Roses and Thorns: A Sight Unseen... A Title

The UND men's hockey team left the ice in Portland, Maine on Saturday night a bit deflated.

They had just dominated the Maine Black Bears for three periods, out shooting their Hockey East foe 45-20 and carrying play throughout, but lost in a shootout following a 1-1 tie. Despite the barrage of pressure and shots, the Green and White could only once beat Black Bear freshman goaltender Rob McGovern, leading to the tie.

However, on the back of a 5-2 win on Friday afternoon against Lake Superior State and Maine's tie and shootout win over Michigan State, a surprising and welcomed guest joined the UND locker room -- The Ice Breaker Invitational trophy.

Seemingly unaware that they had won the tournament, the Green and White celebrated a wholly successful weekend.

For the first time since in longer than he can remember, DDC did not get a chance to see even one second of this weekend's games as neither game was broadcast in any format. Seriously. No coverage... not even a highlight.

So, on the word of media and the sweet, silky voice of UND's play-by-play radio announcer Tim Hennessy, here's your sight unseen Roses and Thorns column for this weekend's play.

Roses

No. 1 -- Cam Johnson

UND sophomore goalie
Cam Johnson

Eleven seconds into the game on Friday, the sophomore goaltender seemingly had allowed his first goal in the
season. However, the quick strike was disallowed and UND fans everywhere breathed a deep breath. But, two goals on the first three Laker shots, Johnson was having flashbacks to his only start in his freshman year as LSSU took a 2-0 lead just six minutes into the game. This go-around with the Lakers would be different. Shaking off the demons of being pulled last year in Grand Forks against LSSU, Johnson settled down and did not allow another goal in 21 shots faced, pacing a 5-2 win. Johnson was solid on Saturday in limited work, allowing just 1 goal on 20 shots in a 1-1, Ice Breaker Invitational clinching tie. Cheers to Johnson.

No. 2 -- Freshman Chemistry

Again, DDC did not get to see them in action, but every media member raved about the line of freshman Shane Gersich, sophomore Nick Schmaltz and freshman Brock Boeser. Gersich scored his first career goal on Friday and the trio of Gersich, Schmaltz and Boeser had noticeable (again, DDC didn't see it, but he trusts the eyes of the media) chemistry on Saturday. Schmaltz had several set ups to his linemates, particularly Boeser who had eight shots on goal in the game. Don't forget about the other freshman, too. Chris Wilkie scored his first career goal on Saturday, UND's only tally in the 1-1 tie. It's exciting to see (well, hear) about a young group playing with a lot of chemistry just two games into the season.

No. 3 --  Brad Berry

Down 2-0 in his first game behind the bench as head coach just six minutes in, Brad Berry called his timeout. The Green and White took the pause well and ran away with a 5-2 victory. After the game, Berry talked about his first-ever timeout. "I thought, 'This coaching thing is pretty tough.' ". Well, UND took care of business the rest of the way and Berry got his first-career head coaching win.

Thorns

No. 1 -- What Year is This?

"I thought 'Great Scott! No video coverage from the Ice Breaker
Invitational?!' I told Marty, 'we better not come Back to the Future!' "
-- Dr. Emmett L. Brown's direct quote in an exclusive to DDC.

Seriously. It's 20-frickin'-15.

How was there no video coverage of these games this weekend?!

When Doc and Marty McFly come Back to the Future later this week on October 15th, they will be ashamed of the Ice Breaker Invitational not having a way to showcase these games to fans of college hockey. If you don't get the reference, Google it. DDC feels bad for you.

Thank you, Mr. Tim Hennessy and UND athletics for letting us hear these games. Shame on you, Ice Breaker Invitational officials.

Head back to the blog later this week as the Green and White play a home-and-home, non-conference series with Bemidji State.

Friday Gameday: Breaking the Ice

It's time to break the ice on the 2015-16 UND men's hockey season.

The Green and White are in Portland, Maine for the Ice Breaker Invitational, kicking off the season with non-conference games against the Lake Superior State Lakers today at 3:30 CT and the Maine Black Bears on Saturday at 7.

UND travels to the New England area for the first time in the regular season since 2013, looking to start off the season on the right foot in two all-important Pairwise rankings (PWR) games. It may sound silly this early in the season, but with PWR out-of-conference games being so heavily weighted, these games are big.

Let's take a look at who will be on the other side of the ice against the Green and White.

Lake Superior State Lakers

Last Season: 8-28-2, 7-20-1 (9th in WCHA). Made WCHA tournament as Alaska was disallowed from postseason play, lost to Minnesota State in two games in the first round.

Key Players: Sr. F, Bryce Schmitt, Sr. D, Eric Drapluk, So. D, James Roll, So. G, Gordon Defiel

Last Meeting with UND: 7-4, 3-1 losses in Grand Forks, December 2015

About the Lakers: Lake Superior State looks to improve off a tough 8-28-2 record last season that saw them finish 8th in the WCHA. The Lakers had a quick exit in the WCHA playoffs, dropping two to Minnesota State. LSSU is a team that will be looking for scoring. The Lakers return just five players who tallied 10 or more points last season and has 10 incoming freshmen. Senior alternate captain Bryce Schmitt, a Minot, N.D. native, notched 15 points (7g, 8a) last season for the Lakers.

Maine Black Bears

Last season: 14-22-3, 8-12-2 (10th in Hockey East). Lost to Vermont in three games in the first round of the Hockey East tournament.

Key Players: Sr. F, Steven Swavely, Jr. F, Cam Brown, Jr. F, Blaine Byron, So. G, Sean Romeo, Sr. G, Matt Morris

Last Meeting with UND: 3-1 L, 3-3 T in Grand Forks, October 2011.

About the Black Bears: Maine was an OT loss away from advancing in the HEA tournament last season and returns a bunch of scoring to a lineup that potted plenty of goals last season. Senior captain Steven Swavely had a solid, 28 point (8g, 20a) season last year and Junior forward Blaine Byron was second on the team with 12 goals. Sophomore Sean Romeo and Senior Matt Morris shared the net for the 2014-15 Black Bears last year and both could see time this weekend.

The Search for a Goalie and Goals 

UND Sr. F, Drake Caggiula

The two major storylines for UND coming into this season will be the search for goal scorers and a goaltender to replace All-American Zane McIntyre.

The Green and White return 2014-15 leading goal scorer and point producer Drake Caggiula (18g, 18a -- 36 pts) to this year's squad, but outside of the senior alternate captain, many question marks exist. UND loses seven seniors and two others (Jordan Schmaltz to pro hockey and Wade Murphy to Arizona State) from their scoring attack. Sophomore Nick Schmaltz and Junior Luke Johnson look to be important returners. The Green and White also bring in 10 freshmen to the program, led by NHL first round selection, Brock Boeser. Boeser (1g, 1a) and three other freshmen, Shane Gersich (2g), Chris Wilkie (1a) and Joel Janatuinen (1g) all notched points in an exhibition win last Saturday against Manitoba.

In the nets, sophomore Cam Johnson will likely start both games this weekend as freshman Matej Tomek will be out due to a lingering wrist injury for at least a couple more weeks. Tomek did not make the trip to Portland. Johnson was serviceable, but not great, against Manitoba, allowing three goals on 12 shots.

The Pick(s)

UND So. G, Cam Johnson

Season-opening road trips are always tough to pick as UND really doesn't know what it has in its 10 freshmen until they show it on the ice. In their exhibition win against Manitoba, those freshmen paced a quick and physical attack that saw them put up eight goals. If that win was any indication of things to come, UND will like what they see this season. Despite being loaded on the blue line with five returning regulars, North Dakota's weekend will likely come down to goaltending.

DDC sees UND putting up some goals, but until he sees Johnson take charge in net, it's hard to pick anything but one win in Portland on Maine's home ice.

UND WINS 5-2 vs. LSSU, FALLS TO MAINE 4-3

Come back on Monday and see if DDC's predictions held true in his Roses and Thorns Ice Breaker recap.

Roses and Thorns: Reasons for Excitement

Pure goal scoring.

Dynamic, game-breaking, cold-blooded goal scoring.

Whatever superlative you'd like to name it, the UND men's hockey team has lacked a pure goal-scoring punch over the last few seasons. Couple that sentiment with the fact the the Green and White lost six of it's 10 leading point producers from last season either to graduation or professional hockey, the need for scoring was a major story line heading into the 2015-16 season.

Albeit in exhibition form, UND may have gotten a glimpse of a special crop of goal scorers in a 8-3 drubbing of the Manitoba Bisons on Saturday night.

Trailing 2-1 early the second period, the Green and White ripped off seven unanswered goals en route to a victory. Of those eight goals, four came off the sticks of freshmen suiting up for the first time for UND.

For those of you new to the blog, DDC takes a look back at each weekend's series with his Roses and Thorns. Roses are the positives with Thorns being negatives.

So, let's take a look at what stood out.

Roses 

Freshman forward Brock Boeser notched his first goal in Green and White
in UND's 8-3 exhibition win on Saturday. (Photo credit: GF Herald)

No. 1 -- New Blood

As mentioned before, UND got four of its eight goals on Saturday night from freshmen. Three more came off the stick of Johnny Simonson, a sophomore that did not score a goal in just 22 appearances as a freshman. Brock Boeser gave the fans a peek at what looks to be pretty special ability, firing a laser that beat the Bisons' netminder high glove side, tying the game at one in the first period. Then in the second, Shane Gersich notched back-to-back goals in a span of 12 seconds to give UND the lead. Joel Janatuinen also scored his first goal in a UND uniform. The production wasn't just goal scoring. Boeser, Janatuinen and Chris Wilkie also notched assists. So, in total, the Green and White underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) tallied 15 points with seven of those coming from freshmen. An encouraging start, to say the least.

No. 2 -- Don't Forget About Us

Some of UND's "elder statesmen" shined, as well. Junior assistant captain Troy Stecher looked dynamic on Saturday night, tallying three assists and fellow junior Keaton Thompson added two, including a terrific pass off the side boards from the defensive zone to spring Boeser for his goal. The upperclassman, especially in the defensive corps, will need to continue to shine as scoring from freshmen can't be expected every night, particularly early on in the season.

No. 3 -- Effort Before Execution

New head coach Brad Berry echoed the idea of "effort before execution" to his young team in the week leading up to the exhibition win. That certainly showed on Saturday night. Despite trailing 1-0 and 2-1 early on in this game, UND never let off the gas. The Green and White peppered the Manitoba net with 56 shots on goal and carried a tremendous pace throughout. Credit the veterans and coaching staff for keeping the freshmen from being starry-eyed in their first appearance in front of their rowdy, Ralph Engelstad Arena crowd.

Thorns

Sr. F, Colten St. Clair
will miss the first half
of the season due to injury.

No. 1 -- Injuries

Already? C'mon!

UND found out on Friday that it will be without senior forward Colten St. Clair for half the season after suffering an arm injury in practice that will require surgery. Also, freshman goaltender and third-round NHL draft pick Matej Tomek sat out on Saturday with a nagging wrist injury. Tomek's injury, however, looks like it won't keep the Slovak rookie out much longer.

Here's to hoping that this is never a thorn again, this season.

No. 2 -- Shaky Start Between the Pipes

 

Goaltending, behind the play of All-American Zane McIntrye, hasn't been a question mark for UND over the past two seasons. With the injury to Tomek, it was sophomore Cam Johnson's net on Saturday night for an early audition. Although Johnson's play didn't decide the game in anyway, the netminder didn't impress, allowing three goals on just 12 shots faced, including two in his first four. Johnson, who was pulled in the first period in his only action as a freshman, fought the puck a bit on Saturday and had two goals in particular that he'd most likely want back. The Michigan native will likely be an important piece for this UND squad as the Green and White look to replace a gaping hole. Despite having an excellent defensive corps in front of him this season, Johnson simply needs to be better going forward.

So, that's it.

Come back later this week as UND prepares to head to Portland, Maine for games with Lake Superior State and Maine on Friday and Saturday night at the IceBreaker Invitational.

DDC's NCAA Preseason Top 20, NCHC picks and an exhibtion peek

No, this is not baby Emma. Sorry. This is DDC's giddy face.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! It's HOCKEY TIME!

DDC is bouncing up and down like baby Emma with a poopy diaper, but certainly in much happier spirits.

"Giddy" is a good choice of words, right?

Let's get into it, shall we?

DDC's NCAA Preseason Rankings

The march to the 2016 Frozen Four in Tampa is on.

Here's how DDC sees the Top 20 coming into the 2015-16 campaign:

1) Denver
2) Boston College

3) Minnesota-Duluth
4) North Dakota
5) Minnesota State
6) Boston University
7) Nebraska Omaha
8) Colgate
9) UMass-Lowell
10) St. Cloud State
11) Michigan
12) Minnesota
13) Bowling Green
14) Quinnipiac
15) Miami
16) Yale
17) Providence
18) Michigan Tech
19) St. Lawrence
20) Notre Dame

Denver F, Danton Heinen

Simply put, Denver is loaded. Danton Heinen might be the best player in the country. Losing Joey LaLeggia is no easy task, but Will Butcher is certainly no slouch. With Heinen, Trevor Moore and Quinten Shore leading the forward group, the Pios look to be the real deal. In the pipes, Evan Cowley and Tanner Jaillet look like a duo that will continue the goalie-rich tradition in Denver.

BC loses Noah Hanafin and Michael Matheson, both outstanding defenseman, but still carry stalwarts Steven Santini and Ian McCoshen. That duo in front of Thatcher Demko, seems to be one of the best.

UMD returns a bunch of dynamic scoring and North Dakota sports a blue line that could be the best in the country.

NCHC Preseason Picks

1) Denver
2) Minnesota-Duluth
3) North Dakota
4) Nebraska Omaha
5) St. Cloud State
6) Miami
7) Western Michigan
8) Colorado College

Had to mimic the Top 20 rankings, here. Man, is this conference loaded, or what? Nebraska Omaha could turn some heads again this year. Lots of scoring on that team that returns a bunch of quality forwards. If North Dakota gets the scoring that expects to out of Brock Boeser and the rest of the incoming freshman, UND could very well defend its Penrose Cup.

Preseason All-NCHC Team

F- Danton Heinen, Denver
F- Drake Caggiula, North Dakota
F- Trevor Moore, Denver
D- Andy Welinski, Minnesota-Duluth
D- Paul LaDue, North Dakota
G- Kasimir Kaskisuo, Minnesota-Duluth

Player of the Year: Heinen
Defenseman of the Year: LaDue
Rookie of the Year: F, Brock Boeser, North Dakota

Lots of names nearly miss the cut. UNO forward Austin Ortega, UMD forwards Dom Toninato and Alex Iafallo, Miami forward Sean Kuraly and UND defenseman Troy Stecher are hard to leave off, but DDC likes his picks. Miami rookie forward Jack Roslovic could push Boeser for ROY honors.

Quick Peek at Manitoba

The Green and White come into their tune up tussle with the Manitoba Bisons looking for some answers. Returning who they do on the blue line, North Dakota should be just fine there. However, who will be the man in the pipes and who is going to score up front are the questions looming large.

Freshman goalie Matej Tomek, a third-round NHL pick, and potential, long-term replacement for all-world netminder Zane McIntyre, will not play on Saturday night due to a lingering, preseason injury. Cam Johnson will get the nod early. Johnson struggled mightily in his lone appearance last season, getting yanked in the first period against Lake Superior State, but will have a chance to prove himself a bit against the Bisons.

UND will take care of Manitoba, but will the Green and White faithful see the scoring and goaltending they are looking for? DDC is interested in seeing what Brock Boeser can bring to the ice. The potential is certainly there for the first-round pick.

UND wins 6-2.

Let's get it. Let's go.

It's time to drop the puck.

A Quick Look Back To Move Forward

It's been 172 days since the University of North Dakota men's hockey team fell 5-3 to the Boston University Terriers on April 9 in the Frozen Four semifinals in Boston.

172 is also the number of times, give or take a dozen or so, that DDC has thought to put into words his thoughts about the way the season ended.

*Swallows hard*

Nope, still can't do it.

So, in lieu of another nervous sweat and bout of nausea, let's move forward a little bit.

It has been 133 days since May 18 when Dave Hakstol left the University of North Dakota men's hockey team to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League. Simultaneously, it has been 133 days since Brad Berry was elevated from assistant coach to head coach of the Green and White.

133 is also the amount of emotions, thoughts and head-scratches that have been brought to DCC since May 18.

Quite the interesting month, wouldn't you say?

It's Berry's Bench

UND first-year head coach
Brad Berry

While the memories of April 9 may ring in many fans minds longer, May 18 is the date that most affects the 2015-16 incarnation of  UND men's hockey.

Let's get one thing straight... in DDC's opinion, Brad Berry is the right man for this job.

The former assistant coach has had success at every level and that means EVERY level. The speedy hiring of Berry limited the shock waves which could have shaken the core of UND down to recruitment and even early departures.

If UND had put any delay in elevating Berry to the head job, instability could have caused recruits to bolt and/or made UND's current roster doubt the direction of the program.

The Green and White brass did the right thing. Keeping on the path of a team that has made back-to-back Frozen Fours and is the defending Penrose Cup champion of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference keeps things going in the right direction.

That being said, Berry steps directly into the spotlight and replaces a legend at UND. You can say whatever you'd like about Dave Hakstol not winning a national championship, but any sane fan of the Green and White knows that Hakstol was the real deal. We've all heard the stats to back that up. The fact that he's now coaching in the NHL shows Hakstol's prowess. It's an extremely rare feat to make the jump from the NCAA ranks to the head spot on a NHL squad.

So, for the first time since 2005, there will be a new head man behind the bench for UND. That alone causes uneasiness for this blogger.

Pair that with the loss of seven seniors, and three others (two, all-world goaltender Zane McIntyre and talented defenseman Jordan Schmaltz, to the pros and one to the budding Arizona State program in Wade Murphy), and you have questions that need to be answered.

Jr. D, Gage Ausmus
was named UND's captain
for the 2015-16 season.

Who's Back?

Despite the losses, UND returns a deep defensive corps, avoiding potential early departures of Troy Stecher, Paul LaDue, Keaton Thompson and Tucker Poolman, all of whom were offered professional contracts over the summer. Gage Ausmus also returns and will captain this year's team.

On the front end, the Green and White return last season's leading goal scorer Drake Caggiula and play-making centerman Nick Schmaltz, softening the blow of the loss of many productive seniors from last year's squad.

Who's Here?

Forward Brock Boeser, a first-round NHL draft pick
Vancouver, looks to make an immediate impact at UND.

Looking to replace the 10 players that left the UND program, the Green and White bring in a group of 10 freshmen that will look to make an immediate impact.

Leading the charge in that potential impact is forward Brock Boeser, a first-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks (23rd overall), and goaltender Matej Tomek, a third-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers (90th overall).

Boeser, the Burnsville, Minn., native has lit up every level of hockey on his way to Grand Forks and looks to have a much-needed scoring touch for North Dakota.

Tomek, from Slovakia, will push returning goalies Cam Johnson and Matt Hrynkiw right out of the gate and could quickly be the man to fill the gaping hole left by McIntyre in the UND net.

The rest of the class includes talented scorers Chris Wilkie, Shane Gersich and Joel Janatuinen, all of which had 50+ points last year in the USHL. On the blue line, Christian Wolanin had a stellar 41-point year and Hayden Shaw earned first-team honors last season, both in the USHL.

Any Questions?

So, with returning players and impact rookies, the questions seem to be answered, right? Well, only time will tell. We'll get a first glimpse this Saturday as UND takes on Manitoba in an exhibition tussle.

Come back later this week for a look at the rest of the NCHC and a peek at his Top 10 across the country. DDC will reveal his picks for preseason conference honors and where the teams in the country's best conference are coming into this year.

It's good to be back. It's almost time for hockey.