BREAK THE ICE This weekend the No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs host the 2021 Ice Breaker tournament. The tournament field includes No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato, No. 3 University of Michigan, No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, and No. 10 Providence College. Minnesota State-Mankato and Providence will open the tournament on Friday, Oct. 15 at 4:00 PM. Minnesota Duluth will then battle Michigan at 7:37 PM that evening. Game times for Saturday are set for 4:00 PM and 7:37 PM with the matchups still TBD.
WHAT COULD'VE BEEN Last season, UMD and Michigan were scheduled to meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. However, a positive COVID-19 test knocked the Wolverines out and advanced the Bulldogs onto the Fargo Regional finals. Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Apr. 9, 2011. During that last meeting, the Bulldogs defeated the Wolverines 3-2 in overtime to capture the 2011 NCAA National Championship.
HOW COULD WE FORGET There's a chance that Minnesota Duluth and Providence renew their rivalry at the 2021 Ice Breaker. The last time the two sides met was at the NCAA Frozen Four in 2019. During their semifinal matchup in Buffalo, NY the Bulldogs defeated the Friars 4-1 to advance to the championship game. During that game in 2019, Minnesota Duluth forwards Noah Cates and Kobe Roth both notched assists, while defenseman Matt Anderson also tallied a helper in the win.
FIREPOWER FOR THE WOLVERINES The Wolverines enter Duluth with seven first-round picks on their roster. The group includes 2021 first overall pick Owen Power, 2021 second overall pick Matty Beniers, 2021 fourth overall pick Luke Hughes, and 2021 fifth overall pick Kent Johnson.
SCORE SCORE SCORE Michigan enters the weekend with the highest goals per game average of any team in the country. The Wolverines have tallied 13 total goals through two goals and is good enough for an average of 6.50 goals per contest. Slightly behind the Wolverines in third are the Providence College Friars. PC has scored 17 total goals through three games and has an average of 5.67 goals per game.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION Michigan forward Brendan Brisson is currently tied for second in the country in goals with three, while ranking fourth in the nation in points with five on the season. Additionally, Michigan defenseman Owen Power is tied for fourth in the country in assists with four helpers on the season.
CHECK THE POLLS Four of the top 10 teams in the nation will descend on Duluth, Minn. this weekend. Minnesota State- Mankato enters the weekend as the No. 1 team in the country.
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND The Bulldogs enter the week fresh off a two-game sweep of No. 20 Bemidji State, who was ranked No. 15 at the time. In game one, UMD defeated the Beaver 4-2 in Bemidji. A game-winning goal from Quinn Olson secured the win for the Bulldogs. During their season-opener on Saturday night, Minnesota Duluth would use a third period game-winning goal from Blake Biondi to capture the sweep. Both Zach Stejskal and Ryan Fanti earned victories on the weekend. Stejskal got the start in Bemidji and made 18 saves, while Fanti made 15 saves on Saturday evening in Duluth. The pair of victories helped Duluth maintain their No. 5 national ranking.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES The No. 3 Wolverines knocked off unranked Lake Superior State in a two-game sweep last weekend. Michigan defeated the Lakers 6-1 on opening-night in Ann Arbor, MI. Game two saw Lake State jump out to an early lead. The Wolverines wouldn't be faced by the adversity and finished the night with a 7-4 win. On offense, Michigan is led by the previously mentioned Brisson. The sophomore from Manhattan Beach, Calif. has three power play goals on the year, all coming from the right faceoff circle. This past summer's first overall pick Owen Power leads the defense. Power is a +2 rating and has posted five points in two games to start the season. In net, sophomore goaltender Erik Portillo has two wins to his credit on the year. Portillo made 24 saves in Michigan's first win over LSSU, while tallying 26 saves in their Saturday victory over the Lakers.
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS Minnesota State-Mankato has had perhaps the toughest schedule that a team could have to begin a season. The Mavericks began the season with a sweep of the defending national champions No. 1 UMass on the road in Amherst. MSU then split a home series with UMD's NCHC rival No. 2 St. Cloud State. Junior forward Nathan Smith has tallied a total of six points and a +4 rating on the season, which leads Minnesota State-Mankato for both categories. The 2020-21 WCHA Forward of the Year Julian Napravnik sits second on the team in points with five.
SHUTOUT KING With their 1-0 win over St. Cloud State last weekend, Mavericks senior goaltender Dryden McKay tied the NCAA record for most career shutouts with 26. McKay's currently shares the record with Ryan Miller who played at Michigan State from 1999-2002.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS The No. 10 ranked Friars are 3-0 on the season eith wins over Army West Point, Merrimack, and American International College. On offense, Providence is led by sophomore forward Brett Berard. In three games on the season, Berard has posted three goals and two assists for five points, while also notching a +4 rating. A couple of Friars have four points including Parker Ford, Michael Callahan, Cody Monds, and Nick Poisson. In the cage, the Friars Jaxson Stauber has started/won all three games for Providence, while posting a goals against average of 1.02 with a SV% of .958.
