GRAND FORKS, N.D.--Freshman wing Mike Cichy sat for five minutes in the penalty box tonight, watching the UND Fighting Sioux shift the momentum on their side by killing a major penalty on teammate Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks).
Just 80 seconds after Cichy stepped out of the box, his first college goal at 7:15 of the second period put the Sioux ahead for good at 2-1 on their way to a 3-2 victory the Merrimack Warriors and a sweep of the weekend nonconference series.
UND senior defenseman Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) threaded a pass from the point to Cichy in the right faceoff circle and his soft shot beat Merrimack goalie Andrew Braithwaite (32 saves) through the pads.
The Sioux were superb in killing the major to Lamoureux for checking from behind. They limited Merrimack to two weak shots on net and mustered a pair of better scoring chances themselves.
"I thought that was the turning point in the game for us,'' UND coach Dave Hakstol said of killing the major. "It shocked us into playing a little bit. I'll give credit to Merrimack for their play leading up to that, but I thought our play was a little bit soft. We did a very good job on the penalty kill, and from there, we got back on our toes.''
Cichy admitted he didn't get a lot of zip into his shot. It didn't matter. It went in.
"Goal scorers have a way of finding the back of the net,'' Hakstol said. "The way he shot that puck, I'm guessing he caught their netminder a little bit off guard because it was a little bit unorthodox. I think in any of the good goal scorers we've seen come through here, some of the things they do are a bit unorthodox, but somehow the puck ends up in the back of the net.''
Killing the major and then Cichy's goal breathed new life into the Sioux. They didn't allow Merrimack a shot on net for nearly the first 13 minutes of the final period.
The Sioux took a 3-1 lead on junior defenseman Jack Marto's (Grand Forks) one-time shot on a saucer feed from behind the net by senior center Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.) on a power play at 8:53 of the third period.
Merrimack junior wing Chris Barton scored his second goal of the game and third of the weekend at 16:08 of the third period, The Warriors pulled Braithwaite for a sixth attack with 86 seconds left, but the Sioux hung on.
Marto's first goal of the season was the only power-play chance the Sioux converted in seven tries. "Thank god we got one -- not a power play, a goal,'' a relieved Hakstol said.
Of UND's 35 shots on net for the game, 17 of them came on the power play, though,
Cichy's goal came after the Sioux won an offensive faceoff seconds before the goal.
"Chay did what he does, he made a play, came down the wing, drew the defenseman to him and got it to me,'' Cichy said. "I saw the goalie's legs open up, and just put it in. I think all five guys contributed on that goal, and I just happened to be the one who put it in.''
The Sioux had taken a 1-0 lead at 4:11 of the first period on their first shot on goal. Sophomore wing Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) scored on a sharp angle from the right face-off dot, beating Braithwaite short side over his shoulder after being sent in by a pass from junior center Brad Malone (Miramichi, New Brunswick). It was Hextall's second goal of the weekend.
Cichy had the tough job of watching his teammates fight to kill off the major penalty. "That kill was huge,'' Cichy said. "Watching those guys battle like that, really made me proud to be on this team and show the character we have.''
Cichy was named No. 1 star of the game by the media, with Genoway pulling down second star and Braithwaite third star.
Cichy won the hard-hat award for his performance. "I think we battled,'' he said of UND's performance. "Saturday's are always the hardest game of a series to win, especially after winning the first one.''
Cichy said he was impressed with the way Merrimack battled. "They're a hard-working team, they don't quit,'' Cichy said. "Beating them was a big test for us.''
Genoway was the glue for the Sioux. "Chay spent a lot of time on the ice the last 10 minutes of the game,'' Hakstol said. "His competitiveness, as far as I'm concerned, is what separates him as a player. For that, he's earned the right to be our captain and the right to be in situations at critical times.''
SIOUX NOTES: UND outshot Merrimack 35-18, including a 30-11 margin over the last two periods . . . Genoway, VandeVelde, Hextall, Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg) and Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) shared the Sioux lead in shots on goal with four each . . . Sophomore goalie Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) finished with 16 saves . . . The game drew 11,603 in announced attendance to Ralph Engelstad Arena . . . The Sioux open defense of their Western Collegiate Hockey Association title next weekend against Minnesota at REA.
Virg Foss covered Fighting Sioux hockey for 35 seasons for the Grand Forks Herald until his retirement. He now reports exclusively on UND home games for FightingSioux.com
