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The Penalty Box Facebook Page

December 2, 2013, 4:44 pm
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The Penalty Box Student Section put together a new Facebook page for others to contribute ideas and to help promote the Bulldogs!  Give it a like!



We love to hear about new ideas or other things you'd like to see happening at games!  Don't be shy now!








Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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The 2013 Spirit of Duluth Tournament

December 2, 2013, 7:06 pm
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The Spirit of Duluth is one of the most anticipated events of the year.  For 37 years, the Spirit of Duluth has been the premier youth hockey tournament in northern Minnesota. During this time, there have been several players who have gone on to build successful collegiate and NHL careers.


The tournament, which runs December 6-8, features Peewees, Bantams, and Jr Gold teams from around the state and from Canada, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. This is the tournament’s 37th year, and is volunteer run by hockey enthusiasts in the Duluth community.

Together with Sport Ngin, the Minneapolis based sports technology company, the Spirit has undergone a significant technological face lift. In addition to a brand new logo and website, brand new Sport Ngin technology will be driving the greatest fan and participant experience that an amateur sporting event has ever seen.
"Growing up, the Spirit was the tournament that every team wanted to not only participate in, but also bring home that hardware" said Jim Dahline, product marketing manager for Sport Ngin. "I'm excited for the technology that we are bringing to the Spirit to help a new generation of kids, fans and parents create life long memories. That's what it's all about"
The Spirit of Duluth schedules, standings and stats will be powered with Sport Ngin Tourney. Fans and pariticipants will be able to follow along with the Spirit of Duluth mobile app on iPhone and Android. Fans can purchase apparel and merchandise directly from our online store as well.

Also exciting, all games will be played on the Sill rink, including Championship Sunday games, and will be streamed live with Sport Ngin Broadcast. These streams will be FREE, available live, and also for playback immediately following each game.
"The Spirit has been a part of our family for years, and I'm just thrilled that my first year being on the committee is such an exciting one." said Megan Oswald, tournament manager. "Working with Sport Ngin has been incredible, and we can't wait to drop the puck"
The Spirit of Duluth brings some of the best hockey teams in the region to Duluth PeeWee AA, Bantam AA and Jr. Gold teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Canada participate in the three day event.

Through Spirit of Duluth, a list of events has been prepared for those who have traveled for the tournament, including special priced tickets to watch the University of Minnesota Duluth take on the St. Cloud State Huskies on both Friday and Saturday night.  A link with that information can be found below.

The coolest thing?  New mobile app designed just for the tournament.

Thanks to Sport Ngin, the Spirit of Duluth Tournament has received a technology facelift, which includes an app that hit the App Store on Friday. The new app allows anyone interested in the tournament to follow along, no matter where they are. By allowing the user to choose a team, they can get updates on their team’s progress throughout the tournament.

Other features of the app include the schedule, news updates, rosters, and standings. “The ability to know your standings no matter where you are playing is a huge benefit,” said Bill Oswald, tournament chair. “This way, coaches know when their team is playing next without having to call in and wait.” Perhaps the most unique feature of the app is the ability to watch games live from the Sill arena. “We anticipate many people will use the feature from their homes to watch when they can’t get to the rink.” Oswald noted.

The mobile app also links in the prominent use of cell phones – social media. Those connected to the tournament can post comments, pictures, and videos that will be featured as part of the Social Stream.

But the History!

For a number of years prior to 1977, Duluth Traveling Teams at the Pee Wee, Bantam, and Midget levels were invited to tournaments throughout Minnesota and Canada without the ability to reciprocate and host tournaments of their own. This was do to the lack of access to suitable arenas having artificial ice. With the installation of artificial ice at DAHA’s Peterson Arena in 1975 and the opening of the Pioneer Hall Annex in 1977, coupled with the Duluth Arena and the old curling club already in existence, the stage was set to host a tournament. All that was needed was for someone to start the ball rolling.

Here are some of the notable Spirit of Duluth alumni:

Player
Hometown
College
Adam Roy
Grand Rapids, MN
Minnesota Duluth
Brett Larson
Duluth, MN
Minnesota Duluth
Ben Clymer
Bloomington, MN
Minnesota
Chris Marinucci
Grand Rapids, MN
Minnesota Duluth
Darby Hendrickson
Richfield, MN
Minnesota
Derek Plante
Cloquet, MN
Minnesota Duluth
Eric Ramsey
Edina, MN
Minnesota
Grant Bishoff
Grand Rapids, MN
Minnesota
Jamie Langenbrenner
Cloquet, MN
NHL
Joel Thorpe
Brooklyn Park, MN
Minnesota
Kevin Hoogsteen
Thunder Bay, ONT
North Dakota
Kyle Kolquist
Duluth, MN
Notre Dame
Nate Anderson
Deerwood, MN
Minnesota Duluth
Pete Stauber
Duluth, MN
Lake Superior State
Phil Kessel
Madison, WI
Minnesota
Rob Anderson
Superior, WI
Minnesota Duluth
Robb Stauber
Duluth, MN
Minnesota

Here are a list of links that you'll find helpful.

Spirit of Duluth Website -> www.SpiritofDuluth.com
iPhone App -> iTunes
Android App -> Google Play
Tournament Schedule -> Game Schedule
UMD Hockey Tickets -> UMD Spirit of Duluth Ticket Offer
Sport Ngin -> www.sportngin.com

Over the years, the Spirit of Duluth Hockey tournament has had a tremendous economic impact on the city of Duluth. It is estimated that the Spirit of Duluth tournament brings in over 1.5 million dollars yearly to the Duluth economy. All profits from the tournament help to fund the traveling teams in Duluth, currently the 2 Pee Wee, 1 Bantam and 1 Jr. Gold teams directly benefit from the tournament.

Support Duluth youth hockey!

Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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Movember

December 3, 2013, 1:36 pm
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Now that November's "Movember" has come to an end, the NCHC is having a contest in which fans can vote on a team's player has the best mustache.  UMD's Kyle Osterberg is up as a nominee and has the dirtiest stache by far, so vote for him -> NCHC Movember Poll.

When I was shooting UMD's last series at Mariucci, I caught a couple pictures of other Bulldogs with some great mustaches.  Here below is a picture of the three players I found good shots for.  Keep in mind this was awhile ago when they were taken, so they could have been 10 times as gnarly on the 30th.


Who do you think had the best stache when the Dogs played Minnesota?



Comment your answer below!

Enjoy.

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Nanook's Hockey Intro

December 3, 2013, 11:04 pm
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Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the University of Alaska men's hockey intro!!!



:D


Enjoy.

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Series Preview: Bulldogs Host St. Cloud State Huskies

December 5, 2013, 3:00 pm
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After a long break in action, and literally what feels like an eternity since the Bulldogs have played at home, Minnesota Duluth hosts two conference games this weekend against ex-wcha rival and current nchc-rival (unless they decided to become friends) the St. Cloud State Huskies.


Last year tUMD took to the Huskies and narrowly defeated our sister dogs by a 2-1 Friday score before falling 5-1 at Amsoil Arena.  As we know, the Huskies went on to to compete in the Frozen Four last year, so hopefully that should give you a little piece of mind.

St. Cloud State owns the all-time record at 56-40-8, but are just 2-2-1 against the Bulldogs in the last five outing.  As it turns out, the Huskies don't prefer Amsoil Arena as much as the old DECC, finding only two wins in six games in the relatively new arena.

Wait, Who's Playing?

We'll start the preview with the more playful puppy, the St. Cloud State Huskies.  The Huskies lost Hobey Baker winner and Hermantown native Drew LeBlanc, as well as three other key components to what generated wins last season, but they returned 22 players.

Sophomore Jonny Brodzinski leads the team in scoring with 5 goals and 7 helpers for 12 points, followed by senior Nic Dowd and redshirt-sophomore David Morley with 11 points.  With the scoring power this team possess, it's hard to argue the fact that they currently have the best win percentage in all of college hockey (.833).

Between the pipes stands junior netminder Ryan Faragher, who currently stands at third in nation with a winning percentage of .850.  His talent may be slightly masked by St. Cloud State's ability to block shots and play effective defense, but slipping a puck by Faragher is no easy task.

Scoring Leaders:

Pos.
(GP)  G-A-Pts.
Pts/G
Jonny Brodzinski
F
(12)  5-7-12
1.00
Nic Dowd
F
(12)  8-3-11
0.92
David Morley
F
(12)  3-8-11
0.92
Andrew Prochno
D
(12)  2-7-9
0.75
Niklas Nevalainen
D
(10)  2-4-6
0.60

St. Cloud State Jock Jammer:



On the other, the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are all rested and ready to play after spending last weekend playing this "bye" team for the second time this season.  The Bulldogs will play at Amsoil Arena for the first time in six weeks, going back to Saturday, October 26th against Notre Dame.

In their last series, the Bulldogs split with the #1 ranked Minnesota Gophers, leaving the sister school on Sunday after routing the home team 6-2.

Despite leaving Minneapolis two weekends ago without a point, freshman Alex Iafallo leads the Bulldogs in points with 10, followed by sophomore Tony Cameranesi and junior Caleb Herbert with 8 points apiece.

In net, both senior Aaron Crandall and Matt McNeely have seen playing time.  Crandall had earned 8 straight starts, a career high, until Friday's game against the gophers.  Crandall sports a 4-4-0 record, 2.67 GAA, and a .897 save percentage in 8 games, while McNeely exhibits a 2-1-0 record, 1.78 GAA, and a .927 save percentage in 5 games of action.

Scoring Leaders:

Pos.
(GP)  G-A-Pts.
Pts/G
Alex Iafallo
F
(12)  5-5-10
0.83
Tony Cameranesi
F
(12)  2-6-8
0.67
Caleb Herbert
F
(12)  2-6-8
0.67
Willie Raskob
D
(11)  0-6-6
0.55
Carson Soucy
D
(10)  0-4-4
0.40

2013 UMD Men's Hockey History Intro:



Let's Compare:

Bulldogs
Huskies
6-5-1
…Overall…
9-1-2
2-2-0
NCHC
5-1-0
2-1-1
Home
3-1-2
4-4-0
Away
6-0-0
2-4-0
Friday
4-1-1
4-1-1
Saturday
5-0-1
2.92
Offense
3.58
2.50
Defense
1.83
19.0
PIM/G
8.8
17.2%
Power Play
17.6%
87.5%
Penalty Kill
83.8%
32.2
Shots/G
35.1
25.5
Opponent S/G
24.3


Faceoff Facts:

The Huskies are undefeated on re-match games, which have all been played on Saturdays, displaying a 5-0-1 record.  They're also in one of three teams in the NCAA to rank in the top 10 for both scoring
offense (3.58 g/gm) and defense (1.83 ga/gm).

Senior forward Nic Dowd has played in 95 consecutive games for the Huskies, while classmate Cory Thorson has played in 91 consecutive contests for the Huskies. Dowd has 38 goals and 54 assists in his career and is eight points from hitting the 100-point plateau. Dowd would become the 25th player in the history of DI hockey at SCSU to do so.

SCSU junior defenseman Andrew Prochno and sophomore forward Joey Benik both own four-game point streaks heading into the series at UMD. Prochno has one goal and five assists in his last four games.

The Bulldogs have picked up their game in the last four outings against very difficult teams in North Dakota and Minnesota.  In that 4-game stretch UMD is averaging 3.75 goals per game, 33 shots per game, and a power play at 30.4%.  Again, those numbers were against long-time rival North Dakota and #1 ranked Minnesota, with both series being away from home.

Despite being blanked in both ends of the Minnesota series, rookie left winger Alex Iafallo still tops the Bulldogs in scoring with 10 points. Iafallo is part of the nation’s sixth-highest scoring rookie class (an even 3.00 points per night from freshmen). He also ranks second among NCHC freshman scoring.

The 1.78 goals-against average sophomore Matt McNeely has com- piled thus far is second only to Denver senior Sam Brittain’s 1.66 GAA mark among NCHC puckstoppers.

UMD is partnering with the 148th Fighter Wing and the Salvation Army for the annual Toyland Express Toy Drive. Fans are encouraged to bring a unwrapped toy to AMSOIL Arena that night.

The Verdict:

St. Cloud State is currently ranked #3 in the SBN College Hockey Rankings, #2 in the USCHO Poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Poll.  Minnesota Duluth sits at #20 in the USCHO Poll, but has proven to be a constant threat, especially as of lately.  Unlike the Ohio State football team, UMD has battled difficult teams and found triumphs in each series.

One common statistic between the two teams?  Neither played very well on Friday night's game against the Colorado College Tigers.

Both Teams are coming out of a Thanksgiving bye week, so everyone should be rested and healthy for what should be a great series.  The Huskies are coming out off a win Colorado Springs, but the Bulldogs rode home after dismantling the Gophers.

This should make a for a great series, and now that all the snow has stopped, everyone will have the ability to get out and welcome the Pups back home.

See Ya There!


Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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College Hockey Rankings: SBN College Hockey

December 9, 2013, 11:26 am
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Photography Website

December 17, 2013, 1:32 pm
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I tried photoshelter and wasn't as fond as I am with Zenfolio.  PLUS: I didn't have to code ANYTHING.  Make this the first website I didn't have to add a single div.  :)



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Minnesota High School Rankings Round-Up

December 21, 2013, 11:28 pm
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State Rankings - Dec. 18th

The following Rankings were released on December 18th on the MN Hockey Hub but are provided by Let's Play Hockey newspaper and the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association.  This is a quick round-up of how each team faired this weekend, allowing us to get a better view at how the next rankings might play out.  Here's how the top teams played this week for both Class A & AA...



Class AA

1. Hill-Murray  6-0-0
Beat South St. Paul 4-0 on Thursday and beat North St. Paul 5-3 on Saturday.  Will take on #8 Duluth East on Thursday, December 26th.

2. Elk River  5-3-0
Lost to #3 Eden Prairie 3-1 on Thursday, lost to #5 Edina 6-3 on Friday, and lost to Grand Rapids 3-2 on Saturday.  Will host Forest Lake next Saturday.

3. Eden Prairie  7-1-0
Beat #2 Elk River on Thursday 3-1, Beat Grand Rapids 7-4 on Friday, and fell to #5 Edina 4-2 on Saturday.  Will play Lakeville North on Thursday, December 26th.

4. Blaine  7-1-0
Beat Robbinsdale Armstrong 11-0 on Thursday.  Will play Maple Grove on Thursday, December 26th.

5. Edina  7-2-0
Beat Grand Rapids 4-3 in OT on Thursday, beat #2 Elk River 6-3 on Friday, and beat #3 Eden Prairie 4-2 on Saturday.  Will play Breck on Thursday.

6. St. Thomas Academy  3-1-1
Beat Tartan 6-2 on Saturday.  Will play Burnsville on Thursday, December 26th.

7. Wayzata  6-3-0
Beat Maple Grove 4-3 in OT on Saturday.  Will play Moorhead on Thursday, December 26th.

8. Duluth East  5-2-0
Beat Anoka 5-1 on Thursday and beat Andover 3-1 on Saturday.  Will play #1 Hill-Murray on Thursday, December 26th.

9. Benilde-St. Margaret's  7-2-1
Beat Moorhead 9-1 on Friday and beat Duluth Marshall 4-3 on Saturday.  Will play Bloomington Jefferson on Thursday, December 26th.

10. Prior Lake  4-2-0
Lost to Burnsville 6-2 on Saturday.  Will play Minnetonka on Thursday, December 26th.


Class A

1. Breck  7-0-1
Beat Rochester Lourdes 12-0 on Saturday.  Will play #5 Edina on Thursday, December 26th.

2. Hermantown  6-1-0
Beat Rogers 3-1 on Saturday.  Will play Red Wing on Thursday, December 26th.

3. East Grand Forks 7-1-1
Tied #5 Warroad 2-2 on Friday.  will play Superior on Thursday, December 26th.

4. St. Cloud Cathedral  8-0-0
Beat Prairie Center 6-1 on Friday.  Will play Sauk Rapids on Thursday, December 26th.

5. Warroad  6-2-1
Tied #3 East Grand Forks 2-2 on Friday.  Will play Grafton/Park River (N.D.) on Thursday, December 26th.

6. Duluth Marshall  5-3-0
Fell to Benilde-St. Margaret's 4-3 on Saturday.  Will play Appleton United on Thursday, December 26th.

7. Mankato West  9-0-0
Beat Rochester John Marshall 6-0 on Thursday and beat Le Sueur-Henderson 6-3 on Saturday.  Will play Madison Edgewood on Thursday, December 26th.

8. Totino-Grace  4-4-1
Beat St. Paul Academy 3-1 on Saturday.  Will play #6 St. Thomas Academy on Thursday, December 26th.

9. Mahtomedi  3-3-0
Beat Henry Sibley 5-2 on Saturday.  Will play Grand Rapids on Thursday, December 26th.

10. Thief River Falls  4-5-0
Beat International Falls 7-0 on Friday.  Will play WSFLG Blizzard on Thursday, December 26th.


Enjoy!

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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The Best of Kevin Gorg (so far)...

December 23, 2013, 6:55 pm
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Kevin Gorg, an FSN analyst, was the winning goaltender on the 1985 State Championship team for Burnsville and played in goal for the Des Moines Buccaneers before enrolling at the University of St. Thomas where he was All-Conference his final two seasons and won three conference titles.  He's had over 5 years of coaching experience at Burnsville and St. Thomas.

Below is a list of statements featured on KFAN's Dan "Common Man" Cole's page that Gorg has been quoted to say.  Enjoy.


2013

Kevin Gorg: "Up in places like Warroad and Roseau, they play hockey year-round"

Kevin Gorg: previewing Blackhawks/Wild Playoff Game 1, PA asked 'What if he get a 2-0 lead in this game tonight?' Gorg responded, "I almost think you're better off if this game stays scoreless for a long time."

Kevin Gorg: "You're almost better off with a guy like Ponder because you've got Adrian Peterson"

2012

Kevin Gorg: during Gophers/UND broadcast, "you know, sometimes it can be good for your team to
go on the penalty kill"

Kevin Gorg: said 'Joey Miller is looking like Wayne Gretzky setting up in his office"

Kevin Gorg: when talking about the movie Moneyball, he said "You remember where you were
when the Twins beat Oakland"

Kevin Gorg: when talking about Gopher football team winning a National Championship, he said
"People think it can't happen, Why...I don't know?"

Kevin Gorg: on horses after Kentucky Derby, "They all lose 100's of pounds when they run the
Derby...they weigh over a ton"

Kevin Gorg: "I would rather watch a losing team outdoors than a pennant race in the dome"

2011

Kevin Gorg: "The Minnesota Wild have plenty of top-end talent"

Kevin Gorg: referring to High School Hockey Sectional Playoffs, "Braemar Ice Garden this
time of year is like Mecca"

Kevin Gorg: Compared the rivalry of St. Thomas and Gustavus Adolphus Women's hockey
teams to the Michigan/Ohio St. Football rivalry

Kevin Gorg: "Horses are athletes and so are the men and woman that risk their lives to hop
aboard and ride those horses, I know the jockeys at Canterbury Park and you want to talk about
strong, we just had a gymnast in here, they are equally strong, these people are unbelievable".

Kevin Gorg: after naming Andrew Brunette his #2 athlete in Minnesota history, "His goal to
beat Colorado in Game 7 changed our lives forever"

Kevin Gorg: "Jared Allen's mullet intimidates the opposing player, especially if they are a
rookie, because they may think you're crazy"

Kevin Gorg: said an on-court battle between Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson and Kevin
Love 'would be a good battle'

Kevin Gorg: said people should play hooky to watch the Lynx at noon

Kevin Gorg: stated that Michael Jenkins is a huge addition. To support that position, he
went with Jenkins underperformed in Atlanta because Atlanta had TOO many good offensive
skill players and Jenkins was under-used

Kevin Gorg: "The Vikings are easily a 10-6 team on paper"

Kevin Gorg: "Phil Loadholt is a young developing stud"


Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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Phelan Shaw Commits to Minnesota Duluth

January 1, 2014, 10:35 pm
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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!

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Recruiting Update

January 1, 2014, 10:36 pm
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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!

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Spam Attack!

January 3, 2014, 12:39 am
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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.

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Bulldogs Dismantle US Under-18 Team

January 4, 2014, 1:44 am
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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!

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It's SATURDAY! SATURDAY!

January 4, 2014, 10:44 am
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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.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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Bulldogs Land Warroad's Roth & Bethune

January 5, 2014, 11:20 am
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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!



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!


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!

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Pregame: Bulldogs Looking For Road Sweep Over Mavericks

January 11, 2014, 3:59 pm
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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.
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Blake Heinrich Forgoes UMD Commitment, Chooses Portland

January 13, 2014, 3:44 pm
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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.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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Bulldogs & Gophers SKATE TO A TIE

January 27, 2014, 5:15 pm
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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!

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Kasimir Kaskisuo Commits to UMD

February 28, 2014, 1:39 pm
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Minnesota Wilderness goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo has verbally committed to play for the University of Minnesota Duluth.


Kasimir Kaskisuo, a Vantaa, Finaland native, has committed to wear maroon and gold for the UMD Bulldogs.

The 6-foot-3, 201lb netminder has played absolutely incredible for the NAHL's Minnesota Wilderness, leading the entire league with a goals-against average of 1.36 and save percentage of .948 while logging 1461 minutes between the pipes.  These numbers also include the 15-5-4 record he's sporting, along with 8 shutouts.

“UMD has everything I was looking for in a school and it’s amazing to be a part of this community,” Kaskisuo told the MN Wilderness. “UMD had the whole package, I feel like it’s the best place for me. It’s good to finally get the process over with and now I can focus on the rest of the season.”

Making another rare feat, Kaskisuo's tremendous amount talent has landed him on the NHL CSS North American Midterm Rankings, coming in at #16.  With all the success, comes a lot of attention as well.

"I visited a couple of other schools too, but it's a great hockey program (University of Minnesota-Duluth), and it had everything that I was looking for in a school,"The Hockey Writers reported. "After that it was all about putting everything on paper. It was a tough decision, but it made a lot of sense."

Unfortunately for the goaltender, he's been benched with a lower-body injury for awhile, but should be back relatively soon and ready to better his already outstanding numbers.



Kaskisuo was the Bulldogs first answer to a goaltending problem UMD was facing with Aaron Crandall graduating this spring.  That being said, he's expected to join the team for the 2014-15 season.

Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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Bulldogs Land Hunter Miska

February 28, 2014, 2:53 pm
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The University of Minnesota Duluth landed current Penticton goaltender Hunter Miska for future play between the pipes.


Miska, a Minnesotan puckstopper, has officially made his decision to play for the UMD Bulldogs as of mid February.

The something foot somethingdsafdjsahfds started play at the age of four with Centennial until he joined North Branch's hockey association a few years later.  Throughout this time, Miska wasn't stopping pucks, but doing quite the opposite...  scoring goals.

"Throughout that whole time, I played as a forward. Only one year I played every other game as a goalie. I really enjoyed the position but my mother was against me playing between the pipes. She told me that I was a better forward than a goalie,"Miska told the Penticton Western News."I kept playing as a forward up until I was ready to prove her wrong and make the switch."

From there, the skilled goalie was invited to gear for a U.S. National Team Development Program tryout, which evidently went well as Miska found himself rostered for the U17 team.

Starting in 2011, Miska played for the US NTDP for two seasons, participating in 38 games for the red, white, and blue.

Now with the BCHL's Penticton Vees, the Stacy, MN native is posting excellent numbers.  Exhibiting a 2.27 goals against average lands Miska seconf overall in the goalie standings, along with a save percentage of .914 and two shutouts to date.

"Hunter has been a huge part of our success; his confident attitude, tireless work ethic and overall athleticism has made him one of the elite goalies in the BCHL," said Vees head coach and general manager Fred Harbinson.





Miska isn't expected to join the Bulldogs until the 2015-2016 season, but with such a large time gap, many things can change.

Enjoy.

Questions?  Comments?  Ask Below!

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