By Virg Foss
GRAND FORKS -- Back in the days of the wild, wild West, the gunslinger with the fastest six-shooter was the one who lived to tell about it.
Some rapid firing by the University of North Dakota men's hockey team tonight propelled the Fighting Sioux to a 6-2 Western Collegiate Hockey Association victory over Colorado College before a sellout crowd of 11,824 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The Sioux came with weapons fully loaded. They scored on their first three shots on goal. For the second time in two home games this season, they rang up six goals, led by a pair by junior Ryan Duncan (Calgary, Alberta), last year's Hobey Baker Award winner.
Junior right wing T.J. Oshie (Warroad, Minn.) scored just 26 seconds into a Sioux power play at 3:29 of the first period, starting a three-point night for Oshie.
Duncan scored 50 seconds later at 4:19 when Oshie's cross-body pass left Duncan with an easy tap-in at the side of the net.
Duncan slid the puck through the legs of CC goalie Drew O'Connell at 10:27 of the opening period, leaving rookie defenseman Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire, Wis.) alone for UND's second straight tap-in goal.
It proved to be all the offense the Sioux would need as senior goalie Jean-Philippe Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced. The Sioux, ranked 2/3 in two national polls, improved to 2-1 in the WCHA and 4-1-1 overall.
Duncan finished with two goals and one assist to join Oshie (goal, two assists) and senior defenseman Robbie Bina (Grand Forks, N.D.), who had three assists, with three-point nights.
Senior captain Rylan Kaip (Radville, Saskatchewan) and junior defenseman Joe Finley (Edina, Minn.) had the other Sioux goals on a night. A total of 11 different players picked up points as the Sioux continued to show a balanced attack. Finley's wrist shot from the left point was just the second goal in 90 career games for Finley, the hulking 6-foot-7, 245-pound blue liner.
The three quick goals in the first 10 minutes staked the Sioux to a 3-0 lead after one period and sent the Tigers (2-3 overall, 2-1 in the WCHA) to their third straight loss. The Tigers came into the game ranked 9/10 in the national polls.
"When we're in our own barn, we always want to start pushing the other team back on their heels,'' Oshie said. "And try to push them through the Zamboni doors. I think that's what we did tonight.''
Oshie also had the hit of the night. In a race for the puck with 6-2, 203-pound Tiger defenseman Nate Prosser, Oshie sent him flying through the air with a shoulder check 7:08 into the first period. "We were both going pretty fast,'' Oshie said. "I wasn't really trying to hit him like I did, I was more so bracing myself, but he kinda ended up with the worst end of it.''
Duncan, who had 31 goals last season, bagged his second and third this year. His second came when he drew O'Connell to the ice on a Sioux 5-on-3 power play in the second period, showed great patience, then roofed the puck over O'Connell.
Duncan might have had the hat trick, as it appeared to many that his pass through O'Connell's legs to LaPoint in the first period would have gone in without LaPoint touching it.
"I don't think it would have, actually,'' Duncan said. "I think it was going five-hole wide, so it was a great play by LaPoint to go to the net hard. He deserves that goal.''
The three-point game lifts Duncan over the century mark in career points. He now has 101 points in 95 games, on 49 goals and 52 assists.
"It wasn't something I was really thinking about going into the game,'' Duncan said. "It was just another game, trying to help contribute to the team. But it's definitely a huge honor.''
The Sioux only outshot the Tigers 27-25, with 14 of CC's shots coming in the final period.
"They're a great team,'' Duncan said of CC. "There's no doubt this loss is going to sting for them. We have no doubt they are going to come back and play much, much better tomorrow night.''
Colorado College's goals came from Billy Sweatt in the second period and from Eric Walsky in the third.
UND coach Dave Hakstol labeled the first three scores by the Sioux as "play-making goals.''
Said Hakstol: "Obviously we came out of the gate ready to go. That's the players in the lockerroom, the leaders in the lockerroom, making sure that we were ready to come out. (We had) a sold-out crowd, but we did a real good job of allowing the crowd to stay in it and really be a factor for us.''
Lamoureux had to make some great saves early in allowing the Sioux offense to find its gear. "There were some holes in our game,'' Hakstol said. "We gave up some good opportunities, but on the flip side, they've got a lot of good players over there who can make plays as well.''
But UND's overall excellence prevailed this night.
"I really liked our intensity,'' Hakstol said. "We made a lot of plays, and we played hard for the most part. You mix in some good goaltending -- Phil had to be good at the right times -- and it ends up in a good win.''
Duncan and Oshie in particular sparked the early onslaught by the Sioux.
"I thought they set the tone,'' Hakstol said. "They played at a high level.''
The big hit by Oshie on Prosser didn't surprise Hakstol, either. "That's part of his game,'' Hakstol said. "That's what makes him an exciting player, but also makes him a good player. He has an edge to him and he plays with an edge in every part of his game.''
The Sioux were 2-for-6 on the power play, the Tigers 0-for-4. The Sioux have allowed just one power-play goal in 29 tries this season while converting on 7 of 31 attempts themselves.
The teams meet again at 7:07 p.m. Saturday to complete the series.
NOTES: It was the most goals the Sioux have scored against Colorado College since a 6-2 Sioux win on Oct. 12, 2001, also in Grand Forks.
Foss, who covered Sioux hockey for the Grand Forks Herald for 35 seasons until retiring, reports on Sioux hockey for fightingsioux.com. He can be reached at virgfoss@yahoo.com.
