Friday Gameday: A Petty Pick at Pecknold

North Dakota takes on Quinnipiac this weekend, the team the Green and White romped 5-1
en route to the 2016 National Championship. Photo Credit: Grand Forks Herald

DDC has built up a bit of disdain for the Quinnipiac Bobcats over the past decade or so. But, why?

There's not a big rivalry with UND. There's certainly no connection in terms of region. Connecticut is a beautiful state and it's super fun to say 'Connecticut.' The Green and White have never lost to the Bobcats, twice beating them in the NCAA tournament including, of course, the 2016 title game. 

So, what's the reason? Frankly, it's pretty simple.

Rand Pecknold.  

Whether it's whining about Scheels Arena not being a neutral site (he's right, but still, such a lame whine) and playing around with Sam Anas' injury status ("not even close to playing" -- he played) in the 2015 West Regional or downplaying how good the CBS line was before the 2016 National Championship game or his annoying feuds with coaches on eastern teams, DDC just doesn't like the Bobcats' head coach. While certainly petty, DDC is looking forward to this weekend as our No. 6 Fighting Hawks (3-1-0) take on the No. 7 Bobcats (2-0-1) in Hamden, Conn., with Pecknold behind the bench for QU.

Sorry for being out a couple weeks, but such is life for DDC. Let's take a deeper look at this important non-conference series. 

Who?

Players to Watch

Quinnipiac University Bobcats

Sr. F., Michael Lombardi, 2 goals, 2 assists -- 4 points; Jr. F., Skyler Brind'Amour, 1g, 2a -- 3 pts; So. F., Ty Smilanic, 1g, 1a -- 2 pts; So. G., Yaniv Perets, 1-0-1, .947 save percentage, .96 goals against average; Sr. G., Dylan St. Cyr, 1-0-0; 14-save shutout last weekend against Vermont.

University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Jr. F., Ashton Calder, 4g, 2a -- 6 pts; So. F., Riese Gaber, 2g, 4a -- 6 pts; Fr. F., Jake Schmaltz, 3g, 2a -- 5 pts; So. D., Jake Sanderson -- 2g, 2a -- 4 pts; Sr. G., Zach Driscoll, 3-1-0; 2.26 GAA, .898 SV%

What?

Standout Stats and Notes

Quinnipiac

The Bobcats have yet to score a power play goal this year, but have also not allowed a goal when on the penalty kill through their three games.

Their 54% faceoff win percentage slots the Bobcats at 15th nationally.

Quinnipiac is 0-4-0 all-time against UND including a 4-1 loss in the 2015 West Regional in Fargo and a 5-1 loss in the 2016 National Championship game.

UND

The Fighting Hawks penalty kill comes into the weekend at 93.3%, good for 11th in the NCAA.

North Dakota is third in the nation with a 14.7% shooting percentage.

Senior defenseman Chris Jandric's +7 rating is tied for fifth best in the nation.

How?

How'd they get here?

Quinnipiac is 2-0-1 on the season, winning last Saturday's game against Vermont 2-0. Notre Dame transfer goalie Dylan St. Cyr notched a shutout for the Bobcats in his fist action with his new squad.

The Fighting Hawks (3-1-0) split a home-and-home series with Bemidji State, winning 4-3 in Bemidji on Friday and dropping a 4-3 decision in overtime at home on Saturday. The loss was UND's first in a non-conference clash at home since 2018, a span of 17 games.

The Pick

The last time these two teams played, it ended up alright for UND. DDC believes
it won't be as fun this time, as a split is likely at hand. Photo credit: GF Herald

Ugh, it's tough to be a homer in this one because DDC really, really dislikes Mr. Pecker... sorry... Pecknold (See Ghostbusters reference). With that said, what UND has shown so far this season, much like DDC expected and predicted, has been a little bit of inconsistency. With 14 new faces, most understood this would take a little bit of time to grow into a fantastic hockey team. The new pieces have been great -- Jake Schmaltz has looked like a goal scorer as a freshman, Ashton Calder leads the team in goals, Zach Driscoll has been steady -- but the mesh just isn't fully there. UND is getting closer and closer to full health with forward Brendan Budy inching towards a comeback and defenseman Brady Ferner doing the same, but until then, the Hawks may still see some ups and downs as they look to gel. 

All of this said, DDC has seen some pretty great stretches in the first four games and he expects this to vault the team to a solid weekend against a solid opponent in a very important non-conference series. QU looks to be starting off strong, tying then No. 6 Boston College, beating No. 18 Northeastern and Vermont, and there's plenty of historical motivation for Mr. Pecknold to fire his team up with. 

Ugh... DDC just can't pick a sweep. 

DDC thinks the Green and White will come out hard on Friday and get a win, but the Bobcats even it up on Saturday.

UND TAKES THE 5-2 WIN ON FRIDAY, BUT MR. PECKNOLD'S BOYS EVEN IT UP WITH A 4-2 VICTORY ON SATURDAY

As always, thanks for the read and check back early next week to see what DDC thought of this series.

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.