OXFORD, Ohio — Brett Larson said it himself last week.
The first-year St. Cloud State head coach was talking about trying to get his team to eliminate the peaks and valleys within games that he saw during the first half of the season, in favor of a little more consistent game. Knowing his team isn't where it needs to be yet, he cited a huge lesson learned from his former boss, UMD head man Scott Sandelin.
“Scott is a master,” Larson said. “Nobody is better at pushing a team through highs and lows, continuing to make them feel like they have to get better, and finding the right areas to get them better.”
Right now, the buzz word within UMD is “consistency.” The coaching staff continues to work hard, trying to get players to level out their game and play with that even-keel that has been a hallmark of UMD teams in the past.
It's been there for some, just not everyone. A good example of players who have brought that consistency would be second-line forwards Justin Richards and Parker Mackay. Don't be fooled by their placement on the line chart. Richards now leads the team in scoring, and he's been playing with gobs of confidence in recent weeks.
“He's gained some confidence,” Sandelin said this week. “He's quicker, he's more confident. We saw last year what he could do, faceoff-wise, his play away from the puck. I think that year really helped him learn this level. He worked hard in the summer, and he's getting rewarded for it.”
Riley Tufte was inserted on that line last week, and it might not be a coincidence he scored at even strength for the first time this season while also playing his best back-to-back games of the season to this point. He was physical, seemed to play with more confidence, and was able to play with a little more, well, consistency. There's that word again.
“We wanted find a spot for Riley to succeed,” assistant coach Adam Krause said this week. “I think playing with a couple guys in Richie and Parker, they have very predictable games. You know what you're going to get from them. I think that's something Riley needs, a little bit of a more clear focus of what their intentions are on the ice. We thought Riley played awesome and he had an intentional game plan in his head. He knew what he wanted to do.”
In Tufte's spot on the top line with Peter Krieger and Nick Swaney went freshman forward Noah Cates, who returned with a silver medal from the IIHF World Junior Championship. He scored the eventual game-winning goal in Friday's game and had a strong weekend.
But UMD blew a 2-0 lead Saturday and lost 4-2 to St. Cloud State in a game the Bulldogs definitely could have had. This isn't lost on Sandelin, and he wasn't pleased about it when he spoke with the media Wednesday.
“We got away from some things that we wanted to do Saturday,” Sandelin said. “To beat good teams, you have to do it over 60 minutes. We do it, and then we get away from it and those lapses hurt our team. We have to get back to eliminating some of those mental lapses. Carelessness with the puck, maybe getting caught with too many guys off a rush, just hockey situations we could get better at. When we do that, when we play the game the way we need to play it, we're a pretty good team.”
The Bulldogs will try to inch towards a 60-minute performance when they open a two-game series at Miami Friday night.
The RedHawks were swept at Western Michigan last weekend, the first time this season Miami has been swept in a two-game series. The RedHawks were playing without leading scorer Josh Melnick. The senior, who has hit 100 points for his Miami career, has seven goals and 19 points in 20 games this season. Speaking to the media Monday, longtime Miami coach Rico Blasi didn't offer a timetable on Melnick, but the proverbial tea leaves would indicate he won't be available this weekend.
“They had a good start,” Sandelin said. “Their goaltending is better. We all know how important that is.”
Junior Ryan Larkin has improved to a .928 save percentage this season, .911 in NCHC games, after finishing with an .886 mark a year ago. Similar to Western Michigan, which has gotten great improvement from Trevor Gorsuch, the RedHawks are absolutely improved in large part because of their back end.
“They play fast,” Sandelin said of Miami. “They're a heavy team. They transition extremely well, they scored two or three goals off the rush against Western Michigan. Another team that can get up the rink and attack the net. They've got some big bodies, and we're going to have to make plays under pressure.”
Without Melnick, Gordie Green (nine goals, 18 points) and Karch Bachman (seven goals, 11 points) take the mantle as the Miami offensive leaders.
“I'm really more focused on our team and getting our guys dialed in on the things we need to do,” said Sandelin. “If we do that, I'm not too worried about the teams we play.”
