GRAND FORKS, N.D. - Because of weather conditions, North Dakota's "Playoff Towels," a promotional item to be given away to Sioux fans at tonight's game, did not show up.
But the Fighting Sioux certainly did.
Freshman forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) scored 99 seconds into the game and the Sioux never looked back in handing Minnesota its worst defeat ever in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs, a 6-0 decision in the first-round series opener.
The win also extended fifth-ranked UND's NCAA-best winning streak to eight games.
Kristo's goal ignited a dominant opening 20 minutes for the Sioux in which they outshot the Gophers 12-4. Goals by Chris VandeVelde (Sr., Moorhead, Minn.) and Brad Malone (Jr., Miramichi, New Brunswick) in the final four minutes of the period sent UND to the locker room with a 3-0 lead, and the sellout crowd of 11,677 into a frenzy.
"We wanted to come out, bang and crash, put some pucks on net and hopefully get a greasy one," said junior forward Matt Frattin (Edmonton, Alberta), who scored twice. "Kristo buried a good one short side, he just rolled it in. That was a great start and we never looked back from there."
VandeVelde's goal was the end result of a shorthanded 2-on-1 rush with sophomore Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg, Manitoba), making it a 2-0 game at 16:07. Just three minutes later, Brett Hextall (So., Manhattan Beach, Calif.) sprawled for the puck at his own blueline to spring Malone on a breakaway, and Malone beat UM goalie Alex Kangas blocker side for his ninth goal of the season.
"Hexy made an unreal pass," said Malone. "I was screaching at the top of my lungs. He found me and I just tried to put it on net quickly and luckily it found a hole."
The score held for much of the second period until Frattin scored his first of two goals, beating Kangas with a rocket of a one-timer from the left dot with just 1:10 left in the second period.
Sophomore forward Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks) made it a 5-0 game at 7:46 of the third period, charging to the net and beating a Gopher defender to the puck in the slot, swiping the puck past goalie Kent Patterson, who relieved Kangas to start the period.
Frattin put the final touches on the scoresheet with his second of the game and seventh of the season with 4:27 remaining.
While Kangas and Patterson allowed six goals on 28 shots, Sioux goalie Brad Eidsness (So., Chestermere, Alberta) was spectacular at the other end of the ice, making 27 saves for his third career shutout, two of which have come against the Gophers. Eidsness made 14 of his 27 saves in the third period, and 23 over the final two periods.
"He did a good job," said UND head coach Dave Hakstol of Eidsness. "He played well for his team. Everybody's got a job to do and I thought he did a good job of his part tonight."
Eidsness helped the Sioux kill all five Gopher power-plays, blanking a unit that struck five times in last Sunday's season finale against Wisconsin.
UND can close out the series on Saturday night when the two teams square off in game two.
"It's going to be the same kind of atmosphere, the same kind of battle level," said Malone of tomorrow's game. "The start is going to be key again so we can't be happy (with tonight's win). We've got to refocus and get ready for tomorrow."
The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. Central.
Notes: UND's defense pairing of juniors Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Jake Marto (Grand Forks) combined for a +7 and four assists. LaPoint, who was playing in his 100th career game, had a career-high three assists and is now a +15 and has eight points (1g, 7a) during UND's current eight-game winning streak ... Eidsness has allowed two goals or fewer in every game during the winning streak. He also joined Karl Goehring (1997-01) as the only Sioux goalies to win 20 games in each of their first two seasons ... Kristo extended his career-best point streak to eight games. He has six goals and five assists during that time.
~GO SIOUX~
