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GRAND FORKS HERALD COLLECTOR’S EDITION

EST

1 9 4 6 UND HOCKEY

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N U M B E R

UND FROZEN

FOUR SECTION 1 0F 3

04.09.15

Thursday l April 9, 2015 l Grand Forks Herald

2

NCAA MEN’S HOCKEY

FARGO MICHIGAN TECH

ST. CLOUD ST.

SOUTH BEND, IND.

ROCHESTER INST.

ST. CLOUD ST.

ROCHESTER INST. NORTH DAKOTA

NORTH DAKOTA QUINNIPIAC

HARVARD

SEMIFINALS

SEMIFINALS

BOSTON APRIL 9 7:30 P.M.

MINN. DULUTH

CHAMPIONSHIP

APRIL 11

T.D. GARDEN BOSTON

MINNESOTA

PROVIDENCE, R.I.

BOSTON APRIL 9 4 P.M.

N ATIONAL BOSTON U.

MINN. DULUTH

OMAHA

OMAHA

BOSTON U.

YALE

OMAHA

NORTH DAKOTA

MANCHESTER N.H. BOSTON U.

MINN. ST. MANKATO

Today’s television coverage Providence vs. Omaha, 4:30 p.m., ESPN2.

UND vs. Boston University, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2.

Play by play: John Buccigross.

Color: Barry Melrose.

DENVER

DENVER

BOSTON COLLEGE

PROVIDENCE MIAMI

PROVIDENCE

PROVIDENCE

Today’s radio coverage

Online coverage

UND vs. Boston University, 7:30 p.m., UND Sports Network.

96.1 FM, 970 AM in Grand Forks.

Play by play: Tim Hennessy.

Color: Chris Holm.

www.grandforksherald.com undhockey.areavoices.com Print: Brad Elliott Schlossman and Tom Miller.

Photos: Eric Hylden.

Videos and multimedia: Tim Albrecht.

*All times listed are Central Standard Time

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Thursday l April 9, 2015 l Grand Forks Herald

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How did North Dakota get here?

Grand Forks Herald

UND entered the season with big expectations and big rankings.

It was the preseason No. 2 team in the national polls and the media pick to win the National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular-season title.

It took 60 minutes for UND to get a stark reminder: This team isn’t skilled enough to take a night off and win.

The reminder was courtesy of the Bemidji State Beavers.

They pounded UND 5-1 on opening night in Ralph Engelstad Arena, a loss players called embarrassing.

It may not be a game that the fans and players wish to recall, but it was a pivotal moment in the 2014-15 season.

A year earlier, a scrappy UND team grinded all the way to the NCAA Frozen Four, an unexpected run after a slow start.

After a wake-up call from Bemidji State, UND has followed that same path to success this season.

Rarely outworked in games, UND is putting together one of the best seasons under 11th-year coach Dave Hakstol.

UND enters tonight’s NCAA Frozen Four game against Boston University with a 29-9-3 record. North Dakota’s longest winless streak this season is two games. It happened only once.

Otherwise, this team has been remarkably consistent.

It first charged through its nonconference schedule, going 9-0-1 after that loss to Bemidji State.

Then, it turned its focus to NCHC play, where it won the most difficult league in the nation.

UND won the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champion, beating out NCAA-tournament teams Miami, Denver, Omaha, St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth.

“Our leadership group is huge,” captain Stephane Pattyn said. “It’s not just the captains. It basically goes through all four classes. We even have freshmen stepping up and being leaders. A few key sophomores have that role and our upperclassmen have been through a lot and have grown up a lot through those experiences. That says a lot about our team.”

UND had its second hiccup this season at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, where it lost a semifinal game to St. Cloud State and the third-place game to Denver.

But UND bounced back in a big way the following weekend, downing Quinnipiac and St. Cloud State by identical 4-1 scores to earn its seventh trip to the NCAA Frozen Four in the past 11 years.

This is where UND lost a heartbreaker to rival Minnesota a year ago, allowing the game-winning goal with less than a second remaining.

After that loss, players were determined to get back to this spot and give it another shot.

Today, they have that chance.

UND will take on Boston

University in a national semifinal game at 7:30 tonight in T.D. Garden. Nebraska Omaha meets Providence in the other semifinal.

North Dakota is two wins shy of winning its eighth national championship and its first since 2000. If UND is to achieve that feat, it will have to follow the familiar path: riding a balanced scoring attack, a terrific defensive corps and outstanding goaltending.

Yes, it’s many, many months removed from that Bemidji State loss, but it helped UND get here.

Logan Werlinger, staff photographer

UND’s Michael Parks moves the puck on Lake Superior State University’s Ryan Renz during a Dec. 5 game.

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Thursday l April 9, 2015 l Grand Forks Herald

Starman

gives the lowdown on UND Brad E. Schlossman l Grand Forks Herald

D

ave Starman called eight UND hockey games and watched countless more in preparation for the CBS Sports Network broadcasts.

So, when he picked North Dakota to win the national championship during the ESPN Selection Show, he had a lot of background to base his selection.

Why does he think UND can win it? Why didn’t the two losses at the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff deter his pick? What does he think about this North Dakota team?

Starman answered those questions and more.

Q. Coming into the season, what type of team did you expect to see out of UND? I thought they were going to be what they were last year, but more consistent.

When I look at a roster of a team before the season, I ask, ‘Who stayed? Who left?

How many upperclassmen do they have? Do they have a goalie? Do they have talent?’ I think, at UND, they had all of it. Yes, they lost Dillon Simpson, but they can replace him because of that high-end back end.

Plus, you have Zane (McIntyre), who had a great year last year. Why would you think anything would be

different this year? This team was really set from inside the blue line and back.

Then you add in the forwards, and they didn’t lose a ton at forward. I know they lost Rocco Grimaldi, but you can find a smaller, skilled guy. You had Mark MacMillan, Michael Parks, Brendan O’Donnell, Connor Gaarder ... guys who are leaders and guys who figured it out. Then you sprinkle in Nick Schmaltz to take Rocco’s place. You have some speed and grit.

Then you have a guy like Steph Pattyn. Sometimes, you get that ‘C’ on your jersey and your game changes because you think you have to be something else. Steph must have done a whole lot of research into what being a captain is all about while still being yourself, because that’s hard to do. And he’s done it.

Q. You saw UND lose twice at the Frozen Faceoff and not look very good doing it. The next day, you picked UND to win the national title.

Why were you confident that this team could still get to Boston after what you saw in Minneapolis?

As a scout, one thing I learned is that you can see a player a number of times, but you always throw out the two best games you saw and the two worst games

Logan Werlinger, staff photographer

Analyst picks North Dakota to win the national title on ESPN. you saw. So, if I took out the two best and the two worst — which were the Frozen Faceoff — I still had a really, really good body of work to say that this is a really good team.

It’s a nice thing to win the Frozen Faceoff, but winning the regular season in the NCHC is a hell of a lot more impressive. You have to be the best team of all those teams over a long season. That says something

about what you are. For North Dakota, going into the Frozen Faceoff, what did they have to prove?

What did they have to gain?

They were already a No. 1 seed in their home region.

They knew where they were going. If they won two games, great. If they lost two games, so what.

I felt like it was the best thing that happened to them. When you’re winning, sometimes you can tune out the voices about the small details that need to be fixed. When you lose, those details from the coaching staff take on a whole new meaning and come at a whole new volume. I think losing was the best thing that happened to UND going into that regional.

Q. What makes this UND team tough to beat?

Their depth is great, and I think they have guys that are interchangeable, guys you can put anywhere.

That’s the beauty of how this team was recruited.

Drake Caggiula can play

the middle or the wing and be effective at both. Luke Johnson can play the middle and the wing. Tucker Poolman is a top ‘D’ who moved up to forward. Their fourth line — Andy Murray said it best — the Gaarder, (Austin) Poganski, O’Donnell line is a second-line on a lot of teams.

When you look at the roster, you see guys who can play anywhere. You’ve got bangers and guys who can intimidate, but you also can play with speed and skill.

It reminds me of the early 1980s Islander teams. They can play any game you want to play. You want to play a speed game? They’ll play a speed game. You want to grind? They’ll grind. You want to bang? They’ll bang.

You want to have a goalie duel? They’ll have a goalie duel. No matter what kind of game it is, they can figure out a way to win. That’s the body of work I can talk about.

Q. Did you think the season-ending injury to Mark

UND’s Paul LaDue and Zane McIntyre block the puck against St. Cloud State in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in Target Center in Minneapolis.

MacMillan would take this team off the tracks?

I think that we’d all be kidding ourselves if you don’t think that there are going to be two or three shifts that might not go as well as they want them to because MacMillan is not out there to play that shift.

That’s fair. But on the other hand, I think the regionals showed that they can be effective without him. I think MacMillan is a really, really good player, and if they get in tight games, they’ll know that he’s not there. But they’ve been without him long enough that they are used to him not being there WIN: See Page 7

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Thursday l April 9, 2015 l Grand Forks Herald

Can UND slow down Eichel?

By Brad E. Schlossman Grand Forks Herald

He’s 6-foot-2, 196 pounds.

He’s an elite skater; he’s strong on the puck; he’s an elite stickhander; he has terrific vision and he can score goals as well as anyone.

No, it’s not easy to stop Boston University freshman sensation Jack Eichel.

Eichel, who will likely be the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award since Paul Kariya in 1993, has racked up a nation-leading 67 points this season, despite being the focus of opposing teams.

“When you have the reputation and pedigree that he does, most teams are going to focus on players like that,” BU coach David Quinn said.

“He’s a marked man, as he should be. Jack obviously is a target. He’s incredibly tough.

You see his stats and his skills — don’t get me wrong, they are elite — but he’s a tough son of a bitch. He’s competitive. He’s withstood an awful lot. He’s handled it as well as anybody could have.”

Eichel has dictated BU’s remarkable turnaround from a 10-win team a season ago to the Frozen Four this year.

BU is 17-0 when he scores a goal, 10-7-5 when he does not.

The Terriers are 25-5-2 when he has a point and 2-2-3 when he is scoreless. One of those victories where Eichel didn’t get a point was in the regional final against Minnesota Duluth.

“Jack has a special path in front of him,” UND coach Dave Hakstol said. “To do the things he’s done, obviously he’s an extremely talented and hard-working individual.”

Reach Schlossman at bschlossman@gfherald.com.

Boston University athletics

Top freshmen scorers since 1992

Boston University’s Jack Eichel,

100 - Paul Kariya, Maine, 1992-93 (18 years old, 2.56 ppg)

the puck against Northeastern.

67 - Jack Eichel, Boston University, 2014-15 (18, 1.76)

He leads the nation in ...

63 - Ryan Carter, Iona, 1998-99 (21, 1.91)

n Points: 67

62 - Thomas Vanek, Minnesota, 2002-03 (19, 1.38) 61 - Zach Parise, North Dakota, 2002-03 (18, 1.56) 61 - Darren Haydar, New Hampshire, 1998-99 (19, 1.49)

a Hobey Baker finalist, waits for

n Assists: 43 n Power-play points: 22 n Plus-minus: + 49

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Thursday l April 9, 2015 l Grand Forks Herald

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Herald file photo

In 2001, UND and Hobey Baker award finalist Jeff Panzer knocked out Michigan State and eventual Hobey winner Ryan Miller (above) in the Frozen Four semifinals.

Head-to-head Hobeys

By Brad E. Schlossman Hartzell) and 2006 (Boston Grand Forks Herald

On Friday afternoon, Boston University forward Jack Eichel and UND goaltender Zane McIntyre will attend the Hobey Baker Award ceremony at Matthews Arena on the campus of Northeastern.

First, the two standouts will face off on the ice.

For only the third time in the last 14 years, two members of the Hobey Hat Trick will go head-to-head in the NCAA Frozen Four.

It also happened in 2013 (St. Cloud State’s Drew LeBlanc vs. Quinnipiac’s Eric

Since they started announcing the Hobey Hat Trick in 2002, there have been three head-tohead meetings between Hobey Hat Trick finalists.

College’s Chris Collins vs.

Wisconsin’s Brian Elliott).

The last time UND was involved in a game between potential Hobey Baker Award winners was 2001 — the year before the Hobey Baker Award Committee began releasing the top-three vote-getters.

UND’s Jeff Panzer met up with Michigan State’s Ryan Miller in the semifinals in Albany, N.Y. UND scored on its first shot on goal in that game and went on to win 2-0. Miller stopped 34 of 36 shots. Panzer was held without a point.

2006 Frozen Four championship Chris Collins (Boston College) vs. Brian Elliott (Wisconsin) Wisconsin 2, Boston College 1 Elliott got the best of Collins, stopping 22 of 23 shots, while Collins was held without a point.

Neither won Hobey, though. That went to Denver's Matt Carle.

The following day, Miller was presented with the Hobey Baker Award and Panzer was named runner-up along with Boston College’s Brian Gionta.

Gionta and Boston College beat UND and Panzer in overtime in the national championship game.

Eichel and McIntyre are the top players for each team.

Eichel leads the nation in scoring with 67 points. McIntyre, also a finalist for the Mike Richter Award and college hockey’s top goalie, has a 2.00 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.

2013 Frozen Four semifinals Drew LeBlanc (St. Cloud State) vs. Eric Hartzell (Quinnipiac) Eric Hartzell was the star of this one, stopping 32 of 33 shots, while LeBlanc was a nonfactor. The next day, LeBlanc took home the Hobey, though.

2015 Frozen Four semifinals Jack Eichel (Boston University) vs. Zane McIntyre (North Dakota); tonight, 7:30, ESPN2

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EST

1 9 4 6 UND HOCKEY

THE GOALIES

8 SKATE FOR

SECTION 3 OF 3

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Thursday l April 9, 2015 l Grand Forks Herald

Title goalies from all walks

By Brad E. Schlossman Grand Forks Herald

E

Aaron Schweitzer celebrates UND winning the 1997 national championship over Boston University.

Jeff Phelps, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

1959

1963

1980

1982

1987

1997

Troy, N.Y.

Boston

Providence,

Providence,

Detroit

Milwaukee

Providence,

George

Joe Lech

R.I.

R.I.

Ed Belfour

Aaron

R.I.

Gratton

Saves:

Darren

Darren

Saves:

Schweitzer

Karl

Saves:

12/17

Jensen

Jensen

15/18

Saves:

Goehring

Saves:

Saves:

25/29

Saves: 21/23

20/22

23/25

21/24

2000

001236453r1

d Belfour, the goaltender who led UND to the 1987 national championship, went on to play nearly two decades in the NHL and eventually was inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame.

Aaron Schweitzer, the goaltender who led UND to the 1997 national championship, was out of hockey at age 21.

No, there’s no common path for national championship goaltenders at North Dakota.

Some went on to be standouts in the pros like Belfour, Darren Jensen (1980, 1982) and Karl Goehring (2000). Jensen played six pro seasons, two with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers. Goehring played eight pro seasons, mostly in the American Hockey League. He once was called up by the Nashville Predators and sat on the bench during a game but never saw action.

Others, like Schweitzer, George Gratton (1959) and Joe Lech (1963), didn’t spend much time in the pros after winning their college titles.

Schweitzer, who beat Boston University for the 1997 title as a freshman, returned for his sophomore season, then left for good. He played one year with the Canadian National Team and one year in the pros before retiring.

Gratton and Lech played in an era with limited pro options.

National championships have been the pathway to the NHL for UND goalies.

All three former UND netminders who played NHL — Belfour, Jensen and Jon Casey — all won NCAA titles.

Jensen was in net for two of them, Belfour one and Casey was on the 1982 team, but didn’t start in the final.

Zane McIntyre, who is coached by Goehring, is hoping to add his name to that list this weekend in the NCAA Frozen Four in Boston.

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