Dec. 2-3, 2011 • 7:07 pm AT • Sullivan Arena (6,251) • Anchorage, Alaska
RADIO: 96.1 The Fox (KQHT-FM) • WEBCAST: www.NMTVSports.com
TV: Fighting Sioux Sports Network, Midco SN3, GCI Channel 1
LIVE STATS: www.GoSeawolves.com

THIS WEEK: North Dakota (6-7-1, 4-6-0 WCHA) travels to Alaska Anchorage on Friday and Saturday for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series with the Seawolves (5-7-2, 2-7-1).

UND enters the week in ninth place with eight points, but is just two points out of sixth place. UAA, with five points, is tied with Minnesota State for 11th place.

The puck drops at 10:07 p.m. Central on Friday and Saturday at Sullivan Arena.

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 31st season as the voice of the Fighting Sioux.

This weekend's games will be broadcast live on the Fighting Sioux Sports Network (FSSN) and MidcoSN3. Consult your local listings for availability in your viewing area.

Video webcasts of each game are available at www.nmtvsports.com. FREE live audio is available at www.fightingsioux.com, and FREE live stats are available at www.goseawolves.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive real-time updates during all UND men's hockey games by following
@UNDMHockey.

Fans can also follow the action via live chat at FightingSioux.com, hosted by Grand Forks Herald hockey writer Brad Schlossman and UND media relations director Jayson Hajdu during every home and road game.

TICKET INFORMATION: Single-game tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 or at the Sullivan Arena box office.

ABOUT UAA: The Seawolves claimed a season-best three of four points last weekend at Minnesota State, skating to a 5-4 win on Friday and a 5-5 overtime tie on Saturday.

UAA's 10 goals in the series at MSU topped the seven goals the Seawolves had scored in their first WCHA games.

Senior defenseman/forward Curtis Leinweber had three goals and an assist at MSU, while junior forward Mickey Spencer snapped a 7-game goal-scoring drought with his team-leading sixth and seventh tallies of the season. Spencer also leads the Seawolves in scoring with nine points.

Sophomore goalies Chris Kamal (3-4-0, 3.10 GAA, .890 SV%) and Rob Gunderson (2-3-2, 3.28 GAA, .884 SV%) each appeared in eight games this season.

UAA COACHING STAFF: Dave Shyiak (Northern Michigan '93) is in his his seventh year as head coach of the Seawolves and is 72-134-26 (.366).

Shyiak's staff includes associate head coach Campbell Blair (Maine '91), assistant coach TJ Jindra (Notre Dame '07) and goaltending coach Scott Johnson (Minnesota Duluth).

SERIES HISTORY: The Sioux lead the all-time series with UAA 42-17-4 (.698) and are 15-14-1 (.517) in Anchorage.

UND has lost just twice in the last 13 meetings, going 9-2-2 during that time.

The Sioux went unbeaten against the Seawolves in three meetings last year, tying 5-5 in the season opener at UAA's Kendall Hockey Classic, and winning 6-1 and 3-1 in a February series in Grand Forks.

Junior center Corban Knight (High River, Alberta) leads all active Sioux with five points (3g, 2a) in five career games against the Seawolves.

In three career starts, junior Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) is 3-0 with a 0.67 goals against average and a .964 save percentage. Senior Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) has made six career appearances (five starts) against UAA and is 3-1-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .907 SV%.

UND'S LAST ACTION: UND is coming off of its first sweep of the season, defeating No. 4 Colorado College 7-6 and 4-3 at the Subway Holiday Classic in Grand Forks last weekend.

UND's line of Brock Nelson (3g, 3a), Corban Knight (1g, 4a) and Danny Kristo (3g, 2a) combined for 16 points in the sweep.

On Friday, Nelson and Kristo each had two goals and an assist, while Knight collected thre assists. Freshman defenseman Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Minn.) had a goal and an assist, while Michael Parks (Fr., St. Louis, Mo.) and Carter Rowney (Jr., Sexsmith, Alberta) each had single tallies. Senior goalie Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) came off the bench midway through the second period and stopped all 13 shots he faced to earn the win.

On Saturday, Nelson had a goal and two assists while linemates Kristo and Knight each chipped in with a goal and an assist. Sophomore forward Derek Rodwell (Taber, Alberta) added his first goal of the season, while junior Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) stopped 26 of 29 shots for the victory.

UND finished the series 4-for-10 on the power play and 7-for-10 on the penalty kill.

SERIES SNIPPETS: A handful of notable tidbits emerged from UND's series with CC last weekend:

• With UND's 7-6 and 4-3 wins, seven of the last nine meetings between the two teams have been decided by one goal.

• Friday's 7-6 game was the highest-scoring tilt between the Sioux and the Tigers since a 9-5 CC victory on Nov. 24, 1995, almost 16 years prior to the day.

• Friday's game also marked UND's first game in which both teams pulled their starting goalies since Feb. 9, 2007, when the Sioux defeated Minnesota State 8-4.

POLL POSITION: UND is unranked in both the latest USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, both of which were released on Monday, as well as the INCH Power Rankings.

BROCK 'N' ROLL: Sophomore forward Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) was named WCHA co-Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after a 6-point weekend against Colorado College.

Nelson scored three points each night and figured in on both game-winning goals. He had two goals, including the winner, and an assist in Friday's 7-6 win, then followed up with a goal and two assists, setting up Danny Kristo's shorthanded winner, in Saturday's 4-3 win.

Nelson is tied for the team scoring lead with 17 points (10g, 7a) through 14 games. He also entered the week tied for the national lead with six power-play goals:

KNIGHTLINE: UND's line of center Corban Knight (Jr., High River Alberta) and wingers Brock Nelson (So., Warroad, Minn.) and Danny Kristo (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) combined for 16 points in UND's sweep over No. 4 CC last weekend.

Knight had a goal and five assists, Nelson had three goals and three assists and Kristo had three goals and two assists.

UND is 5-4-0 in the nine games in which that line has been listed as a unit, and the line has been nearly four times as productive in the five victories:

Wins Losses
Nelson 8-4-12 1-2-3
Knight 4-6-10 1-1-2
Kristo 3-5-8 2-1-3
Totals 15-15-30 4-4-8

All three players share the team scoring lead with 17 points through 14 games. UND's next-highest scorer is freshman defenseman Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Minn.), who has eight points (3g, 5a).

CHILLIN' LIKE DILLON: Sophomore defenseman Dillon Simpson (Edmonton, Alberta) had an assist in each game against CC and now has five points (all assists) in his last five games.

Simpson had been held scoreless through the first nine games of the season.

Simpson had two goals and eight assists in 30 games last season as a freshman.

EIDS WIDE SHUT: Senior goalie Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) came off the bench midway through the second period last Friday and stopped all 13 shots he faced to earn the win in UND's 7-6 victory.

The win was the 52nd of Eidsness' career, tying him with former NHLer Jon Casey (1980-84) and 1997 NCAA champion Toby Kvalevog (1993-97):

It was Eidsness' 93rd career appearance, which also ranks fifth in school history:

Eidsness also ranks fifth all-time at UND in goals against average (2.45), sixth in save percentage (.904), tied for eighth in shutouts (four), ninth in saves (2,051) and 10th in winning percentage (.657).

In four games (two starts) this season, Eidsness is 2-1-0 and leads the team in goals against average (2.61) and save percentage (.914).

IT'S HOW YOU FINISH: UND has struggled to a 6-7-1 overall start and a 4-6-0 record in the WCHA.

However, under eighth-year head coach Dave Hakstol, the Sioux have typically played their best hockey after the Christmas break:

Year Before After
2004-05 13-7-2 (.636) 12-8-3 (.587)
2005-06 12-7-1 (.625) 17-9-0 (.654)
2006-07 7-10-1 (.417) 17-4-4 (.760)
2007-08 8-6-1 (.567) 20-5-3 (.768)
2008-09 9-8-1 (.528) 15-7-3 (.660)
2009-10 9-6-3 (.583) 16-7-2 (.680)
2010-11 13-5-2 (.700) 19-4-1 (.813)
2011-12 6-7-1 (.464) ?
Totals 77-56-12 (.572) 116-44-16 (.705)

GET CARTER: Junior forward Carter Rowney (Sexsmith, Alberta) scored his third goal of the season last Friday against CC, matching the career high he established in 28 games as a sophomore last year.

All three of Rowney's goals this season have come on the power play. He did not register a power-play goal through his first two seasons at UND (67 games played).

In 14 games this season, Rowney ranks fifth on the team with seven points (3g, 4a), one shy of the career-high eight he had as a freshman in 2009-10.

KNIGHT MOVES: Last season, center Corban Knight (Jr., High River, Alberta) broke Zach Parise's single-season school record by winning 59.9 percent of his faceoffs.

This season, Knight appears to be making another run at the record.

Knight has won a team-leading 60.1 percent of his faceoffs through 14 games, which is on pace to smash his own school record.

In last weekend's sweep of No. 4 CC, Knight won 61.4 percent of his draws (35 wins, 22 losses).

NICK OF TIME: Freshman defenseman Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Minn.) has emerged as one of the most productive rookies in the WCHA through the first two months of the season.

Mattson has collected eight points (3g, 5a) through 14 games, which ranks second among WCHA rookie defensemen. Only Denver's Joey LaLeggia, with 11 points in 13 games, has more.

Mattson is both UND's top-scoring defenseman and top-scoring freshman.

HOT ROD: Sophomore forward Derek Rodwell (Taber, Alberta) scored his first goal of the season late in the first period of UND's 4-3 win over CC last Saturday.

The goal, which tied the game at 2-2 with 18 seconds left in the first period, snapped Rodwell's 17-game goal-scoring drought that dated back to last March.

Rodwell now has six career goals, with four of them coming against nationally-ranked opponents.

ASSISTANCE PLAN: Junior goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) collected his fourth career assist last Friday, a total topped by only one goalie in the history of the program: current volunteer assistant coach Karl Goehring.

Goehring amassed a school-record seven assists from 1997 to 2001.

FRESHMAN FIRST: Freshman forward Connor Gaarder (Edina, Minn.) notched his first career point with an assist last Friday against CC.

BLOOD WORK: Senior defenseman Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) has played in 114 consecutive games, the longest streak among active Sioux.

Blood has a goal and five assists in 14 games this season after a 3-assist series against Colorado College last weekend.

SUPER DAVE: UND's series sweep over No. 4 CC last weekend gave head coach Dave Hakstol his 192nd and 193rd career victories.

Hakstol enters this weekend with a career overall record of 193-100-28 (.645). His 193 victories rank third all-time at UND behind only John "Gino" Gasparini (392 wins, 1978-94), whom Hakstol played under at UND, and Dean Blais (262, 1994-2004), whom Hakstol succeeded as UND head coach.

With 32 wins last season, UND has reached the 20-win plateau in each of Hakstol's first seven seasons behind the Sioux bench. It was also the third-highest win total in progrma history.

Hakstol's streak of seven straight 20-win seasons is the second-longest in UND history, behind only John "Gino" Gasparini's 13 in a row (1978-79 to 1990-91).

MARIO'S MILESTONE: When senior captain Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) scored the game-winning goal on Nov. 19 at Bemidji State, he entered the UND history books by scoring the 10,000th goal in program history.

Perhaps it was fitting that Lamoureux would be the one to score the milestone goal, considering he is from Grand Forks, and his extensive family ties to UND hockey.

Lamoureux's sisters, Jocelyne and Monique, are junior forwards on UND's women's hockey team.

His father, Pierre, played goalie for the Sioux from 1979-82 and was a member of two NCAA championship teams.

His brother, Jean-Philippe, was a goaltender at UND from 2004-08 and was an All-American as a senior.

Another brother, Pierre-Paul, is currently in his third season on UND's coaching staff as assistant video coordinator.

Finally, his uncle, Roger Lamoureux, was a four-year letterwinner at forward for the Sioux from 1973 to 1977.

SUPER MARIO: In addition to the 10,000-goals milestone, Lamoureux's tally on Nov. 19 was significant for another reason.

With the goal, UND improved to 13-0-0 all-time when Lamoureux scores.

THE EAGLE SOARS INTO THE HALL: Fighting Sioux legend Ed Belfour made history on Nov. 14 when he became the first UND product to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Belfour parlayed a historic 1986-87 freshman season into a distinguished professional career that saw him become the third-winningest goalie in NHL history. Only Martin Brodeur (627 wins) and Patrick Roy (551) have won more games than Belfour, who won 484 from 1988 to 2007.

A native of Carman, Manitoba, Belfour won a UND-record 29 games (since broken) in 1986-87 and was named an NCAA All-American after leading the Fighting Sioux to the 1987 national championship. He was the backbone of the famed "Hrkac Circus" team that won a then-NCAA-record 40 games.

Belfour twice won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie and helped lead the Dallas Stars to a Stanley Cup championship in 1999.

A six-time all-star game participant, Belfour ranks third in NHL history in wins (484), fourth in games played (963) and saves (24,750), and ninth in shutouts (76). He finished his career with a 2.50 goals against average and a .906 save percentage.

Belfour also excelled on the international stage, winning a Canada Cup in 1991 and an Olympic gold medal in 2002 for Canada.

WE WERE MERELY FRESHMEN: Forwards Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.) and Mark MacMillan (Penticton, British Columbia) were both ranked among the top 20 freshman forwards in the country by InsideCollegeHockey.com in October.

Grimaldi was ranked No. 5 and MacMillan was ranked No. 11.
UND's overall freshman class was ranked No. 2 in the nation behind only Miami's.

LOWE'S AND BEHOLD: Brad Eidsness (Sr., Chestermere, Alberta) is one of 20 national candidates for the prestigious Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

On the ice, Eidsness is a two-time All-WCHA selection and is one of only two goalies in UND history (with Karl Goehring) to have won 20 games in each of his first two years.

In the classroom, Eidsness was the 2010-11 men's hockey recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average at his or her sport's championship site. Already in graduate school pursuing a master's degree in business administration, Eidsness received his bachelor's degree in entrepreneurship last spring. He is a two-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Scholar-Athlete and a two-time Academic All-WCHA selection.

An active member of the community, Eidsness has logged significant hours of community service with a variety of organizations in each of his first three years at UND, including the Sioux Kids Club, the National Honor Society, the Northlands Rescue Mission, Pucks for Plates and more.

The 20 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, Division I men's coaches and fans who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

Eidsness' former teammate, Chay Genoway, was a finalist last season for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and was named to the 2010-11 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award All-America first team.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: UND will travel to Winnipeg on Jan. 7 to face Clarkson in a non-conference game at the MTS Centre, home to the NHL's Winnipeg Jets.

Dubbed the 'U.S. College Hockey Classic,' the game will be UND's first game on Canadian soil in 59 years. It is being held in partnership with Ralph Engelstad Arena and True North Sports & Entertainment Limited (TNSE). Former UND football letterwinner Mark Chipman is the president of TNSE.

The last time UND played a men's hockey game in Canada was Dec. 29-30, 1953, when the Sioux lost a pair of games to host Fort Frances (Ontario).

The last time UND played outside of the United States was Dec. 26-29, 1982, when the Sioux competed in the Spengler Cup in Switzerland.

CALLING ALL CAPTAINS: Senior forward Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) was named team captain at UND's annual preseason media day luncheon.

In 43 games last season, Lamoureux established career highs in points (17) and assists (14) while earning his second straight WCHA All-Academic selection. In 109 career games, Lamoureux has amassed 13 goals and 22 assists.

Interestingly, Lamoureux's younger sister, Jocelyne, was named captain of UND's women's this season.

Mario Lamoureux joins Steve Johnson (1987-88), Jeff Panzer (2000-01) and Andy Schneider (2003-04) as the only Grand Forks natives to captain their hometown team.

Senior defenseman Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.), junior defenseman Andrew MacWilliam (Calgary, Alberta) and junior forward Corban Knight (High River, Alberta) were named assistant captains.

HELLO, MY NAME IS: UND welcomes 10 freshmen to the lineup this season, including forwards Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.), Connor Gaarder (Edina, Minn.), Mark MacMillan (Penticton, British Columbia), Brendan O'Donnell (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Michael Parks (St. Louis, Mo.), Stephane Pattyn (Ste. Anne, Manitoba) and Colten St. Clair (Gilbert, Ariz.), and defensemen Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Minn.), Dan Senkbeil (Fremont, Calif.) and Andrew Panzarella (Washington, D.C.).

It is UND's largest freshman class since 2005-06, when the Sioux brought in 13 freshmen. That class included future NHLers Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, Taylor Chorney and Brian Lee, as well as 2006-07 Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan.

FEELING A DRAFT: The 2011-12 Sioux roster boasts 15 National Hockey League draft picks, including 2011 selections Rocco Grimaldi (Fr., Rossmoor, Calif.) and Dillon Simpson (So., Edmonton, Alberta).

Grimaldi was taken in the second round (33rd overall) by Florida, while Simpson went in the fourth round (92nd overall) to Edmonton.

Simpson's father, Craig, won two Stanley Cups with Edmonton during his 10-year NHL career. He is now the lead color analyst on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) Hockey Night in Canada.

UND's current collection of draft picks features two 1st-rounders (Derek Forbort, Brock Nelson), two 2nd-rounders (Rocco Grimaldi, Danny Kristo), three 4th-rounders (Ben Blood, Mark MacMillan, Dillon Simpson), four 5th-rounders (Brad Eidsness, Corban Knight, Michael Parks, Derek Rodwell), two 6th-rounders (Nick Mattson, Brendan O'Donnell) and two 7th-rounders (Joe Gleason, Andrew MacWilliam).

TRADITION NEVER GRADUATES: The 2011-12 NHL season opened with 14 former Sioux dotting NHL rosters, including: Hunter Bishop (Montreal), Jason Blake (Anaheim), Taylor Chorney (Edmonton, now with St. Louis), Mike Commodore (Detroit), Matt Frattin (Toronto), Matt Greene (Los Angeles), Brian Lee (Ottawa), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis), Zach Parise (New Jersey), Chris Porter (St. Louis), Matt Smaby (Anaheim), Drew Stafford (Buffalo), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

Other former Sioux in the NHL include Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett, Columbus assistant Brad Berry, Buffalo assistant James Patrick, Minnesota assistant Rick Wilson, Phoenix video coach Steve Peters, Minnesota Wild Director of Player Development Brad Bombardir, and Chicago Blackhawks radio analyst Troy Murray.

Additionally, former UND football letterwinner Mark Chipman is the chairman of the Winnipeg Jets.

Sixteen former Sioux played in the NHL last season, including: Jason Blake (Anaheim), Taylor Chorney (Edmonton), Mike Commodore (Columbus), Matt Frattin (Toronto), Matt Greene (Los Angeles), David Hale (Ottawa), Ryan Johnson (Chicago), Brian Lee (Ottawa), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis), Zach Parise (New Jersey), Chris Porter (St. Louis), Matt Smaby (Tampa Bay), Drew Stafford (Buffalo), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), Chris Vande Velde (Edmonton), and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

CALLING ALL CAPTAINS: A pair of former Sioux currently serve as captains of their NHL clubs: Zach Parise (2002-04) of the New Jersey Devils and Jonathan Toews (2005-07) of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Additionally, defenseman Matt Greene (2002-05) serves as an assistant captain for the Los Angeles Kings and forward Drew Stafford (2003-06) holds the same title for the Buffalo Sabres.

FOREVER SIOUX: Every member of UND's coaching 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 Goehring (1998-2001) each played for the Fighting Sioux.

Additionally, nearly every member of the support staff is also a graduate of UND, including 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).

RANK AND FILE: UND was voted No. 2 (four first-place votes) in the 41st annual Grand Forks Herald WCHA Coaches Preseason Poll and No. 3 (two first-place votes) in the 93X (Duluth) WCHA Media Preseason Poll.

In both polls, Sioux freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.) was named the preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year:

2011-12 Grand Forks Herald
WCHA Coaches Preseason Poll

Rk Team (1st place votes) Points
1. Denver (7) 115
2. North Dakota (4) 110
3. Colorado College (1) 105
4. Nebraska Omaha 89
5. Minnesota Duluth 75
6. Minnesota 74
7. St. Cloud State 61
8. Wisconsin 54
9. Alaska Anchorage 36
10. Bemidji State 30
11. Minnesota State, Mankato 29
12. Michigan Tech 14

POY: Jaden Schwartz, So., F, Colorado College

ROY: Rocco Grimaldi, F, North Dakota

2011-12 93X Radio
WCHA Media Preseason Poll

Rk Team (1st place votes) Poll Avg.
1. Denver (16) 11.35
2. Colorado College (7) 10.54
3. North Dakota (2) 10.31
4. Nebraska Omaha (1) 8.31
5. Minnesota Duluth 8.12
6. Minnesota 7.73
7. Wisconsin 5.54
St. Cloud State 5.54
9. Alaska Anchorage 3.85
10. Bemidji State 2.92
11. Minnesota State 2.12
12. Michigan Tech 1.69

POY: Jason Zucker, So., F, Denver

ROY: Rocco Grimaldi, F, North Dakota

COY: Mel Pearson, Michigan Tech

Senior defenseman Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) and junior goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) were both named to the 93X preseason All-WCHA team.