Holding the title as defending NCAA Division I champions for the first time in program history, the University of Minnesota Duluth will launch its 68th year of intercollegiate hockey this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 7-8) when the Bulldogs host top-ranked University of Notre Dame in a pair of non-conference clashes. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. both nights at AMSOIL Arena (6,726) in downtown Duluth.
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THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs were 26-10-6 overall one year ago and finished fourth in the 12-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings with a 15-8-5 mark. Notre Dame owned a 25-14-5 record in all games and went 18-7-3 in Central Collegiate Hockey Association play (second place).
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish stacked up in the latest uscho.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.
uscho.com USA Today
UMD 8th 10th
Notre Dame 1st 2nd
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Notre Dame games will be carried locally on 94X (94.1/104.3 FM) with Bruce Ciskie handling the play-by-play. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 in Grand Rapids/Hibbing and KQ 106.7 in Ely/Virginia as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and can be accessed on the internet at: www.fan1490.com.
In addition, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) will televise both ends of this weekend's series. Veteran sports anchor Tom Hansen and former Bulldog puck standout Judd Medak will serve as the on-air talent. My9, which is scheduled to carry21 Bulldog regular season and exhibition games during the 2011-12 regular season, is also available locally on Charter and Mediacom cable. The telecast will be videostreammed as well and is available for a fee through B2 Networks at: www.b2tv.com.
THE COACH: The runnerup for the 2010-11 Spencer Penrose Award (American Hockey Coaches Association NCAA Division I Coach of the Year) and recipient of that honor in 2003-04, Scott Sandelin is beginning his 12th season behind the UMD bench where he has compiled a 192-200-52 overall record -- including a 70-40-15 mark (a .620 winning percentage) since the 2008-09 opener. In addition to posting three consecutive 22-plus win seasons, his Bulldogs have captured one NCAA championship (2011), advanced to three NCAA tournaments (2004, 2009 and 2011), two Frozen Fours (2004 and 2011) and six of the past nine WCHA Final Five tournaments. In March 2009, UMD became the first play-in game participant to win the Final Five title and, later that spring, strung together a school-record six-game postseason winning streak before it fell to Miami University 2-1 in the NCAA West Regional final. Eight years ago, Sandelin, 47, turned UMD into a NCAA Frozen Four participant for the first time in nearly a generation, marshaling his troops to their most victories (they were 28-13-4 overall) and highest WCHA finish (second place on a 19-7-2 mark) in 11 seasons. For his efforts, the Hibbing, Minn., native was chosen the WCHA Coach of the Year as well as the national coach of the year by both insidecollegehockey.com and uscho.com. In 2002-03, Sandelin's Bulldogs went 22-15-5 overall and captured fifth place in the WCHA with a 14-10-4 mark while experiencing the greatest one-season turnaround of any league club that winter. One year earlier, he guided UMD to a 13-24-1 record in all games -- nearly doubling the number of victories from the previous season (7-28-4). Sandelin officially signed on as a member of the Bulldog staff on March 31, 2000 following six years of assistant coaching deployment at North Dakota. Prior to joining the Fighting Sioux (who won two NCAA titles during his tenure), Sandelin spent the 1993-94 season as the head coach of the Fargo-Moorhead Junior Kings of the Junior Elite Hockey League after working in that same capacity (and doubling as general manager) the previous winter with the American Hockey Association's Fargo-Moorhead Express. He capped off his four-year playing career at North Dakota in 1985-86 by being named one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. An All-WCHA first team pick and an All-American second team selection as a senior, Sandelin went on to play seven years of professional hockey, which included National Hockey League stints with the Montreal Canadiens (1986-88), Philadelphia Flyers (1990-91) and Minnesota North Stars (1991-92). Sandelin, one of just two current WCHA coaches to do time in the National Hockey League, was the Montreal Canadiens' second round pick in the 1982 NHL draft (40th choice overall). He served as Team USA's head coach at the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships and directed that club to a fourth-place finish. This winter, Sandelin will be an an assistant coach with the U.S. juniors as they defend their IIHF gold medal.
THE RIVALRY: Thursday's clash will mark the 34th meeting ever between UMD and Notre Dame. The Irish hold an 18-11-4 lead in the all-time series, which began in Duluth on Feb. 12, 1971 when both clubs were members of the WCHA. Since departing that circuit following the 1980-81 season, UMD is 3-2-2 against Notre Dame and was victorious in the two teams' most recent meeting -- a 4-3 victory in the 2011 Frozen Four. Prior to that, the two teams last met on Jan. 3, 2009 in the title game of the Shillelagh Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill. , where the Fighting Irish prevailed, 2-1.
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: Two-time All-American center Jack Connolly has been entrusted with team captaincy responsibilities for the 2011-12 season while a pair of fellow seniors -- left winger Cody Danberg and defenseman Brady Lamb -- will serve as assistant team captains.
LAST WEEK: UMD tuned up for the 2011-12 openers by dumping Lakehead University 5-1 Sunday night at AMSOIL Arena. Eight different Bulldogs picked up points in the exhibition outings, including senior centers Travis Oleksuk (who two goals and an assist) and Jack Connolly (one goal and two assists). Rookie center Adam Krause and sophomore right winger Joe Basaraba each scored once for UMD, which outshot the Thunderwolves 28-9.
Notre Dame, behind a pair of Billy Maday goals, posted a 4-0 exhibition homw win over the University of Western Ontario Sunday evening.
A “BANNER” NIGHT: UMD will unveil its 2011 NCAA championship banner this Friday just prior to the start of the opening faceoff. Also on tap for the evening is a National Championship Tailgate Party from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the DECC parking lot.
THAT'S A FACT, JACK: Senior center Jack Connolly, who is just the second two-time All-American the Bulldogs have ever had in their lineup (defenseman Norm Maciver, in 1985-86 was the other), is the top returning scorer in NCAA hockey. His career-high 59 points last winter were bettered by only two other skaters in the country while his 41 assists ranked second. A finalist for the 2010-11 Hobey Baker Award and a member of the All-WCHA first team each of the past two seasons, Connolly enters his farewell collegiate go-around occupying the No. 27 spot on the school's all-time career scoring charts with 137 points while skating in 137 consecutive games. And talk about being a consistent contributor -- Connolly hasn't gone pointless for two straight games since the middle of the 2008-09 season.
FREE HOCKEY: UMD is unbeaten in 28 of its last 31 overtime games (13-3-15) -- a run which dates back to the start of the 2008-09 season. A school-record 15 of the Bulldogs' 42 engagements last winter (35.7 percent) required an extra session, and UMD was 7-2-6 in those. The seven sudden-death victories also eclipsed the previous club standard of five set in 1984-85. Senior center Travis Oleksuk leads all active Bulldogs in career overtime goals with three, and assisted on Kyle Schmidt's overtime score in UMD's 3-2 victory over Michigan in the 2011 NCA A Frozen Four title game:
Player OT Goals
Travis Oleksuk 3
J.T. Brown 1
Jack Connolly 1
Cody Danberg 1
OH, BROTHER: For the first time in 11 years, UMD's roster contains a pair of brothers in sophomore goalie Aaron Crandall and freshman left winger Justin Crandall. The last siblings to play for the Bulldogs in the same year were defenseman Ryan Coole and goaltender Adam Coole in 2000-01.
EASY REITER: Senior goaltender Kenny Reiter, who started the final 10 games of 2010-11 and is the reigning NCAA East Regional Most Outstanding Player, posted a 2.30 goals against average and a .914 saves percentage as a junior -- both the third best single-season marks in program history. The three-time WCHA All-Academic team pick also put up some dazzling numbers during UMD's four-game NCAA playoff run (a 4-0 record, a 1.97 saves percentage and a .935 saves percentage with one shut out) and comes into his farewell collegiate season owning the second-best career winning percentage (.618 off a 29-17-5 record, including a 16-7-5 figure last season) of any NCAA I-era Bulldog puckstopper in team history. Only All-American Rick Kosti (60-18-2 for a .753 winning percentage between 1983-85) turned in a better mark.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: When rookie defenseman Derik Johnson hits the ice this year, it will complete the ninth father-son combination to skate for the Bulldogs. Derik's father, Jim, also patrolled the UMD blueline and, during his senior year in 1984-85, served as team captain before going on to enjoy a 13-year National Hockey League career. The father of senior center Travis Oleksuk -- Bill Oleksuk -- also played for the Bulldogs as a left winger and was Jim Johnson's teammate in 1981-82. He captained UMD that season and is currently the school's 11th all-time leading scorer.
THE BEST THING ABOUT FRESHMEN ... : Sophomore right winger J.T. Brown, a 2010-11 WCHA All-Rookie Team pick, racked up 16 goals last season -- the second most by any rookie in UMD history (Brett Hull scored 32 in 1984-85) -- and wound up the year with the fifth highest point yield (37 points) of any NCAA newcomer. He ended his debut season with a bang, picking up points in 15 of the final 19 games and accumulating 11 goals and 10 assists over that time.
HUNKERING DOWN: This year marks the first full season the Bulldogs will call AMSOIL Arena home. UMD, which moved into the $80-million, 6,726-seat facility on Dec. 30 2010, will be home for 10 of its first 14 games this season, a run which concludes on Nov. 19 against visiting Minnesota State University-Mankato. After that, the Bulldogs won't return to AMSOIL Arena for two months (Jan. 20). UMD posted a 5-4-2 record in its 11 AMSOIL Arena appearances last winter and was 7-1-1 at its previous home, the DECC.
WCHA FORECAST: In its annual preseason poll, the WCHA head coaches have collectively forecasted a fifth-place finish for UMD in 2011-12. The University of Denver (seven first-place votes and 115 points)was tabbed as the team to beat followed by the University of North Dakota (four votes, 110 pts.), Colorado College (one vote; 105 points) and Nebraska- Omaha (89). UMD, which collected 75 points, also checked in at No. 5 in the 94X WCHA Media Poll.
BULLDOG BITS: The Bulldogs have not swept a season-opening series since they toppled Ferris State University twice at home in 1995-96. UMD did commence 2001-02 by beating both host Nebraska-Omaha and Michigan to capture the Maverick Stampede championship ... In the five games that Brady Lamb was sidelined last season (all in February) the Bulldogs mustered just one win, going 1-2-2. With him in the lineup, the Bulldogs were 25-8-4 (a .730 winning percentage) ... UMD was the only 2010-11 WCHA club that went the entire season without being swept by any opponent --- the first time that has happened since the Bulldogs joined the NCAA I ranks in 1961-62 -- and picked up at least one point in all of its WCHA series (another program first). UMD hasn't lost more than one game in a row since Feb. 19-26, 2010 when it dropped three straight games, including a pair to North Dakota. Only one other team in the country besides the Bulldogs didn't suffer any back-to-back losses in 2010-11and that was Boston College ... All eight of right winger Mike Seidel's goals in 2010-11 were registered on the road ... UMD was 20-1-1 when took a lead into the final period of play last season with the lone loss coming to Bemidji State University in the WCHA Final Five opener on March 17 ... New to the UMD staff this year is assistant coach Jason Herter, a former University of North Dakota standout who spent the 2010-11 season as the head coach for the United States Hockey League's Fargo Force ... In nine career road appearances, sophomore netminder Aaron Crandall is 6-2-1 with a 2.31 goals against average and a .914 saves percentage -- a noticeable contrast to his home numbers (4-1-0, 3.52 and .862 in seven outings) ... The 2011-12 active UMD roster (junior center Aaron Jamnick, a transfer from Providence College, has to sit out all of this season in accordance to NCAA rules) consists of seven seniors, six juniors, five sophomores, and seven freshmen ... Sophomore defenseman Tim Smith, who skated a regular shift for Providence College during the first half of the 2009-10 season, is the first UMD newcomer with previous Division I experience since Jesse Unkelsbay, who joined UMD as junior in 2002-03 following two years at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
ON TAP: The Bulldogs will remain at home to host the University of Minnesota next Friday and Saturday (Oct. 14-15) in the WCHA openers for both teams.
