Roses and Thorns: Well, That was Interesting

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.

Friday Gameday: Time for a Test

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!

Frozen Four Semifinal No. 2 -- The Rivalry That Doesn't Matter

Frozen Four National Semifinals -- Thursday, ESPN 2:

Semifinal No. 1 -- Boston College vs. Quinnipiac -- 4 p.m.
Semifinal No. 1 -- Denver vs. North Dakota -- 7:30 p.m.

The rivalry between UND and Denver spans 66 years and 275 games.

It's a rivalry of conference tussles, head coaching antics, controversial injuries and NCAA tournament and Frozen Four battles.

And in the 2015-16 season, the Green and White and the Pioneers have done nothing to settle their legendary rivalry, battling to a 2-2-1 record, with each team sweeping the other on home ice and slugging out a tie in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff third place game.

With all of that said, the rivalry between UND and Denver is nothing more than a side note on Thursday night. This game is all about one matter -- making it to Saturday's national championship game.

For the 276th time and the sixth this season, it's North Dakota versus Denver. Who will move on and who will see their season end?

Here's a look at Frozen Four semifinal No. 2 from Amalie Arena in Tampa with a trip to the national title game on the line in DDC's "Who? What? How?" breakdown.

Who?

Players to watch

Denver Pioneers

DU So. F, Danton Heinen
leads the Pioneers with
48 points (20g, 28a).

So. F, Danton Heinen, 20 goals, 28 assists -- 48 points; Fr. F, Dylan Gambrell, 17g, 30a -- 47 pts (3rd in NCAA in rookie points per game, 1.18); Jr. F, Trevor Moore, 11g, 33a (7th in NCAA in assists per game, .85) -- 44 pts; Jr. D, Will Butcher, 8g, 23a -- 31 pts; Sr. F, Quentin Shore, 13g, 15a -- 28 pts; So. G, Tanner Jaillet, 17-4-5, 2.25 goals against average, .923 save percentage.

University of North Dakota

Fr. F, Brock Boeser, 26g (2nd in NCAA in rookie goals, 4th overall in NCAA), 28a -- 54 pts (2nd in NCAA in rookie scoring, T-5th overall); Sr. F, Drake Caggiula, 21g (T-3rd in NCAA in game-winning goals with 7), 25a -- 46 pts; So. F, Nick Schmaltz, 10g, 34a (T-3rd in NCAA in assists per game with .97) -- 42 pts; Jr. D, Troy Stecher, 8g, 20a -- 28 pts; So. G, Cam Johnson (Mike Richter Award finalist), 22-4-2 (2nd in NCAA in win percentage), 1.67 GAA (2nd in NCAA), .934 SV PCT (T-6 in NCAA).

What?

Standout Stats

Denver 

The Pioneers are 11th in the NCAA in scoring offense, netting 3.30 goals per game and are 13th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 2.30.

Denver's special team play is around average in the country. The Pioneers are 23rd in power play at 19% and 31st in penalty kill at 82%.

DU's Pacific Rim Line of Danton Heinen, Dylan Gambrell and Trevor Moore have notched 48 goals on the season, accounting for 36.4% of the team's goals.

The Pios are undefeated on the year when leading after two periods (21-0-2), but have not won a game (0-6-2) when trailing heading into the final frame.

UND

The Green and White are 7th in the NCAA in scoring offense with a 3.64 goals per game average and are 2nd in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 1.86 goals per game.

North Dakota is 21st in the NCAA in power play, converting 19.5%, but are much better on the penalty kill, stopping 86.4% of opponent's power plays which is T-6 in the nation.

UND leads the NCAA in plus/minus with a +64. The CBS line of Drake Caggiula (+41), Brock Boeser (+38) and Nick Schmaltz (+39) are slated 1st, 3rd and 2nd nationally.

Just like the rest of the remaining teams in the Frozen Four, UND is undefeated when leading after two periods (25-0-3) this season. The Green and White have not lost a game in 74 chances when taking a lead into the third period.

How?

How'd they get here?

UND So. G, Cam Johnson

Denver (25-9-6) dispatched Boston University 7-2 and Ferris State 6-3 in the West Regional in St. Paul. The Pioneers have lost just twice in 24 games since the Christmas break.

UND (32-6-4) punched their ticket to the Frozen Four for the third-straight season with a 6-2 win over Northeastern and a 5-2 victory over Michigan in the Midwest Regional in Cincinnati. So. G, Cam Johnson took home tournament MVP honors. The Green and White are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

There's your look at the second semifinal. Check back tomorrow for DDC's picks of both Frozen Four semifinals. Thanks for reading.

Frozen Faceoff Preview: Top Four for the Title

Semifinals and Final on CBS Sports,
Third Place Game on NCHC.tv:

Game times:

UND vs. Minnesota Duluth, 4:08 p.m.;
St. Cloud State vs. Denver, 7:38 p.m.

Third place game, Saturday, 3:38 p.m.;
Championship game, Saturday, 7:08 p.m.

When the National Collegiate Hockey Conference was born, league brass picked the Target Center in Minneapolis to host its league postseason tournament with hopes that the central location would create a must-see weekend.

With UND, St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth all just hours away from the Twin Cities, the possibilities were ripe for a full arena.

While the first two incarnations of the Frozen Faceoff drew good numbers, this weekend's version could be the best ever.

All four quarterfinal series ended in sweeps by the top four seeds, with the three attendance golden geese, UND, SCSU and UMD all included. Throw Denver into the mix, a team in the midst of the nation's best 11-game winning streak, the NCHC tournament looks like it will fulfill all the dreams that officials hoped for in 2013.

The Bulldogs look to be the team who has the most to gain this weekend in Minneapolis as the Green and White, Huskies and Pioneers are all locks for the national tournament. UMD sits at No. 13 in the Pairwise Rankings and will look to cement their own spot. UND and SCSU look to be No. 1 seeds in the NCAA's and Denver is playing for a shot at their own.

Attendance. National tournament implications. Rivalries.

Strap in, folks. This is going to be a fun weekend.

Here's DDC's Frozen Faceoff preview in traditional "Who? What? How?" fashion.

Who?

Players to watch

UMD Sr. F, Tony Cameranesi

Minnesota Duluth

Sr. F, Tony Cameranesi, 10 goals, 24 assists -- 34 points; Sr. F, Austin Farley, 13g, 15a -- 28 pts; Jr. F, Alex Iafallo, 7g, 13a -- 20 pts; Sr. D, Andy Welinksi, 6g, 13a -- 19 pts; So. G., Kasimir Kaskisuo, 17-13-5, 1.89 goals against average, .924 save percentage.

UND

Fr. F, Brock Boeser, 25g (Most goals in NCHC, 2nd in NCAA in rookie goals, 4th overall in NCAA), 23a -- 48 pts (NCHC scoring champ, 2nd in NCAA in rookie scoring, T-7 overall); Sr. F, Drake Caggiula, 19g, 23a -- 42 pts; So. F, Nick Schmaltz, 8g, 32a (2nd in NCAA in assists per game with 1.03) -- 40 pts; Jr. D, Troy Stecher, 7g, 19a -- 26 pts; Mike Richter Award Finalist So. G, Cam Johnson, 20-3-1 (1st in NCAA in win percentage), 1.58 GAA (1st in NCAA), .938 SV PCT (T-1st in NCAA).

DU Fr. F, Dylan Gambrell

Denver

Fr. F, Dylan Gambrell, 15g, 27a -- 42 points (3rd in NCAA rookie scoring); Jr. F, Trevor Moore, 9g, 32a (T-5 in assists per game .91) -- 41 pts; So. F, Danton Heinen, 18g, 22a -- 40 pts; Jr. D, Will Butcher, 6g, 23a -- 29 pts; Jr. G., Tanner Jaillet, 15-3-5, 2.19 GAA, .928 SV PCT.

St. Cloud State

Sr. F, Kalle Kossila, 14g, 34a (7th in assists per game .89) -- 48 pts; Sr. F, Joey Benik, 21g, 23a -- 44 pts; So. F, Patrick Russell, 19g, 19a -- 38 pts; Sr. D, Ethan Prow, 8g, 27a -- 35 pts (NCHC's lone Hobey Baker Award Finalist and NCHC player-of-the-year); Mike Richter Award Finalist Jr. G, Charlie Lindgren, 28-8-1, 2.08 GAA, .926 SV PCT.

What?

Standout Stats

UND

The Green and White own the NCAA's third-best scoring defense allowing just 1.82 goals per game and has the NCAA's seventh-best scoring attack with a 3.66 goals per game average.

Drake Caggiula leads the country with a +38 while linemates Nick Schmaltz and Brock Boeser are tied for fourth at +34.

Sophomore goaltender and Mike Richter Award finalist Cam Johnson leads the NCAA in win percentage (.854), goals against average (1.58) and is tied for first in save percentage (.938).

Minnesota Duluth

The Bulldogs own the NCAA's eighth-best scoring defense allowing just 2.03 goals per game and is tied for sixth in the country on the penalty kill with a 86.2% kill rate.

UMD has struggled on the power play this season converting just 15.8% of their chances with the extra man. That mark is 41st in the NCAA.

Denver

The Pioneers own the NCAA's 14th best scoring offense at 3.22 and is 12th in the country in scoring defense, allowing 2.28 goals per game.

Denver's special teams have been average this season with the NCAA's 25th best penalty kill (82.9) and 29th best power play (17.9%).

DU's top line of Dylan Gambrell, Trevor Moore and Danton Heinen have accounted for 36% of the team's goals this season.
 

St. Cloud State

The Huskies have the second-best scoring offense (4.32 goals per game) in the NCAA and is tied for first in power play (29.5%).

SCSU's scoring defense is allowing the 10th least goals per game in the NCAA at 2.16.

Defenseman Ethan Prow is the league's lone Hobey Baker Finalist and NCHC player-of-the-year and goaltender Charlie Lindgren is one of five Mike Richter Award finalists as the nation's best netminder.

How?

How'd they get here?

No. 1 UND (No. 1 in PWR, 30-5-3) swept CC 7-1, 5-1 in the first round of the NCHC tournament. The Green and White are on a eight-game winning streak, the third best current streak in the NCAA.

UND swept CC last weekend in the NCHC quarterfinals. The Green and White
take on the UMD Bulldogs in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals at 4:08 on Friday.
Denver and St. Cloud State play in the other semifinal at 7:38. (Photo: GF Herald)

No. 16 Minnesota Duluth (No. 13 in PWR, 17-14-5) swept Miami 5-4. 3-1 in the first round of the NCHC tournament. The Bulldogs are on a six-game winning streak since being swept by UND in Geand Forks on February 19-20.

No. 4 St. Cloud State (No. 3 in PWR, 29-8-1) swept Western Michigan 4-3 (OT), 4-2 in the first round for the NCHC tournament. The Huskies are on a four-game winning streak and are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

No. 6 Denver (No. 6 in PWR, 23-8-5) swept Nebraska Omaha 5-2, 4-3 (2 OT) in the first round of the NCHC tournament. The Pioneers are on a NCAA best 11-game winning streak.

The Pick(s)

Four teams playing in four important games with four positions in the NCAA tournament on the line. Who is going to skate away from the Target Center with the Frozen Four Championship trophy?

North Dakota vs. Minnesota Duluth

UND and So. G, Cam Johnson
are 4-0 against UMD this season.
Johnson has allowed just two
goals in those four games.

The Green and White have beaten the Bulldogs four times this season, sweeping both series. In those four games, UND netminder Cam Johnson has allowed just two goals. All four contests have been tight-checking, playoff-type affairs. To expect anything different would just be silly.

UMD looks to have more to gain with a win as they are still trying to get into the NCAA tournament, but UND is still battling for the No. 1 overall seed.

The Frozen Faceoff has not been kind to UND in the first two years of the tournament as the Green and White are 1-3 at the Target Center. DDC sees this as a major motivation factor for North Dakota and expects to see a lot of jump from the Green and White on Friday afternoon.

UND EDGES UMD 4-3

St. Cloud State vs. Denver

SCSU Sr. D, Ethan Prow is the
NCHC's lone Hobey Baker
Award finalist.

This one will be a barn burner. These two team can fly up and down the ice with team speed and both have tremendous scoring touch.

St. Cloud's offense and power play seem to give them the offensive edge, but it's hard to go against Denver's 11-game winning streak.

If the Pioneers can limit slot chances and stay out of the penalty box, the line of Dylan Gambrell, Trevor Moore and Danton Heinen could take over. SCSU defenseman and NCHC player-of-the-year Ethan Prow and the rest of the Huskies will need to slow DU's top line.

DDC expects a lot of goals in this one and DU takes it late.

DU TOPS SCSU 5-4.

Third Place Game -- SCSU vs. UMD

With a loss to UND in the semifinals, the Bulldogs will officially be on the bubble.

UMD swept the Huskies in St. Cloud in late February in which the Bulldogs held the nation's second-best scoring attack to just two goals in the series. This series could go a long way in terms of how UMD plays SCSU in this match up.

Duluth will be a bit more rested and desperate in this one and they punch their ticket to the big dance with a win.

UMD BEATS ST. CLOUD 4-2

Championship Game -- UND vs. Denver

DDC thinks UND will take home the NCHC Frozen
Faceoff Trophy, topping DU in the championship game.

Depending on how everything shakes out, UND could be playing for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAAs and Denver could be fighting for their own No. 1.

This game would feature two of the best top lines in the country with UND's CBS line of Drake Caggiula, Brock Boeser and Nick Schmaltz and DU's line of Gambrell, Heinen and Moore.

DDC's guess in that battle, they cancel each other out, so that means this game comes down to depth. The Green and White have shown over the last month or so that they are as deep as any team in the country. DU swept UND in Denver mid-February igniting a huge run for both teams. Since that series, UND has won eight in a row and DU pushed their streak to 11.

In that series, the Green and White defensive corps was leaky and DU's top line went to work. With a trophy and the No. 1 overall seed on the line, DDC thinks UND will remember that performance, shake off the Frozen Four demons and take home the hardware.

UND WINS AND TAKES HOME THE HARDWARE 3-2

Thanks for reading. Enjoy what should be an incredible weekend in Minneapolis and check back later to see how it went down.

Roses and Thorns: It's Been a Long Time Coming

NCHC Standings:
T-1) UND, 13-4-1-1 -- 41 points; T-1) SCSU, 13-4-1-1 -- 41 pts;
3) DU, 11-5-2 -- 35 pts; T-4) UNO, 8-9-1 -- 25 pts;
T-4) UMD, 7-8-3-1 -- 25 pts; 6) 6-10-2-2 -- 22 pts;
7) WMU, 4-13-1-1 -- 14 pts; 8) CC, 4-13-1, 13 pts.

November 4-5, 2011.

Since that weekend, this blogger has earned a degree from his beloved University of North Dakota, moved from Grand Forks to the Twin Cities, gotten married and welcomed his first child, Emma, bringing her and the Daddy Dump and Chase blog, into the world.

Since November 4-5, 2011, college hockey has crowned four separate national champions, has expanded, adding two teams and realigned conferences across the NCAA.

Since November 4-5, 2011, the UND men's hockey team has played 33 road series and until this weekend, had never been swept in those 33 series.

That all changed in 120 minutes against Denver University as the Pioneers took two from the Green and White, 6-4 and 4-1 from Magness Arena in Denver.

UND, tied going into this past weekend for first in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with St. Cloud State with two games in hand, had a chance to stake it's claim to the driver's seat in the race for the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular season champions. However, Denver took all six conference points and with three regular season series left, the chase for the Penrose is still deadlocked.

And for the first time since the birth of the DDC, here's your Roses and Thorns column following a series that saw UND get no points on the road.

Roses

No. 1 -- Back to Health

UND welcomed back three players to their lineup after missing the last handful of games. Hobey Baker Award candidates Drake Caggiula and Nick Schmaltz rejoined freshman Brock Boeser to reassemble the vaunted CBS line. Freshman Chris Wilkie also came back from injury on Saturday. The CBS line was good on Friday night, notching six points, including goals off the sticks of Boeser and Schmaltz. On Saturday, UND's top line failed to register a point for the first time as a grouping. While the results certainly weren't what the Green and White faithful were looking for, getting healthy is absolutely a welcomed sight with the stretch run firmly in place.

No. 2 -- It's February

Pairwise Rankings:
1) QU; 2) SCSU; 3) UND; 4) BC;
5) Prov; 6) Michigan; 7) ND; 8) DU
9) UNO; 10) Yale; 11) BU; 12) Harvard;
13) UM-L; 14) PSU; 15) SLU; 16) Minn.;
17) RPI; 18) Cornell; 19) MTU; 20) Miami.

Pardon the Kelly Green colored glasses, but hey, at least it's only February. There's not a lot of positive to come out of this weekend. 1) UND lost its chance to clinch home ice advantage in the first round of the conference playoffs for the 15th straight season. 2) The Green and White also gave up the opportunity to put a strangle hold on the NCHC standings with just three weeks left to go. 3) UND got swept against arguably its biggest rival in the conference. With all that said, the Green and White are still firmly in place for a shot at the national tournament, still ranked No. 3 in the Pairwise and are still tied for first in the NCHC with St. Cloud. A good run in their last six games, UND could very well welcome back the Penrose to the Ralph for another year. While it certainly is frustrating to have to point these things out, it's still important to do so. A good showing at home against Minnesota Duluth should cure all ills.

Thorns

No. 1 -- Flying Friday

Again, while the result wasn't what UND fans wanted to see, Friday night's game had a big fight feel. Denver was embarrassed by the Green and White in Grand Forks in December in a sweep, and the Pioneers played with a tremendous pace this weekend. UND was game and matched DU stride for stride. The rust showed in many aspects for the Green and White and a couple big defensive miscues lead to a Pioneers 6-4 win. In the long run, UND may need to turn up the volume and play with the kind of speed that DU showed, so while the loss stings, it'll be important to remember this kind of play.

While it wasn't a great result for UND, Friday's heavy and fast-paced game
against DU will certainly show the Green and White the kind of game they
need to bring down the stretch. (Photo Credit: Grand Forks Herald.)

No. 2 -- No Bounce Back

Senior Captain
Gage Ausmus following
UND's 4-1 loss on Sat.:
"It's not acceptable for our program
to lose two games in a row, no matter
where we're at or what team we play,
so it doesn't sit well with us.
We got outplayed both nights.
It's something we need to learn from quick
or it's going to hurt us in the end."

Over the last month or so, UND has seen a trend of their opponents' top line lighting it up on Friday, but the Green and White wholly shutdown each top group the next night. This wasn't the case this weekend. DU's top line of Danton Heinen, Dylan Gambrell and Trevor Moore torched UND for 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) on Friday night and added seven more on Saturday (3g, 4a). In UND's home sweep of Denver in December, that trio had zero points on the weekend. That's was the clear difference in Denver.

No. 3 -- Defensive Lapses

UND came into this weekend's match up sporting the NCAA's second best goals allowed average, with the best statistical goaltender in Cam Johnson between the pipes. Ten goals allowed and two losses later, the Green and White are looking for reasons to answer what happened. The Green and White had several lapses defensively in both games that led to goals for the Pioneers. Whether it was set plays off faceoffs or wide open slot chances for DU's top line, UND didn't live up to its defensive billing this weekend. Giving players the likes of Moore, Heinen and Gambrell free reign in the slot is never a good thing. It's hard to blame Johnson for many of the goals he gave up, but the sophomore didn't make many big saves on those point-blank chances, either. UND has prided itself all season as a tenacious, heavy forechecking and high compete level defensive team, but showed little of that against DU. UND will need to get back to this type of game and bring back those active sticks and high energy level if they plan to repeat as Penrose Cup champs.

That's it. Come back later this week to see what's in store for UND as the come back home to take on the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. It's crunch time.

Friday Gameday: North Dakota -- Back at Full Strength

For the past four games, the UND men's hockey team has played shorthanded.

Without two Hobey Baker Award candidates (Drake Caggiula and Nick Schmaltz) and another regular forward (Chris Wilkie), many teams may have struggled. However, the Green and White did what they have done all year long -- found ways to get points and deliver, going 3-0-1 in that span.

And now, with all 23 skaters available for their crucial National Collegiate Hockey Conference series at Magness Arena against the No. 13 Denver Pioneers, No. 2 UND's four-game running penalty kill is back at full strength.

Caggiula and Schmaltz will rejoin freshman Brock Boeser, putting what could be college hockey's most dynamic group, the CBS line, back on the ice.

With the Green and White tied atop the NCHC standings with just eight games remaining in the regular season and playing a bitter rival, the timing could not be any better.

Here's what to watch for as UND and Denver battle, in this week's "Who? What? How?" series preview.

Who?

Players to watch

Denver

DU So. F, Danton Heinen
has 6 points (2g, 4a) during
a four-game point streak.

Fr. F, Dylan Gambrell, 7 goals, 19 assists -- 26 points (6th in NCAA in rookie scoring); Jr. F, Trevor Moore, 4g, 20a -- 24 pts; So. F, Danton Heinen, 10g, 10a -- 20 pts; Jr. D, Wil Butcher, 5g, 14a -- 19 pts; Sr. C, Quentin Shore, 8g, 6a -- 14 pts; So. G., Tanner Jaillet, 7-3-5, 2.52 goals against average, .916 save percentage.

UND

Fr. F, Brock Boeser, 18g (2nd in NCAA in rookie goals, T-7 overall in NCAA), 13a -- 31 pts (T-3 in NCAA in rookie scoring); Sr. F, Drake Caggiula, 15g, 15a -- 30 pts, returns this weekend after missing the last four games due to injury; So. F, Nick Schmaltz, 3g, 24a -- 27 pts, returns this weekend after missing the last four games due to injury; Jr. D, Troy Stecher, 5g, 14a -- 19 pts; Sr. F, Bryn Chyzyk, 9g, 8a -- 17 pts; So. G, Cam Johnson, 13-1-1 (1st in NCAA in win percentage), 1.31 GAA (1st in NCAA), .948 SV PCT (1st in NCAA).

What?

Standout Stats

UND So. G, Cam Johnson
leads the NCAA in all
major goalie statistics.

North Dakota can clinch home ice in the fiirst round of the NCHC playoffs with at least three points this weekend or if Omaha loses three points. The Green and White have hosted the first round for 13 straight years, the longest active streak in men's hockey.

UND goalie Cam Johnson has again taken over the statistical lead in all three major netminder categories, .900 win percentage, 1.31 goals against average and .948 save percentage.

Denver sophomore Danton Heinen, last year's NCHC rookie of the year is heating up. The forward has six points (2g, 4a) during a four-game point streak.

UND is allowing just 1.68 goals per game which is second in the NCAA.

North Dakota has the country's 7th best penalty kill at 86.4%. Over the past 12 games, UND leads the conference, with a sterling 95.8% mark, which includes 14 consecutive kills.

Holding the lead after two periods will be important this weekend as both the Pioneers and the Green and White have excelled in that aspect. Denver is 12-0-2 this year when leading after the second stanza and UND is 18-0-2. 

How?

How'd they get here?

No. 2 UND (No.3 in PWR, 22-3-3, 13-2-1-1 -- 41 points, T-1st in NCHC) was off last weekend and swept Western Michigan in Kalamazoo two weekends ago. The Green and White have lost just once, a 4-3 OT decision at home against UNO, since November 21st (10-1-1).

No. 13 Denver (No. 12 in PWR, 13-8-5, 9-5-2-- 29 pts, 3rd in NCHC) was idle last weekend and split at Miami in their last action. The Pioneers are 6-1-1 in their last 8 games.

UND dominated Denver in a 5-1, 4-0 sweep in Grand Forks back in early December. The Green and White outshot the Pioneers 59-41 in the series.

The Pick

As previously noted, the Green and White rolled the Pios in Grand Forks earlier this season leading Denver head coach Jim Montgomery to say that UND was the best team he'd seen all season.

However, since that series in December and a couple more hiccups, Denver has seemingly righted the ship, going 6-1-1 in their last 8 games and no doubt, the Pioneers haven't forgot that drubbing at the hands of the Green and White.

UND and their vaunted CBS line of Drake Caggiula, Brock Boeser and Nick Schmaltz
look to regain their impressive form this weekend against Denver. Caggiula
and Schmaltz have missed the last four games due to injury. (Photo Credit: UND Sports)

Freshman Dylan Gambrell has been impressive this year and grouped with Trevor Moore and Danton Heinen, the trio paces a strong forward corps that will test UND's No. 2 ranked defense this weekend.

While Denver is playing well, the return of the Green and White's CBS line will make the difference this weekend. Despite not playing with his dynamic linemates for the last four games, Brock Boeser has continued a torrid season and DDC expects a healthy Drake Caggiula and Nick Schmaltz to bring UND back to its dominant form.

With a fully-healthy team in front of the NCAA's best statistical goalie, Cam Johnson, DDC believes the Green and White will come out with a renewed jump and take down the Pios this weekend.

UND SWEEPS DENVER, 5-2, 4-2

There you have it. Come back early next week to see if UND regained its top form. Thanks for reading.