Dominic Toninato's line at first. Neither team is good on draws, but Cameranesi has become very good as of late, and Toninato really struggled in the circle (3-16) against the Gophers.

I don't think Sandelin minds this matchup. Toninato, Alex Iafallo, and Adam Krause have the ability to play physical and possess the puck. Just like Minnesota, I think that'll be a huge part of this regional final. UMD wants to play a possession game, make opponents play defense and play a 200-foot game to generate any kind of possession on their own. The best defense is puck possession. Eichel and friends can't score if they're defending in their own zone.

Sounds simple. It won't be.

But equally important to the Eichel line matchup is how the other lines play against BU's other lines. If UMD can show an advantage in depth, and whoever plays against the Eichel group can find a way to slow those guys down, the Bulldogs will work from a position of strength.

******

Good Friday for the NCHC, not so good for everyone else.

In Fargo, St. Cloud State -- should I do the ESPN thing and call them "St. Cloud (Minn.) State"? -- and North Dakota pushed the NCHC to a 3-0 start to this NCAA Tournament, and also guaranteed the second-year league at least one Frozen Four team.

St. Cloud got an overtime goal from Duluth's Judd Peterson to beat Michigan Tech 3-2. The Huskies couldn't hold a late lead, as Jonny Brodzinski tied the score with 37 seconds left in regulation. Peterson's goal was set up by Joe Rehkamp after Tech defenseman Riley Sweeney fell down at the blue line, creating an odd-man rush.

West Regional host North Dakota polished off Quinnipiac 4-1 to finish the day in Fargo. Drake Caggiula scored and had an assist, while Zane McIntyre made 29 saves for UND to set up a rematch against a Huskies team that won over North Dakota at last week's NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

After his team's win, birthday boy Bob Motzko said his SCSU team would either get a road game or a neutral-site game on Saturday.

It'll be a road game, not that I have to tell you.

Also Saturday, the Midwest and Northeast Regionals open up. In the Midwest Regional at South Bend, No. 1 Minnesota State plays RIT, while Omaha battles Harvard. Providence houses the East Regional, which has top seed Miami playing Providence while Denver takes on Boston College. Those regional finals are Sunday evening to finish filling out the Frozen Four field.

Coverage of UMD-BU can be heard on 92.1 The Fan and the Red Rock Radio Bulldog Sports Network starting at 4pm (Central). The game will be televised on ESPN2 and available on the WatchESPN app (sign in with your TV provider, and you'll have access to the stream as long as you get ESPN2 at home, which I think is available on even the most basic cable/satellite packages).

Game 39: UMD vs Minnesota (NCAA Northeast Regional)

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Off and running with the NCAA Tournament. For UMD, it's the ninth trip to the national tourney, and the second time it will face archrival Minnesota in the NCAAs.

The other was 11 years ago, so while it went our way, it means nothing.

Hell, I'm not convinced that the games played earlier in the season mean much of anything. Wipe the slate clean, guys. Let's roll.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Krause
Farley - Cameranesi - Kuhlman
Osterberg - Thomas - Crandall
Sampair - Decowski - Young (Austyn)

Johnson - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

Kaskisuo - McNeely - Fons

UMN
Bristedt - Rau - Fasching
Warning - Boyd - Ambroz
Cammarata - Kloos - Lettieri
Michaelson - Isackson - Glover

Skjei - Collins
Reilly (Mike) - Bischoff
Marshall - Brodzinski

Wilcox - Lehr

UMD-Minnesota Rivalry Makes More History

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- For Minnesota and UMD, playing head-to-head is old hat. They've done it a few times in the past, and surely are not done scheduling each other non-conference.

But this is crazy.

When the Gophers and Bulldogs parted ways from the WCHA after the 2012-13 season, fans were left wondering if they would ever lock horns as much as they had in the past.

After Friday's NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal here, the teams will have met five times this season and eight since becoming non-conference adversaries two years ago.

To put that in perspective, the teams met twice in each of the last two years of their WCHA affiliation. They hadn't met four times in a regular season since UMD's national championship season of 2010-11.

(Omen?)

(Scratch that. I'm bad with omens. I thought hearing "Holiday Road" at the hotel in Denver before the Friday playoff game was a good omen. Forget I brought the subject up.)

"You grow up playing against some of these guys," Minnesota senior captain Kyle Rau said. "It's fun playing them in college."

Senior Travis Boyd ranks the rivalry "right up there" with Wisconsin and North Dakota. "I guess this one's got a bit more of a rivalry because more Minnesota kids are playing for Duluth."

Head coach Don Lucia doesn't disagree with his players.

"It's a respectful rivalry. I like their coaches. I like their players. UMD does have a lot of Minnesota kids, more than St. Cloud, or Mankato, or Bemidji does."

They're ready to make some more history on Friday afternoon (4:30pm Central time).

UMD and Minnesota have met 227 times previously. Only one of those meetings has come in the NCAA Tournament (2004, won by UMD 3-1). Furthermore, the teams have only had nine meetings where one team could end the other's season. The first of those came in the 1970 WCHA playoffs, where Minnesota dispatched UMD 3-2 in three overtimes before losing to Michigan Tech the next night to end the season.

The Gophers also ended UMD's season in 1975, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1988, and 1995, all in the WCHA playoffs. Since then, UMD has turned the tables, winning an epic 1998 WCHA playoff series in three games to finish the Gophers' season, then taking down Minnesota in that 2004 NCAA Tournament game, as well as the 2009 WCHA Final Five play-in game.

(Who can forget that 1998 game? I wrote about it the week the DECC closed. Can't say I've watched the DVD since that week, but 17 years later, I still get goosebumps. I miss the old goal siren at the DECC.)

Friday, someone's season will again be over at the hands of the other.

Oh, and I believe their home-and-home next season is in October. So that'll be fun -- ooh, the revenge angle. Can't wait.

Why have three of the four meetings been decided by one goal? It's not just because of the familiarity, though it doesn't hurt.

It's because the teams are very similar in their styles. Both like to get up and down the rink, play a pace game. They are blessed with the kind of skaters who can help accomplish that. And there are players on both teams that seem to really flourish against this particular opponent.

(On the UMD side, I'd count in honorary Minnesotan Austin Farley among those.)

But let's level here. The matchup is so closely contested that it will probably come down to goaltending and special teams.

UMD coach Scott Sandelin admitted Thursday the Gophers have a better power play, joking he wants to keep that "on the bench."

Lucia is confident in his goalie, junior Adam Wilcox, but he knows it's the biggest thing this time of year, and it's a lot of pressure to put on a player, no matter how good he is.

"It's very difficult to win this time of year without really good goaltending," he said. "Because you're playing such good teams. You're going to have some breakdowns. The teams that go on in these short tournaments, you have to have outstanding goaltending play. You can't let in leakers this time of year. That one goal's a difference maker."

Sandelin is fully confident in his freshman, Kasimir Kaskisuo.

"I think he's been pretty consistent. He's older, and he's got a pretty good demeanor about him. He's pretty focused on what he needs to do. Our guys have a lot of confidence in him."

These teams know each other entirely too well for this matchup to come down to anything else. No surprises are left in the bag. It's about execution now.

Familiar Foe Awaits UMD at NCAA Tournament

Well, didn't see that coming.

Going into the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, most, I think, thought UMD would be matched up with Boston College in Manchester, N.H., to open the NCAA Tournament on Friday. I believe I even saw a speculative tweet that UMD would play Harvard if the selection committee danced a couple teams around to avoid conference matchups and try to boost attendance at regional sites.

We got the venue right, and the team horribly wrong.

Instead of playing No. 11 Boston College, as it would have in a true 16-team bracket, UMD matches up with No. 10 Minnesota Friday. It will be the fifth time the longtime rivals have played this season, and this will be the fifth different arena they've played in.

(Ice Breaker at South Bend, Ind, Mariucci Arena, Amsoil Arena, XCel Energy Center, and now Verizon Wireless Arena, in case you didn't believe me.)

At Amsoil Arena Sunday, the UMD players watched the show on ESPNU. It was obvious when the matchup was revealed on TV, because a loud cheer came from the players' lounge.

I'm sure there are some out there who don't like the teams meeting for a fifth time (UMD is 3-1 this season against Minnesota, making a bit of a dent in a huge Minnesota lead in the all-time series), but you aren't going to hear the players complaining. At least not UMD's.

"I think we're all pretty excited for this opportunity," senior forward Justin Crandall of Lakeville, one of 18 rostered UMD players from Minnesota. "I think there's a lot of hatred there, and obviously we respect them as a program. I'm really excited for the challenge."

Senior captain Adam Krause of Hermantown said he was checking Twitter on Saturday night, trying to keep up with everything going on. He laughed when I said everyone was wrong on Saturday.

"It'll be fun, emotional, a good matchup," Krause said.

The four meetings between UMD and Minnesota have been played at a tremendous pace, as you'd expect with two teams that love to get up and down the rink. But a 4-3 Gopher win Oct. 10 at the Ice Breaker was the outlier. Not just because the Gophers won, but because only three goals were scored in each of the other meetings (A 3-0 UMD win at Minnesota, followed by a pair of 2-1 UMD wins).

Adam Wilcox was great in virtually every game for Minnesota, while Kasimir Kaskisuo shut the Gophers down in that home-and-home sweep back in November, and Matt McNeely turned in one of his best performances as a Bulldog at the North Star College Cup against Minnesota.

"They get up and down the rink, got a lot of skill," head coach Scott Sandelin said. "We play the same way. The big difference anytime you play them is staying out of the box, because their power play is really good."

Of course, if the goalies are as good Friday as they were in November and January, it'll come down to things like special teams or puck management, just like it has between these two teams already.

Game 24: UMD vs Minnesota (North Star College Cup)

ST. PAUL -- That's the last time I heed warnings about ridiculous traffic.

"Get there before 2. It's going to be suffocating!"

Um, no.

Anyway, we're ready to go for the consolation game of the North Star College Cup. Just like everyone predicted earlier in the season, it's UMD vs. Minnesota.

UMD is 0-3-1 in its last four games. We'll call it a mini-slump, because Minnesota is 4-7-2 in its last 13 games, starting with that home-and-home sweep UMD put on them in November. The Gophers haven't played very well since October, and we'll ask Don Lucia why in a conversation you'll hear during the broadcast.

That Minnesota funk has dropped the Gophers to 20th in the Pairwise, making UMD's position of sixth much less precarious.

Stylistically, this is certainly a better matchup for UMD. There should be a good pace to this game, and I can't imagine the 14 Minnesotans -- plus honorary Minnesotan Austin Farley, a guy Gopher fans still don't like after last year's championship game -- in the Bullog lineup wouldn't love another piece of the Gophers.

Lines?

Lines.

UMD
Iafallo - Toninato - Krause
Farley - Cameranesi - Kuhlman
Osterberg - Decowski - Crandall
Young (Blake) - Thomas - Young (Austyn)

Johnson - Welinski
Soucy - Raskob
Corrin - Kotyk

McNeely - Kaskisuo - Fons

UMTC
Rau - Kloos - Reilly (Connor)
Warning - Boyd - Fasching
Cammarata - Lettieri - Ambroz
Michaelson - Isackson - Bristedt

Skjei - Glover
Reilly (Mike) - Bischoff
Marshall - Brodzinski

Wilcox - Lehr - Coyne

(Note: Minnesota's line chart always says the listed order of the goalies does not indicate the starter. Usually, I don't believe that, but we'll see what we're told when we get pregame availability.)

Saturday Hockey Notes and Thoughts: Bulldogs Turn in Clunker at North Star College Cup; Questions From Twitter

ST. PAUL -- You guys probably know me well enough by now.

I'm not much of a sugarcoater.

(Yes, I know that's not a word. The squiggly red line under it is plenty of evidence of that.)

So I'm not going to sugarcoat what we saw Friday afternoon/evening at XCel Energy Center. It wasn't very good. In fact, it was about as putrid a performance as we've seen all season. Probably not even close, to be frank.

Bemidji State took it to UMD for the better part of 60 minutes in a 4-0 win here that sends the Beavers to Saturday's championship game. UMD will play Minnesota, a 4-2 loser to Minnesota State, for third place at 4pm Saturday. It's the fourth meeting this season between the longtime rivals, and they've come at four different venues (Notre Dame's Compton Family Ice Arena, Mariucci Arena, Amsoil Arena, and now XCel Energy Center).

Things didn't start great for UMD, and they got much worse. Bemidji had four shots on goal before UMD even got close to one, but the Bulldogs generated some pressure after the first media timeout, which came just past the five-minute mark of the period.

UMD took a couple of penalties in a row, and Bemidji burned the Bulldogs on the second one, as Matt Prapavessis pinched from the center point to the high slot and put a screened shot by UMD goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo for a 1-0 lead. I would question the screen, as it appeared obvious there was a BSU player screening Kaskisuo while his skates were in the blue paint. By NCAA rule, that should be a no goal.

(The relevant part of the Rule 73.1 goes like this: "The overriding rationale of this rule is that a goalkeeper should have the ability to move freely within the goal crease without being hindered by the actions of an attacking player. If an attacking player enters the goal crease and, by these actions, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to defend the goal either visually or physically, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed."

There is no question that if you watch this animation of the goal, Markus Gerbrandt's skate or skates are in the crease when the puck comes through. It's also clear Gerbrandt is doing his job, providing a screen and making it hard for Kaskisuo to see the shot. Letter of the law, this is supposed to be a "no goal" call, and I've seen it reviewed to that "letter of the law" standard on multiple occasions in my years on this job.)

Luckily, any controversy was averted by the rest of the game (note some sarcasm there). It wasn't good for the Bulldogs.

The Beavers made it 2-0 halfway through the second when the Fitzgerald triplets struck. Well, two of them, as Gerry fed Leo for a shot from the slot. It was an example of UMD's not-very-good puck management and defensive coverage in this game. BSU took control of the puck in the defensive zone and UMD just didn't get back well enough.

Bemidji State tacked on two more goals in the third off UMD turnovers to get to the 4-0 final score. It hastened the inevitable, because even at 2-0 after two, I remarked to someone in the press box that it felt like 8-0. UMD just didn't have anything going.

UMD had scoring chances, but the Bulldogs missed the net on 15 of 55 shot attempts in the game, and didn't do enough to make freshman goalie Michael Bitzer's life difficult. In 23 games, I'm not sure I've seen the kind of poor execution and battle level in the offensive zone that plagued UMD Friday. And it was a near-constant from start to finish. Races and puck battles were lost all over the rink, and those types of things will kill a team when it's on the power play.

It did that on this day, for sure.

UMD's power play struggled through a five-minute chance in the first period when Gerbrandt leveled Kyle Osterberg and was whistled for a charging major. Five shots on goal in five minutes isn't terrible, but UMD lacked the prime scoring area shots ... then and throughout the game.

Credit to Bemidji State. They were ready to play. The Beavers have more speed -- not just with the Fitzgerald kids, who are going to be a hoot to watch get better, because man you can see there's talent there -- than they've had in the past, but they still bring the proverbial lunch buckets to the game. Even with improved talent, it's the work ethic that will win them hockey games, just like Friday.

This isn't necessarily on Kaskisuo. Coach Scott Sandelin told me before the game that Kaskisuo's .865 save percentage over his previous five starts was a combo platter. Kaskisuo's play -- in a sense -- reflected that of the guys in front of him. Uneven, yes, but probably not solely responsible for the poor stat line in those starts.

Well, now it's .862 over six starts. And Friday was more of the same. I'd expect Sandelin to start Matt McNeely on Saturday against Minnesota, but I honestly thought McNeely might get the call Friday. So now you know what I know.

For UMD, getting beat is fine. It happens. The Western Michigan series was a dogfight from start to finish, and UMD didn't back down. Even when the Bulldogs weren't playing their best, they were battling. They won races, fought through checks, and found ways to make plays to the net.

None of those things really happened Friday. It was Bemidji State winning puck battles, winning races, and getting to the UMD net. More than anything, that's almost assuredly what concerned the coaching staff as it watched the events unfold.

******

What's the answer?

Honestly, it isn't that easy. Without Matt Wellens of the Duluth News Tribune tweeting that there was a players-only meeting after the game, I could have predicted that outcome.

I'm not a big "blame the coaches" guy. At least, I'm not anymore. And especially in hockey. Coaches can't do anything for the players, outside of try their damndest to prepare them for what lies ahead. They can't execute the plan for the players, as badly as they might want to sometimes. This isn't football, where coaches are constantly making decisions from the sideline that can change the course of a game.

When you have a game like this one -- an absolute throw-the-tape-in-the-garbage clunker -- it's probably time for the players to take a look at what they're doing.

It's hard to believe that only two Fridays ago, UMD was largely carrying the play against then-No. 1 North Dakota. But as hard as it is to fathom UMD falling this far in just two weeks, it's only been two weeks. And there is a lot of hockey left to be played.

UMD has 13 games left, starting Saturday against the Gophers. It only took four to get to this point, and there's no reason the Bulldogs can't get back where they were just as quickly.

But it starts in that room, hence the players-only meeting. They have to figure out where they went wrong and get back to what was going so well.

******

Because of the early start, I had decided on the drive down Friday that I would take questions after the game from fans via Twitter. Never did I think the game would go the way it did, but I figured I'd do it anyway.

The only stipulation was I would not accept questions or comments that went after individual players. This isn't the NHL. No one played well Friday, and no individual deserves to be called out in a public forum.

So here are a few questions from actual Twitter followers @bruceciskie. Thanks to all who submitted on the fly Friday for asking good questions and not letting frustration get to them.

@biddco: "why do we have this slump around this time of year? Teams figure us and we don’t adjust?"

It's a common thought that we have this kind of slump every year. Here's what the numbers say. They're 0-3-1 in the last four, and we hope it doesn't get worse than that. But it's a slump, for sure.

UMD had a four-game slide in February of last year, but the losses came to very good St. Cloud State and North Dakota teams. UMD responded by winning three straight. There was no big slump outside of that, really.

The 2012-13 team was up and down all year, so I'm not sure a winless streak that hit nine games (eight in February) really was all that meaningful towards this argument.

2011-12's team, a very good one, went 1-3-1 over a five-game stretch that included a 5-0 loss to Michigan Tech and a loss to Alaska-Anchorage.  UMD responded by going unbeaten in its next five games on its way to the NCAA Tournament.

The 2010-11 team had a pretty famous 8-2 loss to St. Cloud State as the big negative in a six-game run where it went 1-3-2. That season ended well.

So there have been three pronounced slumps in the last five years. I'm not sure that makes or breaks that question, but I think it's just part of the normal ebb and flow of a season. It's not fun, for sure, but I don't see it as being anything more than that, unless it keeps going.

Tony Schmaltz asks "Was this by far, the sloppiest game of the season?"

I don't think there's a question. The only game where UMD was close to being this poor offensively was the Friday game at home against Denver in October. And no disrespect to Bemidji State, but Denver's blue line is elite. The Pioneers make a lot of teams look virtually inept offensively.

UMD wasn't hard on pucks, didn't make good decisions (the multiple turnovers during a five-on-three should provide plenty of evidence of this), and just didn't have enough battle level to win this game. Those things haven't all been the case in any other game to this point, in my opinion.

Craig Berry asks "Were they looking past Bemidji to UofM or Mankato?"

Geez, I'd hope not. You'd have to ask the players to be sure. I'd imagine that wasn't the case.

Oh, and it's "Minnesota State," Craig.

Corey Lange: "what's it gonna take to bring back the teams intensity and drive?"
Jon Fischer: "how can the bulldogs get back to how they were playing before the break."

Would hope it doesn't take much. It was just there a week ago.

See, I could argue a lot of things about UMD's games against Western Michigan. But I can't argue that the Bulldogs lacked intensity or drive last weekend. They didn't execute well enough, but it wasn't for a lack of effort.

I didn't like the effort level on Friday, but that's quite the rarity with this group, even going back to previous seasons.

As for Jon's question, which was somewhat similar to Corey's, I'd argue the Bulldogs are very similar to the Wild. They aren't built on a star player with a bunch of followers. For UMD to win, it takes a 20-man effort. Everyone has to "pull on the same chain." Sandelin coined "sticktoitness" when we were chatting on Friday. When UMD is going good, it sticks to the game plan and plays the way Sandelin wants the team to play.

When it goes off the rails, like Friday, those things don't happen.

It isn't as simple as flipping a switch, but UMD can get it back as quickly as it seems to have lost it.

Paul Clusiau: "Here's a question. Why are we turning over the puck so much lately?"

It's a combination.

There have been times this season where forwards have been caught up the rink before the puck is out of the defensive zone. It's almost as if they're hoping the puck gets out, and they're thinking a few seconds ahead of where the play is at. If everyone executes and does their job, this isn't a huge deal.

But teams are putting more and more pressure on the defense, which means forwards need to help out and give the blue-liners options to get the puck out of trouble. Flying up the rink isn't providing that option.

The lack of options will make the blue-liners look sloppy. To get the train back on the tracks, UMD must first get back to the 200-foot game it was playing so effectively before Christmas.

Finally, Al Onken asks, "Game #2 at Grand Forks took a lot more out of this team than anyone thought at the time, I think. Agree/Disagree?"

I don't know that I do.

What I do think is that UND exposed UMD's defensive zone issues that I just discussed. Now it's time for the Bulldogs to adjust.

It doesn't matter if you win a game 1-0 or 8-5, but the 1-0 game will be much easier to watch if the guys are taking care of their goalie and their own end of the rink first.

There have been times this season where UMD's defensive breakdowns have been caused not by a lack of defensive acumen, but instead by players thinking too much about the offensive side of things. There have been quite a few odd-man rushes lately, and many of them have been caused by players being caught too far up the rink because they're trying to make things happen offensively.

More than anything on Saturday, I want to see UMD take care of its own zone, whether it's McNeely or Kaskisuo in net. If that happens, I'll be happy regardless of the end result, because I know that other things will take care of themselves.

They have to be good defensively first.

******

As mentioned, No. 1 Minnesota State beat Minnesota 4-2 in the other NSCC semifinal. Bryce Gervais scored twice for the Mavericks. Hopefully the Gophers have forgotten about that home-and-home sweep in November. Ah, who are we kidding? The third-place game should be very salty Saturday afternoon.

In the NCHC, North Dakota got a short-handed goal from Michael Parks in the third period to beat Colorado College 2-1. Zane McIntyre made 30 saves as CC actually led in shots 31-27. Just when CC was looking like an easy out for the NCHC regular-season champion, the Tigers are playing much better hockey. That could mean no easy outs for any home team in the league tournament.

Denver went into Oxford and beat Miami 3-1. With the score tied at one in the second, DU killed off a five-minute major on Ty Loney, who was ejected for a check from behind. Then Trevor Moore scored twice in the third, including an empty-netter with ten seconds left. Tanner Jaillet got the win in goal with 27 saves.

St. Cloud State blasted Western Michigan 7-0, sending the red-hot Broncos to just a second loss in 11 games. Western had been 7-1-2 over ten games, an impressive run that came against some strong competition. But WMU had nothing for the Huskies Friday night. David Morley scored twice, while Joey Benik had four assists for SCSU while Charlie Lindgren pitched a 23-save shutout.