Game 41: UMD vs. Notre Dame (NCAA Frozen Four Semifinal No. 1)

ST. PAUL -- Bad wireless here in the press box, so I will just get the lines up for now. If time and wireless permit, I will throw a few notes on here before faceoff.

Lines?

Lines.

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

Faulk - Montgomery
Bergman - Lamb
Olson - Palm

Reiter - Crandall

Notre Dame
Lee - Sheahan - Maday
Costello - Ryan - Guentzel
Ridderwall - Tynan - Rust
Larson - Gerths - Voran

Lavin - Johns
Taker - Lorenz
Lind - Calabrese

Johnson - Summerhays - Rogers

(Summerhays is listed first on the line chart, but Johnson has been the regular starter. This is an assumption, just like it was for the Yale game.)

Frozen Four: Musical Interlude

ST. PAUL -- Our friends at the UMD Penalty Box message board have done this all season, and I feel it's fitting to steal it for this moment.

We all have those songs that we like to listen to before a big game. In my case, I have a rotation of close to 75 in my iPod that usually get the job done.

Since no one affiliated with Amsoil Arena has put the wonderful video that is played before introductions at UMD home games on YouTube yet (this is a not-so-subtle message, by the way, for someone to DO IT!), here is the song that you hear before every UMD home game.



This one is another favorite of the kids. Message is about the same in the end, though this one is potentially NSFW, depending on your W situation.



I ran into former Bulldog Mark Odnokon (1982-1986, 39 goals, 119 points) in the hotel lobby. He's excited. In talking with UMD coaches and staff, it's awesome how incredibly pumped our fans, longtime supporters, and alumni are.

All it does it make this moment even more exciting ... and even more of an honor to be part of. I can't put my own excitement into words, frankly.

I'll be back later with lineups and perhaps a couple pregame notes. Will do the same for the second game before faceoff, and will deliver some quotes and such from the postgame press conferences if I can.

Frozen Four: Quotable, Part II

ST. PAUL -- Here are a few quotes from Wednesday's press conferences involving Michigan and North Dakota.

Michigan coach Red Berenson on being in Minnesota: “It is interesting that this senior class played their first ever college game in this building. We are proud to be here and we want to put our best foot forward in this tournament. Our program has been in this tournament since I have been here 11 times, only getting to the championship twice.”

Berenson on finding a way to slow down North Dakota: “We need to play our game, and if we let them do what they are good at, they will do it. We need to stay on the ice, be responsible with the puck and be ultra responsible without the puck. If you give this team out-numbered rushes and power-plays they will take you right out of the game."

Berenson on how Michigan can win the game: “Stranger things have happened. You need good goalkeeping, good penalty killing, good back checking, good play coming out of your zone and you need to be opportunistic. We know they are a better team, but we are going to come and play hard."

(Insert eye roll here. Berenson and Denver's George Gwozdecky clearly went to the same sand-bagging school. You'd think North Dakota was playing American International on Thursday.)

Forward Louie Caporusso on what is likely to be a hostile crowd Thursday: “North Dakota is going to have a lot of fans here, but we’re not concerned about the rink or who is coming, we are just concerned with how we are going to play. We have played in these types of atmospheres before; where the other team is bring a lot of noise. I don’t think it has affected us before. We like playing on the road, so if it’s a hostile atmosphere, so be it.”

Forward Carl Hagelin on the difference between this Michigan team and when he was a younger player there: “Maybe this year we are more of a team then we were our freshman year. Back then we had more of a core group of players scoring all the goals and this year we are better defensively and if we want to do better that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Hagelin on thriving in anti-Michigan environments like what they expect Thursday: “Yeah I think it will help us. It doesn’t matter where we play we just have to focus on our task and that is to win the game tomorrow. Every guy on our team is excited and we know it’s going to be packed but we just have to play our game.”

North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol on trying to keep a relatively normal routine for his team: "I don’t know if you would call it absolutely routine, but obviously you try to keep everything that’s under your control into a fairly regular routine. Our guys have talked about it, enjoy the day, have a little bit of fun, but when it’s time to work, go to work and do our jobs. So far today our guys have done a good job on all of those things, and we’ll continue with our day.”

Hakstol on his senior class: “They’ve played such a huge role. They’re the leadership core of this group, which starts with our seven seniors. Our senior class is a great group of young men. They’re extremely resilient and they’ve stuck together over four years. One of the best compliments that I can pay to them is that they’re great teammates, they work hard and they have fun, and they do all those things together. That’s been a real strengthening bond for them and that’s trickled down to our entire hockey team in the locker room.”

Defenseman Chay Genoway on his return for a fifth year at UND: “It has been a great experience so far. Obviously last year was a tough one for me personally. Just to have the chance to do it over again has been pretty special. For this year’s senior class to take me and to have the opportunity to join their class has been a pretty cool thing. They are a group of six guys that are pretty tight knit. It has been a fun ride so far and hopefully we have a lot of memories to come.”

Forward Brad Malone on the key to their long unbeaten streak (UND hasn't lost since Jan. 28): “We focus at the task at hand. What is behind us is behind us. I don’t think that is what is pushing us. We are focused on tomorrow and getting a win and that is all that really matters.”

Frozen Four: Quotable, Part I

ST. PAUL -- Here are a few quotes from Wednesday's press conferences involving Notre Dame and UMD.

Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson, who won three national titles at Lake Superior State, including one in St. Paul: "I'm very fortunate to be part of six of these (Frozen Fours). It's a thrill for all of us, and I'm especially thrilled because of this group of kids."

Jackson on this year's team: "This group has been different than any team I have had in the Frozen Four. If there are any similarities it would be back to the Lake State team in 1988, or '92, when we had a really large freshman class. Even back then the freshman class was a little older."

Jackson on sophomore goalie Mike Johnson: "Mike is a character kid, one of the things he is going through is that he had never truly been a No. 1 goalie, and last year he was just thrown into it. He had top-five numbers in the country in the first half last year before fading out."

(Johnson has a .945 save percentage so far in the NCAA Tournament.)

Forward and Minnesota native Ryan Guentzel on getting back to the Frozen Four: "It's a great feeling. 2008 was a great experience for us, being able to play in the national championship was just a blast. Coming back to St. Paul, right by my home town, so looking forward to it."

Guentzel, a senior, on his advice to his team's freshmen: "The main thing I have been trying to get across to the freshmen is to enjoy the moment. You're not guaranteed to be in this situation every year. My freshman year we were in the Frozen Four, and obviously that has happened only one other time (this year)."

UMD coach Scott Sandelin on his program making the Frozen Four: “I think it’s a special time for our program, it’s our fourth time here in our program’s history. This group has had a goal to get here since last season. I’m extremely happy for these two seniors here (Justin Fontaine and Mike Montgomery) that came back and have led us to this point. It’s a great opportunity for them to finish their careers on a note that we all want and that’s winning two hockey games. I know our community is excited and everyone associated with our program is excited to be here, but there is certainly a lot of work to be done here.”

Sandelin on the week-plus of practice between regionals and this weekend: “I can tell you that the last week of practice has been extremely fun for us as coaches. We’ve had the players’ attention and focus. It’s a lot different than a weekend off in November or January. I was very pleased with how our guys came to the rink and practiced. They’re excited and they should be, but it was nice not having to get too mad.”

Sandelin on Notre Dame: "They have some good young players. They have a good mixture of young and old guys. In some ways their similar to our team, they like to play aggressively, they forecheck aggressively. So it’s going to be critical to get pucks out of the zone and to try and challenge them defensively. A lot of times, five on five is always tough as the year goes on, so special teams are going to be big. Even though their power play is at 16 percent, they do some different things that we’ll have to be aware of. Again, hopefully we can win the special teams game and chip one in here five on five. I think it’s going to be a great game, both teams like to get up and down."

Forward Justin Fontaine on returning for his senior year, when he could have turned pro at least once and possibly twice: “We’ve came up short the last two years. But had the edge to come back and be in our building. It was an exciting time to come back early August to come for our goal and that’s being here and that’s where we made it and it’s been a great ride.”

Goalie Kenny Reiter on the team's play -- and his own -- as of late: “I think we would have liked to play these games last weekend just to keep our momentum going coming off the regional. I am playing with confidence right now. I’m just trying to go out there and stick to the basics and I think that is what helped me play so well at the regional.”

Frozen Four: Walking the Red Carpet

ST. PAUL -- It screams "Made for TV," which isn't my favorite thing, but it could also turn into a pretty cool idea.

At the Frozen Four Thursday, fans are invited to greet the players in each of the two games as they arrive on the "red carpet" at the XCel Energy Center.

The event will likely be shot by ESPN as part of their Frozen Four coverage, and if enough people show up, it should look pretty good on TV, along with being a unique and enjoyable experience for the players on all four teams.

Here is the information from the NCAA and St. Paul organizers.

The schedule has been confirmed for the 2011 NCAA® Men’s Frozen Four®  Red Carpet Entrance for teams as they arrive for their respective games. Hockey fans are invited to cheer on their teams as they make a red carpet entrance through the west doors of Saint Paul RiverCentre, adjacent to Xcel Energy Center on Kellogg Blvd. Fans are encouraged to arrive early. Cameras are welcome. No autographs will be permitted.

Ticketed fans who have already entered Xcel Energy Center for the first semifinal game may obtain a hand stamp at Gate 1 to gain access to the red carpet area on Thursday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m.

Team buses are expected to arrive at the Saint Paul RiverCentre cut-out along Kellogg Blvd. as follows:

Thursday, April 7
*1:45 p.m.          Notre Dame
*2:00 p.m.          Minnesota Duluth
*5:30 p.m.          North Dakota
*5:50 p.m.          Michigan

Saturday, April 9
*4 p.m.               National championship teams arrive

*Times are approximate. Fans and media are encouraged to arrive early.

Gates will open for the first semifinal at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Also, if you're going to be in St. Paul on Friday, and you're looking for something to do, the semifinal winners will be conducting open practice sessions starting just after 11 a.m. at the XCel Energy Center.

Frozen Four: How Dylan Olsen's Departure Changed UMD

ST. PAUL -- Dylan Olsen left UMD in late December, choosing to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks during the World Juniors and report to the American Hockey League's Rockford Ice Hogs.

Olsen hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire in Rockford, as he has just four assists in 38 games, and he has a minus-14 rating, second worst on the team (Kyle Beach has a minus-23 in 67 games).

This isn't meant as a slam on Dylan. No matter the circumstances of his departure, or how poorly it was handled by the player, he's a good kid, and we wish him well in the pros. His success is a win for UMD, no matter how long he stayed or when he left.

When Dylan left, it was abundantly clear that UMD had some work to do to account for his loss. This wasn't going to be a simple case of "plug someone else in that role and we'll be fine." It was likely something that would take time, and it might not always look like it's going well.

In fact, I wrote on Jan. 2 that UMD will "have to adjust on the fly to not having him (Olsen) again this season. For the likes of Wade Bergman, Brady Lamb, Mike Montgomery, Drew Olson, and Faulk, the job is tougher. Olsen not being around doesn't make this a better team."

It still doesn't make this a better team.

"He's a good player, and it was a loss," senior captain Mike Montgomery said Thursday.

Oddly enough, though, Olsen's decision may have helped bring on what you see today, which is UMD preparing for their first Frozen Four since 2004.

Before the season, many were wondering how the Bulldogs would be able to manage playing time for ten defensemen. The answer? Have Olsen leave early, redshirt freshman Luke McManus (who is going to be a good player), and suddenly you're down to a manageable eight defensemen.

For guys like Trent Palm and Drew Olson, whose playing time had been spotty in the first half, this was an opportunity.

"It opens it up for other guys to step in and make contributions," Montgomery said. "We really had a lot of depth to our D-corps. Before that, we were really rotating a lot of guys in. In the past two months or so, we've really solidified the six guys we have."

That doesn't mean it was easy.

"Dylan was a second power play unit guy, he was having a great year," coach Scott Sandelin said.

In his place, UMD has used guys like Montgomery, Brady Lamb, and Wade Bergman to fill that hole on the second power play unit. Justin Faulk has been the only defenseman on the top power play unit for some time now, with UMD rotating Mike Connolly and Justin Fontaine at the other point, and Jack Connolly working down low with either Connolly or Fontaine and a combination that has included David Grun, J.T. Brown, and most recently, Mike Seidel.

It allowed Sandelin to throw a lot of different looks at teams, and it didn't really seem to cause any ill effect to the power play's performance.

On defense, Bergman has been up and down at times, but mainly on the up side, despite spending much of the season battling through injuries. Bergman is just a rock-solid guy on the blue line, not a high-scoring player, but a highly-effective one in all areas.

Lamb fought off an upper-body injury that could have been much worse than it was, and he's been very good since his return in early March. After struggling at times, Lamb has undeniably played his best hockey as of late.

As for Olson and Palm, they've battled and worked their tails off, and while neither is a high-scoring player who will make a huge impact, Olson's speed can make a difference when he gets the puck. Palm has seen virtually everything there is to see, and his experience is a valuable part of this defensive group.

These are things that might not have happened if Olsen had remained eligible and stayed. It's easy to say UMD would still be in the Frozen Four, but that's not a given. You change circumstances like that, and sometimes it can affect results, even if it doesn't seem like it would.

"He left, but you know what? I guess it's his loss for not staying and being here," Sandelin said.

If only it were that easy ...

Frozen Four: Yes, This is Really Happening

Standing at the top of the seating area at Mars Lakeview Arena Monday, thoughts were flying through my head.

The first thing that jumped out? The UMD Bulldogs were conducting a practice in April. It's not something that happens very often in college hockey, as only four teams in the country are able to boast the right to conduct an organized workout at this point in the calendar year.

It's something that can remind you of what exactly this team has accomplished so far, and what opportunity lies ahead.

Surreal as it may be, we'll be heading to St. Paul Wednesday, and our coverage from the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four will commence at that point.

Expect to see stuff Wednesday involving all four teams, as they will conduct press conferences and all that fun media availability stuff after practices. I'll be on hand, and will be filing Wednesday evening and early Thursday on the games.

(The players also get to sit through an NCAA anti-gambling presentation Wednesday. I'm sure they're excited.)

(Oh, and those practices Wednesday start with Notre Dame at 11am, and they're all open to the public. If you're in the neighborhood, come on out and watch.)

As usual, you'll see line charts for UMD and Notre Dame in the pregame. I'm also planning to post pregame notes on each game. We'll see how well that goes, as I expect to be doing a lot of visiting and BSing when I'm not on the air.

In the meantime, here are a few other notes on the UMD-Notre Dame game:

• Notre Dame sports four Minnesotans and three Sconnies on their roster, including former Edina star Anders Lee, perhaps the best NHL prospect on the Irish team. Woodbury native Ryan Guentzel is the son of current Nebraska-Omaha assistant coach Mike Guentzel. Brother Gabe plays defense at Colorado College, and will be a senior next year.
• Of course, UMD has 17 of the 28 Minnesota-born players who will compete at this week's Frozen Four. Among the State of Hockey natives are star forward Jack Connolly and top defensive pair Justin Faulk and Mike Montgomery.
• The U.S. Under-18 team is well-represented, too, thanks to two UMD players (Faulk and Trent Palm), five from Notre Dame (Patrick Gaul, Sam Calabrese, Bryan Rust, Sean Lorenz, and Stephen Johns), along with eight Michigan players (Chris Brown, Kevin Clare, Kevin Lynch, Jon Merrill, Luke Moffatt, Matt Rust, A.J. Treais, and David Wohlberg), and three (Mike Cichy, Derek Forbort, and Danny Kristo) from North Dakota.
• Yes, Notre Dame's Bryan Rust and Michigan's Matt Rust are related. The brothers have played once against each other, back on March 19 in the CCHA Tournament. During their only regular-season meeting in November, Bryan was injured and unable to play.
• Notre Dame goalie Mike Johnson is one of only six goalies in school history to win 20 or more games in a season. Jordan Pearce, who led Notre Dame to the 2008 Frozen Four, owns the school record with 30.
• Don't be surprised if Thursday's game is wide-open -- at least as much as you can expect at this stage of the season. Notre Dame averages 3.44 goals per game, and UMD 3.40. The Irish bring up the end of the top ten in the country, while UMD is 11th. In regional play, UMD beat the No. 1 offensive team (Yale) and the No. 7 team (Union), and allowed zero even-strength goals in doing it.
• Don't take penalties against UMD. The Bulldogs are at 31.1 percent over their last ten games, including opponents like Colorado College, Nebraska-Omaha, Union, and Yale. That's not like someone hanging seven power play goals in a weekend against Sacred Heart.
• Mike Connolly (rumor has it he's pretty good) has scored 14 goals and 24 points in his last 15 games. Even if you take out his five-goal bonanza against the Gophers, he is at more than a point per game over that span. To add to that, Mike has 22 points and is a plus-13 in his 16 career playoff games.
• Justin Fontaine is closing it out in style for UMD, as the senior has points in a career-high ten straight.
• Only Miami's Andy Miele (115) and Maine's Gustav Nyquist (112) have more points over the last two years than Jack Connolly (107). Only one of the three is still playing college hockey, as Miele exhausted his eligibility and signed a free-agent deal with Phoenix, and Nyquist signed with the team that drafted him, the Red Wings.

Frozen Four: Smurf-tastic?

One of the easiest shots to take at a pro prospect involves something he has no control over.

You can lift weights until you're buff, eat until you're puff, and you can learn how to play the game so you look like the stuff.

But there has yet to be a coach in any sport who could coach his player to be taller.

It's the biggest knock on UMD junior stars Jack and Mike Connolly*. It might be the only reason why Miami senior Andy Miele played his fourth year of college hockey, and has a shot at the Hobey Baker Award Friday.

(* - In case you didn't know this, they're not related!)

It's also the reason why Notre Dame freshman T.J. Tynan didn't get his name called at the NHL Draft. At five-eight and 156 pounds, Tynan is the leading scorer for the Fighting Irish, who battle the Connollys and UMD Thursday in the NCAA Frozen Four.

I haven't seen Tynan very much, but you can take the word of virtually everyone else. He's good, and the potential is there for him to be a great college hockey player.

"He is an extremely smart player," Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said. "He knows how to find open people. He knows how to get open. Those are God-given skills that he has that allow him to be creative and make plays. Probably the thing that makes him most effective is that he competes so hard. He's not afraid to get to the dirty areas in front of the net."

The traits of a great small player are often similar. They know how to find people, they know how to get open themselves, they compete their rear ends off.

You could use any of those terms to describe a Connolly. Or a Miele. Or a Cepis. Or a Roe. They're all quite similar.

None of them may have a great amount of success in professional hockey, but that shouldn't stop anyone from talking about them in college hockey, or enjoying the kind of performances they can provide.

There's reason to believe that a "taller" player -- like Notre Dame's Anders Lee or Calle Ridderwall or Mike Johnson, or UMD's Travis Oleksuk, Justin Fontaine, J.T. Brown, Justin Faulk, or Kenny Reiter -- will decide this game with a big play.

However, fans of the college game should have no trouble enjoying Thursday's tournament opener. While both teams have guys with (at least what we think are) solid pro futures, players like Tynan and the Connollys are what make the college game unique and often exciting.

That's not to say that the three "Smurfs" -- as they're probably going to be called by someone at some point -- can't play in the NHL. But not every smallish college hockey star turns into Martin St. Louis. He's quite the exception to the rule.

UMD is the home team Thursday, meaning they have the choice of matchups. With an unfamiliar opponent, it's likely that coach Scott Sandelin will try a few matchups out before he finds any he likes. Two keys to watch here are who he puts the Connolly line out with, and which line he tries to match against Jake Hendrickson's third line, which includes Mike Seidel and Joe Basaraba and has earned high marks lately for hard work and sound defensive zone play.

Jimmie Johnson the Latest Driver Mad at NASCAR About Speeding Penalty

Every weekend, NASCAR stops at a track for a race or two or three in their major national touring series. Every time, there is a prescribed speed limit to be enforced on pit road.

This past weekend, the track in play was Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. It's a short track, and the speed limit on pit road in 30 miles per hour. The typical penalty for speeding is a pass-through, meaning a driver has to go through pit road at the speed limit while green-flag racing is going on.

Five-time defending Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, winner of five races at Martinsville over the last five years, was the latest big-name driver to suffer a speeding penalty on pit road and vehemently dispute it. It was a penalty that took Johnson out of contention for the win, which eventually went to Kevin Harvick.

Johnson, who was caught going 35.53 miles per hour in one of the timing loops on pit road, was clear after the race that he felt he was wrongly caught.

“I wasn’t speeding,’’ Johnson said. “There is just no way. People will say whatever. But with the match and the way we know (the location) of our timing lines, there is just no way. There is just no way. There is just no way. It won’t do me any good to have a conversation (with NASCAR). It isn’t going to matter. I guess I just can’t attack pit road like I know I can and like I did every single time before this.’’

Johnson is hardly the first driver who was taken out of contention in a race, and felt he wasn't really speeding.

In 2009, Juan Pablo Montoya was dominating at the Brickyard before a speeding penalty took him out of contention.

"If they do this to me, I'm going to kill them," Montoya said on his radio. "There's no way. I was on the green [dash light].

"Thank you, NASCAR, for screwing my day. We had it in the bag and they screwed us because I was not speeding. I swear on my children and my wife."

... co-owner Felix Sabates had a request about the speeding call.

"I just want [NASCAR officials] to show me he was speeding," Sabates said on the telecast. "If they show me, I'll be happy with that."

OK. After the race, Sprint Cup director John Darby had the specifics about Montoya's double no-no.

Pit road has eight zones where the speed is measured. The speed limit in the pits at Indy is 55 mph. NASCAR gives the drivers a 5 mph cushion.

Darby said Montoya was caught over the cushion in Zones 2 and 4. Officially, the speed was recorded at 60.06 mph in Zone 2 and 60.11 mph in Zone 4. 

Whoops.

A month earlier, 25 speeding penalties were assessed on exit from pit road in a Nationwide race at Kentucky. One of the most visible was Carl Edwards, who was penalized more than once, taking him completely out of contention.

There could be mistakes along the way, but it's hard to believe Johnson was somehow wronged and no one else got caught. Kyle Busch was obviously pushing the rules a couple times, but managed to keep his speed within the guidelines set forth by NASCAR.

Busch finished third, by the way.

It was an uncharacteristic mistake by Johnson -- whose five straight titles have been keyed by his ability to run out front and stay in contention on days where his car wasn't good enough -- at a track where he's dominated.

Way too early to say that it's a sign of things to come, but many NASCAR fans probably hope it is.

Don't **** With Shawn Thornton

Boston Bruins forward Shawn Thornton is a tough son-of-a-gun.

He's not the most talented guy in the NHL, but he's built quite a following for himself in Boston by simply being a stand-up guy on the ice who can pitch in some offense and score some big goals.

Tuesday night, he added to his own legend in Boston with one of the ultimate "tough-guy" maneuvers.

Shortly after taking a skate blade above the eye (total accident), Thornton was skating off the ice while he bled all over it. Apparently, some idiot on the Chicago bench had the gall to say something to Thornton, and that set him off.



To recap: Thornton was clipped by a skate blade and needed 40 stitches, and someone on the Chicago bench thought it was funny enough to say something. Whatever it was, Thornton wanted to fight the guy while he was bleeding all over the place.

And you don't think hockey players are different ... ?