Friday Gameday: On the Conference Grind

Flashback to March 7, 2015.

The UND men's hockey team gritted out a 2-1 win on Friday night over Miami in their home barn to clinch the Penrose Cup as National Collegiate Hockey Conference champions. The Green and White were presented the Penrose in the locker room, but the celebration bled out to the ice as the team posed for pictures with the regular season championship trophy.

I'm not sure how you'd feel about that, but if DDC were in the Miami home locker room, that would certainly leave him with a sour taste in his mouth.

Although the stakes may not be as high, will a bit of revenge be looked for this weekend as the Miami University RedHawks travel to Ralph Engelstad Arena to take on UND in a NCHC series?

I guess we'll find out.

Here's what to watch for in this conference showdown this Friday and Saturday in DDC's weekly "Who? What? How?" series preview.

Who?

Players to Watch

Miami

Miami Fr. F, Jack Roslovic

Fr. F, Jack Roslovic, 6 goals, 3 assists -- 9 points; Fr. F, Josh Melnick, 3g, 3a -- 6 pts; Jr. F, Anthony Lewis, 1g, 5a -- 6 pts; So. D, Louie Belpedio, 1a, 4a -- 5 pts; Sr. F, Sean Kuraly, 0g, 3a -- 3 pts; Sr. G, Ryan McKay, 5-2-1, 1.70 goals against average (10th in NCAA), .937 save percentage (11th in NCAA).

UND

Sr. F, Drake Caggiula, 3g, 8a -- 11 pts; Sr. F, Bryn Chyzyk, 5g, 3a -- 8 pts; Fr. F, Brock Boeser, 5g, 2a -- 7 pts; Jr. D, Troy Stecher, 2g, 5a -- 7 pts; So. F, Nick Schmaltz, 0g, 7a -- 7 pts; Jr. G, Matt Hrynkiw, 1.63 GAA (8th in NCAA), .933 SV PCT (14th in NCAA).

What?

Standout Stats

North Dakota leads the country in shots on goal with 375, is fourth in shots per game, averaging 37.5 and is second in plus/minus with a +16.

UND's 1.70 goals allowed per game is 6th best in the NCAA. Miami ranks 20th with 2.50 allowed.

Miami carries the third best penalty kill in the country into this weekend's series, having stopped 34 of 35 power play chances for a sterling 97.1% kill average.

UND is 7-4-1 all time against Miami. The two teams split both series last season.

How?

How did they get here?

No. 3 UND (7-1-2, 2-0-0-0 NCHC) dropped its first game of the year 3-1 last Friday at home against Wisconsin, but battled back and earned a non-conference split with a 3-1 win on Saturday. Friday night's loss haulted the Green and White's best season-opening unbeaten streak (8 games) since 1999-00.

No. 17 Miami (5-4-1, 2-2-0-0 NCHC) swept Western Michigan with a pair of 2-1 NCHC victories last weekend at home in Oxford, Ohio.

The Pick

UND celebrated with the Penrose Cup on Miami's home ice last March.
Will this fire up Miami this weekend at the Ralph? (photo: GF Herald)

UND has certainly had a great start to this season. All things considered, with a new head coach, 11 freshmen and a boatload of injuries, the Green and White have thus far exceeded expectations with a 7-1-2 start. With all due respect to Lake Superior State, Maine, Vermont, Colorado College and Wisconsin, this will be the toughest test for UND to this point in the season.

The RedHawks are loaded up front and freshman Jack Roslovic looks to be the real deal. Senior goaltender Ryan McKay has taken control of the Miami net in a battle with fellow senior Jay Williams with solid numbers.

UND experienced defeat for the first time this season at the hands of bitter rival Wisconsin last weekend and frankly, they deserved to lose on Friday night. The Badgers were tenacious defensively and had a compete level that the Green and White never really matched. UND bounced back on Saturday with a much better showing and got a convincing win. This will serve this team well as Miami will be jazzed up in front of a raucous REA crowd and will be looking for a bit of payback for the Penrose Cup victory celebration in Oxford.

This series screams split, but DDC really likes how UND responded last Saturday against Wisconsin. This team, loaded with freshmen, found out the hard way on Friday night what happens when your compete level isn't where it should be from the drop of the puck. While Miami is very talented, DDC likes the home ice advantage in this one.

UND SWEEPS IN TWO TIGHT, HIGH-PACED GAMES, 3-2, 4-3

There you have it. Come back after the series to see if DDC made the right call. Thanks for reading.

Friday Gameday: A Big Fight Feel

It's Rylan Kaip leveling Kyle Turris in the corner.

It's a 2-0 third period deficit in the 2008 Midwest Regional in Madison turning into a 3-2 OT win, sending UND to the Frozen Four on goals by Kaip, Ryan Duncan (PING!) and Andrew Kozek.

It's Dave Hakstol and Mike Eaves arguing on ice.

It's Cary Eades taking on the Wisconsin bench in the infamous Water Bottle Incident.

And for the first time since 2013, it's UND vs. the Wisconsin Badgers from the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

There's a big fight feel in the air tonight.

These former WCHA foes left for the NCHC and Big 10 to start the 2013-14 season and have gone in opposite directions. The Green and White have made back-to-back Frozen Fours while Wisconsin has seen unprecedented struggles. 

Excuse the cliche, but you can throw that all out the window this weekend.

It's UND vs. Wisconsin.

Here's what to watch for in DDC's weekly "Who? What? How?" series preview.

Who?

Players to Watch

Wisconsin

Jr. F, Grant Besse 3 goals, 5 assists -- 8 points; Fr. F, Seamus Malone 2g, 5a -- 7pts; Fr. F, Luke Kunin 2g, 4a -- 6pts; Fr. G, Matt Juruski, 2-2-2, 2.84 goals against average, .904 save percentage.

UND

UND Sr. F. Drake Caggiula

Sr. F, Drake Caggiula 2g, 7a -- 9pts; Sr. F, Bryn Chyzyk 5g, 2a -- 7pts; Fr. F, Brock Boeser 5g, 2a -- 7pts (T-2 in NCAA rookie goal scoring); Jr. D, Troy Stecher 2g, 5a -- 7pts; Jr. G, Matt Hyrnkiw, 5-0-1, 1.48 GAA (11th in NCAA), .942 SV PCT (13th in NCAA).

What?

Standout Stats

UND brings in the NCAA's eighth-best scoring defense (1.62 goals against per game) and 16th-best scoring offense (3.62 goals scored per game) into this weekend's series.

UND's 6-0-2 mark is their longest unbeaten streak to start a season since 1999-00.

Wisconsin's sweep of Arizona State last weekend was their first series sweep since March 2014 against Penn State.

The Green and White are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games against the Badgers including a 4-3, 5-1 sweep last November in Madison.

How?

How'd they get here?

UND swept Colorado College last weekend 5-2, 2-0 in Colorado Springs. The No. 1 Green and White are unbeaten on the season with a 6-0-2 record.

Wisconsin got a non-conference sweep of Arizona State 5-1, 2-1 at home. In Friday night's win, the Badgers outshot the D-I rookie Sun Devil team 56-19. They carry a 2-3-3 record to Grand Forks.

The Pick

UND celebrates its comeback 3-2 overtime win over Wisconsin in the
2008 Midwest Regional final in Madison. This is easily DDC's favorite
image from that game. J.P. Lamoreux's celebration is flat out epic.

Boy does this series bring the DDC back down memory lane.

Whether it's covering the 2-0 comeback in the 2008 Midwest Regional with one of his best friends while they both had bleach blonde hair (fun story... feel free to ask), a rowdy series in Madison where DDC watched UND clinch a MacNaughton Cup with a dozen of his fraternity brothers or seeing the Green and White end Wisco's season just one week after the Badgers got UND into the tournament, DDC flat out loves watching these two teams play and he has the honor of being in Grand Forks this weekend, to watch it in person.

Outside of the Minnesota Gophers, this is the one team that DDC hates more than any other. Year after year, big game after big game, playoff battle after playoff battle, UND vs. Wisconsin brings an intensity that few other rivalries in college hockey can bring.

Despite where they are in the national standing and their records, DDC expects a game Badgers team this weekend in Grand Forks.

All of the emotion aside, UND is playing better than Wisconsin.

The Green and White are No. 1 in the country, paced by a dynamic scoring punch and a goaltender playing as well as any the country.

The Badgers got their first sweep in 18+ months at the hands of D-I infant Arizona State.

UND is the better team in every phase, this season and while this series could very well end up being a dog fight, stirring up memories of battles of the past, the talent difference between these two teams can't be ignored.

Bring it, Bucky. It's time for a fight.

UND SWEEPS THE BADGERS, 4-2, 5-3

Come back after the series for DDC's recap.

Roses and Thorns: Rolling with Rookies

Headlines from from around the NCHC:
- WMU shocks previously unbeaten Omaha
with a 4-2, 6-1 sweep in Kalamazoo.
- DU drops two in Boston against BC and BU.
- St. Cloud sweeps Miami, 3-0, 3-1.

The No. 1 University of North Dakota men's hockey team scored seven goals this weekend in a 5-2, 2-0 sweep against Colorado College this past weekend in Colorado Springs.

All seven of those goals were scored by freshmen. Let that sink in for a second.

In UND's 2014-15 campaign, freshmen netted 20 goals all season. Through eight, unbeaten games so far this season, the green and white rookies have 14 goals.

Youth is being served and it certainly has been fun to watch.

Here's what stood out from UND's National Collegiate Hockey Conference opening series weekend sweep in The Springs.

Roses

No. 1 -- The Rookies

Chris Wilkie scored twice on Friday, Shane Gerisch potted goals in both games, Brock Boeser netted his fifth of the season on Friday, Christian Wolanin scored the game-winning goal on Saturday and Rhett Gardner scored his first-career goal in shorthanded, game-winning fashion on Friday, capping a tremendous weekend for the UND rookies. The impact that this class has made has been obvious as all have assimilated quickly to the college game. Not since the vaunted class that included Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan in 2005-06 has the Green and White seen this kind of start from a group of freshmen. If you don't know much about that 05-06 bunch and what they have did at UND and eventually on the professional and international stage, you just don't know hockey. What an impressive start so far for this group of UND rookies.

UND's Troy Stecher looks for the puck during Saturday night's game.
Photo courtesy of The Gazette in Colorado Springs.

No. 2 -- Matt Hyrnkiw

If the rookies are story No. 1 so far this season for UND, Matt Hrynkiw has been story No. 1a. The walk-on and former third-string goaltender was great again this weekend stopping 19 of 21 shots in Friday's win and then shut out the Tigers with a dazzling, 29-save performance in a 2-0 win on Saturday. Hrynkiw notched his second shutout of the season in the second game, one more than Zane McIntyre had in his Mike Richter Award winning season as the nation's top goaltender last year. The Saskatchewan native had 14 saves in the second period of that shutout, his best frame of the season. Hyrnkiw has now won all four of his starts and is 4-0-1 on the year. You know what? Screw one rose... here's a bundle of roses for you, Mr. Hyrnkiw.

No. 3 -- UND's PK

UND Jr. G, Matt Hrynkiw
notched a 29-save shutout
on Saturday night.

Putting it nicely, UND's penalty kill hadn't been great coming into Colorado Springs. This weekend was different. The Green and White killed off 11 of 12 Tiger power plays and showed a lot of grit in protecting Matt Hrynkiw. The 12 penalties is concerning, but if UND keeps up this kind of play on the PK, they can take as many penalties as they like. Great performance from a group that didn't return a lot of PK players from last season.

Thorns

No. 1 -- Penalties

The aforementioned PK had to be good all weekend or this series could have gone much differently. Too many undisciplined penalties slowed a UND attack that really carried play throughout this weekend. Colorado College isn't very good and if the Green and White intend to take 12 penalties on a weekend against some of the upper echelon NCHC teams, they may not be as successful on the penalty kill. Behind the play and offensive zone penalties can't become a trend for this team.

Thanks for reading. Come back later this week as DDC previews UND's series against the hated Wisconsin Badgers from the Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Friday Gameday: A Special Start

Expectations are always high in Grand Forks when talking about the UND men's hockey team.

Coming into the 2015-16 campaign, on the heels of their second-consecutive Frozen Four appearance, expectations were high once again, but many questions loomed.

The Green and White were replacing seven seniors, all of which who had carved deep roles in the UND program, with 11 freshmen. The team lost two more to the professional ranks, one being Mike Richter award-winning goalie Zane McIntyre. And most importantly, UND came into this season with a new head coach as Brad Berry took over for long-time bench boss Dave Hakstol, who left to coach the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers.

Then came the injuries.

With third-round draft pick Matej Tomek already out with a nagging, off-season injury, UND lost starting goaltender Cam Johnson to a leg injury, vaulting third-string goalie Matt Hyrnkiw, who had not played a single second in the college game, to starter. Senior forward Colten St. Clair, freshmen Shane Gersich and Joel Janatuinen also added to UND's growing injury list.

Sounds like a recipe for a disastrous start, right?

Well, through six non-conference games, the No. 1 Green and White are unblemished and have answered all the questions.

UND looks to continue its special start this weekend as they travel to Colorado Springs to take on the Colorado College Tigers in their first National Collegiate Hockey Conference series of the year, Friday and Saturday night.

Here's what to look for this weekend from World Arena in DDC's weekly "Who? What? How?" series preview.

Who?

Players to Watch

Colorado College:

Colorado College Sr. F,
Cody Bradley

Fr. F, Trey Bradley 3 goals, 1 assist -- 4 points; Sr. F, Cody Bradley 1g, 1a -- 2pts (leading returning scorer from 2014-15); Sr. F, Hunter Fejes 1g (second leading returning scorer from 2014-15); Fr. G, Jacob Nehama, 0-4-0, 3.95 goals against average, .904 save percentage; Jr. G, Tyler Marble, 0-2-0, 3.44 GAA, .877 SV PCT.

UND:

Sr. F, Drake Caggiula 2g, 6a -- 8pts; Sr. F, Bryn Chyzyk 5g, 1a -- 6pts; Fr. F, Brock Boeser 4g, 2a -- 6pts; Jr. D, Troy Stecher 2g, 4a -- 6pts; Jr. G, Matt Hrynkiw 3-0-1, 1.76 GAA, .933 SV PCT.

What?

Standout Stats

For the first time since 2002, UND is undefeated through six games (4-0-2). With a sweep this weekend, the Green and White would be unbeaten through eight games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, the last time UND won a national championship.

UND has won 10 out of the last 11 against Colorado College, including a sweep last season in Colorado.

Matt Hrynkiw's 1.76 goals against average and .933 save percentage ranks him 16th and 13th in the country, respectively.

Colorado College's 1.50 goals per game scoring places them 52 out of 54 in the country.

UND Fr. F, Brock Boeser has lived up to his first-round NHL draft pick billing
so far this season. The Burnsville, Minn. native has been a spark plug so far
this season, coming into this weekend with 4 goals and 2 assists on the year.

How?

How'd they get here?

No. 1 UND is unbeaten on the season at 4-0-2 and is coming off a sweep of Vermont in Burlington last weekend, 2-0, 5-2.

Colorado College is 0-6 early on in the year and was blanked in back-to-back losses last weekend 3-0 and 5-0 at Boston College.

This is the first NCHC series for both teams.

The Pick

UND Jr. G, Matt Hrynkiw

Entering the 2015-16 season, UND looked to be a team that would be led by a stellar defensive corps, returning five regulars to the lineup from last season, but would struggle a bit early on to find goals.

While the defensemen have certainly done their job, carrying a NCAA seventh-best goals per game against average of just 1.5 goals per game, the story has been the offense. Sporting the 14th best scoring attack (3.67 goals per game) in the country, UND has peppered opponents with shots, ranking fourth in the NCAA in shots per game with 38.

On the other side of the ice, Colorado College has struggled, scoring just 1.5 goals per game.

Simply put, The Tigers don't look to have the offensive guns to keep pace this weekend against UND. DDC thinks Hyrnkiw and the defense in front of him will do enough and the goals keep coming for the Green and White.

UND SWEEPS, 5-1, 4-2

Check back after this weekend to see if UND stayed unbeaten in Colorado.

Roses and Thorns: It Feels Good to be Wrong

It's not often that DDC picks against the UND's men's hockey team. DDC did just that this past weekend when the No. 1 Green and White traveled to Burlington, VT to take on the Vermont Catamounts, as he picked a split in this past weekend's series.

DDC's doubts were based around UND junior goaltender Matt Hrynkiw and his lack of experience in college hockey. Take a look at The Pick from this past weekend:

However, Hrynkiw's first action in the 4-4 tie on Friday, in which he relived an injured Cam Johnson and let up two quick goals, looms as a serious question mark. Rebound control and net presence are needed for the junior to lead UND to two wins this weekend. DDC thinks UND gets one this weekend, on the heels of a more talented offensive punch.

In this case, it sure feels good to be wrong.

The walk-on and once third-string netminder had a stellar weekend. A sparkling 27-save shutout (Hyrnkiw's first in just his second career start) on Friday paced a 2-0 UND win. Saturday, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native had another 27-save performance, this time on 29 shots, leading the Green and White to a 5-2 win and a non-conference sweep. The two wins earned Hrynkiw National Collegiate Hockey Conference goaltender of the week honors.

DDC predicted the UND offense would earn a split and that side of the ice surely came to play in Vermont. Rookie Brock Boeser led all NCHC freshmen in points this weekend, assisting on a goal on Friday and following up with a goal and an assist on Saturday, to be named NCHC freshman of the week.

Here's what stood out to DDC in this week's Roses and Thorns column.

Roses

No. 1 -- Matt Hrynkiw

UND Jr. G, Matt Hrynkiw
earned NCHC Goalie
of the Week honors

The questions were fair coming into this series. While he played well earning a tie and a win against Bemidji
State in his first action, the junior showed signs of nerves. He struggled a bit with rebound control and found himself out of position a few times against the Beavers. Boy, what a difference a little experience can make. Again, in just his second career start, Hrynkiw showed what it takes to be a big-time player at the college level, earning his first shutout. To put things into perspective, last year's Mike Richter award winner as the best goaltender in college hockey, Zane McIntyre had just one shutout all season. DDC was certainly impressed with Hrynkiw this weekend and that steady play could mean big things going forward for the Green and White.

No. 2 -- UND's Offense

It's becoming hard to not be continually excited about the scoring punch for UND. The Green and White again showed a dynamic scoring punch and carried the play throughout this weekend. Brock Boeser continued his impressive play, with his three-point weekend and senior forward Bryn Chyzyk continued his hot start, potting goals in both games to move his total to five (six total points) through six games. The line of senior Drake Caggiula (1g, 1a), sophomore Nick Schmaltz (2a) and Boeser (1g, 2a) tallied a seven-point weekend on the heels of a nine-point effort last Saturday against Bemidji State. UND has racked up a whopping 228 shots on goal through six games, an average of 38 per night and it's certainly been fun to watch early on.

No. 3 --  Still Unbeaten

For the first time since 2002, when Sioux great and NHL all-star Zach Parise was a freshman, UND is unbeaten through its first six games. It's a pretty incredible start for a team that came into the season with a new head coach, 11 freshmen and have been riddled with injuries. UND is 3-0 since Matt Hrynkiw took over as the starting goaltender. After six non-conference tussles, the Green and White kick off their NCHC schedule, traveling to Colorado Spring to take on Colorado College. Let's see how far this can go, shall we?

UND defenseman Tucker Poolman presses Catamount forward Anthony Petruzzelli
on Friday. The Green and White topped Vermont 2-0. (Photo Credit: Free Press)

No. 4 -- Vermont's Webcast

Free just so happens to be DDC's favorite price, but many times, free doesn't always mean great. Despite being just a one-camera play-by-play that did not provide replays, big props to Vermont's very clear webcast. After the broadcast debacle with ZERO live coverage of the games from the Ice Breaker Invitational to start the season, Vermont provided the Green and White faithful with a way to watch their team. Thank you, Vermont Athletics.

Thorns

No. 1 -- Jimmer Held at Bay

DDC has pretty much got nothing here. UND earned a sweep with a former third-string goaltender, got continued scoring from all over their lineup and carried play in nearly every fashion for all six periods. So, the only thorn DDC has comes from the lack of production from a former Sioux. Senior Dan Senkbeil, who transferred to Vermont following the 2012-13 season, saw his first action of the season on Saturday, only contributing a slashing minor. DDC was pulling for the former UND fan favorite to find the back of the net, particularly as the Green and White carried a comfortable lead late. Cheers, Jim. This blogger wishes you well as you round out your college career.

There you have it. Come back to the blog later this week as UND gets it's NCHC season started in The Springs.