Opening Night is upon us.
Looking forward to a return to normalcy, in a sense, as we embark on Year 18 of this incredible adventure. Join Kraig Karakas and me Saturday and Sunday on Kat Country 98.9, as UMD hosts Arizona State.
Unlike past years, college coaches can put in a full week of practice with players before Saturday, which is the first day Division I teams are allowed to play competitive games, exhibitions or games that count. While it might make for a more refined product this weekend, it doesn’t necessarily mean everything coaches want to do during games is fully implemented.
Associate head coach Adam Krause talked this week about making sure not to overwhelm the new players, of which UMD has a well-documented 12.
Head coach Scott Sandelin was asked this week about having next weekend off after playing this weekend, something he seems to think is going to work out very well for him and his coaching staff.
“We have a lot of things to work on,” he said. “Stuff you can’t really cover in September, until you start playing and can get a baseline of where you’re at and where you need work.
“Get a couple of games (in). Get some tape, see your guys in actual game action and go back to work. We’re trying not to make them think about a lot of things right now. I think that’s the worst thing you can do. As a coach we’re just trying to get our basic structure and continue to work on that and you can’t replicate everything in practice. Games are different.”
What will be interesting this weekend is how things shake down on special teams. Sandelin specifically mentioned the importance of discipline this weekend, and UMD captain Tanner Laderoute brought it up as a key, too.
“They can get undisciplined at times,” Laderoute said of the Sun Devils. “We need to stay out of that, let them take the penalties, and score on the power play.”
That intel is not inaccurate. Here is where Arizona State has placed nationally in most penalty minutes per game each season since joining Division I:
2015-16: 12th
2016-17: 5th
2017-18: 2nd
2018-19: 2nd
2019-20: 9th
2020-21: T-49th*
2021-22: 3rd
* – Arizona State played all road games against Big Ten competition in 2020-21. Of the 51 teams that played in Division I, six of the 11 fewest PIMs per game were either Big Ten teams or Arizona State, which only played in Big Ten buildings with Big Ten officials. No, I’m not going to try to figure out how or why this happened, but it’s a strange anomaly to be sure.
(For reference, UMD has not once ranked higher than 23rd (2020-21) in this time frame, normally finishing in the high 20s or low 30s.)
Arizona State figures to have a strong power play, especially with the skill coach Greg Powers brought in via the transfer portal. And power plays are usually ahead of penalty kills in the early going (Krause has talked about how so much PK teaching is done through early-season mistakes, something we definitely saw last season). So can UMD stay away from undisciplined penalties and make ASU pay for theirs? New assistant coach Cody Chupp is taking over the power play, per Sandelin, so we’ll see what he (Chupp, that is) can do about a group that was “inconsistent” throughout the year. Might be a sneaky big key this weekend.
1. The UMD coaching staff has talked about the new-ness of this group, and how different it feels than past years. Krause went out of his way to make sure everyone knows that the departed players’ contributions were significant and are appreciated, but sometimes changes can be for the better.
“Obviously, change is good,” Sandelin said. “I really like our players.”
Then, somewhat unsolicited, Sandelin made some interesting comments.
“I think the last couple years have been really weird for everybody. Maybe we relied too much on the fact that we had those guys (the fifth-year players, of which UMD had a lot last season). It’s something we talked about as a staff this summer. We’ve got to get our standards higher, do something better. Especially with a new group, we want to make sure of that standard and what’s expected here and how we do things.
“Complacency is not a good word. But sometimes it creeps in and you don’t even know it. We addressed it this summer, and hopefully with this new group, they’re excited about getting going and learning what we’re about. Our older guys are going to be a big part of teaching.”
I’m not going to try to read between the lines, but it’s clear that Sandelin and the staff — which presumably included Derek Plante considering how late in the offseason he got his NHL opportunity in Chicago — saw the roster turnover as a chance to reset a few things and make sure that the program was in the best possible position to contend for a championship this season and beyond.
2. There’s no question Sandelin is excited. He is the kind of coach who learns something every year, and I think he’s invigorated by the challenge of molding such a young but talented team. He talked Wednesday about liking the speed this team possesses, and that’s something that is of an increased importance in Division I. Look at Denver. Look at Michigan. Look at Minnesota. Heck, it might not be talked about as much, but look at that Minnesota State team last year. Those guys could absolutely motor.
This team can, too. The Bulldogs brought in a lot of speed and skill both on forward and defense, guys like Isaac Howard, Ben Steeves, Jack Smith, Luke Johnson, Joey Pierce, and even a bigger dude like Riley Bodnarchuk who can clearly skate and play at a good pace.
(Don’t sleep on Arizona State. From captain Josh Doan on down, the Sun Devils will be able to play at pace and play heavy hockey.)
3. The Sun Devils are kicking off a ten-day trip to Minnesota with this weekend’s games in Duluth. Powers is taking his team to Bemidji next weekend. While this is a great bonding opportunity for a team that welcomes eight freshmen and a handful of Division I transfers from all corners of the country, Powers said the trip was also designed to get his team out of the way as construction wraps up on the school’s new hockey facility, Mullett Arena, which opens with Colgate visiting Oct. 14-15.
(By the way, Powers noted that they’re expecting big crowds all season, and the first two home weekends are already sold out. And, yes, Sandelin said they’re working on a UMD return trip to Tempe. All he said is it looks like they’ll skip next year, so the eyes appear on 2024-25 for that return. I’m rooting for December or January, myself.)
4. Asked by our pal Matt Wellens of the Duluth News Tribune who was going to start in goal, Sandelin — very predictably — wouldn’t name anyone. But he did drop some very strong hints that it would be junior Zach Stejskal.
Same answer as the clip below, but better audio in this version as @UMDMensHockey Head Coach Scott Sandelin is asked by @mattwellens about the goalie position. The Bulldogs open their season with games Saturday and Sunday at home vs Arizona State.@TheRinkLive @DNTSportsTeam pic.twitter.com/uYT8HBuepC
— Dan Williamson (@Dan_Williamson) September 28, 2022
“It was great to get him back last year,” said Sandelin, “and he’s had a great summer.”
Stejskal returned to the ice on Feb. 12, when starter Ryan Fanti fell ill, along with basically half the team, in Denver. Stejskal helped the Bulldogs to a 3-2 win that might have been the highlight of the regular season. He got the start the following Saturday against North Dakota, but did not play again last season.
Maine transfer Matthew Thiessen and freshman Zach Sandy fill out the rest of the goalie room, so to speak. I’m sure having a goalie named “Zach Sandy” on a team with another goalie named “Zach” and a coach a lot of people call “Sandy” will not be strange in any way. 🤣
5. Indeed, we are on a different radio station than usual this weekend. I got a couple questions about it on Twitter, so I’ll try to explain here as best I can.
We had no choice but to bump this weekend’s games off the usual home — KDAL — because KDAL is also the home of Twins baseball. Contractually, the Twins can’t be moved, unless it’s a matter of broadcasting during an emergency. And in that case, we probably not putting a hockey game on the station anyway.
So UMD gets moved to KTCO, and we hope you’ll join us on 98.9 FM this weekend. Stream it here. KTCO has an app, and you can search for KTCO on the iHeartRadio and TuneIn apps as well.
We’re back on KDAL next weekend, and should be there for the duration.
6. Three other NCHC teams play games that count this weekend. Western Michigan travels the farthest, heading to Anchorage for a weekend series. The Broncos have plenty of intrigue, as I’m interested to see who among the returning players steps up to replace all who left. As I noted in my NCHC preview last week, I expect a lot out of Max Sasson this season, and captain Jason Polin could be in for a huge offensive season for WMU. Ex-Badger Cameron Rowe starts in goal after transferring in. Coach Pat Ferschweiler was rather blunt about Rowe at Media Day, saying he’s experienced success and struggle, and they’re excited to see if he can get back to the “success” part of that after a tough ending to his run in Madison. Ferschweiler was quick to note that Rowe was part of a Big Ten title at Wisconsin, and him finding that mojo again could be a big, big key for the Broncos.
7. St. Cloud State and St. Thomas will play a home and home series that starts in Mendota Heights Saturday night. Much like UMD, SCSU is playing this weekend and taking next week off, allowing coach Brett Larson to evaluate a roster that includes a lot of returnees but also plenty of newcomers, many of whom will need to make an impact. The goaltending battle should be interesting. Dominic Basse has all the physical tools, but struggled to put it all together at Colorado College, while Jaxon Castor gave the Huskies all he had under the tough circumstances that took David Hrenak out of the lineup at the worst possible time.
8. Miami will try to start working toward marked improvement against Ferris State. Coach Chris Bergeron wants everyone in front of Ludvig Persson to help the goalie “keep pucks out of our net,” while also trying to get his team more offensive possession. The analytics have, to say the least, not been kind to Miami. Bergeron thinks he has four solid choices for top-six forwards in Joe Cassetti, PJ Fletcher, Matthew Barbolini, and World Juniors standout Red Savage, a player Bergeron believes they can build around long-term.
Join us on the radio this weekend. Excited to get this season started.
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