One the better games I've seen to this year until end of the five minute overtime.  I'm posting this due to the fact it is completely biased, much like this blog.   :D

Going back in time, the Bulldogs fell to the Gophers in a 6-1 Friday night game, followed by a 6-2 rout of the Minnesota Gophers on that Sunday.  If you ask me, it ended the right way, but left many questions as to who actually had the better weekend.

I mean yes, the gophers did score more goals throughout the weekend (8) and the bulldogs scored less (7), but the Bulldogs played on the road, which included two long road trips from Duluth to Minneapolis throughout the weekend.

Anyway, fastward.

We'll begin with lines:

Scoring Summary

1st Period - UMTC (10:47) Kyle Rau
1st Period - UMD (11:05) Caleb Herbert
1st Period - UMD (11:26) Austin Farley from Caleb Herbert
1st Period - UMTC (15:51) PP Nate Condon from Seth Ambroz and Ben Marshall
3rd Period - UMTC (01:02) PP Hudson Fasching from Mike Reilly and Kyle Rau
3rd Period - UMD (02:24) PP Austin Farley from Tony Cameranesi and Willie Raskob
3rd Period - UMTC (11:41) PP Travis Boyd from Mike Reilly and Taylor Cammarata
3rd Period - UMD (17:51) Joe Basaraba from Willie Raskob

Goaltending Summary

Aaron Crandall (UMD): 9-7-6-1 = 23 (4 GA)
Adam Wilcox (UMTC): 12-11-12-3 = 38 (4 GA)

Faceoff Facts:

Team	Goals	Points	Plus/Minus	Blocks	P Mins	Shots	Faceoffs	PP	PK
Bulldogs	4	8	+1	8	16	42	22/68	1/6	4/7
Gophers	4	10	-10	16	25	27	46/68	3/7	5/6

First off, the game ended in a shootout after a 5-minute overtime period, which is our first problem.  In the standings and basically everywhere else but the North Star College Cup's eyes, the game went down in tie.

The Bulldogs led off in the shootout where Alex Iafallo missed, followed by a goal by Gopher Kyle Rau.  Round two brought Caleb Herbert to the stage, but he failed to sneak the puck by Adam Wilcox, and Seth Ambroz sealed the deal by scoring against Aaron Crandall.

That was it.  A quick overtime play and then a quick shootout decided the who is "the best team in Minnesota".  Problem.

I've never left an arena feeling so unsatisfied.  Imagine if your favorite movie was building up to the climax and right when you were suppose to find out what the great problem's answer is, the movie goes black.  The end.  Hasta La Vista, baby.

PROBLEM.  The Bulldogs played very well against the nation's number one team and to cut it off at 5 minutes is absolutely blue-balling (excuse my french).

The Gophers are a good hockey team, but they relied heavily on the fact that they had a very hot goaltender.  Adam Wilcox was the reason they made beat St. Cloud State on Friday night and also the reason that the Bulldogs didn't emerge victorious in just three periods.

The Bulldogs were firing on all cylinders.  The University of Minnesota Duluth's overall talent was better than that of Minnesota's power.  Despite the Gophers ranking 2nd in the nation, scoring 3.83 goals per game, the Bulldogs scored just as many on a hot goaltender.

Here's the bigger question.

How does the #1 ranked team in the United States win 46 of 68 faceoffs, or 68%, but failed to lead in shots, being outshot 42-27.

Usually one can infer that faceoff wins directly lead to the amount of time a team has puck possession.  And assuming one has control of the puck more than the other team, an assumption can be made that they are more than likely to outshoot their opponent, or at least come close, right?

Wrong.

So either the best team in the country decided to turnover the puck as soon as they won the faceoff or just had some terrible shots on net.  But that also isn't true.  As the total attempted shots were in favor of UMD, 76 to 44.

So that's confusing.  A little anyway.  But looking at the positives, the Bulldogs did jump up in the pairwise?

Keep in mind that each of the tournament winners will make it to the tournament, which includes 16 teams, but tied for 14th isn't bad.

So the TIE wasn't as bad as we can take it to be, but the most import is this.

THOSE GOD-AWFUL REFEREES ARE GONE.

To catch up on what happened, CLICK HERE.

Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

Minnesota Duluth's future blue-liners group just got a bit bare after Washington Capitals prospect and Sioux City Musketeer Blake Heinrich chose to forgo his commitment to the University of Minnesota Duluth and skate for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (Major Junior).

Heinrich, who signed his National Letter of Intent this past November, has scored six goals and eight assists for 14 points in 31 games thus far in his second season with the Sioux City Musketeers.

Heinrich is a former Hill-Murray Pioneer back when he played Minnesota High School Hockey and is known as a very physical defenseman.

The following is from a the Portland Winterhawk's Press Release:

“We have had discussions with Blake since drafting him about becoming a Winterhawk and are excited to announce that he will join us at the end of the year. He is a dynamic defenseman who is a perfect fit for our style of play. I expect he will be a big part of our future over the next two seasons as we rebuild our defense,” said Portland Winterhawks General Manager & Head Coach Mike Johnston.

“Right now Blake will remain in Sioux City of the USHL for the duration of their season. He is a captain there and from a developmental perspective it is the best situation for him right now. The way the rules work Blake will only be eligible to play six games this season but his time with us at the end of the year will help in his transition next season,” continued Johnston.

It's always a shame to see kids de-commit to schools, especially after an NLI has already been signed.  Just another example of what Major Junior teams have capabilities of doing when NCAA teams limit communication.

In the end, a player must do what's best for themselves.  Heinrich will be replaced in the long-run, but will be missed on the line.

Enjoy.

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Why Hello!

I'm stuck in the Charlotte airport after 785 hours of delays in one day.  And yes it is possible, so I thought I'd do a quick post about tonight's CONFERENCE MELTDOWN.

Being the wonderful guy he is, Bruce Ciskie posted the lines for tonight via his ciskie blog, which are posted below.

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

J. Crandall - Cameranesi - Osterberg

Farley - Herbert - Basaraba

Iafallo - Toninato - Krause

Sampair - Decowski - Spurrell

Soucy - Welinski

Smith - Raskob

Johnson - Corrin

A. Crandall - McNeely

Nebraskan-Omahanian Maverickz

Walters - Zombo - Archibald

Searfoss - Montpetit - Raubenheimer

Guentzel - Lane - Parizek

Polk - Pearce - Simonson

Megna - Brady

Cooper - Seeler

Young - O'Rourke

Thompson - Peters - Massa

I did a recab on SB Nation College Hockey of last night's game, which can be found by clicking the link you just read.  I also did a pretty deep NCHC Midseason review that may help you out as well.

TONIGHT:

Obviously Crandall will take the start after playing a lights-out night between the pipes last night for the Bulldogs, but there actually are no changes to report in Scott Sandelin's lineup.

The Mavericks, anyway, will be starting goaltender Kirk Thompson and have made a couple changes to their lineup.  I'd imagine a little more aggression out of the red team tonight.

Enjoy.

I have an article close to being done about the absolute dominance from Warroad's top line this season, which is completely ironic to two members of this line committing to skate for the UMD Bulldogs!

Having watched these kids more times than I'm able to count over the last four months, I couldn't be more excited to welcome some of Minnesota High School's best talent to Bulldog Country and our Bulldog Family, Juniors Kobe Roth and Jared Bethune!

Starting out this past fall, Both Roth and Bethune were invited to participate in the 2013 Upper Midwest High School Elite League where both players talented eight points in 18 games while helping Team Great Plains find a victory in the Third Place Game after a slow start to the season.

So far this year, These two athletes belong to arguably one of the most complete and talented lines in the state of Minnesota.  Both Roth and Bethune are joined by senior Kyle Sylvester and have tallied a combined 153 points.

At 5'7", Roth is not the largest player, but is extremely talented with the puck in the trenches and out in front of the net.  Armed with a nice shot, Roth has scored 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points in just 14 games played this year.  That a point-per-game average of 3.71!

Proud to announce i just committed to the University of Minnesota Duluth with my line mate for life @bethune_21 #Bulldogs
— Kobe Roth (@KobeRoth5) January 4, 2014

Bethune, who stands at 5'11.25", has an amazing amount of potential.  He possess a great hockey sense and his ability to create scoring chances and net drives is very entertaining to watch.  Armed with a great shot as well, Bethune has netted 21 goals and 32 assists for 53 points in just 14 games.  His point-per-game average stands at 3.79!

So excited to announce I have committed to the University of Minnesota Duluth with my brother @KobeRoth5 #Bulldogs
— Jared Bethune (@bethune_21) January 4, 2014

When combined, these two are an absolute weapon.  Even alone, the amount of talent these kids possess is like no other, which is why they're among the top scoring players in the state.

Here's a video of Jared Bethune when he was 10 years old.  Looks like he's got a set of hands on him...  aye?

I would imagine a year or two of juniors for each and expect those two to pull on a Bulldog Sweater for the 2015-16 season.

Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

It's Saturday!  And if you loved Rebecca Black's Friday song as much as I did, you'll love her HIT new single, IT'S SATURDAY!!!

To ease the pain, Here are some awesome gifs below on this fabulous Saturday morning.

1) How many times do you get to see a ref just blast through traffic and come to a stop all nonchalant as if he didn't look as majestic as a unicorn flying over a rainbow!?

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2) That my friends, is called a TOE save.  Take notice of the heavy emphasis on the word "toe".

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3) Just watch the puck closely...

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4) If getting hit by the first slap shot wasn't enough...

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5) This is just Tukka going crazy...  I'm not even a Bruins fan...

Enjoy.

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You never really know how these games are going to turn out, ya know?  But a dismantle is almost an understatement as to what the Bulldogs did to the US Barely Legals.

UMD started their scoring spree in the second period, after a completely scoreless first.  The game would end in a 7-0 shutout victory in which all three goalies played a period of action.

I unfortunately missed out on this game as I'm roughly 11 hours away from the great city of Duluth, Minnesota...  But, I will supply all the information I can.  First off, this one of my favorite games of the season, mainly because it's fun to watch these kids grow up and progress through each level of hockey, including a few Bulldogs that were rostered on this team once.

Here's a quick glance at how the U.S. Under-18 Team's lines looked:

Forwards
Gersich (UND) - Tuch (BC) - Schmaltz (UND)
Hitchcock (Yale) - Larkin (MICH) - Bjork (ND)
Fiegl (DU) - Stevens (NTHSTRN) - Pavelik (uncommitted)
Wegwerth (ND) - Wagner (UW)

Defensemen
Fortunado (HARV) - Dougherty (UW)
Belpedio (MU) - Glover (UMTC)
Bliss (CORN) - MacLeod (BU)
Billitier (ND) - Collins (UM)

Goalies
Weyrick (uncommitted)
Minney (MSU)

Scoring Summary:

1-0 Austyn Young from Willie Raskob
2-0 Tony Cameranesi from Kyle Osterberg
3-0 Kyle Osterberg from Justin Crandall
4-0 Caleb Herbert from Justin Crandall and Kyle Osterberg
5-0 Alex Iafallo from Andy Welinski and Dominic Toninato
6-0 Joe Basaraba from Austin Farley and Andy Welinski
7-0 Austin Farley from Dan Molenaar and Luke McManus

Fun Facts!!!

The U.S. National Under-18 Team sports a 19-9-1 record, including a not-too-shabby 3-4-0 mark against NCAA Division I competition. Those three wins have come at the expense of Miami University (4-2 this past Tuesday), the University of Michigan (5-4 on Dec. 5) and Lake Superior State University (3-2 on Oct. 6).

Since Scott Sandelin assumed the head coaching reins in 2000-01, the Bulldogs have gone 11-1-0 in exhibition games with that lone loss being inflicted by the U.S. National Under-18 Team on Dec. 14, 2007 (2-1 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center).

Besides Matt McNeely, the 2013-14 Bulldogs possess another U.S. National Under-18 Team product in freshman winger Kyle Osterberg, who skated for that club during the 2011-12 season. Defensemen Trent Palm (2005-06) and Justin Faulk (2009-10) round out the list of former U.S. Under-18 combatants who continued their puck careers at UMD.

The Bulldogs will return to NCHC warfare with a Jan. 10-11 series at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

LINKS:
UMD Athletics Story -> HERE
Box Score -> HERE
Duluth News Tribune -> HERE

ENJOY!

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

My apologies to those who were affected by the recent spambot chaos that was virtually identical to the Lord of the Rings battle in the Forum...

Thanks to RWD, the Forum was pruned twice and should be free of all spam.  I also apologize to those who may have created account and had it deleted.  I had to delete accounts after a certain date to remove 8,304,325,425,452 posts that were made by the ole SPAM creature above.

Anyway, if you're really experiencing emotional distress over the whole situation, feel free to take it up with my secretary in the front office...  Who does not exist.

It's that time of year again!  As the new year hits us and tUMD Bulldogs are getting ready to get back to the ice, let's take a look at the some of the future Bulldogs and how they're performing in their given leagues.

The "expected arrivals" are just an estimated time, as we've found out every situation is different.  The players that are anticipated for next year are just those that have already signed their letter of intent with the school, but keep in mind others are expected based on situations such as early departures.  Also, I would expect a commitment from a goaltender soon.

Expected Arrival: 2014-2015

Brett Boehm
Right Wing - Flin Flon Bombers (SJHL)
Birthdate: September 19, 1994
Height: 6-3 Weight: 170
Hometown: Martensville, Saskatchewan
Verbal: 1/9/2012

Boehm was recently involved in a trade from Flin Flon to Yorktown after a successful career for the Bombers.  It happened about a week after the December 1st cut-down date, but the Yorkton Terriers added a game-breaking forward when they swung a deal with the Flin Flon Bombers to land 19-year-old Boehm.  (Going the other way in the deal, was rookie Dalton Menke, and future considerations to Flin Flon).  So far this season, Boehm has tallied 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in just 25 games.

Blake Heinrich
Defense - Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
Birthdate: February 17, 1995
Height: 5-11 Weight: 192
Hometown: Cambridge, Minnesota
Verbal: 4/25/2012

The Washington Capitals prospect has proven to excel again this year for Sioux City using both experience and his great deal of talent.  Heinrich has buried 5 goals and added 8 helpers for 13 points thus far with Sioux City, all while skating at a +10 rating.

Jared Thomas
Forward - Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
Birthdate: February 21, 1994
Height: 6-1 Weight: 192
Hometown: Hermantown, Minnesota
Verbal: 1/20/2012

As assistant captain for Sioux City, Thomas has shown the ability to bury the puck and play a great deal of defense as well, which is shown in his +/- rating. Thomas is sporting 10 goals and 23 assists for 33 points while skating at a +14 for Sioux City in the USHL.

Blake Young
Left Wing - Battlefords North Stars (SJHL)
Birthdate: November 2, 1994
Height: 6-3 Weight: 185
Hometown: Battleford, Saskatchewan
Verbal: 10/18/2013

It's fairly evident that Young has a recipe for both speed and puck movement that most 6-3 forwards do not possess.  In 34 games with the North Stars, Young has tallied 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points, including 3 goals while on the man-advantage.

Expected Arrival: 2015-2016

Adam Johnson
Left Wing - Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
Birthdate: June 22, 1994
Height: 6-0 Weight: 160
Hometown: Hibbing, Minnesota
Verbal: 3/16/2011

Johnson stayed to play his senior season for Hibbing and surprised at how well he is able to compete in the USHL as a rookie.  Johnson has tallied an impressive 27 points for Sioux City in 27 games during his first year.  These tallies come from 9 goals and 18 assists in his 27 outings with the team; he is skating at +14.  Again, impressive numbers as a first year.

Neal Pionk
Defense - Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
Birthdate: July 25, 1995
Height: 5-11 Weight: 170
Hometown: Hermantown, Minnesota
Verbal: 12/10/2012

Joining Sioux City for his first complete USHL season with three other future Bulldogs, Pionk has done a fine job holding down the blue-line.  In his first year with the team, Pionk has assisted in 9 goals for a total of 9 points in 22 games, but skating at a +14 rating with Sioux City.

Karson Kuhlman
Forward - Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
Birthdate: September 26, 1995
Height: 5-10 Weight: 175
Hometown: Cloquet, Minnesota
Verbal: 9/18/2012

The former Cloquet Lumberjack has had quite the successful year thus far.  He was invited to play for Team USA in the World Junior A Challenge and made a promising impact, tallying 4 goals and an assist during the 4 games throughout the tournament in which he helped USA win.  In 22 games played with Dubuque, Kuhlman has scored 9 goals and added 6 assists.

Expected Arrival: 2016-2017

Phelan Shaw
Defense - Calgary Mustangs (AJHL)
Birthdate: October 9, 1997
Height: 6-0 Weight: 181
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta
Verbal: 12/17/2013

Shaw is the Bulldog's most recent commit, making his verbal after attending UMD's home series against Western Michigan.  Shaw is in his first year in the AJHL, which has been very good to UMD in the past.  Shaw is sporting 7 points, including 3 goals and 4 assists in 21 games with the Calgary Mustangs.

Jarod Hilderman
Defense - Penticton Vees (BCHL)
Birthdate: April 11, 1997
Height: 6-1Weight: 195
Hometown: Kamsack, Saskatchewan
Verbal: 9/9/2013

As one of UMD's recent commits, Hilderman is in his first season in the BCHL with the Vees and entered at a very young age at that.  Hilderman made the Penticton team only a year after playing midget AA, and before that - bantams.  In 25 games with Penticton, Hilderman has scored 3 points on 3 assists.  At 6-1, Hilderman should grow into his frame (if he's done growing) just fine over the next few years.  His entrance into Bulldog Country will be heavily anticipated by a few people I would assume.

Nick Swaney
Forward - Lakeville South (MN-HS)
Birthdate: September 9, 1997
Height: 5-9 Weight: 150
Hometown: Lakeville, Minnesota
Verbal: 10/23/2013

After recovering from a broken arm Swaney sustained in Elite League action, the '97 found his way back to high school play.  Lakeville South hasn't had the greatest start this season, but possess the ability to be lethal, especially with the future Bulldog rostered.  Swaney has tallied 16 points for Lakeville South High School, including 3 goals and 13 assists in 11 games so far this season.

Expected Arrival: 2017-2018

Joey Anderson
Forward - Hill-Murray (MN-HS)
Birthdate: June 19, 1998
Height: 5-11 Weight: 170
Hometown: Roseville, Minnesota
Verbal: 5/26/2013

Hill-Murray lost their first game of this season recently to Edina, but still is sporting a 9-1-0 record.
This is Anderson's first season starting on varsity for Hill-Murray, after a very successful ending to last season.  In 10 games with Hill-Murray, Anderson has scored 6 goals and added 10 assists for 16 points this season.

Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

Better late than never, aye?

This is the original release from the Calgary Mustangs which can be found by clicking here.

The Calgary Mustangs are pleased to announce that 16 year old defenseman Phelan Shaw has committed to play for the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

A native Calgarian, Phelan is a graduate of the NWCAA program where he played Bantam AAA and Minor Midget before joining the Mustangs this season. In 21 games Phelan has 3 goals, 4 assists for 7 pts along with 13 penalty minutes.

Located in Duluth Minnesota, the Bulldogs are guided by Head Coach Scott Sandelin and play in the newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Phelan will be following in the footsteps of many great AJHL alumni who have attended UMD, including 5 on the Bulldogs 2011 National Championship Team.

Calgary Mustangs Head Coach/Assistant GM Derek Stuart: “Phelan is very deserving of this scholarship to a great school and hockey program. He worked very hard in the off-season to make the jump to Junior A hockey and has shown he belongs and can contribute daily. He has a lot of potential to be a very special player in this league and in the future with UMD.”

The Calgary Mustangs Organization is very proud of Phelan and would like to congratulate him and his family on this accomplishment.

Again, to see the original article, click the above link.

Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!