On the Road

Why think about that when all the golden land's ahead of you and all kinds of unforeseen events wait lurking to surprise you and make you glad you're alive to see? -Jack Kerouac, On the Road

The yellow brick road. The road not taken. The long and winding road. The road to redemption. Whatever we're on here, it's a helluva ride.

There were times when many of us wanted to give up. There were times when we felt like the season was slipping through our fingers. There were times when it felt like our players had given up. Too many times we'd read the same tired old quotations in the papers after a loss. "We weren't ready to play." "We didn't have the effort." "We didn't play as well as we thought we could." It was disheartening.

Instead, this weekend tUMD showed exactly what kind of team they really are. Gritty, defensively sound, with explosive offense. tUMD chased Yale's goaltender from the game after he gave up five goals, a season high. The power play was lethal, and they got a shorthanded goal and killed off a two-man disadvantage, which was actually more like a 2 1/2 man disadvantage as one player did not have a stick.

We've had our ups and downs, our roadblocks and setbacks. Forwards, defencemen, goalies, fans, everyone. We lost a player to the pros at mid-season. We had a horrible first game in our new rink. We limped into the playoffs, some might say. We lost to a lesser team in the Final Five.

And we closed down our rink in style. We won a marathon 3OT game. We had a player put up five goals on the southern branch of our school. We never got swept, never lost back to back games. We have a Hobey Baker finalist. AND WE ARE GOING TO THE FROZEN FOUR.

And by we, I mean the players of course.

Certainly there was a lot of pressure on tUMD on Saturday. Yale was ranked as the top team in the PWR, which comes with its own pressures, but most folks felt that ranking was undeserved, which means losing to them would be a bit shameful. I'm sure that was more in the minds of fans than anything else. (I think it's funny that fans think they know the mindset of players; one fan of a nameless team [literally] stated that tUMD deliberately lost to Bemidji in order to get placed in the East regional, which is ludicrous.)

tUMD had to weather quite the storm in the first period; the first ten minutes were uneventful but then they had to fight off the two-man disadvantage, followed by another penalty, and Kenny Reiter and the penalty kill stood tall. Then MCON and Fonz had a 2 on 1 on the PK and Mikey scored, then plowed over a Yale player and taunted him. And that set the tone for the game.

Bergy scored even strength on a soft goal that Rondeau just... I don't know, missed? He tried to catch it and looked like... well, what I would look like if I played goalie. Yale started to get chippy, and Jack Connolly scored a sick goal from a wicked angle on a power play after a Yale played ran Kenny.

Yale's Brian O'Neill scored on a power play and gave them a little life. Then he decided to run Jake Hendrickson and head-butt him. I thought Yale students were supposed to be smart, but I cannot think of a dumber thing to do. It wasn't O'Neill's first dangerous hit on a tUMD player; he also took an elbowing penalty earlier in the second. The referees decided to kick him out of the game. This was certainly a fortuitous call for tUMD and a backbreaker for Yale, but perhaps Mr. O'Neill will think twice about headshots now, knowing that his desire to injure other players contributed to the end of his team's season.

My Guy Mike Seidel scored on the power play 20 seconds in, and then when another Yale player made a dumb mistake and put them down two players, Justin Fontaine cashed in on a lovely tic-tac-toe play.

Yale scored two in the third period, which was enough to cause severe panic for Biddco and me. My heart was pounding and my legs were shaking. I couldn't stay still and had to pace around a little bit, then sit down, then stand, then sit. I couldn't even eat the green bean casserole with bacon that MEg had made.

Then tUMD's brilliant defence kicked in, and while I was still scared out of my mind, they remained calm and collected and in control. It wasn't until there were about 30 seconds left in the game that I really, truly believed we would win the game.

And then an overwhelming sense of relief flooded over me. I was completely exhausted when we got home after we finished watching the Ugly Helmets - CC game, and still somewhat unable to believe that tUMD is going to be in the Frozen Four. Two more wins and we can finally get that title. 27 years after we should have gotten the first one.

For once, it's not just about the journey, but the destination. GO BULLDOGS!!!!!

Afternoon Delight

tUMD 2, Scabs 0



I keep thinking I need to remember to use this post title during a day game and I keep forgetting. Well, I waited for the opportune moment on this one.

I didn't watch a single second of this game. I was at work. It practically killed me to be at work, BTW, but I suffered through. I work hard for the monies.

And when I say suffered, I mean SUFFERED. Holy mother. I was completely distracted, my heart was pounding, and I thought I was going to puke. Good god was that stressful. I sent a frantic email to one of my friends sort of jabbering on about how freaked out I was about the game. Then I wrote "Gee, I guess I'm not helping, am I?" She wrote back "NO YOU'RE NOT!" Ha.

So I made it through the game by Twitter and by texts. Thanks DA for the texts. Even though you caused serious heart attacks by writing ambiguous things like "They are going on the power play," and I was like "THEY WHO?????"

Union had a 31% power play and only had nine games where they failed to score on the PP. Well, now ten. tUMD's penalty killers, from Kenny Reiter on out, kept the Racist Mascots 0/9 on the power play, while tUMD's own power play went 2/8. I would say it's unfortunate that we could only score on the power play, but let's see here, I crunched some numbers, and here's how the game broke down: 49% 6x6, 27% Union PP, 18% UMD PP, 3% 5x5, 2% 6x6 with Union's net empty and 1% tUMD 6x4. Insane. Totally weird game.

I had a brief respite from my sheer panic while watching the Yale-AF game and the extremely enjoyable CC-BC game, but now I'm back to panicking. While Yale isn't head and shoulders above every other team in college hockey, they're not pushovers either, and it's going to be tough.

Just three more wins boys. One more and you're in St. Paul. Three more and you will complete me.

All-WCHA Ballot

It's that time of year again! The All-Conference ballots are being released. Might as well release mine.

First Team
F: Jack Connolly
F: Mike Connolly
F: Justin Fontaine
D: Justin Faulk
D: Mike Montgomery
G: Kenny Reiter

Second Team
F: Travis Oleksuk
F: JT Brown
F: Kyle Schmidt
D: Brady Lamb
D: Drew Olson
G: Aaron Crandall

Third Team
F: Mike Seidel
F: David Grun
F: Dan DeLisle
D: Wade Bergman
D: Trent Palm
G: Christian Gaffy

Rookies
F: JT Brown
F: Max Tardy
F: Joe Basaraba
D: Justin Faulk
D: Luke McManus
G: Christian Gaffy

Coach of the Year: Scott Sandelin
Player of the Year: Mike Connolly
Rookie of the Year: Justin Faulk

Great Hockey Minds

It's everyone's favorite time of year!!! WCHA academic award time!!!

First up: Scholar Athletes!

Here's the official definition. A Scholar-Athlete must first of all had at least one year at their current institution (meaning no transfers or freshmen) and must have maintained a 3.5 GPA either overall or for the previous 2 semesters or 3 quarters.

tUMD's Scholar-Athletes are:

Aaron Crandall (Business)
Keegan Flaherty (Business)
Kenny Reiter (Finance)
Kyle Schmidt (Statistics and Actuarial Science)

Kyle and Kenny are repeat offenders, while Keegan and Aaron are first-timers. Kyle should probably be named the WCHA Student-Athlete of the year, if the voters have any sort of credibility at all. We won't find out until March. Congratulations to all four gentlemen!

Here's how the other member schools stack up:

UAA - 3
Bemidji - 11
CC - 3
Denver - 5
MTU - 5
UMTC - 3
MSUM - 5
UNO - 3
UND - 5
SCSU - 6
UW -0

Two Minutes in Heaven

tUMD 2, Red Menace 0
tUMD 2, Red Menace 3

Oh, yes, blogging. I still do that?

I’ve got a case of the Januarys, it seems. In fact, I even wrote a post on Friday in anticipation of the series, but I was so tired it was completely incoherent and I couldn’t be bothered to edit it.

I guess the title can refer to either the two minutes at the end of Saturday's game or can refer to how much fun the penalty box was as our players seemed to end up in there a lot.

Friday I was stressed out. I just wasn’t feeling the team, I was back in that “We’re never going to win again” mode, even though the Dogs beat Clarkson and played a fine game against the Minors. Also it snowed again and it took me an hour to drive ten miles, and I missed the first period and thus both goals in the game. But what an awesome game! Everyone was raving about the complete team effort and how great everyone played and other things. I’m sad I didn’t see the game.

So then I was too tired to post on Friday night and then Saturday I had to go buy breezers with my dad so I didn’t have time to post. It is very hard to find breezers that are not for adolescent boys or gigantic men. They are a little bit big on me still but they don’t come up to my armpits or down to my knees so I’m pleased overall. I also got some new elbow pads that don’t cover my whole arm. Success! Thanks Dad!

Saturday we drove up to Duluth for the night and be it known, I did not get in a fan altercation! Amazing!

tUMD got down 2-0 fairly early on, and Justin Faulk decided to hit a guy from behind just before the period ended and was given the night off by our friends, the referees. Not a good choice, Justin. But you are young, it happens. Wisconsin scored early in their major power play and tUMD hung on.

Some interesting things occurred in the second period. A conspiracy theorist might say these things occurred because of the controversial officiating from our series in Wisconsin. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, though. Mike Connolly was ejected from the game on a contact to the head major penalty. It happened in the corner I can’t see as well, and the replay was sort of poor, so I can’t really say one way or another what I think happened. Some folks have said it was b.s. but until I see it for myself I’m not going to comment. What I did see for myself were some world-class, Robbie Earl would be proud, Academy Award winning dives.

I don’t understand why diving is never a point of emphasis. There is a whole subset of penalties that can be called in relation to diving. Embellishment, unsportsmanlike conduct, I think I have even seen unsportsmanlike diving. Every team does it, because players constantly get away with it. Refs love to call penalties. Why not call the dive, too? I mean, they are all paid per whistle, right? It is not as dangerous as hits to the head or hits from behind, plays that put players in danger when they are in a vulnerable position. But it damages the sport, and it discourages hard work. Why fight through a check when you can fall down like a sack of rocks and your team is rewarded with a power play? Why work to get to the puck when you can deliberately skate over your opponents stick blade and do a pratfall? The way WCHA games are officiated right now actually encourages diving and embellishment.

So tUMD is already down one guy and some sad pathetic little Badger, who is already falling, draws a penalty on Joe Basaraba for cross checking. Though Joe’s stick didn’t contact him. And though he was falling already. tUMD went down 5 on 3. Then Jack Connolly was called for hooking forty seconds later. I was staring right at the play. No hook occurred.

What makes this so suspect is it is so far away from the typical WCHA officiating. We usually know what to expect. Even-up calls, whistle-swallowing in OT, those types of things. We don’t like them but they are predictable. One thing referees normally fear doing is putting teams down two players. So to put a team already killing their second major penalty of the night down on an extended two-man disadvantage? That’s the complete opposite of the officiating philosophy of the WCHA as we have all witnessed.

Not to worry, though, because the Red Menace didn’t score on that little bonanza of theirs. And of course we got a couple PPs of our own (although I was yelling at Shepherd and Beaurline “You’ve got the wrong team? You’re supposed to call it on the Bulldogs!”) and were content to fanny around with the puck for 30 seconds before shooting it directly into the legs of the defender. (At this, I yelled “Stop doing that! It never works!” and then once they started shooting at something other than a player, I yelled “No! You’re doing it wrong! Shoot it into his legs!” I have to entertain myself somehow to keep from going insane.)

Wisconsin took a major penalty of their own… except tUMD had to play the first two minutes 4 on 4 because Kenny Reiter tripped someone. Poor Max Tardy had to serve that penalty too. He spent 34 minutes in the penalty box though he committed only one penalty of his own. tUMD finally took a timeout after they iced the puck on the PP and then converted the next power play on a funky goal that demoralized the jubilant Red Army comrades in my vicinity. Then tUMD scored again with the extra attacker and then just ran out of time. It was an exciting finish though!

So, to sum up Saturday’s game: Two pipes + two crossbars + 4 zebras + 1 lethal UW PP unit + 5 terrible tUMD PPs = a 3-2 loss and an overall 3-1 advantage in the season series. Not the end of the world. Now, if tUMD doesn’t take care of biznass in the UP, then we’ll have issues.

It Was A Very Good Year

Yesterday I was talking to Dirty about when I was in high school and I employed guerilla warfare tactics to try to get a certain guy to go out with me. (I'm still not sure if I was actually successful or not. We are friends and I think he reads this site occasionally, or at least keeps saying he means to, which is probably just a lie. It would really be my luck if this was the first time he surfed on in. Dirty assured me that guys are stupid so I'm going to assume he probably wouldn't recognize I'm talking about him anyway.) All of a sudden it dawned on me that my stalkerazzi salad days were ten years ago! TEN YEARS!!! What?1?!?!?!? I’m old! It’s horrifying.

The point of this story is not to appear even more scary and aggressive than usual, but rather to segue into discussing the weekend. Tomorrow night tUMD takes on the US NTDP U-18 Team. (They should have a mascot or something. Like the USA Bald Eagles or the USA Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragons.) These kids are freaking young. They were born in 1993! That just made me pull more gray hairs from my head and ears! Frightening. Let’s get some perspective.

Jurassic Park came out and grossed $915 million. Schindler’s List won best Picture and Sookie from that vampire show won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Piano. I was horribly jealous because she and I are the same age and she was in a movie and I was in a summer school theatre production of Aladdin.

River Phoenix overdosed outside the Viper Room. Frank Zappa died. No one cares about this except AJ, but Mayhem guitarist Euronymous was stabbed to death by fellow band member Varg Vikernes. Some people were born, but I’ve never heard of any of them because I don’t watch the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon.

Tragically, the band Korn was formed. Fortunately, so were the Backstreet Boys! (Who I recently learned are back together.) Arrested Development won best New Artist at the Grammys. Arrested Development! "Mr. Wendal!"

The #1 song on the Billboard Top 100 was "I Will Always Love You." A much better song, "Whoomp! (There It Is)" was #2.

The other 98 were songs I skated along to at the Roller Gardens.

Saved by the Bell The New Class and Saved By the Bell the College Years debuted, as did Mighty Morphin Power Rangers AND Walker: Texas Ranger. The Wonder Years and Cheers ended.

Czechoslovakia separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Bill Clinton was sworn in as President and Boris Yeltsin was elected. The Brady Bill was signed into law. The Branch Davidians in Waco offed themselves. The World Trade Center was bombed.

Kirby Puckett was the All-Star MVP. That pitcher with no hand threw a no hitter. Jim McMahon, Cris and Anthony Carter, Mike Tice, Randall McDaniel and Fuad Reveiz played for Denny Green and the Vikings. Basketball occurred, I assume.

Guy Carbonneau et les Habitants (avec G.M. Jacques Lemaire) ont gagne le Stanley Cup sur les LA Kings et Wayne Gretzky. Alexandre Daigle was the #1 draft pick, by the Ottawa Senators (#2 was Chris Pronger. Hm...) The North Stars left Minnesota.

Paul Kariya won the Hobey Baker and Maine beat a Jeff Jackson-coached LSSU in the national championship game in Milwaukee. Derek Plante was still playing for the MacNaughton-winning Bulldogs. Bruce Ciskie was on the chess team at Superior High School. Mike Montgomery and Kenny Reiter were in first grade. Christian Gaffy, Justin Faulk and Joe Basaraba were in diapers.

Anyone else feeling a little bit older now?

The Unbearable Lightness of Losing

tUMD 2, Twin Cities Diving Squad 3
tUMD... oh, wait, that game hasn't been played yet

So, this is what losing feels like. I'd forgotten. Isn't it funny to read how excited the Gopher fans are!? They're all saying it's their best game of the year. Well, it was the worst Bulldog game that I've seen, and the Gophers looked like a trainwreck on the power play and at other times, and they still only beat us by a goal. What a sad state of affairs in Gopher Nation.

Someone mentioned something to me that I think is worth repeating. tDogs needed to lose that game. If they had come back to win it after playing two terrible horrible no good very bad periods of play, it would only reinforce the whole ten feet tall and bulletproof nothin's gonna stop us now attitude. They've gotta, you know, try. The whole game. If they had played like they did against Denver on Saturday night the Gophers would not have sniffed the net.

The Gophers actually put the puck in the net four times and the Bulldogs three, but Mike Hoeffel's goal was waved off for a high stick (he is apparently unable to control his stick... he had a goal waved off against tUMD last year and he also hit Kenny Reiter in the face with his stick in the 3rd period, which set up Justin Faulk's power play wicked slappah.) MCON scored but it was waved off as it was a kick in. It's frustrating because the puck was on its way in anyway, but whatever. It's not like it happened with 2 seconds left and cost us the game or something. Fontaine failing to put a puck in an essentially open net with seconds left in the game DID cost us a tie and a chance for a win, though. But, again, a consistent effort was ultimately what cost us the game, not anything that the Gophers did or didn't do or the refs did or didn't do.

tUMD will be without Dylan Olsen, assuming he can get a flight out of MSP and be on his way to kicking ass and taking names at the WJC tryouts. With Bergman out with an injury and Olsen gone, tUMD will have 4 regular defencemen: Monkey, Faulk, Lamb and Olson. They will also have two irregular defencemen, some combination of Huttel, Palm and Kishel. Probably Huttel and Kishel, but who knows? This is not ideal but if tUMD can put the puck in the net like they should and if the Gophers quit diving (unlikely), then all will be right again in the world. Well, not entirely, because we still have a loss to a far inferior team. It'll probably hurt our PWR severely.

tUMD football is awesome, though! They gutted out a win against some directional something school and are going to the D2 National Championship!! The only good thing about the hockey game getting canceled was getting to see this game! I wish I'd been there in person though. So much excitement!

Ready for some Sunday hockey and a big Bulldog win!

Numbers
Wins until we reach last season's total: 7
Points until we reach last season's total: 14

My Guys
Jack Connolly: 24!!!
JT Brown: 16
Mike Seidel: 6
Brady Lamb: 4
Drew Olson: 1

Freshmen
JT Brown: 16
Justin Faulk: 14!!!
Joe Basaraba: 1
others: zeros

Connollys
Jacky: 24!!!!
Mikey: 23!!!!

Olsen/Olson
Dylan: 13
Drew: 1

Dan/Drew
Olson: 10!
DeLisle: 4

On Notice
Joe Basaraba
Dan Delisle
Keegan Flaherty
David Grun
Jake Hendrickson
Brady Lamb
Drew Olson

Goals Only
JT Brown
Justin Fontaine (UNACCEPTABLE)
Mike Montgomery
Travis Oleksuk (ALSO UNACCEPTABLE)
Dylan Olsen

I Hope You Had The Time Of Your Life

tUMD 2, Unlucky Stiffs 1

I'm so tired I can barely think.

I woke up this morning terrified tUMD would lose tonight's game. I've never been so nervous in my life for a non-playoff game. The 'Dogs opened the DECC with an 8-1 win over UMTC, and there was nothing I wanted more than to see them close it down with a win.

Oh, and a jersey. Right.

I went out to brunch with Biddco and the Aaaahj at Pizza Luce, and then my dad, Biddco and I went to the football game, where we met up with DHG and tPB Dude. Wrapped in layers of blankets and clothing, we watched the Bulldog football team beat Augustana 24-13. It was an exciting football game and it took my mind off the hockey game for a little while.

After the game, the waiting started to get to me. I was so nervous, in fact, that I couldn't even stay at Green Mill past 5:50. Biddco and I headed over since he wanted to get a good seat in the student section. I noted there were no other bids on the jersey I wanted and then hung out with Ma Ciskie and Li'l Ciskie and watched the DECC fill up.

The team was about to come out when the Zamboni came out onto the ice. Slowly, it opened, and out came the Loon! People were on their feet and cheering. It simply would not have been right if the Loon had not been there to close down the DECC.

The game started strangely, as I think there was supposed to be a ceremonial puck drop with Huffer, and there was not. I can't imagine what could have occurred to prevent it from happening but finally the refs just dropped the puck and the game began.

The Bulldogs were absolutely dominant for at least 40 minutes of the game. If not for Sam Brittain and the pipes, the game would have been a blowout. tUMD didn't get anything into the back of the net until Justin Faulk got a power play goal and I did my first and only goal lap around the DECC. Some of it alone, because I was too slow for Kleiner, DHG and Boody, and the students caught up with me, but I kept going once we got to the student section. Oh well. I didn't want to trip and go flying, or pass out from lack of oxygen.

In the second period, Montgomery was called for interference with 2:38 to go and I had to go down to protect my bid. I missed seeing MCON's goal but I certainly celebrated. I saw a replay of it later. Incredible goal. Just sick. I don't know if Mike Connolly has ever had a garbage goal in his life; his goals are all so lovely.

The jersey auctions are always insane. This year's was no exception. There was lots of posturing and covert observing and flat out panic (ok, that was just me.) I aggressively bid myself into owning Dylan Olsen's jersey. My dad won Trent Palm's, and the Aaaahj was boxed out at the last minute for Max Tardy's by some guy who sandbagged writing down his bid. Argh. I finally felt some of the stress melt away as I realized the jersey was mine.

In the third period, Nick Shore did his best to try to murder Kyle Schmidt, and was asked to leave the game. Let it be known that tUMD had more power play opportunities and fewer overall penalties than DU. We can put to bed any rumors from other teams' fans that the WCHA league officials are biased in favor of DU. (NCAA DII football officials may be biased in favor of Augustana, though.) tUMD did not score on the 5-minute power play although they had some excellent chances, including one that went for review. JT Brown took a slashing penalty and DU scored at the 8:25 mark, making the game too close for comfort once more.

DU put really their only sustained pressure on somewhere around maybe 8 minutes to go? I'm not sure. They had multiple chances and Kenny Reiter played the way we've known he can play all along. He was up to the task, and so were the rest of the Dogs. DU managed to pull their goalie with 1:48 to go, and the Dogs played probably the best final two minutes of a hockey game they have all year. MCON missed a chance for an empty net goal, but instead of trying for a bad shot with a DU player in his way, and a possible turnover, he tied up the puck for precious ticks off the clock. The 'Dogs kept Denver from getting anything decent going with the extra attacker on, and they gained possession with just a few seconds left and that was the game. Incredible. A gutsy way to go ungently into that good night.

After the game, the 'Dogs had a stick salute for the fans before the handshake, and then once DU left the ice, they invited all the alumni present to come down for a final stick salute. After some words from Huffer and the lowering of the "Final Year" banner, Hoagy led over 100 Bulldogs, past and present, in another final stick salute. Audio clips were played of a few milestone tUMD games, and I only wish there had been more. Finally, the players left the ice, and one final audio clip had Marsh Nelson wishing us goodnight.

What a way to go. I cried, I'm not ashamed to admit it. The DECC means a lot to a lot of people. I heard people who had sat next to each other for years saying goodbye to each other. I saw couples who met in college taking pictures with their children in the seats they used to sit in. People lingered, taking pictures, talking, in disbelief that they'll be sitting in a new arena next time the Dogs play in Duluth. The arena was a dump, but it was ours, and it held a lot of memories. And it was built at a time when most arenas were dumps, anyway.

Finally we tore ourselves away from the arena and went to claim our jerseys. I was standing around talking with other successful jersey winners and then the players snuck in. Dylan was one of the first ones in and he came over and was very friendly. I managed to rein in my extreme awkwardness and had a real conversation with him. I asked if he was excited for next weekend and the WJC tryouts and he said yeah. I told him I'd cheer for him, but not for Canada, and asked him if he would light up Justin Faulk if they played against each other. He was noncommittal. I think that means yes. I asked if his dad was there and he said no, but he wished he was. As you all know, Dylan's dad Darryl played for NMU and certainly had some games at the DECC. I also told him I'd converted some Blackhawks fans to UMD fans because of him, and told him I looked forward to watching him play in the NHL and the rest of this year... and maybe next year. He sort of smiled and I said I knew it might not happen and I just wanted him to make the right choice for himself. We got a photo together which is sort of crappy as the Aaaahj was trying to turn on the flash and failed, and then I forgot to ask him to sign my jersey. I'll have to be a creepy stalker after a game sometime and get him to sign it then.

I've spent an hour writing this post and I could probably wax rhapsodic about the DECC for another hour, but for now, I'll just wish you all goodnight.

By Hook or By Crook

tUMD 6, Red Menace 5

Well, hello there. Have we all recovered from the weirdest hockey game I've seen in a long time?

Let's discuss while it's still fresh in my mind. First of all, the game was on TV! Glorious. Since the Gopher broadcast team is afraid to go to Houghton, FSN-North showed the UMD game! How exciting and awesome for us!

I assumed tUMD would give up an early goal and was pleasantly surprised when I received a text from my friend Corrin that it was already 1-0! On a Mike Seidel goal! Team Coug of course did not start him in fantasy hockey.

Then, terribleness. Wisconsin scored to tie the game, I didn't see the goal either. Then three minutes later they scored again, and then five minutes later they scored again and Kenny was yanked. I gotta say, the replays showed they were pretty brutal goals. Yikes.

tUMD had a power play opportunity to open the second and did not convert, but then Mike Seidel had his second goal of the night at the 2:07 mark! Exciting! I'm so happy for Mike. He is really a hard worker and has a lot of skill and if it weren't for the chemistry of that second line he'd have a good chance at playing on there.

Justin Fontaine scored to tie the game three minutes later, and Eaves yanked Gudmanson. Travis Oleksuk scored 17 seconds later for the Bulldogs to take the lead. Schmidt cashed in on a PP to make it 5-3, and rounding out the scoring in the second, Jordy Murray got a PPG. Then he was promptly called "Brady" by the commentator during his intermission interview. It could have been worse, they could have called him "Sarah."

Not a whole heck of a lot happened in the third period, although Wisconsin's PP is pretty dangerous, and they pulled Bennett and scored 18 seconds after they pulled him. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. And then I totally crashed. Why, oh why, did we let three guys that close to the net to get a whack at the puck? There were way too many people in there and the puck just found its way in there on a bounce or a tip or something.

Wisconsin had the advantage for the beginning of the overtime and then (just as Chuck commented in the UW chat room that UW was dominating) tUMD got some great chances and then some penalties were called and the remainder of the game was 4 on 4. tUMD had the puck in the zone and a UW player made a play on the puck. Mike Connolly dove for the puck, got a stick on it, and at the same time tripped the UW player. Dylan Olsen got the puck to Travis Oleksuk who put it five-hole on Bennett and it trickled into the net and the 'Dogs won.

Or so it would seem. But the referees wanted to review the goal. For... no apparent reason other than they realized that the alleged trip (although a couple of people who are not Bulldogs fans have said that perhaps it was a good non-call because he did play the puck, I don't know the rules well enough to try to make a case for it, and I would certainly have lost my mind if this had happened the other way) had led directly to the goal.

There is no way they could have waved that goal off without invoking some bizarro rule like "intent to blow." I wonder if perhaps they were thinking they could use that but realized that way, way too much time had elapsed. I don't know what they could possibly have been doing, but they finally, finally, finally called it a goal and the game was official.

So, not only was the #1 ranking NOT a curse in the end, it was actually a freaking good luck horse shoe four leaf clover rabbit's foot pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Congratulations, boys. Now go out and win a no-doubter tomorrow night.

Numbers
Wins until we reach last season's total: 9!
Points until we reach last season's total: 18!

My Guys
Jack Connolly: 19!!!
JT Brown: 14!!!
Mike Seidel: 5!!!
Brady Lamb: 4
Drew Olson: 1!!! (Yeah! So glad to see you on the board, Drew!)

Freshmen
JT Brown: 14!!!
Justin Faulk: 10
Joe Basaraba: 1
others: zeros

Connollys
Jacky: 19!!!!
Mikey: 18

Olsen/Olson
Dylan: 11!!!!
Drew: 1!!!!

Dan/Drew
Olson: 8
DeLisle: 2

On Notice
David Grun
Jake Hendrickson
Brady Lamb
Max Tardy

Goals Only
Wade Bergman
Keegan Flaherty
Mike Montgomery
Dylan Olsen

Another BREC in the Wall

tUMD 1, Those Still Yet to Win in Their New Arena 1

So, we made the drive up to Bemidji to see what we could see. And what do you think we saw? We saw the other side.

No, not really, I was getting us confused with the bear that went over the mountain. We saw a tie. And even though UMD got that power play goal late in the game, I knew that lead wouldn't hold. Granted, it was hard to get things going. This is my first time seeing Bemidji State play live and they did not play a style I expected them to play. These guys stomped on the Bulldogs last year and this year were struggling to find offense. It took someone named Bilbo Baggins or something almost the entire game to find the net. Most of the game seemed to be focused around stopping the Bulldogs rather than beating them.

Bemidji's goalie made some great saves including one on JT Brown in OT that I thought was a for sure game winner. Kenny did not make any brilliant saves that I noticed. Much of UMD's puck luck this weekend came from Bemidji players being a day late and a dollar short on rebounds. I am not sure Bemidji players knew they could play in the slot or camp out in front of the net. tUMD's defence played an outstanding game.

tUMD should have scored on the 5 on 3. Here's the deal with that play: once tUMD got the delayed penalty, a Bemidji player made an even worse hit on another Bulldog as if daring the refs to make the call. They did. Yay.

Overall the BREC is nice but lacks atmosphere. The students do not have a leader. They do even fewer cheers than UMD fans. And their mascot is named Bucky but looks like an ethnic Goldy. Get it a leather tail or something. Most students were in costume and there were some really funny ones, like a Rubik's Cube or Wooderson from Dazed and Confused.

Alcohol is for sale at the BREC. Unfortunately this led to some obnoxiousness. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that the biggest jerk of the night was a guy in a Sioux jersey who went down behind the Bulldog bench and started swearing at them and pounding on the glass, then tried to get by me to get out of the row. I told him to wait for a whistle and blocked his way. He took umbrage, swore at me, then climbed over a bunch of other seats and spent the rest of the time he was there swearing at me some more. Two students came up during the break between the 3rd period and overtime and screamed and swore at the UMD team and at Suz for almost the entire break before an usher came and led them, very slowly, away. I like to be a big jerk too but I am now sober while I do it. A Bemidji player grabbed JT Brown's facemask and it popped open, and no call was made. So Phil Loadholt can't do that to a Packer but Bemidji can get away with it? So I yelled "I know they haven't won yet but you don't have to give them the game." I'm mean.

I still had a great time despite the outcome. And now I'm chillin' in paradise at the Bjorneby homestead on Lake Bemidji.

Numbers
Wins until we reach last season's total: 13! (Ugly wins count the same!)
Points until we reach last season's total: 27! (Sweet!)

My Guys
Jack Connolly: 12!
JT Brown: 11
Brady Lamb: 4
Mike Seidel: 2
Drew Olson: 0

Freshmen
JT Brown: 11
Justin Faulk: 5!!! (Off notice!!! Tragically unable to see his goal as it was at the other end of the rink and they did not replay it!!!)
others: zeros

Connollys
Mikey: 13!
Jacky: 12!

Olsen/Olson
Dylan: 6
Drew: 0

Dan/Drew
Olson: 8
DeLisle: 2

On Notice
Wade Bergman
David Grun
Jake Hendrickson
Brady Lamb
Mike Montgomery
Max Tardy

Goals Only
Jack Connolly (WHAT??? JACKY, GET IT TOGETHER!!!)
Keegan Flaherty
Dylan Olsen
Mike Seidel

Highway 2 Robbery

First, some facts.

1. Today is my birthday. (Well, it's almost over.) I am 28. I have one foot in the grave already.

2. Friday is my "birthday game." Saturday is my backup "birthday game." And Wade Bergman needs to get me a goal.

3. Travis Oleksuk was named offensive player of the week. Last week, JT Brown was rookie of the week. This week, Aaron Crandall or Kenny Reiter will be defensive player of the week.

4. UMD is ranked #3 in the polls right now. Pretty much guarantees we'll be swept by Suckmidji this weekend.

And now...

Anyone know how much the tickets are for this weekend?

The cheapest are $25 and they go all the way up to $35. Kids' tickets are $20. No wonder there are still tickets available for the second series in their brand new arena...

Picture Perfect

Blah almost forgot to post.

Last night I had a dream about AMSoil Arena! But not a good one! I had seats in the front row of the balcony, but 1. they were really up high 2. every time I cheered I almost slipped through the railing and 3. the seats were really bad as they were looking down on the rink through a large square hole, so some action was obscured. Also no one was there, no one was cheering, and tUMD was playing like crap. Argh.

Anyway, tUMD's roster pics are out, and guys, you have outdone yourselves. Best collective roster pics of ANY tUMD team since I have been judging appearances. No one looks crazy! People who had bad hair have better hair now! If only Jacky had grown his hair out again, then everything would be perfect. (And DON'T THINK I DIDN'T NOTICE guys wearing the same suit... seniors, come on.) Bergman wins best dressed. Kenny Reiter and J.T. Brown were unable to keep a straight face. Wonder what was going on in the background, hm?

And... holy crap. Montgomery cut his hair.

What's Your Fantasy?

It was a tough draft for Team Cougar. We picked 5th of 7, and my darling little Jacky slipped out of our grasp ONE PICK before we were going to take him. We also did not get shorthanded goal superstud Brett Olson, Brady Lamb, or Kenny Reiter. Depressing.

Thanks to Bruce Ciskie and Brad Schlossman for their suggestions. All of Bruce's selections were taken before I could get them, but I was able to take advantage of a few of Brad's.

Here is Team Cougar 2010-2011!
1. Scott Gudmanson, G, UW
2. Danny Kristo, F, UND
3. Jay Barribal, F, UMTC
4. Gabe Guentzel, D, CC
5. Alex Hudson, F, UNO
6. Jason Zucker, F, DU
7. Dylan Olsen, D, UMD
8. Mark Zengerle, F, UW
9. Jordan Baker, F, MTU
10. William Wrenn, D, DU
11. Deron Cousens, D, MTU
12. Derek Forbort, D, UND
13. Mike Seidel, F, UMD
14. Nick Bjugstad, F, UMTC
15. Wade Bergman, D, UMD
16. Luke Salazar, F, DU

Here are the other teams, in draft order. Names have been changed to protect Weldie.

Team #1
1. Brad Eidsness, G, UND
2. Brett Olson, F, MTU
3. Tony Mosey, F, SCSU
4. Brad Hunt, BSU
5. Kurt Davis, D, MSUM
6. Rich Purslow, F, UNO
7. Travis Oleksuk, F, UMD
8. Mike Montgomery, D, UMD
9. Tommy Grant, F, UAA
10. Jordy Murray, F, UW
11. John Lee, D, DU
12. Curtis Leinweber, D, UAA
13. William Rapuzzi, F, CC
14. Kyle Schmidt, F, UMD
15. Aaron Marvin, F, SCSU
16. Joe Faust, D, UW

Team #2
1. Alex Kangas, G, UMTC
2. Jason Gregoire, F, UND
3. Justin Schultz, D, UW
4. Jesse Martin, F, DU
5. Rylan Galiardi, F, MSUM
6. Zach Budish, F, UMTC
7. Brad Malone, F, UND
8. Joey Martin, F, UNO
9. Aaron Ness, D, UMTC
10. Mario Lamoureux, F, UND
11. Sean Wiles, F, UAA
12. Channing Boe, D, MSUM
13. Zach Lehrke, BSU
14. Doug Leaverton, D, CC
15. Patrick Johnson, F, UW
16. Joe Gleason, D, UND

Team #3
1. Kenny Reiter, G, UMD
2. Anthony Maiani, F, DU
3. Matt Read, F, BSU
4. Ben Youds, D, MSUM
5. Ryan Lowery, D, CC
6. Jacob Cepis, F, UMTC
7. Beau Bennett, F, DU
8. Eric Olimb, D, UNO
9. Stephen Schultz, F, CC
10. John Faulkner, G, UNO
11. Sam Zabkowicz, D, SCSU
12. Drew Shore, F, DU
13. Brock Nelson, F, UND
14. Luka Vidmar, D, UAA
15. Matt Ambroz, F, UNO
16. Taylor Dickinabox, F, UND

Team #4
1. Mike Lee, G, SCSU
2. Mike Connolly, F, UMD
3. Evan Trupp, F, UND
4. Craig Smith, F, UW
5. Drew LeBlanc, F, SCSU
6. Rylan Schwartz, F, CC
7. Jake Marto, D, UND
8. Kane Lafranchise, D, UAA
9. Jake Gardiner, D, UW
10. Ben Hanowski, F, SCSU
11. Tim Hall, F, CC
12. Mike Dorr, F, MSUM
13. Travis Novak, F, SCSU
14. Jamie MacQueen, BSU
15. Nico Sacchetti, F, UMTC
16. Dillon Simpson, D, UND

Team #6 (Remember, Cougs drafted 5th)
1. Joe Howe, G, CC
2. Jack Connolly, F, UMD
3. Jordan George, F, BSU
4. Tyler Johnson, F, CC
5. Cade Fairchild, D, UMTC
6. Ian Lowe, BSU
7. Jaden Schwartz, F, CC
8. Dan Bakala, G, BSU
9. Derrick Lapoint, D, UND
10. Jared Festler, F, SCSU
11. Ryan Cramer, BSU
12. Taylor Johnson, D, SCSU
13. Michael Young, F, UNO
14. Erik Haula, D, UMTC
15. Kevin Wehrs, D, UMTC
16. Mark Alt, D, UMTC

Team #7
1. Phil Cook, G, MSUM
2. Chay Genoway, D, UND
3. Mike Hoeffel, F, UMTC
4. Kyle Ostrow, F, DU
5. Ben Blood, D, UND
6. Shawn Ostrow, F, DU
7. Patrick White, F, UMTC
8. Oliver Lauridsen, D, SCSU
9. Justin Faulk, D, UMD
10. Mike Louwerse, F, MSUM
11. Derek Lee, F, UW
12. John Ramage, D, UW
13. Andrew Hamburg, F, CC
14. John Kemp, F, UNO
15. Brett Bennett, G, UW
16. Kyle Brodie, D, BSU

Team #8
1. Justin Fontaine, F, UMD
2. Garrett Roe, F, SCSU
3. Matt Donovan, D, DU
4. Brady Lamb, D, UMD
5. Brett Hextall, F, UND
6. Steven Seigo, D, MTU
7. Matt Frattin, F, UND
8. Dan Dunn, G, SCSU
9. Adam Murray, G, DU
10. Sam Brittain, G, DU
11. Terry Broadhurst, F, UNO
12. David Makowski, D, DU
13. Matt White, F, UNO
14. Tyler Barnes, F, UW
15. David Eddy, F, SCSU
16. Nate Schmidt, D, UMTC

Bulletin

We interrupt my regularly scheduled homework/mass cramming for exams to bring you this really old news.

The WCHA end-of-season awards were announced before the Final Five. Jack Connolly was All-WCHA 1st team and Justin Fontaine was All-WCHA 2nd team. The other winnarz were not from tUMD and thus do not matter.

Additionally, tUMD's resident smarty-pantses were honored as members of the All-WCHA Academic Team. Players must have at least one year of residency at their school, must have a GPA > 3.0 for the previous two semesters, or have an overall GPA > 3.0. (Recall that the Scholar-Athletes were announced last month. The GPA cutoff there is 3.5.)

First-Timers
Drew Akins (Communication)
Jack Connolly (Undecided according to his tUMD bio, although I don't think that's true, someone* help me out here Communications)
David Grun (Business)
Brady Hjelle (Accounting)

Repeat Offenders
Rob Bordson (Accounting)
Justin Fontaine (Accounting)
Chad Huttel (Exercise Science)
Kenny Reiter (Finance)
Chase Ryan (Accounting)
Kyle Schmidt (Statistics and Actuarial Science)

Congratulations, everyone!

*ahem, someone, you know who you are Thank youuuu

Soliloquy

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from game to game
To the last syllable of recorded play,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief goal light!
Hockey's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the ice
And then is heard no more: it is a blog
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

-Macbeth, Act V Scene V



Well, I don't know what to say. We don't know if this is the end of the season or not, for sure, but I feel like it is. We'll never see Akins, Fulton, Chase Ryan, Palm (though he is eligible for a red-shirt) and most likely others in a Bulldog jersey again. I can't be critical of anyone tonight because... because I just can't. I don't want to. I mean, really, what's the point? They won home ice. They made it to the Final Five. I'd say I'm satisfied with the season.

But one thing about tonight's game: Kenny was AMAZING.

Oh, and I rode the Zamboni, which was so incredibly cool and exhilarating and I wish it had been a good omen for the team.

Great Hockey Minds

I will literally do anything to avoid doing more homework. Except, evidently, dismantling the Christmas tree. Sigh.

Thanks to a heads-up from Donald at the UAA Fan Blog, I learned the WCHA announced the 2009-2010 Scholar-Athletes. There are two separate kinds of academic recognition in the WCHA and I can't remember the name of the other kind, so someone help me out.

A Scholar-Athlete must first of all had at least one year at their current institution (meaning no transfers or freshmen) and must have maintained a 3.5 GPA either overall or for the previous 2 semesters or 3 quarters (there are still schools on quarters? DA is always asking me what I am taking "this quarter" and I'm always like "Dad, you were in college 30 years ago, no one has quarters anymore." Of course, the school I attend has trimesters, which are the wave of the future.)

tUMD's Scholar-Athletes are:
Rob Bordson (Accounting)
Brady Hjelle (Accounting)
Kenny Reiter (Finance)
Kyle Schmidt (Statistics and Actuarial Science)

Bordo, Kenny, and Kyle are all "repeat offenders." A standing ovation to these 4 guys, as those aren't blow-off majors either. I know this because the homework I am avoiding involves BOTH accounting AND finance. It does not, however, involve statistics, praise Parise.

Also, as a teaching point, an actuary uses math and statistics to assess financial and insurance risk. Hello to my auntie and my cousin, who are both actuaries.

Winnarz!

tUMD 4, Red Menace Zippity-doo-dah Zippity-ay!

Folks, that's what a WIN looks like! I'd almost forgotten. I guess all the sandbagging I did over on USCHO and on Twitter worked miracles.

Speaking of USCHO, I'm quitting cold turkey! Yeah!

Sandy switched up the lines last night, which was interesting. Connollys were still together, but with rising star David Grun! Then Fontaine was on with Akins and Fulton. I am wondering if that will continue or if the BI-MON-SCI-FI-CON line will be back together again.

tUMD chased UW starting goalie Brett Bennett after tUMD's 2nd goal (by Brady Lamb). Somehow he got credited with a save, which I dislike. 2 shots 2 goals sounds so much better! He's no Kenny Reiter, that's for sure.

Oh, I am happy. So happy with last night's game. It was just what I needed to get excited about posting again. I was kind of dragging a bit. I got so used to writing about wins and things that this little bitty losing streak was getting me down. Heck, we went THREE HOME GAMES without SCORING A GOAL just two season ago. And I lived through that still posting.

Fun stuff coming up this week! Or, at least, I think so... I should have some photos of the throwback jerseys once MEg uploads them.

Numbers
Wins until we reach last season's total: Done!
Points until we reach last season's total: Done and done!!!!

My Guys (GREAT game for them!!!)
Jack Connolly: 38!!!!!
Brady Lamb: 15!!!!!
Mike Seidel: 10!!!!!

Freshmen
Dylan Olsen: 11
Mike Seidel: 10!
Wade Bergman: 4!
Keegan Flaherty: 2
Dan Delisle: 1
Jake Hendrickson: 1
Drew Olson: 1

Connollys
Jacky: 38!
Mikey: 29!

Olsen/Olson
Drew: 1
Dylan: 11

Drews
Olson: 10
Akins: 47

On Notice
Cody Danberg
Dan Delisle
Keegan Flaherty
Scott Kishel
Drew Olson

Goals Only
Drew Akins
Mike Montgomery
Dylan Olsen

First Things First

tUMD 2, Elbowers 1

If this game was in Duluth, I don't think I'd be home yet!

Short recap tonight. I have to work tomorrow and then zippity zip back to the Midwest Wireless Alltel Verizon Center. For those of you not attending the game, make sure to listen to the radio broadcast as Bruce will be interviewing me! Terrifying. I sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks.

One thing I was going to mention in my interview (which I can't now, but I did write it down so I have proof!!) was one of my hopes for the year. I listed some other things (which I will not say here, as Bruce may still ask me about it!) but I wrote that I wanted David Grun to get a goal. And he did! That's so amazing! On the power play! How about that? I was FREAKING OUT. He looked very happy.

Oh, but that's not all. Because 27 seconds later, Dylan Olsen scored! And he was, I think, even happier! I know a lot has been said about his hunger for that first goal, but I am thrilled that he got it. He's not the first player and certainly won't be the last to feel frustration over a scoring drought and to let that carry over into the rest of their game. It was a huge goal for tUMD as it ended up the game-winner after a slow whistle let Mankato finally put a puck past Kenny Reiter.

And the most important first?

FIRST PLACE BULLDOGS! *CLAP CLAP CLAPCLAPCLAP!*

Numbers
Wins until we reach last season's total: -1! (FINITO)
Points until we reach last season's total: 4! (Just two more wins!!!)

My Guys
Jack Connolly: 33
Brady Lamb: 12
Mike Seidel: 8

Freshmen
Dylan Olsen: 10!!!!!!!!!!
Mike Seidel: 8
Wade Bergman: 2
Keegan Flaherty: 2
Dan Delisle: 1
Jake Hendrickson: 1
Drew Olson: 1

Connollys
Jacky: 33
Mikey: 25!

Olsen/Olson
Drew: 1
Dylan: 10!

Drews
Olson: 10
Akins: 30

On Notice
Cody Danberg
Dan Delisle
Keegan Flaherty
Jordan Fulton
Chad Huttel
Drew Olson

Goals Only
Rob Bordson
Scott Kishel
Brady Lamb
Mike Montgomery
Mike Seidel

Accolades

I know, I know, no game recap from Saturday. It's Tuesday and I've practically forgotten what happened, and I have a bunch of other stuff to get to, so there's not going to be one.

This week in the WCHA, Mike Connolly is co-Player of the Week. I'm not an uber-homer like Brad Schlossman, so I WILL use the co- qualifier, as Mike shared the honor with Jason Gregoire of North Dakota. Mike had two goals and three assists last weekend and is coming on strong. Obviously being part of the BI-MON-SCI-FI-CON line has helped bring his stats up where they belonged, but he's also been kicking all kinds of badonkadonk all over the rink.

I think that's important, of course, but here's what I think is more important. Kenny Reiter was nominated for defensive player of the week! I think he should have won, and not just because Garrett Raboin's dad is the epitome of everything wrong with America, but because scoring on Michigan Tech is like shooting fish in a barrel. Kenny led tUMD to a sweep of a ranked team. Raboin got some power play points against the worst PK in the country. Anyway, who cares? Bottom line: I think Kenny has done a fantastic job lately and he deserves any recognition that comes his way.

Stay tuned because there's going to be some awesomeness this week, including a new weekly guest column and a feature-length article!

Numbers
Wins until we reach last season's total: DONE!! (FANFARE! POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE!)
Points until we reach last season's total: 6! (Will be taken care of soon!)

My Guys
Jack Connolly: 33!! (AMAZING! Look out, James Marcou!)
Brady Lamb: 12!
Mike Seidel: 8

Freshmen
Dylan Olsen: 9
Mike Seidel: 8
Wade Bergman: 2
Keegan Flaherty: 2
Dan Delisle: 1
Jake Hendrickson: 1
Drew Olson: 1

Connollys
Jacky: 33!
Mikey: 24!

Olsen/Olson
Drew: 1
Dylan: 9

Drews
Olson: 10
Akins: 30!

On Notice
Dan Delisle
Keegan Flaherty
Dylan Olsen
Drew Olson

Goals Only
Jordan Fulton
Chad Huttel
Scott Kishel
Mike Montgomery
Mike Seidel

The Tipping Point

tUMD 6, Sad Pandas 0

This season is either going to take off or crash and burn. I don't know which. But what I do know is that a game against a somewhat insignificant opponent (no offense, Mercyhurst, but let's be honest) gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to put the little things together. Little things that separate the men from the boys, the wheat from the chaff, etc.

Kenny Reiter had a great game. He still wandered, but with a purpose. He'd had an even longer break than the rest of the guys, as Hjelle played both Denver games and Kenny's last game was against UND, which left a lot of us with that not-so-fresh feeling.

The penalty kill was 6 for 6, including a 5 on 3, and Brady Lamb had a shorthanded goal.

Only 6 skaters did not register a point. Scoring was balanced, with every line and every defensive pairing getting at least an assist.

The second period was the best period. tUMD scored three goals in the 2nd, one in the first, and two in the second. Could it be the second period abomination is a thing of the past? Please say yes!

I hate that I'm not in Vermont right now. Last year's road trip to the Shillelagh tournament was one of my favorites. We had the run of the arena, and it was pretty obvious from the B2 feed that we would have again. I think if I yelled the entire state of Vermont would have heard me. I could have caused an avalanche.

In case you don't know, the Dogs will be playing Vermont tomorrow at 6:05 Central. Vermont squeaked by Huntsville 4-3. If you want updates, don't forget, I'm on Twitter!

Numbers
Wins until we reach last season's total: 2 (NONCON)
Points until we reach last season's total: 10 (NONCON)

My Guys
Jack Connolly: 27!
Brady Lamb: 10!
Mike Seidel: 8

Freshmen
Dylan Olsen: 9
Mike Seidel: 8
Wade Bergman: 2
Keegan Flaherty: 2
Dan Delisle: 1
Jake Hendrickson: 1
Drew Olson: 1

Connollys
Jacky: 27!
Mikey: 20!

Olsen/Olson
Drew: 1
Dylan: 9

Drews
Olson: 10
Akins: 15

On Notice
Dan Delisle
Keegan Flaherty
Drew Olson

Goals Only
Jordan Fulton
Chad Huttel
Scott Kishel
Mike Montgomery
Dylan Olsen
Mike Seidel