#1 North Dakota (23-3-3, 14-2-2-2 NCHC) at St. Cloud State (11-12-4 , 8-9-1 NCHC)
Feb. 21-22, 2020
St. Cloud, Minn.
Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (6,000)
Friday: 7:37 pm CT
Saturday: 6:07 pm CT
Series: UND leads 74-44-14 (.614)
This year: UND: W 4-2, 2-1 (ot)
SERIES RADIO
PxP: Tim Hennessy
Analyst: Steve Olson
Radio: 790 AM 94.1 FM & Home of Economy Radio Network
Web: FightingHawks.com
LAST WEEK
Top-ranked North Dakota swept No. 5/6 Denver with 4-1 and 3-1 wins Friday and Saturday, respectively, at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Peter Thome backstopped the Fighting Hawks to his sixth win in as many starts (6-0-1 overall).
BROADCAST INFORMATION
All UND men’s hockey games, home and away, can be heard on stations across the Fighting Hawks app. Longtime broadcaster Tim Hennessy, in his 41st season as the voice of UND men’s hockey, calls the action while Steve Olson provides color analysis.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow along with the action live by following @UNDmhockey and @UNDInsider on Twitter. Fans can also read the action via live chat via the Grand Forks Herald and beat writer Brad Schlossman.
SERIES HISTORY
North Dakota owns a 74-44-14 lead in the all-time series with the Huskies. UND swept SCSU earlier in the year with 4-2 and 2-1 (ot) wins in Grand Forks on Nov. 22-23. North Dakota will be paying its first visit to St. Cloud since Dec. 2017.
BACK AT ONE
UND remains atop both national polls in the most-recent USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. UND has now been in the top spot in seven different polls this season after beginning the season at No. 18/RV.
HEY PETER, MAN, CHECK OUT CHANNEL 9!
Friday’s game will be available on FOX9+ in the St. Cloud and Twin Cities areas. Saturday’s game will be on FOX Sports North.
THAT WOULD BE TERRIFIC, MMMKAY?
North Dakota remains eight points up on second-place Minnesota Duluth with three weeks to play. If UND can build a 12-point lead after this weekend’s games, it will clinch its third Penrose Cup. All-time Penrose Cup (NCHC regular season champ) winners below
2019 St. Cloud State
2018 St. Cloud State
2017 Denver
2016 North Dakota
2015 North Dakota
2014 St. Cloud State
JUST WENT AHEAD AND FIXED THE GLITCH
Last season, UND’s power play operated at a .124 percentage in NCHC play with 11 goals in 89 man advantage opportunities. This year, North Dakota already has 21 PPGs on 70 chances in league play for a .300 percentage, topping the conference. Overall, North Dakota’s power play has gone from 52nd in the NCAA last year to 16th so far this year.
A JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS MAtt
Junior Matt Kiersted returned from a two-game hiatus (injury) to continue his point streak with an assist on UND’s game-winning goal Friday then added a first-period goal Saturday in the sweep of Denver. Kiersted now has points in his last six consecutive games, piling up 11 points in that stretch.
BOY, THAT’S JUST A STRAIGHT SHOOTER WITH UPPER MANAGEMENT WRITTEN ALL OVER HIM
Sophomore defenseman Jonny Tychonick leads the team with a .364 shooting percentage. He has four goals on just 11 shots on goal. His last goal was a game-winner in the Jan. 25 victory at Minnesota Duluth.
ALRIGHT, PETER! OOOO-OOOOO!
Peter Thome has played in eight games this season. Once he reaches the 10-game threshold, he’ll officially qualify for UND single-season records. Currently, his 1.26 GAA and .940 save percentage would both top the lists for single-season bests at North Dakota.
I HAVE A MEETING WITH THE BOBS LATER
Thome is chasing Bob Peters’ single-season goals against average record of a paltry 1.27 GAA set way back in 1956-57. Overall, he’d look to become just the seventh UND goalie to etch a sub-2.00 GAA.
PC LOAD LETTER??
Jordan Kawaguchi trails only Providence College’s Jack Dugan in total points this season in the NCAA. Dugan has 49 points with 40 assists, 17 of those on secondary assists. Kawaguchi’s 29 assists feature an NCAA-leading 23 primary assists on passes leading directly to goals.
NCHC WELL REPRESENTED IN THE POLL
Four NCHC teams are ranked in this week’s USCHO.com poll. UND paces the poll nearly unanimously (one vote shy) with Minnesota Duluth at four and Denver sitting in seventh and Western Michigan re-entering the poll at 19th.
SIX STARTS STAT
In Peter Thome’s six starts this season, he is a perfect 6-0-0 with a sparkling 1.33 goals against average and a .942 save percentage. The junior netminder has squandered just three even-strength goals in his six starts this year. Overall, Thome is 6-0-1 with a 1.26 GAA and a .940 save percentage.
YOU ARE…. SO BEAUTIFUL… THOMEEE
Peter Thome picked up his sixth win of the season, already setting a new career best in season wins. He had five wins as a freshman and equaled that total last year.
CLINCHED HOME ICE
North Dakota has already clinched home ice for the first round of the NCHC playoffs after a one-year hiatus. UND had played host to the opening round of the league playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons before missing out last year and narrowly finishing fifth to head to the road for the first time since 2001-02.
PASSING ‘EM OUT LIKE CANDY
Collin Adams was named the NCHC’s Forward of the Week (his first career honor) and Peter Thome picked up his second Goalie of the Week award. North Dakota has had a whopping 18 NCHC weekly awards this season by eight different players (Adam Scheel 4, Jordan Kawaguchi 3, Matt Kiersted 3, Shane Pinto 3, Thome 2, Adams 1, Jacob Bernard-Docker 1, Judd Caulfield 1).
ONE AND DONE
North Dakota has allowed one goal or fewer on 16 occasions this season, including in each of the last four games. At home, UND has done it 12 times in the 17 games at REA (16-1-0).
AHEAD OF THE PACE
The 2015-16 NCAA Championship team was 22-4-3 overall through 29 games. This season’s team is 23-3-3. That championship team was swept in Denver then rattled off 8 straight wins to end the regular season and the first round of the NCHC playoffs, going 12-1-1 in its last 14 en route to the school’s eighth NCAA championship.
