Jan. 7-8, 2011 • 7:37/7:07 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, Fox College Sports
~ Military Appreciation Week ~

THIS WEEK: The second-ranked Fighting Sioux (14-5-2, 11-3-0 WCHA) open a six-game homestand with a non-conference series against Robert Morris on Friday and Saturday at Engelstad Arena.

It is the final non-conference action of the regular season for the Sioux, who are riding a five-game winning streak and have just one loss in the last 10 games (8-1-1).

UND's 14 wins lead the NCAA and its seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1) is tied for the longest in the nation with Yale.

MEDIA COVERAGE: 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 during home games by color analyst Steve Olson.

This weekend's games will be broadcast live on the Fighting Sioux Sports Network, the Midco Sports Network and Fox College Sports.

Live video webcasts can be purchased at FightingSioux.com, where FREE audio and live stats are also available.

New this year, 'Inside Fighting Sioux Hockey' airs every Tuesday on the Fighting Sioux Sports Network and nationwide on Fox College Sports. Head coach Dave Hakstol also appears weekly on the Green Mill Coaches Show every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. on the Fighting Sioux Radio Network.

GAME PROMOTIONS: This weekend is Military Appreciation Weekend. Discounted tickets are available to all active duty, military ID holders and up to three dependents. For more information, visit www.fightingsioux.com.

This weekend's series is also included in UND's Family Days promotion, which allows fans to purchase a regular-priced ticket and receive a voucher for free food at the game. To take advantage of this great deal, simply purchase 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.

TICKET INFORMATION: Limited tickets remain available for both games this weekend against Robert Morris.

For ticket information or to purchase tickets, visit the UND Box Office at Engelstad Arena, any Ticketmaster location, call 1-800-745-3000 or purchase online at www.Ticketmaster.com.

TERRY CASEY TRIBUTE: Prior to Friday night's game, the No. 12 worn by the late Terry Casey will be raised to the rafters at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

A native of Great Falls, Mont., Casey played for the UND freshman hockey team in 1962-63, and then for the varsity team from 1963 to 1966. As a senior, Casey led the Sioux in scoring as the team's captain and finished his collegiate career with 57 goals and 61 assists for 118 points in only 88 games. Following his senior season, Casey was named a first-team All-American.

Casey was chosen to play for the United States at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, but never got the opportunity; in July of 1967, Casey and two others were killed in an automobile accident.

Casey's No. 12 was officially retired by the University of North Dakota in 1968, and that honor will be officially commemorated prior to Friday's game.

ABOUT RMU: The Colonials (12-5-2, 7-5-2 AHA) open the second half of the season in second place in the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA), three points behind RIT.

Senior forward Nathan Longpre leads the team with 27 points (9g, 18a), including an Atlantic Hockey-leading 12 power-play points. Fellow senior Denny Urban leads all AHA defensemen with 25 points, 11 more than any other AHA rearguard, and enters the series with 97 career points.

The Colonials are the best defensive team in the AHA, allowing only 2.32 goals per game.

RMU Coaching STAFF: Derek Schooley (Western Michigan '94) is in his seventh season as RMU head coach and is 81-117-28 (.420).

He is assisted by Matt Nicholson (Colgate '04) and Mark Workman (St. Scholastica '93).

SERIES HISTORY: This weekend's series will mark the first-ever meetings between North Dakota and Robert Morris.

The two teams have not played any common opponents this season.

UND'S LAST ACTION: Sophomore goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) stopped all 35 shots he faced, while senior Brad Malone (Miramichi, New Brunswick) scored twice to lead the Sioux to a 5-0 non-conference win at No. 4 Minnesota Duluth last Thursday in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.

Sophomore forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) had a goal and two assists for the Sioux, who scored three times in a 74-second span late in the second period to turn a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 lead.

Senior forward Matt Frattin (Edmonton, Alberta) scored his NCAA-leading 18th goal of the season. Carter Rowney (So., Sexsmith, Alberta) also scored a goal.

UND killed all seven UMD power-play chances. The Sioux went 1-for-4 on the power-play.

RANK AND FILE: UND continued to climb both national polls this week, grabbing the No. 2 spot in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.

The Sioux were also ranked No. 2 in the most recent INCH Power Rankings.

NO REST FOR THE WEARY: UND has won an NCAA-best 14 games despite having faced the toughest strength of schedule (SOS) in the nation to date, according to the latest KRACH ratings:

RK Team SOS
1. North Dakota 259.9
2. Bemidji State 246.8
3. Alaska Anchorage 227.6
4. Denver 218.9
5. Minnesota Duluth 205.8
6. Michigan Tech 201.8
7. Colorado College 184.9
8. New Hampshire 114.4
9. Nebraska Omaha 170.1
10. Minnesota 166.8

UND faced a top-13 team in seven of the first eight weekends of the season, including a stretch of six straight weekends at one point.

UND's first-half schedule included (ranking at time of matchup) No. 2 Minnesota Duluth (home), No. 4 Nebraska Omaha (road), No. 11 Notre Dame (home), No. 12 Alaska (neutral), No. 12 Denver (home), No. 12 Maine (road) and No. 13 Wisconsin (road).

ALONE AT THE TOP: At 11-3-0 in WCHA play, UND sits in first place to open the second half for the first time under seventh-year head coach Dave Hakstol.

UND's 11 WCHA wins, 22 points and .786 winning percentage are also new highs under Hakstol:
First Half in the WCHA
Year W-L-T Pct. Pts.
2004-05 9-6-1 .594 19
2005-06 6-6-0 .500 12
2006-07 5-8-1 .393 11
2007-08 6-6-0 .500 12
2008-09 6-5-1 .542 13
2009-10 6-6-2 .500 14
2010-11 11-3-0 .786 22

UND's .700 overall winning percentage during the first half was the most under Hakstol and the team's 13 first-half overall wins matched the 13 he won during the first half of the 2004-05 season:

First Half Overall
Year W-L-T Pct.
2004-05 13-7-2 .636
2005-06 12-7-1 .625
2006-07 7-10-1 .417
2007-08 8-6-1 .567
2008-09 9-8-1 .528
2009-10 9-6-3 .583
2010-11 13-5-2 .700

UND's 14 overall victories lead the nation.

ROAD WARRIORS: With last Thursday's 5-0 win at UMD, the Sioux ran their 2010-11 road record to 8-3-1, including a 7-1-0 mark in the WCHA.

Last season the Sioux were 8-7-1 on the road, including a 7-6-1 conference record.

HELLO, MY NAME IS: Following the Christmas break, UND added freshman forward Taylor Dickin to the roster.

Dickin, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, spent the past three seasons with the Selkirk Steelers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), where he amassed 183 points (85 goals, 98 assists) in 182 games.

Last season, the 6-2, 190-pound Dickin registered 40 goals and 92 points in 62 games and was named the MJHL's Most Valuable Player.

FRATT PARTY: Senior forward Matt Frattin (Edmonton, Alberta) leads the NCAA with 18 goals:

Frattin is in the midst of a six-game goal-scoring streak and a seven-game point streak, both of which are the longest of his career.

Frattin has tallied an incredible 28 goals in his last 33 games dating back to Feb. 13 at St. Cloud State.

THE 'PONY EXPRESS' DELIVERS: During UND's five-game winning streak, the Sioux have played without injured first-line wingers Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.).

In that time, UND's "Pony Express" line of Frattin, Brad Malone (Sr. Miramichi, New Brunswick) and Evan Trupp (Sr., Anchorage, Alaska) has combined for 25 points and a +21 plus/minus rating.

Malone is in the midst of the most productive stretch of his career, a five-game point streak during which he has scored five goals and five assists. Those five goals include three game-winners, one shorthanded goal and one power-play tally.

DUDE, WE'VE GOT A DELL: Sophomore goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) continued his stellar play with a 35-save shutout last Thursday at UMD.

Dell has two shutouts this season and three in his career, and all three have come on the road against WCHA rivals, although last Thursday's game at UMD was officially a non-conference game.

Dell leads the WCHA in overall wins (13), overall winning percentage (.750), conference goals against average (1.94), conference wins (10) and conference winning percentage (.833). His 13 wins are the most of any NCAA Division I goalie.

OH DANNY BOY: Sophomore forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) opened the second half of the season with a bang last Thursday, notching a goal and two assists at UMD for his first three-point game of the season.

Kristo is now riding a four-game point streak, with one goal and six assists during that stretch. He is also a +4 during that time.

Kristo was the 2009-10 WCHA Rookie of the Year after leading all conference rookies in points (36) and goals (15).

SIOUX-PER MARIO: The Sioux are 9-0-0 all-time when junior forward Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) scores a goal.

In 21 games this season, Lamoureux has a goal and six assists for seven points, with five of those points (1g, 4a) coming in the last six games.

GET CARTER: Sophomore forward Carter Rowney (Sexsmith, Alberta) scored his second goal of the season last Thursday and his first since the season opener at Alaska Anchorage (Oct. 8), snapping a nine-game goal-scoring drought.

THE TWO JAKES: Due to the injuries to Gregoire and Hextall, senior defenseman Jake Marto (Grand Forks, N.D.) has played forward for each of UND's last five games.

Marto has one goal (GWG) and one assist during that time, with a +3 rating.

Marto played four games at forward as a freshman in 2007-08.

WELCOME BACK: Freshmen Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minn.) and Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) will return to the team this weekend after representing the United States at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y.

Forbort and Nelson, both first-round NHL draft picks last summer, close out the tournament by facing Sweden in Wednesday's bronze medal game.

Forbort, a native of Duluth, Minn., helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2010 Under-18 World Championship. In 15 games this season with the Fighting Sioux, Forbort has nine assists and a +4 plus/minus rating. Forbort was selected 15th overall by Los Angeles in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Nelson, a native of Warroad, Minn., has two goals and four assists in 20 games for the Sioux. He was selected 30th overall by the New York Islanders in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Forbort and Nelson are the 30th and 31st players to represent UND on the U.S. National Junior roster dating back to 1979.

The Sioux hockey program has had 45 participants in the prestigious World Junior Hockey Championship, representing the United States, Canada and Slovakia:

Fighting Sioux at the World Juniors
1979: Dave Christian (USA), Tim Mishler (USA), Mike Stone (USA)

1981: Mark Huglen (USA), Craig Ludwig (USA)

1982: Jon Casey (USA), Troy Murray (CAN), James Patrick (CAN)

1983: James Patrick (CAN), Gord Sherven (CAN), Rick Zombo (USA)

1984: Scott Sandelin (USA)

1985: Brad Berry (CAN)

1987: Lee Davidson (USA)

1988: Lee Davidson (USA)

1989: Geoff Smith (CAN)

1990: Jason Herter (CAN)

1991: Chris Gotziaman (USA), Greg Johnson (CAN)

1992: Brad Bombardir (CAN), Marty Schriner (USA)

1994: Toby Kvalevog (USA)

1995: Landon Wilson (USA)

2001: David Hale (USA)

2003: Matt Greene (USA), Matt Jones (USA), Zach Parise (USA), Rastislav Spirko (Slovakia)

2004: Brady Murray (USA), Zach Parise (USA), Rastislav Spirko (Slovakia), Drew Stafford (USA)

2005: Brian Lee (USA), Drew Stafford (USA)

2006: Taylor Chorney (USA), Brian Lee (USA), T.J. Oshie (USA), Jonathan Toews (CAN)

2007: Taylor Chorney (USA), Brian Lee (USA), Jonathan Toews (CAN)

2009: Danny Kristo (USA)

2010: Danny Kristo (USA)

2011: Derek Forbort (USA), Brock Nelson (USA)

GENOWAY ON HIS WAY: With an assist last Thursday at UMD, senior captain Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) extended his scoring streak to a career-best seven games.

Genoway's 108 career points lead all active NCAA DI defensemen and rank eighth all-time among Sioux rearguards:

Genoway scored the game-winning goal on Nov. 26 against No. 11 Notre Dame, the seventh GWG of his career, one shy of Nick Fuher's (2001-05) school record for defensemen:

Genoway's 24 total career goals also tie him for eight all-time among UND defensemen:

He has 18 points (4g, 14a) in 21 games this season, including 15 points (3g, 12a) over his last 13 games.

DYNAMIC DUO: The defense pairing of Genoway and defense partner Ben Blood (Jr., Plymouth, Minn.) are a combined +21 over UND's last seven games.

EIDS WIDE SHUT: Junior goalie Brad Eidsness' (Chestermere, Alberta) enters the week with 87 career apperances between the pipes, which ranks him sixth all-time at UND. Toby Kvalevog (1993-97) is the program's all-time leader with 121 career games played:
Eidsness is also just one win from becoming only the seventh Sioux goalie to win 50 career games.

300: Senior center Brad Malone (Miramichi, New Brunswick) is on the verge of becoming only the seventh player in Sioux history to amass 300 career penalty minutes:

With 18 points (7g, 11a) in 20 games this season, Malone is well on his way to eclipsing the career-high 25 points (11g, 14a) he registed last season.

Malone ranks third on the team in scoring and leads the Sioux with three game-winning goals.

FEELING A DRAFT: UND's 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).

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.

PRO-FILES: Thirteen former Sioux standouts have seen action in the National Hockey League in 2010-11: Jason Blake (Anaheim Ducks), Mike Commodore (Columbus Blue Jackets), Matt Greene (Los Angeles Kings), David Hale (Ottawa Senators), Ryan Johnson (Chicago Blackhawks), Brian Lee (Ottawa Senators), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis Blues), Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils), Chris Porter (St. Louis Blues), Matt Smaby (Tampa Bay Lightning), Drew Stafford (Buffalo Sabres), Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks), Travis Zajac (New Jersey Devils).

Toews captained the Blackhawks to a Stanley Cup championship last season, while also leading Canada to a gold medal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, where he was named the tournament's top forward.

An additional five former Sioux are currently in the NHL coaching ranks: reigning Jack Adams Trophy winner Dave Tippett (head coach, Phoenix Coyotes), Brad Berry (assistant coach, Columbus Blue Jackets), James Patrick (assistant coach, Buffalo Sabres), Steve Peters (video coach, Phoenix Coyotes) and Rick Wilson (assistant coach, Minnesota Wild). A sixth coach, Edmonton Oilers head coach Tom Renney, graduated from UND but did not play for the Sioux.

Also of note:

Former Sioux defenseman, Brad Bombardir, is the director of player development for the Minnesota Wild.

Former Sioux assistant coach Don Boyd is the
Columbus Blue Jackets' assistant general manager.

Former Sioux forward Troy Murray is the radio color analyst for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Ron Hextall, father of current Sioux forward Brett Hextall, is the vice president/assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Kings.