Feb. 26-27, 2010 • 8:37/8:07 pm CT • World Arena (7,343) • Colorado Springs, Colo.
RADIO: 96.1 The Fox (KQHT-FM) • WEB AUDIO: www.FightingSioux.com
TV: None • WEBCAST: www.B2LiveTV.com • LIVE STATS: www.CCTigers.com

THIS WEEK: Home ice in the WCHA playoffs is at stake when the Fighting Sioux travel to Colorado Springs this weekend.

The eighth-ranked Sioux and 13th-ranked Tigers are tied for fifth place in the WCHA and are battling for the final home playoff spot in the opening round of the league's playoffs. Both teams are four points behind fourth-place Minnesota Duluth.

UND entered the week ranked eighth in the Pairwise Rankings and CC was slotted 17th.

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 is in his 30th season as the voice of the Fighting Sioux.

Video webcasts of this weekend's games can be purchased at www.B2LiveTV.com and FREE live audio is available at www.FightingSioux.com.

FREE live stats are available at www.CCTigers.com.

This weekend's series is not televised.

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for the CC series can be purchased over the phone from TicketsWest at 719-576-2626 or 1-866-464-2626.

ABOUT CC: The Tigers were swept at Minnesota last weekend, losing 3-0 on Friday and 7-4 on Saturday to halt a three-game winning streak. It was CC's first sweep at the hands of the Gophers since 2006-07 ... Friday's game marked the first time the Tigers had been shut out on the road since Jan. 27, 2007 at Michigan Tech ... Senior RW and team captain Mike Testwuide, who assisted on a pair of goals in last Saturday's 7-4 loss, has recorded eight points (3g, 5a) in the last five games. He is tied for third in the WCHA with 18 goals and is tied for the league lead in SHG (three) and GWG (five) ... Senior D Nate Prosser has collected at least one point in a team-high 20 of 32 outings this season. Prosser (24 pts) and teammate Gabe Guentzel (23) rank second and third, respectively, among WCHA defensemen in scoring ... The Tigers own the WCHA's best power-play at 22.9 percent, a clip that ranks fourth in the NCAA ... Freshman F Rylan Schwartz lead all WCHA rookies in points (26) and assists (20).

CC COACHING STAFF: Head coach Scott Owens (CC '79), in his 10th year at CC, is the winningest coach in Tigers' history with a 256-145-38 (.626) record.

Owens is assisted by Joe Bonnett (Western Michigan '93) and Jason Lammers (SUNY Geneseo '98).

THE ALL-TIME SERIES: UND leads the all-time series with CC by a 132-75-10 (.631) margin and has lost just once in the last six meetings (4-1-1).

The Sioux are 45-55-4 in Colorado Springs (.452) but have earned a split in each of the last three series at CC and are 5-3-0 in their last eight games at World Arena.

UND took the 2008-09 season series 2-1-1.

Senior F Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.), and sophomore F Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) each have a team-leading seven career points against CC.

POLL POSITION: UND is ranked eighth in the most recent USCHO PairWise rankings.

UND also climbed three spots to No. 8 in both the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports poll and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, and is eighth in the 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 sweep of sixth-ranked Minnesota Duluth, winning 5-2 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday.

Special teams were the key in Friday's 5-2 win, as UND notched three power-play goals and one shorthanded tally. The PP finished 3-for-7 while the PK went 7-for-7 for the second straight game. Sophomore F Brett Hextall (Mahattan Beach, Calif.) had two goals (PPG, GW SHG) and an assist on Friday. It was his first shorthanded goal of his career. Matt Frattin (Jr., Edmonton, Alberta) and Danny Kristo (Fr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) also had power-play goals and Jason Gregoire (So., Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored an empty netter.

On Saturday, sophomore F Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks) returned from a one-game suspension and responded with the first two-goal game of his career. Gregoire notched his WCHA-leading fifth game-winner of the season. Hextall and Chris VandeVelde (ENG) also scored.

Sophomore G Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) stopped 53 of 56 shots (.946) on the weekend and was named the game's No. 2 star each night

HONOR ROLL: Sophomores Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) were named WCHA Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday.

Hextall had four points in UND's sweep over UMD, including a career-high three points on Friday. He also was a +3 in the series.

Eidsness stopped 53 of 56 shots in the series and was named the game's No. 2 star each night. His 31 saves on Friday were his largest home output of the season.

It was the first time either had won their respective award. The duo combined to win WCHA Rookie of the Week honors five times last year.
Nine different Sioux have won WCHA weekly awards this season, the most of any team in the league. Wisconsin ranks second with six.

THE DEFENSE DOESN'T REST: The Fighting Sioux lead the WCHA and are tied for third nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 2.19 goals per game.

Only Miami (1.76) and Cornell (2.19) are allowing fewer goals per game. UND is just one of two teams (New Hampshire) to score as many as five goals against Miami this season (5-5 tie, Nov. 28).

HEX MARKS THE SPOT: Sophomore F Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) is in the midst of a career-long seven-game point streak, which is tied for the longest by a Sioux this season (Jason Gregoire, Nov. 21 to Dec. 12).

Hextall has eight goals and three assists during the streak and has now reached the scoresheet in 11 of his last 12 games.

POWER RESTORED: Since taking a 0-for-32 drought into St. Cloud State two weeks ago, the Sioux power-play is 8-for-23 (34.7 percent) over the last four games.

That included a season-high four PPG in seven chances on Feb. 13 at SCSU, three of which came in the second period.

A HEX ON THE POWER-PLAY: The power-play is clicking at 26.6 percent when Hextall is in the lineup compared to 6.5 percent in the nine games he has missed.

He is tied for Danny Kristo (Fr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) with a team-leading seven power-play goals.

PLAYOFFS? YOU KIDDIN' ME? PLAYOFFS?: North Dakota enters the week tied for the last home playoff spot in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs and is looking to extend its league-best streak of seven straight years hosting the opening round.

STICKS ON FIRE: UND has scored 18 goals over the last three games (6.0 gpg) after tallying only nine in the previous six games (1.5 gpg).

SUPER MARIO: After sitting out a league-imposed one-game suspension last Friday, sophomore F Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks) returned to the lineup on Saturday and enjoyed the first two-goal game of his career, snapping a 21-game goal-scoring drought in the process.

In 31 games this season, Lamoureux has achieved career highs in points (10), goals (five), assists (five) and plus/minus (+7).

FINE AND VANDY: Senior F Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.) brings a five-game point streak (5g, 6a) into the week and last Saturday eclipsed the 30-point mark for the third straight season.

With 106 career points, VandeVelde currently sits tied for 63rd place on UND's all-time scoring list:
VandeVelde leads the team with 30 points in 31 games, including a career-high 18 assists.

NET GAINS: Sophomore G Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) has played a key role in UND's three-game winning streak, posting a 1.34 goals against average and .951 save percentage during that time.

In his previous four games, Eidsness had posted an .880 save percentage.

During his current three-game hot streak, Eidsness has stopped 77 of 81 shots and now ranks second in the WCHA and 10th in the NCAA with a 2.22 goals against average.

OH DANNY BOY: WCHA Rookie of the Year candidate Danny Kristo (Fr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) enters the week leading WCHA freshmen in goals (10) and points per game (0.83) and trails only CC's Rylan Schwartz in the league's rookie scoring race (Schwartz has 26 points, Kristo 25).

Kristo is tied for the team lead with seven power-play goals and his next one will tie New Jersey Devils star and U.S. Olympian Zach Parise for 10th-most by a UND freshman.

Troy Murray, a former Chicago Blackhawks great, set the UND freshman record with 13 PPG in 1980-81.

NO AVERAGE JOE: Freshman D Joe Gleason (Edina, Minn.) owns a team-leading +13 plus/minus rating, second only to Wisconsin's John Ramage (+15) among WCHA freshmen.

Gleason is aiming to become the second straight rookie defenseman to lead the Sioux in plus/minus after Ben Blood (So., Plymouth, Minn.) did it last season (+11).

MANNING LAPOINT: Junior D Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire, Wis.) leads the team with a +6 over the last three games, including a +3 last Saturday against UMD.

LaPoint leads all Sioux defensemen in points (14) and assists (12), personal bests in both categories.

FRATT TALE: Junior F Matt Frattin (Edmonton, Alberta) will play in his 100th collegiate game on Friday.

Frattin has five points (3g, 2a) in his last five games after collecting just two assists in his first nine games.

FAMOUS DAVE: UND head coach Dave Hakstol enters the week with 146 career wins behind the Sioux bench, just four behind Rube Bjorman (1968-78) for third in school history.

Only John "Gino" Gasparini (392 wins, 1978-94), Dean Blais (262, 1994-04) and Bjorkman won more games at UND than Hakstol, the 2008-09 WCHA Coach of the Year.

Hakstol owns a career record of 146-82-24 (.627) and is a five-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year.

NON-CONFERENCE CALL: The Sioux finished their non-conference schedule with a 5-1-2 record, with the lone loss coming Jan. 22 at No. 9 Cornell.

UND's five non-conference wins included a season-opening sweep of Merrimack and victories over Ohio State, Niagara and Cornell.

IRON MEN: Senior Fs Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.) have each played in 155 career games, the most among active Sioux.

Only Wisconsin's Ben Street (159 gp) has played in more games among active WCHA players.

ROAD WARRIOR: In two road appearances this season, both starts, freshman G Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) has stopped 30 of 31 shots (.968 SV%) and boasts a tidy 0.51 goals against average.

However, after allowing two goals on 11 shots in one period on Jan. 29 against Denver, Dell is now 0-2-1 with a 3.69 goals against average and an .815 save percentage in three home appearances (two starts).

Overall, Dell is 1-3-1 with a 1.81 goals against average and an .897 save percentage.

EIDS WIDE SHUT: When Cornell scored its lone goal with 10 seconds remaining in the third period on Jan. 23, it marked the fifth time in his career that sophomore G Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) has lost a shutout bid with less than nine minutes left in regulation. It was the second time he has lost a shutout bid in the game's final two minutes:

Date Opponent Time Rem. Final
1/07/08 at Colorado College 1:27 3-1
1/10/09 Minnesota 7:50 6-1
2/20/09 at Alaska Anchorage 8:43 ot 2-1
1/03/10 vs. Niagara 8:56 3-1
1/23/10 at Cornell 0:10 3-1

Earlier this season, Eidsness had a starting streak of 38 games come to an end, the third-longest in UND history:
Eidsness ranks fourth all-time at UND in career goals against average (2.42) and fifth in save percentage (.907).

Eidsness has been pulled from a game just once (Nov. 14 vs. SCSU) in 71 career games.

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.

FAB FROSH: The Sioux roster includes 10 freshmen in 2009-10, UND's largest 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.

Freshman F Mike 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.

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 Mike 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 (6): Aaron Dell (Airdrie), Brad Eidsness (Chestermere), Matt Frattin (Edmonton), 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): Mike Cichy (New Hartford)
• Nebraska (1): Brett Bruneteau (Omaha)
• New Brunswick (1): Brad Malone (Miramichi)
• Wisconsin (1): Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire)

FEELING A DRAFT: UND 2009-10 roster includes 16 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), Mike Cichy (Montreal), Corban Knight (Florida), Brett Bruneteau (Washington), Jason Gregoire (New York Islanders), David Toews (New York Islanders), Brad Malone (Colorado), Brett Hextall (Phoenix) , Matt Frattin (Toronto) 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).

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Fourteen former Sioux have seen action in the NHL this season: Jason Blake (Toronto), Brandon Bochenski (Tampa Bay), 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), Matt Smaby (Tampa Bay), Drew Stafford (Buffalo), Jonathan Toews (Chicago) and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

Four of those players -- Commodore, Greene, Hale and Oshie -- were in Grand Forks last weekend to watch UND's sweep of UMD.

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.

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 playing for 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.

CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS: Former UND standouts Zach Parise and Jonathan Toews are representing their alma mater and their countries at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Parise, the leading scorer for the New Jersey Devils, is an assistant captain for the United States.

Toews, now the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks, will play for Canada.

Parise and Toews are the 19th and 20th different Sioux players to play in the Olympic games.

Two Sioux players have won a gold medal - Ed Belfour in 2002 for Canada at Salt Lake City and Dave Christian in 1980 for the United States at Lake Placid.

MIRACLE ANNIVERSARY: The month of February marks the 30th anniversary of the United States' “Miracle on Ice” victory over the Soviet Union and subsequent gold medal in the Winter Olympics.

UND standout Dave Christian was a member of Team USA and remains one of only two Sioux ever to win Olympic men's hockey gold (Ed Belfour in 2002 with Canada).

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 Swanson (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.

~Go Sioux~