Nov. 20-21, 2009 • 8:37/8:07 pm CT • Magness Arena (6,026) • Denver, Colo.
RADIO: 96.1 The Fox (KQHT-FM) • Webcast: FightingSioux.com (Saturday only)
TV: Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain (Friday only)

THIS WEEK: In the nation's marquee matchup of the week, the second-ranked Fighting Sioux travel to Denver to square off with the third-ranked Pioneers on Friday and Saturday at Magness Arena.

UND is in second place in the WCHA standings, two points ahead of third-place DU and two behind league leader Colorado College.

MEDIA INFORMATION: All Fighting Sioux men's hockey games, home and away, can be heard on 96.1 FM (The Fox) and on stations across the Fighting Sioux Hockey Network. Veteran broadcaster Tim Hennessy returns for his 30th season as the voice of the Fighting Sioux.

Friday's game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain. Saturday's game will NOT be televised. However, a video webcast of Saturday's game can be purchased at FightingSioux.com.

FREE live audio is also available at FightingSioux.com and FREE live stats are available at DenverPioneers.com.

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for this weekend's series can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000 or in person at any Ticketmaster outlet or at the Ritchie Center box office.

FAN FESTIVITIES: The UND Alumni Association will be hosting a pre-game party prior to Saturday's game. The celebration is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Denver Southeast and will feature remarks from UND President Dr. Robert Kelley and First Lady Marcia Kelley. A $10 admission price includes hors d'oeuvres and door prizes. A cash bar will also be available. For more information, contact Katie Compton at katiec@undalumni.net or at 800-543-8764.

ABOUT DENVER: Third-ranked Denver charted a 3-2 win and 7-3 loss at Alaska Anchorage in its most recent action on Nov. 6-7 ... Senior F Rhett Rakhshani (right) led DU with three goals, including the game-winner in the 3-2 win. Rakhshani leads the Pioneers in scoring with seven goals and five assists for 12 points ... Junior G Marc Cheverie (4-0-0, 1.27 GAA, .959 Sv%), who missed the UAA series with a left leg injury, is doubtful for this weekend's series. Cheverie leads the WCHA in save percentage, goals-against average, winning percentage and shutouts ... DU is 10-for-57 (17.5%) on the power-play so far this season and 44-for-51 (86.3%) on the penalty-kill.

DU COACHING STAFF: Head coach George Gwozdecky (Wisconsin '78) is 352-220-47 (.607) in 15-plus seasons at DU and 435-314-67 (.574) in 20-plus seasons overall as a collegiate head coach.

He is assisted by Steve Miller (St. Mary's '88) and Derek Lalonde (Cortland State '95).

SERIES HISTORY: UND is 129-110-8 (.538) all-time against the Pioneers and have lost just once in the last six meetings, going 4-1-1 during that stretch.

The two teams met on just two occasions last year, with the Sioux taking three of four points from DU Jan. 23-24 in Grand Forks. UND won the opener 8-3, with four different Sioux notching at least four points. The two teams skated to a 3-3 overtime tie the following day. Sophomore G Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) started both games against DU last year and stopped 63 of 68 shots

UND is 49-64-3 (.435) all-time in games played in Denver and has split its last two trips to Magness Arena.

Junior F Evan Trupp (Anchorage, Alaska) and senior F Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.) each have five career points against the Pioneeers to lead all active Sioux. Both have two goals and three assists against DU

POLL POSITION: For the second consecutive week, UND is ranked No. 2 in latest USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com/CBS College Sports polls, receiving first-place votes in both, and No. 2 in this week's Inside College Hockey Power Rankings. Please refer to page three for complete national poll information.

UND'S LAST ACTION: UND is coming off of a home split last weekend with St. Cloud State. The Sioux took Friday's opener 4-2 before falling 3-2 on Saturday.

UND built a 3-0 lead halfway through the second period on Friday. Sophomore F David Toews (Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored twice for his first career multi-goal game. Senior F Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg, Manitoba)and sophomore F Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks) also scored for the Sioux while Eidsness made 21 saves to improve to 6-1-1.

The following night the Huskies took a turn building a 3-0 lead before hanging on for the 3-2 win. Sophomore F Brad Malone (Miramichi, New Brunswick) and VandeVelde scored the UND goals. Eidsness came off the bench early in the second period with the Sioux trailing 3-0 and stopped all 21 shots he faced. Eidsness relieved freshman Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta), who allowed three goals on seven shots in his first home start

STAYING ON 17: North Dakota's 4-2 win over St. Cloud State last Friday night in Grand Forks extended UND's home unbeaten streak to 17 games (14-0-3), tied for the fourth-longest in school history and two shy of the school record.

That streak came to a halt the following night when the Huskies rebounded with a 3-2 victory.

UND's 17-game home unbeaten streak, which began last December, was the nation's longest prior to Saturday's loss.

CROWDED HOUSE: A major factor in UND's home success is its fan support. The Fighting Sioux have now played in front of capacity crowds in 23 consecutive conference home games at the 11,634-seat Ralph Engelstad Arena.

The Sioux are 28-5-5 (.803) at the friendly confines of the "Ralph" since Jan. 2008 and have sold out 39 of their last 47 home games (conference and non-conference).

KILL OR BE KILLED: UND's penalty killing unit is ranked No. 1 in the WCHA and No. 3 nationally following a 9-for-10 effort last weekend against St. Cloud State that included a 7-for-7 performance in Saturday's 3-2 loss.

The Sioux PK unit enters this weekend's action clicking at 92.2 percent.

GETTING ALL DEFENSIVE: The Sioux also boast the WCHA's top-ranked defensive team, allowing just 1.70 goals per game.

UND has allowed three goals or fewer in all 10 games this season and two goals or fewer in eight of those games. SCSU's 28 shots on goal last Saturday were the most allowed this season by the Sioux, who are averaging just 20.9 shots against per game.

AAAAAND THEY'RE OFF: UND's 7-2-2 start is the team's best in six seasons under head coach Dave Hakstol.

SUPER MARIO: Sophomore F Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks) notched a goal and an assist in Saturday's 4-2 win over SCSU and now has two career two-point games, both of which have come against the Huskies.

With three goals and three assists in 10 games this season, Lamoureux has already matched his totals in all three categories from a year ago, when he appeared in 24 games as a freshman.

BEN THERE, DONE THAT: After scoring just one point (an assist) in his first 39 career games, sophomore D Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) enjoyed his first career multi-point game with a pair of assists last Friday against St. Cloud State.

Blood became the 19th different UND skater to record a point already this season. Only three players who have seen game action this year have yet to record their first point: junior F Brent Davidson (Morden, Manitoba), freshman F Brett Bruneteau (Omaha, Neb.) and sophomore D Corey Fienhage (Apple Valley, Minn.).

CAPTAIN CLUTCH: Senior D and Sioux captain Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) enters the week tied for the lead among WCHA defensemen in scoring with 10 points despite missing Saturday's game.

Genoway has already topped the three goals he scored last season when he was a second-team All-American and the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year.

With 90 career points, Genoway is the leading scorer among active WCHA defensemen and is aiming to become only the 11th rearguard in UND history to amass 100 career points.

Genoway's six career game-winning goals are tied for second all-time by a Sioux defenseman, trailing only the eight scored by Nick Fuher from 2001-05, and his 12 career power-play tallies rank sixth among Sioux defensemen.

FINE AND VANDY: Like Genoway, senior F Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.) is also in pursuit of his 100th career point.

VandeVelde, the Sioux scoring leader with 11 points in 10 games, has 87 career points and is in a race with Genoway to become the 78th member of UND's "Century Club."

GOOD LUCK CHARM: When senior F Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored his second goal of the season in Friday's 4-2 win over SCSU, the Sioux improved to 14-1-2 all-time when Zajac scores a goal.

38 SPECIAL: Aaron Dell's start (Fr., Calgary, Alberta) on Oct. 23 ended a streak of 38 consecutive starts by sophomore G Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta), which goes in the books as the third-longest starting streak in UND history (below).

In nine games this season, Eidsness is 6-1-1 with a 1.61 goals against average and .925 save percentage.

He ranks fourth all-time at UND in career goals against average (2.39), fifth in save percentage (.909) and sixth in winning percentage (.677.)

CLIMBING THE COACHING LADDER: UND head coach Dave Hakstol enters this weekend with 137 career victories, fourth most in UND history and 12 shy of Rube Bjorkman (1968-78) for third all-time.

Only John "Gino" Gasparini (392 wins from 1978-94) and Dean Blais (262 wins from 1994-04) won more games at UND than Hakstol.

BLINK AND YOU'LL MISS IT: Sophomore F Jason Gregoire's (Winnipeg, Manitoba) goal 39 seconds into UND's season opener was the second-fastest UND goal on record to open a season (UND's box score records are incomplete prior to the 1966-67 season).

The fastest Sioux goal to open a season is six seconds, scored by Lee Davidson on Oct. 13, 1989 against Alabama-Huntsville. That goal is also the fastest Sioux goal to open any period.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: UND welcomes back 15 letterwinners from last year's team that captured the MacNaughton Cup and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

Highlighting the returnees are reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and AHCA All-America defenseman Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) and All-WCHA third-team goaltender Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta).

Senior F Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.), who scored a career-high 35 points last season, is the team's top returning scorer and is one of nine returning players who notched at least 10 points in 2009-10.

FAB FROSH: The Sioux roster also includes 10 freshmen in 2009-10, UND's largest incoming freshman class since 2005-06, when 13 rookies donned the Kelly Green and White.

That 2005-06 class included the likes of 2007 Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan and current NHLers Jonathan Toews (Chicago), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis) and Brian Lee (Ottawa).

In fact, 11 members of that 13-player 2005-06 freshman class, eight of whom graduated as seniors last season, are currently playing professional hockey.

GENOWAY, CICHY HONORED: A pair of Sioux were recognized when InsideCollegeHockey.com announced its 2009-10 preseason All-America and all-rookie teams.

Senior D Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) was named to the INCH preseason All-America third team. Last season, Genoway was named a second-team All-American and the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year after collecting a career-high 32 points. He was also named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American and a WCHA Scholar-Athlete.

Said INCH: "Genoway is college hockey's version of Illinois quarterback Juice Williams-it seems like he's been at North Dakota forever. Fighting Sioux fans wouldn't mind a few extra years of his production. The reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Year is also a dangerous threat on offense; he's scored 80 points in three seasons, including a career-high 32 points last season."

Genoway, this year's team captain, enters the season with 80 career points and is aiming to become just the 11th defenseman in school history to reach the 100-point plateau for his career.

Freshman F Michael Cichy (New Hartford, Conn.) was named to INCH's preseason All-Rookie team. A seventh-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Cichy led the Indiana Ice to a United States Hockey League championship and was named the league's playoff MVP with 25 points (including a USHL-record 16 assists) in 16 games. He totalled 76 points in 56 regular season games.

FEELING A DRAFT: UND enters the 2009-10 season with a roster that includes 15 players who have been drafted by National Hockey League teams. The group includes goalie Brad Eidsness (Buffalo), defensemen Andrew MacWilliam (Toronto), Derrick LaPoint (Florida), Corey Fienhage (Buffalo), Joe Gleason (Chicago) and Ben Blood (Ottawa) and forwards Danny Kristo (Montreal), Michael Cichy (Montreal), Corban Knight (Florida), Brett Bruneteau (Washington), Jason Gregoire (New York Islanders), David Toews (New York Islanders), Brad Malone (Colorado), Brett Hextall (Phoenix) and Chris VandeVelde (Edmonton).

A total of 24 Sioux have been drafted during the tenure of sixth-year head coach Dave Hakstol, including first-rounders Jonathan Toews (Chicago, 2006), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis, 2005), Brian Lee (Ottawa, 2005) and Joe Finley (Washington, 2005).

FOREVER SIOUX: Every member of UND's coaching staff and support staff is a graduate of the University of North Dakota.

Head coach Dave Hakstol (1989-92), associate head coach Cary Eades (1978-82), assistant coach Dane Jackson (1988-92) and volunteer assistant Scott Koberinski (1985-89) each played for the Fighting Sioux.
Additionally, hockey operations manager Pat Sawnson (2002), athletic trainer and strength coach Mark Poolman (1992), team physician Dr. Greg Greek and media relations director Jayson Hajdu (2000) are also UND graduates.

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA: So much for the notion that hockey is a "regional sport." UND junior F Brad Malone (Miramichi, New Brunswick) is the first New Brunswick native to ever play for the Sioux while sophomore F Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) is the first Californian to suit up for the Sioux.

Freshman Michael Cichy (New Hartford, Conn.) is just the second native of Connecticut to ever play for the Sioux and the first since Frank Morgan way back in 1951-52.

Below is a geographical breakdown of the entire 2009-10 Sioux roster:

• Minnesota (6): Ben Blood (Plymouth), Corey Fienhage (Apple Valley), Joe Gleason (Edina), Ryan Hill (Hermantown), Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie), Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead)
• Alberta (5): Aaron Dell (Airdrie), Brad Eidsness (Chestermere), Corban Knight (High River), Andrew MacWilliam (Calgary), Carter Rowney (Sexsmith)
• Manitoba (5): Brent Davidson (Morden), Chay Genoway (Morden), Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg), David Toews (Winnipeg), Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg)
• North Dakota (2): Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks), Jake Marto (Grand Forks)
• Alaska (1): Evan Trupp (Anchorage)
• California (1): Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach)
• Colorado (1): Tate Maris (Denver)
• Connecticut (1): Michael Cichy (New Hartford)
• Nebraska (1): Brett Bruneteau (Omaha)
• New Brunswick (1): Brad Malone (Miramichi)
• Wisconsin (1): Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire)

ALL IN THE FAMILY: UND's 2009-10 roster features five players who have had family members previously play for the Fighting Sioux: defenseman Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) and forwards Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks), Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), David Toews (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg, Manitoba).

Genoway, Toews and Zajac each have older brothers who once played at UND, Lamoureux's father and brother played for the Sioux and Hextall has a great uncle who played for the Sioux.

• Genoway's brother, Colby, was a forward at UND from 2002-05 and scored 81 points in 115 career games. He most recently played for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
  
• Hextall's great uncle, Dennis, was a forward at UND from 1964-66 and scored 101 career points in 63 career games. Hextall's hockey bloodlines extend to his father (Ron), grandfather (Bryan Jr.) and great grandfather (Bryan Sr.), each of whom enjoyed lengthy NHL careers. His father, Ron, is currently the assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Kings.
  
• Lamoureux's brother, Jean-Philippe, was a goalie at UND from 2004-08 and is the school's all-time co-leader in goals against average (2.14). His father, Pierre, was a goalie for the Sioux from 1979-82 and was a member of UND's 1982 NCAA championship team. Another brother, Pierre-Paul, is in his first year as UND's student-assistant coach while twin sisters Jocelyne and Monique are sophomore forwards on the Fighting Sioux women's hockey team. Both are currently pursuing rosters spots on the U.S. Olympic team.
  
• Toews' brother, Jonathan, was a forward at UND from 2005-07, scoring 85 points in 76 career games and earning All-America honors in 2007. He is now the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks.
  
• Zajac's brother, Travis, scored 96 points in 91 games from 2004-06 and currently plays for the New Jersey Devils.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Twelve former Sioux have seen action in the NHL this season: Jason Blake (Toronto), Taylor Chorney (Edmonton), Mike Commodore (Columbus), Matt Greene (Los Angeles), David Hale (Tampa Bay), Ryan Johnson (Vancouver), Brian Lee (Ottawa), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis), Zach Parise (New Jersey), Drew Stafford (Buffalo), Jonathan Toews (Chicago) and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

Seventeen former Fighting Sioux played in the NHL last season, the most of any team in the WCHA and UND's most since sending 21 in 1993-94. Additionally, four former Sioux can be found in the NHL coaching ranks, including Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett, Tampa Bay assistant coach Rick Wilson, Buffalo assistant coach James Patrick and Phoenix video coach Steve Peters.