Roses and Thorns: UND Sweeps Pios as Penrose Defense Starts Strong

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.... 

Here's the clip of some scumbaggery... er, uh, sorry... the play in question.

Roses

1) Zach Driscoll

UND Sr., goaltender
Zach Driscoll

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.

Roses and Thorns: Doesn't Mean Much, But a Good Start

UND watches as it's 2021 NCHC championship banner was raised at the Ralph before
the Fighting Hawks' 2-1 exhibition win over BSU. Photo credit: Russel Hons.

Alright, folks, it's Roses and Thorns time! For those of who are new to the blog, and since it's been a bit since DDC has done one, let's explain how this little thing goes. So, DDC will recap this past weekend ... the things DDC believes went well, stood out, were solid, they get a rose. The things, events, situations that DDC believes went poorly get a thorn. Let's be honest, this is a game where everything is made up and the points don't matter.

Let's get after it!

The University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks had an exhibition this past Saturday that was not your normal exhibition. Normally, the Green and White takes on Canadian college team the Manitoba Bisons, but since everything is still kind of stupid, the NCAA allowed teams to schedule exhibitions against Division I opponents. Scheduling a game against the Bemidji State Beavers was an incredibly smart move for both teams. Instead of coasting through a match up against an inferior opponent just to get the legs warm, both of these squads were able to check out real, top-notch opposition. In fact, this game served as a scouting session for both teams as the two will play a home-and-home series in two weeks.

For the first two periods, this one looked like an exhibition -- sloppy play, turnovers, lack of offensive flow -- and the score was tied at 1. Then, like North Dakota fans are hoping to see all season, perhaps college hockey's premier defenseman (no, sorry Owen Power), did what he does. Sophomore defenseman Jake Sanderson gathered a loose puck to the left of the UND goal, blazed coast-to-coast and fired a quick shot to beat BSU netminder Gavin Enright at 11:02 of the third to give the Hawks the 2-1 lead which they never relinquished.

Here's what stood out to DDC.

Roses:

1) The Ralph is Back

Take a listen to the building when Sanderson buried his goal. Starts at about 2:40 into the clip:

God, that was missed. Cheers to full buildings in 2021-22.

2) Transfers, Rookies Look Solid

UND Goalie Zach
Driscoll stopped
16 of 17 shots

With 14 new faces (9 freshmen, 5 transfer additions) on this year's squad, a lot of anticipation was built around how these players would fit into UND's mold. As was pointed out by the GF Herald's Brad Schlossman, the Fighting Hawks saw all of their transfer players look like they belonged, basically because, well, they've played college hockey before. Forwards Connor Ford and Ashton Calder played well with Calder showing great speed and quickness. Defensemen Chris Jandric and Brady Ferner both had solid showings. DDC was impressed by Jandric's vision and structure. Lastly, goaltender Zach Driscoll was incredibly steady against his former BSU brethren stopping 16 of 17 shots including a clutch save on a clean breakaway with seven minutes to go. As for the rookies, the Green and White faithful saw a consistent performance by Jake Schmaltz, wearing his cousin Nick's former No. 8 jersey and settling in to a second-line winger spot. Nick Portz played a tremendous defensive game, slotting in on the second penalty kill and center Mateo Constantini went 5-for-6 in the faceoff dot. Great starts all around for UND's new faces.

3) The Straw Stirs the Drink

As noted in his 2021-22 season preview, DDC believes Sanderson will be the key-est of all keys for UND this season and the alternate captain immediately started to stir that proverbial drink for his team. Sanderson looked every bit of his status, potting the game-winner and adding an assist in the exhibition. Going back to the clip of his goal, his speed is just flat out game changing. Watch as he sees the defenseman continue to give him space. He hits the blue line and just goes. Quick shot, boom. Goal. Enjoy him, boys and girls. He's a special, special player. 

It was also nice to see sophomore forward Riese Gaber didn't forget how to shoot. Going back to the highlights, check out this rocket at around 1:10 into the clip. No doubter. That top powerplay unit of Gaber, Sanderson, Calder, Ford and Judd Caulfield could end up being really fun to watch.

Thorns:

1) The Need to Gel

Pointing out all the good this game had to offer is important, but it'll be important to note that UND did not have a lot of grade A opportunities in this one. Facing a solid opponent in Bemidji State, which DDC thinks will fare very, very well in the reincarnated CCHA (RIP WCHA 😞), showed that the Green and White may take some time before they develop consistent offensive prowess. With last season's team, the Fighting Hawks had three solid lines that could chip in on any night, but simply put, they didn't have that on Saturday. With 14 new faces, this team will need to rely on structure, goaltending, and solid defense to get some of these rookies up to speed and for new lines to develop. The pieces however are, without a doubt, there. 

Thanks for reading! DDC will be back later this week as UND starts its regular season schedule with an important non-conference series with the Niagara University Purple Eagles Friday and Saturday at the Ralph.