Men's Hockey 9/30/2010 7:09:00 PM Jayson Hajdu, UND Athletic Media Relations

MHKY Notes: Puck drops on 2010-11 season

#2 North Dakota
(0-0-0)
vs.
Manitoba
(3-1-0)

Oct. 3, 2010 • 6:07 pm CT • Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,634) • Grand Forks, N.D.
RADIO: 96.1 The Fox (KQHT-FM) • WEBCAST: FightingSioux.com
TV: Fighting Sioux Sports Network, Midco Sports Network, FCS Central, DirecTV 617

THIS WEEK: The puck drops on the 2010-11 season on Sunday when the Fighting Sioux host the University of Manitoba in exhibition action at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. The game begins at 6:07 p.m. Central.

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. He is joined by color analyst Steve Olson.

All UND home games are broadcast live on the Fighting Sioux Sports Network, Midco Sports Network and Fox College Sports Central. Sunday's game will also be carried live on DirecTV 617.

Video webcasts of this weekend's games can be purchased at www.FightingSioux.com, where FREE audio and live stats are also available.

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets remain available for Sunday's exhibition game.

GAME PROMOTIONS: Sunday's game is also a North Dakota Family Days game. Fans can receive a free food voucher for the game by purchasing a Coca-Cola product (excluding 20 oz. bottles) at Walmart and bring your receipt to the Ralph Engelstad Arena or Alerus Center Box Offices when purchasing a ticket.

Fans redeeming a receipt are limited to eight tickets per purchase. It is valid only with in-person ticket purchases and does not apply to phone or online orders.

ABOUT MANITOBA: The Bisons opened the season 3-1-0 and brought a three-game winning streak into the week before dropping a 2-1 decision to the Manitoba Moose prospects on Wednesday ... Manitoba is scheduled to face St. Cloud State on Saturday ... Manitoba most recently skated to a weekend sweep of Brock on Oct. 25-26, winning 6-2 and 8-1 ... Rookie Jeremy Schappert is the team's leading scorer with seven points (2g, 5a) through two games. Mike Hellyer (4g, 2a) and Jared Walker (2g, 4a) are right behind with six points each ... Jesse Decker (2.98 GAA, .813 SV%) and Steve Christie (1.00 GAA, .962 SV%) have each seen time in goal early in the season.

Manitoba Coaching Staff: Mike Sirant is in his 15th season as Manitoba head coach and is the winningest coach in the 54-year history of the program. The2009-10 Canada West Coach of the Year, Sirant coached the Bisons to a 16-10-2 regular season record and a berth in the CIS national championship last season.

Sirant is assisted by Larry Bumstead and Brent Zelenewich.

RECENT SERIES HISTORY: UND has hosted Manitoba in exhibition action to open the season in each of Dave Hakstol's first six years as Fighting Sioux head coach. The Sioux have won all six of those games and outscored the Bisons 41-12, an average score of 7-2.

POLL POSITION: UND is the near-unanimous choice of the WCHA's coaches and media to win a league-record 15th regular season WCHA championship in 2010-11, according to a pair of preseason polls.

In a vote of the league's coaches, the Fighting Sioux received 10 of 12 first-place votes in the 40th annual Grand Forks Herald poll:

1. North Dakota (10), 120
2. St. Cloud State (2), 105
3. Minnesota Duluth, 100
4. Denver, 88
5. Minnesota, 82
6. Colorado College, 67
7. Wisconsin, 64
8. Nebraska Omaha, 55
9. Bemidji State 46
10. Minnesota State, 41
11. Alaska Anchorage, 19
12. Michigan Tech, 15

Player of the Year: Jack Connolly, UMD
Rookie of the Year: Jaden Schwartz, CC

In the third annual 94X WCHA Preseason Media Poll, UND nabbed 28 of a possible 29 first-place votes. In the same poll, UND senior defenseman Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) was named the preseason WCHA Player of the Year:

1. North Dakota (28), 347
2. Minnesota Duluth, 300
3. St. Cloud State (1), 295
4. Denver, 242
5. Wisconsin, 218
6. Minnesota, 203
7. Colorado College, 182
8. Bemidji State, 156
9. Nebraska Omaha, 125
10. Minnesota State, 97
11. Alaska Anchorage, 51
12. Michigan Tech, 46

Player of the Year: Chay Genoway, UND
Rookie of the Year: Jaden Schwartz, CC

RANK AND FILE: Nine of UND's first 12 games are against teams ranked in the top 13 of the aforementioned national poll: No. 7 Maine, No. 9 Minnesota Duluth, No. 11 Denver, No. 12 Alaska and No. 13 Wisconsin. Two more of UND's games in the first 12 come against Bemidji State, which received consideration in the preseason poll.

In all, UND will face nine of the poll's top 15 teams in 2010-11, as well as four other teams that received consideration: Notre Dame, Bemidji State, Colorado College and Nebraska Omaha.

CALLING ALL CAPTAINS: North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol announced on Thursday that fifth-year senior defenseman Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) has been named captain of the Fighting Sioux hockey team for the second straight season.

Genoway received a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA after missing all but nine games of the 2009-10 season due to post-concussion syndrome. UND's team captain last season, Genoway had amassed a team-leading 10 points in nine games at the time of his injury. He is UND's only three-time recipient of the program's Archie Krum Memorial Athletic Scholarship, which is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities, high academic standards and athletic excellence.

Genoway leads all active WCHA defensemen with 90 career points and is on the verge of becoming only the ninth Sioux defenseman in program history to reach the 100-point plateau. Despite missing most of last season, Genoway was voted to the All-WCHA third team by the league's coaches, players and media.

In 2008-09, Genoway was named a third-team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) and was selected the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America team.

Genoway is UND's first repeat captain since Dane Litke in 1995-96 and 1996-97. Litke led UND to an NCAA championship as a senior in 1997.

Hakstol also announced that senior defensemen Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Jake Marto (Grand Forks, N.D.) have been named assistant captains. Each is a two-time All-WCHA Academic selection and a 2009-10 WCHA Scholar-Athlete. LaPoint led all UND defensemen in scoring with a career-high 22 points last season, while Marto led the team with a career-best +18.

Sioux Captains Under Hakstol:
2004-05: Matt Greene (R. McMahon, A. Schneider, Z. Jones)
2005-06: Matt Smaby (C. Porter, M. Prpich)
2006-07: Chris Porter (E. Fabian, R. Kaip, J. Toews)
2007-08: Rylan Kaip (T. Chorney, R. Duncan)
2008-09: Ryan Duncan (J. Finley, Z. Jones, M. Watkins)
2009-10: Chay Genoway (C. VandeVelde, D. Zajac)
2010-11: Chay Genoway (D. LaPoint, J. Marto)

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: UND returns 80 percent of its goal scoring from last season, including team-leader Jason Gregoire (Jr., Winnipeg, Manitoba), who scored a career-high 20.

Gregoire is one of five Sioux who scored at least 10 goals in 2009-10, including Danny Kristo (15), Brett Hextall (14), Matt Frattin (11) and Brad Malone (11).

The Sioux welcome back a total of 22 letterwinners and add four newcomers to the fold.

FAMOUS DAVE: With 155 career wins under his belt, UND head coach Dave Hakstol is the third winningest coach in the storied history of Fighting Sioux hockey.

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

Hakstol is a five-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award and has guided the Sioux to six NCAA appearances, four NCAA Frozen Fours, two WCHA regular season championships and two WCHA Final Five titles.

Hakstol enters the season with a 155-84-24 (.635) career record, including a 92-58-18 (.601) mark in the WCHA.

UND's 30 WCHA and NCAA playoff wins in Hakstol's first six seasons are six more than any other WCHA school.

SIOUX-PER MARIO: The Sioux are 8-0-0 all-time when junior forward Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) scores a goal. One-third of Lamoureux's career goals (three out of nine) are game-winners.

FEELING A DRAFT: UND 2010-11 roster includes 16 players who have been drafted by National Hockey League teams. The group includes goalie Brad Eidsness (Buffalo), defensemen Ben Blood (Ottawa), Derek Forbort (Los Angeles), Joe Gleason (Chicago) Derrick LaPoint (Florida) and Andrew MacWilliam (Toronto), and forwards Brett Bruneteau (Washington), Mike Cichy (Montreal), Matt Frattin (Toronto), Jason Gregoire (New York Islanders), Brett Hextall (Phoenix), Corban Knight (Florida), Danny Kristo (Montreal), Brad Malone (Colorado), Brock Nelson (New York Islanders) and Derek Rodwell (New Jersey).

A total of 26 Sioux have been drafted during the tenure of seventh-year head coach Dave Hakstol, including first-rounders Forbort (Los Angeles, 2010), Nelson (New York Islanders, 2010), Jonathan Toews (Chicago, 2006), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis, 2005), Brian Lee (Ottawa, 2005) and Joe Finley (Washington, 2005).

FAB FROSH: The Sioux roster includes only four freshmen in 2009-10: defensemen Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minn.) and Dillon Simpson (Edmonton, Alberta) and forwards Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) and Derek Rodwell (Taber, Alberta). It is UND's smallest freshman class since 2003-04 (four).

That 2005-06 class included the likes of two-time Hobey Baker Award finalist, 2010 Olympic silver medalist and current New Jersey Devils star Zach Parise, as well as current Los Angeles Kings assistant captain Matt Greene.

ALL IN THE FAMILY: UND's 2009-10 roster features four players who have had family members previously play for the Fighting Sioux: defenseman Chay Genoway (Sr., Morden, Manitoba) and forwards Mario Lamoureux (Jr., Grand Forks, N.D.), Brett Hextall (Jr., Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Brock Nelson (Fr., Warroad, Minn.).

Genoway's brother, Colby, was a forward at UND from 2002-05 and scored 81 points in 115 career games. He played professionally in the Czech Republic and Finland last season.

Lamoureux's family ties to the program are extensive. His 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 second year on UND's coaching staff as an assistant video coordinator, while twin sisters Jocelyne and Monique are sophomore forwards on the Fighting Sioux women's hockey team. Additionally, mother Linda was a swimmer at UND.

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.

Nelson had two uncles and one great uncle don the Kelly Green and White. Uncle Dave Christian played at UND from 1977-79 and won Olympic gold with the United States' famed “Miracle on Ice” team in 1980 before going on to play in more than 1,000 career NHL games with Winnipeg, Washington, Boston, St. Louis and Chicago. Another uncle, Eddie Christian, played for the Sioux from 1980-84. Nelson's great uncle, Gordon “Ginny” Christian played at UND from 1947-50 and won Olympic silver with the United States in 1956.

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 Karl Goerhing (1998-2001) each played for the Fighting Sioux.

Additionally, director of hockey operations 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.