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8 Thoughts: Bulldogs Seek Consistency as Stretch Run Starts

By Bruce Ciskie Feb 16, 2023 | 9:08 PM

DENVER — There’s a lot to cover in this particular blog, but before we start, we got some more awful news in our college hockey world on Thursday, when Omaha assistant coach Paul Jerrard passed away at just 57 years old after a battle with cancer.

Jerrard played his college hockey at Lake Superior State, then went on to a lengthy pro career that included a five-game stint with the Minnesota North Stars. Jerrard and UMD head coach Scott Sandelin were teammates at Kalamazoo in the 1991-92 season, when current North Dakota coach Brad Berry also played.

The tributes have poured in throughout the day.

I did not know Jerrard, but I knew of him. I had heard many times about the kind of guy he was, and I’ve heard a bunch more about it since word of his passing got out Thursday morning. I encourage you to read his obituary that was posted by Omaha.

Jordan McAlpine of The Rink Live compiled some tributes into a story you can read here.

We offer our condolences to Paul Jerrard’s wife, daughters, family, friends, former teammates, and also to the Omaha hockey family.

One more note before I move on to previewing a huge weekend: Best wishes to former North Dakota captain Gage Ausmus, who revealed this week that he is being treated for testicular cancer. Ausmus played at UND from 2013-17 and captained the 2016 NCAA championship team. In the story linked above, Ausmus said he has been told by doctors that the cancer was caught early. He’s using his platform — which includes The Has-Beens podcast he does with former teammate and Duluth native Trevor Olson — to get the word out about the importance of regular screenings for men.

Never had a chance to interview Ausmus during his career, but I’ve listened to their fun podcast (hit up the archives and catch the one they did with former longtime college hockey referee Derek Shepherd, where there’s a classic Sandelin story), and the hockey family is a family. Get well soon, and props to you for how you’re using your platform for good.

8 THOUGHTS

1. Sandelin minced no words when talking this week about the way the Western Michigan series — UMD’s last action before last week’s off weekend — ended.

“We didn’t come out in the first two periods against Western Michigan,” Sandelin said of a 4-1 loss on Feb. 4. “We were lifeless. We had 11 shots in two periods. It was kind of embarrassing, to be honest with you. Then we decided that we would play in the third period, and we made it an interesting game. But we didn’t lose the game in the third period. We lost it in the first two.

“If you’re not ready to play against teams like Denver, St. Cloud, Western, anybody in our league for that matter, you’re going to be in trouble.

“It still sticks in my craw a little bit, because I thought Friday was a good hockey game.”

Western was the better team that night, but UMD was able to get the Broncos on their heels more in the third period than it did most of the weekend to that point. Desperation can be a thing, and it’s hard to play at that level for an entire game, but the Bulldogs can ill afford to take any periods off going forward, with six games left in the regular season and then the NCHC playoffs, which will likely include a road trip for the second straight season.

2. “We need to score the way we need to score.”

Sandelin offered this quote up when talking about his team’s offense.

“Not the way other teams score,” he said. “Not the way NHL teams score.”

He didn’t want to offer specifics, but it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure out what Sandelin is talking about.

It’s this, getting a puck from up high to the low slot, then funneling bodies there to hunt for the loose change.

It’s this, getting the puck to the goalmouth with someone charging to the goal.

Highlight-reel plays these are not. But they are how the Bulldogs score goals.

UMD is a north-south team. Yes, there are always times and places to deviate (and people who can deviate), but it’s got to be UMD’s primary philosophy at five on five. Too often, plays have died when someone tries to get fancy instead of taking the play that’s simple and available.

(Remind you of an NHL team from our fair state? It should.)

Denver will test this. The Pioneers are connected as a group of five at both ends of the rink, possibly better than anyone in the country. It’s this standard of theirs that makes them often underrated defensively, because they don’t necessarily have any superstars on the back end, just 19 skaters who play to the system and are almost always hard to play against.

3. I asked both Sandelin and UMD women’s coach Maura Crowell about year one of the new challenge system in college hockey. This wasn’t something I intended to write about this week, instead something that happened as Crowell’s press conference unfolded.

I asked her about some of the adversity her team has faced in the second half — being down 3-1 in Mankato before rallying to win in overtime, having a goal disallowed last weekend against St. Cloud State after a long and winding review — and she talked about how there are “more coaches’ challenges, more stoppages, more waiting to see what could happen, and usually it seems like they’re pretty significant moments in the game.”

That made me decide to ask Crowell her thoughts on year one of the new challenge rules in college hockey. For those (perhaps blissfully) unaware, there are new rules in place this year regarding what plays can be reviewed without a challenge, and what plays have to be challenged by a coach before officials can go review.

For reference, let’s go straight to the rule book. Here are the plays that can be reviewed by officials without a challenge, or the coaches can choose to challenge them to initiate a review.

1. A puck crossing the goal line.
2. A puck entering the net before the goal frame is dislodged. (see Rule 83.5.)
3. A puck entering the net before or after expiration of time at the end of a period, a whistle, or referee’s determination that play has stopped.
4. A puck deflected into the net by an official.
5. To establish the correct time on the clock, or to determine the correct location of a faceoff.
6. To allow the on-ice officials to review infractions that may result in the ejection of a student athlete. (See Rule 93.4-c)
7. To determine if a goal was scored before a penalty infraction occurred. Note: When it is determined a major penalty occurred prior to a goal, the goal shall be disallowed, and clock will be reset to time of infraction.
8. To correctly identify individuals who participated in a fight or committed an infraction.
9. The legitimacy of all potential goals on Penalty Shot or Shootout attempts to ensure compliance with applicable rules (e.g., double tap, rebound, goalkeeper throwing stick, goalkeeper dislodging goal, shooter cradling puck above the normal height of the shoulders, shooter performing illegal spin-o-rama move, skater’s continued forward advancement of puck, goalkeeper leaving crease prior to puck touch at center ice, etc.).

And here are the plays that can only be reviewed if challenged by a coach.

1. A goal scored as a result of an offside play. The opportunity for review exists during the time the puck entered the attacking zone illegally as a result of the offside infraction and until the puck either:
a) Leaves the offending team’s attacking zone; or
b) A stoppage of play occurs and a faceoff is conducted.
2. A puck directed into the net by a hand or a distinct kicking motion.
3. To determine if an attacking player prevented the goalkeeper from defending the goal in accordance with Rule 73.
4. To determine if a goal was scored as the direct result of a hand pass by an attacking player to a teammate or deflection off of the goalkeeper.
5. To determine if a goal was scored as the direct result of a high stick by an attacking player to a teammate or to himself/herself.
6. To determine if a goal was scored, as a direct result of the puck deflecting off of the protective netting above the glass, by the first team to gain possession of the deflected puck.
7. A puck directed or deflected into the net by a high stick.
8. A defending player, except the goalkeeper, falling on the puck, holding the puck or gathering the puck into the body or hands when the puck is within the goal crease. The non-offending team’s coach shall have an option of a penalty shot or optional minor.
9. To determine if a goal was scored as a result of a gained advantage created by a too many players infraction. The opportunity for review exists during the time the puck entered the attacking zone illegally as a result of a gained advantage created by a too many players infraction and until the puck either:
a) Leaves the offending team’s attacking zone; or
b) A stoppage of play occurs and a faceoff is conducted.

There will be a quiz later.

Anyway, neither Crowell nor Sandelin were in favor of this system when it was proposed. Here’s what they had to say.

Crowell: “I wasn’t in favor of it because of our limited cameras and personnel on the women’s side. We are not the NHL with all those resources. To put it on us to make a lot of those decisions, I didn’t think it was best for our game, but so be it. I think we’ve done pretty well. I think video coaches have become way more important. If there are Division I programs without video coaches, that’s a big problem. We’re lucky, and I think the stoppages have been fine. People talk about the pace of the game, and that doesn’t bother me.”

Sandelin: “I don’t really want to get into a bunch of the review stuff. I wasn’t a big fan of it. I wasn’t a big fan of having unlimited challenges. I think it gives coaches reason to slow the game down. I think the ultimate goal would be to be able to have consistent replay in every building, like the NHL has, we don’t have that. Probably the ability to look at it on the bench (as you are probably aware, NHL teams have tablets on the benches so coaches can look at plays and decide for themselves). Or you have to hire more people to be the eye in the sky. Maybe it’ll come to that. I’d like to see some of that stuff cleaned up. I think it’s been a little bit better in the second half. We haven’t had a ton of that stuff in our games. Sometimes, you can’t see. I can go to the hit on (Cole) Spicer (in the Feb. 4 game against Western Michigan). You don’t see the cross check after, because it’s not in view. But that was one I was kind of disappointed that four guys on the ice didn’t look at it. I don’t know if it was a major when I looked at it, but it should have been looked at.”

Sandelin said he relies on his director of hockey operations, Christian Koelling, who is upstairs at every game and can radio down if he thinks a play needs to be reviewed. But sometimes Koelling doesn’t get to see a replay quickly enough, or a technical issue with the replay system could make it tough for anyone to see what happened on a play.

In all, it does seem like the challenge system has flowed better in the second half of the season. Of course, that guarantees nothing when we get to the postseason and the stakes go much higher.

4. UMD’s defensive commitment needs to be more consistent for the Bulldogs to get on any kind of run. UMD’s strong defensive play drove its offensive attack in a weekend sweep of St. Cloud State Jan. 27-28, and while it was easy to talk about the 11 goals UMD scored that weekend, it’s important to note that defense is where that started. UMD scored goals in transition, and the Bulldogs made plays in transition that helped lead to penalties and power play goals.

“When we shut them down, kill their plays quick, don’t give them extended offensive zone time, it’s really good for us,” said sophomore forward Dominic James.

“We’ve got to find ways to keep guys away from our net,” said senior forward Luke Loheit, “and offensively we need to find ways to get to the net.”

“If we’re not a better defensive team,” said Sandelin, “we’re not going to win a lot of games. It’s not just in our D-zone, it’s tracking, it’s those things. We’ve got to make a better commitment. We’ve got to play with a better focus there.”

5. Defending national champion Denver is poised to have a good shot at the Frozen Four in Tampa. The Pioneers lead the league by eight points with just six games left for everyone to play, and DU is coming off a very intense, emotional weekend sweep of North Dakota.

Denver was bitten a bit by the penalty bug on Friday night, but a beleaguered penalty kill came up huge for the Pioneers on multiple occasions, including when UND got a five-minute power play down two goals, but only managed to pot one.

Saturday was off the rails early and often, but this time it was North Dakota finding the cubicle of shame early and often, including a pair of major penalties and game misconducts (one to Gavin Hain, which was a call I frankly did not like, and one to Tyler Kleven, which is his fourth misconduct of the season and carried a mandatory one-game suspension as a result).

Denver coach David Carle was, needless to say, much happier with how his players handled themselves on Saturday.

“I think we talked a lot about it on Saturday morning,” he said. “Just our ability to control what we can control. If we can just stay focused, stay in the moment, focus on our next shift, it will be a net positive over 60 minutes. I thought we managed our emotions better than they did, and we capitalized.”

Denver scored three power play goals, including two on Kleven’s major to turn a 1-0 lead into 3-0, and the Pioneers were never seriously threatened.

6. The NCHC is back into full weekends of league play for the rest of the regular season. While Denver’s eight-point gap on a three-way tie for second place seems virtually insurmountable with just six games left in the regular season, stranger things have happened on the way to a league title.

But that three-way tie is where a lot of the focus will be going down the stretch. Right now, Western Michigan, St. Cloud State, and Omaha all have 33 points (as of now, the tiebreakers have these teams in that order). Western hosts Colorado College, which is tied with UMD for fifth, this weekend, before hosting Denver next weekend and traveling to Miami on the last weekend of the regular season. St. Cloud State is at North Dakota this weekend, then plays at Omaha next week before hosting UMD to finish up. Omaha is at Miami this week, then home for SCSU and at North Dakota to wrap up. You decide for yourself who has the tougher schedule.

There is currently a ten-point gap between these teams and CC/UMD at 23 points. That’s not mathematically impossible to make up, no, but it’s realistically going to be very tough for either of them to make a run at home ice.

CC, by the way, has Western this week, hosts North Dakota, and finishes with a home and home against Denver. UMD is here this weekend and finishes up at St. Cloud, with Miami at home next weekend. North Dakota, two points back of the Tigers and Bulldogs at 21, is home for SCSU, then at CC, and home against Omaha. Again, you pick the tougher slate.

7. The UMD women’s hockey team will wrap up the regular season at Bemidji State this weekend. Fifth year senior goalie Emma Soderberg is tied for the program career record of 20 shutouts with Kayla Black (Black started 121 games, compared to 81 for Soderberg), and Soderberg is one back of Black’s single-season record of ten.

Crowell wants her team to approach this like every other weekend of the regular season, even though UMD is locked into fourth place in the final WCHA standings. The Bulldogs’ PairWise ranking could take a hit with poor results this weekend, and that’s certainly something of major significance.

The WCHA title race has come down to the final weekend. Ohio State, which is at Wisconsin this weekend, leads Minnesota by three points. The Gophers play at seventh-place St. Thomas. Wisconsin, which swept Minnesota last weekend in Minneapolis, can’t win the league, but can still finish second with a sweep if the Gophers get swept.

Meanwhile, UMD’s first-round opponent for next weekend at Amsoil Arena will be determined when St. Cloud State hosts Minnesota State in a two-game series. The Huskies and Mavericks are in a flat-footed tie at 9-14-3 in league play for 30 points. If they split this weekend, Minnesota State will be the fifth seed based on a head-to-head tiebreaker (MSU swept the Huskies in Mankato, both games in regulation). So SCSU needs to win the series to finish fifth.

8. Finally, congratulations to UMD graduate center Gabbie Hughes. She was named a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award Thursday for a second straight year.

One of only three players in NCAA Division I women’s hockey history to be named both a Patty Kazmaier Top-3 Finalist and a Hockey Humanitarian Finalist, Hughes currently leads UMD with 39 points this season (9g, 40a) through 31 games, and last Saturday became the fifth all-time leading scorer in program history. But her nomination rests not on her on ice heroics, but her remarkable efforts off of it.Hughes, who is now the first player in program history to be named a finalist in back-to-back years, is a co-founder of Sophie’s Squad,  a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the mental health of athletes from the youth level to college by raising awareness of mental health issues and removing the stigma associated with getting help. Sophie’s Squad has had a year any nonprofit would be proud of, and as of February 10, 2023, $277,696 has been raised for the organization. While the $50,000 donation to Children’s Minnesota is by far the organization’s biggest single donation, a majority of funds raised by Sophie’s Squad events goes back into awareness events, providing educational resources and materials, as well as merchandise to student athletes participating in the events.

So far, Sophie’s Squad has held more than 39 different events. And Hughes, who was part of the inception and creation of Sophie’s Squad, is as involved in as many events as she can reasonably be, doing everything from serving as a keynote speaker to helping coordinate and run events, as well as running most social media accounts. A spokesperson who has taken on a number of roles in the organization, Hughes is busy as ever. A co-founder, ambassador, committee member, social media director and volunteer as just some of the hats the hockey center has worn for the last 18 months. Just this past December, Hughes worked with UMD Athletics and Sophie’s Squad to create the first-ever collegiate double-header Sophie’s Squad game, a Hockey Hits Back game for mental health awareness.  That day at AMSOIL alone, Sophie’s Squad raised more than $9,000 to help bring the conversation of mental health to the forefront.

Hughes’ work off the ice is more impressive than what she’s done on the ice, where she has moved into the top five on UMD’s all-time scoring chart at over 200 points.

Bulldog fans should be proud to have someone like Hughes representing the university and the community. Hopefully, her work gets the ultimate recognition on April 7 at Frozen Four weekend in Tampa.

7:30pm pregame from Denver Friday. Join us then!

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