Gophers, Sioux set to renew rivalry in Grand Forks

Coming on the heels of a Dodge Holiday Classic title and a big win over one of the top teams in the nation, the Golden Gophers now get into the meat of their WCHA schedule by heading to Grand Forks to take on the always dangerous North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

This year has really been the proverbial roller coaster ride for the Sioux, who currently sit with an 11-10-1 record overall and are currently sixth place in the WCHA with 13 points in 12 conference games. Dave Hakstol’s team was 5-8-1 record after a home split with Cornell at the end of November, but then put together four-straight wins to pull above .500 for the first time all season.

However, that would not last for long. A pair of losses to Michigan State and Michigan Tech at the Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) derailed whatever momentum UND had gained in December. The Sioux rebounded nicely last weekend in sweeping Bemidji State in a home-and-home series in a pair of one-goal games.

The Sioux’s schedule has arguably been the toughest in the nation so far, especially from a non-conference point of view, which certainly can account for at least part of their less-than-stellar record up to this point. The team started off the season by playing in the Icebreaker tournament in Boston by playing Boston University and Massachusetts. Then, in addition to their home series against Cornell, they then traveled to Harvard for a pair of games before heading out after Christmas to Detroit for the GLI. Finally, they closed things out with a home-and-home vs. BSU, who is always dangerous.

For the first time in many seasons, the Sioux don’t have a true dominating forward. Their two leading scorers have played the majority of their games at defense this season in the form of Brad Miller and Chay Genoway. Up front, junior Chris VandeVelde leads with way with 16 points in 22 games, while three players – Ryan Martens, Matt Frattin, and Brett Hextall – are tied for the team-lead with eight goals apiece.

2007 Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan has just 15 points in 22 games, the coaching staff recently tried playing center in an attempt to get the diminutive Duncan going again.

In general, the Sioux don’t have any one dominant line as they have certainly had in recent years, but their top three lines will all be fairly even – and more importantly dangerous – and will certainly give Minnesota’s second and third defensive pairings trouble with their aggressive play.

On the blueline, the team played much of the first half without senior Joe Finley, who suffered a concussion early in the season. Finley takes his share of penalties but the leadership and physical play that he brings to the table is certainly something that’s not easy to replace.

Last weekend, Finley and Genoway were paired together on the top defensive unit and certainly form a formidable duo. However, after that, the Sioux don’t have the depth on the blueline that they’ve had in years past. The likes of Zach Jones, Derrick LaPoint, Jake Marto, and Ben Blood will comprise the final four d-men. Minnesota’s depth at forward will need to take advantage of the apparent lack of depth on the UND backend if they hope to come away with points this weekend.

In net, the Sioux started the season by rotating the duo of senior Aaron Walski and freshman Brad Eidsness. However, as time wore on, it became apparent that Eidsness was the superior of the two and has taken over the starting job and done very well.

The Chestermere, Alberta, native has an 11-7-1 record with a .907 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.68. Given the absence of Finley for most of the season and the youth that played in front of him, those are nice numbers and it certainly appears that Eidsness will be the man in the pipes for UND for many years to come.

Though his numbers aren’t quite as good as they were last season, Minnesota sophomore Alex Kangas has again been one of Minnesota’s most valuable players. He notched his ninth and tenth wins of the season last weekend against Brown and Northeastern, respectively, and appears to have settled in after a bumpy stretch in late November against some stiff competition (Denver, Michigan, and Michigan State).

Up front, the Gophers will welcome back arguably their top skater in the form of Jordan Schroeder, who led the United States in scoring at the recently completed World Junior Championships in Ottawa. He, along with countrymen Cade Fairchild and Mike Hoeffel, will return to the lineup this weekend after missing the Classic while helping the U.S. to a disappointing fifth place finish in the WJC.

Schroeder will likely be reunited with wings Jay Barriball and Ryan Stoa as Minnesota’s top line. That trio has been arguably the top line in college hockey when together this season and hopefully they will click quickly this weekend.

What Minnesota does with its other three lines is certainly up in the air. The last time the team was healthy and together was in late November, and since then Taylor Matson has been lost for the season. Mike Carman will center the second line, probably paired with Mike Hoeffel and another winger. Patrick White, who scores two goals last weekend after entering the tournament with just one on the season, will likely center the third line though he could be moved to the wing now that Schroeder is back.

On the blueline, the addition of Farichild will really help. Last weekend, the third pairing of Sam Lofquist and Brian Schack really struggled at times. It’s now likely that just one of them will play each night in Grand Forks, with Schack being the favorite due to his experience and size which could come into play on the small ice-sheet.

Friday’s game starts at 7:30 p.m. with the Saturday rematch getting underway at 7 p.m. Both games will air live on Fox Sports North.

Lucia Update

As of Tuesday afternoon, there is no new news to report on Minnesota head coach Don Lucia, who of course missed last weekend’s games with an undisclosed illness. He will miss this weekend’s series in North Dakota to undergo more tests as doctors try to determine what is causing him to feel under the weather.

Gophers Prevail in OT

White’s Power Play Winner Returns Trophy Back Home

A Donovan McNabb type situation broke out after the game tonight at Mariucci Arena.

Except it was just a coach…both coaches.

“That’s not a penalty in our league” said a visibly upset Northeastern coach Greg Cronin, concerning a penalty call in OT on his goalie, Brad Thiessen. Thiessen had put the puck into the stands 1:31 mark, leading to White's OT winner.

“Does anybody know?” asked Coach Hill of the assembled press of the official rule. Not that we’d expect anything less from a Bears fan dressed in Viking Purple.

“If it’s not supposed to be a penalty, I feel bad” said Coach Hill. “You like to feel like it was a deserved power play.”

Regardless of the situation, the Gophers came up with a win against the leader in Hockey East. When four top players are out, and your coach is having health issues, any win is a good win, and this one certainly qualifies.

Northeastern got on the board first. After Aaron Ness fell in the offensive zone, the Huskies broke out on a 4 on 1, and capitalized. Star winger Wade MacLeod ripped one past Alex Kangas’s slow glove hand from the opposite faceoff circle.

The Huskies were the better team in the first period, a bit quicker on the puck, and more physical.

“Any time you give the odd numbered rushes against, you made some mistakes” said Hill.

But the Gophers evened it up with just less than ninety seconds left in the frame. Aaron Ness’s shot from the half-wall was tipped in by Tony Lucia, his fourth of the season.

The Gophers held puck possession in the Northeastern zone for over two minutes at one point in the second period, but couldn’t get free for any chances. The puck was mostly held in the corners as the Huskies scrambled to get fresh legs on the ice.

Northeastern broke the deadlock, again picking on Kangas’s glove side. Tyler McNeely broke in on another odd man rush (this time 3 on 1), faked inside, and put a backhand over Kangas’s glove from the opposite side, a fantastic play no doubt, but again really exposing Kangas’s biggest weakness.

The Gophers certainly had the better of the play in the third period. They were getting more players to the net and it paid off.

A fluke play woke up a sleepy crowd with 8:28 remaining. Aaron Ness put an off-balance shot through traffic and tipped at least once past Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen. After a lengthy review, it was counted.

Northeastern had two odd man rushes that ended in hit posts. But the remainder of regulation belonged to the Gophers. Several times, good shots were put on net, and big rebounds were available, but no Gophers were in the slot area to cash in.

Per Dodge Holiday Classic rules, the game has no shootout and goes into full 20 minute sudden death OT sessions. If the game lasts longer than the first 5 minutes of OT, then it goes into the books as a tie. "They were jacked up" said Coach Hill of his players, knowing that they had to win it without the help of a shootout.

But Pat White made sure it didn’t last that long.

Taking a cue from the Gophers vs. BC win in 2002/2003, Pat scooped up a rebound on the power play and backhanded his 3rd goal of the year for the win to get the Gophers back their own holiday title.

“It was really nice to get a win in overtime” said White, when asked about many of the OT games they’ve played in this year.

Now it’s time to head and play your biggest rival in the only scheduled meeting(s) of the year. You get some players back that will help, but your coach is ailing and won’t make the trip. What do you do?

We all find out starting at 7:35 next Friday night.

Gophers Earn Series Sweep In a 5-3 Win Over Niagara
Provided by the University of Minnesota

The No. 2 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team came from behind to win, 5-3, over Niagara University, today at the Dwyer Arena in Niagara, N.Y. Minnesota and Niagara tied up the game three times, including a 3-2 lead by the Purple Eagles in the third, but Minnesota came back to tie the game at 11:34 and added two late goals at 16:56 and 20:00 in the third for the 5-3 final.

Emily West and Jen Schoullis each had two goals in the game, while Monique Lamoureux scored the game-winning goal at 11:34.

Minnesota visited the sin bin five times in the first period, giving Niagara four power-play opportunities in the first period. Minnesota regrouped in the second period as scored on a 5-on-3 power play attempt at 2:32. On the power play, Gigi Marvin found West at the backdoor to score her ninth goal of the season. Melanie Gagnon held the second assist.

Niagara scored its first goal of the series at 9:41 in the second on their fifth power-play opportunity of the game with a goal from Ashley Riggs. Riggs then put the Purple Eagles up, 2-1 when she scored on a breakaway at 12:43 in the second.

The Gophers responded when West scored her second goal of the game at 19:34 to knot the game back to a tie, 2-2. West capitalized on a rebound attempt, while Jocelyne Lamoureux brought the puck into the zone and fired a shot. Michelle Maunu held the second assist when she found Lamoureux at the Minnesota blue line.

Niagara took its second lead at 10:09 in the third, but Minnesota tied the game again when Jen Schoullis scored on a rebound attempt a minute and 25 seconds later at 11:34 in the third period. Monique Lamoureux scored the gamewinner at 16:56 in the third. Lamoureux fired a shot just above the hash marks as she went top-shelf for her 16th goal of the year.

NU pulled goalie Jenni Bauer with 1:30 remaining in the game to add the extra attacker. However, just before the buzzer, Schoullis netted the insurance goal at 20:00 when she flipped the puck over the Niagara players’ head and landed into the net.

Kim Hanlon finished the game with 15 saves and her first win of the season in three games played. Bauer had 28 saves, including 14 in the second period.

Minnesota travels to Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes next weekend. Friday’s game is set for 7:07 p.m., while Saturday’s game is at 4:07 p.m. (ET).

Marvin and West Lead Gophers in an 8-0 Shutout Over Niagara
Provided by the University of Minnesota

Gigi Marvin and Emily West each recorded career-high games to lead the No. 2 University of Minnesota women’s hockey team to an 8-0 win over Niagara University, today in Niagara, N.Y.

Marvin had six points, while West had four. Marvin, whose previous best was five points against Ohio State in 2005, had two goals and four assists. West established three assists and a goal for four points, beating her previous best of three, also against Ohio State (2008). Jen Schoullis tied a career high when she had two assists and one goal.

Minnesota scored early and often in the first period scoring at 9:33, 13:04, 17:04 and 19:12. Minnesota’s first two goals of the game came from Laura May and Marvin. May scored her second goal of the season at 9:33 in the first when she capitalized on a rebound attempt from Marvin. At 13:04, Marvin scored a goal of her own when she rifled in a shot at the high slot and placed it just under the crossbar for her 15th goal of the season. West provided the setup, while Dagney Willey tallied the second assist.

Sarah Erickson netted her fifth goal of the season and third on the power play at 17:04 in the first. Erickson went top shelf in front of the net with the power-play assists from Schoullis and Jocelyne Lamoureux. Marvin notched her second goal of the period and 16th of the year when she scored on a backdoor attempt at 19:12 to close the Gopher scoring surge in the first period. Linemates West and Schoullis had the assists. By the end of the first period, seven Gophers had already scored points, including Marvin with three points. Overall, 12 players walked away with points.

Minnesota lit the lamp twice in the second period to put the game at 6-0 after two periods. Monique Lamoureux lifted the water bottle when she sniped her shot for a goal at 10:31. The assists were credited to Alexandra Zebro and Anne Schleper. With Zebro’s assist, every Minnesota skater has a point this season.

Jocelyne Lamoureux scored a goal of her own at 15:10 in the second. Lamoureux received a cross-ice pass from Marvin in front of the goalmouth for her eighth goal of the year. West held the second assist on the play.

At the 10-minute mark of the second period, Minnesota replaced starting goalie Alyssa Grogan with Jenny Lura. Grogan had seven saves, while Lura finished the game with six. Grogan and Lura combined for the Gophers’ sixth shutout of the season.

West added to the Gophers’ lead when she scored her 18th point of the season at 2:12 in the third. Marvin tallied her third assist of the game and fifth point, while Brittany Francis had the second assist. Marvin broke her career-high points in a game when she set up Jen Schoullis as she rifled a shot in the top right corner for her seventh goal of the season and her third point of the game.