Roses and Thorns: Moving on to Minneapolis

NCHC playoffs first-round results:

No. 1 UND sweeps No. 8 CC, 7-1, 5-1;
No. 2 SCSU sweeps No. 7 WMU, 4-3 (OT), 4-2;
No. 3 Denver sweeps No. 6 Omaha, 5-2, 4-3 (2 OT);
No. 4 UMD sweeps No. 5 Miami, 5-4, 3-1.

DDC noted in his "Who? What? Where?" preview of UND and Colorado College's National Collegiate Hockey Conference first-round playoff series that it's tough to end somebody's season.

The Green and White evidently didn't agree.

With a 7-1 drubbing on Friday followed by a 5-1 shellacking on Saturday, the UND men's hockey team put the Tigers out of their misery in front of a lively Ralph Engelstad Arena crowd and punched their ticket to the Frozen Faceoff at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

For the 14th-straight season, the Green and White earned a berth in the conference postseason tournament with the last three in the NCHC.

North Dakota pounced on CC both nights with an aggressive pace and scoring punch that saw them pot six goals combined in the two first periods (two Friday, four Saturday).

It was a dominant weekend for UND as they turn their focus to the Frozen Faceoff that hasn't been very kind to the Green and White. North Dakota is just 1-3 in their two trips to the Target Center including two embarrassing losses last season.

Here's what stood out to DDC in this week's Roses and Thorns.

Roses

No. 1 -- Killer Instinct

Another cliche: Let a sleeping dog lie.

Well, Colorado College was just that having lost nine-straight games coming into the series and UND didn't give the Tigers a chance to wake up. The six goals combined in the two first periods buried CC before they even got a chance to get going. UND smelled blood from the drop of the puck on Friday night and never let the Tigers off the mat.

UND's Joel Janatuinen celebrates a goal on Saturday night. The Green and White
were dominant in every facet in the 7-1, 5-1 NCHC playoff sweep of CC, the team's
14th-straight first round playoff series win. (Photo credit: Jesse Trelstad, Grand Forks Herald)

One telling segment for DDC was the first period on Saturday. With Colorado College netminder Jacob Nehama laboring with an obvious injury, UND stepped on the Tiger's throat, dominating the play and peppering the CC net with 14 shots and four goals. North Dakota outshot CC 62-33 on the weekend. This killer instinct is huge for the Green and White. While there will be ebbs and flows in each game left, being able to put away a team when the momentum is clearly in their favor will be extremely important. CC was an inferior opponent this weekend and while games going forward will likely be much more tight, having this killer instinct to bury chances when their opposition is on the ropes could prove vital.

No. 2 -- Extra Man Eruption

UND Fr. D, Hayden Shaw
netted his first two career
goals against the Tigers.

UND has been an average power play team this season despite owning a Top 10 scoring offense. On Friday night, the Green and White exploded for four goals with the extra man. Luke Johnson netted a power play goal just four plus minutes into the game while Joel Janatuinen, Nick Schmaltz and Hayden Shaw added three more. Shaw's goal in the third period was the first in his career. UND looked comfortable with the extra man setting up their attack with precision passing and finishing their chances from all over the zone. The Green and White have shown the ability to dominate while 5-on-5 and with the rest of the season being one-and-done games, adding a significant power play could very well decide games. UND's penalty kill has been one of the best, if not the best, in the NCAA since the start of 2016 and pairing that with the type of power play they showed against CC will be a huge development.

No. 3 -- 'D' Does it's Job

UND allowed just 33 shots and Cam Johnson held the Tigers to two goals on the weekend as the Green and White flexed their muscles defensively. With captain and arguably the team's best stay-at-home defenseman Gage Ausmus out for the weekend due to injury, UND did not miss a beat. Hayden Shaw was great in this series, playing responsible defensively and adding his first two career goals. If Ausmus can't go this coming weekend at the Frozen Faceoff, UND knows it has a reliable substitution in either Shaw or Christian Wolanin. North Dakota sports the third-best goals allowed mark in the NCAA with a 1.86 average and as playoff games tighten up defensively, UND will lean on their blue line. The kind of effort they showed against CC will continue to be absolutely necessary.

No. 4 -- Depth Does it Again

UND Fr. F, Joel Janatuinen
had a three-point weekend,
with 2 goals and 1 assist.

The CBS line of Drake Caggiula (1 goal, 2 assists) , Brock Boeser (5a) and Nick Schmaltz (3g, 3a) were great this weekend tallying 14 points, but for the second weekend in a row, the depth of UND also stepped up with a huge series. The rest of the Green and White notched 22 points on the weekend, including two goals from Shaw, two assists from Paul LaDue and a three point weekend (2g, 1 a) by Janatuinen. As the CBS goes, so goes UND, but if the Green and White can see this kind of consistent depth scoring, they will be very tough to beat going forward.

Thorns

No. 1 -- A Farewell to the Ralph

There's no more pure home-ice advantage for UND.

The Green and White turned out the lights on the Ralph Engelstad Arena for the 2015-16 season with another successful weekend and rounded out a tremendous home record. UND went 16-2-1 in front of the REA faithful this year and for the 14th-straight season, it ended in style with a first-round conference playoffs series win. For the four seniors, Caggiula, Coltyn Sanderson, Colten St. Clair and Bryn Chyzyk and any player potentially leaving for pro contracts, it was their last game at "The Palace on the Prairie." It's always tough to know that UND won't play again in Grand Forks until October, but hopefully, the next time the lights go on at the Ralph, an eighth green banner will join the 16th white one in the rafters.

So that's it. Check back later this week for DDC's preview of the NCHC tournament as UND travels down I-94 to Minneapolis for the Frozen Faceoff from the Target Center. Thanks again for reading.

NCHC Playoffs -- First Round: Cliche Alert! "It's Tough to End Somebody's Season"

It's been over six months since the UND men's hockey team kicked off its 2015-16 campaign with a new head coach, new starting goaltender and 11 freshmen.

Twenty-eight wins, including 11 sweeps, a conference scoring title by one of those 11 freshman, Brock Boeser and a Penrose Cup title later, the Green and White are right back where they started the National Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs the past two seasons -- at home facing the Colorado College Tigers in a best-of-three series with a chance to move on to the Frozen Faceoff in Minneapolis.

It's been quite a ride for UND and despite what happens this weekend in Grand Forks, the Green and White will definitely be playing in the NCAA tournament in two weeks. For Colorado College, the stakes are much different. It's win or play golf for the Tigers as they are well out of the Pairwise rankings.

North Dakota took 11 of 12 points from the Tigers this season, but the old cliche "it's tough to end somebody's season" holds true in this one.

While UND's season isn't in jeopardy of ending this weekend, the Green and White certainly have a lot to play for.

Currently holding the No. 1 Pairwise ranking, UND looks to continue a hot finish to their 

regular season en route to the opportunity to hang green banner No. 8 in the REA rafters. That push begins tonight.

Here's what to watch in this week's "Who? What? How?" NCHC playoffs preview as UND looks to end CC's year in the first round, for the third-straight season.

Who will survive and advance? It's time to lace 'em up. It's playoff time.

Who?

Who will advance to the Frozen Faceoff?

First round matchups at high seed:

No. 1 UND vs. No. 8 Colorado College
No. 2 SCSU vs. No. 7 Western Michigan
No. 3 Denver vs. No. 6 Nebraska Omaha
No 4. Minnesota Duluth vs. No. 5 Miami

Players to watch

Colorado College

Sr. F, Hunter Fejes, 13 goals, 9 assists -- 22 points; Jr. F, Luc Gerdes, 7g, 11a -- 18 pts; Fr. F, Trey Bradley, 9g, 7a -- 16 pts; Sr. F, Cody Bradley, 7g, 8a -- 15 pts; So. D, Teemu Kivihalme, 3g, 12a -- 15 pts; Fr. G., Jacob Nehama, 6-17-0, 3.62 goals against average, .902 save percentage; Jr. G., Tyler Marble, 0-9-1, 3.66 GAA, .892 SV PCT.; Jr. G. Derek Schatzer got his first career start last Saturday and allowed nine goals to SCSU.

UND

Fr. F, Brock Boeser, 25g (Most goals in NCHC, 2nd in NCAA in rookie goals, T-4 overall in NCAA), 18a -- 43 pts (NCHC scoring champ, 2nd in NCAA in rookie scoring, T-10 overall); Sr. F, Drake Caggiula, 18g, 21a -- 39 pts; So. F, Nick Schmaltz, 5g, 29a (T-2nd in NCAA in assists per game with 1.00) -- 34 pts; Jr. D, Troy Stecher, 7g, 18a -- 25 pts; So. F, Austin Poganski, 8g, 13a -- 21 pts; So. D, Tucker Poolman, 4g, 17a -- 21 pts; So. G, Cam Johnson, 18-3-1 (1st in NCAA in win percentage), 1.63 GAA (2nd in NCAA), .937 SV PCT (3rd in NCAA), 5 shutouts (T-6 in NCAA).

What?

Standout Stats

UND Fr. F, Brock Boeser
won the NCHC scoring title.
Boeser became the program's
first rookie to earn a league scoring title.

The Green and White landed four players on all-NCHC teams. Freshman Brock Boeser and senior Drake Caggiula were first-team selections while junior Troy Stecher and sophomore Cam Johnson earned second-team honors. Boeser was the top vote getter for the all-rookie team. Junior Paul LaDue and sophomore Nick Schmaltz were honorable mentions.

UND is allowing just 1.86 goals per game which slates them third in the NCAA. North Dakota has the nation's 8th best scoring offense with a 3.53 average.

Colorado College is 55th in the NCAA in goals per game with 2.03 and 56th in the country in goals allowed at 3.91.

Boeser became UND's first freshman in team history to win a conference scoring title. Boeser's 20 goals and 35 points in conference play earned him the league's best mark in both categories. Both were new conference records.

UND senior Drake Caggiula is tied for first in the NCAA with a +34. Sophomore Nick Schmaltz and Boeser are tied for fourth with a +30.  

North Dakota has the country's 6th-best penalty kill at 86.8%. CC's power play is clicking at 15.6%, 39th in the NCAA.

The Green and White are 21-0-2 when leading after 2 periods this season and has not lost when leading after two in more than two years.

How?

How'd they get here?

No. 2 UND (No. 1 in PWR, 28-5-3, 19-4-1-1 -- 59 points, No. 1 seed in NCHC tournament, Penrose Cup champions) swept Western Michigan 8-1, 5-4 in Grand Forks. The Green and White enter the playoffs on a six-game winning streak, the program's longest streak to end a regular season since 2009-10.

Colorado College (6-27-1, 4-19-1 -- 13 pts, 8th seed in NCHC tournament) was swept at home against St. Cloud State, 5-2, 9-3.

North Dakota took 11 out of 12 points from the Tigers this season, sweeping CC 5-2, 2-0 in Colorado Springs and adding a 5-5 tie (UND won the SO) and 5-1 win in Grand Forks.

These two teams have now faced each other in the first round of the NCHC playoffs in all three league tournaments.

The Pick

Sports fans love cliches.

"You gotta play it one game at a time." "Throw the records out the window, it's playoff time." "It's going to take a full, sixty-minute effort."

Part of the reason sports fans love cliches is that they give everyone hope. After all the ups and downs of a season, the wins, the losses, the highlights and lowlights, all that's in the past really doesn't matter. If a team doesn't get it done come playoff time, all the regular season is is a memory.

Colorado College is holding the adage "it's tough to end somebody's season" tight as they look to continue their campaign.

UND and Colorado College will faceoff in the first round of  NCHC playoffs
for the third-straight season. The Green and White took 11 of 12 points from
the Tigers this season. The winner of the best-of-three series will move on to the
NCHC Frozen Faceoff next weekend in Minneapolis. (Photo Credit: GF Herald)

Outside of a 5-5 tie that saw UND cough up a 4-0 lead at home, the Green and White have wholly dominated the Tigers this season. In the 5-5 tie in Grand Forks, CC's top line of Hunter Fejes, Sam Rothstein and Luc Gerdes pasted UND as the Green and White struggled defensively.

As they often do come playoff time, injuries could play a big role in this series. UND looks like it will have the services of dynamic forward Nick Schmaltz this weekend, while the Tigers don't yet have the answer of who will play in net. CC junior third-string netminder Derek Shatzer was forced into his first-career start last weekend against SCSU as Tyler Marble and Jacob Nehama both sat with injuries. Shatzer was welcomed into college hockey by nine goals from the Huskies. No official word has come as to the availability of Marble or Nehama for this weekend. Rothstein also sat out due to injury. Not having Rothstein would be an obvious blow to the Tigers.

Back to the cliche.

UND will be playing a desperate CC squad that doesn't want to see their season come to an end, but the Green and White are simply the better team. If North Dakota can keep the momentum on their side, potting a couple early goals, they should coast. CC is the No. 8 seed and playing for their season for a reason.

It's the last time UND seniors Drake Caggiula, Bryn Chyzyk, Coltyn Sanderson and Colten St. Clair will skate in front of their home crowd and DCC thinks their leadership will pace a North Dakota series victory this weekend.

North Dakota's big offensive guns and third best defense in the NCAA will be too much for the Tigers.

UND SENDS CC TO THE GOLF COURSE AND MOVES ON TO THE FROZEN FACEOFF, 5-1, 4-2.

There you have it. Check back after the series to see who punched their ticket to the Target Center.

Roses and Thorns: Five-out-of-Six Ain't Bad

NCHC Standings:
1) SCSU, 12-3-1-1 -- 38 points; 2) UND, 11-2-1-1 -- 35 pts;
3) DU, 8-4-2 -- 26 pts; 4) UMD, 5-8-3-1 -- 19 pts;
T-5) UNO, 5-8-1 -- 16 pts; T-5) Miami, 4-8-2-2 -- 16 pts;
7) WMU, 4-9-1-1 -- 14 pts; 8) CC, 3-10-1 -- 10 pts.

Up 4-0 just 10 minutes into the first period on Friday night at home against Colorado College, the script was being just as intended. The UND men's hockey team was without two of their best players with Drake Caggiula and Nick Schmaltz out due to injury, but the Green and White weren't missing a step.

However, five unanswered goals later, UND was looking an embarrassing home loss to the last place team in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference square in the face.

Then, as he has done several times in his impressive rookie campaign, Rhett Gardner sparked the Green and White, potting an extra attacker, game-tying goal with just 32 seconds left in regulation, to tie the game at 5-5.

After a 5-on-5 OT put the game into the record books as a tie, the two teams skated through a scoreless 3-on-3 second OT and into a shootout. In the shootout, freshman Brock Boeser notched a dazzling goal and junior Matt Hrynkiw, who relieved shaky starter Cam Johnson in the second period, stopped CC's attempt to tie, giving the Green and White the extra conference point.

On Saturday night, much like they did following a home letdown performance the previous Friday in a a OT loss against Omaha, UND shutdown the opponent's top line and cruised to a 5-1 win.

All things considered, 5-out-of-6 points on a NCHC weekend is nothing to be ashamed about.

Here's what stood out to DDC in his weekly Roses and Thorns series recap with Colorado College.

Roses

No. 1 -- Rhett Gardner

Fr. F, Rhett Gardner's
four-goal weekend
earned him NCHC rookie
of the week honors.

Gardner was a late add to this year's squad as UND decided to bring in the Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan native as the season neared its start and Gardner really has been impressive. The freshman forward had his best weekend to date against CC, netting two goals each night, including the game-tying goal on Friday, earning NCHC rookie of the week honors. His big-body presence has been a huge boost for UND throughout this season, but his biggest impact might be in the faceoff circle. Gardner has won 156 faceoffs to this point in the season, which is currently fourth among rookies since 2003-04 for UND. He will likely reach second most in that list that includes NHL stars T.J. Oshie (154), Brock Nelson (173), Jonathan Toews (204) and Travis Zajac (485). By the way, no, that is not a typo. Travis Zajac won 485 faceoffs as a freshman, which is roughly 19 a game. Crazy stat. Some pretty impressive company for Gardner to be in.

No. 2 --Defensive Response

As mentioned earlier, UND had another defensive letdown on Friday night against an opponent's top line. Last weekend, it was the line of Austin Ortega, Jake Randolph and Jake Guentzel recording 9 points. This past Friday, it was CC's line of Hunter Fejes, Sam Rothstein and Luc Gerdes doing the damage as the trio notched 8 points in a stunning tie. But, as they did the previous week against Omaha, the Green and White shutdown the CC top line and coasted to a big win. UND was flat out dominant on Saturday, allowing just 19 Tiger shots, with just 9 in the first two periods. While the offense has been impressive this season, the D corps is the backbone of this team and showed it again in a big way on Saturday.

No. 3 -- Offensive Depth

UND Sr. F, Bryn Chyzyk chipped in a goal on Saturday
night in a 5-1. The Green and White netted 10 goals
on the weekend without the services of Drake Caggiula
and Nick Schmaltz. (photo credit: Eric Hylden, GF Herald)

A running storyline for UND this season has, of course, been the play of their vaunted CBS line of Caggiula, Schmaltz and freshman Brock Boeser dominating the Green and White statistics while the rest of the team dragged a bit behind. However, with Caggiula and Schmaltz both nursing injuries this weekend, UND's depth came to play. The Green and White netting 10 goals, white Boeser notched just one point on the weekend. Six players scored goals this weekend including freshman Mike Gornall, who potted his first-career goal in his second-career game, on Saturday. UND got contributions from important players like Luke Johnson, who scored twice on Friday, Austin Poganski and Bryn Chyzyk in the series. This is a huge development for UND as they'll need their depth to show as the CBS line is still nicked up.

Thorns

No. 1 --Goaltending

Sophomore Cam Johnson has been nothing short of impressive this season as the netminder tops or is in second in the NCAA in all major statistical categories so far, but the Michigan native seemed a bit out of sorts this weekend. Johnson was pulled in the second period after allowing a third goal in the second period on Friday, moving the game to 4-3. Johnson made just 8 saves and allowed two goals from well away from the net as he was yanked in favor of Matt Hyrnkiw. Hyrnkiw, who has also been wholly impressive this season, seemed to struggle a bit as well, letting in two goals to give CC a third period lead. However, the junior made a couple big saves in the third and OT to earn UND the comeback tie. Johnson bounced back admirably on Saturday, allowing just one goal on 19 shots faced, but still looked a bit uncomfortable with several heavy rebounds. While this could be nothing more than a hiccup for a goaltender who had a stretch of unbelievable play earlier this season, the concern is certainly there. The Green and White need Cam Johnson to play like the goalie who ran off a UND record shutout streak to continue to be successful, down the stretch.

No. 2 -- Turnovers

DDC doesn't often single out poor performances on a weekend to an individual, but it's hard to ignore the turnovers from this series against CC. Junior defenseman Keaton Thompson had two critical turnovers on Friday night, one leading to the Tigers first goal and the other nearly ending the game in overtime. A dynamic, play-making d-man, Thompson is usually one to help create offense for UND, but his lapses in play this weekend were evident. The Green and White as a whole were terribly inconsistent outside of the first 10 minutes on Friday, continually turning the puck over in the neutral zone and missing breakout passes, leading to transition the other way. This is something that was corrected on Saturday and must not turn into a trend.

There you have it. Come back later this week as UND travels to Kalamazoo, MI to take on the Western Michigan Broncos in another NCHC tussle. Thanks for reading.

Friday Gameday: Battling Tigers and a Bug

DDC wrote in his last column that the UND men's hockey team hasn't faced much in terms of adversity so far this season.

While that was meant in terms of adversaries on the ice, the Green and White could have more than just the Colorado College Tigers to battle Friday and Saturday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

UND is also battling the injury bug.

With freshman Chris Wilkie already out of the lineup last Saturday night due to injury, the Green and White saw Hobey Baker candidate Drake Caggiula leave the game after finishing a check. Caggiula is doubtful this weekend, said UND head coach Brad Berry at the team's weekly presser. Bad, right?

Well, it gets worse.

Fellow Hobey Baker candidate and CBS linemate, sophomore Nick Schmaltz, sustained an injury during practice this week and could join Wilkie and Caggiula in the stands.

Wilkie aside, UND could be without two players who have racked up 57 points thus far this season and are tied for first in the NCAA in plus/minus. Really bad, right? Again, it gets worse as this doesn't appear to be the same Tigers squad that the Green and White swept back in October.

Besides UND and St. Cloud, can you name the NCHC team with the best record since December 1? You guessed it, Colorado College. During that eight-game span, the line of senior Hunter Fejes and juniors Luc Gerdes and Sam Rothstein have racked up a whopping 26 points, including a sweep against Miami and a win over the NCHC-leading Huskies.

How will it all shake out? DDC has his take in this week's "Who? What? How?" series preview.

Who?

Players to watch

Colorado College
Sr. F, Hunter Fejes

Colorado College

Sr. F, Hunter Fejes, 9 goals, 5 assists -- 14 points; Jr. F, Luc Gerdes, 4g, 9a -- 13 pts; Jr. F, Sam Rothstein, 5g, 7a -- 12 pts; So. D, Teemu Kivihalme, 3g, 9a -- 12 pts; Fr. F, Trey Bradley, 7g, 4a -- 11 pts; Fr. G, Jacob Nehama, 5-10-0, 3.37 goals against average, .905 save percentage.

UND

Sr. F, Drake Caggiula, 15 (T-8 in NCAA), 15a -- 30 pts (9th in NCAA) Likely out this weekend due to shoulder injury; So. F, Nick Schmaltz, 3g, 24a (3rd in NCAA) -- 27 pts; Fr. F, Brock Boeser, 15g (2nd in NCAA in rookie goals, T-8 in NCAA), 10a -- 25 pts (3rd in NCAA in rookie scoring); Jr. D, Troy Stecher, 5g, 14a -- 19 pts; So. D, Tucker Poolman, 3g, 11a -- 14 pts; So. G, Cam Johnson, 10-1-1 (T-1st in NCAA in win percentage), 1.28 GAA (1st in NCAA), .949 SV PCT (1st in NCAA).

What?

Standout Stats

The "CBS line" of Drake Caggiula (+28), Nick Schmaltz (+28) and Brock Boeser (+22) ranks T-1st, T-1st
and T-6th respectively in the NCAA in plus/minus rating.

UND So. G, Cam Johnson

In the past eight games, the Green and White leads the NCHC in both power play (28.1%) and penalty killing (96.9%).

Despite losing for the first time in his college career last Friday night, UND goalie Cam Johnson continues to lead the country in all three major statistical categories, .875 win percentage (T-1st), 1.28 goals againstaverage and .949 save percentage.

UND is allowing just 1.67 goals per game which is third in the NCAA.

Colorado College ranks near the bottom in the NCAA in both goals per game and goals against per game, ranking 55th out of 60 (2.05) and 52nd out of 60 (3.59) respectively. 

How?

How'd they get here?

No. 2 UND (19-3-2, 10-1-1 -- 30 pts, 2nd in NCHC) split at home against Nebraska Omaha, 4-3 OT and 5-1 last weekend.

Colorado College (5-17-0, 3-9 -- 9 pts, 7th in NCHC) was idle last weekend, but earned a split at St. Cloud two weeks ago, falling 2-1 on Friday and winning 5-2 on Saturday.

The Green and White swept the Tigers 5-2, 2-0 on October 30-31 in Colorado Springs.

The Pick 

Lack of scoring depth has been a bit of a problem so far this season for UND. Outside of the CBS line, the rest of the forwards in Green and White have notched just 36 goals in 24 games. With the injuries mounting, UND will need scoring depth.

Brock Boeser could be the only remaining member of the top line and while the freshman is in the midst of a seven-game goal scoring streak, frankly put, he can't do it alone.

With the forward grouping potentially depleted, a heavy onus is set on UND's blue liners. This is where DDC thinks the weekend will be made.

With injuries mounting, UND will rely on a talented blue line group, lead by
junior Troy Stecher, who is fourth on the team in points with 19 (5g, 14a).
(Photo credit: The Gazette in Colorado Springs)

The Green and White D corps paces the third-best defense in the NCAA in terms of goals allowed at 1.67 per game and has notched 66 points this season. Couple that with Cam Johnson, who is leading the country in every major goaltending stat, UND has the ability to lock teams down.

Fejes, Gerdes and Rothstein will be of a major concern for the Green and White, but the defense will carry the load this weekend.

UND SWEEPS, 3-1, 4-3

There you have it. Come back later to see if DDC's call is right. Thanks for reading.

Roses and Thorns: Rolling with Rookies

Headlines from from around the NCHC:
- WMU shocks previously unbeaten Omaha
with a 4-2, 6-1 sweep in Kalamazoo.
- DU drops two in Boston against BC and BU.
- St. Cloud sweeps Miami, 3-0, 3-1.

The No. 1 University of North Dakota men's hockey team scored seven goals this weekend in a 5-2, 2-0 sweep against Colorado College this past weekend in Colorado Springs.

All seven of those goals were scored by freshmen. Let that sink in for a second.

In UND's 2014-15 campaign, freshmen netted 20 goals all season. Through eight, unbeaten games so far this season, the green and white rookies have 14 goals.

Youth is being served and it certainly has been fun to watch.

Here's what stood out from UND's National Collegiate Hockey Conference opening series weekend sweep in The Springs.

Roses

No. 1 -- The Rookies

Chris Wilkie scored twice on Friday, Shane Gerisch potted goals in both games, Brock Boeser netted his fifth of the season on Friday, Christian Wolanin scored the game-winning goal on Saturday and Rhett Gardner scored his first-career goal in shorthanded, game-winning fashion on Friday, capping a tremendous weekend for the UND rookies. The impact that this class has made has been obvious as all have assimilated quickly to the college game. Not since the vaunted class that included Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan in 2005-06 has the Green and White seen this kind of start from a group of freshmen. If you don't know much about that 05-06 bunch and what they have did at UND and eventually on the professional and international stage, you just don't know hockey. What an impressive start so far for this group of UND rookies.

UND's Troy Stecher looks for the puck during Saturday night's game.
Photo courtesy of The Gazette in Colorado Springs.

No. 2 -- Matt Hyrnkiw

If the rookies are story No. 1 so far this season for UND, Matt Hrynkiw has been story No. 1a. The walk-on and former third-string goaltender was great again this weekend stopping 19 of 21 shots in Friday's win and then shut out the Tigers with a dazzling, 29-save performance in a 2-0 win on Saturday. Hrynkiw notched his second shutout of the season in the second game, one more than Zane McIntyre had in his Mike Richter Award winning season as the nation's top goaltender last year. The Saskatchewan native had 14 saves in the second period of that shutout, his best frame of the season. Hyrnkiw has now won all four of his starts and is 4-0-1 on the year. You know what? Screw one rose... here's a bundle of roses for you, Mr. Hyrnkiw.

No. 3 -- UND's PK

UND Jr. G, Matt Hrynkiw
notched a 29-save shutout
on Saturday night.

Putting it nicely, UND's penalty kill hadn't been great coming into Colorado Springs. This weekend was different. The Green and White killed off 11 of 12 Tiger power plays and showed a lot of grit in protecting Matt Hrynkiw. The 12 penalties is concerning, but if UND keeps up this kind of play on the PK, they can take as many penalties as they like. Great performance from a group that didn't return a lot of PK players from last season.

Thorns

No. 1 -- Penalties

The aforementioned PK had to be good all weekend or this series could have gone much differently. Too many undisciplined penalties slowed a UND attack that really carried play throughout this weekend. Colorado College isn't very good and if the Green and White intend to take 12 penalties on a weekend against some of the upper echelon NCHC teams, they may not be as successful on the penalty kill. Behind the play and offensive zone penalties can't become a trend for this team.

Thanks for reading. Come back later this week as DDC previews UND's series against the hated Wisconsin Badgers from the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Friday Gameday: A Special Start

Expectations are always high in Grand Forks when talking about the UND men's hockey team.

Coming into the 2015-16 campaign, on the heels of their second-consecutive Frozen Four appearance, expectations were high once again, but many questions loomed.

The Green and White were replacing seven seniors, all of which who had carved deep roles in the UND program, with 11 freshmen. The team lost two more to the professional ranks, one being Mike Richter award-winning goalie Zane McIntyre. And most importantly, UND came into this season with a new head coach as Brad Berry took over for long-time bench boss Dave Hakstol, who left to coach the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers.

Then came the injuries.

With third-round draft pick Matej Tomek already out with a nagging, off-season injury, UND lost starting goaltender Cam Johnson to a leg injury, vaulting third-string goalie Matt Hyrnkiw, who had not played a single second in the college game, to starter. Senior forward Colten St. Clair, freshmen Shane Gersich and Joel Janatuinen also added to UND's growing injury list.

Sounds like a recipe for a disastrous start, right?

Well, through six non-conference games, the No. 1 Green and White are unblemished and have answered all the questions.

UND looks to continue its special start this weekend as they travel to Colorado Springs to take on the Colorado College Tigers in their first National Collegiate Hockey Conference series of the year, Friday and Saturday night.

Here's what to look for this weekend from World Arena in DDC's weekly "Who? What? How?" series preview.

Who?

Players to Watch

Colorado College:

Colorado College Sr. F,
Cody Bradley

Fr. F, Trey Bradley 3 goals, 1 assist -- 4 points; Sr. F, Cody Bradley 1g, 1a -- 2pts (leading returning scorer from 2014-15); Sr. F, Hunter Fejes 1g (second leading returning scorer from 2014-15); Fr. G, Jacob Nehama, 0-4-0, 3.95 goals against average, .904 save percentage; Jr. G, Tyler Marble, 0-2-0, 3.44 GAA, .877 SV PCT.

UND:

Sr. F, Drake Caggiula 2g, 6a -- 8pts; Sr. F, Bryn Chyzyk 5g, 1a -- 6pts; Fr. F, Brock Boeser 4g, 2a -- 6pts; Jr. D, Troy Stecher 2g, 4a -- 6pts; Jr. G, Matt Hrynkiw 3-0-1, 1.76 GAA, .933 SV PCT.

What?

Standout Stats

For the first time since 2002, UND is undefeated through six games (4-0-2). With a sweep this weekend, the Green and White would be unbeaten through eight games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, the last time UND won a national championship.

UND has won 10 out of the last 11 against Colorado College, including a sweep last season in Colorado.

Matt Hrynkiw's 1.76 goals against average and .933 save percentage ranks him 16th and 13th in the country, respectively.

Colorado College's 1.50 goals per game scoring places them 52 out of 54 in the country.

UND Fr. F, Brock Boeser has lived up to his first-round NHL draft pick billing
so far this season. The Burnsville, Minn. native has been a spark plug so far
this season, coming into this weekend with 4 goals and 2 assists on the year.

How?

How'd they get here?

No. 1 UND is unbeaten on the season at 4-0-2 and is coming off a sweep of Vermont in Burlington last weekend, 2-0, 5-2.

Colorado College is 0-6 early on in the year and was blanked in back-to-back losses last weekend 3-0 and 5-0 at Boston College.

This is the first NCHC series for both teams.

The Pick

UND Jr. G, Matt Hrynkiw

Entering the 2015-16 season, UND looked to be a team that would be led by a stellar defensive corps, returning five regulars to the lineup from last season, but would struggle a bit early on to find goals.

While the defensemen have certainly done their job, carrying a NCAA seventh-best goals per game against average of just 1.5 goals per game, the story has been the offense. Sporting the 14th best scoring attack (3.67 goals per game) in the country, UND has peppered opponents with shots, ranking fourth in the NCAA in shots per game with 38.

On the other side of the ice, Colorado College has struggled, scoring just 1.5 goals per game.

Simply put, The Tigers don't look to have the offensive guns to keep pace this weekend against UND. DDC thinks Hyrnkiw and the defense in front of him will do enough and the goals keep coming for the Green and White.

UND SWEEPS, 5-1, 4-2

Check back after this weekend to see if UND stayed unbeaten in Colorado.

Roses and Thorns: The Legend Continues

Results from NCHC first-round:
No. 1 UND sweeps No. 8 CC
No. 2 Miami tops No. 7 WMU in three games,
No. 6 SCSU upsets No. 3 Omaha with a sweep
No. 4 Denver sweeps No. 5 UMD

For the 13^th season in a row, the UND men’s hockey team hosted a first-round conference to

urnament series from Ralph Engelstad Arena.

And after a 5-1 and 3-2 series sweep of Colorado College, for the 13^th season in a row, UND fans will have the opportunity to follow the Green and White to the Twin Cities while they vie for a conference tournament championship.

No. 1 ranked UND shook off a slow start on Friday and netted two goals late in the second period before coasting in the third period.

On Saturday, CC brought their A game as a team that was playing for their season and stood toe-to-toe with North Dakota, tying the game in the third period.

But, the legend of Connor Gaarder would not let this series go past Saturday.

The senior assistant captain added to his growing list of big-time, late-season goals, notching the game-winner on a terrific back-handed, net-crashing one-timer with just over a minute left in the game.

After a nice play from Bryn Chyzyk in the neutral zone to turn over the puck, Austin Poganski came in from the right wing with Gaarder barreling towards the net. The freshman made a nifty saucer pass to the slot and Gaarder did the rest, sending the REA faithful into a frenzy and UND to the Target Center.

Gaarder’s goal was his fifth in his last six games – and fourth game-winner in that span.

The Edina, Minn., native’s penchant for scoring big goals started last season in the Frozen Faceoff as he potted two in a pivotal, third-place game victory over WMU, including the game winner that kept UND’s season alive. Then, in the NCAA tournament, Gaarder sent the Green and White to the Frozen Four with a dramatic double-overtime winner. In Frozen Four, Gaarder did it again, scoring UND’s lone goal against Minnesota, less than a minute after the Gophers took the lead in the third period.

The senior leader doesn’t have much to say about this knack for big goals, however.

 “It’s just puck luck and hard work, I guess,” Gaarder said on Saturday. “If you work hard, you’re just going to get the bounces.” 

Whatever it is, DDC hopes to see the tough-minded senior continue his flare for the dramatic.

Here’s what stood out to DDC in this week’s Roses and Thorns.

UND's Connor Gaarder nets the series-clinching goal with 1:22 left in the third on Saturday. (Photo: UNDsports.com)

Roses

No. 1 – Connor Gaarder

See above.

Gaarder came to UND four years ago as a late addition to the roster following J.T. Miller’s decision to de-commit from the program and bolt for the Canadian Juniors. While this move crushed DDC at the time as Miller was set to be UND’s first New York Rangers draft pick to don the Green and White,  there are certainly no reasons to be upset now. While Miller has seen success in Broadway, much to DDC’s liking, Gaarder has become a living legend for UND. Fair trade.

No. 2 – Nick Mattson

After bouncing in and out of the lineup during the first half of the season, the senior defenseman took Christmas break to reevaluate his play. Since then, Mattson has been arguably UND’s best defenseman and he showed up big time against CC. Mattson netted the game-winning goal on Friday and added two assists in the 5-1 added an assist. Mattson has been a force for UND, leading the team with 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) in the last 14 games. The senior had often been a source of frustration for fans for parts of his career, but he’s brought his game to a new level during a special run.

No. 3 – Johnny Simonson, Bryn Chyzyk and Trevor Olson

These three were grouped together on the fourth line this weekend and found immediate chemistry. With senior Mark MacMillan officially out for the season and forward Colten St. Clair out for the weekend with injury, Simonson and Olson stepped into the lineup in the playoffs and made a heck of an impact. While trio only notched one point on the weekend, Chyzyk’s second assist on Gaarder’s game-winner on Saturday, the line played with energy and created many chances. Simonson may have had his best game with UND on Friday night, tallying three shots on goal. DDC expects this line to be together this weekend in Minneapolis and is certainly all for it.

UND's Nick Mattson celebrates his game-winning goal in front of the REA faithful on Friday. (Photo: UNDsports.com)

Thorns

No. 1 – No Coverage of Penrose Celebration

DDC did not have the opportunity to see UND parade the Penrose Cup around the REA following Saturday night’s win and he’s not happy about it. Ok, DDC gets it, there are timing constraints and other TV programs to be shown, but c’mon, not even a snippet?! C’mon Midco. This was a pinnacle regular-season celebration for the fans of the Green and White and you cut to other programming?! Fail. Well, here’s to hoping for more important trophy celebrations in the coming weeks.

Thanks for tuning in once again. Come back later this week for the breakdown of the Frozen Faceoff in Minneapolis.

Friday Gameday: It's Hard to End Somebody's Season

It’s hard to believe these words are about to be uttered:

It’s playoff time.

While this weekend’s best two-out-of-three first round National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament series between No. 1 seeded UND and No. 8 seeded Colorado College is certainly big for both teams with a berth in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff on the line, for the visiting Tigers, it’s do-or-die. It’s win or go golfing.

North Dakota clinched the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular season champions outright this past Friday in Oxford, Ohio against Miami and comes into this series a lock for the NCAA tournament in two weeks with the No. 1 ranking in the polls and PairWise. For UND’s seven seniors, it’s the last time they will play in front of the Ralph Engelstad faithful.

For CC, simply put, there’s no other option left but to keep on winning. The Tigers are well out of the NCAA tournament picture and must win this weekend to keep their season alive. 

Enough of the fluff. Let’s get to the preview of this weekend’s series in Grand Forks.

Who?

Players to watch

Colorado College:

Jr. F, Cody Bradley, 10 goals, 19 assists – 29 points

Sr. F, Scott Wamsganz, 8g, 11a – 19 pts

Jr. F, Hunter Fejes, 5g, 13a – 18 pts

So. G, Tyler Marble, 5-16-2, .899 save percentage, 3.39 goals against average (7^th in NCAA), started last 13 games. 27 save shutout against WMU on 2/28. 0-4, 5.95 GAA, .850 against UND this season

Fr. G, Chase Perry, 1-8-1, .873 save percentage, 4.05 goals against average

UND:

Jr. F, Drake Caggiula, 16 goals, 17 assists  – 33 points

Sr. F, Michael Parks, 12g, 19a – 31 pts

Jr. D, Jordan Schmaltz, 3g, 23a – 26 pts

Jr. G, Zane McInyre, 25-7-3, 1.99 goals against average (13^th in NCAA), .931 save percentage (7^th in NCAA). 25 wins tied for lead in NCAA.

16 players with at least 10 points.

UND gathers with the Penrose Cup this past Friday after clinching the NCHC regular season
title outright with a 2-1 win against Miami in Oxford, Ohio. (Photo Credit: UNDsports.com)

What?

Standout stats

CC:

2.15 goals per game (49^th in NCAA), 3.88 goals allowed per game (56^th in NCAA), 21.0% power play (11^th in NCAA), 77.5% penalty kill (51^st in NCAA)

1-15-2 away from home, 0-14-1 when giving up first goal

UND:

3.34 GPG (10^th in NCAA), 2.17 GAG (8th in NCAA), 20.5% PP, 83.6% PK

14-3-3 at home, 18-1-3 when scoring first, 14-0-1 when leading after 1, 21-0-2 when leading after 2.

13^th-straight year hosting first round of conference tournament.

How?

How’d they get here?

CC:

No. 50 PWR, NR USCHO, 6-24-3 overall, 2-19-3, 10 points, Final Rankings: 8th in NCHC.

Last weekend:

2-2 T (SO win), 4-2 L @ Omaha.

UND:

No. 1 PWR, No. 1 USCHO, 25-7-3 overall, 16-6-2, 50 pts, Won Penrose Cup as NCHC regular season champions.

Last weekend:

2-1 W, 6-3 L @ Miami.

Last meeting:

UND swept CC, 2-1, 5-3 in Grand Forks Jan. 23-24. Swept CC in Colorado 3-1, 7-2 on Oct. 17-18.

Fab 5

UND Jr. G, Zane McIntyre

UND lands five on NCHC all-conference teams

First Team
- Sr. F, Mark MacMillan

- Jr. G, Zane McIntyre

Second Team
- Jr. F, Drake Caggiula,

- Jr. D, Jordan Schmaltz

UND Jr. F, Drake Caggiula

Rookie Team

- Fr. F, Nick Schmaltz

The Pick

UND has handled the Tigers this season, sweeping the series 4-0 while outscoring CC 17-7. On paper, this looks like a mismatch.

Statistically, North Dakota is near the top in goals per game and goals against while Colorado College is near the bottom.

That being said, the old adage rings true “it’s hard to end somebody’s season.”

This was evident last season as the Tigers took the Green and White to three games in the first round of the NCHC tournament.

But, as hard it is to put a team away, these two squads are where they are in the standings for a reason. While CC will no doubt be playing with nothing to lose this weekend in Grand Forks, UND has earned its billing as one of the nation’s best teams.

CC has certainly come a long way this season in terms of their play, but UND will not take this challenge lightly. North Dakota plays a tenacious, end-to-end defensive style that relies on depth and hard work. This will be the difference this weekend.

Colorado College brings the nation’s 11^th best power play into this series and it will be important for North Dakota to stay out of the box as the clear edge goes to UND in 5-on-5 play.

With the season on the line for the Tigers, it’s tempting to call this series to go three games, but again, these two teams are where they are for a reason. The Green and White get it done in two and head to Minneapolis.

It’s absolutely hard to close a team’s season, but it’s the end of the line for Colorado College.

UND SWEEPS 5-1, 3-1