UND So. F., Riese Gaber sneaks the puck by Pio goalie Magnus Chrona in magical fashion on Saturday leading the Fighting Hawks to a 4-1 win and a huge NCHC series sweep. Photo credit: Russell Hons.
Coming into this past weekend, DDC said this about the series against Denver:
"These are always fun, but DDC is nervous for this weekend. These nerves come from two things -- DU's 5 goal a game scoring clip and UND's lack of team scoring and cohesion so far this season. The Green and White lack depth scoring and playing against a team like the Pioneers who is scoring in bunches, DDC fears a shootout, run-and-gun type series. .... Containing the top line of Brink, Savoie, and Guttman will obviously be the key. These three men have had a dominant start, so UND must find a way to make other players on the ice score goals against them."
So, depth scoring and containing DU's top line -- check. check.... and sweep.
Led by a terrific collective team defensive effort and by starting netminder Zach Driscoll's best weekend as a Fighting Hawk, UND topped the Pioneers 3-1 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday for a massive sweep in the Hawks' first National Collegiate Hockey Conference series of the season. The Green and White, tasked with slowing DU's top line of Carter Savoie, Bobby Brink, and Cole Guttman who came into the series with 30 total points in 6 games, shutdown the line for exactly zero points.
Here's how DDC saw it in his weekly Roses and Thorns.
**NOTE** DDC is intentionally avoiding talking about Savoie's hit on UND captain Mark Senden late in Saturday's game because the doctor said he should avoid raising his blood pressure. Gotta watch out for the ticker, eh? If you feel like watching this disgusting performance... check it out, below. DDC is BEGGING these two teams play in the playoffs....
The Apple Valley, Minn., native came to UND as a goaltender who was a well-known commodity, but has, along with the team, had mixed results this season. With both Adam Scheel (professional contract) and Peter Thome (St. Thomas) leaving in the offseason, the former two-time all-WCHA pick with Bemidji State was tabbed as the Hawks' No. 1 goaltender after a heavy pursuit in the transfer portal. This weekend, the Green and White faithful may have been assured UND made the right move. Driscoll was fantastic against Denver stopping 43 of 45 Pioneer shots, allowing just a single goal in each contest to help pace the sweep. Driscoll made several key saves in both nights, namely in the third period on Friday when the game was still 2-1. Driscoll isn't as large or athletic as some of UND's most recent No. 1 netminders, but his ability to play the puck and his tenacity stand out to DDC. Simply put, Driscoll is a battler. His movement is quick and solid and he always seems to find a way to come out of a scrum in his crease on top of the puck. He was wonderful this weekend and the Hawks are lucky to have him.
2) Overall Defense - Top Line Shutdown
Denver's top line of Carter Savoie, Cole Guttman, and Bobby Brink strolled into The Ralph as one of the hottest lines in college hockey and are leaving with a goose egg. Coming into this weekend's series with a combined 30 points in six games, UND knew these three would be a handful and the Hawks were up to the challenge holding that line to zero -- yes, zero -- points on the weekend. Buoyed by a stifling checking line of Mark Senden, Louis Jamernik, and Gavin Hain, UND was as good as they've been all year with the back check and found ways to keep the puck off of DU's talented top group. One thing that stood out to DDC this weekend was UND's game while playing with the lead. The Green and White are not an explosive scoring team, but as they showed against Quinnipiac several weeks back, when they get out and score first, they have the ability to lock down other teams. Playing a smart, aggressive, and grinding game, UND was able to slow DU's desire to run and gun. It's a simple formula, and as the team continues to build chemistry, this will be their best way to win games.
Costantini pots his goal on Saturday. Photo credit: Russell Hons.
3) Matteo Costantini
UND Fr., forward Matteo Costantini
DDC didn't really know what to expect from the freshman forward as he made his way to North Dakota. Looking at numbers, seeing his fifth-round draft status, and catching a few clips of his game, DDC was hoping Costantini would develop into a solid performer for the Hawks by the time he left campus. With the surprise late departure of Jasper Weatherby to the NHL, Costantini has been thrust into an important role for UND and has really started to show out. The St. Catherine's, Ontario native scored the Hawks' opening goal each night, adding an assist on Saturday for a three-point, +2 weekend. So far this season, he's racked up seven points (3g, 4a) and is a solid +4. His poise on his goal on Saturday night was special. Speeding in on a partial breakaway, Costantini realized he was facing pressure from his left and instead of trying to make a move, fired a quick wrister that beat DU goaltender Magnus Chrona five-hole to the back of the net just 4:13 into the game. Starting off the season as a bottom-six center, Costantini has already found himself in the top six and has certainly cemented a nightly lineup spot. With Connor Ford missing Saturday night's game and being called day-to-day with an injury, Costantini will be essentially be UND's 1 or 1(a) center for the time being and the freshman is stepping up.
Thorns
1) Faceoffs
DDC just mentioned it, but it has become pretty clear what Weatherby's signing meant for UND this year and how big of a loss it really is. The Hawks' lost a great leader, scorer, and defender when he signed his NHL deal with the San Jose Sharks, but losing a No. 1 center on a team also comes with losing the No. 1 faceoff man. Ford has stepped into that top drawman role well for the Green and White thus far, but that's ok as long as he's in the lineup. With Ford out and UND down to two (well, two and a half) regular centermen, the Hawks lost the faceoff battle 32-27, but at one point, were down 12 in that category during a rough second period. A lot of North Dakota's game is built by forecheck and possession and losing faceoffs certainly does not help that type of game. The Hawks can afford to lose a close faceoff game, but players like Costantini and fellow freshman Jake Schmaltz are going to have a lot of pressure on them to win draws, especially with Ford out of the lineup.
2) Zone Exits/Icings
This got much better as the game went along, but it was noticeable for DDC to want to comment as it happened for long stretches in both games. With a tight-checking and speedy team like Denver, UND has always preached chipping up the side boards into neutral to slow a team like that down. However, the Hawks, during a couple of annoying spans of time each night, seemed to panic, not skate to open ice in the defensive zone, and rush a play into an icing or a bad dump. During a three-minute stretch in the second period on Saturday, DDC counted five icings -- five. With the amount of speed and talent UND has on the backend, that can't keep happening. Couple that with the Hawks' lack of as much faceoff prowess as years past, these poor exits and icings could end up hurting them. DDC knows this can and will get fixed.
All-in-all, these two thorns are about the size of Rhode Island to the U.S. when compared to the enormity of this weekend's sweep of DU. Fantastic start to NCHC play.
Thanks for the read and check back later this week as DDC previews UND's trip to Oxford to visit the Miami RedHawks.
One of the NCHC's most-storied rivalries renews this weekend in Grand Forks as Denver travels to take on UND. Photo Credit: GF Herald.
Welcome to November and welcome, in earnest, to the start of our University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks' defense as the back-to-back Penrose Cup champions. The rest of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference has to chase down the green and white if they plan on taking the cup as regular season champions and that chase begins this weekend as hated rival Denver travels to Grand Forks for a two-game series.
UND, ranked No. 8/10 this week, hasn't had a terrific start to the season going just 4-3 in their first seven games including a last week's disappointing loss to Penn State in Nashville, but DDC believes that reigniting the rivalry with the Pios could certainly be a catalyst for the Hawks as conference play kicks off.
DU, ranked No. 11/13, has had a solid 4-2 start to their campaign and is led by a dominant first line of sophomore Carter Savoie, junior Bobby Brink, and senior Cole Guttman. The trio has tallied a whopping 30 points in the Pioneers' six games.
As UND fans, we all well know what these battles are all about overall and what it means this weekend. Here's what to look for in DDC's weekly "Who? What? How" series preview as NCHC play begins as one of the conference's most bitter rivalries renews inside Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Denver's top line of Brink (No. 3, +9), Savoie (t-No.8, +8), and Guttman (t-No.8, +8) all rank near the top nationally in plus/minus rating.
Savoie's 6 goals is tied for sixth in the NCAA and his 12 points has him tied for 9th. He is also second in the NCAA with 34 shots on goal.
DU's penalty kill has been a struggle this year with a paltry 59.3% kill rate on the year, 56th out of 59 in NCAA, but their 27.6% power play is 12th in the country.
Former UND commit, freshman Massimo Rizzo has had a hot start in his first year in college hockey with five goals on the season.
UND
The Fighting Hawks' power play has been solid so far this season, scoring at a 30.8% clip, good for No. 4 in the NCAA. Their 81.3% penalty kill is 28th.
This weekend marks games number 301 and 302 in the long-storied history of UND versus Denver. Those 302 games is the most played against any opponent in the team's history.
UND lost a 6-4 tilt to Penn State last weekend, dropping just their fourth game since 2018 when scoring at least 4 goals. The Hawks are 44-4-2 in that span when scoring four.
How?
How'd they get here?
The Pioneer's last action came two weekends ago when they dropped two games on the east coast, one to Providence College 6-5 and the next night to Boston College, 5-1. Denver (4-2-0) was 4-0 to start the season prior to those back-to-back losses.
UND (4-3-0) returns home after a stinging 6-4 loss to Penn State last Saturday in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in Nashville. After starting the season with three-straight wins, the Fighting Hawks have lost three of their last four.
Both teams are playing their first NCHC action of the season and this will be the only series between the two teams this year.
Oh, the memories. Photo credit: Sports Illustrated
The Pick
Ahhhh. Good ol' Denver. The memories are endless and the hatred is real. Nick Schmaltz, Robbie Bina, Jesse Martin, Brad Malone, Peter Maninno, and so on, and so on, and so on... To say these teams know each other well is an incredible understatement.
These are always fun, but DDC is nervous for this weekend. These nerves come from two things -- DU's 5 goal a game scoring clip and UND's lack of team scoring and cohesion so far this season. The Green and White lack depth scoring and playing against a team like the Pioneers who is scoring in bunches, DDC fears a shootout, run-and-gun type series. With all of that said, UND's weekend split against Quinnipiac, particularly in their Saturday night win, gives DDC confidence that the Hawks can slow down a solid offensive team. Containing the top line of Brink, Savoie, and Guttman will obviously be the key. These three men have had a dominant start, so UND must find a way to make other players on the ice score goals against them.
One of those other players, former UND recruit, freshman Massimo Rizzo has shown the ability to pot goals, so this will need to be a defensive performance for the Hawks this weekend. If they can hold the fort like they did against QU, they will be fine this weekend.
Chemistry, flow, and team gelling has been the bugaboo for UND so far as the development of these pieces just hasn't gotten there. Skating at home, kicking off the NCHC schedule, against a massive rival, there's no better time for this to happen then in this series. DDC is picking a split.
UND takes one Friday, 4-2 and DU rebounds for Splitsville on Saturday, 5-3.
As always, thanks for the read! Check back early next week for DDC's look at how it all went down from the Ralph.
*Screen pans across the ice, focusing on group of bloggers, readers, fans. Long, slow camera draw towards the far corner. Enter, the returning protagonist*
*Camera shift towards protagonist. Dramatic music rises*
*Protagonist's brow furled, clutching laptop, skating towards crowd*
*Protagonist's stride slowly extends as the group takes notice of returning protagonist. Music builds*
*One in crowd claps. Again. Again. Camera pans to another in crowd. Joins slow clap. Crowd continues to join*
*Music crescendos*
*Protagonist begins 3/4 skate towards crowd, opens laptop as claps reach summit. Protagonist joins the crowd*
END SCENE
Too much? Meh. It's been a while, and DDC enjoys an entrance.
It's been 1,398 days since DDC's last post, a November 20, 2017 recap of then No. 1 Denver and No. 3 UND splitting a series in Magness Arena. That was a fun one, by the way. Green and White were down 3-0 on Friday and came back to win 5-4 in wild fashion. Anyway, it's been a while! Let's catch up!
What's up?
Welp, not much has happened since 2017, amirite?! Right?? *Insert overplayed, lame 2020-21 joke here*. DDC has been busy. Right before and right as the world went nutty, a house was sold, a move to the in-laws occurred, a new house was purchased, a MBA was completed, and DDC baby No. 3 came along.
And, NOTHING. ELSE. HAPPENED. DDC swears. How about you? Nothing? Good. Glad all is well 😀
New season, new DDC -- well, old DDC? Idk. We're blogging, again
DDC swore he'd get back to his droves of fans once the MBA was done. It's done, so he's here. We'll be rolling this out again, at least once a week, during the hockey season, to chat about the good and the bad of our beloved University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks. *sigh* ok... he did it. He said it. Fighting Hawks. Time heals all terrible monikers, or something like that.
The Green and White have changed, a lot, obviously, since DDC has been gone, but the game stays the same. UND comes into the 2021-22 season as the two-time defending Penrose Cup champions as NCHC regular season winners and fully expects to compete for green banner No. 9, this year. The Hawks should be a physically dominant and defensive-minded team that, if the offense clicks with a hoard of new faces (transfers and freshmen), could be a real contender. More on that in the coming weeks as we inch towards the October 2nd exhibition against Manito... er, uh, Bemidji State. Wait, what? Yeah, we'll get to that. Stay tuned!
DDC is back, ladies and gentlemen. Looking forward to hearing from all of you.
It was No. 1 Denver versus No. 3 UND this past weekend from Magness Arena in Denver and what a series it was.
Storylines galore in this match up.
Friday night, the Fighting Hawks were stunned out of the gates and trailed the Pioneers 3-0 midway through the second when UND head coach Brad Berry took his team's timeout.
From there, it was pretty much a Green and White avalanche (see what DDC did there? Avalanche... Denver... NHL... get it? :D) as the Hawks stormed to a 5-4 comeback win.
On Saturday, DU got the split in a 4-1 win on the back of three power play goals. 'Nuff said about that, right? Na. We'll get to that later.
Bear with DDC, but this is a wee bit longer than normal, but he swears, there's some entertainment involved.
Check out what stood out to DDC in his Roses and Thorns review of the Pios and UND.
Roses
No. 1 -- Passing the Test
Coming into this weekend, DDC opined that while UND has been impressive in may ways so far this season, this series against DU would be a true test that would show the college hockey landscape, largely, who the Fighting Hawks really are. Indeed, the Pioneers proved they are the real deal (albeit with some chinks in the armor) but the Green and White took one from No. 1 in stunning fashion at Magness Arena on Friday and if it weren't for some.... well... DDC will touch on this later... we'll say... interesting calls...., had a chance for the sweep despite a 4-1 loss on Saturday. The college hockey season is indeed a marathon, not a sprint, but UND staked its claim as a team that is going to continue to make noise as a contender the calendar turns to 2018.
No. 2 -- Testicular Fortitude
DDC is going to share a bit of a secret that his droves (😉) of fans may not know about him. DDC is proud to say he's a wrestling fan. He understands that no, it's not real, but indeed, it is scripted. You know what, he'll say it... IT'S STILL REAL TO HIM, DAMMNIT! Annnnyway, DDC is going to steal a phrase from WWE legend Mick Foley (sorry for this, David Larson) and say one thing about this UND hockey team. They've got testicular fortitude.
Ok, so this video is talking about Bill Simmons getting fired from ESPN for this, phrase, but it's all DDC could find... but the point still stands.
At one point in the first period, the Hawks were being out shot 21-2 on the road against the No. 1 team in the country and after a second period shorthanded goal, UND trailed 3-0. But man, did this team show the guts and fight of a team that did not want to lose and rallied back for a ridiculous 5-4 victory, outshooting DU 34-13 after their horrendous start. This will be an important win for the Green and White to look back and know that in whatever situation they are in from here on out, they have the fight to get back and win hockey games.
Testicular fortitude for days, ladies and gentlemen.
No. 3 -- Depth
It's been said several times this year, but UND is truly a product of its depth. In Friday night's stunning comeback, the Green and White saw 13 players tally points and got goals from Zach Yon and Joel Janatuinen, both of which was their first of the season and Johnny Simonson's game-winner with 2:31 left was just his second on the year. On Saturday, freshman Matt Kierstad, inserted into the lineup after an injury to Casey Johnson on Friday, opened the scoring with his first of the year. While the Hawks may lack a bit of top end scoring (DDC will touch on this later), the depth of this team to be able to roll four lines against any team and get scoring from all over the lineup is this team's identity at this point of the season. Couple that with a defense that is playing incredibly well, UND has the pieces in place to stay with anyone in the NCAA.
Thorns
No. 1 -- Lack of True Top-End Scoring
DDC does believe that depth is a good thing and that definitely helped UND on Friday, its lack of top-end scoring is something this team lacked. The Fighting Hawks have just three players with double-digit points on the season as junior Nick Jones leads the team with five goals. In contrast, the top trio of Denver, Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry and Dylan Gambrell showed this weekend what top-end scoring looks like. The trio combined for 11 points on the weekend with Borgstrom and Terry both notching five-point weekends. Terry was particularly impressive, making plays all over the ice all weekend against UND. The Green and White need players who've shown scoring ability throughout their careers (ie. Shane Gersich and Austin Poganski) to step up and tally some points for UND to take the next step.
No. 2 -- Officiating
Ugh, DDC really does hate being "this guy", but the referee crew in Denver certainly made a difference this weekend. He's going to do his best to make this quick, but it can't go without saying that officiating played a part all weekend long. On Friday night, the NCHC crew made it a point toss players from the faceoff circle in a torrid fashion. Ok, DDC gets, they were trying to prove a point about faceoff infractions, but this was ridiculous. At one point, DDC counted five-consecutive faceoff tosses. It's just too much. Then on Saturday, the officiating crew literally changed the game. With UND sporting a 1-0 lead in the first, Cole Smith was issued a five-minute major and was tossed from the game for a penalty that lead to an injury to DU defenseman Adam Plant. While the play was certainly interference, DDC believes the call to make it a major was, and he's being nice here, a stretch. Take a look at the hit in question (Credit to the Goonie!). DU tied the game at 1 on a Borgstrom goal. You make your call, but that hit, to DDC, wasn't malicious, high, nor did it come at high speed.
The big calls kept coming and after a Pioneers goal to make it 2-1 early in the third, UND appeared to tie it on a nifty passing play on a 2-1 rush when freshman Collin Adams fed fellow rookie Jordan Kawaguchi beating Tanner Jaillet. Just before the faceoff, however, the refs got together after some, shall we call it, "protesting" from Denver head coach Jim Montgomery. After review, the officials ruled Adams made enough contact with Jaillet to overturn the goal on goaltender interference. Check it out... the play in question starts at 2:42 in the clip:
Even further, here's a still shot of Adam's stick touching Jaillet's pad, but the point here, the pass to Kawaguchi has already been made.
In short, did that contact prevent Jaillet from making the play? DDC's take? Absolutely not. The shot comes an instant later... Jaillet is already beaten. How was this play even sent for review? That may be even the bigger mystery here. Montgomery told local media after the game he challenged the play, which would have put DU's timeout on the line. If that's the case, why did the crew stand around to talk about it for several minutes? It was also reported that the officials told the UND bench that the linesman called the interference. Is this the case? If indeed it was, that may the the first time DDC has ever heard of a linesman making that kind of call. This case was echoed by other media. And if it were the linesman, again, why was there a discussion before the review? It seemed to DDC that this play wasn't going to be reviewed until Denver made a case for it. Simply bizarre.
DU then went on to score two more goals, both on the power play, to pace a 4-1 win and a split.
The power play goals are the biggest note here. Remember the major penalty to tie the game at 1-1? Well, that was only the start. The final tally of penalties called on Saturday night? Denver -- 1 penalty for 2 minutes (UND had :33 seconds of power play time). UND -- 8 penalties for 27 minutes (per Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald, DU had 13:41 of power play time). That is absolutely ridiculous. The Hawks were certainly guilty of some poorly-times penalties in this game and warranted a big chunk of those calls, but are you meaning to tell DDC that DU did not commit a single penalty after the first period? Not a single stick in the skates? No hook around the waist? No interference? Nothing?
It was a sad state of affairs on Saturday that really overshadowed a wonderful weekend of hockey with No. 1 taking on No. 3, but what can you do?
Holy smokes, so much for keeping that short, eh?
Moving on. Thanks for reading and come back later for DDC's take on UND vs. Union in a Turkey Day weekend tussle from the Ralph.
Oh hey, Denver. Remember me? Nick Schmaltz celebrates his game-winning goal in the 2016 Frozen Four semifinals.
Sure, this has nothing to do with this weekend when No. 3 UND takes on No. 1 Denver at Magness Arena, but so be it.
Coming into the season, there was really one sure-fire hypothesis across the college hockey landscape -- the Denver Pioneers were going to be really good again after winning the national championship last season.
Sure the Pios lost 2017 Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher, but they returned five big stars from their title run -- the forward trio of Henrik Borgstrom, Troy Terry and Dylan Gambrell, All-American goaltender Tanner Jaillet and head coach Jim Montgomery. All five of those who returned spurned NHL offers to come back to DU for another run at college hockey glory.
The Pioneers had a hiccup two weekends ago when they were swept by Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, but after a convincing sweep of then No. 1 and undefeated St. Cloud State last weekend, all is right again in Denver with the Pios back on top of the polls.
So far, the hypothesis is still spot on -- DU is really good.
For the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, the Green and White faithful had plenty of questions coming into the season. With the departures of three NHL players Tyson Jost, Brock Boeser and Tucker Poolman, who would pick up the slack for UND?
The Hawks sport the nation's third-best team defense allowing just 1.75 goals per game and all things considered, UND has had a heckuva start to their season. Going 7-2-3 with good weekends against Minnesota, Wisconsin and a five-point weekend last series against Miami, it has indeed been a good start, but this weekend is a different story. It's time for a test.
UND travels to the Rocky Mountain state to take on the Pioneers in a weekend that could very well show the Hawks where they stand in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and NCAA landscape in a match up of No. 1 vs. No. 3.
A rivalry rooted in history renews and DDC has his take and says what he's watching in this weekend's "Who? What? How?" series preview.
Who?
Players to Watch
DU So. F, Henrik Borgstrom
leads the NCAA with 11 goals.
University of Denver Pioneers
Jr. F, Troy Terry, 5 goals, 13 assists -- 18 points (second in NCAA); So. F, Henrik Borgstrom, 11g (leads NCAA), 6a -- 17 pts (leads NCAA in points per game); Jr F, Dylan Gambrell, 5g, 11a --16 pts; Jr. F, Jarid Lukoesevicius, 4g, 6a -- 10 pts; Jr. F, Colin Staub, 2g, 7a -- 9 pts; Sr G, Tanner Jaillet, 5-1-2, 2.46 goals against average; .911 save percentage.
University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks:
Fr. F, Grant Mismash, 4g, 7a -- 11 pts; Jr. D, Christian Wolanin, 3g, 7a -- 10 pts; Jr. F, Nick Jones, 5g, 4a --9 pts; Jr. F, Shane Gersich, 4g, 4a -- 8 pts; Jr. F, Rhett Gardner, 3g, 4a -- 7 pts; Sr. G, Cam Johnson, 5-2-1, 1.63 GAA (5th in NCAA), .925 SV PCT; Fr. G, Peter Thome, 2-0-2, 1.92 GAA, .929 SV PCT (9th in NCAA).
What?
Standout Stats
Denver:
The Pioneers are 42nd in the NCAA in penalty killing at 77.8%, but are 4th in power play, clipping at 27.7%.
Denver is the nation's 2nd best scoring attack, netting 4.20 goals per game.
Sophomore sensation Henrik Borgstrom leads the NCAA in goals (11) and in goals per game (1.22). He's third in points (17). Teammate Troy Terry is second in points with 18 and Dylan Gambrell is tied for 7th with 16.
UND:
UND is tied for 3rd in team defense nationally, allowing just 1.75 goals per game and is second in the NCAA with a 95.8% penalty kill.
Senior netminder Cam Johnson is tied for 5th nationally with a 1.63 goals against average. Teammate Peter Thome is 10th with a 1.92 mark and 9th in save percentage at .929.
Freshman Grant Mismash is tied for 4th in the NCAA in rookie scoring with a 1.00 point per game mark.
How?
How’d they get here?
No. 1 Denver (6-2-2; 2-2-0 NCHC) swept then No. 1 SCSU at home 4-2, 5-1. Sophomore Henrik Borgstrom continued his early-season tear, notching two goals and an assist on Friday and added an assist on Saturday for a four-point weekend.
No. 3 UND (7-2-3, 2-1-1 NCHC) took five points last weekend at home against Miami, winning 4-1 on Friday and winning a shootout after a 3-3 tie on Saturday. Freshman goaltender Peter Thome started his third- and fourth-straight games for the Fighting Hawks as senior Cam Johnson nurses an injury.
The Pick
It's hard to not get nostalgic when UND vs. Denver faceoff.
One of DDC's fondest hockey memories, the Green and White's victory over the Pioneers in the 2016 Frozen Four semifinal capped by Nick Schmaltz's dramatic game-winner with just a minute to go in the game, will always come to mind when these two teams tussle.
Just for funsies, shall we?
What a memory.
Anyway, sure, Denver won it all last year, but UND actually served Denver its last loss before the Pios ran the table to a title last year, a 1-0 win in the NCHC semifinals last year.
Ok, back to the business at hand.
Again, Denver is really good. They sport a top trio in the aforementioned Borgstrom, Terry and Gambrell. They are good in net with Jaillet. The only question mark Denver had coming into this weekend was on the backend and after a leaky weekend against WMU, the Pioneers held an explosive St. Cloud team to just three goals last weekend.
For most of the season, Denver grouped their big three together and their offense was great, but the defense struggled a bit. Last weekend against the Huskies, Borgstrom, Terry and Gambrell were split up and that paid dividends.
Can UND slow DU's dynamic trio of Henrik Borgstrom (11 goals leads NCAA)
Troy Terry (17 points, second in NCAA) and Dylan Gambrell (16 points)
who've combined for a whopping 51 points in 10 games this season?
With last change against a UND team defense who's been really good this year against some good offenses, will Montgomery split the three up in hopes of spreading the offense around? Or will the trio be grouped together to avoid the Hawks top D-pairing of Christian Wolanin and Colton Poolman?
For UND, their scoring this season has been about depth. Against the Pioneers, DDC thinks the Green and White scoring punch needs to step up. Junior Shane Gersich and senior Austin Poganski have had slow starts to this season, but are more than capable of putting this team on their backs.
This weekend will come down to UND playing defense and picking their spots on offense. Expect to see bodies consistently hitting Borgstrom, the NCAA leader in goals (11) this weekend. If the Hawks can slow down Denver and get good goaltending from freshman Peter Thome, who has yet to lose in four starts, they should be able to keep up. Senior netminder Cam Johnson will miss his third-straight weekend due to injury.
Just in case he wasn't clear, for the third time, DU is really good. DDC also thinks UND is pretty good, too, but the question is how good? Will the Green and White score enough this weekend? DDC thinks the Hawks make a statement against the champs and leave Colorado with important early-season points.
UND COMES OUT FIRING ON FRIDAY WITH A 3-2 WIN AND GETS A POINT ON SATURDAY WHEN THE PIOS WIN IN A SHOOTOUT, 5-4.
Come back after the weekend to see if UND passed its test. Thanks for reading!
It's been six long months since we've last seen our beloved UND men's hockey team in action, but that changes as
the puck drops on Saturday when the Fighting Hawks take on the Manitoba Bisons in exhibition action. (Photo: Fargo Forum)
Holey moley, it's frickin' hockey season.
Maybe it's the fact that it was 90 degrees last weekend that makes it feel like we are still in the dog days of summer, but alas, here we are. It's nearly October and it's about time to drop the puck on the 2017-18 season.
Denver is the clear favorite for a back-to-back run at the Penrose Cup as National Collegiate Hockey Conference champions as well as the favorite to defend their national championship, but as we UND hockey fans well know, it's pretty dang hard to repeat.
It's been six long months since the Fighting Hawks lost in heartbreaking OT fashion to Boston University at the West Regional in Fargo and UND has gone through some serious changes. Gone to the NHL are stalwarts Tyson Jost, Brock Boeser and Tucker Poolman. But, the cupboards are certainly not bare. The Green and White return a great nucleus of players that will lead UND in their run to a potential shot at Green Banner No. 9 when the Frozen Four rolls around from St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center in April.
Captaining this year's squad, senior Austin Poganski leads the way with Shane Gersich, Christian Wolanin and netminder Cam Johnson helping pace UND in it's new pursuit of greatness. Accompanying the returners, the Fighting Hawks bring in a nice group of freshman that are hoping to make an immediate impact.
So, let's take a look at what storylines will write the history for this year's UND men's hockey team. DDC delves into those storylines as well as preview his view of the NCHC and NCAA picture and predicts the Hawks' exhibition game against the Manitoba Bisons. Without further ado, let's get it going, shall we?
1) Depth, Depth, Depth
This team, unlike the past two seasons, isn't loaded with elite-level scoring, but it does have a lot of depth. The Fighting Hawks lose a combined 99 points from the trio of Jost, Boeser and Tucker Poolman, all having moved on to professional hockey contracts, but return 7 of their top 10 scorers from last season including last year's team leader in Shane Gersich (21 goals, 16 assists -- 37 points). UND looks to young players like Dixon Bowen and Ludvig Hoff to expand their roles as this team should be able to roll four deep lines if newcomers can come in and instantly contribute.
2) Fresh Meat
UND's rookie class doesn't have the blue chip name like Jost, Boeser or Nick Schmaltz like they have had in the past few seasons, but that doesn't mean this isn't a good class of rookies. In fact, neutralzone.net had the Hawks rated as the top class in the NCAA coming into this year. Grant Mismash is a 2nd-round NHL draft pick while Jordan Kawaguchi and Nicholas Jones are coming off BCHL playoff runs that saw them posted No. 1 and 2 in scoring.
3) Can Cam Return to Form?
2016-17 wasn't a terrible season for UND netminder Cam Johnson, but it wasn't to the level of what it was like during the Hawks' 2015-16 title run in which Johnson was a Mike Richter finalist as the NCAA's top goaltender. Loads of new freshmen defensemen getting used to college hockey was a big part of this, but Johnson was nevertheless not at his top form. With a returning group of D-men in Christian Wolanin, Colton Poolman, Hayden Shaw, Andrew Peski and Casey Johnson that logged significant minutes last season, Cam will have a chance to improve and be the backbone of UND once again. If this happens, the Green and White will have a chance to be in every game this year.
DDC's Preseason NCAA Top 10
1) DU
2) Providence
3) Boston University
4) UMass-Lowell
5) Penn State
6) Wisconsin
7) UND
8) St. Cloud State
9) Minnesota
10) Notre Dame
DDC's NCAA Take
It's DU's world and we're all just living in it. In all seriousness, all the top contenders have big question marks while DU pretty much just has the least. Returning the talent they have on the front end, they are the best team in the country until that is proven differently. Boston University lost a lot of talent, but still has a lot of with Jordan Greenway, Patrick Harper and Jake Oettinger leading the way.
Penn State and Wisconsin are wholly unproven, but are loaded with talent. The Badgers lost Luke Kunin, but gained a legit No. 1 goalie in graduate transfer, All-American Kyle Hayton, formerly of St. Lawrence. DDC believes that UND can make some hay with a lot of depth, but lacks dynamic scoring that they have had the past two seasons. If Cam Johnson plays like he did during the Fighting Hawks' 2015-16 title run, the Green and White could be right there in St. Paul for the Frozen Four in April.
NCHC Picks
1) Denver
2) UND
3) St. Cloud State
Denver sophomore forward is DDC's
NCHC preseason Player of the Year pick
4) Minnesota Duluth
5) Miami
6) Western Michigan
7) Colorado College
8) Omaha
DDC's All-NCHC Team
F -- Henrik Borgstrom, DU
F -- Dylan Gambrell, DU
F -- Shane Gersich, UND
F -- Troy Terry, DU
D -- Jimmy Schuldt, St. Cloud State
D -- Louie Belpedio, Miami
G -- Cam Johnson, UND
Player of the Year: Borgstrom
Defenseman of the Year: Schuldt
Rookie of the Year: Grant Mismash, UND
DDC's NCHC Take
DU is No. 1 in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and the NCAA polls and rightfully so. Losing last year's Hobey Baker Will Butcher is a big blow to their blue line, but returning stars in Henrik Borgstrom, Dylan Gambrell, Troy Terry and goaltender Tanner Jaillet, the defending national champs are poised for another deep run.
DDC likes UND's depth this season, but who will stand out as scorers? Contributions are needed from a nice group of freshman led by 2nd round NHL draft pick Grant Mismash. Cam Johnson ala 2015-16 would be a nice piece for North Dakota.
St. Cloud State looks like a team that will contend both in the NCHC and nationally with Jack Ahcan, Will Borgen, Mikey Eyssimont, the Poehling trio and Jimmy Schuldt leading the way. They are a legit goaltender from being really, really good. Can Slovakian rookie David Hrenak be they guy for the Huskies?
UND is 13-0 all time against the Manitoba Bisons
Bring on the Bisons
UND is 13-0 all-time against Manitoba and topped the Bisons 5-1 last year, but that game was more about raising banner No. 8 to the Ralph Engelstad Arena rafters. In this one, the Fighting Hawks starts its run to No. 9 and are trying to see who can make an early impact. Nicholas Jones has experience in college hockey, leaving Ohio State and heading to the BCHL before coming to Grand Forks. After a huge playoff run, can he make an early impression on his new teammates?
How about Shane Gersich? Can he build of an impressive sophomore campaign and bring the Hawks the elite scoring they are looking for? Will Cam Johnson once again become the man between the pipes or will freshman Peter Thome make his push?
DDC sees UND's depth taking hold here. The Green and White get scoring from all over the lineup as Gersich nets two, captain Austin Poganski gets one to go, while freshmen Jordan Kawaguchi and Grant Mismash endear themselves to the REA faithful with their first tallies. Ludvig Hoff and Johnny Simonson round out the scoring for a successful start to 2017-18.
UND ROLLS, 7-2
It's hockey season, ladies and gents. Let's do this!
Come back next week to see how it went down. Thanks for reading!
UND and Minnesota Duluth scuffle after UMD's Neal Pionk (4) ran over North Dakota goaltender Cam Johnson (33) in the first period of the Bulldogs' 4-3 win over the Green and White in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship game from the Target Center in Minneapolis on Saturday. Pionk was issued a five-minute penalty for the play. (Photo: Eric Hylden, GF Herald)
This must be said ...
DDC isn't "that guy" to criticize officiating. He's truly not. Refereeing sports is incredibly hard, having it done it at the high school level, DDC knows it's a no-win job.
This must also be said ...
DDC has never been one to question a team's leadership and/or integrity (other than maybe the Gophers ;) ).
With those things said, there were some ... we'll call it... questionable ... calls and some ... questionable ... penalties committed this Saturday night when the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs topped the UND men's hockey team 4-3 in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference's Frozen Faceoff championship game from the Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Green and White used a 5-on-3 power play goal to tie the game with just under three minutes to go in the third period. However, UMD would have the last laugh, netting their own 5-on-3 goal with under a minute left in regulation to take the Frozen Faceoff tournament title.
1:15 -- Neal Pionk takes out Cam Johnson; 2:00 Commentary on Previous Hit; 4:00 -- Kyle Osterberg Falls After Clear Penalty by Johnny Simonson; 4:20 -- Willie Raskob Falls After Scuffle with Hayden Shaw; 5:10 -- Dom Toninato Reacts to Call; 7:00 -- Hunter Miska Falls Down; 7:45 -- Dan Molenaar Falls Down -- Note Commentary After Fall.
With all of that said, while the Green and White aren't back in Grand Forks with a new piece of hardware, they come back with a lot of reasons to be happy.
UND topped Denver 1-0 on Friday night, holding Denver to just 21 shots on goal, a season-low total for the Pioneers, and broke a 0-3 skid in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals. The win mathematically clinched North Dakota a spot in the NCAA tournament for the 15th-straight season.
However, DDC Baby No. 2's magic ran out on Saturday night, as Duluth took the NCHC's autobid.
But hey, 5-1 ain't so bad.
Here's what stood out to DDC in his Frozen Faceoff edition of his Roses and Thorns column.
Roses
No. 1 -- Breaking the Target Center Curse
Finally, UND faithful left the Target Center in Minneapolis on Friday with smiles on their faces and not gonna lie, that felt pretty darn good. After three years of lethargic play and bad bounces, the Green and White played with pace and passion against Denver and got a bounce off those lovely, springy end boards and got a win in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals. Fans in the Target Center saw a team that was hungry and their defensive effort was tremendous on Friday night. It was a good win against arguably the best team in the country. Coupled with another great effort the next night against UMD, the Green and White showed they can hang with (and outplay) anyone in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
UND Jr. F, Austin Poganski and Shane Gersich celebrate Poganski's goal in the third period
of the Green and White's 1-0 win over Denver on Friday (Photo: Eric Hylden, GF Herald)
No. 2 -- Offensive Creativity
While this weekend wasn't a dynamite offensive effort, it was a very good one. What's more important in the eyes of DDC were the chances UND created, particularly on the power play. Outshooting the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the PairWise on a particular weekend isn't a small feat, particularly since both Denver and UMD are among the defensive teams in the nation. In a game that was largely played with special teams on Saturday night, the Green and White scored all three of their goals on the power play. Sure, they had 10 chances, but even when they didn't score, UND moved the puck well and broke the Bulldog PK box with sharp passing and created loads of chances. The top power play unit has started to become something special with Boeser, Jost and Gersich consistently finding each other in soft spots for scoring chances. Outside of the power play, Jost and Boeser paired together at times and are showing once again why they are NHL first rounders. When UND gets this kind of effort from its top forwards, the bottom six becomes that harder to handle and those lines have been creating a lot, too (see: Trevor Olson). For the Green and White, it's all about effort and speed. They brought that game to the Target Center this weekend and it turned out two great performances.
No. 3 -- Defensive Effort
UND Fr. D, Colton Poolman
What would you have said if DDC told you UND would shutout Denver, the best offense in the nation since January 1st, on Friday? What would you have said if DDC told you the Green and White would lose the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year in Tucker Poolman to injury in the first period on Saturday and that UND would hold Minnesota Duluth down for large chunks of the game and nearly win? Crazy on both accounts, right? Well, not this weekend. As mentioned previously, North Dakota's game is all about speed and effort right now and that is showing up. On Friday, the Green and White held DU to just 21 shots, a season low for the Pioneers. On Saturday, it took a goal off a teammate's skate during a 5-on-3 penalty kill to beat netminder Cam Johnson for the game winner. The D-corps' physicality was tremendous. Colton Poolman and Hayden Shaw played with an edge this blogger has rarely seen. While Tucker's injury looms large, UND's young blue line took a big step this weekend in Minneapolis.
Thorns
No. 1 -- 27 Penalties and Four 5-on-3s
Simply put, this shouldn't happen. Like mentioned previously, DDC is going to take the high road and not overly criticize, but no way should a tournament championship be decided on a 5-on-3 power play. Nor should the game end up tied with less than 3 minutes to go on a 5-on-3 power play. The fact that the stripes reviewed Neal Pionk's contact with Cam Johnson and gave him a five minute penalty without tossing the sophomore defenseman is what, in DDC's opinion, let this game get away in terms of penalties. This was too good of a weekend for it to be hijacked by penalties. A bit of a shame, to say the least.
No. 2 -- An Injury and a Big One
Jr. D, Tucker Poolman left Saturday's NCHC Championship game in the first period due to injury and did not return
Tucker Poolman is a NHL defenseman. He has the frame, the offensive skill, the skating and the defensive prowess to be playing for the Winnipeg Jets, his draft team, as we speak. So, when he went down in the first period on Saturday against Duluth and did not return to action, a collective groan could be heard across NoDak nation. Head coach Brad Berry brought fans a little solace in the postgame presser, saying that Tucker is the toughest player in the NCHC and expects him to play on Friday when the NCAA tournament starts. It goes without saying that Tucker is invaluable to UND. Cheers to him hopefully being ready to go.
There you have it, hockey fans. Welp, the conference tournaments are over, the field is set and the NCAA Tournament starts in four days. UND will be in Fargo in a pretty eyebrow raising regional, considering history and this past weekend's event.
Check back on Friday as DDC previews the West Regional from Scheels Arena in Fargo -- Minnesota Duluth ( 😁 ) versus Ohio State and North Dakota vs. Boston University.
It's Frozen Faceoff weekend 2017 and the Target Center again plays host, this time with some new equipment!
For this blogger, it's truly the most wonderful time of the year. Welcome to Frozen Faceoff weekend 2017!
Of the four teams skating for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament trophy this Friday and Saturday at the newly-renovated Target Center in downtown Minneapolis (check out that scoreboard!), only one isn't assured to be playing past their time at the Frozen Faceoff.
Denver, Minnesota Duluth and Western Michigan have done enough to this point in the season to guarantee a spot in the NCAA tournament when it starts next week. The UND men's hockey hasn't gotten there quite yet.
However, as noted in Grand Forks Herald hockey writer extraordinaire Brad Schlossman's blog, the Green and White can lock up their 15th-straight NCAA tournament berth with a win this weekend. With all scenarios run, UND would get in 100% of the time with at least one win at the Frozen Faceoff, but two losses would still have them in the tournament in 90% of the scenarios.
With that being said, the Green and White don't want to take any chances. UND has had plenty of struggles in the Target Center since the berth of the NCHC and with another expected large gathering of Green and White (Hello, St. Patty's Day! We'll get back to what St. Patty's day weekend means to UND a bit later) in the stands, could this be the year North Dakota finally breaks through in Minneapolis?
While the other three teams have less to play for in terms of the season, clearly, no team wants to back into the national tournament with a loss and playing for a trophy is always a big deal in a conference like the NCHC.
This weekend has four of the best teams in college hockey, including three potential No. 1 seeds for the NCAA tournament and it will certainly be fun to watch. Can UND keep riding Baby DDC No. 2's magic with their four-game post birth winning-streak? What is DDC watching for this weekend? Check out his "Who? What? How?" Frozen Faceoff preview and see who he thinks will skate away from the Target Center hoisting some hardware.
Who?
DU Fr. F, Henrik Borgstrom
leads the NCAA's 10th-best
scoring offense with 38 points.
The Pioneers lead the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 1.84 goals per game and are 10th best scoring offense at 3.39 goals per game.
Freshman forward Henrik Borgstrom, the newly-minted NCHC Rookie of the Year, is tied for second in the NCAA with six game-winning goals.
Senior defenseman Will Butcher was named a Hobey Baker Finalist, the lone pick for the NCHC as well as the conference's Player of the Year.
UND
The Green and White are 14th in scoring in the NCAA at 3.24 goals per game and are T-20 in scoring defense, allowing 2.59 goals per game.
During UND's four-game winning streak, junior forward Trevor Olson has the game-winning goal in three of those games.
Freshman forward Tyson Jost is one of six rookies in the NCAA averaging at least 1 point per game. Jost has a 1.03 point per game average.
Minnesota Duluth
The Bulldogs are 11th in the NCAA in scoring offense with 3.36 goals per game and are 10th in scoring defense, allowing 2.28 goals per game.
UMD has struggled to a paltry 80.4% penalty kill rate which slots them as No. 41 in the NCAA.
Freshman goaltender Hunter Miska is fourth in the NCAA in winning percentage at .790 and in shutouts with 5.
Western Michigan
The Broncos have the 8th-best scoring offense (3.41 goals per game) in the NCAA and power play (21.8%).
Freshman goaltender Ben Blacker has the 6th-best winning percentage in the NCAA at .750.
WMU has struggled on the penalty kill, this season, stopping just 81.5% of opponents power plays. This ranks them 39th in the NCAA.
How?
How'd they get here?
No. 1 Denver (PWR: 1, 28-6-4, No. 1 seed in NCHC tournament) swept Colorado College 4-1, 4-0 in the first round of the NCHC tournament. The Pioneers are on a NCAA best 13-game winning streak.
No. 11 UND (PWR: 11, 20-14-3, No. 4 seed in NCHC tournament) swept SCSU 5-2, 6-5 (OT) in the first round of the NCHC tournament. UND has won five of their last six games after winning just three of the previous 10.
UND Jr. F, Trevor Olson netted the series-winning goal past St. Cloud State goalie
Jeff Smith on Saturday. The Green and White take on Denver in the NCHC
Tournament semifinals from the Target Center in Minneapolis
(photo cred: GF Herald)
No. 3 Minnesota Duluth (PWR: 2, 23-6-7, No. 2 seed in NCHC tournament) swept Miami 5-4 (OT) and 5-3 in the first round of the NCHC tournament. The Bulldogs are 6-1-3 in their last 10 games.
No. 8 Western Michigan (PWR: 4, 22-10-5, No. 3 seed in NCHC tournament) beat No. 6 seeded Omaha in three games at home during the NCHC first round. Won Saturday and Sunday after falling on Friday. Sunday's win came 34 seconds into overtime when Michael Rebry netted the game winner.
The Pick(s)
Semifinal No. 1 -- Minnesota Duluth vs. Western Michigan
DDC likes the Bulldogs in this one. UMD is loaded up front with senior Alex Iafallo and and sophomore Adam Johnson leading the way and defenseman Neal Pionk is a dynamic playmaker in front of freshman netminder Hunter Miska who is 4th in the country in shutouts.
The Bulldogs dominated UND in their four games this year and DDC is of the opinion that they are the best team in college hockey right along with Denver.
With that being said, Western Michigan is having a tremendous year with a power play that can break a game. If WMU can slow down UMD's depth, this could go the way of the Broncos, but DDC thinks the Dogs take this one.
THE BULLDOGS HEAD TO THE TITLE GAME, 5-2.
Semifinal No. 2 -- Denver vs. UND
The stats scream Denver, but DDC is a homer and all of my readers know that. There are certainly many factors in this particular pick, but DDC just has a hunch here. That hunch comes from two things -- UND's Baby DDC No. 2 birth magic and their 4-0 current run and the luck of the Irish.
The luck of the Irish, you say, DDC? What do you mean?!
Well, think back, UND fans... when was the last time the Green and White took over the Twin Cities for a conference championship tournament during St. Patrick's Day weekend? 2012. You all remember what happened that weekend, don't you? Here's a hint that only needs two words ... The Timeout.
There is it. The luck of the Irish. The luck of the green. The 2012 WCHA Final Five is one of DDC's favorite tournaments he can remember. A special and incredibly memorable weekend. Is magic really in the air, this weekend in Minneapolis?
Let's look at this without bias, shall we? Denver is good. Really good, in fact. The Pioneers are No. 1 in the NCAA for a reason. They sport the NCAA's lowest goals against average (1.84) and are 10th in scoring. Freshman Henrik Borgstrom (NCHC rookie of the year) and sophomore Dylan Gambrell are two of the NCHC's best forwards and senior defenseman Will Butcher is the conference's only Hobey Baker finalist and was named the NCHC player of the year. Goaltender Tanner Jaillet was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Year, to boot. On paper, DU is the better team.
With all that said, DDC loves how UND is playing right now. They've found an effort level that has found them tough to beat, right now. Couple that with the play of their best players (Jost, Boeser, Gersich, T. Poolman and Poganski) over the last few weeks and the Green and White are poised for a big weekend. North Dakota knows they are one win away from the NCAA tournament and DDC expects them to play desperate.
Forget that the Green and White have yet to win a semifinal game at the Frozen Faceoff. Forget that DU has won a NCAA best 13 straight games. Forget that UND has been up and down this season. The Green and White need one win this weekend to clinch a berth into the NCAA tournament and rightfully defend their national championship.
The luck of the Green and of Baby DDC No. 2 continues in this one.
UND BREAKS OUT OF THEIR TARGET CENTER SEMIFINAL FUNK, 4-2.
Championship Game -- UND vs. Minnesota Duluth
See all above. Note that UMD has beaten UND four times this season. Forget that.
THE MAGIC CONTINUES ... UND TAKES THE NCHC TOURNAMENT TROPHY, 4-3.
There you have it, college hockey fans. Enjoy the weekend.
The UND men's hockey team were presented with their National Title rings earlier this week. Their season kicks off tonight against Manitoba.
We've made it. It's hockey season.
The defending national champions, the University of North Dakota men's hockey team, kicks off its repeat bid as they take on the University of Manitoba Bisons in exhibition fashion tonight at 7 pm from the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Let's say that once more, shall we?
The defending national champions, the University of North Dakota men's hockey team. Man, that feels good.
UND has already gotten its rings and green banner No. 8 will be hoisted into the REA rafters tonight and the memory of last season's incredible run has DDC thinking, will the Green and White do this again next year and potentially raise No. 9?
Well, we shall see, but these three storylines are going to go a long way to decide if UND can celebrate in Chicago in April.
1) Can the 'D' do it Again?
The 2015-16 UND squad was simply loaded. They were a special team that could score in bunches, but also completely shutdown an opponent defensively. While the Green and White return four defensemen that played heavy minutes last season in now two-time Captain Gage Ausmus, dynamic offensive defenseman Tucker Poolman, Christian Wolanin and Hayden Shaw, outside of that top four, the final two spots will needed to be figured out quickly.
UND carried the second-best scoring defense in the NCAA last season, allowing just 1.84 goals a game. Losing Troy Stecher, Paul LaDue and Keaton Thompson to professional contracts doesn't just leave a hole in UND's 'D', it leaves a chasm. The Green and White still sport Mike Richter Finalist Cam Johnson between the pipes, but will need to figure out the last two spots on the backend to make a deep run this season.
2) CBS 2.0?
Can freshman Tyson Jost jump into a key role for the Green and White?
The CBS line of Drake Caggiula, Brock Boeser and Nick Schmaltz is no more. While Boeser remains and is a legitimate Hobey Baker preseason front runner, the loss of Caggiula and Schmaltz to the NHL ranks means UND needs to figure out how to replace a combined 97 points. That's a lot of scoring. The CBS line was a special blend of speed, power, defense and scoring touch. Can the Green and White find a duo to pair with Boeser on the top line? What about the rest of the lineup? Who is going to step up to produce?
Austin Poganksi, Shane Gersich, Rhett Gardner and Chris Wilkie could go a long way to help shore up the top 6 forward group. Can highly-touted freshman Tyson Jost turn into the playmaker Schmaltz was last year? He certainly appears to have the talent. DDC believes we may see Jost and Boeser paired together and he'd be surprised to see Gardner and Poganski split up because they spent so much time playing together last year. Can the speedy Gersich step into Cagguila's game-breaking, goal-scoring role? We shall see.
3) Battle Between the Pipes
Can Matej Tomek push Cam Johnson for the starting role in net?
Coming into last season, UND was looking to replace an all-world goaltender in Zane McIntyre with three netminders who had barely seen the ice in their college careers. Well, with all those questions, Cam Johnson became as much as a sure thing as UND has ever seen, becoming a Mike Richter Finalist with a tremendous year. Matt Hrynkiw proved he was a solid backup, too, going on a great, early season run with Johnson shelved with an injury. What about NHL draft pick Matej Tomek? Highly regarded coming into the 2015-16 season, an early injury hindered Tomek's chances of seeing any ice time.
So, once a huge question mark, the goaltender spot for UND is now a strong point and we could very well see a battle for playing time between these three. DDC believes Tomek will get his shot, this season. NHL teams don't draft goalies early in the draft for a player that isn't incredibly talented. As we start the season, Johnson deserves to be the starter. But, was Cam's year a product of an incredibly special defenseman group? DDC thinks it helped, but Johnson certainly held his own. However, this will definitely be a battle for time this season.
DDC's Preseason Top 20
1) UND
2) Boston University
3) Denver
4) UMass-Lowell
5) Quinnipiac
6) Providence
7) Northeastern
8) Boston College
9) Notre Dame
10) Minnesota Duluth 11) Harvard
12) Minnesota
13) Bowling Green
14) Michigan
15) Wisconsin
16) St. Lawrence
17) Michigan Tech
18) St. Cloud State
19) MSU-Mankato
20) Air Force
DDC's NCAA Take
Despite losing a lot to graduation and professional contracts, UND is still well suited to make a deep run with key players in each position group. So, until they get topped, DDC has the Green and White on top.
Boston University brings in one of the most dynamic freshmen groups in recent history, with NHL first-round picks Clayton Keller, Dante Fabbro and Keifer Bellows while returning fellow first-rounder Charlie McAvoy. Can all that young talent produce big results? Denver lost a lot, but brings back all-NCHC picks Dylan Gambrell and Will Butcher in front of veteran netminder Tanner Jalliet. BU vs. DU in early October will be a true test for both teams.
Can a budding team like Bowling Green or Wisconsin get all their pieces in place to make a run? It'll sure be fun to watch and find out.
NCHC Picks
Sophomore Brock Boeser is the clear-cut favorite as NCHC Preseason Player of the Year. Can he improve on his dynamic 2015-16 season as UND looks to repeat in 2016-17?
1) UND
2) Denver
3) Minnesota Duluth
4) St. Cloud State
5) Omaha
6) Miami
7) Colorado College
8) Western Michigan
DDC's All-NCHC Team
F -- Brock Boeser, UND
F -- Dylan Gambrell, DU
F -- Tyson Jost, UND
D -- Will Butcher, DU
D -- Neal Pionk, UMD
G -- Cam Johnson, UND
Can Omaha's Austin Ortega take an all-NCHC spot?
Player of the Year: Boeser
Defenseman of the Year: Butcher
Goaltender of the Year: Johnson
Rookie of the Year: Jost
DDC's NCHC Take
Call DDC a homer. He's fine with it. Like he said before, until someone takes down the defending national champs, UND is tops of the league. Jost looks like a generational-type player and while players like Austin Ortega from Omaha and UMD's Tony Camoranesi may have something to say about that final forward spot, DDC leans Green and White. UND has the most pieces in place right now and the rest of the teams seem to have a few more question marks.
UND is 12-0 all time against the Manitoba Bisons
Bring on the Bisons
UND is 12-0 all-time against Manitoba, outscoring the Bisons 72-21 in those 12 games. Tonight isn't about wins and losses, but more about taking a look at some new pieces. Who will group with Boeser on the top line? Will Jost show of his Top 10 NHL draft pick talent? How about Tomek? How much time does he get in an effort to earn time between the pipes?
Last season, the Green and White rolled to a 8-3 victory and tipped off the REA faithful that something fun was brewing in Grand Forks. DDC thinks this happens again.
Jost gets his first and adds an assist, Johnson and Tomek start their battle and slow a hyped-up Manitoba squad and Boeser shows while he'll be a Hobey front-runner this year with a pair of goals.
UND RAISES THE BANNER IN STYLE, 6-2
It's here, hockey fans. It's time to RAISE 8 and start the run to No. 9.
Come back next week to see how it went down. Thanks for reading!
