~ Exhibition Game ~

Dec. 17, 2011 • 7:07 pm CT • Ralph Engelstad Arena (11,634) • Grand Forks, N.D.
RADIO: 96.1 The Fox (KQHT-FM) • WEBCAST: www.FightingSioux.com
TV: Fighting Sioux Sports Network, Fox College Sports Central, MidcoSN3

THIS WEEK: North Dakota (9-8-1, 7-7-0 WCHA) closes out the first half of the season with an exhibition game against the Russian Red Stars.

It will be UND's final game until the Fighting Sioux host Harvard in a Dec. 30-31 non-conference series at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

The Sioux entered the week tied with Colorado College for fourth place in the WCHA standings, three points behind third-place Nebraska Omaha and eight points behind league leaders Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota.

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.

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on the Fighting Sioux Sports Network (FSSN), Fox College Sports Central and MidcoSN3. Play-by-play man Pat Sweeney is joined by analyst Jim Scanlan. Consult your local listings for availability in your viewing area.

A video webcast of Saturday's game is available at www.fightingsiouxcom.com, where free live audio and live stats are also available.

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: Tickets remain available for Saturday's game. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-745-3000, logging on to ticketmaster.com or by visiting the UND Ticket Office at the Ralph Engelstad Arena. The REA box office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

ABOUT THE RED STARS: The Red Stars are making their second visit to North America in as many seasons, with a trip that will span nearly a dozen states to play eight games between tonight and Jan. 5 (six vs. college teams, two vs. NAHL teams).

The roster is made up of 25 of the top players from the MHL, a junior league that competes in Russia and some of its neighboring countries and is the primary feeder system for the KHL, Russia's top pro league.

After kicking off their trip Saturday in Grand Forks, the Red Stars will face Alexandria (Dec. 19)and Bismarck (Dec. 21) of the NAHL. After Christmas, the Red Stars face Vermont, Yale, Northern Michigan, Notre Dame and UMass Lowell.

RED STARS COACHING STAFF: Alexander Sokolov serves as head coach of the Russian Red Stars. He is in his third season as head coach of Reaktor Nizhnekamsk of the MHL.

Sokolov is assisted by Evgeny Kornoukhov.

SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between UND and the Russian Red Stars.

UND'S LAST ACTION: UND wrapped up the first half of the regular season with a WCHA split at home against Nebraska Omaha last weekend, losing 2-1 in overtime Friday and winning 1-0 on Saturday.

Junior forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) broke a scoreless tie with an unaassisted goal 44 seconds into the third period of Saturday's 1-0 Sioux victory.

Junior goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) did the rest, stopping all 26 shots he faced in earning his first shutout of the season.

Dell was also spectacular in Friday's 2-1 overtime loss, turning aside 33 of 35 UNO shots.

Junior forward Carter Rowney (Sexsmith, Alberta) scored the lone UND goal in that game.

POLL POSITION: UND climbed one spot to No. 19 in this week's USCHO.com poll.

The Sioux also improved one spot and are now ranked 19th in this week's INCH Power Rankings.

The Sioux remain unranked in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.

KNIGHT OUT INDEFINITELY: Junior forward Corban Knight (High River, Alberta) suffered an undisclosed lower body injury in last Friday's loss to Nebraska Omaha and remains out indefinitely.

Knight ranks second on the team in scoring with 21 points, including a team-leading 15 asissts.

He has also won a team-leading 60.6 percent of his faceoffs after winning 20 of 25 last Friday. Knight set a UND single-season record last season by winning 59.9 percent of his draws.

DUDE WE'VE GOT A DELL: Junior goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) was named WCHA Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after stopping 59 of 61 shots in UND's series split with UNO.

Dell stopped 33 of 35 shots in an overtime loss on Friday, then turned aside all 26 shots he faced in Saturday's 1-0 victory.

It was Dell's first shutout of the season and the eighth of his career, which ranks fourth all-time at UND:

Dell is now a three-time WCHA Defensive Player of the Week, having been honored twice last season and once this year.

Dell had opened the 2010-11 season with a 3.88 goals against average and an .823 save percentage over his first six games (five starts), but over his last 10 appearances has posted a 2.22 GAA and .924 SV%.

If a 7-6 win over CC is taken out of the equation, those numbers drop to 1.67 and .941.

Over his last three starts Dell owns a 0.99 goals against average and a .963 save percentage.

DEFENSE MECHANISM: As a team UND is allowing just 2.1 goals per game over the last 11 games, compared to 3.9 per game over the first seven.

NATIONAL TREASURE: Sophomore defenseman Derek Forbort (Duluth, Minn.) will not play in Saturday's game.

Forbort is one of 29 players attending camp with the United States national junior team in Alberta.

Forbort is a repeat invitee after helping the U.S. win the bronze medal at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y.

The final roster expected to be named on Dec. 22. If Forbort makes the final roster, he will also miss UND's regular season games against Harvard (Dec. 30-31) and will rejoin the team when the Sioux face Clarkson in Winnipeg on Jan. 7.

Forbort is bidding to become the 32nd player 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.

In 18 games this season, Forbort has a goal and three assists.

IT'S HOW YOU FINISH: UND will enter the Christmas break with a 9-8-1 overall record and a 7-7-0 WCHA record that is good for a fourth-place tie in the league standings.

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 9-8-1 (.528) ?
Totals 80-57-12 (.577) 116-44-16 (.705)

UND will open the second half the season with a home non-conference series against Harvard Dec. 30-31.

GET CARTER: Junior forward Carter Rowney (Sexsmith, Alberta) scored UND's lone goal in last Friday's 2-1 loss to UNO, giving him a career-high nine points through 18 games.

Rowney's previous high of eight points came over 39 games as a freshman in 2009-10.

It was also the first even-strength tally of the season for Rowney, whose other four goals have come on the power play. Rowney did not score any power-play goals in his first two seasons at UND.

KNIGHTLINE: UND's line of Brock Nelson (So., Warroad, Minn.), Corban Knight (Jr., High River, Alberta) and Danny Kristo (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) was held without a point in last Friday's overtime loss to Nebraska Omaha.

That line played together in 12 games during the first half, winning seven. The unit combined for 41 points during those seven wins:

7 Wins 5 Losses
Nelson 12-5-17 1-2-3
Knight 4-10-14 1-1-2
Kristo 4-6-10 2-1-3
Totals 20-21-41 4-4-8

The trio has combined for 63 of UND's 129 points this season, which equates to 48.8 percent of the team's offensive production.

CHILLIN' LIKE DILLON: After being held without a point through the first nine games of the season, sophomore defenseman Dillon Simpson (Edmonton, Alberta) has reached the scoresheet in six of his last eight games, with seven assists during that time.

Simpson had a four-game point streak snapped last Friday against UNO.

THERE WILL BE BLOOD: Simpson is not UND's only defenseman enjoying a hot streak.

Senior Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) has six points (1g, 5a) over his last five games, including a pair of two-point outings.

Blood has also appeared in 118 consecutive games, the longest such streak among active Sioux.

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

Mattson has collected nine points (3g, 6a) through 18 games, which ranks tied for second among WCHA rookie defensemen. Only Denver's Joey LaLeggia, with 11 points in 14 games, has more.

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

EIDS WIDE SHUT: Senior goalie Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) stopped 26 of 28 shots in a Dec. 2 win at UAA to earn his 53rd career victory.

That moved Eidsness past former NHLer Jon Casey (1980-84) and 1997 NCAA champion Toby Kvalevog (1993-97) for sole possession of fifth all-time at UND:

It was Eidsness' 94th career appearance, which also ranks fifth in school history:

Eidsness also ranks fifth all-time at UND in goals against average (2.44), sixth in save percentage (.905), tied for eighth in shutouts (four), ninth in saves (2,077) and 10th in winning percentage (.661).

In five games (three starts) this season, Eidsness is 3-1-0 and leads the team in goals against average (2.43) and save percentage (.918).

ASSISTANCE PLAN: Junior goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) has four career assists, 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.

SUPER DAVE: UND's series split with UNO last weekend gave head coach Dave Hakstol his 196th career victory.

Hakstol enters the Christmas break with a career overall record of 196-101-28 (.646). His 196 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).

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.

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.

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: When Travis Zajac makes his season debut for New Jersey on Friday night, 14 former Sioux will have played in the NHL this season: Jason Blake (Anaheim), Taylor Chorney (Edmonton, St. Louis), Mike Commodore (Detroit), Joe Finley (Buffalo), Matt Frattin (Toronto), Matt Greene (Los Angeles), Brian Lee (Ottawa), Brad Malone (Colorado), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis), Zach Parise (New Jersey), Chris Porter (St. Louis), Drew Stafford (Buffalo), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

Two other players -- Hunter Bishop (Montreal) and Matt Smaby (Anaheim) -- opened the season on NHL rosters, but have yet to play due to injury.

With the exception of Blake, who played at UND from 1996-99, each of the above players was coached by Hakstol during his tenure as a head coach or assistant coach at UND.

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, media relations director Jayson Hajdu (2000) and administrative assistant Carmen Pester.

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.