DDC's Top 10 Moments in the UND/Minnesota Rivalry -- No. 6 -- The Ralph is Rockin' -- Ralph Engelstad Arena, Minneapolis, January 9, 2009.

Thanks for coming back as the countdown continues.

No. 6 is one that DDC remembers very well because of one reason -- the fans at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

If the No. 10 moment, the Holy Cross victory of Minnesota was the loudest REA has ever been, this game in January 2009 is a close second.

Goal, after goal, after goal. The Ralph exploded.

 No. 6 -- The Ralph is Rockin' -- Ralph Engelstad Arena, Minneapolis, January 9, 2009.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr55K6B6V2g

UND fans' favorite goaltender, Alex Kangas, was very good in the first period on this night as the Sioux dominated, out shooting the Gophers 18-2. However, when the goals came, the kept coming. Sophomore Evan Trupp scored short handed just 1:17 into the second and the rest was history. At :15 of the video and just over five minutes into the second period, you can see the shot totals were favoring UND 23-3.

DDC's remembers vividly seeing Kangas sit in the crease after a Ryan Duncan goal to make it 3-1 and FSN did an amazing job catching this moment at :44 into the video. Kangas was later pulled.

Poor Alex Kangas.

He was pulled again the next night, as UND finished off the sweep with a 6-1 whooping.

Just six days left, Sioux fans. Come back tomorrow for No. 5 with a little magic from a diminutive Alaskan.

DDC's Top 10 Moments in the UND/Minnesota Rivalry -- No. 7 -- Alex Kangas Loves UND -- Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D., March 12, 2010.

Just seven days to go.

The countdown to April 10 continues with No. 7 in DDC's Top 10 moments in the UND/Minnesota rivalry. This one comes from many UND fans' favorite Gopher goaltender of all time.

No. 7 -- Alex Kangas Loves UND -- Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D., March 12, 2010.

For whatever reason, this video is searchable on YouTube, but cannot be added here, so here's the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDPnURQfZ5o

Alex Kangas was a fan favorite at UND. Although he clearly didn't like us, he was the one guy that all Sioux fans loved to hate during his tenure as Minnesota netminder and DDC can absolutely see why Mr. Kangas hates UND. The Rochester, Minn., native was the Fighting Sioux's personal punching bag during his time. 

Kangas was a mere 3-6-2 against UND with Minnesota including a paltry .899 save percentage and a putrid 3.09 goals against average. Kangas was also pulled from between the pipes three times in his career against the Sioux.

DDC's favorite part about this particular video is Woog and Mazzacco's commentary when the 3-0 score after the first period pops up. Great stuff. Pretty much Kangas' summation of his career against UND right there.

DDC's Top 10 Moments in the UND/Minnesota Rivalry -- No. 8 -- Pony Punishes Wehrs in Frattin's Corner

Thanks for coming back to DDC's Top 10 moments in the UND/Minnesota rivalry!

No. 8 is a a good one and it led to a classic scrum between the two bitter enemies.

No. 8 -- Pony Punishes Wehrs in Frattin's Corner -- Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D., January 14, 2011.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pN6q83gl7E

Kevin Wehrs has to have continued nightmares of that corner of the REA. One year after Matt Frattin leveled him during the first round of the WCHA playoffs, Pony reintroduced him into his least favorite part of the arena. The one thing DDC remembers most about this punishing hit from senior centerman Brad Malone was the sound. Listen to it at :10 in. Sounds like a gun shot. He absolutely destroyed Wehrs with a CLEAN HIT. Mind you, there was no penalty on this play for this hit. Seeing Wehrs sitting there with the look of pure defeat, less than 9 months after being leveled in the same spot, is absolutely priceless. This face pretty much says it all.

The scrum that follows as UND is skating to the locker room is started by Minnesota. The hit was clean, the play was over and UND was moving on. Minnesota senior forward Jacob Cepis decided he had to rile things up. Heck of a hockey player, but this kid was a hack and a diver during his two years with the Gophers, in my opinion. Note :47 into the video as Cepis has his stick wrapped around Andrew MacWilliam's neck. Classy move. Nate Condon (No. 16) and Seth Helgeson (No. 4) deliver shots to the back and the back of the head of two UND players on the ice during 1-on-1 fights. Classic Gopher fighting strategy. Chalk up another scrum to the rivalry.

Come back tomorrow for DDC's No. 7 Top 10 moments in the UND/Minnesota rivalry. Preview... UND's favorite rival goaltender expresses his love for his most-heated opponent.

DDC's Top 10 Moments in the UND/Minnesota rivalry -- No. 10 and No. 9 -- Holy Cross and Spirko

It's coming. The best rivalry in college hockey is alive and well.

After both North Dakota and Minnesota won their regional tournaments this past weekend, the two long-time enemies will meet again. This time, with a berth in the national title game on the line.

We're nine days away from the April 10 showdown from the Frozen Four at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Nine days is an eternity for fans of this rivalry, DDC included. So, DDC decided to bring something special to its fans ... a countdown of the Top 10 moments in the UND/Minnesota rivalry.

These moments are shaded kelly green. If you don't like it, sorry. But not really.

Since we are nine days away, DDC will bring you double in this countdown, starting with two moments.

No. 10 -- Holy Cross defeats Minnesota in the 2006 West Regional -- Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D., March 24, 2006.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1_x1oo35L0

Yes, DDC gets it, this isn't a UND/Minnesota game, but it just as well could have been in terms of fans support. The REA has never been louder as it was when Holy Cross captain Tyler McGregor netted the game winner to beat the No. 1 seeded Gophers. David slayed Goliath and UND fans world wide rejoiced.

No. 9 -- Rastislav Spirko's shorty leads UND comeback to WCHA Final Five win -- Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn., March 19, 2005.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsVzWFE3UmI

"Shorthanded, a dancing move and a goal! Spirko!" "Ratislav, Sparky, Rusty, whatever you want to call him, he's got nicknames, shows his dance." Frank Mazzocco and Doug Woog's call of this nasty goal from diminutive Rastislav Spirko (one of DDC's all-time favorite Sioux) in the 2005 WCHA Final Five is a gem. Coming in all alone shorthanded, Spirko made a pylon out of Gopher defenseman Chris Harrington and completely undressed goalie Kellen Briggs to knot the game at 2. The goal led UND to a comeback 4-2 win.

Check in again tomorrow for No. 8 on the list of DDC's Top 10 UND/Minnesota rivalry moments. A little preview... The Pony Express has another surprise in a former Gopher's favorite corner.

Who’ll be the King of Queen City? NCAA HOCKEY TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

After six months of hockey, two of the four teams in this weekend’s NCAA Midwest regional in Cincinnati, their season’s final buzzer will sound.

The tournament kicks off at 3:30 p.m. CT on Friday from U.S. Bank Arena when the two teams who started the NCAA campaign way back on October 5, Ferris State and Colgate, take the ice to see who can keep their season alive.

At 7 p.m. in the other half of the regional, former WCHA conference rivals the Wisconsin Badgers and North Dakota renew past pleasantries.

The winners of the two semifinal matchups will play each other the next night for the right to head to the Frozen Four in Philadelphia.

No. 2 FERRIS STATE VS. No. 3 COLGATE

These two teams have gotten to know each other a bit this season, playing each other three times, two of which Colgate won.

The Raiders, coming off a 5-2 semifinal loss to eventual ECAC tournament champion Union, are a young team, led by a group of five sophomores with 26 or more points. Dynamic twins Tyson (10 goals, 23 assists – 33 points) and Tylor Spink (14g, 16a – 30 pts) spark the young forward corps.

Colgate is young between the pipes, as well, as freshman Charlie Finn paced the 20-13-5 Raiders with a 16-7-4 record, 2.40 goals against average and a steady .916 save percentage.

Colgate will look to slow down the nation’s 10^th ranked scoring offense in Ferris State. The Bulldogs, who fell in the WCHA Final Five championship game to MSU-Mankato 4-1 this past Saturday, are led in goals (16) and points (32), by senior winger Garrett Thompson.

Junior netminder C.J. Motte, a Hobey Baker finalist, has been a stalwart in the net for Ferris State this season, notching 27-8-3 record, good for fifth best in the country, a 2.25 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.

The Pick
DDC was impressed by the Raiders in 2-2 tie (shootout win) against then No. 2 Minnesota back in January. The Spink Twins are a heck-of-a duo. 

Ferris was among the best teams in the college hockey this year, winning the WCHA regular season title and reaching the No. 2 ranking in the country on December 30. Since then, including a 3-0 loss to Colgate, the Bulldogs are a respectable 14-8-0, but feasted on a weak WCHA schedule. DDC thinks Colgate’s youth takes over as the RAIDERS WIN, 4-2.

No. 1 WISCONSIN VS. No. 4 NORTH DAKOTA

Sweet fate finds these once bitter rivals on the same ice.

After a 5-0 win over Western Michigan in the NCHC third-place game this past Saturday, UND needed two things to happen to make their 12^th-straight NCAA tournament. 1) Have UMass-Lowell beat New Hampshire in the Hockey East final and 2) have Wisconsin beat Ohio State in the Big Ten final. 

The River Hawks downed the Wildcats, easily. Check.

But, things looked bleak for the Green and White as the Badgers trailed the Buckeyes 4-2 with just over 6 minutes left to play in St. Paul.

Twenty-eight seconds later, UND had a pulse.

Wisconsin tied it with back-to-back goals.

DDC, as many UND fans, watched this back-and-forth battle head into overtime, pacing around a downtown Minneapolis apartment with three other crazed fans, knowing that their favorite team was one bounce away from dancing or depression.

Then, with just under eight minutes gone in the extra frame, Senior Mark Zengerle scored the game-winner in a net-front scrum for a 5-4 Wisconsin win.

Cheers could be heard from Minneapolis to Grand Forks and back to St. Paul.

The win gave the Badgers the inaugural Big Ten tournament title and a No. 1 seed in the regional.

It gave North Dakota a chance.

Friday’s tilt renews a rivalry that is 163 games old. Simply put, these teams know each other very well.

Wisconsin’s Zengerle leads a trio of highly-touted forwards in Sophomore Nic Kerdiles and Senior Michael Mersch into the first-round matchup. Zengerle’s 43 points leads the team.

Junior goaltender Joel Rumpel, a Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist, paces a defensive group that allows 2.50 goals a game. Rumpel’s winning percentage this season (21-5-1, .756) is second best in the nation. His goals against average (2.03) and save percentage (.930) are both in the top 10 nationally.

For UND, sophomore forward Rocco Grimaldi leads the team in all scoring categories with 14 goals, 22 assists and 36 points.

North Dakota’s defensive scoring has been a major story this season as three 'D' men, sophomore Jordan Schmaltz (6g, 17a – 23 pts), senior captain Dillion Simpson (7g, 15a – 22 pts) and junior Nick Mattson (4g, 17a – 21 pts), have all more than 20 points on the year.

After battling senior Clarke Saunders for playing time early in the season and a short bump with an injury, sophomore goaltender Zane Gothberg has been stellar in the net for UND this season.

Gothberg’s 2.05 goals against average is 9^th in the nation and since Nov. 30, has gone 16-4-1. During that stretch of 21 starts, Gothberg owns a 1.76 goals against average, a 9.31 save percentage and his first three shutouts of his collegiate career.

The Pick
This is a tough pick. Rivals on the grandest stage – the NCAA tournament.

Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is attributed to the famous quote: “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”

Although the stakes are clearly not as high as Pearl Harbor, DDC thinks the Badgers have done just this.

UND was just 6 minutes away from watching teams play this weekend. DDC thinks UND brings a new energy to the Queen City and gets a clutch performance from Gothberg in the pipes and skates to a slugfest win. UND WINS, 4-3.

TITLE GAME

Although I like Colgate and how they’ve played down the stretch and throughout this season, DDC thinks UND will be too motivated from beating their rival the night before to drop this one. Gothberg leads the charge again as NORTH DAKOTA SKATES TO PHILLY, 4-1.

THE REST OF THE DDC BRACKET

West
No. 2 Notre Dame knocks off No. 1 Minnesota in the Gophers’ backyard. DDC hasn’t seen a killer instinct from Minny yet this season, as they consistently played down to their opponents all season. Goaltender Adam Wilcox is a legitimate stud this season, but it isn’t enough. IRISH EYES ARE SMILIN’, 4-2.

East
One name to learn for this post-season run: Connor Hellebuyck.

No. 2 UMass-Lowell stymies No. 1 Boston College in Worcester behind a continued out-of-this-world effort from the sophomore netminder against the best player in college hockey, Johnny Gaudreau.

Still don’t believe DDC? Hellebuyck’s goals against average: 1.73, best in the nation. Hellebuyck’s save percentage: .943, best in the nation. Hellebuyck’s shutouts this year: 6, second in the nation. 

No more questions. RIVER HAWKS SOAR, 3-1.

Northeast
DDC has seen Union play a few times this season. Up front, they are good; defensively, they are great.

Junior Shane Gostisbehere is a Hobey finalist and senior Mat Bodie is third in the country in defenseman scoring. Goalie Collin Steven’s goals against average of 1.96 goals a game is fifth in the nation. This grouping is flat out good.

Providence’s Jon Gillies is no slouch in net, but DDC doesn’t think even he can keep pace with Union’s 'D' corps. UNION DUTCHMEN TOP THE FRIARS, 5-2.